Author: Crunch Crunch Away

Stuffed Peppers / Punjene paprike

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , , 1 Comment

You know it’s autumn in Zagreb when you’re walking down the street and whole neighborhoods smell of stuffed peppers simmering. It makes me want to just randomly invite myself to peoples’ apartments and sit down at their table. Feed me your peppers, yo! I am crazy about this dish. It’s perfect – warm, hearty, filling, tasty, simple. And, you can make a humongous batch and freeze for later, which I always do. More often than not, my ambitions exceed the capacities of my pots. There’s always something spilling and bubbling over, because I’ve filled the pot to the brim. What can I say, I have a problem.

The key to making fantastic stuffed peppers is in two things: picking out the right peppers and picking out the right meat. Pick out peppers that are big, meaty and with intense smell. They don’t need to look perfect. You’re not gonna force them into a beauty pageant. Mine were all spotty and overripe. Petals were dark brown with a bit of gunk here and there. In other words, they were just right.

When it comes to meat, try to avoid buying prepackaged ground meats. Ever. That’s just not the right way to do ground meat. Supermarket ground meat is filled with preservatives to extend its shelf life. No one knows how long it’s been minced and hanging around. I won’t even go into the abyss off imagining from how many animals and which body parts it came from. I really think that ground meat should be used up on the same day it was minced. So, if you can’t mince it yourself, ask your butcher to do it for you and use it up on the same day.

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Okay, now that we’ve got these important questions out of the way, let’s do some stuffed peppers!

INGRIDIENTS:

(Yields 14 stuffed peppers / 1.03 EUR per stuffed pepper / 14.55 EUR for the whole batch)

14 large bell peppers – around 2 kilos (2.13 EUR)

1.5 kilo of mixed ground beef and pork – 50:50 (10.66 EUR)

1 large egg (0.20 EUR)

1 large onion, finely diced (0.13 EUR)

4 garlic cloves, minced (0.13 EUR)

1 chili pepper, seeds discarded, then finely diced (0.07 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (0.13 EUR)

½ cup rice (0.07 EUR)

1 ½ tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika (0.07 EUR)

¼ tsp cayenne pepper (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper (0.01 EUR)

1 kilo tomato puree – 2 boxes (0.93 EUR)

Warm water to submerge the peppers – around 1 liter (–)

METHOD:

Wash peppers and remove stem and seeds with a small paring knife. In a large bowl, using your hands, mix ground meat with egg, diced onion, minced garlic, diced chilly, chopped parsley, rice, salt, paprika, cayenne and black pepper until thoroughly combined. Stuff prepared peppers with the filling and neatly arrange in a deep pot. Once all the filling and peppers are used up, pour tomato puree over. As necessary, add warm water until most of the peppers are submerged. Don’t worry if they are peeking out here and there, as they will cook through from the steam within the pot.

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Simmer on medium heat for two hours, with lid cracked open, so extra steam can escape. There is no need to stir this dish at all, as peppers are lighter than liquid and will float above the pot bottom, hence escaping the peril of ending burned.

Once cooked, serve with mashed potatoes.

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This dish freezes and reheats tremendously and tastes even better on the second day.

Znate da je jesen u Zagrebu kada cijeli kvartovi mirišu po punjenim paprikama. Od toga mi dođe da banem ljudima doma i samo se sparkiram za njihov stol. Dajte mi vaše paprike! Luda sam za ovim jelom jer je savršeno – toplo, domaće, zasitno, fino i jednostavno. I možete napraviti gargantuansku porciju i onda smrznuti za crne dane, a što ja uvijek napravim. Često moje ambicije premašuju kapacitete mojih lonaca. Uvijek mi nešto iskipi jer natrpam previše paprika. Što reći, imam problem.

Dvije su stvari ključne kod toga da paprike ispadnu fantastične: prave paprike i pravo meso. Uzmite paprike koje su debele, mesnate i intenzivnog mirisa. Ne moraju izgledati savršeno jer ih nećete natjerati na izbor za miss. Moje su bile točkaste i prezrele. Peteljke su bile smeđe i povenute, sa mjestima koje je trebalo izrezati van. Drugim riječima, bile su savršene.

Kada je u pitanju meso, probajte izbjegavati pakirano faširano meso. Uvijek. Dućansko faširano meso puno je konzervansa da može dulje stajati na polici. Nitko nema pojma o tome kada je smljeveno. Neću ni ulaziti u priču od koliko je životinja napravljeno i kojih sve njihovih dijelova. Mislim da je najbolje faširano meso iskoristiti isti dan kada je smljeveno. Ako ne možete sami samljeti meso, zamolite mesara da vam to napravi od komada koje ste izabrali i iskoristite ga obavezno isti dan.

Okej, sada kada smo riješili ove bitne stavke, idemo puniti paprike!

SASTOJCI:

(Za 14 punjenih paprika / 7,80 kn po punjenoj paprici / 109,16 kn za sve)

14 velikih paprika babura – oko 2 kg (16,00 kn)

1,5 kg miješanog mljevenog junećeg i svinjskog mesa – 50:50 (80,00 kn)

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

1 veliki luk, sitno nasjeckan (1,00 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka, sitno nasjeckana (1,00 kn)

1 čili papričica, sjemenke bačene, pa sitno nasjeckana (0,50 kn)

1 svežanj peršina, sitno nasjeckan (1,00 kn)

½ šalice riže (0,50 kn)

1 ½ žličica soli (0,01 kn)

1 žlica slatke paprike (0,50 kn)

¼ žličice kajenskog papra (ili ljute paprike) (0,10 kn)

½ žličice svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

1 kg pasirane rajčice – 2 tetrapaka (7,00 kn)

Tople vode da paprike budu potopljene – oko 1 litra (–)

PRIPREMA:

Operite paprike i nožićem im odstranite peteljke i koštice. U velikoj zdjeli rukama dobro izmješajte mljeveno meso, jaje, nasjeckane luk, češnjak, čili i peršin, rižu, sol, slatku papriku, kajenski papar i crni papar dok se svi sastojci ne prožmu. Punite paprike smjesom i uredno slažite u duboki lonac. Kada ste iskoristili svu smjesu i paprike, prelijte sve pasiranom rajčicom i dodajte vode dok paprike uglavnom nisu potopljene. Nema veze ako malo i strše van jer će se skuhati od pare u loncu.

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Krčkajte na srednje jakoj vatri dva sata, sa poklopcem mrvicu odškrinutim da višak pare može izaći van. Nema potrebe uopće miješati jer su paprike lakše od tekućine pa će se odignuti od dna lonca i neće zagoriti.

Kada su paprike kuhane, poslužite ih sa pire krumpirom.

Ovo se jelo super smrzava i podgrijava, a još je finije idući dan.

Stuffed Peppers / Punjene paprike

Classic Apple Strudel / Klasična štrudla od jabuka

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , 2 Comments

Apple strudel is just the thing when you need to quickly whip up a desert. Or when you have a ton of apples at hand. It’s simple, delicious and can hold for a couple of days in the fridge. Of course, nothing beats the taste while it’s still hot, fresh from the oven. But, you can prep and wrap the rolls beforehand and just pop the tray in the oven an hour before you need it done.

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 10 very generous servings / 0.38 EUR per serving / 3.85 EUR for whole)

1 pack (10 sheets) of phyllo pastry (1.60 EUR)

10 medium sized apples (1.33 EUR)

4 tbsp butter, divided (0.47 EUR)

4 tbsp sugar, divided (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp cinnamon (0.10 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

½ cup raisins (0.26 EUR)

½ cup milk (0.06 EUR)

Butter or vegetable oil for coating the baking tray (0.01 EUR)

Powdered sugar for serving (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease large baking tray which can hold all 10 strudel sausages and set aside. Alternatively, you can also divide strudels between smaller trays, so grease those accordingly. Unwrap stacked phyllo pastry sheets on flat clean surface to allow the dough to rest a bit. In a small saucepan on stovetop, or in a cup in a microwave, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Wash, peel and grate the apples, discarding the cores. Pour melted butter over grated apples, add 3 tablespoons of sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and raisins and mix everything well using a spatula or your hands. Put about 2 heaping tablespoons of the apple filling on each pastry sheet, arranging it in a single line through the sheet’s length. Gently wrap the pastry sheet and place on a prepared tray. Repeat until all filling and pastry sheets are used up.

Place baking tray in a center of the oven and bake for around 30 minutes, until strudels are golden brown and crispy on top. Meanwhile, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter with milk and remaining sugar and simmer until the mixture warms up. You can also use microwave for this step. When the strudel is done, turn the oven off, drizzle warm milk mixture over it, carefully (it’s going to be very hot!) cover the tray with aluminum foil and place in still warm oven for 15 minutes. The liquid will soften the strudel and make it amazingly yummy and juicy. If you’re a fan of a crispy strudel instead, skip this step.

Allow strudel to cool for about 15 minutes before serving, sprinkled with powdered sugar.

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Štrudla od jabuka je prava stvar kada trebate na brzinu smutiti desert. Ili jednostavno imate hrpu jabuka pri ruci. Jednostavna je, ukusna i može stajati i do nekoliko dana u hladnjaku. Naravno, ništa nije bolje od svježe, tek pečene štrudle. Ali možete sve pripremiti i zamotati štrudlice unaprijed, i onda ih samo staviti da se peku sat vremena prije nego ih trebate gotove.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 10 veoma izdašnih porcija / 2,83 kn po porciji / 28,34 kn za sve)

1 paket od 10 listova za savijače (12,00 kn)

10 srednjih jabuka (10,00 kn)

4 žlice maslaca, podijeljene (3,50 kn)

4 žlice šećera, podijeljene (0,05 kn)

1 žličica cimeta (0,07 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta od vanilije (0,20 kn)

½ šalice grožđica (2,00 kn)

½ šalice mlijeka (0,50 kn)

Maslac ili ulje za namastiti pleh za pečenje (0,01 kn)

Šećer u prahu za posluživanje (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 180°C. Namastite veliki pleh za pečenje u koji stane svih 10 štrudli i stavite na stranu. Naravno, možete podijeliti štrudle i na manje protvane, pa si onda namastite njih. Razmotajte listove za savijače na čistoj ravnoj površini kako bi se tijesto mrvicu opustilo. Na štednjaku u malom lončiću, ili u mikrovalnoj u šalici, rastopite 3 žlice maslaca. Operite, ogulite i naribajte jabuke, a bacite kocenove. Prelijte rastopljeni maslac preko jabuka, dodajte 3 žlice šećera, cimet, vaniliju i grožđice, pa sve dobro promiješajte špatulom ili rukama. Dužinom svakog lista za savijače, u tankoj liniji, raspoređujte oko 2 vrhom pune žlice nadjeva od jabuka, pa nježno zamotajte i slažite u namašćeni pleh. Ponavljajte dok ne potrošite sav nadjev i listove.

Stavite napunjen pleh u sredinu pećnice i pecite oko 30 minuta, dok štrudle ne postanu hrskave i zlatno-smeđe. U međuvremenu rastopite preostali maslac, dodajte šećer i mlijeko, pa kuhajte dok se ne ugrije. To također možete napraviti i u mikrovalnoj. Kada je štrudla pečena ugasite pećnicu, pa prelijte smjesom mlijeka. Pažljivo (jer je jako vruće!) prekrijte pleh aluminijskom folijom i stavite u ugašenu pećnicu na 15 minuta. Štrudla će od tekućine omekšati i biti baš sočna i fina. Ako više volite hrskavu štrudlu, preskočite ovaj korak.

Ostavite štrudlu da se hladi 15-tak minuta prije posluživanja. Poslužite posipano šećerom u prahu.

Classic Apple Strudel / Klasična štrudla od jabuka

Roasted Tomato Salsa / Šalša od pečenih rajčica

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , 2 Comments

This might be the last chance to make a batch of tomato salsa for the season. Autumn is kicking in, summer is waning and tomatoes are only lingering here and there. Here’s my take on a classic salsa recipe.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 10 generous portions / 0.42 EUR per portion / 4.26 EUR for all)

2 kg tomatoes (2.66 EUR)

2-3 chili peppers, depending on how spicy you like your salsa (0.4 EUR)

2 whole garlic bulbs (0.4 EUR)

2 large onions (0.4 EUR)

3 tbsp olive oil (0.13 EUR)

Good pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Handful of parsley, chopped (0.26 EUR)

Black pepper and more salt to taste

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Wash and half tomatoes and chili peppers, discard chili pepper seeds for milder salsa and arrange skins down in a single layer on prepared baking sheet. Cut whole garlic cloves with peel intact in half and clean and quarter one onion to arrange between tomatoes and chilies. Drizzle olive oil on top, sprinkle salt, and bake for 30-40 minutes, until tomatoes are wrinkled and slightly charred.

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Let everything cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic out of peels, clean and dice the remaining onion and parsley and blitz with tomatoes and all together in a blender to desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning. Use over pasta, or freeze for later and add to soups, stews and even as a pizza base.

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Čini se da je sada zadnja prilika ove sezone za napraviti šalšu. Jesen je u zamahu, ljeto blijedi, a rajčice su još zaostale tu i tamo. Evo moja verzija klasične šalše.

SASTOJCI

(Za oko 10 izdašnih porcija / 3,10 kn po porciji / 31,01 za sve)

2 kg rajčica (20,00 kn)

2-3 čili papričice, ovisno koliko ljutu šalšu volite (3,00 kn)

2 cijele glavice češnjaka (3,00 kn)

2 velika luka (3,00 kn)

3 žlice maslinovog ulja (1,00 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Svežanj peršina, grubo narezanog (1,00 kn)

Crni papar i ekstra sol po ukusu

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 220°C. Obložite lim za pečenje masnim papirom. Operite i razrežite rajčice i čilije na polovice, a za blažu salsu bacite sjemenke čilija, pa rasporedite u jednom sloju na pripremljeni lim tako da su kože rajčica i čilija okrenute na dolje. Razrežite glavice češnjaka sa cijelom ljuskom na pola, očistite i raščetvorite jedan luk, pa rasporedite među rajčicama i čilijima. Pokapajte maslinovim uljem, posolite i pecite 30-40 minuta, dok rajčice ne povenu i ne počne se loviti crna korica.

Pustite da se sve malo ohladi, istisnite češnjak iz ljuski, očistite i narežite preostali luk i peršin, pa skupa sa rajčicama i svime ubacite u blender i sameljite na željenu gustoću. Po ukusu prilagodite začine. Jedite sa tjesteninom, ili zamrznite za kasnije pa dodajte u juhe, gulaše, variva ili koristite kao sos za pizzu.

Roasted Tomato Salsa / Šalša od pečenih rajčica

Classic Cheesecake / Klasični cheesecake

Crunch Crunch Away, , 1 Comment

I’ve been reluctant to make cheese cake for years and years. Well, more scared, than actually reluctant, because I love eating the cake. But creamy cakes always seemed like an enormous challenge to me. I have no idea why I haven’t tried making cheese cake sooner. It’s actually been a breeze and nothing catastrophic emerged out of it. Well, nothing other than a belly full of delicious cake, if you can call that a catastrophe. 😀

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields a 22 cm cake / 12 pieces / 4.92 EUR for whole cake / 0.41 EUR per piece

For the cake base:

150 g Petit-Beurre cookies (0.73 EUR)

2 tbps sugar, divided (0.01 EUR)

¼ cup butter, melted + more for greasing pan (0.5 EUR)

For the cheese filling:

500 g fresh or cream cheese, softened at room temperature (1.87 EUR)

2 tbsp lemon juice (0.13 EUR)

2 large eggs (0.4 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

3 tpsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

For cream filling:

2 cups crème fraiche (1.20 EUR)

2 tbsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 250°C. Lightly grease spring form pan with butter and cover bottom and sides with parchment paper. Sprinkle bottom of the pan with 1 tbsp of sugar and set aside. Blitz cookies in a food processor, or put in a zip lock bag and bash with a rolling pin until fine and crumbly. Mix cookie crumbs with melted butter and remaining 1 tbsp of sugar and gently press into the bottom of prepared spring form pan. Bake for 4 minutes, remove from oven and immediately reduce heat to 170°C.

Meanwhile prepare cheese filling. Mix all the ingredients until creamy and pour over baked cookie base and level with spatula. Bake for 25 minutes at 170°C. Prepare cream filling by mixing all the ingredients until creamy and well combined. After 25 minute mark, turn off the oven to pour cream over cheese filling, level with spatula and place in still warm oven for 5 minutes.

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Let the cake sit on counter until cool and then refridgerate before serving for at least 4-5 hours, but best overnight.

Godinama me bezveze bilo strah probati napraviti cheesecake, iako ga stvarno jako volim jesti. Kremasti kolači su mi se uvijek činili kao nekakav enormni izazov. Iskreno, nije mi jasno zašto nisam prije pokušala napraviti cheesecake jer je stvarno lako i nikakva se katastrofa nije desila. Osim trbuha punog fine torte, ako to možete nazvati katastrofom. 😀

SASTOJCI:

(za jedan cheesecake promjera 22 cm / 12 šnita / 37,07 kn za cijeli / 3,09 kn po šniti)

Za bazu:

150 g Petit-Beurre keksa (5,50 kn)

2 žlice šećera, podijeljene (0,05 kn)

¼ šalice rastopljenog maslaca (4,00 kn)

Za sloj sira:

500 g svježeg ili krem sira, omekšanog na sobnoj temperaturi (14,00 kn)

2 žlice soka od limuna (1,00 kn)

2 jaja (3,00 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta od vanilije (0,20 kn)

3 žlice šećera (0,07 kn)

Za sloj vrhnja:

2 šalice milerama (9,00 kn)

2 žlice šećera (0,05 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta od vanilije (0,20 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 250°C. Namastite kalup za pečenje maslacem, obložite dno i stranice papirom za pečenje, posipajte dno 1 žlicom šećera i stavite sa strane. Sameljite kekse u multipraktiku, ili ih stavite u vrećicu za smrzavanje i udrite po njima valjkom za tijesto dok ne dobijete fini prah. Pomiješajte mrvice keksa sa preostalom žlicom šećera i rastopljenim maslacem i lagano prstima utisnite u dno kalupa. Pecite 4 minute, izvadite iz pećnice i smanjite temperaturu na 170°C.

U međuvremenu pripremite kremu od sira tako da izmiksate sve sastojke dok ne dobijete jednoličnu kremastu smjesu. Istresite kremu na pečene kekse, poravnajte i pecite 25 minuta na 170°C. Dok se to peče, pripremite kremu od vrhnja tako da sve sastojke izmiksate u glatku smjesu. Nakon 25 minuta prelijte kremu od vrhnja preko torte, poravnajte i stavite u ugašenu pećnicu na 5 minuta.

Ostavite tortu da se ohladi na sobnu temperaturu i potom ju prije posluživanja stavite u hladnjak na 4-5 sati, ali najbolje preko noći.

Classic Cheesecake / Klasični cheesecake

Gluten-Free Walnut Meringue Choco Tart / Bezglutenski čoko tart od bjelanjaka i oraha

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , 2 Comments

I am really inexperienced when it comes to layered cakes. They always intimidated me. I’ve only just dared to venture into the world of creamy cakes a couple of weeks ago. The reason: my bae was having a birthday. I wanted to make him a proper cake. Proper chocolate cake. I needed something really simple, something I just can’t mess up. I worked around a recipe I got from a co-worker for a delicious cake she once brought. The original recipe was simple and straightforward enough. With some tweaking, the birthday cake turned out just right. The bae approved.

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INGREDIENTS:

Yields one 28 cm tart / 12 slices = 4.35 EUR for the whole tart / 0.36 EUR per slice

For the cake base:

3 large eggs – egg whites only (0.6 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

4 tbsp vanilla sugar (0.26 EUR)

1 cup finely ground walnuts (2.00 EUR)

For the chocolate cream:

3 egg yolks (–)

4 tbsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

80 g dark cooking chocolate, cut into chunks and at room temperature (0.67 EUR)

80 g butter, softened at room temperature (0.8 EUR)

Butter for greasing the tart pan

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 150°C. Lightly grease tart pan and set aside. In a bowl mix egg whites with a pinch of salt until peaks form, 3-5 minutes. Mix in vanilla sugar until creamy and even and then gently fold in ground walnuts with a spatula. Spread the base evenly on a prepared tart pan and gently shake to even everything out. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until top startes browning lightly. Remove from the oven and heat oven to 250°C.

Meanwhile, whisk yolks with sugar and place on a double broiler. Whisk for a minute or two, then add in chocolate and stir until melted and fully incorporated. Lastly, add in softened butter, stir for another minute or two until all of the butter melts and cream is even and glossy. Pour the chocolate cream over baked cake base, even with a spatula and place in the oven preheated to 250°C for a minute, so a thin crust forms. Take the tart out of the oven and let it fully cool on the counter top before placing in a fridge for a couple of hours, but best overnight.

The tart will slightly shrink from the pan as it cools, so you shouldn’t have trouble getting it out of the pan. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, berried fruits, or simply on its own with a glass of cold milk.

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Moram priznati da nemam iskustva sa kremastim tortama. Uvijek su me nekako plašile. Usudila sam se zakoračiti u svijet kremastih torti tek pred nekoliko tjedana. Razlog: približavao se rođendan mojeg dragog i htjela sam mu napraviti pravu rođendansku tortu. Trebalo mi je nešto jako jednostavno, nešto sa čim neću moći zabrljati. Prilagodila sam recept kolegice s posla za ukusnu tortu koju nam je jednom donijela. Originalni je recept bio dovoljno jednostavan, a uz neke je male izmjene torta ispala baš kako treba. Dragi je odobrio.

SASTOJCI:

Za jedan tart od 28 cm / 12 šnita = 32,61 kn za cijeli tart / 2,72 kn za šnitu

Za bazu:

3 velika jaja – samo bjelanjci (4,50 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

4 žlice vanili šećera (2,00 kn)

1 šalica sitno mljevenih oraha (15,00 kn)

Za kremu:

3 žumanjca (–)

4 žlice šećera (0,10 kn)

80 g tamne čokolade za kuhanje, izlomljene na komade i na sobnoj temperaturi (5,00 kn)

80 g maslaca, omekšanog na sobnoj temperaturi (6,00 kn)

Maslac za namastiti kalup za tart

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 150°C. Lagano premažite kalup za tart maslacem i odložite na stranu. Istucite bjelanjce sa prstohvatom soli u čvrsti snijeg, 3-5 minuta. Umiksajte vanili šećer dok ne jednolično i kremasto. Nježno umiješajte mljevene orahe, istresite u pripremljeni kalup za tart, poravnajte tako da lagano protresete kalup i pecite 20-25 minuta, dok vrh ne postane zlatno-smećkasti. Izvadite tart iz pećnice, pećnicu stavite grijati na 250°C.

U međuvremenu izmiješajte žumanjce sa šećerom i stavite kuhati na pari, uz stalno miješanje na minutu-dvije. Umiješajte komade čokolade i kuhajte dalje uz stalno miješanje, dok se čokolada skroz ne otopi i ne dobijete glatku masu. Na kraju dodajte omekšali maslac i miješajte još minutu-dvije dok se sav maslac ne otopi i krema ne bude sjana i jednolična. Istresite kremu na pečenu bazu, poravnajte sve sa špatulom i stavite u pećnicu ugrijanu na 250°C na minutu, da se uhvati korica. Izvadite tart iz pećnice i ostavite da se ohladi na sobnu temperaturu prije nego ga stavite u hladnjak na nekoliko sati, a najbolje preko noći.

Tart će se malo stisnuti u kalupu, tako da ne bi trebalo biti problema sa vađenjem. Poslužite sa tučenim slatkim vrnjem, sladoledom od vanilije, bobičastim voćem, ili bez ičega, uz čašu hladnog mlijeka.

Gluten-Free Walnut Meringue Choco Tart / Bezglutenski čoko tart od bjelanjaka i oraha

Homemade Ajvar / Domaći ajvar

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , , , , 7 Comments

Ajvar is a kitchen staple around these parts and while supermarkets offer a vast variety, I’ve decided to try and make my own for the first time ever, as peppers and eggplants are in season and dirt cheap at the moment. The process may seem a bit lengthy, but I think it’s most definitely worth it. Plus, it’s easier if you spread it during the couple of days and not try to squeeze everything in a single afternoon.

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A little heads up, though; it might seem to you that you have a ton of food when you start. But everything will cook down, a lot. I ended up with less than I hoped for. Still, I think I might do another batch, as the active work is not too terrible.

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INGREDIENTS:

(yields about 5 cups) = 0.58 EUR per cup, = 2.89 EUR for the whole batch

2 kilos red bell peppers (1.33 EUR, marketplace)

1 kilo eggplant (0.8 EUR, marketplace)

2 chili peppers (0.13 EUR, marketplace)

2 whole garlic heads (0.4 EUR, marketplace)

¼ cup apple cider vinegar (0.07 EUR)

½ cup vegetable oil, divided (0.13 EUR)

1 tbsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

1 heaping tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

Black pepper to taste (0.01 EUR)

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 220°C. Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil. Wash peppers, eggplant and chili peppers and pat dry. Deseed peppers and cut stems of eggplant, spread over baking sheets together with garlic heads and chili peppers and bake for 30-40 minutes, until skins of eggplant and peppers are black. Once done, put everything in a large covered bowl or a zip lock bag and let cool completely. You want everything covered as this will help to loosen the skins off peppers.

Once cool, drain of any liquids, peel the skins of peppers, eggplant and garlic and discard seeds from chili peppers if you want a milder dip. Add vinegar, salt, sugar and about half the oil and blitz in a food processor to make a paste. You can leave it a bit chunky if that’s what you prefer.

Put paste in a deep pot to cook on medium heat for about 30-45 minutes, until ajvar thickens, stirring frequently. Reserve about 2-3 tbsp of remaining oil for later and gradually stir in more oil as ajvar cooks. Oil is to prevent it from spoiling, but be careful to not overdo with it, as the spread will taste greasy.

If canning, prepare your jars while ajvar is cooking and make sure to preheat oven to 100°C, as you’ll put jars in the oven for final seal. Once ajvar thickens taste for seasoning, add more salt and black pepper if necessary and fill the jars, making sure to squeeze everything down with a spoon so there are no air bubbles inside the jars. Spread everything evenly with back of the spoon once jars are filled, carefully wipe jar rims and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, until crust forms. Remove jars from the oven, drip the remaining oil on top to cover ajvar in a thin film, screw lids on tightly and leave to cool completely before storing in a cool dark place.

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Iako su police dućana krcate ajvarom, ove sam godine odlučila po prvi puta napraviti svoj domaći, a posebno jer je sezona paprika i patliđana pa su i jeftini. Sam postupak je možda poduži, ali ja mislim da se zbog konačnog proizvoda isplati. A i lakše je ako posao raspodijelite na nekoliko dana i ne pokušate sve ugurati u jedno poslijepodne.

Samo mala napomena; možda vam se čini da imate gomilu hrane kada počnete, ali to će se sve iskuhati. Meni je na kraju ispalo manje nego što sam se nadala. Svejedno, mislim da ću napraviti još jednu turu, jer samog aktivnog posla i nema toliko strašno puno.

SASTOJCI:

(za cca 5 šalica, ili 3 male teglice) = 4,34 kn po šalici, = 7,23 kn po teglici, = 21,70 kn za sve

2 kg crvenih paprika roga (10,00 kn, tržnica)

1 kg patliđana (6,00 kn, tržnica)

2 ljute papričice (1,00 kn, tržnica)

2 cijela češnja češnjaka (3,00 kn, tržnica)

¼ šalice jabučnog octa (0,5 kn)

½ šalice ulja (1,00 kn)

1 žličica soli (0,05 kn)

1 žlica šećera (0,05 kn)

Crnog papra po želji (0,1 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 220°C. Obložite dva lima za pećenje sa aluminijskom folijom. Dobro operite paprike, patliđane i čili papričice i posušite ih kuhinjskom krpom. Očistite paprike od sjemenki, odrežite peteljke patliđanima i rasporedite po limovima sa čilijima i češnjakom, pa pecite 30-40 minuta, dok im koža ne pocrni. Kad je sve gotovo, stavite u poklopljenu posudu ili u zavezanu vrećicu dok se ne skroz ne ohladi. To će pomoći da kože skliznu sa paprika i patliđana.

Ocijedite tekućinu koja se skupila, ogulite patliđane, paprike i češnjak, izvadite čilijima sjemenke ako želite blaži ajvar te sve usitnite u blenderu skupa sa octom, soli, šećerom i polovicom ulja. Po želji ostavite i malo krupnijih komadića.

Dobivenu pastu stavite u dublji lonac na umjerenu vatru i kuhajte, često miješajući, oko 30-45 minuta, dok se ajvar ne zgusne. Kako kuhate, postepeno dodajte u ajvar preostalo ulje, a 2-3 žlice sačuvajte za kasnije. Ulje pomaže za konzerviranje da se ajvar kasnije ne pokvari, ali pazite da ne pretjerate da vam ne ispadne premasno.

Ako želite konzervirati ajvar, priredite i dobro operite sve staklenke dok se ajvar kuha i ugrijte pećnicu na 100˘C, jer ćete kasnije staviti staklenke da se zapečate. Kad se ajvar ukuhao na željenu gustoću, provjerite okus te po potrebi dodajte još soli i crnog papra po želji. Punite staklenke pazeći da žlicom istisnete van što više zraka. Na kraju poravnajte vrh, obrišite pažljivo rubove staklenki i stavite ih u pećnicu na 10-15 minuta dok se ne uhvati korica. Izvadite staklenke iz pećnice, nakapajte po vrhu ostatak ulja da ajvar bude prekriven tankim filmom, dobro zatvorite staklenke i ostavite da se do kraja ohlade prije nego što ih odložite na tamno i hladnije mjesto.

Homemade Ajvar / Domaći ajvar