recipes

Chili Cornbread / Kukuruzni kruh sa čilijem

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As it usually happens, I had this insane craving for cornbread and some chilies lying around the fridge and thus an idea was born. This bread whips up in no time and before you know it you’ll have a yummy vessel for your favorite jam or spread. It’s sweet, with just right amount of kick from the chilies.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 1 medium sized loaf / 2.06 EUR)

2 large eggs (0.40 EUR)

1 ½ cups buttermilk (0.60 EUR)

¼ cup butter, melted + more for greasing the pan (0.53 EUR)

1 tbsp olive oil (0.04 EUR)

1 cup plain white flour (0.07 EUR)

1 cup corn flour (0.10 EUR)

3 tbsp sugar (0.02 EUR)

1 tsp baking powder (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp baking soda (0.01 EUR)

¼ tsp salt (0.01 EUR)

4 small chili peppers, seeded and cut thinly (0.27 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside. In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and buttermilk until smooth. Whisk in melted butter and olive oil until fully incorporated.

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In a large bowl, mix together flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Pour wet ingredients over dry ones and mix until fully incorporated and no big lumps remain. Fold in chili chunks, pour the mixture into prepared pan, gently shake to level, and bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean (a crumb or two are quite alright). Allow cornbread to cool for about 15 minutes before removing from the pan and let cool completely on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature with sweet or savory spread of your choice.

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Kao što to obično biva, užasno mi se jeo kukuruzni kruh, a po frižideru mi se povlačilo par čili papričica i tako je ideja rođena. Ovaj kruh možete smutiti za čas i prije nego što se okrenete imati ćete finu podlogu za vaš najdraži pekmez ili namaz. Slatkasti je, sa pravom dozom ljutine od čili papričica.

PRIPREMA:

(Za 1 srednju štrucu / 15,30 kn)

2 jaja (3,00 kn)

1 ½ šalica kiselog mlijeka (4,50 kn)

¼ šalice rastopljenog maslaca + mrvica za namastiti kalup (4,00 kn)

1 žlica maslinovog ulja (0,33 kn)

1 šalica oštrog pšeničnog brašna (0,50 kn)

1 šalica kukuruznog brašna (0,75 kn)

3 žlice šećera (0,10 kn)

1 žličica praška za pecivo (0,10 kn)

½ žličice sode bikarbone (0,01 kn)

¼ žličice soli (0,01 kn)

4 male čili papričice, očišćene od sjemenki i tanko narezane (2,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 200°C. Namastite kalup za pečenje i obložite masnim papirom, pa stavite na stranu. U maloj posudi razmutite jaja sa kiselim mlijekom. Dodajte rastopljeni maslac i maslinovo ulje, pa miješajte dok se sve ne sjedini.

U većoj posudi pomiješajte brašna, šećer, prašak za pecivo, sodu bikarbonu i sol. Prelijte mokre sastojke preko suhih i špatulom miješajte dok ne dobijete jednoličnu smjesu. Nježno umiješajte narezani čili pa smjesu izlite u pripremljeni kalup i njžno protresite kalup da se smjesa poravna. Pecite 35-40 minuta, dok kruh ne bude zlatno-smeđi i čačkalica umetnuta ne izađe čista (mrvica-dvije su isto okej). Pustite kruh da se ohladi 15 minuta u kalupu, prije nego ga izvadite i ohladite do kraja na rešetki. Poslužite na sobnoj temperaturi sa slatkim ili slanim namazom po vašem izboru.

Chili Cornbread / Kukuruzni kruh sa čilijem

Hazelnut Milk Blueberry Smoothie / Smoothie od lješnjakovog mlijeka i borovnica

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Making your own nut milk may seem like a pain in the butt. But (and I know you know that I’m going to say this) it’s absolutely worth it. There are a bunch of steps involved, sure, but those mostly require time and not that much of actual active work. And to make this smoothie extra nice, we’re going to lightly toast our hazelnuts.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 2 servings / 1.15 EUR per serving / 2.31 EUR for all)

For hazelnut milk:

½ cup hazelnuts (0.67 EUR)

1 cup water (–)

½ tsp pure vanilla extract (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp honey (0.03 EUR)

And for the smoothie:

1 banana (0.27 EUR)

1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen (1.33 EUR)

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METHOD:

To lightly toast hazelnuts, preheat oven to 140°C. Spread hazelnuts on a baking tray and place in the oven for 40 minutes. Allow hazelnuts to cool enough to handle and then peel thin brown skins. They should come off quite easily. The stubborn ones that don’t peel just leave as they are, it absolutely doesn’t matter. If you’re storing the hazelnuts for later use, they should cool off completely on a tray and then best be kept in a freezer. I just got a huge batch of hazelnuts for all the future baking and toasted, peeled and stored all of them like that, to ensure nothing spoils. If proceeding to make milk, cover hazelnuts with water and place in the fridge overnight.

The next day, add vanilla and honey to hazelnuts and their soaking water and pulse in a food processor until creamy. At this point, you can strain milk through fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth and keep pulp to use later in cakes, cookies or pancakes, or just leave the milk unstrained for a more filling version, which is what I’ve done. Add banana and blueberries to the milk and pulse until smooth. Serve immediately.

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Raditi svoje mlijeko od orašastih plodova možda se čini kao gnjavaža. Ali (i znam da znate da ću ovo reći), totalno je vrijedno truda. Da, istina je da ima dosta koraka u cijelom procesu. Ali većina njih samo zahtijeva vrijeme i jako malo aktivnog posla. A da nam smoothie bude ekstra super, malo ćemo i tostirati lješnjake.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 2 porcije / 8,67 kn po porciji /17,35 kn za sve)

Za mlijeko od lješnjaka:

½ šalice lješnjaka (5,00 kn)

1 šalica vode (–)

½ žličice ekstrakta od vanilije (0,10 kn)

1 žličica meda (0,25 kn)

I još za smoothie:

1 banana (2,00 kn)

1 šalica borovnica, svježih ili smrznutih (10,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Da bi lagano tostirali lješnjake, zagrijte pećnicu na 140°C, raširite ih po plehu za pečenje i stavite u pećnicu na 40 minuta. Pustite da se malo ohlade, pa im skinite tanke smeđe opne koje bi sada trebale lako skliznuti. One tvrdoglave koji se ne daju oguliti samo pustite takve kakvi jesu, ništa ne smeta. Ako ćete lješnjake spremati za kasnije, pustite ih da se skroz ohlade na plehu i onda čuvajte u zamrzivaču. Ja sam upravo kupila ogromnu količinu lješnjaka za buduće kolače i sve sam ih tako tostirala i ogulila pa ih čuvam u zamrzivaču, da mi se slučajno nešto ne pokvari. Ako nastavljate sa rađenjem mlijeka, pokrijte lješnjake vodom i stavite u frižider preko noći.

Idućeg dana dodajte vaniliju i med lješnjacima i vodi u kojoj su se namakali, pa sameljite u multipraktiku dok ne bude kremasto. Ako želite, sada možete mlijeko procijediti kroz cjediljku obloženu gazom i pulpu spremiti kasnije za kolače, kekse ili palačinke. Ili ostavite mlijeko neprocijeđeno, za zasitniju verziju, što sam i ja učinila. Dodajte bananu i borovnice u mlijeko pa pulsirajte u multipraktiku dok ne bude skroz glatko. Poslužite odma.

Hazelnut Milk Blueberry Smoothie / Smoothie od lješnjakovog mlijeka i borovnica

Sauerkraut Meat Wraps / Sarma

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This dish is, hands down, one of my favorite local specialties. It’s an old folk dish, hearty and filling. And it is said that it tastes the best on the seventh day, when you reheat it for the seventh time. So you simmer it in your largest pot, hoping that it will actually last for seven days. It never does, though. We always polish off whatever we have in a couple of days.

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Sarma is traditionally prepared for New Year’s Eve celebrations. It’s supposed to be eaten after midnight, when everyone already has a steady alcohol flow in their bloodstreams. It warms you up and puts you back on your feet, so you can go party some more. Isn’t that a perfect dish, the one that brings you back to life?

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Don’t get intimidated by what seems like a lengthy process. Making a batch of Sarma isn’t really such a big deal.And, once cooked, you’ll have lunch and dinner situations solved for many days to come. This dish also freezes really well.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 20 wraps / 0.96 EUR per wrap / 19.30 EUR for all)

1 medium sized whole sauerkraut head, about 2.5 kilos (5.00 EUR)

0.2 kilos of smoked bacon (1.47 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

1 chili pepper (0.07 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.09 EUR)

Handful of fresh parsley (0.13 EUR)

1.5 kilos of 50:50 mixed minced beef and pork meat (11.00 EUR)

1 large egg (0.20 EUR)

1 cup rice (0.13 EUR)

Crack of fresh black pepper (0.01 EUR)

3 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika, divided (0.20 EUR)

2 bay leaves (0.03 EUR)

1 tbsp tomato concentrate (0.07 EUR)

0.5 kilo cured smoked pork ribs, broken into smaller chunks(0.80 EUR)

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METHOD:

First taste your sauerkraut. If you think it’s too salty or sour, give it a quick rinse from excess brine. Using a small paring knife, gently separate 20 whole leaves from the head, cutting out and discarding the tough middle vein, and set aside. You’ll use these to make wraps. Thinly slice the remaining cabbage, discarding the tough middle stem. Place about 1/3 of shredded cabbage on the bottom of a large pot. This will ensure that wraps don’t stick to the pot and burn while cooking.

Finely chop bacon, onion, garlic, chili pepper and parsley. Add all to a large bowl and mix with your hands with minced meat, egg, rice, black pepper and 1 tbsp of paprika until thoroughly combined. I intentionally avoid adding any salt to the mixture, as cured meats and sauerkraut are already salty enough on its own.

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Squeeze a handful of meat mixture in a ball and wrap into sauerkraut leaf you prepared earlier. Neatly arrange wraps on the cabbage bed on your pot bottom, squeezing chunks of pork ribs in between and filling any gaps with shredded sauerkraut. When you finish the first row, add a row of shredded sauerkraut, sprinkle with 1 tbsp of paprika, add a bay leaf and repeat once more with another row of wraps. Once everything is used up, sprinkle with remaining tbsp of paprika, add bay leaf,tbsp of tomato concentrate and enough water to the pot that everything is submerged.

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Place pot on high heat until it starts boiling. Then reduce heat to medium and cook with lid cracked open for 1.5 hours. Don’t even attempt to stir during cooking as the wraps will fall apart.

Once cooked, serve on its own or with some mashed potatoes.

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 Ovo je jelo, bez imalo dvojbe, meni najdraži lokalni specijalitet. To je staro narodno jelo, zasitno i punog okusa. Kažu da je sarma najbolja sedmi dan, kada ju sedmi puta podgrijete. Pa ju uvijek kuham u najvećem loncu, u nadi da će nam možda i trajati sedam dana. To se još nije desilo. Uvijek smažemo sve što imamo u samo par dana.

Sarma se tradicionalno jede na dočeku Nove Godine, iza ponoći, kada su svi već dobro potkresani i imaju dovoljno alkohola u krvotoku. Ali sarma je tu da vas ugrije i digne natrag na noge, da možete dalje tulumariti. Zar jelo koje vas vraća natrag u život ne zvuči savršeno?

Nemojte se bojati pripreme sarme koja se možda čini dugačkom i kompliciranom. Sve je to zapravo jako jednostavno, a kada se sve skuha, imati ćete ručak i večeru riješene za sljedećih nekoliko dana. Također, sarma se i super smrzava.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 20 sarmi / 7,23 kn po sarmi / 144,70 kn za sve)

1 srednje velika cijela glavica kiselog kupusa, oko 2,5 kg (37,50 kn)

0,20 kn dimljenog špeka (11,00 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

1 čili papričica (0,50 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (0,70 kn)

Pregršt svježeg peršina (1,00 kn)

1,5 kg 50:50 mješavine mljevenog goveđeg i svinjskog mesa (82,50 kn)

1 jaje (1,50 kn)

1 šalica riže (1,00 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

3 žlice slatke crvene paprike, podijeljene (1,50 kn)

2 lovorova lista (0,20 kn)

1 žlica koncentrata rajčice (0,50 kn)

0,5 kg dimljenih suhih svinjskih rebrica, nasiječenih na manje komade (6,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Prvo probajte kiselo zelje. Ako je prekiselo i preslano, isperite ga pod tekućom vodom. Nožićem nježno skinite 20 cijelih listova i odstranite im i bacite tvrdu glavnu žilu. Stavite na stranu. U te ćete listove kasnije umatati sarme. Tanko narežite ostatak zelja, a debelju stabljiku bacite. Oko 1/3 narezanog zelja rasporedite po dnu lonca, jer ćete tako osigurati da se sarme ne prime za dno i ne zagore dok se kuhaju.

Sitno nasjeckajte špek, luk, češnjak, čili i peršin pa ih u velikoj zdjeli rukama pomiješajte sa mljevenim mesom, jajem, rižom, paprom i 1 žlicom slatke paprike, dok ne dobijete jednoličnu smjesu. Ja namjerno ne solim meso iz razloga što su i kiselo zelje i suho meso dovoljno slani da začine svu sarmu.

Oblikujte loptice od mješavine mljevenog mesa i umatajte u ranije pripremljene listove zelja. Slažite sarme na posteljicu od narezanog zelja u loncu, a između njih rupe popunjavajte sa suhim rebricama i ostatkom narezanog zelja. Kada složite prvi red, pobacajte po vrhu još malo narezanog zelja, posipajte sa 1 žlicom paprike i stavite lovorov list, pa sve ponovite u drugom redu dok ne potrošite sve sastojke. Na kraju sve posipajte preostalom žlicom slatke paprike, dodajte list lovora, žlicu koncentrata rajčice i prelite vodom dok sarme ne budu potopljene.

Stavite lonac na jaku vatru dok ne zakipi, potom smanjite na srednje i kuhajte sa odškrinutim poklopcem 1,5 sat. Nemojte niti pokušavati miješati jer će vam se sarme raspasti.

Kada je sarma gotova, poslužite ju samu ili sa pire krumpirom.

Sauerkraut Meat Wraps / Sarma

Gingerbread Granola / Medenjačka granola

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I know I’ve made a granola post like five seconds ago, but this granola totally smells like Christmas. Yes, yes, Christmas definitely has a smell. Maybe you think it’s way it too early to start throwing in Christmas-y recipes in the rotation. Think twice, because December is right at the door. Plus, I think this granola recipe would make an awesome homemade gift, especially if you’re crafty and put it all in a neat jar with a cute bowtie and a note. Just saying! IMGP4081

INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 8 generous servings / 0.31 EUR per serving / 2.50 EUR for all)

3 tbsp butter (0.40 EUR)

3 tbsp honey (0.40 EUR)

1 tbsp raw cocoa powder (0.07 EUR)

1 tsp ground cinnamon (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp ground nutmeg (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp ground cloves (0.03 EUR)

½ tsp ground ginger (0.03 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

2 large apples (0.40 EUR)

3 cups rolled oats (0.40 EUR)

½ cup raisins (0.20 EUR)

3 tbsp ground walnuts (0.40 EUR)

3 tbsp ground flax seed (0.10 EUR) IMGP4082

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 180°C. Line baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. In a small saucepan melt butter and honey. Remove from heat, stir in cocoa powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger and vanilla.

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Wash and grate apples with skins intact and mix together with oats, raisins, walnuts and flax seed. Pour butter and spice mixture over everything and stir until well combined. Spread granola on a prepared baking tray, leaving it in clumps, without pressing into the tray. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Allow granola to cool completely on a baking tray, before storing in airtight container. It keeps for well over a month, if refrigerated.

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Znam da sam objavila post o granoli pred valjda pet sekundi, ali ova granola skroz miriši kao Božić. Da, da, Božić definitivno ima miris. Možda mislite da je prerano već krenuti sa božićnim receptima. Razmislite dva puta, jer prosinac nam je već tu. Osim toga, mislim da bi ova granola bila super poklon iz kućne radinosti, posebno ako ju stavite u neku zgodnu teglicu i ukrasite fora mašnicom.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 8 izdašnih porcija / 2,35 kn po porciji / 18,77 kn za sve)

3 žlice maslaca (3,00 kn)

3 žlice meda(3,00 kn)

1 žlica kakao praha (0,50 kn)

1 žličica mljevenog cimeta (0,07 kn)

½ žličice mljevenog muškatnog oraščića (0,25 kn)

½ žličice mljevenih klinčića (0,25 kn)

½ žličice mljevenog đumbira (0,25 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta od vanilije (0,20 kn)

2 velike jabuke (3,00 kn)

3 šalice zobenih pahuljica (3,00 kn)

½ šalice grožđica (1,50 kn)

3 žlice mljevenih oraha (3,00 kn)

3 žlice sjemenki lana (0,75 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 180°C. Obložite lim za pečenje masnim papirom i stavite na stranu. U malom lončiću rastopite maslac i med, maknite s vatre pa umiješajte kakao, cimet, muškatni oraščić, klinčiće, đumbir i vaniliju.

Operite i naribajte jabuke skupa sa korom, pa pomiješajte sa zobenim pahuljicama, grožđicama, mljevenim orasima i lanom. Prelijte mješavinu maslaca i začina preko mješavine za zobenima i sve dobro izmijšejte. Raširite granolu u grudama po pripremljenom limu za pečenje bez da ju utiskujete. Pecite 30 minuta, miješajući jednom na pola pečenja.

Pustite granolu da se skroz ohladi na limu prije nego što ju spremite u hermetički zatvorenu posudu. U hladnjaku može držati preko mjesec dana.

Gingerbread Granola / Medenjačka granola

Cream of Broccoli and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup / Krem juha od brokule i čičoka

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This soup is so creamy and rich you’ll have a hard time constraining yourself from polishing off the whole pot. I mean, you totally don’t need any excuses at all, just have all the soup you’d like. I know I did. This soup is also 100% vegan. I just can’t get it around my head how quickly it cooks and how little ingredients it took, so I know this one will be a keeper for sure.

So without further ado, here’s the recipe.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 4 generous servings / 0.62 EUR per serving / 2.47 EUR for all)

6 medium to large bulbs of Jerusalem artichokes (1.33 EUR)

1 large head of broccoli, florets only (0.80 EUR)

1 small onion (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp olive oil (0.09 EUR)

4 garlic cloves, minced (0.09 EUR)

1 tbsp tomato paste (0.07 EUR)

4 cups of water (–)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Crack of freshly ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Wash, peel and roughly dice Jerusalem artichokes. Wash broccoli florets and set aside. Finely chop the onion, add to pot with olive oil, place on high heat and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and stir for a few seconds. Throw in chopped Jerusalem artichokes, broccoli florets, tomato paste, water, salt and pepper to bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until artichokes soften up. Turn off heat and puree with an immersion blender. Alternatively, allow the soup to cool a bit and run through food processor. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve.

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Ova juhica je tako kremasta i bogata da ćete se teško obuzdati da ne smažete cijeli lonac. Mislim, nije da trebate neku ispriku, slobodno potamanite svu juhu koju želite. Znam da ja jesam. Ova juha je također 100% veganska. Ni samoj mi još uvijek nije jasno kako se tako brzo može skuhati i kako malo sastojaka za nju treba, tako da ću ju sigurno ubrzo opet kuhati.

Bez puno daljnje priče, evo vam recepta.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 4 izdašne porcije / 4,60 kn po porciji / 18,42 kn za sve)

6 srednjih do velikih čičoka (10,00 kn)

1 velika brokula, samo cvjetići (6,00 kn)

1 manji luk (0,50 kn)

2 žlice maslinovog ulja (0,66 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka, sitno nasjeckana (0,70 kn)

1 žlica koncentrata od rajčice (0,50 kn)

4 šalice vode (–)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Operite, ogulite i grubo narežite čičoke. Operite cvjetiće brokule i stavite na stranu. Fino nasjeckajte luk, stavite u lonac sa maslinovim uljem, pa pirjajte na jakoj vatri 2-3 minute dok ne postane staklast. Dodajte nasjeckani češnjak i miješajte nekoliko sekundi. Ubacite u lonac narezane čičoke, brokulu, koncentrat rajčice, vodu, sol i papar, pa pustite da sve zavrije. Smanjite vatru na srednje jaku i kuhajte 15-20 minuta, dok čičoke ne omekšaju. Maknite s vatre i štapnim mikserom sve ispasirajte. Možete također pustiti da se juha malo ohladi pa sve ispasirati u multipraktiku. Kušajte, po potrebi prilagodite začine i poslužite.

Cream of Broccoli and Jerusalem Artichoke Soup / Krem juha od brokule i čičoka

Kabocha Squash and Pomegranate Salad / Salata sa kabocha tikvom i narom

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We Croats are not a big squash eating nation. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that squashes were mainly grown as pig food. Sure, we have a few old local recipes, but foods like pumpkin pie, soup or roast squash would only be looked down on with utter suspicion. But, we entered the 21st century, after all, and squashes are migrating more and more onto our tables. Supermarkets are also flooded with many squash varieties, so we’re experimenting and expanding our horizons.

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This salad is a real autumn treat. The pomegranate seeds give it a nice crisp and roasted Kabocha makes it hearty and filling. Oh, and if you’re wondering what to do with leftover pomegranate seeds, fear not. Here is a muffin recipe that you can quickly whip up. You’re welcome. 🙂

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 2 servings / 1.03 EUR per serving / 2.06 EUR for all)

½ small Kabocha squash (0.67 EUR)

1 tbsp olive oil (0.04 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Crack of freshly ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

10 leaves of chicory salad (0.40 EUR)

2 handfuls of rocket salad (0.40 EUR)

1 small onion (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds (0.13 EUR)

For the dressing:

1 tbsp mustard (0.07 EUR)

1 tbsp olive oil (0.04 EUR)

1-2 tbsp lemon juice – from ½ a lemon (0.13 EUR)

2 tbsp yogurt – use non-dairy for vegan version (0.07 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Crack of freshly ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line baking tray with parchment paper and set aside. Wash squash, halve, discard seeds and carefully cut into half-moons, keeping the skin intact. Toss with a tablespoon of olive oil, salt and pepper, spread on prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes, until softened and slightly charred. Allow to cool slightly.

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Meanwhile, wash and roughly chop chicory and toss together with washed rocket. Pat to dry or use a salad spinner and divide salads between two plates. Thinly slice onion, placing on bed of salad, topped then with cooled Kabocha.

Assemble dressing in a small bowl by whisking together mustard and olive oil until frothy. Add lemon juice, yogurt, salt and pepper and whisk until fully incorporated. Taste and adjust seasoning. Drizzle salad with dressing and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serve immediately.

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Mi Hrvati nismo baš neki narod od tikvi. To vjerojatno ima puno veze sa činjenicom da su se tikve uglavnom koristile kao hrana za pajceke. Naravno, imamo par starinskih narodnih recepata (bućnica!), ali na jela kao što su pita od bundeve, juha ili pečena bundeva gleda se sa sumnjom i nepovjerenjem. Ali, ipak smo ušli u 21. stoljeće i tikve sve više migriraju prema našim stolovima. Supermarketi su prepravljeni šarenilom i izborom tikvi, a mi pokušavamo eksperimentirati i širiti svoje horizonte.

Ova salata je prava jesenska poslastica. Sjemenke nara daju joj divnu hrskavost, a pečena kabocha je zasitna i izdašna. A ako se pitate što ćete sa sjemenkama nara koje vam ostanu, ne brinite. Evo vam jedan recept za mafine koje možete za čas smutiti. Nema na čemu. 🙂

SASTOJCI:

(Za 2 porcije / 7,64 kn po porciji / 15,28 kn za sve)

½ male Kabocha tikve (5,00 kn)

1 žlica maslinovog ulja (0,33 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

10 listova endivije (3,00 kn)

2 pregršta rukole (3,00 kn)

1 mali luk (0,50 kn)

2 žlice sjemenki nara (1,00 kn)

Za dresing:

1 žlica senfa (0,50 kn)

1 žlica maslinovog ulja (0,33 kn)

1-2 žlice soka od limuna, od ½ limuna (1,00 kn)

2 žlice jogurta, za vegansku verziju koristiti jogurt od soje ili orašastih plodova (0,50 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pečnicu na 200°C. Obložite protvan za pečenje masnim papirom i stavite na stranu. Operite i prepolovite tikvu, izvadite sjemenke, pa oprezno skupa sa kožom narežite na polumjesece. Pomiješajte sa žlicom ulja, solju i paprom, raširite po pripremljenom protvanu pa pecite 30 minuta, dok ne tikva ne omekša i ne karamelizira se po rubovima. Pustite da se malo ohladi.

U međuvremenu, operite i grubo narežite endiviju, pa pomiješajte sa opranom rukolom. Lagano posušite sa kuhinjskim ručnikom ili izvrtite u cjedilu za salatu, pa podijelite salatu na dva tanjura. Tanko narežite luk i poslažite po salati, a po vrhu rasporedite ohlađenu tikvu.

Složite dresing u maloj zdjelici, tako da istučete senf i maslinovo ulje dok ne postanu pjenasti. Dodajte sok od limuna, jogurt, sol i papar pa miješajte dok se sastojci ne sjedine. Probajte, pa još začinite po potrebi. Pokapajte dresing po salati i na kraju po vrhu razbacajte sjemenke nara. Poslužite odmah.

Kabocha Squash and Pomegranate Salad / Salata sa kabocha tikvom i narom

Pomegranate Walnut Muffins / Mafini sa narom i orasima

Crunch Crunch Away, , 3 Comments

Aside from making every day cooking seasonal, I’m also trying to go down the lane of seasonal desserts. I had a bunch pomegranate seeds leftover from a salad, so I figured I’ll just bake some muffins with them. Small note: my pomegranate seeds were really tart so I added a bit more sugar to the batter – 2/3 cup altogether. If your seeds are sweeter, reduce sugar to ½ cup. I find that muffin recipes are generally very forgiving and you can do some tweaking where necessary, without fear that you’ll end up with an inedible disaster.

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I’ve made these into tiny muffins as this way there’s more of that delicious golden crust, but feel free to bake them into regular muffins. This amount of batter would yield 12 regular muffins, just be sure to adjust baking time as you’ll probably need to add about 3-5 minutes.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 20 mini muffins / 0.16 EUR per muffin / 3.25 EUR for all)

1 cup whole wheat flour (0.10 EUR)

1 cup ground walnuts (1.33 EUR)

2/3 cup sugar (0.10 EUR)

½ tsp baking powder (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp baking soda (0.01 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

2 large eggs (0.40 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

1 cup yogurt (0.40 EUR)

3 tbsp butter, melted + more for greasing muffin tin (0.33 EUR)

1 cup pomegranate seeds – from 1 small pomegranate (0.53 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease muffin tin and set aside, but skip this step if using silicone muffin molds. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, walnuts, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and yogurt until creamy. Add butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Pour wet ingredients over dry ones and mix with a spatula until just incorporated. Fold in pomegranate seeds, divide batter among muffin tins and bake for 20 minutes (for mini muffin tins), until golden brown on top. For regular muffins, bake for altogether 23-25 minutes. Allow muffins to cool for 10 minutes before removing from tin. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Osim što se trudim svakodnevno kuhati sa sezonskim namirnicama, također pokušavam prilagoditi i deserte da budu sezonski. Od salate koju sam radila mi je ostalo sjemenki nara, pa sam odlučila ispeći mafine sa njima. Mala napomena: moj nar je bio jako kiseo pa sam dodala više šećera u smjesu – sve skupa 2/3 šalice. Ako imate slađi nar, smanjite šećer na ½ šalice. Mislim da su recepti za mafine općenito jako fleksibilni i možete raditi manje prilagodbe bez straha da ćete završiti sa nejestivom katastrofom.

Ja sam radila mini mafine jer tako ima više onih divnih hrskavih dijelova, ali slobodno možete peći normalne mafine ako imate takve kalupe. Ova količina smjese je dostatna za 12 mafina normalne veličine, samo onda prilagodite vrijeme pečenja i dodajte još 3-5 minuta.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 20 mini mafina / 1,21 kn po mafinu / 24,27 kn za sve)

1 šalica integralnog pšeničnog brašna (0,75 kn)

1 šalica mljevenih oraha (10,00 kn)

2/3 šalice šećera (0,75 kn)

½ žličice praška za pecivo (0,05 kn)

½ žličice sode bikarbone (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

2 jaja (3,00 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta vanilije (0,20 kn)

1 šalica jogurta (3,00 kn)

3 žlice maslaca, rastopljene + još malo za namastiti kalup za mafine (2,50 kn)

1 šalica sjemenki nara – od 1 manjeg nara (4,00 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pečnicu na 200°C. Namastite kalup za mafine i stavite na stranu, ali preskočite ovaj korak ako koristite silikonske kalupe. U velikoj zdjeli izmiješajte brašno, orahe, šećer, prašak za pecivo, sodu bikarbonu i sol. U manjoj zdjeli umutite jaja, vaniliju i jogurt da budu kremasti. Dodajte maslac i mutite dok se ne sjedini. Prelijte mokre sastojke preko suhih i miješajte špatulom dok smjesa ne postane jednolična. Nježno umiješajte sjemenke nara, razdijelite smjesu po kalupima pa pecite 20 minuta (za mini mafine), dok ne dobiju lijepu zlatno-smeđu boju. Mafine normalne veličine pecite 23-25 minuta. Pustite mafine da se ohlade 10-tak minuta u kalupu prije nego ih izvadite. Poslužite tople ili na sobnoj temperaturi.

Pomegranate Walnut Muffins / Mafini sa narom i orasima

Homemade Vegetable Bouillon / Domaća Vegeta

Crunch Crunch Away, , , , Leave a comment

Like all of us, I love having around batches of things that make life nicer. I love it even more when it’s something that I’ve made myself. Like a jar of homemade jam or salsa. Or, you know, ten jars. You don’t want to run out of jam.

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I’ve been toying with the idea of making my own vegetable bouillon mix for a while now, but something would always get in the way. This weekend I finally remembered about it, bought a bunch of vegetables and set to work. You can, of course, adjust the vegetables to your own liking. I also picked out a head of lovely young kohlrabi, but when I got home, it was nowhere to be found. Alas, I didn’t want it to stop me, so I went ahead and just used the things I had. I am very happy with the result and already tried my bouillon in scrambled eggs and a few dishes I’ve made since. It gives a subtle veggie note that I love.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields about 5 cups / 0.47 EUR per cup / 2.37 EUR for all)

4 small leeks (0.40 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.07 EUR)

3 large yellow carrots (0.40 EUR)

4 small regular carrots (0.27 EUR)

2 large parsley roots, with all its leaves (0.53 EUR)

½ celeriac root (0.40 EUR)

2 chili peppers (0.13 EUR)

1/3 cup salt (0.07 EUR)

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METHOD:

Wash, peel and roughly chop all the vegetables and toss together with salt. Run everything through your food processor, in batches if necessary. Store in a freezer, in airtight containers. Due to the salt amount, the bouillon won’t actually freeze solid and you’ll have no problems taking a spoonful or two when needed. Use later for soups, sauces, stews or basically anything else you can think of. Just remember that it’s really salty, so be extra careful about adding extra salt to your food.

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Kao i svi, volim imati doma zalihe stvari koje čine život ljepšim. Još više volim kada je to nešto što sam sama napravila. Kao recimo staklenka domaćeg pekmeza ili šalše. Ili deset staklenki. Ne želite da vam u životu ponestane pekmeza.

Napraviti domaću vegetu već mi je neko vrijeme bilo na radaru, ali uvijek bi nešto iskrsnulo. Ovaj sam se vikend napokon sjetila, kupila povrće i primila se posla. Naravno, povrće prilagodite svojem ukusu. Ja sam na placu kupila i lijepu mladu korabicu, ali kad sam došla doma, netragom mi je nestala iz torbe. Nisam htjela da me to zaustavi, pa sam jednostavno upotrijebila ono što sam imala. Jako sam sretna sa rezultatom koji je već isproban u omletima i par jela koje sam skuhala u međuvremenu. Svemu daje suptilnu povrtnu notu koja je divna.

SASTOJCI:

(za oko 5 šalica / 3,55 kn po šalici / 17,75 kn za sve)

4 manja poriluka (3,00 kn)

1 veliki luk (0,75 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (0,50 kn)

3 velike žute mrkve (3,00 kn)

4 manje obične mrkve (2,00 kn)

2 velika peršina, korijen i list (4,00 kn)

½ glavice celera (3,00 kn)

2 čili papričice (1,00 kn)

1/3 šalice soli (0,50 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Operite, ogulite i grubo nasijecite svo povrće, pa pomiješajte sa solju. Sve sameljite u multipraktiku, po potrebi u više tura. Čuvajte u hermetički zatvorenim posudama u zamrzivaču. Radi velikog udjela soli, vegeta vam se neće smrznuti u blok i moći ćete bez problema žlicom odgrabiti koliko vam je potrebno. Koristite za juhe, umake, variva i sve ostalo što vam padne na pamet. Samo se sjetite da je jako slana, pa budite oprezni ako dodajete još soli.

Homemade Vegetable Bouillon / Domaća Vegeta

Baked Squash and Sweet Potato Autumn Soup / Jesenska juha od pečene bundeve i batata

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Today we will be baking a soup. Yes, you’ve read this correctly, a soup which comes out of the oven. Incidentally, I had the oven going for some other stuff and thought to myself, why couldn’t I just make a soup in the oven as well? Why, indeed? It’s totally doable. The internet is full of baked potato soup recipes and this is just taking things a step further down the path of lazy. I have zero shame about it, too. In fact, I’m thinking about making a baked mushroom soup next. The possibilities opening before me truly seem endless.

Anyhow, what you will end up here with is a batch of thick yummy paste which you can later take any way you’d like. I’m talking pasta toppings, or stew starters, or just soup. On its own, or with some spinach in, or topped with croutons, or pumpkin seeds, or drizzled with yogurt or cream. It’s like ten meals hiding inside one container of pureed veggies. It’s magic.

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 10 generous servings / 0.22 EUR per serving / 2.24 EUR for all)

½ small Kabocha squash (0.66 EUR)

2 sweet potatoes (1.07 EUR)

1 large onion (0.10 EUR)

3 large carrots (0.13 EUR)

1 chili pepper (0.07 EUR)

1 small piece of ginger (0.01 EUR)

2 tbsp olive oil (0.08 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

Crack of freshly ground black pepper (0.01 EUR)

4 garlic cloves (0.09 EUR)

Oil or non-spray for coating the pan (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease baking tray or coat with non-stick spray, line with parchment paper and set aside. Wash, peel and roughly chop all the vegetables and leave skins only on whole garlic cloves, as we’re baking those whole with skins intact. Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper in prepared baking tray, arrange whole unpeeled garlic cloves among vegetable chunks and bake for 30-45 minutes, until vegetables soften and slightly caramelize. My tray was placed in lower third of the oven as I was baking something above, so the veggies got nice and charred on the bottom.

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Allow vegetables to cool enough to handle, squeeze garlic cloves out of their skins and working in batches, run everything in your food processor until smooth and creamy. You might want to add a cup of water for smoother texture and also run things in batches if you have a tiny food processor like me.

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For finishing soup, mix two heaping tablespoons of paste with one cup of water and bring to a rolling boil and then serve. Or just store the paste in your fridge or freezer in an airtight container.

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I intentionally made seasoning pretty mild so the final soup can later be customized to wish. However, my chilies were insanely hot, so I suggest you only add one chili at a time, or you too might have a real kick with your soup.

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Danas ćemo peći juhu. Da, da, dobro ste pročitali, radimo juhu u pećnici. Naime, desilo se to tako da mi je pećnica već gorila radi nekih drugih stvari, pa sam pomislila, zašto ne bi mogla napraviti i juhu u pećnici? Zaista, zašto ne? Totalno je izvedivo. Internet je krcat receptima za juhu od pečenih krumpira. Ovo je samo korak dalje prema putu lijenosti. Uopće se zbog toga ni ne sramim. Zapravo, već planiram raditi juhu od pečenih gljiva. Mogućnosti koje su mi se otvorile čine se beskrajnima.

Uglavnom, ono što ćete dobiti je gusta fina krema sa kojom kasnije možete raditi svašta. Kao recimo upotrijebiti kao sos za tjesteninu, ili početak nekog finog gulaša, ili jesti samo kao juhu. Čistu juhicu, ili sa špinatom, ili sa krutonima, ili bučinim sjemenkama, ili pokapanu sa jogurtom ili vrhnjem. To je kao čarobni paket od deset jela u jednom.

SASTOJCI:

(Za 10 izdašnih porcija / 1,68 kn po porciji / 16,78 kn za sve)

½ male kabocha tikve (5,00 kn)

2 batata (8,00 kn)

1 veći luk (0,75 kn)

3 velike mrkve (1,00 kn)

1 čili papričica (0,50 kn)

1 mali komadić đumbira (0,10 kn)

2 žlice maslinovog ulja (0,66 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat svježe mljevenog crnog papra (0,05 kn)

4 češnja češnjaka (0,70 kn)

Ulje za premazati posudu za pečenje (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Zagrijte pećnicu na 200°C. Namastite posudu za pečenje i obložite masnim papirom i stavite na stranu. Operite, ogulite i grubo nasijecite svo povrće, osim češnjaka, jer ćemo njega peći cijelog u ljusci. U pripremljenoj posudi za pečenje pomiješajte povrće sa maslinovim uljem, soli i paprom, pa među povrćem razmjestite i češnjak. Pecite 30-45 minuta, dok povrće ne omekša i ne postane blago karamelizirano. Moj protvan je bio u donjoj trećini pećnice jer sam gore pekla nešto drugo, pa se zato lijepa korica uhvatila sa donje strane.

Pustite da se sve malo ohladi, istisnite češnjak iz ljuski i sve ispasirajte u multipraktiku do kremaste teksture. Možete slobodno dodati šalicu vode da se lakše propasira, a po protrebi i ovisno o veličini vašeg multipraktika, možda ćete morati sve podijeliti u par tura.

Da zgotovite juhu, pomiješajte oko 2 žlice paste sa jednom šalicom vode i stavite da zakuha, pa poslužite. Ili jednostavno spremite pastu za kasnije u hermetički zatvorenoj posudi u hladnjaku ili zamrzivaču.

Baked Squash and Sweet Potato Autumn Soup / Jesenska juha od pečene bundeve i batata

Cocoa Banana Bread / Kruh od banane i kakaa

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It just so happened that we had two bananas sitting on the counter and starting to look unappealing enough to eat raw. So I figured, why not bake them into banana bread? After a quick scan of what was on hand (not much), this is what I came up with. And the result is fantastic; moist and fragrant and so dang tasty. So I really hope you have two unappealing bananas sitting on your counter as well, as those yield the best banana bread.

Bonus: you only need one bowl for it! Win!

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INGREDIENTS:

(Yields 1 loaf / 2.20 EUR per loaf)

2 overripe bananas (0.53 EUR)

2 large eggs (0.40 EUR)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (0.03 EUR)

1 cup yogurt (0.40 EUR)

4 tbsp butter, melted + more for greasing the loaf pan(0.40 EUR)

1 cup rolled oats (0.13 EUR)

1 cup all-purpose flour (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp flax seed (0.07 EUR)

2 tbsp raw cocoa powder (0.13 EUR)

4 tbsp sugar (0.01 EUR)

1 tsp baking powder (0.01 EUR)

½ tsp baking soda (0.01 EUR)

Pinch of salt (0.01 EUR)

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METHOD:

Preheat oven to 200°C. Grease loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper. Set aside. In a large bowl, smash bananas using a potato masher or a fork. Whisk in eggs, vanilla, yogurt and butter, until creamy and fully incorporated. Add in oats, flour, flax seed, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt and stir everything with a spatula until just incorporated. Pour the batter into prepared pan, gently shake to even the surface and bake for 30-35 minutes, until top cracks and a toothpick inserted comes out clean (a crumb or two is also okay). Let banana bread cool in its pan for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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Desilo se to da su te dvije banane stajale u kuhinji i počele izgledati prilično neprivlačno. Zaključila sam da bi najbolje bilo od njih napraviti kruh. Nakon brzog pregleda čega sve imamo doma (ne baš puno toga), dobila sam kruh koji je fantastičan; sočan i aromatičan i jako fin. Tako da se nadam da i vi imate doma par neprivlačnih banana, jer od njih je najbolji kruh.

Bonus: treba vam samo jedna zdjela! Pobjeda!

SASTOJCI:

(Za 1 štrucu / 16,42 kn za štrucu)

2 prezrele banane (4,00 kn)

2 jaja (3,00 kn)

1 žličica ekstrakta vanilije (0,20 kn)

1 šalica jogurta (3,00 kn)

4 žlice rastopljenog maslaca + još malo za namastiti kalup za pečenje (3,00 kn)

1 šalica zobenih pahuljica (1,00 kn)

1 šalica oštrog pšeničnog brašna (0,50 kn)

2 žlice sjemenki lana (0,50 kn)

2 žlice sirovog kakao praha (1,00 kn)

4 žlice šećera (0,10 kn)

1 žličica praška za pecivo (0,10 kn)

½ žličice sode bikarbone (0,01 kn)

Prstohvat soli (0,01 kn)

PRIPREMA:

Ugrijte pečnicu na 200°C. Maslacem namastite kalup za kruh i obložite papirom za pečenje. Stavite na stranu. U velikoj zdjeli gnječilicom za krumpir ili viljuškom zdrobite banane. Umutite jaja, vaniliju, jogurt i rastopljeni maslac da bude jednolično i kremasto. Dodajte zobene, brašno, lan, kakao prah, šećer, prašak za pecivo, sodu bikarbonu i sol pa špatulom mješajte dok se sastojci ne sjedine. Istresite smjesu u pripremljeni kalup, nježno protresite da poravnate pa pecite 30-35 minuta, dok se vrh ne raspuca a umetnuta čačkalica ne izađe čista (mrvica-dvije su sasvim okej). Pustite da se kruh hladi 15-tak minuta u kalupu prije nego ga preselite na rešetku za pečenje da se ohladi do kraja.

Cocoa Banana Bread / Kruh od banane i kakaa