Ksenija Hotic — “The Boz” as she fondly know around these parts — and her family introduced this amazing cuisine to The Dep many years ago and has since become a kitchen regular and a customer favourite. In that time Ksenija also blossomed as a talented food photographer — the award-winning Depanneur Cookbook was her 4th cookbook.

Ksenija has been living in Bosnia for the last two years researching, photographing and writing her own forthcoming book on Bosnian food woven around her story as a war refugee, and the threads that connect her to the memories of her homeland. I am absolutely delighted to welcome her and her fabulous food back to the kitchen where The Boz was born.

Bosanska kuhinja (Bosnian cuisine) is a complex interplay of Western and Eastern ideas and traditions; like much of the food of the Balkans, it is closely related to Turkish/Ottoman and Mediterranean cuisines, with some Central European influences. It is a place that is deeply rooted in its foodways, where traditional dishes that have been made from the same recipes for hundreds of years.
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Meze
Ksenija’s family have been smoking their own fish and meats for decades, and it is simply light years away from anything you will find in a grocery store. Smoked trout, caught in Northern Ontario, along with smoked pasturma (seasoned, air-dried cured beef), served with uštipci (fried bread puffs) and a summer vegetable pickle from the family garden.

Supa
Delicate, handmade miniature mushroom and leek dumplings, floating in a deeply flavoured vegetable and wild mushroom broth.

Sarme & Maslenica  (Beef & Lamb -or- Vegan)
A classic dish across the Balkans, Bosnian cabbage rolls (Sarme) are stuffed with a mix of ground and smoked meat, rice and spices, wrapped in cabbage leaves from whole heads of cabbage that have been patiently pickled by natural fermentation. They are slow-cooked in a tomato-flecked broth and finished with a decadent sizzling butter-based roux. These are served with Maslenica, a giant traditional braided bread broken up at the table for sharing. (Vegan cabbage rolls also available, stuffed with smoked tempeh, tofu, sweet potato, mushrooms & rice.)

Personal Note: As someone of Eastern European (Romanian) descent who grew up eating cabbage rolls, I can tell you that these babies are the best I have ever tasted! —LEN

Walnut Baklava
Delicate baked sweets made with thin, buttery phyllo pastry, walnuts and honey, the Bosnian version is outrageously delicious.
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Ksenija Hotic grew up foraging and fishing in the mountains and rivers of Bosnia, and in cooking in her grandmothers’ kitchen. At 11, the Hotic family fled their home due to the civil war, moving many times until settling in Toronto. Her love of food lead her to European delis, the Toronto Underground Market, and over 30 events at the Depanneur as well as other food pop-up dinners around town. She currently works as a freelance photographer and food stylist, with several award-winning cookbooks under her belt and her own cookbook about Bosnian food in the works.
@khzen

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Every weekend The Depanneur invites a guest chef to host a fun, family-style dinner party.
@thedepanneur