My Hungarian Goulash

Recently I was in Hungary and my wish was to have a good, original hot Hungarian goulash.
However, as everywhere all became money and commerce so famous Hungarian goulash is no longer what it was, or what I thought it was.
That's why I decided to buy a spicy red paprika, and I mean very spicy, and make the atmosphere of a real Hungarian cuisine at my home.
Actually I've never knew a true recipe for goulash; I was looking for it on the Internet, in cookbooks that I got home .... everywhere was different written. So I decided to take from all a little bit and make a "my" goulash mix.

I used:
30 dkg of beef
1 large onion
3 dcl mashed tomatoes
3 dcl red wine
vegetable cube
2 tablespoons sweet paprika
hot paprika (carefully-according to your taste)
parsley, garlic, salt, pepper

Meat and onion fry in oil together, then add all the ingredients as it is written: mashed tomatoes, wine, vegetable cube sweet paprika, hot paprika, salt, pepper, garlic.
Altogether cook over low heat, the longer the better,  at least one hour.
Serve the other day. Yummy, delicious. You can serve it with boiled potatoes, which is my favorite choice, but I say again, it may be something else according to your wishes.
Imagine me eating spicy goulash, u, a, is there a bit of  bread, quick, give me... u, a, spicy....spicy!

Bon appetite!

Chickpeas

This is a very simple dish and I love it the most. I cook it every Friday and can't wait another and eat it again, yummy.

Here's my recipe which I inherited from my grandmother and mother.

- Soak the chickpeas in lukewarm salted water for several hours (maybe about 6 hours)
- Cook in the same water in which it was sunk
- When it boils throw the first water, rinsed chickpeas, change the water and then put chickpeas in

it to cook again
- Add onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, olive oil, carrots, sodium bicarbonate (tip of knife), one vegetable cube and potatoes.

If it's too watery put a little millet to become denser. And vuolla!

Bon appetit!

Rice salad

Recently I saw this recipe of rice, vegetables and cheese and loved it right away. I like to add new things on my every day menu but actually this isn't anything new just arranged in some other way.
I went to the store to buy everything according to the recipe but I didn't find all that was needed so I dared to change things and give to this meal my "touch".

Recipe:
rice
corn
feta cheese
cheery tomatoes
salt, pepper, parsley, olive oil.

Since I stubbornly decided to do this today, and I didn't find the corn, instead I took a frozen mixed vegetables which consists of corn, peas, green beans and mini carrots (I love mini carrots).
I mixed it up all and it turned out to a very tasty salad. This salad can always be served as good a side dish to meat or fish.

Bon appetit!

Zucchini Flower - Pupatori

Until the next sequel of the story of Rome here is one very simple dish that can be served as a side dish and it's very easy to make, and it's tasty, at least to me.
My family likes it when I prepare Pupatori (Dubrovnik's term)

So we need:
zucchini flower
eggs
flour
salt

Wash Pupatori, shake out and dry. Mix whole eggs and flour, add salt. Each flower just pull through the mixture and fry in a well-heated oil.
Arrange them on paper towel to absorb excess fat and then serve.

Bon Appetite!

Hazelnut Cake with chocolate cream

Here's one recipe of the cake that I love as well as all my family and friends. I found this recipe when my daughter turned one year (for her first birthday) and since then  every year this cake is on our table.

Ingredients: 
7 eggs
300 grams of sugar
300 grams of hazelnuts
  2 tablespoons bread crumbs

Filling:
4 eggs
250 grams of sugar
200 grams dark chocolate
250 grams of butter

Mix egg yolks and sugar, add ground nuts and bread crumbs and mix it all together. Add beaten egg whites. Grease the cake pan with butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs, pour  prepared mixture in the pan and bake it at 150 degrees Celsius for 60 minutes. When the cake is baked, cool it and cut it into two equal parts.

Filling: sugar, eggs and melted chocolate mix and cook on the stove, stirring constantly till it thickens.
Remove from the heat and continue to stir until it slightly cooled.
Mix the butter separately, add to the cooled mass of eggs, sugar and chocolate and continue to stir until it is completely cooled. Stuff the cake and cover the entire cake with the remaining mixture and decorate it as you wish.


Bon Apetite!

Summer chicken

At home we usually marinade fish with different things but I started marinating chicken and turkey meat since they're both in the category "yummy but dry". I did all kinds of marinades but this one is by far my favorite. Anyway I don't have precise measures for it since I keep putting each thing till it looks good for me. For some it might not be enough, for some it might be too much, we all have our preferences and we should always go by them :)


Here we go.
I put enough milk in the bowl with sliced chicken breasts so that it covers the meat like it's shown on the picture. Than add a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a nice amount of sweet red pepper. Leave it like that for a while, over night would be ideal but even an hour would do just fine. And that's basically the whole wisdom :) Grill it, serve it with a salad and you have a light, fast and a very nutritious meal (first picture).

Tomatoes with mozzarella

Tomatoes with mozzarella 

If you are in a hurry and in a need for a refreshing and tasteful cold appetizer this is probably one of the best choices for hot summer days. Simple to make and very rich in Mediterranean taste I'm sure everyone would love it.

All you need to get the amount as shown on the picture is:
a large sliced tomato
250g of mozzarella, sliced
olive oil
oregano
salt


Place your tomato slices on the plate cover it with slices of mozzarella, sprinkle it with olive oil, salt and oregano. It couldn't be more simple than that.

Bon appétit!

Cheese Cake with Smoked Salmon

When I was in Sweden a few years ago, I had the opportunity of trying a completely different appetizer than  I'm used to. I've already tried salmon prepared in many different ways but I have to admit I was a bit skeptical about combining it with cheese. Thankfully I'm very curious by nature and I like to try new things especially culinary ones ( I often experiment in the kitchen myself) so this was a challenge I couldn't refuse.

This cake looked so irresistible from the outside. I could swear it was a regular sweet cake covered with a ton of cream. I felt an enormous excitement just by looking at my first piece expecting a completely different taste than the one I actually felt. Instead of a detailed description of my "first kiss" with the cake I'm giving you a recipe. I hope you'll enjoy it just as much as me and my family did when we tried it for the first time.


Ingredients;

1 packaged bread (preferably the one for toasting)
250g of cream cheese (Philadelphia)
Smoked salmon
Some fresh or dried chives (preferably fresh)
2dcl sour cream
Pickles sliced into thin stripes
Fresh veggies for decoration (exp. fresh cucumber)

Cut the ends of the bread sliced and spread them in a layer on a plate, in a bowl or in a cake mold. Mix the cheese, sour cream and chives together and spread the mixture over the bread. Cover the cheese layer with the smoked salmon and sliced pickles. Continue building as many layers as you want. When you reach the top, cover the entire cake with the remaining mixture and decorate it as you wish. I'll leave the decoration to your imagination :)
Leave it in the fridge overnight and serve cold.

Bon appetit!

Curly kale soufflé

Here is one recipe while I'm finishing my text about trip in Amsterdam!

Curly kale soufflé

A very simple preparation. Delicious, and it can be used as everyday meal. In my house we love it warm and cold.






Ingredients:

larger Curly Kale
3 eggs
a cup of boiled rice
2 dcl of sour cream
30 dkg ground beef meat
3 tablespoons bread crumbs
Salt and pepper

Boil Curly kale and chop it into small pieces. Add the egg yolks, salt and pepper, ground beef, which you fried in oil before, then add a cup of boiled rice, sour cream and beaten egg white at the end. All the ingredients mix well and bake in the oven about 40 minutes.

Bon Appetit!

Bake until it's done

Here is one simple but very tasty cake. I really don't know its name but I like to call it Bake until it's done!
My colleague asked me for this recipe so I told her all the ingredients she needs but when she asked me how long she had to keep it in the oven I was kinda caught by surprise and simply told her to bake it until its done. When we both realized what I said, we burst into laughter, so the name stayed. It's very simple and you can make it for every occasion.






Ingredients:

4 eggs
25 dkg of sugar
25 dkg of flour
a bit of baking powder
very little vegetable oil
20 dkg chopped almonds
20 dkg of raisins
vanilla sugar
grated lemon peel

Beat the yolks and the sugar. Add the beaten whites, flour, vanilla sugar, baking powder, and at the end add almonds and raisins.
The result is a dense mass that has to be properly spread on baking pan. Bake at a temperature of approximately 180°C for about thirty minutes, maybe a little more. Don't burn it, the surface should remain bright so be very careful.

Bon appetit!

Prikle (I don't have right translation)

Prikle is traditional dessert of Dubrovnik region. They are usually prepared on Christmas Eve and Good Friday. Like the previous sweets that I wrote about, it is impossible to imagine Christmas without its scent.

Ingredients:

1 / 2 kg flour
a bag (7 g) of dry yeast (my grandmother and mother worked with a fresh yeast, but this is more convenient for me)
lemon peel
small cup of rakia (brandy)
teaspoon of sugar
a pinch of salt
raisins
approximately 4-5 dcl of water

Soak the raisins into the warm water to soften them slightly.
Whisk flour, water, yeast, salt and sugar in a bowl, then add lemon peel and small cup of rakia (it provides flavor and prevents absorption of oil).
When the dough becomes a compact mass add the pre-soaked raisins. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise on a room temperature.
After the dough doubles, it's ready to be fried.
Take the dough out of the bowl with a teaspoon and use your finger to get it off the spoon and put into the hot oil.
Fry in hot oil on both sides until they get a golden color.
Serve hot, sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.

                                     Bon Appetit!

Grandma's Christmas cake

Here's another grandma's Xmas recipe. Christmas wouldn't be so tasty and full of flavors without it. This cake is filled with various ingredients and spices that spread a pleasant holiday scent, during and after the baking. These aromas bring back the memories of my childhood, which is probably the reason why the Xmas time always makes me feel relaxed and warm inside.






Ingredients:
25 dkg butter
25 dkg sugar
5 eggs
15 dkg of flour
15 dkg of carob flour
1 / 2 bag of baking powder
12 dkg dried figs
12 dkg raisin
12 dkg dates
12 dkg chopped almonds
chocolate powder (quantity - I put about 5 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon, cloves, muscat nut
sugared orange crust
fresh lemon peel (organic)

Beat half of the sugar with the butter. Take the other half of the sugar and beat it with the eggs. Add flower, carob and baking power to the egg and sugar mixture and mix well. Add the sugar and butter mixture and mix until you get a very compact, dense mass. Finally add the chocolate powder, sugared orange peel, chopped almonds, dates, dried figs, raisins, a tsp of cinnamon, muscat nut and cloves. Spread the mixture evenly on the baking pan and bake for about 40-50 minutes on 170°C. Finally, sprinkle it with a bit of powdered sugar, serve and enjoy the aromas :)

                                         Bon Appetit!

Arancini (Sugared orange crust)

The orange, as you'll see from this recipe, can be utilized literally 100%. Don't throw the orange peel because you can make a really delicious treat that you can serve as a snack or even use it to decorate a fruit cake.
Peel the orange (must be home grown-organic)
Cut the peel into thin sticks and soak in water for 3 days (change the water 2 times a day)
After getting the peel out of water, dry it well, preferably on the kitchen paper and then weigh.

Ingredients

20 dkg of orange peel
20 dkg sugar
3 dl water



Put the orange peel strips into a pot, pour 3 dcl of water over them and cook until they become soft.
Add sugar and continue cooking with the occasional stirring until the liquid evaporates.
The peels are ready when sugar gets crystallized and stuck on them (not caramelized!!!).
Spread on baking paper and leave to dry.

This is the specialty of the Dubrovnik area, that my grandmother and mother taught me. When my grandmother was very young it was a very popular treat during the Xmas holiday season and was served with dried figs and a small cup of rakia or Rosolin (Rose liqueur).

                                      Bon Appetit!

Mjendulata (Almond loaf)

Here's a cookie recipe from my childhood that is usually prepared during Christmas holidays. These are very simple and delicious biscuits that everyone loves. During the holiday season we all tend to eat too much whether it's sweet, salty or greasy, so by the time the season is over everyone is fed up with food and there's actually nothing left we want to eat. Well almost...as these are the cookies no one refuses.






Ingredients:
18 dkg flour
18 dkg sugar
18 dkg almond
2 eggs
lemon peel
a bit of baking powder (quantity: the point of the knife)

Beat the eggs and sugar, add flour. Knead on a surface covered in flour and gradually add more flour until the dough has hardened enough to be shaped into thin loaves. Add the whole almonds at the end. Bake at cca 170°C. Be careful not to overdo it, the loaf must remain white.
Cut into thin slices while the it's still hot.

These cookies can be kept long, eventually they become even tastier.
Of course it should be kept in closed box in a dry place.

                                    Bon Appetit!

Bruštulani Mjenduli (Caramelized Almonds)

A very simple dessert that gives a nice touch to the festive table. It a great snack for those with a bit of a sweet tooth and simplle to make. I honestly don't know anyone that doesn't like them.

Ingredients
20 decagrams of almonds
16 decagrams of sugar
  6 tablespoons of water
  3,2 decagrams of Vanilia sugar

Put all ingredients in a pot on low heat and constantly stir. Stir constantly! I can't stress enough how important this is :)
At the beginning the sugar will look kinda like flour and as you stir it'll start to clump which will make to stirring job a bit harder. This means your job will soon be over. When the sugar is melted in a way that it forms into brown blobs that stick to the almonds, you're done. Let the almonds cool down and serve in a nice bowl.

                                            Bon appetit!

Šporki Makaruli (Dirty Macaroni)

Here is a recipe of one dish that is preparing, according to the old Dubrovnik's custom, for the Christmas, New Year and St. Blaise's day.

 
Šporki Makaruli (Dirty Macaroni)
One kilogram sliced beef and three large onions fry in oil until meat and onions are fully processed.
Add salt and one kilogram of peeled tomatoes and stir until all ingredients are pervaded.
Then add the following spices: Cinnamon, whole cloves, nutmeg, bay leaf, parsley, curry, sweet red pepper, ginger, garlic, oregano, basil, and even grated lemon rind.
The more spices the better!
In all that add the red wine (about 6 deciliter) and cook on low temperature  three even more hours.
Serve next day with macaroni and Parmesan cheese. Before serving add olive oil.
                    Bon appetit!