Greek sarma

MK TR GR

Great many dishes and customs in the Balkans are named after a neighbouring country and are believed to be a typical dish or custom from the respective country. It is not uncommon, though, that certain dishes we call Turkish or Greek, are barely known in their country, or the recipe is not the same and the final product looks completely different. Although a name dispute is a serious issue in this part of the world, taste and food preferences are not negotiable. So, let’s move on to our new recipe for you dear friends! We prepared Greek sarma unsure of whether this recipe is popular in Greece or if it does actually look like this 🙂

Ingredients:

– 850 gr veal or beef

– three eggplants sliced into thin rounds

– five tomatoes sliced into rounds

– two bunches of parsley

– salt

– pepper

– dried spices

– paprika

– 1 glass of beer

Preparation:

Put the whole piece of meat in a pan with oil and fry for a very short time until it changes colour. Then add about half a litre of water, a glass of beer, pepper, salt and spices to taste. Let it simmer for about an hour and a half. After it is cooked slice the meat into thin rectangular pieces. Fry the little rounds of eggplant and set aside to drain excess oil. Prepare the baking pan. Coat it with oil (use the amount of a small cup of oil), and 250 millilitres of beer.

grcka sarma5

Roll the pieces of meat in the eggplant slices the same way you make sarma rolls and put them in a baking pan. Add some salt and pepper, half a teaspoon of red pepper and spices to taste. Cover with round slices of tomatoes and put them in the oven to roast at a temperature of 200 degrees C for about an hour.

Take the pan out of the oven, put chopped fresh parsley over the rolls and put it back in the oven for another half an hour. If necessary, add a little water. When it is ready take it out of the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. It is best served with sour milk or red wine of your choice.