SARMA(stuffed cabbage)
The recipe is simple but the cooking is taking a lot of time. But believe me it's worth the effort and time.

1 large head of brined cabbage
1 kg. grounded meat (pork, lamb, beef or any other meat)
300 g. rice
2 medium onions chopped
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of paprika
sunflower oil
water, liquid from the brined cabbage or vegetable soup
1 tablespoon vegeta
salt and pepper

First saute the onions on a sunflower oil about 2 minutes. Add the meat and saute until the meat is cooked. Add the rice and cook about 5-10 minutes. Add salt, pepper and vegeta. The rice should be half cooked. Take out the leaves from the cabbage and cut the thick parts from the leaf. Add the filling onto the leaf and wrap it while you tuck in the ends of the leaf. Cut the thick parts from the leaves and all the leaves that have left. First add the cutted cabbage leaves then the sarmas, than again cabbage then sarmas until all is gone (you should finish with cutted leaves) into a deep pot. When you're putting the sarmas try to put it as much closer to one another so that they won't unwrap. Add the water, liquid from the brined cabbage or vegetable soup until the sarmas are covered. Add little salt and pepper. Now, if you're baking it, close the pot with lid than bake it for 2 hours at 350 C. If you're cooking it onto stove, close the pot with plate and onto the plate place something heavy (at my home we're having a river rock which is used only for that purpose). If you don't do this there's a chance that the sarmas will unwrap when it comes to a boil. Cook it for about 2 hours. After 2 hours take out the pot and remove the lid or the plate. In a pan add about 80 gr. oil then fry the flour until golden. Than add the paprika. Add this into the sarmas, than cook it (open pot this time) for about 5 minutes. Try it and you'll see that it's worth the effort.
The recipe is simple but the cooking is taking a lot of time.


"TAVCE GRAVCE"(baked beans)

2 cups White Beans (dry, rehydrated)
2 medium Onions, chopped
1 cup (or a good handful) Sun Dried tomatoes, halved & seeds removed
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 cup Sunflower Oil (or any other oil with a high smoking point - Peanut oil)
1 tsp Paprika
1 tsp Cumin, ground
1 tbsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (2 if you like it spicy)
3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
1 tbsp Mint
1 Bay leaf (optional)

1) Put beans in a large pot and cover with water about 1 inch over the beans. Add onions to pot, and an optional bay leaf. Cook on medium-high heat until soft and creamy (about 2 hours), stirring occasionally and topping off with water when it gets low. Look for a stew-like consistency.

**Pre-Heat Oven to 400 at this point**

2) In a saute pan, add oil and get it very hot. Once hot, add the mint, garlic, paprika, crushed red pepper, and cumin, and any other spices that you want. Stir them around until it’s all fragrant, just about a minute or so, and then stir the oil into the beans. The amount of oil you use is a bit nebulous. When you stir the beans up, they’re supposed to glisten with the oil.

3) Add the sun-dried tomatoes to the mix. Now you can add any other meats or vegetables (leeks are great in here).

4) Put the beans in a clay pot, tagine, or a Dutch oven or whatever you have. Bake them at 400 F, for about 30 minutes, or until you reach a nice, thick consistency. Remember, when the beans cool, they will be thicker.

Serve with pita bread, or dense, crusty sourdough.

POTATOES IN BECHAMEL SAUCE

This dish is easy to make and it can be great for a side dish or as an easy supper.
Recipe:

500gr peeled potatoes cut into large cubes
For the Bechamel:
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
2-3 cloves minced garlic
little bit of nutmeg (or you can skip it)
salt and pepper.

Boil or steam the potatoes until they are cooked. In a meantime make the bechamel sauce. Warm the milk in one saucepan, but do not bring it to boil. In another saucepan on low heat, melt the butter until it starts to foam. Add the flour and with constant stir cook it for 3-4 minutes or until the flour is lightly yellow. Than add the warm milk and whisk it with wire whisk so that
the sauce remains smooth and without lumps. Cook it for 10 minutes on low constantly stirring. Then add the potatoes, garlic, salt, pepper, nutmeg and cook it for another 5 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, add some water.