Dinner Party Croatian Style

Saturday I hosted a dinner party with a great group of friends. We get together every other month and watch a movie, and prepare a meal based on a theme. We've done Julia Child (Julie & Julia - recipes from The Art of French Cooking) and Giada De Laurentiis (Under the Tuscan Sun - all Giada recipes). When it came for me to host I wanted to expose the group to Croatian food. Not a lot of people are familiar with it, and it is fabulous. There's not a Food Network chef (or any other one that I could think of off hand) we could dedicate the night to, but I have three Croatian cookbooks and knew it could be done.

I think the group was a little taken aback when I suggested it - but they humored me and followed the theme anyway. Croatian cooking reflects it's diverse geography and history. Croatia is in Eastern Europe, it has a rich culture and history as part of the Roman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, as well as being part of former Yugoslavia. They do a lot of seafood - a large part of their geography is along the Adriatic coast, and then their continental cuisine is rich in lamb, chicken, pork and beef. Fresh produce plays a big part of their meals as well. Due to shellfish allergies (and the lack of availability of really fresh Sea Bass or Squid in a land locked stated 1/2 way across the world from Croatia) we did a more continental dinner - which is fitting as it would be more similar to what would be cooked in homes near the capital city of Zagreb - the region where the hubs' family lives.

OK - enough background... on to dinner! We started at noon. I thought this was a little early, but a lot of the dishes, while easy to prepare are time consuming. We had three appetizers, a soup, salad, main course and dessert. 

For the appetizer Leibe prepared a Swiss Cheese and Radish Dip (Umak od svicarskog sira i rotkvica)as well as a Roulade of Smoked Salmon (Rulada od dimlejenog lososa) and Colin made a Mushroom, Bacon and Pepper Dip (Umak od gljiva, slanine i paprike). Each of the appetizers was really good. I must admit - I hate radishes... so when I found out that one of the apps was going to feature them, I was a little hesitant. But, I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was!

Swiss Cheese and Radish Dip
Umak od svicarskog sira i rotkvica

Roulade of Smoked Salmon
Rulada od dimlejenog lososa

Mushroom, Bacon and Pepper Dip
Umak od gljiva, slanine i paprike

Next was our soup. Caroline prepared an amazing Peasant-Style Vegetable Soup (Seoska juha od povraca) of pureed potatoes, leeks and carrots garnished with spinach.

Peasant-Style Vegetable Soup
Seoska juha od povraca

Caroline's soup had a great flavor. With everything pureed together it was smooth and the baby loved the left overs! This is a soup that can be used either as we had it - a prelude to a meal - or it could easily stand on it's own as a meal itself during a crisp fall day. Couple it with a heart bread and you have yourself a meal!

Course three was Joanne's Spinach, Pear and Pomegranate Salad with toasted walnuts and feta. Since pomegranate is hard to find this time of year, she substituted dried cranberries. The contrast of flavors and textures in this salad was really good - and I will say, I'd like to eat just the walnuts (toasted in olive oil) as a snack anytime!

Main course time came around and it was my turn. In selecting items, I wanted something different - that you wouldn't have every day, but still reflected meals the hubs would have back home. He tells stories of how they would frequently roast meat over a spit outside. Well, I wasn't going to build a spit in the backyard; however, slow roasted lamb is something not a lot of people cook and I thought it would be a treat to make for the group. The recipe I chose was Leg of Lamb Banovina Style (Banovacki janjeci but) which is leg of lamb seasoned by inserting slices of bacon, rosemary and garlic into small slits in the meat and then roasted at medium heat for about 2.5 hours. You serve it with a gravy and it suggested a potato side dish. Which I did Potatoes Braised with Spinach (Krumpir sa spinatom). Both of these recipes were from either the region he is from, or a neighboring region. I had him look at them in the cookbook and he said that yes, that would be something they would occasionally make there. So I was sure to be authentic!

Somehow I neglected to take a picture of our dessert, but let me tell you it was excellent! Kirsten treated us to a Hazelnut Cream Cake (Krem torta od ljesnjaka) and I brewed some Turkish Coffee (Turska kava) , we enjoyed dessert while watching our movie Harrison's Flowers -  about an American photojournalist who goes missing during the war in the early 1990's.

Of course, what dinner party isn't complete without wine? Croatian wine is hard to come by here, unless you order it from the internet and pay more for shipping than you do for the wine. I did, however, luck out and find a store in town that could get some Croatian red wine. We had this with our salad and main course. And, I bought some Cockta (a Croatian drink similar to Coca-Cola), which we made Bambus with. Bambus is a mix of part Cockta and part red wine. It sounds weird - but it's very good.

Hopefully by eating the food and watching the movie they learned a little more about that area of the world. And what it brings to the table!

Wednesday Recipe: Bajadere

Around Christmas time I found a couple Croatian cookbooks online and ordered them. Andre and I have been married for almost 9 years, and I've never cooked anything from his native country so figured it would be a nice gesture to have a couple cookbooks with recipes he grew up with translated into English.

While looking through the book, he came across a recipe for Bajadere (a.k.a. Chocolate Walnut Bars) and asked me if I'd try to make this sometime. Looking at the recipe, I thought it looked difficult and didn't really want to risk it. But, this weekend we had a baptism at church and everyone was supposed to bring a Croatian dish, so I decided it was time to attempt it. Surprisingly, it was fairly easy to make. The transcription from "The Best of Croatian Cooking, Expanded Edition" follows:

This is a very easy and economical recipe to make. It is served in small thin slices, as it is very rich! The alternating layers make this recipe look more difficult than it is. A great addition to your holiday treats selection! Once you make these you will definitely do so again! The name actually comes from that of a famous layered chocolate treat produced by Croatia's top chocolate company.

Not exactly the "small thin bars" the recipe says to cut it

 in, but you get the general idea.

Makes approx. 4 dozen

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4  cup (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, creamed
3 cups ground tea biscuits
3 cups ground walnuts
3 squares (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate, grated
1 teaspoon rum extract (optional)

Glaze
3 tbsp milk
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tbsp butter
6 squares (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate
chopped walnuts (optional)

In a medium-sized pot, bring 1 cup of water to a boil and add sugar, simmering until thickened slightly. Then add the butter, tea biscuits, and ground walnuts. Mix all ingredients well, until dough forms. Remove from heat and divide into 2 equal halves. Knead the grated chocolate and rum extract into one of the halves of dough.

Press the chocolate dough into a greased 11x13" baking dish. Sprinkle some water on your hands to keep the dough from sticking to them. Spread the lighter batter on top of the chocolate, press eveningly covering chocolate.

GLAZE: in a small saucepan on the stovetop heat the milk, sugar and butter. When the butter has melted add the chocolate squares. When the glaze is smooth, pour over top of the dough in the baking dish. Sprinkle finely chopped walnuts over top. Refigerate for at least 2 hours. cut into small thin bars.

The recipe was surprisingly  easier than I thought it was going to be, but it did take a little while to put together. Like it says, it is very rich. However, it is not very sweet. It is definitely something we will make again, but not something I'd necessarily want to have all the time. For these reasons I'm giving it a rating of B. Hope you enjoy!

Our Amazing Italian Feast

This weekend was a culinary treat! Saturday four of us got together for our dinner & a movie date that we have every couple of months. Last time it was Julie & Julia, and of course we made dinner with recipes from Julia Child's The Art of French Coooking.

This time around we watched Under the Tuscan Sun, and the recipes were from Giada de Laurentiis. The meal was fabulous. And, in true Italian form we took our time with it. Enjoying each other's company, laughing and drinking lots of good wine.

Our first course was a simple cheese and crackers plate with a side of grapes. We had three different cheeses (forgive me I don't know what type) accompanied by sesame crackers and grapes. Of course we had this with Presecco (an Italian sparkling white).

This was followed by appetizers. Apps were my department. I am used to desserts or main courses, so having to choose anything else is often mind-boggling to me. And let's not forget that I've been on a "I don't want to make any decisions" kick lately, I was really afraid I'd let the girls down with my apps.

For apps I served Goat Cheese Toasts and Watermelon, Tomato, Basil Skewers. Both these recipes were easy to make. The toasts were baugette bread lightly toasted in extra virgin olive oil, then spread with a mixture of goat cheese and herbs, topped with chopped kalamata olives and chives. YUM! My other app, I was a little leary about. Who ever heard of pairing watermelon and tomato? Much less putting balsalmic vinegar on it? I am not a huge fan of tomatoes by themselves, an only eat them in small doses. But let me just say - OMG! Giada is a freakin' genious. This was a light appetizer which was refreshing on the palate. The contrast of textures, the smoothness of the watermelon paired with the acidity of the tomato and crispness of the basil - very good. Top that with the reduction of equal parts balsalmic vinegar and sugar, it was just so refreshing and left you ready for the rest of the meal. Definitely something to make for spring/summer time get togethers.

Our next course was salad. Colin prepared an Artichoke and Tomato Panzanella, in which she grilled artichokes and mixed them with toasted  bread, olives and tomatoes,along with a few herbs. So tastey! Especially as I'd never had grilled artichokes before. We all agreed that grilling them adds a bit of sweetness to their flavor. This is one salad I'd prepare again, and even enjoy just as a light meal by itself.

   Our next course was soup. Again, this was Colin's department (bless her heart, one of our members cancelled so Colin picked up and took over 2 courses. She's originally just planned on soup but provided us two great courses to our meal)! She chose a Ribollita. What she describes as "A simple tuscan style soup". It is very similar to what we are used to as minestrone. But has spinach mixed in and is served over toasted ciabatta bread. This soup was so good I had to restrain myself from having seconds (or from licking the bowl). It could also stand by itself as a light meal.

Now for the main course! Kirsten stunned us with a twist on Chicken Marsala. Now, I have to admit when I heard we were having chicken marsala, I was like "Really? Great." It's not one of my favorite Italian dishes. I guess my days waiting tables at Olive Garden in college kind of turned me off from it. I served it so many times that I got to where just the smell of it kind of churned my stomach. However, this recipe had an interesting twist, Chicken with Mustard Mascarpone Marsala Sauce has a nice creamy sauce unlike any Marsala I've had before. The cremini mushrooms give it a nice earthy taste against the sauce, which is sweetened up a bit by the addition of mascarpone.

And finally, what meal isn't completed by a wonderful dessert? Caroline wowed us with Pears Poached in Red Wine. Anyone who knows me, knows that I have an undying sweet tooth. But of late I've traded in my love affair with chocolate for a love affair with fruit. Pears Poached in Red Wine, satisfied this affair immensely. First the pears were cooked in the wine with cinnamon sticks and lemon slices, then the extra ingredients were removed and the wine was reduced to a thick syrup. Marscarpone was mixed with heavy cream to creat a dollop of creamy sinfulness to accompany the pears. I was in heaven. I truly think this was one of the best desserts I've had EVER. And, that's saying a lot.

Finally, in true Italian form a "Digestivi Liquore" was served as at the end of the meal. Colin's homemade Lemoncello was excellent. I've had many variations of Lemoncello ranging from smooth and creamy to so stout it would grow hair on your chest. Her's was a smooth mixture, light and crisp on the palate. A perfect end to an amazing meal!

*note I have recipes to all the courses listed above. If you are interested in trying these for yourself feel free to let me know and I'll gladly send them your way*

Having a Hard Time Planning a Menu

This rarely happens, food is a specialty of mine, I love to cook and plan parties/meals. However, I have to admit that I'm having a hard time figuring out what's on the menu for Easter. You see, this will be our first Easter just the four of us.

Typically, Easter (as any major holiday) is spent with my side of the family at my parents house. Picture a scene from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" and you have a scene from my family. Even though there were only three children, we're loud and everyone's into everyone's business. Sunday dinners are a big deal, and holiday dinners are especially a big deal.

We got through Christmas just fine... we had the hubs' family here. So it wasn't so glaring that we were alone. This weekend is shaping up to be another story. First, there's the obvious - less family. Now, when you are used to helping plan a family meal for about 15 hearty eaters and suddenly you're downsizing that to 4 it makes things interesting. Next, there's the delimia of what do you eat, exactly? All the sides and trimmings you're used to having on the table just seems like overkill when it's for so few people. And of course there's the debate of what will the main entree be? Traditionally we've had ham in my house, but this year lamb has been suggested. hmmm.....

So, I'm at a complete and total loss. I'm opening it up to suggestions. What are your Easter traditions? Apparently we're going to have to make some new ones here, so I'd like to steal from you if you're willing to share!

Farfalle con gamberetti e piselli

Fancy title, eh? In the spirit of Lent I decided to post a non-meat dish this week. We've eaten this on Fridays a couple times already this year, and really enjoy it. My family loves pasta, and they generally like most seafood. So, when I ran across this recipe in my "The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia" I thought it would be worth a try. Plus, it's fairly simple to make.

It's not often that I make and serve something that every member of the family enjoys. I give "Farfalle con gamberetti e piselli" a.k.a. Pasta Bows with Prawns and Peas an A. (By the way, forgive the blurry picture - there was none to be found online so this is a picture of the picture in the book. Sorry, I'll try to do better next week.)

Ingredients

3 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

2 spring onions, chopped

12 oz. fresh or frozen peeled prawns

1 1/4 cups frozen peas, thawed

14 oz. farfalle pasta

1 cup dry white wine

a few strands fresh saffron or 1/8 tsp powdered saffron

salt & pepper

2 tbsp chopped fresh fennel or dill, to serve

(serves approx. 4)

Directions

1. Bring a large pan of water to boil. Heat the oil and butter in a large frying pan and sautee the spring onions lightly. Add the prawns and peas, and cook for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add salt and the pasta to the boiling water. Stir the wine and saffron into the prawn mixture. Raise the heat and cook until the wine is reduced by about half. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pan and reduce the heat to low.

3. Drain the pasta when it is al dente. Add it to the pan with the sauce. Stir over high heat for 2-3 minutes, coating pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with fresh herbs and serve at once.

*Blogger's Note: It calls for farfalle, and that is the best choice, but I've made it with other pasta I had in the pantry and it turned out just as good. Also, I've used random herbs such as parsely, oregano, and rosemary and it's been very good, too. This is a pretty easy recipe and fairly adjustable to different herbs you have in the cabinet. I say play with it a bit, but if you like shrimp - it's a must try!

Wednesday Recipe Review

I have decided I would dedicate one day a week to a recipe review. I love to cook. Since Wednesday is typically the day newspapers print a section on Food, and you typically find the new sales fliers from the supermarkets in your mailbox on Wednesday, it seems the logical day for my food review.

I'll cook pretty much anything at least once, but really love desserts. Not too long ago I found a recipe by Paula Deen that was very intriguing to me. It was entitled "Gooey Butter Cake" and got rave reviews on her website. Now, I must admit - I don't screw up many recipes, but I did kinda goof this one. The secret to this recipe is that you should serve it warm (not the next day like I did). The middle is supposed to be a little runny, hence the term gooey in the title. If you wait a day or so, it will coaggulate as it cools.While it still tastes good, it's not the consistency it's meant to be.

Also, I should warn you, if you have heart/artery problems, this probably isn't the recipe for you. We all know Paula loves her butter - and this recipe definitely uses plenty of it. If you want a cake you can conceal it's flaws with icing. This is not the cake for you. While it is very good, it is very rich. Icing would probably put you in the hospital in a sugar coma. Due to these reasons, I'm going to give it a B.

Paula's Gooey Butter Cake. Looks good, don't ya think?

So, without further ado... Paula Deen's Recipe for Gooey Butter Cake:

Ingredients
Cake:
1- 18.25 ounce package yellow cake mix
1- egg
8- tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
1- 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
2- eggs
1- teaspoon vanilla
8- tablesppons butter, melted
1- 16 ounce box powdered sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Combine the cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well with an electric mixer. Pat themixture into the bottom of a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Prepare filling. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the eggs, vanilla, and butter and beat together. Next, add the powdered sugar and mix well. Spread over cake batter and bake for 40-50 minutes. Make sure not to over bake as center should still be gooey.

This should cure your craving for butter, at least for a bit. Enjoy!