Ispod sača

Ingredients

Meat

• 2 kgveal on the bone
• or 2 kg lamb
• or 1.5 kg octopus, cleaned
• 3 teaspoonssalt
• black pepper

Vegetables

• 1.5 kgpotatoes, in thick wedges
• 4onions, quartered
• 4carrots, in chunks
• 1 headof garlic, cloves peeled
• 2peppers, in pieces

To season

• 6 tablespoonsolive oil
• 3 sprigsrosemary
• 4bay leaves
• 1 tablespoondried oregano
• 200 mlwhite wine
• or 200 ml water

Equipment

• a sač, iron or clay bell
• or a heavy lidded casserole
• an open fire and embers

Directions

1. Let it burn down to a deep bed of embers. That takes a full hour or more. Set the bell itself over the fire to heat. Give it a good twenty minutes. Cut the veal into large pieces on the bone. Season it well with salt and black pepper.
2. Rub it with some of the olive oil. Preparing the vegetables takes a moment. Cut the potatoes into thick wedges. Quarter the onions and chunk the carrots. Peel the garlic cloves but leave them whole. Cut the peppers into large pieces. Keep everything large and chunky. Small pieces disintegrate over two hours. Set a wide shallow metal tray on the hearth.
3. Lay the vegetables across the bottom of it. Set the meat pieces on top of them. Scatter the rosemary and bay over everything. Sprinkle the oregano across it. Season it well with salt and black pepper. Pour the wine or water around the edge. Too much liquid gives a boiled result.
4. Lift the hot bell into place with tongs. Set it over the tray, sealing the rim. Cover it completely with a thick layer. Cooking it takes hours and patience. Leave it undisturbed for about ninety minutes. Do not lift the bell to check. Keep the dome covered throughout. Finishing it takes a careful check.
5. Lift the bell carefully after ninety minutes. Brush the ash away from the rim first. Check the meat with a long fork. It should be falling apart tender. Use a heavy casserole with a tight lid.
6. Layer it exactly the same way. Heat the oven to 180C before cooking. Cook it for about two and a half hours. Take the lid off for the last twenty minutes. Octopus needs no browning at all.
7. Lay it over the potatoes with the seasonings. Add no wine or water to it at all. Give it about ninety full minutes. Bring the whole tray to the table. Everyone helps themselves from it.

Technique

• A sač is a heavy iron or clay dome set over food on the hearth with embers heaped over it, so the food cooks from every direction at once with all the steam and juices trapped; it is an oven improvised from a fire, and clay bells have been found at Roman sites.
• The vegetables go underneath and the meat on top, so fat and juice run down and the vegetables absorb all of it, which is where most of the flavour ends up.
• Only a little liquid is added, since the sealed bell traps everything and the vegetables release a great deal of moisture; too much gives a boiled result.

Substitutions

• A heavy lidded casserole in an oven at 180C is the usual substitute for a sač.
• Veal, lamb and octopus are all cooked this way, with octopus needing no added liquid.

Variations

• Peka is the Croatian name for the same technique.
• Bread is also baked under a sač across the region.
• The octopus version is a coastal speciality cooked with the same potatoes.

History

Meat and bread baked under a metal bell covered in embers, a technique used across the Dinaric region since antiquity.

Frequently asked questions

What is Ispod sača?

Ispod sača is a main from Montenegro: veal or octopus roasted under an iron ember-covered bell. Meat and bread baked under a metal bell covered in embers, a technique used across the Dinaric region since antiquity.

How long does Ispod sača take to make?

Ispod sača takes 40 minutes of preparation and 2 hours 30 minutes of cooking. The recipe makes serves 8. It is rated hard to make.

What can I substitute in Ispod sača?

Yes, within limits. A heavy lidded casserole in an oven at 180C is the usual substitute for a sač. Veal, lamb and octopus are all cooked this way, with octopus needing no added liquid.

What is the most important thing to get right in Ispod sača?

Lift the hot bell into place with tongs. Set it over the tray, sealing the rim. Cover it completely with a thick layer. Cooking it takes hours and patience. Leave it undisturbed for about ninety minutes. Do not lift the bell to check. Keep the dome covered throughout. Finishing it takes a careful check.