Chinese dinner

We have been yesterday in best Chinese restaurant in Zagreb – and I would say in Croatia too, Asia. It is quite simple Chinese dish though, but we have enjoyed it very much. I would say Chinese have understood well Croats as nation which loves large quantities of food, so these portions were also very large.

Hot and sour soup, classic Szechuan soup with tofu, mushrooms and pork tastes really good, and it heals you from cold or drowsiness. Although it has many ingredients, it is not so tough to make and here is a recipe borrowed from About.com:
Ingredients:

• 1 cake tofu (fresh, if possible)
• 2 ounces pork tenderloin
• Marinade:
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
• Other:
• 1/2 cup bamboo shoots
• 2 tablespoons black fungus (Wood Ear) or Cloud Ear fungus
• (or 3 - 4 Chinese dried black mushrooms or fresh mushrooms)
• 1 small handful dried lily buds
• 6 cups water (or 6 cups water and 1 cup Campbell's chicken broth)*
• 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons red rice vinegar, white rice vinegar, or red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 1/4 cup water
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 green onion, finely chopped
• White pepper to taste (no more than 1 tablespoon)
• Hot chili oil, to taste, optional

Preparation:

Hot and Sour Soup Directions:
Shred pork. Mix marinade ingredients and marinate pork for 20 minutes.
Cut tofu into small squares. Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips and then into fine slices. To reconstitute the fungus, soak in warm water for 20 minutes. Rinse, and cut into thin pieces. (If substituting Chinese dried mushrooms, soak to soften, then cut off the stems and cut into thin strips. If using fresh mushrooms, wipe clean with a damp cloth and slice.)
To reconstitute the dried lily buds, soak in hot water for 20 minutes or until softened. Cut off the hard ends. Bring the water to a boil. When it is boiling, add the bamboo shoots, fungus or mushrooms, and the lily buds. Stir. Add the tofu. Bring back to a boil and add the marinated pork. Stir in the salt, sugar, soy sauce and vinegar and sesame oil. Test the broth and adjust the taste if desired. (If using chicken broth, you may want to add a bit more rice vinegar).
Mix the cornstarch and water. Slowly pour the cornstarch mixture into the soup, stirring while it is being added. Let the broth come back to a boil. As soon as it is boiling, remove the broth from the stove. Slowly drop in the beaten egg, stirring in one direction at the same time. Add the green onion and the white pepper to taste. Drizzle with chilli oil if desired. Serve hot.

Tie pan eight treasures is really excellent and hot Chinese invention, bringing together all flavours of roast pork, chicken, beef, prawns, mushrooms, pepper, bamboo and carrots.

Tofu with bamboo and Chinese mushrooms was my vegetarian friend's choice.

And if you can't resist meat, here is Beef with bamboo and Chinese mushrooms.

Excellent deep-fried ice cream

And my first encounter with Chinese fruit...

Barbecue time!

Late spring time is ideal for barbecues. Favourite way of preparing meat in the Balkans is, according to local customs, suitable for lunch, dinner, even breakfast! I adore barbecues and family often gathers in restaurants or in their cottages to enjoy it. In local Balkan culture, it is accompanied by large quantities of beer, wine and brandy, and with loud popular music.
To have a good barbecue one has to insure quality meat. We often have minced meat for kebabs and if you can provide it from local butcher, rather than big market stores, you’re on right way to have barbecue feast. Cutlet is best prepared on grill and from pork one should use neck, ribs and haunch. If one plans to grill beef, than it is beefsteak and cutlet, from lamb chump and leg, poultry gives us wings and drumsticks. In some instances it is good to grill liver, kidneys and hearts. All hard meat should be marinated and softened, preferably overnight. Very nice is to grill vegetables with meat.
If you don’t know how much to grill, here are some instructions:

Beef cutlets 10 – 15 min, high temperature
Lamb cutlets 12 min, middle temperature
Pork cutlets 25 – 35 min, middle temperature
Beefsteaks 8 – 12 min, middle temperature
Chicken 20 – 30 min, middle temperature
Mix minced 10 – 12 min, middle temperature
Sausage 5 – 10 min, high temperature
Hamburger 8 – 12 min, high temperature

And now something very easy and so delicious. Chicken in gremolata!
4 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of pepper
8 tablespoons of olive oil
3 pieces of chicken breasts
For gremolata: 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme, 2 garlic cloves and 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel
Mix in bowl lemon juice, pepper and salt and slowly add oil to make marinade. Every piece of chicken breasts soak in marinade, cover it and place in fridge for 30 minutes. In meantime, chop garlic and thyme and mix it with lemon peel. After half an hour, grill chicken for some 3 to 5 minutes on both sides and cover it with gremolata.

Mushroom soup

Slovenia, an Alpine country with excellent mixes of tastes, has a variety of Austrian and Italian influences, with rich domestic mountainous cuisine and peasant heavy food. I don't know why (I know, but I will not tell, ha ha ha) but it seems that most popular place to eat in Ljubljana is a restaurant serving Balkan fast food – kebab and varieties of the same.
Among other things which I like to try every time when I visit Slovenia, of which I will write again, excellence is achieved in using mushrooms. As a country covered with Alpine woods, Slovenia is rich in mushrooms and can be named, along with Czechs and Germans as „a mushroom nation“ using it in everyday meals, from egg omelettes to salads and soups. Mushrooms are often mixed, regarded as best tastes from mushrooms. Aromatic mushrooms are used as spices, but Slovenian chefs advice; „Also best mushroom chef can be wrong, but only once“.

Mushroom soup as served in front of me in Vodnikov hram

Mushroom soup is my favorite. Last time I was in Ljubljana I ate in highly touristic place which I tend to avoid. But, I was surprised for a quite good food in Vodnikov hram (Vodnik's temple) on Vodnik square, just below Ljubljana castle. We had a really nice lunch, full of calories and with excellent sauces, with distinctively sweet Middle European charm. Mushroom soup is served in bread bowl (don't eat it, otherwise they'll think you're a maniac) and it is perfect. The only better one I've tasted was on Slovenia – Austrian border in little town of Tržič. Real mushroom gurus say that one has to use different kinds of mushrooms for soup too, but you would have to be very acquainted with mushrooms to get the real taste. Slovenians use mostly grey chanterelle.
I have found an old recipe in Slovenian how to make mushroom soup. We chop and cook five potatoes in one litre water where we have added salt and bay leaf. On margarine mushrooms are briefly simmered. When potatoes are done, mushrooms are added and cooked for few minutes. If you think soup is too thick, as some water. When soup is almost done, put inside three table spoons of sour cream. Soup is really good and makes your spirit high, especially if you have drink night before...

Wine soup

Croatian coast was, just like Italian, very poor in history. Our fathers and grandfathers on islands or in hinterland used to drink hot wine with sugar and little oil for breakfast and for the dinner it was the same, but on the plate. One could dunk bread in it. In those harsh times it was the best think against hunger, especially for the kids. Eventually, they would fell asleep under influence of strong wine.

In Istria, biggest Croatian peninsula, it was red wine used, called Teran. Teran is today quite appreciated sort of wine, with sourish taste. From teran one used to make Istrian soup – Istarska supica. The translation is not correct, as “supica” (in Croatian diminutive for soup) in Istrian dialect means “to blot”. One blots bread into the wine. Not too hot, not too cold, it is perfect in winter time. Of course, don’t expect a delicacy, as it is not, but quite unusual dish.
You have to have a bit sour red wine if you can’t get Istrian teran. Warm it, add sugar (50 grams for one litre of wine), pepper, one tea spoon of olive oil and mix. In past, sugar was also rare and some wheat was added. Toast bread and let it blot inside the soup. That is the way how supica is eaten. The best way to mix everything is to warm wine on light fire or old firewood oven.
Cooked wine is not Istrian specialty, of course. Many European countries have some sort of drink with hot wine. But, supica is unique as it is regarded as dinner dish. I’ve tried it and I wanted more. What an alcoholic!

My little pot

Various pots are favorite meals worldwide. I always have in mind a picture of a cottage near the river, with nice little pot on fire and there's something bubbling and boiling inside, aaahh... Heaven, I'm in heaven...
Unfortunately, I don't have any cottage near the river. Old house is already gone for generations and besides, it's been in very harsh, rocky part of mountainous Croatia, in Lika, and the closest river is some 20 kilometres far. Ok, never mind for river, although I like trout and perch, but then again, who doesn't? What is important is that I have a pot and I know how to make nice, a bit hotish meal, especially good for dinner with nice glass of cooling wine. The idea is not entirely mine, as Macedonia has inspired me, but it can well be Hungarian or Croatian (Slavonian) dish. Let's call him simply my little pot!

This is a result of my pot

Basic meat is baby beef, without bones, just cut in small cubes. What is necessary for excellent pot is to have excellent, fresh vegetables. I use for it lots of tomatoes, red pepper (hot), green pepper, carrots, mushrooms (cepe is the best), spring onion, and a little bit of more paprika. As for herbs, I put in it fresh parsley, chives and just a touch of marjoram.
First, braise meat on hot oil with onion, adding a bit of water, salt and pepper. After meat gets tender, add carrots, sliced tomatoes and thinly sliced peppers, as well as the herbs. Stir on low heat until meat becomes really soft. Then add mushrooms, and when they get darker, add sliced spring onion, white wine and water. Then it has to boil on low heat for a while. In meantime, prepare gnocchi (most of you, as I myself will have bought gnocchi, that is not even close to home made, but we live in hard times).
And in no time, pot is ready for dinner. It can be thick if you cook a bit longer and with adding more wine than water. I like it that way. Just don't overdo with hot peppers, but if you do, a nice glass of cool white wine will help your mouth.
In more rural areas and poor families, pot like this, with meat or potatoes was the easiest thing to do. Everything that garden gives, goes into the pot. In time, various cuisines, especially in Slavic world made masterpieces of culinary experience out of this, primarily peasant food. Varieties can be numerous and tastes are magnificent. Cooking in a pot altogether is very old way of making meals. Just randomly I can say several dishes; from North African tagine, over Balkan pots like Bosnian pot, to Russian pots with potatoes and other vegetables. In Croatia there was even a story about one of these pots. It is Lika pot (lički lonac), made of sheep, resembling Irish stew in a way. A writer from Lika, Mile Budak, unfortunately local Nazi sympathizer who was very much literary genius like Knut Hamsun from Norway, wrote a literature piece evoking old traditions of village. The name of the book is „Fireplace“ (Ognjište) and men who are still conservative as Budak was, bear the name of „fireplacer“ (ognjištar). Why am I writing about this? It is because Budak wrote 40 pages in that book about cooking Lika pot! All the history can be seen in that pot cooked in middle of winter in harsh land of mountainous Croatia.

Camden Town's Mint Tea

Camden Town is unique, kind of bohemian borough in northwest London. I've spent there huge amount of time discovering markets and alternatives, or more correct to say, what was regarded as alternative lifestyles. Roaming of punker, emo and Gothic creatures, antique markets, Stables market and unavoidable soft smell in the air makes you sit and staring around. Fortunately, there's quite many not-so-perfect restaurants here and many food stalls selling Asian, Indian and Arabic food. Whenever I've tried something here, the resembles of tastes was remarkable. Who knows, maybe they have same chef?

Avoiding these food stalls cannot be easy, especially if your belly is signalling unmistakable signs of hunger. But, there's no more worrying when you visit Camden Locks. In centre of cobbled market, somewhere between gothic store and new age gurus, there is a Moroccan restaurant whose name I have forgotten. It is more like Moroccan fast food, but it has superb oriental sofas with cushions from Arabic nights, copper plates on wooden tables and best choices of Moroccan pop. They serve traditional and everywhere present tagines, with or without meat, with couscous. Beside nargila, you can taste traditional Moroccan mint tea. Nowhere else in London I have tried such a nice mint tea as here.
Tea is in Morocco always a green tea and mint is somehow most popular. Tradition of tea making in Northern Africa dates back in 18th century and trade with China which is still main tea producer for Morocco. Moroccan leaders made tea business with whole of Europe and they became masters in it.
Mint has to be fresh and it tea has to be very sweet (sorry, my dear Englishmen, it is too sweet for you – but consider it is not tea that you usually drink). Tea is first being cleaned with boiling water and dried. Later on, it is boiled for several minutes and mint and large quantities of sugar is added. It is served in traditional oriental teapot and one drinks it from little glass.
Camden Town restaurant is one of those places where you can eat and drink as locals do. In this case, locals are British Moroccans, but nevertheless, is is sheer pleasure to meet and taste Morocco in Camden.

Štrukli

Croatia is very diverse country with three cultural circles; Middle European, Mediterranean and Balkan. Result is very diverse «national cuisine», but in fact we can say there is no national Croatian cuisine, but unique mixture of these circles. Nevertheless, some specialties in my beloved homeland are really autochthon.

One of those is štrukli, a pastry made in northwestern Croatia, land called Zagorje (meaning «behind the hills») and is a picturesque land of rolling hills and jolly but cunning people who like eating, drinking, party and intrigue. Densely populated Zagorje has its unique language based on word kaj which means «what» and has many vineyards producing liters of wine of dubious quality. People tell me that is going to improve and soon we will have a decent wine from Zagorje, without pejorative name kiseliš (sour wine).
Back to štrukli again. Pastry is filled with cottage cheese, made in special way. Lots of things is regarded as štrukli, but only one is the right one. In fact, to protect the traditional preparing, Ministry of culture of Croatia named štrukli non-material cultural heritage. In justification Ministry states that making štrukli is special art of almost every housewife in Zagorje. This region is real treasury of unusual delicacies which smart Zagorje women made for often manifold family, states the Ministry. According to them, there are no such similar variety of making pastries anywhere else in Europe.
Štrukli may be salty, sweet, baked or cookes, for appetizer or main meal. It is pastry filled with cow cheese, with additional sour creme and eggs, rolled and baked. Varieties can be štrukli made of pumpkin, gourd, poppy and turnip, all home grown vegetables. For full pleasure of what we consider more as desert (sweet or sour), one drinks white wine, not too sweet, or even rosé. The secret of taste is in little bits of my favourite addition to meals – lemon juice; before you roll cheese in pastry, add just a few drops. And enjoy!
Beloved meal is also singed in traditional Zagorje song Mamica su štrukle pekli which is telling a short story of a mother who wanted to make surprise to their children with štrukli, but – štrukli have been burned! Mother is crying, but children are telling her it is meant to be that way. Although funny, the song has deeper social meaning.

Macedonia and its peppers

Recently I have been in Macedonia and this trip reminded me of previous visit when I fully enjoyed the hospitality of Macedonian people, their remarkable cuisine and sweetest wine of the Balkans. Macedonia is a small country situated in the heart of Balkan Peninsula with just over two million inhabitants. It is land-blocked country, but with beautiful lakes Ohrid, Prespa and Dojran. In former Yugoslavia there is something like sentimental thought on Macedonia, ex-Yugoslav southernmost republic. It is what Macedonians feel when they leave their homeland; sorrow for south or T'ga za jug, which is also a brand name of one of most appreciated red wine. It is also „a land where sun always shines“, land of orthodox monasteries and old Turkish bazaars, home of wine, peppers, singing and sun.

Burek and boza on Skopje train station

First encountering with Macedonian food is possible already in train station. Burek (Turkish börek) is being sold in unlimited quantities, and while taxi drivers just take your bags in their taxies without asking, you should put your life in danger and drink most horrible, disgusting and terrible alcohol drink I've ever tries. It was invented in Albania and the name of this cognac is Skenderbeg, as the name of big Albanian hero. But if you think it is not yet time for being totally drunk, then take boza, non-alcoholic drink made out of corn flower, with pale brown colour and piquant taste.
Regarding other drinks, you can relax. Beer lovers can't do wrong in drinking Skopsko whose advert raises high above Ploštad Makedonija, central Skopje square. I myself like wine and that is Macedonian speciality. In region Kavadarci and Negotino there is Tikveš winery with rich, sweet wines made underneath best sunshine the south can give. It is uniquely vineyard which gives very special taste and fruity, temperamental, complex bouquet. Popular T'ga za jug is followed by more sophisticated Vranec, Temjanika and Smederevka, but also Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Riesling and one of best Traminer I've ever tried.
Macedonian kebab with peppers
If you are vegetarian, go straight to the Bit Pazar, among biggest in the Balkans, and enjoy in tons and tons of peppers, watermelons, beans, tomatoes and every other garden bit you can desire. On corners are tobacco sellers as tobacco (tutun) is famous Macedonian product. Around are kebab houses and kebab (ćevap) is here served with hot red Aleva pepper with slightly milder green pepper. The climate is here often very hot and one should eat hot. That is why Macedonians use pepper so much and you can see in countryside many houses with walls full of dried peppers. It goes in almost every meal possible.

Ethnic restaurants, targeted on foreigners, serve meals in wooden plates. Some of specialties you can try here are selsko meso, pork fried with onions, tomatoes and mushrooms and then mixed with little beef rolls. When you add flour, water and little bit of wine, it is baked in an oven. With it, one can order šopska or Macedonian salad, what are only variances of horiatiki, Greek peasant salad.
Afterwards, do try pastrmajlija, some sort of Macedonian pizza with pork, as well as mućkalica, a dish from Šar Mountain on border with Albania. It is cooked lamb leg with onion, garlic and pepper. After cooking it is well churned what is also source of its name.
Sweets, coffee and tea resemble Oriental origins. In future posts I will give you some recipes I've tried in my house and also with my Macedonian friend.

Why the recipes are not enaugh?

Too many cookbooks tend to give only recipes. Maybe most of the readers really see a cookbook like it. And while recipes for particular food are really necessary, many other possibilities stay highly neglected. I want to find out what story lies behind this recipe what is the purpose of ingredients in the meal, what are it's origin and is there some significance behind this what I eat. The essence of gastronomy is not solely enjoying in the food, it is having knowledge about it. I always remember a Greek movie «Politiki kouzina» (Political kitchen, but translated as A Touch of Spice), a story not only about modern Greek history, but about food which consist this history and how some historical events influence traditional dishes and vice versa. And evey nation has similar story as cuisine is the cornerstone of every culture as well as great image in modern harsh world. For example, see how Thailand had remarkably succeded to make a brand out of its food. Given the political, social, biological, historical, cultural and economical value of cuisine, maybe we should care more often about the meaning and story that lies behind of what we eat and what we drink.