Fish Meatblls

Fish Meatballs

500 g whitefish fillets
1 small onion
2 cloves garlic
1 slice of bread (without the crust)
flour
parsley leaves
2 Tbsp oil
salt
ground black pepper

Soak bread in water, then squeeze the excess water out with your hands. Ground or finely chop fish. In a bowl combine ground fish, grated onion, pressed garlic, finely chopped parsley, bread, oil, salt, pepper and mix everything with your hands. Form balls from the mass, roll each into flour. Heat some oil in a pan and fry meatballs until done.

Tomato Sauce

300 ml tomato puree
thyme
garlic powder
1 tsp corn starch
salt
ground black pepper

Dissolve corn starch into 1 tbsp cold water. Heat tomato puree with the spices and thyme until it boils. Remove from heat and stir in the starch. Cook a little more until it thickens.

Internet@Lije 2
Note: I made this recipe for the Special edition of Hrana i Vino magazine – Internet@Lije 2. You can read more about the special issue at Minja’s blog (text in Serbian).

Categories: main course
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Bosnian Pot

It is impossible to define Bosnian pot. Basically, it is pot filled with layered meat and vegetables, mostly very hot, but apart from that, due to the flexibility of it’s preparations, whatever vegetables are available they’ll go inside. The dish is consumed in Bosnia for centuries, in both rich and poor families, some historians suppose even since the Middle ages and it was altered as the new ingredients became available in Europe.

Bosnian Pot
(original recipe)

300 g beef
300 g lamb
2 carrots
2 parsley (roots + leaves)
1/2 of cabbage
2-3 green peppers
8 small potatoes
2-3 onions
2 very hot green peppers
1 head garlic
black peppercorns
wine vinegar
2-3 tomatoes
100 g okra
hot paprika
salt

Cut meat into byte sized pieces, carrots and parsley roots into circles, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers and potatoes into larger pieces, onions into quarters and separate and peel garlic cloves.

Bosnian Pot 2

Put everything into pot in layers. After each layer add salt, a few peppercorns, paprika and a few parsley leaves. The pot should not be filled completely. Leave a few centimeters unfilled. Pour water to fill the pot about to the half. Optionally, add a few tablespoons of pork fat, this will make it a lot tastier. Traditionally, the lamb should be very fat, but the one I bought wasn’t fat at all so I added pork fat. Note that pork is mostly not consumed in Bosnia.

It is best to use pot made of terracotta or clay. This is how the dish is made traditionally. Traditionally it should be cooked in a fireplace or a pit in the ground, but, the stove top will work OK too.

Cover the pot with a baking paper and poke a few holes with a needle in it to let the steam come out during cooking.

Simmer on low heat for 3-4 hours.

Note: Ovo je moja ulaznica za FBI Rukavice, igru koju je osmislila mamajac.

Categories: Uncategorized
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Rab Cake

It is believed that this cake was first served in 1177. to Pope Alexander III when he blessed Rab island Cathedral. What is certain is that it was a specialty during the rule of Venice over 300 years ago, and it was only served in the homes of island’s wealthy families.

The original recipe and all the details of it’s preparation was a secret, and only a few women knew it and passed it to their descendants. Today, it is a must try when visiting the island.

My humble attempt of this cake looks nothing like the real one, but the taste is wonderful, and almost indescribable.

Rab Cake

Rab Cake
(original recipe)

Dough: Knead dough with 200 g sifted flour, 2 Tbsp pork fat, 2 beaten eggs, 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp water and 1/2 Tbsp Maraschino (substitute with cherry brandy if you can’t find it). If necessary add more flour or water to get the dough like for homemade pasta. Put it in the fridge for 30 minutes to cool.

Filling: Mix together 500 g ground blanched almonds, 500 g sugar, 6 Tbsp Maraschino, zest of 1/2 of lemon, zest of 1/2 orange and 3 eggs.

Assembly: Divide the dough into 2 equal parts. Take one part and flatten it very thin. Cut a snail looking shape using pasta wheel like on this photo. Place filling on it, leaving the edges of the dough free. Flatten the second piece of dough and using pasta wheel, cut out ribbons, 1,5-2 cm width. Brush the edges of the snail with cold water and start sticking ribbons on it’s sides, wrinkling them with your hands (photo). Bake in a preheated oven on 100°C for 30-40 minutes. When it cools, dust generously with powdered sugar.

Video on making Rab cake.

Categories: croatian food, dessert, food history
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Strawberry, Caramelized Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

A few years ago I would have never even thought of eating something like this. Fruit is sweet and has no business inside a savory dish. I was so wrong.

Strawberry, Caramelized Pear & Blue Cheese Salad

Peel and core a half of one Williams pear. Slice it relatively thin and coat in 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 tsp dark Muscovado sugar. Caramelise on 1,5 Tbsp olive oil on low heat, until pears get soft. Take a handful of arugula leaves and a couple of lemon balm leaves and put on a serving plate. Toss over 2 sliced strawberries, caramelized pear slices and pieces of soft blue cheese of your choice (I used Bergader Bavaria blu). Season with ground black pepper and balsamic vinegar.

Note: This is my entry to Weekend Herb Blogging event, hosted this week by Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen.

Categories: salad
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Penne al Arrabbiata

Penne al Arrabbiata

100 g penne pasta
500 g cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
2-3 dried chile peppers
200 ml tomato puree
olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered garlic
ground black pepper
1 tsp dried parsley leaves

Cut tomatoes in halves. Line large oven pan with baking paper and place tomatoes on it, cut side up. Sprinkle with olive oil, salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Dry in a preheated oven on 100°C for 6-7 hours. This can be done a day in advance.

Cook pasta al dente and drain. Fry sliced garlic and chopped chiles on 1 Tbsp olive oil until it browns a bit. Add pasta and tomato puree and fry for a minute or two. Stir in tomatoes and parsley and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Note: This is my entry for Presto Pasta Nights #160, hosted this week by Cynthia from Kitchen Slave.

Categories: italian food, main course
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Beef Stew with Pears

Beef Stew With Pears
(recipe from Sale&Pepe magazine, Serbian issue for July/August 2007)

1 kg beef round meat, cut into cubes
300 ml beer
2 large onions
2 large Williams pears
2 Tbsp mustard
80 g butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp apple vinegar
1 Tbsp sugar
salt

Saute finely sliced onions on 40 g butter. Cover and cook for about 20 minutes. Add water if necessary. Remove from heat, let cool and puree in a blender.

Fry meat on the remaining butter in a large pan. Add onion puree, beer, sugar, apple vinegar and herbs. Cover and cook on low heat for about 2 hours and if necessary, add some water or more beer.

Wash and peel the pears and cut them into wedges. Add them to the pan 20 minutes before the end of cooking. Add mustard and salt to taste.

Categories: main course, Sale & Pepe
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Csirke Pörkölt

Csirke Pörkölt
(original recipe)

600-800 g boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite sized pieces
2 Tbsp pork fat
1 onion, cut into thin circles
1 tsp hot paprika
1 red bell pepper
1 big and juicy tomato, skin and seeds removed
salt

Heat pork fat in a deep pan. Add onion and saute until it softens. Remove from heat, stir in paprika and add meat. Return to the heat and fry until meat is half way done. Reduce the heat to low, add salt to taste, cut pepper and chopped tomato. Cover and cook until chicken is done. Only if all the liquid evaporates, add a little water.

This is hot as hell, but I like it that way :)

Categories: hungarian food, main course
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Thick Carrot Soup

Thick Carrot Soup

Roast 800 g carrots using oven fries recipe. Puree in a blender with a clear broth of your choice. For me, about 800 ml of broth was enough. That’s it :)

Enjoy the soup and happy Easter everybody!!!

Categories: Uncategorized
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Mediterranean Chicken Casserole

Mediterranean Chicken Casserole
(adapted from here)

2 tsp olive oil
4 chicken drumsticks
1 medium sized onion,thinly sliced
a small piece of celery root (about the size of onion)
1 garlic clove, crushed
100g small sized button mushrooms, cut into quarters
400g tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and diced
1/2 chicken stock cube
100g peas
fresh thyme leaves
ground black pepper
6 Tbsp tomato puree

Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning occasionally until brown all over. Transfer chicken to an ovenproof casserole dish.

Add onion and celery to the frying pan and cook, stirring until soft. Add garlic and mushrooms and cook, stirring until mushrooms are tender. Add tomato, tomato puree, 200 ml water and stock cube and bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add to casserole dish with the chicken.

Cover the casserole dish with a tight-fitting lid or aluminum foil. Bake in a preheated oven on 180°C for 35 minutes or until chicken is tender. Add peas and some chopped thyme and cook for a further 10 minutes or until peas are tender. Remove from oven. Taste and season with pepper to taste.

Categories: italian food, main course
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