Portuguese Corn Bread

Found in a beautiful book of "Secrets of a Jewish Baker"

Ingredients:

Starting sponge:
1 cup warm water
1 1/2 tbs dry yeast
1 1/2 cups bread flour
Boil:
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
Dough:
1 cup corn flour (fine - see note)
2-2,5 cups bread flour
1 tbs salt
Flour for dusting

Method:
-Make a sponge by mixing all the ingredients. Set aside to double (30 -40 min).
-Make a Boil: Heat a cup of water to boiling point, add mixing of starch and water, boil again. You should get consistency of thick custard. Leave to cool.
-Mix all ingredients until smooth, knead 8 minutes (bread machine is OK).
Divide dough in 2 , shape loafs or balls, dust with flour, and place on a baking sheet. Dust with extra flour, and cover to rest 45min.
Preheat oven to 225*C; put a dish with boiling water inside and place the sheet with the dough. Bake for 50 min. Crust should be dark, and cracked.
Note: Only fine corn flor should be used - if you don't have it, you can grind polenta or other corn meal to fine grade.




Portugalski hljeb/kruh sa kukuruznim brasnom

Potrebno:
Pocetno tijesto:
1 solja tople vode
1,5 kasika suhog kvasca
1,5 solja brasna
Kukuruzni skrob:
3/4 solje vode
1/4 skrobnog brasna razmucen u 1/4 solje vode
Tijesto:
1 solja kukuruznog brasna (vidi objasnjenje dole)
2-2,5 solje obicnog brasna
1 kasika soli

Izrada:
Sastojke za pocetno tijesto umijesiti i ostaviti da naraste, 30-40 min.
Skuhati 'puding' od skroba, i ostaviti da se prohladi.
Kada je sve spremno umijesiti sve sastojke do glatke konzistencije, bar 8 minuta. Upotreba masine za mijesenje je u redu.
Oblikujte 2 lopte ili vekne, pa postavite na pleh na kojem cete peci. Pospite sa brasnom i ostavite nadolaziti (45min).
Zagrijte rernu na 225*C, na dno stavite posudu sa kljucalom vodom, pa ubacite tijesto da se pece oko 50 min. Treba da dobijete cvrstu tamnu koricu po povrsini, koja je ispucala.
Objasnjenje: Ukoliko nemozete naci kukuruzno brasno, sameljite palentu/kukuruznu krupicu u mlinu za kafu.

Osso Bucco

Don't be tempted to leave 'gremolata' out. It makes such a difference!

Ingredients:
6-8 pieces of Osso Bucco
plain flour
4 tbs olive oil
1 big onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1 can (440g) diced tomato
2 stalks each parsley and thyme + 1 bay leaf tied together
1 cup dry white wine
salt and freshly grated black pepper
Veal or beef stock
Gremolata:
1/4 cup parsley leaves
1 big garlic clove
zest of 1 lemon

Method:
Dust meat with flour, fry in 2 tbs oil. Take the meat out and set aside.
Pour another 2 tbs oil, add onion, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook for a few minutes.Return the meat inside, add all other ingredients + stock just to cover.
Cook for 1,5-2 hours.
For gremolata - chop all the ingredients finely, add to the pot.
Serve with polenta, rice or mashed potatoes.






Osso Bucco

Potrebno:
6-8 komada osso bucco (telece potkoljenice rezane poprijeko)
brasno obicno
4 kasike maslinovog ulja
1 crveni luk, sjeckan
2 mrkve, rezane na kocke
2 stabljike celera, sjeckane
2 cena bijelog luka, sitno sjecen
1 konzerva sjeckanog paradajza (440gr)
po 2 stabljike persuna i timijana vezanog sa 1 listom lovora
250 ml bijelog suhog vina
so i crbi biber, svjeze mljeven
govedja supa
Gremolata:
1/4 solje lisca persuna
1 veliko ceno bijelog luka
ribana kora limuna

Nacin:
Uvaljajte meso u brasno, pa proprzite u 2 kasike ulja. Izvadite. Uspite preostale 2 kasike ulja pa proprzite povrce. Vratite meso , te dodajte sve ostale sastojke i toliko supe da pokrije meso. Kuhajte 1,5-2 sata.
Za gremolatu - sitno isjeckajte sve sastojke zajedno, pa ubacite u kuhanje.
Servirajte sa palentom, rizom ili pire krompirom.

10 minutes cake (from microwave)

Quickest ever! Ingredients: 200 g hazelnuts - meal, or other nuts 80 g caster sugar 3 eggs 1 teas baking powder Chocolate and a little oil for glaze. Method: Microwaveable dish 'isolate' with cling wrap. In other dish mix eggs and sugar until fluffy. Add nuts and baking powder. Pour into prepared dish. Microwave for 5 minutes at power of 800W. Let it rest for 2 minutes. Take the cake out and glaze with melted chocolate in which you added a little oil. Serves 3-4 10-minutni kolac (iz mikrovalne) Potrebno: 200 g mljevenih ljesnika (ili drugih orasastih plodova) 80 g secera 3 jaja 1 kasicica praska za pecivo Cokolada i malo ulja za glazuru Nacin: Kupolastu (ili drugu ) posudu koju mozete koristiti u mikrovalnoj pecnici 'oblijepite' plasticnom folijom. Pjenasto umijesajte secer i jaja, dodajte orase i prasak za pecivo . Ulijte u model i pecite 5 minuta na 800W. Ostavite 2 minute odmarati prije vadjenja iz kalupa. Za glazuru otopite cokoladu sa malo ulja i prelijte kolac. Dobicete mali kolac dovoljan za 3-4 osobe.

Shortbread

After months of searching for a good recipe for shortbread, I finally stuck with this one.

Ingredients:
2 cups plain flour
1/3 cup icing sugar
1/4 cup rice flour
100 g soft butter
100 g Ghee (clarified butter)
1/3 cup macadamia (or other nuts), broken into small pieces
a bit of vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat oven to 150-160*C.
Make a smooth dough of all the ingredients (use food processor or knead by hand).
Take out shapes (dough is very brittle!), or press the dough into a tin, cut it and prick with fork (see picture down).
Bake 10-12 minutes - shortbread needs to stay pale.
For best results use best ingredients.
Keep in a cool and dry place for a month.






'Shortbread'

Tijesto:
solja = 250 ml
2 solje brasna
1/3 solje secera u prahu
1/4 solje rizinog brasna
100 gr putera, omekshalog
100gr 'ghee', maslo
malo (1/3 solje) makadamija oraha (ili sl.)
malo vanila secera ili ekstrakt

Priprema:
Umijesite tijesto od svih navedenih sastojaka.
Tijesto mozete razvaljati i vaditi razne oblike (budite pazljivi – izuzetno prhko i lomljivo), ili staviti na namascenu i pobrasnjenu povrsinu -lim velicine 23X33cm, utisnuti kasikom, zaravnati i zatim izrezati na zeljenu velicinu. Nemojte zaboraviti nabosti viljuskom.
Pecite na 150-160*C 10-12ak minuta. Treba da ostanu blijedi!
Za najbolje rezultate koristite najbolje sastojke.

Cinnamon Stars - 'Zimtsterne'

Every family in Austria has their own recipe, which is carried from generation to generation. I got this recipe from a special person, who helped me a lot during difficult period in my life (war in Bosnia).
'Zimtsterne' are usually made for Christmas, along with dozens of other biscuits.

Biscuit dough:
1,5 cup soft butter
3 teas cinnamon, powder
1 egg
3 cups plain flour
1 cup caster sugar
1 cup almond meal
pinch of salt
Glaze:1 egg white
1/2-1 cup icing sugar

Method:
Make a soft, smooth dough from all ingredients, cover in plastic foil and let it rest for 20 min.
Preheat oven to 180*C, and prepare biscuit tins (use baking paper for best results).
Roll out the dough to 3mm thickness; with a star cutter make the shapes and place then in prepared tins. Bake for 10 minutes.
Make icing - mix egg white and icing sugar. Brush stars with icing while still warm. Let it dry.
More icing sugar in the glaze will result whiter icing.
These stars can last up to 1 month in a cool, dry place (biscuit tins are ideal for storage).



Zvijezde sa cimetom
Solja = 250 ml
1,5 solja putera, omeksalog
3 kasicice cimeta, prah
1 jaje
3 solje brasna
1 solja secera, sitnog
1 solja badema, mljevenih
prstohvat soli
Glazura
1 bjelanjak
1/2 -1 solja secera u prahu
Priprema
1. Umijesite glatko tijesto od svih navedenih sastojaka.
Ostavite odmarati 20-ak minuta, prekriveno prozirnom folijom.
2. Razvaljajte na debljinu od 3 mm, pa izvadite oblike zvijezda.
Ukljucite pecnicu i pripremite pleh za pecenje (ja uvijek koristim silikonski papir).
3. Prenesite zvijezde na pleh i stavite peci 10-ak minuta na 180*C.
4. Napravite glazuru, tako sto cete pomijesati bjelanjak i secer. Sto vise secera stavite glazura ce biti vise bijela, ali teza za nanosenje. Kuharska cetkica ce vam pomoci u ovome.
5. Dok su zvijezde jos tople nanesite glazuru i ostavite hladiti.
Uzivajte u mirisu i hrskavosti!