Bosnia and Herzegovina - Sataras

For the bell pepper lovers

Aneri's note: Bosnia and Herzegovina has had a pretty rough recent history. I'm going to use the words of a close friend who lived in Sarajevo, to describe Bosnia. "I am VERY excited about this entry, having once lived in Sarajevo (10 years ago...good god). Back then restaurants weren't always great at catering for veggies, which is a shame because they grow really beautiful fruit and veg locally, which is still sold at street markets. Maybe things have changed these days. Pita zeljanica is *the* Bosnian veg classic. In some small local places it's still baked under the coals of a wood fire, which is well worth trying to find. Bosnians Assisi make a great red pepper spread called ajvar. There's also a brilliant cream cheese-type product called kaymac which they eat with absolutely everything. Sadly doesn't seem to exist outside Bosnia so I'd love to know the secret, but I'm guessing that might be a very complex recipe! I should add - ajvar is made all over the Balkans, and there's a lot of rivalry about who made it first and who makes it best. So maybe a project for another country from the region!"

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Sataras

Difficulty level (1-10): 2

Sataras is found throughout the Balkans, but is very popular in Bosnia. It’s a veggie stew that can be poured on anything - for this dish we are pouring on potatoes to keep the veggie theme, though you could pour it on eggs, feta cheese, bread, etc. It's so simple, but so tasty!

Ingredients:

Olive oil Oil - 2 TB

Paprika - 1 TSP

Onion - 1 yellow, half rings

Red Bell Pepper - 2, strips

Garlic - 4 cloves, minced

Tomato - 1 medium, quartered

Salt and pepper - to taste

1. Add onion and garlic to heated oil, stir fry for 5-10 minutes until translucent.

2. Add the bell pepper and let it cook for 10 more minutes until soft.

3. Add tomatoes and let the juices from the tomato cook into the vegetables.

4. Add paprika and salt and pepper.

Pour over anything that you think it would make a good topping on! I baked potatoes and poured it on that. So good!

Recipe from Food52

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Want more veg recipes from Bosnia? Try the below!

Pita zeljanica from Chasing the Donkey which is a cheesy spinach pastry. Or you can see my Bulgaria post, coming in a few!

Ajvar, another from Chasing the Donkey which is a roasted red pepper sauce