CROATIA-Cultural Traditions and Menu with Recipes shared by Maria Hrabric

Thank you to my dear friend, Maria Hrabric for sharing these wonderful Cultural traditions and recipes from Croatia with us!

"Ok - my two favorite Croatian traditions. One is November 1st - All Soul's Day where everyone (and I do mean everyone) goes to the graveyard with candles and flowers and visits with their family members that have passed. Thousands upon thousands of candles are lit and burn into the next day. I celebrate it here in the US, by lighting candles and thinking about my ancestors - thanking them for the life they've given that led to me being here and where I am.
My second is Dec 6th - St. Nicholas Day. We put our shoes by the front door and St. Nick brings candy, fruit, or coal and sticks depending if you've been good or bad."

For this week's menu we will cook two traditional Croatian dishes courtesy of Maria Hrabric. The main course is called Sarma, which is stuffed Cabbage with Meat, Rice, Onion, and herbs. For dessert we will bake Orehnjaca. I have had this at Maria and Petra's house many years ago and still fondly remember it today. It was so delicious! Cannot wait to cook tomorrow:)

Food: Sarma(Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)

1 sour cabbage head
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 C white rice
1 medium onion (chopped)
parsley (I add a couple cloves of garlic - chopped)
Mix the meat, rice, onion, parsley and garlic. Roll into small round balls or ovals Lay onto a leaf of cabbage (near the stem) and roll up, tucking in the sides Continue till all meat is gone
Take 2-4 links of smoked sausage (real kind - not polish kielbasa) and cut into pieces. Lay cabbage rolls at the  bottom of a stock pan till covered, layer with sausage, and alternate until all is in the pot. Add water to just cover and put on medium heat for a few hours until done. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Dessert: Orehnjaca (Poppy Seed Walnut Nut Roll)

Bread:
Crumble 2 cakes of yeast into 1/2 Cup warm milk and 1 Cup warm water. Add 2 Cups flour and mix. Let rise to twice its original size (approx. 1/2 hour). Add 1/2 lb butter (2 sticks), 6 egg yolks, 1/2 Cup sugar, 1/4 Cup sour cream, 1 tsp. salt, 1/2 of a lemon's juice, 3 Cups flour or more as needed. Separate into four balls.

Filling:
Poppy seed: Take cans of poppy seed filling and add 1 Cup honey, mix.
Walnut: 1/2 lb finely chopped nuts 1 Cup milk 1/2 C sugar or honey, 4 egg whites, dash of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Roll out a dough ball, spread filling over bread, roll the bread tightly. Brush with egg white mixture and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

 We are also going to cook a traditional Croatian Grilled Chicken with Lemons. I found this recipe in a Croatian Food Blog. Here is the link to the recipe.

 http://www.cooks.com/recipe/a96b392v/croatian-chicken-with-sour-cream.html