Balkan Reflections

This blog has been set up to assist in communicating with friends and family while we are in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Name:
Location: Ontario, Canada

Striving to a better day.

Friday, December 30, 2005

Well...we are again this year partaking in what has become a local tradition.

For about the past five years we have been getting together at the same friends' home with almost the identical group of people on New Year's Eve. Children are part of the landscape, too, which makes it all so easy. And we sleep over! Then those of us who are choir members drag our butts to Mass in the morning and attempt to sing through very stodgy vocal chords to Mary, Mother of God. Sigh. She seldom gets our best.

This routine has come to go without saying!

Well, as we've just spent the last quarter of our year in the Balkans, what would my contribution to the potluck be? Serbian food, of course!

The Shopska salad would be pretty easy, as all the ingredients are common to here as well. Dh suggested from B-L that I would have to make up some Cevapi, too. Contrary to what I seemed to think when we were talking about it, finding a recipe was a challenge.

But I've got one now, and again, the ingredients aren't too challenging.

It's the accoutrements which will pose a challenge. I've decided to not even try to find Lepina bread in our little area. This is what cevapi is served with. It's like a pita bread, but much thicker. It's sliced open and the cevapi is put inside. This is served with sliced onions. Onions I can do. I think I can even do pickled peppers, which is also sometimes served with it.

But what I learned to love was Ajvar. It is a kind of relish, I think, that is made from peppers. It's bright orange and delicious on nearly anything.

I called up the local German Butcher and described what I was looking for. I even gave him a brand name. The young man said he didn't have a clue what I was asking for, but he'd look and call me back.

About 15 minutes later he did call back. He said they have it...in two types! I didn't know there were two types! Anyway, I suppose I'll be able to serve the cevapi with ajvar! What a treat!

Mir Vama and Sretna Nova Godina (Peace be with You...and Happy New Year's)

PS: Went shopping to get the groceries for our New Year's Party offering, and got a special treat. As I was at the German Butcher, I certainly found the Ajvar. I also found pickled, roasted red pepper, and most surprisingly (to me anyway) I found pre-packaged Cevapi spice! Not only that, the clerk said that they make the Cevapi itself in the summertime!

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for continuing this blog! I want to encourage you to keep writing, whether it be for publication or not.
Thanks
Joy

3:00 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

From DH
For those who may be interested for a near equivalent of lepina bread in North America you might try an english muffin.

7:01 pm  

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