Popačak is a generic term for this kind of vegetable fritter, so it’s not in any way dependent on a specific combination of vegetables. Irena happened to have potatoes, courgettes and beetroot available, but feel free to experiment. This recipe is taken from The Bosnian Kitchen a series from SideTV featuring Bosnian cook Irena Carlton.
Ingredients:
2 small to medium-sized potatoes
1 courgette
1 onion
1 beetroot
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
1 egg yolk
Sea salt, pepper, flour, olive oil
Method:
1. Peel and roughly grate the potatoes, the courgette and the beetroot. Finely chop half the onion. Peel and finely chop one clove of garlic.
2. Place the vegetables in a bowl, add the chopped fresh coriander, salt, pepper and egg yolk and mix.
3. Make small patties, squeezing out the liquid. Coat the patties with flour. Fry the patties in olive oil over a medium heat, turning them over after five minutes or so, to let them brown nicely on both sides.
4. As they are cooking, chop the remaining half onion and the other garlic clove. Heat some more olive oil in a small pan and fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add the liquid left from the patties after squeezing, stirring regularly, allowing it to reduce and thicken.
5. When the patties have browned nicely on both sides, serve them up, pouring the liquid over them.
Irena served her Popačak with a Bosnian pear syrup. It was beautiful, with a bit of the flavour you get when you soak dried fruits. Taking a slightly different tack, a nice chutney might do the job.
