Happy New Year / Sretna Nova Godina

2013 was good; we should cherish all beautiful moments that happened in that year, but also bad ones - those who taught us some valuable lessons about real life.
Let's hope 2014 will be much less 'educative' and much more enjoyable.
Happy New Year everyone!


2013 je bila dobra; trebali bismo memorisati sve divne momente iz nje, ali isto tako ne smijemo zaboraviti lose - one koje su nas naucili vazne lekcije pravog zivota.
Nadajmo se da ce 2014 biti mnogo manje 'poucljiva' i mnogo vise zabavna.
Sretna Nova godina svima!

A few photos from my Christmas table / Nekoliko fotki sa Bozicne trpeze.

Roast Pork infused with Garlic

 December is always very busy in many homes of Australia, including mine. It looks like the end of year have accelerated even more...everyone is running somewhere or has something to finish, a lot of parties is held, school classes are ending, yearly holidays beginning for many employed, Christmas gifts have to be purchased, food prepared, homes decorated...
Roasts are ideal when you don't have time on your hand. Preparation is quick and the rest does the oven. Moreover, they can feed a large number of people and  they look good on the table

Ingredients:
1 leg of pork (or other part of pork; lamb can be used in the same way too)
5-6 garlic cloves
1 large onion

favourite herbs (I added thyme sprigs)
salt and pepper
olive oil

Method:
Preheat oven to 180*C.
Slice onion, place on bottom of your roasting pan, along with 4 garlic cloves and herbs.
Score pork skin with a very sharp knife ( I used scalpel) for easier carving later. Make incisions in the meat (10-14); place slivered garlic into each. Sprinkle salt all over the leg; oil surface well and massage into the skin. Place it onto onion, add 1/2 cup of water in pan. Cover with al- foil and place in the oven. Lower the temperature to 160, and forget about it for 5-6 hours. You'll get tender meat, that falls apart.

Alternatively, you can roast pork on 180-190 *C (30 minutes for each 500 g), without foil. Crackle would be crisper in that case, but you need to watch it during cooking and spoon juices over the meat now and then.



























Svinjetina spikovana bijelim lukom

Decembar je uvijek pun obaveza u mnogim domovima Australije, ukljucujuci moj. Izgleda kao da je kraj godine ubrzao jos vise...svako negdje zuri ili treba nesto da zavrsi, mnogo zabava se odrzava, skolska godina zavrsava, godisnji odmori za mnoge pocinju, Bozicni pokloni se kupuju, hrana priprema, kuce ukrasavaju...
Pecenja su idealna kada nemate mnogo vremena. Priprema je brza i ostatak ucini rerna. Stavise, veliki broj ljudi se moze nahraniti i dobro izgledaju na stolu.

Potrebno:
1 veliki komad svinjetine (najbolje noga), mozete koristiti i jagnjetinu na isti nacin
5-6 cena bijelog luka
1 veci crveni luk
zacinsko bilje koje volite (ja sam dodala timijan / majcinu dusicu)
so i biber 
maslinovo ulje

Nacin:
Ukljucite rernu na 180*C.
Izrezite luk na kolutove, postavite ga na dno tepsije za pecenje, zajedno sa bijelim lukom i zacinskim biljem.
Narezite kozu svinjetine ostrim nozem (skalpelom). Napravite ubode u mesu (10-14) i u svaki ugurajte komadice bijelog luka. Posolite svinjetinu sa svih strana, zatim utrljajte maslinovo ulje u kozu. 
Postavite meso na luk, uspite 1/2 solje vode, pokrijte sa al-folijom i smjestite u rernu. Smanjite temperaturu na 160*C i zaboravite na meso u narednih 5-6 sati. Dobicete mekano pecenje koje se raspada.
Opciono, meso mozete peci na 180-190*C (30 minuta na svakih 500 gr mesa), bez folije. Dobije se hrskavija kozica, ali u tom slucaju meso morate nadgledati i zalijevati sokovima od pecenja.




     A few other suggestions for roasts   /   Nekoliko drugih prijedloga za pecenje

                                                                                   Stuffed Leg of Lamb

Greek Style Leg of Lamb

Greek-Style Roast Chicken

Meatloaf

Mechoui - North African Style Lamb Roast

7 Hour Lamb

Chicken Baked in Salt Crust

Apricot and Coconut Truffles

 I've managed to try another dessert from one of my bloger friends. Today I'm presenting a recipe from 'La cuisine creative', Serbian bloger with a great collection of wonderful posts. I wanted something quick and without cooking, that is different and unusual. I found it in this recipe; very aromatic, fruity and tasty. 

'Bombs' with Apricots (original recipe in  Serbian)

Ingredients: 
200 g dried apricots
100 g dessicated coconut
75 g margarine (I replaced it with butter), ct into pieces
50 g icing sugar
1-2 tbs apricot liqueur (I added almond liqueur and rum)
lemon zest (I added orange zest)
pinch of cinnamon
white chocolate (melted) for rolling bombs in 

Method:
Cut apricots roughly, pour liqueur over them; let it aside for 30 + minutes, mixing now and then a few times. Place all ingredients into a food processor, and pulls it until all come together. Take a spoonful at a time, roll between your palms to form little balls. Refrigerate until firm. Melt white chocolate, dip each ball into it and place onto baking paper to firm again. Place balls into paper cases and serve.

Bombice sa kajsijama

Uspjela sam probati jos jedan od vasih recepata koji su bili na listi.  Zeljela sam nesto brzo, bez pecenja, nesvakidasnje i originalno. Pronasla sam ovaj recept od  'La cuisine creative', i odusevila se. Lana ima divnu kolekciju recepata sa sitnim kolacicima!

Pogledajte Originalni recept; napravila sam male promjene, jer nisam imala sve sastojke iz Laninog recepta, pa sam se posluzila onime sto se naslo u mojim zalihama.

Sastojci:
200 g suvih kajsija,
100 g kokosa, 
75 g margarina, (zamijenila sam ga sa maslacem)
50 g secera u prahu,
par kasika likera od kajsija, (stavila sam liker od badema i malo ruma)
malo naribane limunove korice, (stavila sam narandzinu koricu)
na vrh noza cimeta
Bijela cokolada (otopljena) za uvaljati bombice

Nacin:
Kajsije se izrezu i namoce u liker. Zatim se svi sastojci ubace u sjeckalicu; ukljuci se dok se ne isjecka i pomijesa. Oblikuju se loptice i rashlade. Zatim svaku uvaljati u otopljenu cokoladu i ponovo vratiti da se cokolad stegne. Staviti u papirnate korpice i sluziti.

Here is link for my previous biscuits / slices recipes.
Evo linka za moje prethodne recepte za keksice i slicne kolacice.

Most beautiful Biscuits for upcoming Festive Seasons

Chocolate Hazelnut Crinkle Cookies

I love visiting other blogs and bookmarking stuff that I'd like to try. There are so many good blogers with fantastic recipes, and my list is becoming longer and longer.
This recipe comes from a Croatian blog called 'What's for dessert?'. Tamara is very passionate about her desserts, which is clearly displayed in the way she writes and presents her blog. I didn't change a thing in her recipe; biscuits came out very pretty and aromatic. I will make them again!
Original recipe (in English too):
http://cake-cookie-pie.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/daring-bakers-november-2012-twelve-days.html

Ingredients:
100 g toasted hazelnuts
2 tablespooons granulated sugar
200 g finely chopped chocolate
300 g all purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
80 g softened butter
100 g sugar
2 large eggs
60 ml milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
granulated sugar and confectioners sugar for coating



Raspuknuti Keksici

Volim posjecivati druge blogove, zaviriti u njihove kuhinje i 'bukmarkirati' sta bih voljela isprobati. Toliko je divnih blogova sa receptima i lista postaje sve duza i duza.
Konacno pronadjoh malo vremena za isprobam neke od njih.
Danas predstavljam recept sa Tamarinog bloga 'What's for dessert?'. Vidjala sam mnoge verzije ovih raspuknutih kolacica, ali sam se odlucila za Tamarinu verziju, posto mi se cini da je veliki ljubitelj slatkih stvari i da tu svoju ljubav zna i-te-kako pasionirano prenijeti u virtualni svijet. Nisam promijenila niti najmanju sitnicu u receptu; Keksi su ispali divni!
Originalni recept:
http://cake-cookie-pie.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/daring-bakers-november-2012-twelve-days.html

Vine Leaf Parcels - 'Yaprak' / 'Dolma'

Vine leaves have beautiful distinctive taste. In country where I was born, they're mostly used as wrappers for mince and rice stuffing. Young leaves are picked, then cooked in salty water for some time, before using them. Already cooked (preserved) leaves are available (in Australia) from Turkish or Lebanese grocers.

Ingredients:
600 g mince (beef preferably)
1 large onion,  diced
1-2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup short grain rice
vine leaves already prepared (or fresh, young leaves from your vine)
olive oil
2,5-3 cups beef or chicken stock
1 can of diced tomatoes in juice (optional - see note*)
Method:
Dice onion finely, add mince, garlic, rice and salt and pepper. Add water, mix again.
Rinse vine leaves really well (if using already prepared). Lay each leaf (shiny side down), place 2-3 tbs of stuffing (slightly squeezed in your hand), and make a parcel as shown in pictures. Place them into an oiled pan. Add stock, place a plate (slightly smaller than pan) upside-down over the parcels, cover and cook slowly for 1-2 hours (older leaves need more time).
*Note: Traditionally, Yaprak is served either with sour cream (Greek yogurt) and lemon juice, or in tomato sauce. If you're going to add tomatoes ( at the end of cooking; remove plate and bring to boil again), omit 1 cup stock.









 

Japrak / Dolma / Sarmice u vinovoj lozi

Listovi vinove loze imaju divnu aromu. Najbolje je koristiti mlade, koji se uberu i kuhaju u slanoj vodi, ali mogu posluziti i kupljeni.
Naziv Japrak (od Turskog Yaprak = list) se koristi u vecem dijelu Bosne. U mom kraju smo ih zvali 'Sarmice od vinove loze', a evo pronadjoh i podatak da se i za njih kaze 'Dolma'.

Potrebno:
600 gr mljevenog mesa (govedina, po mogucnosti)
1 veci crveni luk
1-2 cena bijelog luka
1 k crnog bibera
1/2 k soli
3/4 vode
3/4 solje rize, krace zrno
listovi vinove loze (kupljeni ), ili mladi listovi sa vase loze
maslinovo ulje
2,5-3 solje temeljca / supe
1 konzerva sjeckanog paradajza u soku (opcionalno- vidi napomenu*)
Nacin:
Isijecite luk veoma sitno, dodajte meso, bijeli luk, so i biber. Uspite vodu, dobro izmijesajte.
Isperite listove vinove loze (ili prokuhajte u slanoj vodi ako koristite vase). Stavite listove na povrsinu (sjajna / glatka strana dole), uzmite 2-3 K punjenja, stisnite blago u ruci i zamotajte kako je prikazano. Smjestite sarmice u nauljenu posudu, uspite temeljac. Preokrenite tanjir, nesto manji od posude, preko sarmica, pokrijte i kuhajte na slaboj vatri 1-2 sata (stariji listovi trebaju nesto duze vrijeme kuhanja).
*Napomena: Tradicionalno se serviraju ili sa kiselim vrhnjem i limunom, ili u paradajz sosu. Ako cete dodati paradajz (na kraju kuhanja - skinite tanjir, uspite paradajz i ponovno prokuhajte), smanjite temeljac za 1 solju.

Testing my new Kitchen...Teenage Party

 My new kitchen

Before

It took much longer, but it was worth it! My new kitchen is spacious and well organised.
First real test was a teenage party for my son.

Puno duze je trajalo, ali je vrijedno truda! Moja nova kuhinja raspolaze sa vecim prostorom i boljom organizacijom. Prvi test je bio zabava za mog mladjeg sina.


Party
To make this event easy on my-self, I  prepared only necessary food and bought some ready made stuff
(chicken nuggets, chips, dips,  lollies, drinks...teenagers prefer bough food anyway!)

Da bi si olaksala ovu obavezu, pripremila sam samo neophodnu hranu i kupila vecinu vec gotove
(pileci kroketi, cips, umaci, slatkisi, pice...tinejdzeri ionako vise vole kupljenu hranu)




This is what I made! / Evo sta sam pripremila!

Ricotta and Basil Scrolls (Recipe)











Pizza Scrolls

 For pizza scrolls, use the same dough as in recipe above. Spread the dough with pizza sauce, sprinkle with your favourite toppings and cheese, cut 2 cm pieces and bake for 10-12 minutes (200*C). 

Isto tijesto kao u receptu gore, namazite pica sosem i pospite omiljenim sirom i kobasicom. Zamotajte, rezite i pecite oko 10-12 min (200*C).

Frankfurters in Puff Pastry

You need 1 packet of cocktail frankfurters (16 pieces) and 2 puff pastry sheets. Cut each sheet into 8 ribbons; wrap each ribbon around one frankfurter . Bake for 8-10 minutes.

Trebacete 1 paket hrenovki / virsli (male ili prepolovite velike - 16 komada) i 2 lista (25 x25cm) lisnatog tijesta. Tijesto izrezite na trake, omotajte svaku hrenovku i pecite 8-10 minuta.

Cucumber, Feta, Tomato Stack

Cut thin cucumber into discs, place cubes of feta onto each disc and top with 1/2 cherry tomato. Secure with toothpick.

Izrezite tanje krastavce na diskove, na svaki stavite kocku fete i poklopite sa polovicom tresnjastog paradajza. Ubodite cackalicu u svaki.

Pink Lemonade (Recipe)

Austro-Hungarian Chocolate Mousse Cake - Rigo Jancsi Cake - 'Gypsy John' Cake

She was a princess (Klara),  he was  a gypsy musician. He played violin at the restaurant while she dined there with her millionaire  husband. She  removed a diamond ring from her finger and  put it in Rigo's hand. Later, she abandoned her young family to live with him. Cake was created for her by Rigo and his confectioner friend.

Ingredients:
Sponge-
4 large eggs, separated
185 g butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
90 g dark chocolate, melted
2/3 cup sifted flour
Mousse-
300 ml double cream (heavy cream)
1/3 cup normal (35%) cream
280 g chocolate (65% cocoa)
1/3 cup icing sugar (optional; I added it because my chocolate was very bitter)
1 tsp vanilla essence / extract
2-3 tbs rum (dark)
1 gelatin leaf
Ganache-
150 g chocolate, broken into pieces
150 ml cream
Method: 
Preheat oven to 170*C; prepare a square baking pan (22 x 32 cm), line with paper.

Sponge-

Beat egg whites with 1/3 cup sugar into a thick gateau. Set aside. 

Beat remaining sugar with butter, yolks and chocolate. Add flour and fold in. Add 2-3 tbs egg whites and mix, then add the rest and carefully fold in. Bake for 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Take out and let it cool.

Mousse-

Heat creams and chocolate; add sugar, rum and vanilla. Soak gelatin in some cold water; take out when limp and squeeze out. Add it to chocolate mixture and mix until dissolved. Let it cool completely, then whip (do not overdo it).

Cut cake horizontally, fill with mousse.

Ganache-

Heat cream (do not boil), add chocolate pieces. Mix until melted, then spread on top of cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour, before serving.

Austro-Ugarski Cokoladni Kolac - Rigo Jancsi Kolac - 'Ciganin John' Kolac

Ona je bila princeza (Klara), on Ciganski muzicar. Svirao je violinu u restoranu gdje je ona veceravala sa svojim muzem milionerom. Skinula je svoj dijamantski prsten sa ruke i stavila ga u Rigovu ruku. Kasnije je napustila svoju porodicu, da bi zivjela s njim. Kolac je kreiran za Klaru, od strane Rige i njegovog prijatelja poslasticara.

Sastojci:

Biskvit-

4 veca jajeta, odvojena bjelanca od zumanaca

185 g maslaca, otopljenog

2/3 solje secera

90 gr tamne cokolade, otopljene

2/3 solje prosijanog brasna

Mus-

300 ml slatkog vrhnja 45-50 % masnoce

1/3 solje normalnog slatkog vrhnja (35%)

280 gr cokolade (65% kakaa)

1/3 solje secera u prahu (opciono - ja sam ga dodala jer je moja cokolada bila jako gorka)

1 k vanile

2-3 K ruma

1 list zelatina

Ganash-

150 gr cokolade

150 ml slatkog vrhnja

Nacin:

Ukljucite rernu na 170*C; pripremite cetvrtastu tepsiju (32 x 22 cm).

Umutite bjelanca sa 1/3 solje secera; ostavite snijeg po strani.

Umutite maslac, secer i zumanca; dodajte cokoladu, zatim brasno koje rukom umijesate. Dodajte 2-3 K smjese bjelanaca, izmijesajte. Dodajte ostatak bjelanaca i lagano okrecite da biste izmijesali.

Pecite 20 minuta ili dok ubodena cackalica ne izadje cista iz biskvita. Ostavite da se ohladi.

Mus- 

Zagrijte vrhnje sa cokoladom, dodajte secer, rum, vanilu i list zelatina koji ste prethodno namocili u hladnoj vodi i iscijedili. Mijesajte dok se zelatin ne otopi. Ohladite potpuno, zatim blago utucitemasu.

Prerezite biskvit horizontalno na pola i filujte sa musom. 

Ganash-

Zagrijte vrhnje, ubacite komadice cokolade i mijesajte dok se ne otopi. Prelijte preko biskvita i smjestite u frizider na 1 sat prije sluzenja.

Chicken Cacciatore

My electrical pan became real hero, during renovation. I've been using it very often  last month, since putting together my new kitchen took longer  than planned. This is one of many meals I prepared in it. 

I have to say, I heard about Chicken Cacciatore before, but never tried making it. Now, it is on  the list of my family favourites - we've all been delighted by taste.

Ingredients:

1 kg chicken pieces; breasts and thighs are best (with skin/bone, please)

2 tsp salt

1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

1/2 cup flour

3 tbs olive oil

1 large (red) capsicum, diced

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3/4 cup white wine

1 can diced tomatoes

3/4 cup chicken broth

3 tbs drained capers, chopped if large

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves

1/4 cup fresh  basil leaves,  chopped

Method:

Heat some oil in a pan. Season chicken pieces, dust with flour (or shake them together  in a bag). Seal the meat on both sides; take out and put aside.

Pour more oil in same pan, add onion, garlic and capsicum. Saute for few minutes, then add chicken and other ingredients. Cover and cook for 30-45 minutes. Sprinkle with basil leaves when done. 

Serve with crusty bread, cous-cous,  rice, mashed potatoes, pasta, polenta...your choice!

Piletina Cacciatore

Moja elektricna tava je postala pravi heroj u toku renoviranja.  Veoma cesto sam je koristila prosli mjesec, jer je posao oko nove kuhinje neplanski produzen. Ovo je jedan od obroka koje sam pripremala u njoj.
Moram da kazem da sam cula za 'Cacciatore' piletinu, ali je nikad ranije nisam probala praviti. Poslije ovog prvog pokusaja, recept je odmah zavrsio na listi porodicnih favorita - svi smo se odusevili okusom!

Potrebno:

1 kg pilecih dijelova, prsa i karabataci su najbolji (sa kozom / kostima molim)

2 k soli

1 k crnog bibera, svjeze mljevenog

1/2 solje brasna

3 K maslinovog ulja

1 veca crvena paprika, sjecena na kocke

1 crveni luk, sjeckan

3 cena bijelog luka, protisnuta / sjeckana

3/4 solje bijelog vina

3 K kapara, sjeckanih ako su velike

1 1/2 k suhog origana

1/4 solje listova svjezeg bosiljka, sjecenih

Nacin:

Zagrijte nesto ulja i prodinstajte piletinu, koju ste prethodno zacinili solju i biberom i uvaljali u brasno. Izvadite i ostavite po strani. Dodajte jos ulja, prodinstajte luk, papriku i bijeli luk. Vratite piletinu nazad, dodajte ostale sastojke. Poklopite i kuhajte 30-45 minuta. Pospite liscem bosiljka i servirajte sa kuskusom, rizom, pastom, palentom, krompirom ...vas izbor!

                                                         Almost done   /   Skoro zavrsena

Olives, Feta and Basil Pesto Pizza

I rarely go to restaurants for pizza, because often I'm disappointed with the taste and/or quality. 

The worst pizza ever I had in Paris. I don't even want to describe what they put on it. It was a good lesson for me . I learned, when travelling -  try to eat local produce!

To me making pizza (from scratch) is quick and  easy. I put all ingredients into a bread machine. It beeps, when dough done. I roll out the dough, choose ingredients for topping (whatever is in my fridge / pantry), and bake it for 12-15 minutes. EASY!

Olives, feta and pesto pizza is one of my favourites. You spread pesto on top, crumble as much feta as you like, add a few olives...voila!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Recipe for pizza dough

Recipe for basil pesto

Other links:

Recipe for tomato sauce

Recipe for seafood sauce

Pica sa Pestom od Bosiljka, Fetom i Maslinama

Rijetko odlazim u restorane da bih pojela picu, jer cesto budem razocarana okusom i kvalitetom.

Najgoru picu ikada sam jela u Parizu. Ne zelim ni da pokusam da opisem stasu stavili na nju. To je bila dobra lekcija za mene. Naucila sam da, prilikom putovanja, uvijek treba jesti lokalnu hranu!

Za mene je pripremanje pice jedno od laksih obaveza. Stavim sve sastojke u masinu (pekac); 'odsvira' kada je tijesto gotovo, razvaljam, stavim odabrane sastojke (sta god je pristupacno u frizideru) i pecem 12-15 minuta...Gotovo!

Pica sa pestom i fetom je jedna od mojih najdrazih. Pesto se namaze na povrsinu tijesta, izmrvi se feta , doda se nekoliko maslina...voila!

Dobar vikend vam zelim!

Recept:

Pica tijesto

Pesto od Bosiljka

Drugi linkovi:
Paradajz sos
Sos za picu sa morskim plodovima

Londoner Tartlets

This recipe comes from my first cook book, that I created 35 years ago. Originally, it should be in a slice form, but this time I made little tartlets. I got 30 pieces.

Ingredients:

Pastry-

250 g flour

150 g butter, small pieces, cold

2 tbs sugar

2 yolks

1-2 tbs cold milk

Topping-

apricot jam

3 egg whites

120 g sugar

140 g walnuts, processed

Method:

Process flour, sugar and butter; add a bit of milk and make a soft pastry. Shape into a log. Cut 5 mm discs and press them into moulds. Preheat oven to 170*C.

Spoon some of apricot jam into each tartlet. 

Place into the oven and bake for 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, beat eggwhites, add sugar and beat into a firm meringue. Add walnuts and fold in. Take out tartlets, spoon (or pipe) meringue onto each. Return to oven, lower temperature to 150-160*C and bake additional 8-10 minutes. 

Take out of oven, cool slightly, then take tartlets out of moulds and serve.

Londoner Tartići

Jos jedan od starih recepata iz moje prve kolekcije, koja je stara oko 35godina. Originalno su se zvali Londoner snite, ali sam ovoga puta odlucila da ih napravim u obliku malih tartova. Dobila sam 30 komada.

Potrebno:

Tijesto-

250 gr brasna

150 gr maslaca, hladnog sjecenog na kockice

2 zumanca

2 K secera

1-2 K hladnog mlijeka

Punjenje-

dzem od kajsija

3 bjelanca

120 gr secera

140 gr mljevenih oraha

Nacin:

Napravite tijesto od navedenih sastojaka. Formirajte valjak, koji cete izrezati na 5 mm debele diskove. Pritisnite svaki disk u kalup.

Ukljucite rernu na 170*C.

Kasikom ubacite malo dzema u svaki tart. Smjestite u rernu i pecite 3-5 minuta. U medjuvremenu umutite cvrst snijeg od bjelanjaka i secera. Ubacite mljevene orahe pa rucno izmijesajte. 

Izvadite tartice, kasicicom (ili sa poslasticarskom spricom) nanesite snijeg na svaki tart. Vratite u rernu, smanjite temperaturu na 160*C, pa pecite 8-10 dodatnih minuta. Izvadite i malo prohladite. zatim izvadite tartice iz kalupa i sluzite.