Rasha methi alu

The plan was to make some spicy dum alu. But then, I changed my mind, and wished it to be something more subtle, fragrant, sweetish. And thus came this recipe. I decided to go with boiled potatoes in gravy of onion ginger. The onion would add the sweetish taste and ginger would give a spicy hint.  I had a handful of raisins remaining in my box, and recently I was a bit into using raisins in cooking. Therefore, went in those. Milk gives a rich flavor to these kinds of preparations, and I love using milk more than water in cooking. Finally, I added a handful of dried fenugreek leaves in the end to give a delicate aroma and flavor to the dish. It turned out really well, and I could hardly resist the temptation of finishing everything in the bowl. It will definitely be one of those dishes I will look up to when I need some delicious yet subtle side dish to serve alongside a savory main course.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 2)

4-5 medium sized potatoes
1 big onion
1 inch ginger
Handful raisins
2tbsp dried fenugreek leaves
1/2 cup milk
Salt
Sugar
Oil

METHOD:

1. Wash and boil the potatoes until almost done.
2. Peel and cut the boiled potatoes in quarters.
3. Finely chop the onion and grate the ginger.
4. Heat oil in a wok, and add the onion ginger. Cook on medium heat until soft and starting to get color.
5. Add the boiled potatoes and raisins. Mix well.
6. Season with salt, and a pinch of sugar. Cook for a 3-4 mins.
7. Add the milk and cook for 3-4 mins until the potatoes are well cooked.
8. Stir in the dried fenugreek leaves and cook for another minute.

Cottage cheese strudel

After learning to make štruklji from Blaž’s grandma, she offered to teach and make together Cottage cheese strudel. It is similar to štruklji, but a richer and flavorful filling. And it is baked. Like all strudel, the basic part is making the pulled dough. After the previous session with štruklji, I was a bit more experienced with pulled dough. However, after spreading the filling and rolling the strudel, it was a very delicate thing to handle. Baked crisp brown and dusted with sugar, it was waiting on the counter for us to finish the lunch. Though lunch had also something my favorite, I could barely wait for it to finish. The strudel had a tempting smell. It was delicious. And delicious. I could not believe it would be so good. I could hardly stop myself from eating. And I guess I ate most of it. I can say, it is surely one of my best Slovene dish.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes around 12 pieces)

Dough:

250g flour (for yeast/pulled dough)
1sp salt
3tbsp oil
160ml water
Oil for smearing

Filling:
1/2kg cottage cheese
300ml sour cream
100g sugar
50g vanila sugar
100g raisins
Lemon rind
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites

Vanila sugar powder for dusting

METHOD:

1. Mix the ingredients of dough to make a soft dough. Smear it with oil. Let it wait for 30-40mins.
2. Cover a table with cloth and dust with flour. Roll the dough into a big circle, and then smear it with oil.
3. Slowly and gently start pulling the dough from center to outside. Pull it uniformly until it is around 140×80cm big and paper thin.
4. Let it wait and in the meantime prepare the filling.
5. Mix cottage cheese till it is smoot. Add the cream and mix well.
6. Separately beat the egg white until stiff. Add 1/2 of the sugar and fold gently.
7. In another bowl, beat the egg yolk and 1/2 of the sugar till almost stiff.
8. Add the egg yolk in the cottage cheese and mix well.
9. Add the egg white and fold in gently.
10. Add the washed raisins and lemon rind, and fold in gently.
11. Spread the mixture evenly over the whole pulled dough sheet.
12. Fold 3 sides and roll it into a log lengthwise (from the folded to the open side).
13. Smear it with oil and carefully put it on a baking tray.
14. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for 45 mins. (When half done, the temperature can be lowered to 180°C).
15. Dust it generously with vanila sugar and serve warm.

NOTE:
Use a cloth for pulling the dough into a sheet. Later while rolling, gently hold up one side of the cloth and let it roll on its own.
The rolled strudel is very delicate and soft and needs careful handling.

Štruklji (Struklji)

Štruklji, the simple dumplings are one of the traditional Slovene foods I really enjoy. It is a very basic and traditional Slovene preparation. I have had it with only cottage cheese filling at Blaž’s grandma. And be it cooked with crunchy breadcrumbs on top or baked, I love it both. She cooks it mostly on Fridays for lunch, and often times I am happy to join in for it. I sort of knew the basic recipe and method to make it. But still I wished to learn it from her first hand. Somehow, I believe these are those old recipes need to be preserved so that later I do not have to look in the internet to know how to cook it. Grandmas’ recipes are something that should be learnt, and should not be allowed to get lost. So one Saturday morning I was finally with her trying to make štruklji from scratch. Making the pulled dough needs practice and technique and I was amazed to realize how she does it often alone. It was fun making it with her, and later eating it. I definitely need more practice, but now at least I can say that I know and understand the techniques, and have her recipe..

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Makes around 10 pieces of either of the types)

Dough:
250g flour (for yeast/pulled dough)
1sp salt
3tbsp oil
Oil for smearing

For cooked štruklji: 1egg + 100 ml warm water
For baked štruklji: 150 ml warm water

Filling:
250g cottage cheese
1/2cup sour cream
1/2 egg

Topping for cooked štruklji: 1/2cup breadcrumbs (or as desired) fried in 2tbsp oil

MEHOD:

1. Mix all the ingredients and make a soft dough. Cover it with oil and wait for 30 mins.
2. Cover a table with cloth and dust with flour. Roll the dough into a big circle, and then smear it with oil.
3. Slowly and gently start pulling the dough from center to outside. Pull it uniformly until it is around 140×80cm big and paper thin.

For cooked štruklji:

4. Mix the ingredients of the filling to get a smooth consistency.
5. Spread it uniformly over half of the pulled dough sheet.
6. Fold 3 sides and roll it into a log lengthwise (starting from folded side to open side).
7. Cut with a wooden knife into 10 pieces around 14cm each.
8. In a pot heat salt water.
9. When the water starts boiling, gently put in the štruklji pieces and cook for around 20 mins.
10. Gently take each piece out using a straiing ladle and put on serving dish.
11. Generously spread freshly fried breadcrumbs on top and serve hot.

For baked štruklji:

4. Let the pulled dough wait a bit allowing it to dry and in the meantime prepare the filling.
5. Mix the ingredients of the filling to get a smooth consistency.
6. Sprinkle a bit of sugar on the pulled dough sheet and then cover half of it uniformly with the filling.
7. Fold 3 sides and roll it into a log lengthwise (starting from folded side to open side).
8. Cut into 10 pieces (around 14cm each) with a wooden knife.
9. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C for 45 mins.
10.Serve warm or cold.

NOTE:
Measurements are for any one type of štruklji
Use a cloth for pulling the dough into a sheet. Later while rolling, gently hold up one side of the cloth and let it roll on its own.
To cut the log into pieces, press with hand first and then cut with knife.

Shimla murgh

I knew I would make chicken with peppers, but did not know how or what preparation! First I thought, I would just do a short cut and fry chicken strips with sliced peppers and onions. This was the plan on Friday night. But, as my craving for some hot spicy food increased over the weekend, I found myself with a changed plan on Sunday noon while cooking lunch. I decided to do some semi-dry chicken preparation in sort of Indian style with chunks of bell peppers. It was an experiment and turned out great. Though for Blaž it was almost too hot towards the end, I really enjoyed the hint of chili peppers. It deliciously satisfied my cravings for spicy food!!

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 3-4)

750g boneless chicken pieces
1 big red bell pepper
1 big green bell pepper
1 big tomato
1 big onion
Freshly ground black pepper
1sp coriander powder
1/2sp cumin powder
1/2sp fennel powder
1/2sp red chili powder
Salt
Sugar
Oil

METHOD:

1. Finely chop the onion.
2. Cut the peppers and tomato into big pieces.
3. Season the chicken pieces with 1/2sp coriander powder, salt and black pepper.
4. Heat oil in a wok, and fry the chicken pieces for a couple of minutes. Remove the pieces before they turn brown.
5. In the same oil, add the onion. Fry on medium heat until tender and translucent.
6. Add the tomatoes and powdered spices. Season with salt and a pinch of sugar.
7. When the tomatoes are well mashed and it start leaving oil, add the peppers.
8. Cook until half-done with ocassional stirring (Do not use water).
9. Add in the chicken pieces and mix well.
10. Cook on low heat until chicken is cooked and it starts leaving oil on sides.

Tea crusted salmon with asparagus

While watching some cookery show other day, I saw a tea crusted fish recipe. And being a lover of fish, I of course had to try it at the soonest possible opportunity. The show I was watching served tea crusted flatheads with consommé. I thought my dish a bit differently. I love salmon, and good quality salmon is easily available in the fresh market. I decided to crust it with Indian green tea on both sides. Then I pan-fried it in olive oil. In the market there were selling lovely tender asparagus, and I had bought some. The succulent asparagus boiled in tea teamed up great with the salmon. The crispy salmon crust broke into its soft juicy orange flesh on a bed of tender asparagus. It was a well-balanced play of subtle flavors and textures. I simply couldn’t have enough of it. One very simple, elegant and delicate dish it was.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:
(Serves 2 )

2 pieces of salmon (with skin)
6-8 tea bags (~15g tea)
20 asparagus shoots
Salt
Butter
Olive oil

METHOD:

1. Crust both sides of the salmon pieces evenly with powdered tea.
2. In a pot, start boiling water and drop a tea bag.
3. Cut away the hard bottom part of the asparagus shoots.
4. Boil them in tea water for around 5 minutes until tender yet firm.
5. Drain and sprinkle with salt and add a dullop of butter.
6. Heat olive oil in a pan.
7. When oil is hot, put in the salmon pieces skin side down and fry on medium heat.
8. Turn over, and fry until it is cooked through.
9. Drain oil and serve on a bed of asparagus.

NOTE:
The oil should be hot enough for frying fish.
To cut of the hard bottom of asparagus and not have much waste, try to break it towards the end. The natural breaking point is the point beyond which the shoot is hard.



Cheese muffin

Muffins are small convenient sweet treats. But what if it takes a salty taste? And at any point I prefer salty food than sweet. So when I saw this recipe of salty cheese muffins, I had to just try it. The soft melting sheep cheese, with bits and pieces of olives, and a hint of rosemary flavor made an enchanting taste in the mouth as I bit into one freshly out of the oven. The only drawback is that the muffin sticks to the paper cups because of the cheese. But I happily choose to neglect that and enjoy this little salty treats.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE



INGREDIENTS:

(Makes 12)

Dry ingredients:
250g flour
70g pitted black olives
2.5sp baking powder
1/2sp soda bicarb.
salt
1tbsp rosemary
Ground black pepper

Wet ingredients:
300g yogurt
80ml olive oil
1 egg

200g sheep cheese

METHOD:

1. Cut 150g of cheese into 12 equal-sized cubes.
2. Crumble the remaining cheese.
3. Thinly slice the olives.
4. Whisk the egg and mix in it the olive oil and yogurt.
5. Sift the flour. Add baking powder, soda, rosemary, pinch of salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
6. Add the sliced olives in the flour and mix.
7. Slowly add the flour into the egg (dry into wet) and fold in quickly with a gentle hand.
8. Line the muffin try with muffin cups.
9. Fill half of each cup with the dough. Place in each a cube of the cheese. Then cover it with the rest of the dough.
10. Sprinkle on top with crushed cheese.
11. Bake in preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes.
12. Remove the baked muffins, and let it stand for 5 minutes before eating.

NOTE:

The cups should not be filled over 3/4 of its volume.

Ocvirkovka (Potica with cracklings)

 Ocvirkovka is an old Slovenian specialty. It is a salty version of Potica (rolled dough pastry) filled with cracklings (ocvirki). Mostly made by the farmers, it is quite difficult to get in the shops. I had a bit of it during an organized walk in 2009, and after that never really could get it anywhere easily. As it is generally made in larger quantities, and because this particular version is filled with fat, we never thought of making it at home. However, a couple of months back, I was again remembering it so much, and really wished to have it. So with Blaž’s mother, we decided to make half the quantity. And wow, we just almost finished it over the dinner! It tasted great, the rich bread and the crackling fat. It is not the healthiest of foods, but as it melts in mouth, there is a burst of creamy salty enticing taste. One for sure can sometimes indulge in unhealthy food.

You can print the recipe for your kitchen here: PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS:

(Serves 10-12 or Makes 2 loaves)

Dough:

1kg flour
700ml milk
1 egg
1 egg yolk
120g butter
20-30g yeast
1sp sugar
1 sp salt

Filling:
300g cracklings
1 semi-dry sausage
400ml sour cream

METHOD:

1. Crubmle the yeast cube in a big bowl. Add 1sp sugar, salt, 2tbsp flour. Add lukewarm milk (50ml) and let it rise in warm place for 15 minutes.
2. Heat the rest of milk until lukewarm and add butter. Remove from heat and add the egg and egg yolk.
3. Sift flour and add salt. Add the yeast mixture. Pour in milk-egg mixture and knead into a smooth tight dough.
4. Set aside and let the dough rise for 1 hour.
5. In the mean-time, cut the sausage in cubes.
6. Heat the cracklings on moderate temperature.
7. When the dough has risen, roll it into a think big square (as think as possible) on a floured cloth.
8. Spread it with the sour cream.
9. Sprinkle with the cracklings and sausage cubes.
10. Tightly roll it into a log.
11. Put it in a greased baking pan and let it again rise for 30 minutes.
12. Bake in a preheated oven at 180˙C for 1-1:15hr.
13. Make crosswise slices and serve hot or cold.

NOTE:
The yeast mixture should rise properly.
Use a floured cloth or baking paper to roll the dough.