Moussaka, Musaka, or Mysaka

This is how my mother-in-law told me she made her Serbian musaka. It is different than the traditional version which uses less eggs, milk instead of chicken or vegetable broth, and yogurt. Hubby told me that in different regions of what was Yugoslavia, there are varying recipes. In Serbia, the following recipe was common.

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Kapusta Casserole – A Meal In Itself

While I look at traditional kapusta as being a side dish, this casserole version is definitely hearty enough to be a meal. This particular recipe is only for an 8×8 pan, but if doubled would fill a 13×9 pan and be great for potlucks or picnics where you have a crowd to feed.

Polish Kapusta – Breaking the Sauerkraut Stigma

Kapusta is a Polish dish of braised or stewed sauerkraut or cabbage, with bacon, mushroom and onion or garlic. Although I have made this the traditional way with bacon and mushroom, most of the time we prefer to have it with smoked kielbasa in place of the bacon and no mushroom. It’s not that we don’t like the original version, it’s just the kielbasa really takes the flavor meter up a notch whereas the bacon can sometimes get lost in the flavor of the sauerkraut.