Baci Di Dama

October 6, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Baci Di Dama

These famous seductive and fragrant cookies are a masterpiece of Itallian pastry, specialty of the Piedmontese city Tortona. The legend says they were made in 1800 by a chef trying to impress king Vittorio Emanuelle. The cookies were meant to remind of a kiss between two lovers.

This recipe is from La Cucina degli Italiani written by Vincenzo Buonassisi and published in 1988. The cookbook is a result of an extensive research of the author and contains 2500 authentic recipes.

Baci di Dama (Ladies’ Kisses)

(via Sale & Pepe magazine, Serbian issue, October 2011)

150 g flour
150 g blanched and toasted ground almonds*
150 g sugar
150 g butter
40 g dark chocolate

*Begin with about 200 g raw almonds. Boil some water in a small pot. When it boils, remove from heat and put almonds inside. Let them soak for a few minutes. Remove the skins. Put almonds on a large oven pan and toast them in the oven until they begin to brown. Finally, grind them. I like to use this grinder as it gives them a finer texture then regular blender.

Knead everything into smooth dough. Shape small balls the size of marbles.

Line large oven pan with baking paper and place dough balls on it. Bake in a preheated oven on 160°C/320°F for about 20-25 minutes. This amount is for 2 pans.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Take two cookies and stick them with melted chocolate together.

Categories: dessert, food history, italian food, Sale & Pepe
by Marija

Kod Mira Restaurant

October 4, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Kafana Kod Mira

In Bogutovac village, in central Serbia, on Kraljevo-Raška highway there is restaurant Kod Mira, one of the oldest restaurants in this part of Serbia.

A while ago, I have promised more stories about Serbian restaurants. The first post was about a currently very fashionable Belgrade restaurant Lorenzo & Kakalamba and today I will show you an ethno restaurant. This is a place where common people eat and where you can have authentic, traditional food of Serbia.

Kafana Kod Mira

This particular restaurant is opened since 1826. The owners are still in the same family that built it originally. Not many restaurants that old are left in Serbia.

Rose

First, I need to tell you a few basic things about Serbian food. It’s all about the meat and a lot of it. It has been mostly influenced by Ottoman cuisine as our country has been under their rule for centuries.

Most of the traditional restaurants have checkered tablecloths. Red or blue. I just love that!

We started our meal with a rose. Rose (as well as white wine) are typically drunk diluted with mineral sparkling water. Not my kind of drink. I like my wine as is, but most of the experienced guests will have it that way :)

Čorba

Appetizer is almost always a soup. We had fish soup and chicken soup. Both were served in a miniature cauldrons, heated on the table. Very nice and cute. These miniature cauldrons are making a comeback in last couple of years and were very rare in restaurants.

Bela vešalica

This is grilled pork loin served with lots of fresh onions. Here, in Serbia, when it comes to food, it’s all about the quantities. Check out the size of this portion :)

Mućkalica

Mućkalica – pork again :) with tomatoes and onions.

Salata

Salads are always seasonal. We had šopska (diced tomatoes, onions and cucumbers, topped with grated fresh cheese) and vitamin salad (bunch of grated seasonal vegetables). Can’t say that I’m a fan of vitamin salad. It’s a new design on the tables of traditional restaurants and somehow, to me, vitamins and our traditional food just don’t go together. Though, this one looked fantastic.

Paprike sa belim lukom

Now… In this time of year there is a must have salad – roasted red peppers seasoned with garlic, vinegar, oil and salt, sometimes with chopped parsley leaves. This salad is a heaven on a plate. Somehow, they’ve managed to ruin it. The peppers weren’t roasted enough and the skin wasn’t peeled good. Unforgivable!

Jabuke u šlafroku

Literally, the translation of this dessert would be “Apples in a robe”. These are fried apples actually. Usually, they are just fried and dusted with powdered sugar. Here, they were served with homemade plum jam and topped with ground walnuts. A very old recipe not easy to find on the menus of restaurants here. You can find the recipe here if you’d like to try them.

Categories: restaurants, serbia, serbian food
by Marija

Cauliflower Cream with Sausage and Green Pepper

September 28, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Cauliflower Cream with Sausage and Green Pepper

Cauliflower Cream with Sausage and Green Pepper

(recipe is from Sale & Pepe magazine, Serbian issue for December 2009)

1 small cauliflower
4 Tbsp grated Pecorino cheese
milk
20 g butter
2 green bell peppers
150 g fresh, thin sausage
dry white wine
125 g mozzarella cheese
olive oil
salt
pepper

Divide cauliflower into smaller pieces and cook until soft. Add a few tablespoons milk into the water when you boil cauliflower to preserve it’s color. When done, strain and puree in a blender. Heat puree in a pot with 100 ml milk. Add Pecorino, salt, pepper and diced butter. Whisk until smooth.

Cut bell peppers into strips. Fry them for a few minutes on a splash of olive oil, cover and let cook until they soften. Season and remove from the pan. Add chopped sausages into the same pan and fry. Pour 100 ml wine over and wait until it evaporates. Return the peppers into the pan.

Fill ramekins with puree, top with peppers, sausage and chopped mozzarella. Bake for a few minutes (just until mozzarella melts) in a preheated oven on 180°/350°F.

Note: I am sending this to Weekend Herb Blogging. Host is Winnie from Healthy Green Kitchen.

Categories: appetizer, Sale & Pepe
by Marija

Potato Soup with Curry Prawns

September 23, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Potato Soup with Curry Prawns

Potato Soup with Curry Prawns

(recipe is from Sale & Pepe magazine, Serbian issue for October 2011)

1 kg potatoes
1,2 l clear vegetable broth
200 g spinach
2 onions
a pinch of dried thyme
1 tsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp fresh mint, chopped
8 prawns
olive oil
a pinch of ground nutmeg
1 tsp curry powder
100 ml dry white wine
salt
ground four color peppercorns

Slice 1 onion and fry it on 3 tbsp olive oil for 5 minutes with thyme, nutmeg and some pepper. Add diced potatoes and fry for another 5 minutes. Add salt and soup and cook for 1 hour.

Slice a half of the remaining onion and fry on 3 Tbsp olive oil with mint and parsley, add spinach cut into stripes and fry for 5 minutes. Add this to the potato soup 5 minutes before you remove it from heat.

Fry the remaining half of onion, also sliced, on 3 Tbsp olive oil with curry. Add prawns, salt and fry for 3 minutes. Pour in wine and saute for 5 minutes.

Pour finished soup into 4 bowls. Add 2 prawns and some sauce from sauteing them into each bowl.

Categories: Sale & Pepe, soup
by Marija

Bread Crumbs

September 21, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Bread Crumbs

My grandmother used to make homemade breadcrumbs. I remembered her going around the yard, checking if the bread is dried, grandfather assembling the nuts grinder… They let me turn the handle and I hear the cracking sound of dried bread grinding…

Last few years I’ve been making them too. I know they are very cheap in supermarkets, but homemade is homemade.

Bread Crumbs, preparation

I like to take mixture of white and brown bread. Dice and sun-dry them. Of course, you don’t need to sun-dry them, instead, you can dry them somewhere indoors or even inside the oven on 50°C/120°F.

Bread Crumbs, preparation

Dried dices of bread should be ground using a nuts grinder. You can make the crumbs in a blender, but I still prefer to use my grandmother’s vintage machines :)

Bread Crumbs, preparation

Nice? :)

Note: I am sending this to Susan for the Yeastspotting.

Categories: bread & co, recipe with step-by-step photos, serbian food
by Marija

Preserved Lemons

September 18, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Preserved Lemons

Preserved Lemons

(from Cooking Moroccan)

First, see how many lemons will fit into your jar. For the recipe you will need that much plus half of that for the juicing. Wash lemons thoroughly.

Preserved Lemons

Cut lemons from the stem end into quarters, almost to the base. You just want to open them up. Then fill them with sea salt.

Preserved Lemons

After each layer add 1 tablespoon more salt into the jar.

Preserved Lemons

Juice the remaining lemons and pour into the jar. I’ve put 6 lemons into the jar and then juiced 3 more. Add a few black peppercorns, a few bay leaves and one star anise. Pour boiling water to fill the jar to the top. Make sure the jar is placed on a wooden surface while pouring water to prevent it from cracking. Put the skin of one juiced lemon on top so if the mold appears you can discard it. Seal and store in a dark cold place for 4 weeks. For the duration of the first week gently shake the jar once daily. This will clear the cloudy liquid.

See you in four weeks to show you where to use them!

Note: This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. Host is Astrid from Paulchen’s Foodblog.

Categories: moroccan food, preserves, recipe with step-by-step photos
by Marija

Braids

September 13, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Braids

Braids

(adapted from here)

400 g flour
60 g sugar
2 tsp salt
20 g fresh yeast
1 egg + 1 more for spreading over
200 ml milk
40 g butter, on room temperature

Dissolve yeast in warm (but not hot) milk, best to take milk on room temperature. Place all the ingredients (use only 1 egg) and dissolved yeast into a bowl and knead.

The dough will be kind of watery and you might want to use a large wooden spoon for kneading. Don’t worry about the dough consistency it will be OK. Cover and let prof for a while. An hour even. Then, knead more, this time with your hands, you will see it is starting to look like a regular dough. Cover and let it rest for about an half an hour more.

Divide dough into 16 equal pieces. Dust the surface well.

Braids, preparation

Shape the braids according to the photo instructions. and make sure you check the photos of it on original recipe.

Braids, preparation

Line large oven pan with baking paper and place braids on it. Let it rise more until you heat the oven. Bake in a preheated oven on 180°/350°F for about 20 minutes. Before putting the braids into the oven, spread some beaten egg over with a pastry brush.

Braids, cut

Note: I am sending this to Susan for Yeastspotting.

Categories: bread & co, recipe with step-by-step photos
by Marija

Pork Roll With Prunes

September 10, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Pork Roll With Prunes

Pork Roll With Prunes

(recipe is from Hrana i vino magazine)

1 kg pork tenderloin, in one piece, butterflied
300 g dried prunes, pitted
500 ml clear vegetable stock
4 Tbsp plum brandy
100 g butter
100 ml heavy cream
50 ml white wine
oil
salt and pepper

Place meat onto a working surface. Rub with salt and pepper. Place about 200 g prunes on the middle of the meat and pres them with your hands a bit. Toss dices of 20-30 g butter all over the prunes. Roll the meat and tie tight with a kitchen rope.

Melt the remaining butter in a pan. Add a bit of oil to the butter to prevent it from burning. Fry the roll on all sides just enough for the crust to form. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Transfer the roll and the soup into a deep baking dish, add wine and the remaining prunes and cover. Bake in a preheated oven on 200°C/390°F for about 45-50 minutes.

When done, remove the roll onto a plate and remove the rope. Strain the sauce into a pan, add brandy and heavy cream and cook on medium heat until it reduces to the thickness you like.

Note: This is my entry for Weekend Herb Blogging. Host is Simona from Briciole.

Categories: main course
by Marija

Galatke

August 30, 2011 TEKST NA SRPSKOM

Galatke

Galatke

(recipe is from Hrana i vino magazine)

500 ml milk
3 Tbsp sugar
100 g semolina
250 g butter
3 eggs
1 bag (2 tsp) vanillin sugar
500 g thin phyllo sheets

Boil milk with sugar. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and stir in semolina. Return to the stove and continue to cook until it thickens (it takes a couple of minutes). Stir continuously to avoid the lumps. Remove from heat again and stir in vanillin sugar and 125 g butter. Stir until the butter melts. Whisk in the eggs, one by one.

In a separate pot, melt the remaining 125 g butter.

Galatke, preparation

Take phyllo sheets and cut them so their shorter side fits your baking dish.

Galatke, preparation

Take one phyllo sheet and spread some melted butter over. Then, fold the sheet by it’s longer side.

Galatke, preparation

Spread prepared filling all over.

Galatke, preparation

Roll and put into a baking dish. Continue until you fill the whole dish. Sprinkle with some oil and bake in a preheated oven on 200°/390°F for about 35 minutes.

Galatke, preparation

Soaking Syrup

700 g sugar
700 ml water

When the desert is baked, prepare the syrup. Just cook sugar and water until it thickens. Pour hot syrup over galatkes. Here, the timing is important – the syrup should be very hot when you pour it over, so don’t prepare it in advance. Carefully cut galatkes and leave for a couple of hours to soak.

Serve galatke with melted chocolate.

Categories: dessert, recipe with step-by-step photos
by Marija

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