MONTENEGRO - NJEGUŠKI VEAL STEAK with KAJMAK CHEESE BALLS, SAČ BAKED POTATOES, SHOPSKA SALAD AND PROJA CORN BREAD

February 28, 2026

MONTENEGRO - NJEGUŠKI VEAL STEAK with KAJMAK CHEESE BALLS, SAČ BAKED POTATOES, SHOPSKA SALAD AND PROJA CORN BREAD

Known for its diverse landscapes that stretch from dreamy, sun-drenched Adriatic Sea beaches up to wild, jagged mountains dotted with medieval cave churches, Montenegro is said to be the ‘hidden gem’ of Southeast Europe. This geographical diversity is mirrored in Montenegro’s culinary history which has two parallel stories from contrasting landscapes; the mountains and the sea.

Along the Adriatic, Montenegrin cuisine grew under the Mediterranean sun. Olive oil flowed where butter could not, seafood replaced red meat, and dishes of grilled fish, black risotto made with squid ink, and mussels steamed in wine echoed Italian shores. Fig trees, citrus, and vineyards linked and tied coastal Montenegro culturally and gastronomically to the wider Adriatic world.

But travel inland into the high mountains and the food story was one of survival. Life was harsher and food had to withstand winter and isolation. Here emerged a cuisine of preservation and strength: smoked lamb, hard mountain cheeses, and communal, fire-based cooking with food being baked under the sač, a metal bell covered in embers. Over time new waves of settlers arrived bringing cabbage, pork, and food fermentation methods with them and new recipes for stuffed vegetables, sweet pastries and slow stews. Each new wave of immigration contributed flavours without erasing what came before.

potentially the greatest culinary game-changer to occur in Montenegro was the arrival of maize from the Americas in the 16^th century. Corn cultivation thrived in the rugged interior of Montenegro where wheat had struggled. For hundreds of years corn fed hungry mountain people. Today it is considered comfort food, once born of necessity but in modern times held in the heart.

So, Montenegrin cuisine is a dual inheritance; coastal and mountain; olive oil and smoke; fish and lamb. It is the taste of trade routes and clan hearths, of survival sharpened by terrain yet softened by generosity. In every bite lives Montenegro’s culinary paradox: rugged land, but deeply hospitable table.

our

MONTENEGRIN

menu included

NJEGUŠKI VEAL STEAK

with

KAJMAK CHEESE BALLS

SAČ BAKED POTATOES

SHOPSKA SALAD

PROJA CORN BREAD

and blueberries on the side

NJEGUŠKI VEAL STEAK

This unique veal steak comes with its own melting cheese ball on top

INGREDIENTS:

· 400 gm veal or pork loin, sliced in 4mm thick steaks or 2 steaks per person

· 100 gm prosciutto

· 100 gm Swiss-style hard sheep’s cheese, thinly sliced

· Salt and pepper to taste

· 80 ml olive oil

· 10 gm Kajmak cheese per guest, or replace with Philadelphia cream cheese

· 2tbs fresh chopped thyme

METHOD:

1. First prepare the Kajmak cheese balls

2. Divide the cheese into the number of people/portions you are serving and use clean hands to roll the portions into balls

3. then roll the cheese balls in the chopped thyme until evenly coated then put aside on a plate in the fridge to firm up

TIP: If substituting cream cheese you can make rounded square shapes

4. Now flatten each steak out by half using the flat side of a meat tenderising mallet to form a rectangular shape about 14 cm x 20 cm

TIP: Sandwich each steak between baking paper or cling wrap before using the mallet — this helps keep the meat intact as you pound it

5. Trim off any excess fat from each steak and sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper

6. Now cover half the steaks first with prosciutto then sheep’s cheese, then top the cheese with another steak to form a type of ‘sandwich’

7. Pour half the oil onto a flat BBQ plate or into a large fry pan and heat

8. Cook veal on high heat until brown on first side, about 10 – 15 mins, occasionally sliding a spatula underneath the steaks to prevent sticking

9. Once the first side is brown add the remaining oil to the BBQ/pan and use the spatula and a pair of tongues to carefully turn the steaks over

10. Cover the steaks with a lid or heat-proof baking tray and cook for a further 10 – 15 mins until second side is brown and the steaks are cooked

11. Serve with a cheese ball/cube on top of each steak

SAČ BAKED POTATOES

This is a modern version of cooking ‘under the sač’ (as mentioned in the story)

INGREDIENTS:

· 1.5 kg potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks

· 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced thinly

· 4-6 long sprigs fresh rosemary

· 100 ml olive oil

· 200 ml chicken stock (or 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 200 ml water)

· Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD:

12. Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius

13. Take a large, deep-sided oven-proof dish with a tight-fitting lid (such as a Dutch Oven), and add all the ingredients (except for the stock), and toss then all together with wooden spoons until potatoes are well coated with oil

14. pour the chicken stock over the potatoes then the dish with the lid and pop in the oven to bake for 60-90 minutes, or until tender

TIP: check the potatoes every 30 minutes to ensure they are not drying out; if they are, add a little water

15. Once potatoes are tender remove the lid and brown the potatoes under the grill (or just in the hot oven) until the top is brown and edges are crisp which will take approximately 15-30 minutes then they are ready

SHOPSKA SALAD

This salad is best served soon after the vegetables are combined because chopped tomatoes can get watery over time, but the dressing can be prepared earlier, making it one less thing to think about and prepare at meal time

INGREDIENTS for salad:

· 6 x ripe Roma tomatoes, cored and cut in 1cm cubes

· 1 x yellow or red capsicum, de-seeded and cut in 1 cm cubes

· 1 cucumber, peeled leaving some strips of green skin and cut in 1cm cubes

· 1 yellow or red onion, peeled and diced finely, ideally between 1 and 2 mm

· 200 gm brined hard smoked cheese or white sheep cheese, grated

· Salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: Volume of tomatoes, capsicum and cucumber should be about the same so if you’re using other tomatoes, peppers or cucumbers measure accordingly

INGREDIENTS for Vinaigrette Dressing:

· 90 ml olive oil

· 30ml vinegar

· 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley

· Salt and pepper to taste

NOTE: Dressing isn’t mixed through the salad, rather, it goes around the edge

METHOD:

1. Start by making the dressing. It can be prepared ahead of time

2. Place all the dressing ingredients in a medium size jar with a tight-fitting lid, screw on the lid and give it a good shake to mix everything up then set it aside for flavours to combine until serving time

3. Close to serving time mix the diced tomatoes, capsicum, cucumber and finely diced onions in a large bowl along with salt and pepper

4. Now heap and spread the salad vegetables across a serving platter or big plate and sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the veg

5. Shake up the jar of dressing to re-combine the ingredients and either drizzle the dressing around the edges of the salad platter or serve it on the table for individual guests to drizzle around their individual salad plates

PROJA CORN BREAD

This recipe will make 12 individual muffin-sized breads in a 12 x muffin tin. It uses whipped egg whites to create a fluffy bread without the need for yeast.

INGREDIENTS:

· 1 and a 1/2 cups fine corn flour (not polenta or cooked corn meal)

· 1/2 cup plain wheat flour

· 1 tsp salt

· 1 tsp baking powder

· 2 large eggs, yolks separated from whites

· 3/4 cup mineral water (sparkling, cold)

· 1/3 cup sunflower oil

· 1/4 cup plain Greek-style yoghurt

· Small amount of oil or melted butter to prepare the tin – not needed if using paper muffin liners/silicone muffin cups ()

METHOD:

1. Pre heat oven to 180 degrees C

2. Prepare the muffin tin by lightly oiling or buttering inside each muffin ‘well’, or by popping paper muffin liners or silicone muffin cups into each well

TIP: Lining the tin with removable cup makes the breads easier to remove

3. Mix dry ingredients, corn flour, wheat flour, salt and baking powder in a medium sized bowl with a spoon

4. In another medium sized bowl whisk the egg yolks, yoghurt, oil and mineral water together to form a smooth batter

5. Now pour the wet mix into the dry, stirring gently until combined

6. Take another bowl and whip the egg whites with a whisk or mechanical beater to soft peaks

7. Divide the whipped egg whites into two parts and gently, carefully, fold the two parts one at a time into the bread batter

TIP: Be mindful not to over mix the egg whites into the batter as that will knock the air out of the whites making for dense bread

8. Use an ice cream scoop or small ladle to evenly fill prepared muffin tin wells 3/4 full

9. use of paper or silicone muffin cups Paper or silicone liners makes lifting the little breads out effortless.

10.

11. Bake in the over until golden and springy, around 25 minutes

12. Remove tray from oven and rest it for about 5-10 minutes then move the individual breads to a wire rack to cool

CULINARY NOTES:

Montenegrin Corn Bread is unique in its preparation yet shares close culinary relationships with other European corn bread recipes from Moldova and Serbia that we have already cooked on Q-Zine. These recipes form part of a food recipe family known for folding fresh dairy products into corn flour to make bread. Interestingly, Montenegro and Serbia are neighbours, sharing a border in the western Balkans, whilst Moldova is not a neighbour of either country, being located further east between Romania and Ukraine. These recipes demonstrate regional variation on the ways that people adapted their food practices to embrace maize as it spread along European trade routes. If you would like to try these other easy corn bread recipes here are the links:

http://q-zine.blogspot.com/2024/01/moldova-zeama-chicken-no0dle-soup-with.html

http://q-zine.blogspot.com/2020/10/serbia-uvec-one-pot-pork-with-golden.html

These recipes are all q-zine originals informed by numerous sources including (though not limited to), the following websites that you can explore if you want to know more about Montenegrin cuisine:

https://oldtownexplorer.com/destinations/montenegro/montenegro-food/

https://montenegro-mountain.com/2016/12/12/durmitor-foodies/

https://www.authenticfoodquest.com/traditional-montenegro-food/

http://latechef.com/recipes.php?Simple-Rice=Montenegro-Recipe/Roast-Duck-With-Olives/9477

https://cbibplus.eu/taste-the-balkans-old-and-traditional-recipes-of-the-montenegrin-albanian-cross-border-area/

https://utjeha.me/fileadmin/user_upload/downloads/Traditionelle_Speisen_aus_den_Bergen_Montenegros.pdf

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/sep/11/blitva-ajvar-recipe-stuffed-cabbage-montenegro-adriatic-feasting-henry-dimbleby-jane-baxter

https://montenegro.org/montenegrin-food-from-meza-to-priganice/

https://www.recipesfromeurope.com/cevapi-recipe/

foodhog.com/montenegro-food-guide/

https://foodperestroika.com/2019/08/27/njeguski-stek-montenegros-unsung-national-dish/

https://adriaticways.com/njegusi-village-montenegro/