RAFFAELLO MUFFINS

Place of origin: Our recipe, based on Ferrero Raffaello pralines

One day I was eating Raffaello while looking at some muffins recipes. And it crossed my mind - I could make Raffaello muffins. And so I did the very next day for my friend’s B-day. She didn’t have a party, we just had a drink in a bar. So muffins were a surprise. :-D

STUFFED HORSESHOE BREAD - PUNJENA POTKOVA

Place of origin: Our recipe based on some similar European recipe 

I've once seen a recipe for something similar somewhere, but couldn't remember where, was it a cookbook or the internet. I've only remembered it was a European dish. I liked the idea so I made one on my own combining milk and butter bread dough with a filling to my liking. :-)  

MIXED NUTS TRUFFLES - ORASASTE KUGLICE

Place of origin: Our recipe

Just another simple no bake recipe I came up with some time ago. Based on traditional Dalmatian sweet made from dried figs - Smokvenjak (smokva = fig) :-) 

CHOCOLATE WALNUT TRUFFLES - ORAHOVE KUGLICE

Place of origin: Croatia

An old truffle recipe (from Dalmatia) that I found in my granny Elisabeta's (mum's side) cookbook from mid 20th century. Easy and delicious :-)

QUICK MILLET CURRY PILAF - BRZI PILAV OD PROSA S CURRYJEM

Place of Origin: Our recipe 

I made this for the first time when I had nothing for next day's lunch at the office. In the fridge I found only one carrot, 1/2 zucchini and few onions while in the freezer only peas were left. I was also too tired for anything complicated (as it was almost midnight when I remembered I should make myself something for lunch)... so I put it all together and got wonderful pilaf that can be served either as a main dish for a light meal or as a side dish with any meat (roasted, cooked, grilled....). This dish can also be made with bulgur wheat, rice or couscous.

TURKEY IN RED MUSHROOM SAUCE - PURETINA U CRVENOM UMAKU OD GLJIVA

Place of Origin: Our recipe
   
Simple, quick and tasty :-)

NUTTY CAKE WITH APPLE AND VANILLA CREAMS - ORASASTI KOLAC S KREMAMA OD JABUKE I VANILIJE

Place of Origin: Our recipe

A somewhat healthy cake (not much sugar and flour) that we have created while working on excavations in Slavonia few years ago. Long winter days, locked inside the house with tons of pottery laying around.... we were baking something almost every day. And making experiments, too. Some turned out pretty well, like this one :-)

BRITTLE (GRILLAGE) CAKE - GRILAZ TORTA

Place of Origin: Croatia 

Found the recipe for this cake in my great granny’s Lilian old cookbook from 1926. I have adjusted it a bit as the original recipe called for much more sugar. Old cakes were waaaay to sweet. ;-)

HONEY COOKIES & PEPPER COOKIES - MEDENJACI I PAPRENJACI

Place of Origin: Croatia

Honeycookies and Peppercookies are old and traditional cookies that can be found in practically all parts of Croatia in many different variations. They're usually eaten during the winter and especially for Christmas and New Year holidays or at many festivals throughout the year. They’re almost similar to Gingerbread or Ginger biscuits, but they don’t contain ginger and they’re usually shaped as a small ball or disk. I'm sharing with you this old recipe from my grandma's who comes from a village between towns Novska and Jasenovac, near the Sava river.

COLORFUL AUTUMN POT - SARENI JESENSKI LONAC

Place of Origin: Our recipe 

Another dish that was created in "what I have in fridge" style - very delicious. And healthy ;-)

CHICKEN IN ALMOND & APRICOT SAUCE - PILETINA U UMAKU S BADEMIMA I MARELICAMA

Place of Origin: Our recipe; based on French cuisine 

A simple but very tasty dish that I came up with when combining what I had on hand. :-)

GORANSKI NADJEV

Place of Origin: Croatia 

In the heart of Gorski Kotar, mountain part of Croatia between Karlovac and Rijeka, at the very border of N.P. Risnjak, there is a village called Crni Lug (lit. Black Bosk(et)) – it got the name from conifer woods of the area). It is the home village of  my dad's mum. Among many local specialties, there is a very old one that was once called Crnoluski zeludac (Crni Lug's stomach) – a traditional festive Easter dish made from eggs, cooked ham, bacon, spring onions and bread stuffed into a pig's stomach that was cooked or baked and, at the end, smoked. Later on, it became more common to stuff it into beef's intestine instead of pork's stomach. And nowadays, while some still make it like that, others use artificial intestines that can be found in supermarkets or bake it in a bread mold which is the easiest way as bread molds are practically available everywhere. And I will show you here how to make that version but using my great-grandma's old recipe from the end of 19th ct. Nowadays this dish is called Goranski nadjev. I'm not very sure how to translate this - it would be something like Mountainous stuffing. :-D

MUM'S APPLE PIE - MAMINA PITA OD JABUKA

Place of Origin: Croatia

Very easy recipe that my mum used to make very often. I think she learned it from my dad's mum, aka from my granny, aka from her mother-in-law. :-) It's different from typical apple pies as you don't have to roll out the dough, actually it doesn't have a dough. It's made of batter and you just have to pour it into a mold. So simple, isn't it? :-)

HUSSARS' FRITTERS - HUSARSKI USTIPCI

Place of Origin: Croatia

Another traditional Dalmatian cookie, one of my favorites. It's so simple and easy and yet so delicious and full of flavor. Among the first cookies I've learned how to make while looking at my mum who made them very often and she learned it from her mum long, long time ago while she was still in a high school.