Balkan Cuisine - Roast Pork Ribs under the bell (SAČ) in the oven

Hello dear Steemians, today I am presenting you one of the most popular dish in the Balkans - roast meat under the bell. In Serbia we say under the sač - ceramic or metal lid. Namely, almost every restaurant in the Balkans that offers national cuisine on its menu has this very tasty dish. This is a gourmet meal. Under the sač you can prepare very delicious meat, vegetables, bread, and even fish. In the original, for this dish you need a live coals and hearth. But, if you don't have conditions, and you want this dish, you can prepare it in the oven. The process of preparing food under the sač in the oven is a bit different, but the taste is also fantastic.

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Where to buy a sač if you live in Serbia? Most of those who searched for good sač knows about the potter's village - Zlakuse, located between the town of Užice and the town of Požega. Twenty families are engaged in pottery in this village, and this craft has a very long tradition.Here, the manuscript is made manually. In fact, in my opinion, this is not a craft but art. We bought our sač in this village a few years ago.

On the pottery from this region stands the Cyrillic letter "Z", as a trademark, and besides the letter are the initials of families who make pottery. This way you know that you bought the original pottery from the potter's village - Zlakuse.

If the clay pot is used for the first time, it must be greased with lard, spread with corn flour, and placed in the oven for about half an hour at 180 degrees. After that, food can be prepared.

Why prepare food in this way? The food has a special taste when it is prepared in clay pots. Meat and vegetables are cooked slowly and long in their own juice, so the meat and vegetables are tasty and succulent, and the meat melts in the mouth. The meat absorbs the taste of vegetables and spices, as well as vegetables, which makes the true harmony of flavors. Food under the sač is an traditional dish. In this way, food was prepared for hundreds of years.

In this way you can combine various meat and vegetables. I've been preparing veal and beef, but this time I'll show you how to make juicy pork ribs under the bell or sač. As I mentioned, the recipe is adapted to home conditions and is prepared in the oven. So let's start.

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INGREDIENTS:

• 2 kg of pork ribs
• 5 potatoes
• 3 carrots
• 1 smaller root of celery
• 3 red onions
• 3 onions
• 4 garlic cloves
• 3 tbsp of lard
• 400 ml of water
• spices: salt, pepper, paprika, 4-5 branches of rosemary, mustard, dried parsley

METHOD:
Season pork ribs with salt and pepper, and coating it with mustard. Add more or less seasonings to taste. Roughly chop the vegetables (potatoes, celery, carrots, garlic, red onion and onion). Mix potatoes with a one tablespoon of lard, two teaspoons of paprika, one teaspoon of salt and and half a teaspoon of pepper.

Prepare a baking pan first (which is part of the bell). Use for coating 2 tbsp of lard. First put meat, then vegetables, season with soalt, papper, rosemary, and dried parsley and pour water. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and put a bell over. First put meat, then vegetables. Season with salt, pepper, rosemary, and dried parsley and pour water. Cover baking pan with aluminum foil and put a bell over.

Put the sač in the cold oven. If you place it in a heated oven, it will burst. Then turn on the oven at 180 degrees Celsius and roast in oven for 3,5 to 4 hours. Uncover it after about hour and a half, and remove the foil. Place the meat from the bottom to the top, cover the pan with a bell and continue baking.

Serve on the plate and enjoy the perfect combination of flavors!

Now I showed you preparation in the oven, but the next time I will prepare it in the traditional way, but I'll need a husband's help :)

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And finally friendly advice. :)

If you are coming to the Balkans and visiting some of the beautiful places on this peninsula, come to some ethno restaurant and order meat under the bell. You will enjoy the perfect combination of taste of this very simple meal. There is no better way to get to know the Balkan cuisine!

Have a nice day!

With love,
Snežana

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Here are some more interesting recipes from the Balkans:

Homemade Pie Crust Recipe - Fantastic homemade pie
Homemade Poppy Seed Strudel
Kiflice with cheese
Three ways to prepare Celery Root
Wheat Pudding - easy, healthy, tasty
Schneenockerl - Dessert with many names!
Vanilice - The traditional Serbian Little Vanilla Cookies