2015 is going to be hard to beat. In chronological order, I bought a flat, my boyfriend proposed at Easter, we got married three months later, I quit my job, during the summer, we spent seven weeks on the Croatian island of Brac (where Danko grew up), and a week after our return, I started my adventures in freelancing. 2016: you can put your feet up and drink a cup of cocoa.
Our local beach in Bol, Brac where we spent the summer
I could have written about a lot of these milestones, especially the marriage bit. I thought, pondered, and racked my brain to say something original about getting married. Then I gave up. I could have written about the joy and peace I felt about marrying Danko, my heart quadrupling in size because of it. I could have written about the simple wedding we threw together at my parents’ home with our nearest and dearest there to celebrate with us. I could have written about how i cherished being able to wear my mother’s wedding sari, forty-four years after she wore it to marry my father, a stranger to her then, unlike me, who married the person who probably knows me better than I know myself. I could have written about all these things and more. While all these moments are extraordinary to me, they aren’t what continues to resonate with me six months later. When someone asks me ‘how’s married life?’, I shrug and smile and reply ‘same same but different’. The ‘different’ is that my world has become bigger and richer.
The spread of Croatian/Bosnian and Indian food at our wedding lunch
Getting married to a man from another culture (Danko is half Bosnian, half Croatian), and gaining in-laws give me opportunities to see, understand and participate in a whole new kaleidoscopic set of traditions and customs. From different ways of communicating and learning a different history, to (and definately not least), new foods to eat and cook; 2015 has opened up another box of family charms to explore and capture.
An ordinary lunch in Bol. Fresh sardines, getting ready to meet the grill
I want to start 2016 with a family charm from my Croatian family. I haven’t heard of a traditional New Year’s Day food in the UK as in all likelihood it consists of bottomless Bloody Mary’s and a full English breakfast to absorb the excesses of new year’s eve festivities. However, as with Bengalis where food is a constant, Croatians mark the first day of the new year with a feast featuring a whole roast piglet, Russian or beetroot salad, and sarma, stuffed cabbage rolls.
Sarma was one of things Danko was cooking up in the background when we first started skyping, he in Zagreb, me in London. When I finally tasted the real thing last Easter, lets just say I had another good reason to marry him. It’s highly unlikely that either he or I will be making this tomorrow, due to said festivities but at least I will know where to begin on the 2nd or maybe the 3rd.
HAPPY NEW YEAR folks!!
Recipe for Sarma
You’ll find many country variations on how to make sarma, from Turkish, Bulgarian all the way to Central Europe. This version of sarma blends Bosnian and Dalmatian influences reflecting Danko’s family background. His family also usually make a big pot of this, and freeze a bunch of it so the following quantities can be reduced if you want to make fewer rolls.
Ingredients for the cabbage rolls:
- 1 kg ground beef
- 2.5kg whole head of sauerkraut (you’ll need to use about 15 for the rolls, shred some and keep 3-5 leaves for the broth)
- 1.5 fistfuls of orzo that has been soaked in water for 2 hours
- 1 big carrot, finely grated
- 1 large onion, finely chopped or blitzed in food processor
- Bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and pepper
For the broth
- 300 g dried, smoked bacon
- 500g pork ribs (smoked and dried) OR kielbasa sausage will do just fine too
- Generous squeeze of tomato paste
- A bit of paprika powder, to your taste
- Boiling water
- 4 bay leaves
- 1tbsp of sage
Method
- Mix the beef, orzo, carrot, onion, parsley and seasoning together. Leave for 30 mins
- Take one leaf of the cabbage head. Put a heaped table spoon of the meat mixture on the leaf and make a small package. Tuck the ends in so the mixture is secure. Repeat for 15-20 rolls.
- Set aside 3-5 leaves for the broth
- Shred any remaining leaves
- In a large pot, put a layer of the shredded sauerkaut
- Pack the cabbage rolls tightly around the edges of the pot, gradually moving into the centre until the pot is completely filled with the cabbage rolls
- Place the bacon, ribs (or sausages) over the rolls
- Squeeze over the tomato paste and sprinkle some paprika
- Place final layer of sauerkraut leaves over the rolls
- Pour enough boiling water to cover everything plus another 2 cm
- Put an upside down plate inside the pot, over the rolls so everything stays in place. Place tight fitting lid over the pot and bring to boil.
- Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer for about 1 hour
Serve with either mashed or boiled potatoes.
familycharms 