Croatian Kale Savoy Cabbage Stew Kelj Cuspajz Recipes

NORTH CROATIAN RED CABBAGE STEW

Steps:

• Slice the cabbage into 1 cm wide stripes.
• Melt sugar on lard until brown (caramel).
• Add wine, cabbage, caraway seeds, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook gently until sugar melts (when you add wine sugar will become hard - do not worry - it will melt).
• Add water to prevent burning. At first you will think your pot is too small, but eventually the cabbage will get smaller.
• Cook about 45 minutes or until cabbage is soft. Eat with pork chops, sausages or BBQ.

NORTH CROATIAN KOHLRABI STEW (KOLORABA CUSPAJZ)

Steps:

• Peel kohlrabi like you peel apples. Remove leaves (don't throw away baby leaves, you can slice them and put into stew later) and cut kohlrabi like you cut potato for French fry potato, but just little bit thicker.
• Melt lard (or butter) in a pot, add flour and sauté it 1 minute. Add water and make creamy liquid. Add sliced kohlrabi and add water to cover the vegetable. Add salt and pepper and baby leaves if you want.
• Cook about 30 minutes or until kohlrabi softens.
• At the end add sour cream, stir well and serve.

CROATIAN CABBAGE STEW ( PRISILJENO ZELJE")

Steps:

• Cut the cabbage to narrow strips approximately 5mm wide and 2-5 cm long.
• Heat water with vinegar and when it boils put cabbage in it.
• Cook for 3 minutes.
• During this put sliced bacon (in small cubes) on fat until transparent, add flour and brown it.
• Add cold water, tomato juice.
• Take out cabbage with hollow spoon, and throw the water out.
• Add caraway seeds, season with salt and pepper.
• Cook about 30 minutes or until cabbage softens.
• Serve as a side dish to sausages, pork chops, and similar meat and mashed potato.

CROATIAN LEEK STEW ( PORILUK CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Wash the leek very thoroughly (there might be some mud between the leaves) and cut them in 1 inch pieces (also the green parts, at least nice looking one).
• Preheat the water and when it boils put the leek in it and leave it boil for one minute.
• During this operation prepare this: put lard in a pot, heat it and brown flour in lard (but not too brown).
• Add grounded paprika and just few drops of cold water to make "zafrig" (a kind of "sauce veloutè").
• Take out leek with hollow spoon, add sliced potato in small cubes and water you have cooked leek in it.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until potato is soft (10-20 minutes).
• Serve as a side dish to steaks, sausages, dried smoked ham etc.

CROATIAN SPINACH STEW ( SPINAT CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Clean the spinach leaves and put them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Drain the leaves and using large knife (or multi-practic machine): cut them to mash.
• Take a pot, melt butter, add flour and garlic, and add cold water to make a kind of "sauce veloutè".
• Add mashed spinach pour milk (or cream) season with salt and pepper.
• Nutmeg is optional.
• Cook for 10 minutes.