Hand Made Macaroni with Meat Sauce - speciality of Žrnovo

Žrnovo is small place on Korcula island. There is an 'agrotouristic' restaurant called 'Gera'. They offer only vegetables that they grow in their garden and fish that they catch that day. We had 'kerna' fish (caught that day by diving) with potatoes and 'zeje' - never tasted something fresher; we had to wait for the owner to 'harvest' our dinner from their garden! They also offer local hand made macaroni that are only made in that small village. They're called 'Žrnovski Makaruni'.

Žrnovo

Ingredients:
Macaroni-
500 g flour
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1 tbs olive oil
1 cup water
Meat sauce-
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 celery stalk, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
2-3 tsp paprika
500 g mince (or finely chopped beef)
1 cup beef broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 tbs tomato paste
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
3-4 tbs parsley leaves, chopped
1 tsp oregano leaves, chopped
salt to taste

Method:
Macaroni-
Mix all ingredients and make a stiff dough. Let it rest 15-20 minutes, then cut small pieces. Wrap each piece of dough around a skewer and rub between your palms to form macaroni. Take off and place onto a clean cloth; repeat with remaining dough. When everything used, cook macaroni in salted water  in 3-4 batches (they will come to the surface; boil for a couple of minutes more). Take them out and place onto oiled serving plate.
Meat sauce-
Heat oil, saute onion, then add other vegetables. Mix well and add meat and spices. Cook until meat looses its pink colour. Add broth and canned  tomato paste, season to taste. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
Spoon meat sauce over the macaroni; sprinkle with shaved Parmesan cheese (optional).

Žrnovski Makaruni ('makaroni na iglu')

Navodno, ovakvi makaroni se jos samo prave u Žrnovu.
Specijalitet su u mnogim restoranima seoskog turizma, posebno restorana 'Gera' kojeg smo posjetili. 
Taj restoran nudi samo ono sto sami proizvedu ili ulove toga dana. Jeli smo ribu 'kernu' sa krompirom i 'zejem' - nikad nesto tako svjeze nisam dobila prije u restoranu. Morali smo cekati dok povrce nije bilo ubrano, a riba je tog dana ulovljena. Suvlasnik je sam ronio na dubinu , jer je to jedini nacin da se kerna ulovi.

Potrebno:

Za makarune-
500 gr brasna
1 k soli 
1 jaje
1 K maslinovog ulja
1 solja (240-250ml) vode
Mesni sos / preliv-
1/3 solje maslinovog ulja
1 veci crveni luk, sjeckan
1 mrkva, sjeckana na kockice / rendana
1 stabljika celera, sjeckana
1-2 cena bijelog luka, protisnuta
2-3 k crvene paprike
500 gr sitno sjeckane govedine (ili mljeveno)
1 solja govedje supe / bujona
1 konzerva sjeckanog paradajza
2 K gustog paradajz sosa
1/2 k svjeze mljevenog crnog bibera
3-4 K sjeckanog persuna
1 k origana
so po ukusu

Nacin:

Makaruni-

Pomijesajte sve sastojke  i umijesite tvrdje tijesto. Ostavite odmoriti 15-20 minuta, zatim isjecite na manje komadice. Svaki komadic ovijte oko pletace igle (ili prutici za kebabe) i trljajte izmedju dlanova da se formira makaron. Skinite sa igle i postavite na cistu krpu. Kad zavrsite sa oblikovanjem makarona, skuhajte ih u zasoljenoj vodi u 3-4 maha. Kada isplivaju na povrsinu kuhajte par minuta duze, zatim vadite na nauljenu posudu za serviranje.

Mesni sos / preljev-

Zagrijte ulje, proprzite luk, zatim dodajte sve ostalo povrce. nakon par minuta ubacite i meso Pirjajte dok meso ne izgubi svoju pink boju. Dodajte zacine, supu, paradajz i sos. Kuhajte jos 5-10 minuta. Zasolite prema ukusu.

Pospite sos preko makarona i pospite parmezanom (po zelji).

Korčula

Korčula (Korchula) Island

Remember story about F. and N., both from Korcula, but apart for many years...him in Australia, her in Holand? Well, F. has returned to this beautiful island for good, and we  (my family and me) went to visit her. She was kind to offer her beautiful home for us to stay as long as we wanted, she took us all over the Island and she is responsible for all these awesome photos that I took.
By the way, N. (her darling), sold his house, packed his belongings and is on his way to Korcula,  literally as I'm writing!
Good luck to both of them - I couldn't ask for better friends!

Korcula is very beautiful island. It's got crystal clear waters, rich history and wonderful people.

I couldn't decide what I liked more - all charming little cities on edges of island, or inside the island and it's olive and fig trees, stone protected land parcels and vineyards.
The island was inhabited since pre-historic times and went through Greek, Roman, Venetian, English, Slavic and Austro-Hungarian empires. I would say, Romans left cultural and culinary impact more than others, so we enjoyed pasta, pizza and seafood prepared in Italian way mostly.
Next post -  recipe  from Žrnovo, Handmade Macarons (Zrnovski Makaruni)



           

 Otok Korčula

Sjecate se price o F. i N., oboje sa Korcule, ali razdvojeni mnoge godine- ona u Holandiji a on u Australiji? E pa, F. se vratila na rodnu Korculu, pa smo odlucili da je posjetimo. Bila je jako ljubazna i ponudila nam je svoj dom na raspolaganju onako dugo kako zelimo. Provela nas je preko cijelog otoka i ona je odgovorna za mnostvo divnih fotografija koje sam uspjela uhvatiti.
Jos nesto, N. (njen dragi) je prodao svoju kucu, spakovao svoje stvari i nalazi se na putu prema Korculi - bukvalnou ovom momentu kako ja pisem!
Sretno oboma - ne bih mogla pozeljeti bolje prijatelje!

Korcula je prekrasan otok. Ima kristalno ciste vode. bogatu istoriju i divne ljude. Nisam mogla da odlucim sta mi se vise dopalo - sarmantni mali gradovi na obalama otoka ili unutrasnjost sa maslinama i smokvama, kamenom ogradjena polja i vinogradi.
Otok je nastanjen od pre-istorijskog doba i isao je kroz ruke Grckih, Rimskih, Venecijskih, Engleskih, Slavskih i Austro-Ugarskih vladara. Ipak bih rekla da su Rimljani ostavili najveci pecat na njihovu kulturu i kulinarstvo, tako da smo uzivali u tjestenini, picama i morskim specijalitetima pripremljenim na Italijanski naci u glavnom.
Sljedeci post - Recept za Žrnovske Makarune (rucno napravljene makarone)

Through Bosnia To Korcula

...or, lunch on Jablanica lake

It took us 9 hours of driving for around 500 km (Brcko - Korcula)! The roads were bad and slow...but, we didn't mind - the scenery was so beautiful. It was end of September and weather was perfect. What I really liked is not-so-many tourists on road . We stopped in one place (Jablanicko Jezero) for lunch; had trout (what else) and arrived in the evening in Orebic, where we're supposed to catch a ferry to Korcula . The sunset was awesome!




Trout with Potatoes and Leafy Greens

Ingredients:
Main-
4 trouts (250-300 g each), cleaned
corn flour for dusting
salt and pepper
oil for frying (or baking)
Dressing-
1/2 cup olive oil
parsley (small bunch), chopped
garlic (2-4 cloves), crushed
For 'salad'-
Potatoes (1-2 for each person), peeled and cut into quarters
1 bunch spinach, kale or similar (I used Nettle leaves), washed
olive oil (1/3 - 1/2 cup)
salt and pepper
Method:
Salad-
Put potatoes into a pan cover with water and bring to boil. Cook for 25-30 minutes, then add leafy greens and cook for another 5 minutes. Drain water; season with salt and pepper, pour oil and mix well. Some of potatoes should go mushy and some should stay in pieces. Keep warm.
Dressing-
Mix oil with chopped parsley and garlic. Place into a small serving bowl.
Fish-
Heat oil in a pan (or switch oven to 220*C).
Season fish and dust with corn flour. Fry each side 5-7 minutes (or bake for 20 minutes in oven).
Spoon some dressing over fish, serve with warm potato salad.
Goes well with white wine (Riesling) mixed with sparkling water (3:1)

 

Pastrmka sa Krompirom i Žarom... ili, Kroz Bosnu Do Korčule

Trebalo nam je 9 sati vožnje za oko 500 km (Brčko - Korčula). 
Putevi su bili losi i spori, ali nije nam smetalo - oklina je bila zavidno lijepa. Bio je kraj septembra i vrijeme je bilo fantasticno. Sta mi se posebno dopalo, je bilo ' pomanjkanje' turista na cesti. Stali smo samo jednom i to zbog rucka. Odlucili smo se naravno za pastrmku, jer je restoran bio uz Jablanicko jezero.
U sumrak smo stigli u Orebić, gdje smo sacekali trajekt za Korculu. Zalazak sunaca je bio divan!

Potrebno:
4 pastrmke, 250-300 gr svaka, ociscene
sino kukuruzno brasno, za uvaljati
so i biber
ulje za przenje (ili pecenje)
Marinada-
1/2 solje maslinovog ulja
mali svezanj persunovog lisca, sjeckanog
2-4 cena bijelog luka, sitno sjeckana
Krompir prilog-
1-2 krompira po osobi, isjecena na cetvrtine
1 svezanj rastike, spinata ili slicno (ja sam koristila  Zaru)
maslinovo ulje
so i biber
Nacin:
Najprije napravite prilog-
Stavite krompir da se kuha; nakon 25-30 minuta ubacite spinat (ili zaru/ rastiku). Kuhajte jos 5 minuta, a onda ocijedite. Posolite i pobiberite, pospite uljem i dobro promijesajte. Jedna kolicina krompira treba da ostane u komadima, dok druga moze biti propasirana. Ostavite na toplome.
Marinada-
Pomijesajte ulje sa sjeckanim persunm i lukom. Stavite u posudu u kojoj cete servirati.
Glavno-
Stavite ulje u tavu da se grije (ili ukljucite rernu na 220*C).
Zacinite ribu sa svih strana pa je uvaljajte u kukuruzno brasno. Przite svaku stranu 5-7 minuta (ili je pecite u rerni oko 2o minuta). Postavite je na tanjir, pospite sa malo marinade i servirajte sa toplom krompir salatom.
Najbolje prija uz hladan spricer (rizling 3 dijela sa 1 dijelom mineralne vode).

Poor Man Plum / Prune Pie

End of September and beginning of October is busy time in Bosnia. All the fruit and vegetables have to be picked and stored for winter. My birth town (and surrounding aerie) is famous for growing prunes. They're mostly used for making jams,  rakia  (sljivovica) and desserts.
This is one of my favourite prune / plum desserts. Quick and easy!

Ingredients:
Prunes (or plums)
Flour
Oil, neutral tasting
Sugar (if plums not very ripe)
Method:
Preheat oven to 180*C. Grease baking dish(es) and dust with flour.
Open each plum and destone it. Shake plums with some flour (in a bag or bowl). Place a layer of plums onto dishes (if plums not very ripe sprinkle with some sugar), drizzle with oil and repeat with another layer and drizzle of oil. Bake for 20 minutes, or until plums release juice and become golden on top. Let it cool and serve with cream / custard / ice cream.


  In Japan Prune trees are considered as God's trees!
 
  U Japanu sljive se smatraju bozanskim drvetom!

Šljivopita - nekadašnji desert siromašnih


Kraj septembra i pocetak oktobra su mjeseci kada se voce i povrce u nasim krajevima ubire i priprema za zimu. Moj rodni grad  i okolica su poznati po uzgoju sljiva. Uglavnom se koriste za pripremu dzemova, rakije i  razlicitih deserta. Jedan od meni najdrazih je svakako ova 'pita' koja se uglavnom pravila u siromasnijim porodicama i sa veoma malo sastojaka. Brza i ukusna!

Potrebno:
Sljive
Brasno
Ulje, neutralnog mirisa
Secer (ako sljive nisu dovoljno zrele)

Nacin:
Ukljucite rernu na 180*C. Nauljite posudu (ili vise manjih) za pecenje i pobrasnite.
Otvorite svaku sljivu i odstranite kospicu. Protresite sljive sa brasnom (u posudi ili kesi). Stavite red sljiva na pripremljenu posudu, pospite sa malo secera, pospricajte uljem. Ponovite postupak jos jednom, pa stavite peci na oko 20 minuta, ili dok sljive ne puste sok i postanu zlatno-zute na povrsini. Prohladite i servirajte sa tucenim vrhnjem, rjedjim pudingom ili sladoledom.

'Ajvar' - Serbian Vegetable Caviar

I arrived to Bosnia in the middle of September. 

Autumn already started showing it's beautiful colours, although the weather was still warm. My parents' garden was full of organic home grown vegetables. Gosh, how good they tasted!  

Nothing of this goodness must not be wasted and preparing for winter has already started. One of my favourite preserves for winter is Ajvar (pronounced [ǎj.ʋaːr]), vegetable relish that can be consumed as spread, side dish or salad. It originates in Serbia, and became very popular through Balkan.

My mum makes best-one!

Ingredients:
5 kg red capsicums (sweet chilli or bullhorn)
1 kg eggplant
300 ml  oil
3 small heads of garlic, crushed / finally diced
1 tbs salt
1oo ml alcoholic vinegar
2 tbs sugar
Method:
Grill capsicums and eggplant over wood / charcoal heated plate (it gives distinctive flavour), or bake it in hot oven until skin on capsicums starts to blacken and blister. Place them in a plastic bag and let it cool.
When cool enough for handling, peel the skin from capsicums, get rid of seeds and take off blackened pieces from eggplants. Put everything trough a mincer.
Heat oil in a large pan, place minced vegetable, garlic and all other ingredients. Cook and stir for 1-2 hours, or until you get wanted consistency. Spoon hot ajvar into clean jars and seal tightly with lids. Let it cool completely, then store in a final, cool place. Lasts for 6+ months.

Ajvar - Kaviar od povrća

U Bosnu sam stigla sredinom septembra.

Jesen je vec pocela pokazivati svoje divne boje, mada je vrijeme bilo jos toplo. Basta mojih roditelja je bila puna organskog,  rukom odgojenog povrca. Boze, kako je samo bilo ukusno!
Nista od ove dobrote nije smjelo propasti, pa je priprema za zimu vec otpocela. Jedan od meni najdrazih proizvoda za zimu je ajvar, svima poznato spremljeno povce koje se moze koristiti kao namaz, sporedno jelo ili salata. Korijeni ovoga jela poticu iz Srbije, a postalo je vrlo brzo popularno kroz cijeli Balkan.
Moja mama pravi najbolji!

Sastojci:
5 kg crvenih paprika ('roge')
1 kg patlidzana
300 ml ulja
3 glavice bijelog luka, sitno sjeckanog
1 K soli
100 ml alkoholnog sirceta
2 K secera
Nacin:
Ispecite paprike i patlidzane na rostilju / grilu (za bolji ukus), ili ih ispecite u rerni, sve dok koza na njima ne pocne crniti. Stavite povrce u plasticnu kesu i ostavite prohladiti. Zatim ogulite kozu, izvadite sjemenke, pa sameljite povrce na masini za meso.
Zagrijte ulje u vecoj posudi, uspite samljevenu masu, bijeli luk i ostale sastojke. Kuhajte i mijesajte 1-2 sata ili dok ne dobijete zeljenu gustinu. Uspite ajvar u ciste staklenke / galone i zavrnite poklopac. Ostavite ih da se ohlade, zatim smjestite na konacno mjesto za zimu. Traje 6+ mjeseci.