Why is bitter orange so special and what is its meaning for the rich food history in Dubrovnik? It is one of the symbols of the City.The first written trails go far back to the 13th century when already many gardens were decorated with numerous trees of lemons and bitter oranges. They were brought from the Arabian Peninsula,

while the sweet orange was brought to the Mediterranean by Portuguese seamen from the area of present-day South China already in the 16th century. During the 19th century almost every house with the garden had at least one tree. Finally, at the beginning of the 20th century there was a written rule that every newly wed couple should plant five trees of agrums and after the first born baby three more, and with every new one three more. Therefore it is not surprising that we now have in Dubrovnik and surrounding areas more than three thousands of bitter orange trees. Nowadays it welcomes visitors in the gardens located at the western and eastern City gates, particularly in autumn and winter when the evergreen branches of the bitter orange trees become heavy with fruit. In the past and even today the main decoration for special occasions such as

Christmas or Saint Blaise Day are laurel garlands garnished with the orange fruit.

It was for centuries the main gift to the neighbours, friends, carolers, and sick people to bring more peace, health and cosiness to their home. Specially famous were the oranges from the islands of Elaphiti which are situated western from the city. Their fruit is enriched with salt that gives them a

distinguishing scent and taste. From the domestic organic oranges people have been making arancini – sugared orange peels, zest was an indispensable ingredient for cakes and biscuits, liqueurs,aromatic marmalades and syrups. Well known are also medical benefits of consuming the fruit or

leaves and flowers. Tea made from bitter orange leaves calmed the nerves, facilitated digestion and was used for cleaning wounds. The flowers of the bitter orange tree are used to produce essences for aromatherapy and the leaves have long been used for medicinal purposes. In fact they were first used in Asia where the plan originates. In Chinese medicine herbal preparations made from bitter

orange leaves and fruit rinds were used to treat intestinal problems, including constipation. The large quantity of this precious fruit is, unfortunately, still not used sufficiently as it could be.

Except for Dubrovnik, there is also the city of Seville which is even more famous for its bitter orange. 14,000 trees are decorating its streets and you can feel their scent on every step.

Calabria, Italy, is world famous for bergamot orange, which is a hybrid between lemon and bitter orange, now widely used in the perfume industry and also it’s best known for the flavor it gives to Earl Grey tea.

Recently I read one article about Menton- a small village in France that made branding with the lemons that grow there. In normal times in mid of February they have Lemon Festival. After grey colors of January each year they turn their city to the yellow color and everything is dedicated to lemons: decorations, dishes they serve in restaurants, even the china they sell as souvenirs. It attracts thousands of people around the world. We are quite sure we should do the same. It could

become a major event in Dubrovnik area together with the carnival that happens at the same time.

Some things are just in front of our nose, we just have to grab it and use it for good purposes.

BITTER ORANGE JAM

Ingredients:

1 kilo of oranges

1 kilo of sugar

½ l water for cooking seeds

Wash bitter oranges thoroughly. Remove the peel and soak in water for 24 hours. Remove the seeds from the pulp (orange flesh) and boil (for about half an hour) in 1/2 litre of water. Refrigerate in a covered glass bowl for 24 hours. Slice the pulp, cut the slices into halves, add sugar and keep in a

covered bowl at room temperature for 24 hours. After 24 hours, cut the orange peel into small and thin strips. Strain the boiled seeds (using plastic strainer), rinse with water, and add 1/2 litre of

water. Mix the water in which the seeds were boiled with the orange pulp (orange slices cut in halves mixed with sugar) and the orange peel strips. Put the mixture to boil and cook for about thirty minutes stirring occasionally. Pour the hot jam into glass jars (previously heated in the oven at 70°C).

Cover the jars firmly, turn upside down and leave for about 15 minutes in order to sterilize the jar covers with hot jam.

This recipe is created at the Deša Humanitarian Society, a many times gold medal winner at Croatian

jam and marmalade contests. They are big promoters of bitter orange and one of the organizers of Bitter Orange festival which is held at the main square in the Old Town beginning of February.

People from the countryside start with preparation many days in advance to be able to join in procession dressed in their national costumes. Connection between people and their loved St. Blaise has lasted for centuries and this year it will be 1049th time.

Every city has its patron but St.Blaise has its City. As many other things it will be different in a new normal mode. Not so many people on the streets, no greetings, no kisses and hugs but at least we will try to be with the family around the table as it is the tradition for this special day. Like on many other festive days even the menu that is served for lunch or dinner is special.

In the past times in rich houses it was usual to prepare young pork on a spit drizzled with bitter oranges. They also served marzipan or „padišpanj“ (pan di spagna, sponge cake) and little corn buns stuffed with raisins. Ancient cookbooks mention „Pastić s makarulima“ (pastry with macaroni pasta and meat sauce), beef soup with „zanzarele“ (homemade thin batter with eggs). Welcome drinkbefore the meal was rozolin (rose liqueur) with dried figs. During the time customs in the cuisine had changed but some dishes are still cooked in our homes. Our mother still makes traditionally „šporki makaruli„ (dirty macaroni pasta). Some other families cook „zelena menestra“ (green cabbage stew with smoked dried meat). At the end of dinner we enjoy black turkish coffee with cakes as almond and orange cake, date cake or clotted cheese cake.

„Pastić „( Pastry with macaroni)

Make a meat sauce with beef, chicken, veal, little liver and pancetta. Cut the meat and pour a splash of white wine in the sauce. In the meantime cook 0,5 kilo macaroni pasta in salted water to be al dente. Drain it and pour it with 2 cups of milk, let them sit for half an hour.

Pastry:

1 whole egg, 3 egg yolks, 350g flour, pinch of sugar, pinch of salt, 150g butter or lard

Knead all ingredients into dough. With half of it cover the bottom and sides of the greased pan. Add drained macaroni, layer of meat and dried salted cheese ( parmigiano). Lay the rest of the dough on top and fold it from the sides to close it well. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius (390 Fahrenheit) for half an hour until it turns to golden color. Turn it upside down on a plate and serve it warm.

Dubrovnik almond and orange cake

Needed:

9 eggs (separate yolks from the whites), 200g of sugar, 350g of almonds, 80g of breadcrumbs, 1dl (about half of cup) of orange juice, 30g of orange zests, a tablespoon of rum (or orange or other liquor)

For the cream:

4 eggs, 100g of sugar, 2,5dl ( about 1 cup) of orange juice, 2dl ( about 1 cup) of cream Whisk egg yolks with 150g of sugar until foamy. Whisk egg whites with remaining sugar until the snow forms. Then gradually mix egg yolks and egg whites. Mix and add ground almonds, orange zest,liquor, and breadcrumbs previously soaked in orange juice. Grease the mold and dust with breadcrumbs. Pour the mixture in it, and bake at 160 Celsius (310 F) for 35 minutes.

To make cream, add sugar to the juice of one orange, orange zest and eggs. Mix everything over steam until it gets thick. When the mixture is done and completely cooled, add whipped cream. Cut the baked layer in half, spread half of the orange cream, and top with another layer. Spread the rest of the cream or orange icing around the whole cake.

All recipes for the St. Blaise Day can be found in the cookbook Dubrovački komini by Jadranka Ničetić.

Bread in Croatia is the main ingredient of our nutrition no matter if it is a classic one, gluten free, sourdough, with cereals and seeds…and we make it on a daily basis. In former Dubrovnik Republic citizens used mainly barley, millet and wheat. However as there was not enough fertile land most of those cereals were imported from Italy and Otoman empire. Government made sure to have always enough supplies for everybody and therefore they created state granaries called „fundik“. They were literally big halls built as water well. One of those ancient warehouses in the Old City is nowadays converted into the Ethnographic Museum with 15 halls where grain was stored. Word „rupe“ translated to English means „holes“.

Mills were built on fast streams which were located in Konavle valley, Župa Dubrovačka, Ston, Trsteno village and close to the old town, near Minčeta fortress. Citizens of Dubrovnik Republic were buying grain from the state and bringing it to be weighed and grinded in the mills. One percentage of the grain went as paycheck to the mill owner. There were many bakeries in the Old City and that job was usually given to the ladies which were named „pećarice“. Their bread differed by the way how they baked, varieties, shapes and tenderness.

„Beškot“ was very known bread product which was ideal as food for the sailors on many trade ships that Dubrovnik had. It was hard roasted bread that could last longer. Bread was baked in special stone ovens or under the iron bell directly on hot fireplace. Early in the morning „pećarice“ were making dough and always they would do it with sour dough which they grew or they were adding whey (sirutka) which would make it rise faster. Once the bread was baked,they would wrap it in a kitchen towel and let it cool. For the Christmas, even today, especially in the countryside ladies will make traditional bread „luk“ (Christmas Arch with candle, branch of rosemary and olive in the middle), for Easter „teharice“ (easter doughnats) and „galeta“ (famous among seamen because it lasted longer and they dip it into wine or milk).

In our traditional cooking classes we teach how to make bread from scratch as this is always the first step of presenting our local cuisine. For some guests it is the first time they make their own homemade bread.. The most important thing is that the process of making bread brings us closer to each other and it is a beautiful introduction to the magic of cooking. How our ancestors did years ago, we continue further on.

Homemade bread ( for 6 person)

800 g of white flour

50 g of corn flour

1 tablespoon of salt

1 cube of fresh yeast

400 ml of lukewarm water

1 teaspoon sugar

Olive oil

Into 200ml lukewarm water add 1 teaspoon of sugar, fresh yeast and 1 teaspoon of white flour. Mix it and leave it for 20min to raise up. On the table mix white flour with corn flour and leave the hole in the middle. Into that hole pour a little bit of yeast+water and add step by step flour aside to make first like a small pool. And then finally you add all flour and if needed pour more lukewarm salted water. Knead until dough won’t be sticky on your fingers and table, but it should be done very gently using more palms. Put into an olive oil greased pan and leave it in the oven on the lowest temperature for 20min. If you want you can knead it again and leave it for 20min more. Make cross on the bread before putting in the oven. Bake at 200 Celsius( 390 degrees Fahrenheit ) for 45 minutes until it gets golden brown or bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan to wire rack to cool, you can wrap it with the kitchen towel.

Be patient for at least 20min and bon appétit!

Often guests on our food tours ask me what is the best description of Croatian cuisine. I always tell them it is seasonal and home cooking. It is not some new world concept but something that we inherited from our grandmothers and mothers. Seasonal cooking in Croatia is the natural way of life.

It is very common to buy fresh vegetables and fruits from the farmer’s market rather than in the supermarket. It is even better if you have a small garden and try to grow things by yourself. We are more connected to the food and seasonal ingredients inspire us to be more creative in the cuisine. What can be better from the freshly picked vegetables and fruits? They can not be as closely compared with those you buy in the supermarkets. They look lovely by the color and shape but taste is missing as they are grown through the whole year in greenhouses using modern technology and chemicals. Once they are right they are stored for months and finally they travel to the table miles and miles away. That way of growing fruits and vegetables is still common here because we are supporting small local farmers that are relying on seasonal produce.

There are so many benefits of cooking seasonally:

• Protecting environment by decreasing pollution caused by pesticides

• Eating healthier using very fresh products without storing so they have higher nutritional value

• Supporting local economy with buying products from the local farmers

• Promoting food diversity

• Saving money as the seasonal food is always cheaper

We are already excited to try new recipes with pumpkins, leek, cabbages, cauliflower, dried beans…

There are many things written on this theme but you don’t need to start with special lessons and read all those cookbooks (of course if you don’t want it, cookbooks for me are the chick lit☺.

Enough is to visit the farmer’s market, chat with the ladies and they will be glad to share with you their favorite recipes. It won’t be high cuisine but it will be unfussy, simple, comfort and healthy food that evokes memories from all year round. Returning to the roots using as much local ingredients is the future of gastronomy.

We are sometimes overwhelmed with all the information that we are faced with regarding cooking and it often scares people away and they see it as an impossible skill to acquire. Cooking shouldn’t be complicated, it should be an enjoyable activity to enrich our body and our mind and it also improves that social aspect of our life as well, bringing us all closer together.

The first important step to take should be understanding the importance of eating fresh produce and diverse food in general that follows each season so here are some of my favorite:

• Spring – young lamb, young goat, wild asparagus, wild chicory, fava beans, artichokes, spring onion, strawberries, cherries, young potatoes
• Summer – tomatoes, aubergines, courgettes, green beans, peppers, cucumbers, japanese plum, apricots, peaches, figs
• Autumn – pumpkin, quince, pomegranates, grapes, swisschard, cauliflower, kale, tangerines, pears, brussel sprouts
• Winter – raštika (dark green cabbage), bitter oranges, lemons, apples, dried pork or mutton meat, lentil, chickpeas, sour cabbage, beetroot, turnip, carrots

The fact why we are not so famous comes from our small size and we like to keep it for ourselves. Almost all the wines made in Croatia have to be drunk in Croatia! This is also one of the reasons to visit us and try our local wines directly on spot.

Socialist regime until the 90’s didn’t allow winemakers to have their private wineries, to bottle and label their own wines but that doesn’t mean the vineyards are young and that we are new in this business. Already the Greeks were the first who were growing wine grapes all along our coastline, especially on the islands of Hvar and Vis. Just until private ownership had become possible winegrowers were selling their winegrapes to state cooperatives. State made a few different wines. Usually the best wine grapes they never sold but always kept as family wine. So the best wine was always that which you could pour directly from the barrel into the jug hidden under the coat. Yet after the privatization process in the early 90’s winegrowers turned to be very respectable winemakers.

Lots of Croatian wines have names hard to pronounce as they are authentic sorts such as Maraština, Kaštelanski crljenak, Grk, Pošip, Graševina, Žlahtina, Malvasija, Dingač, Plavac… You don’t even have to bother with trying to say it properly, just remember some to recognize them when you wish to order it in the restaurants and bars.

Some of our favorite drinks are considered to be the worst crime against the wine (according to the finest sommeliers and wine connoisseurs):

Bevanda – mix of red wine and plain water often drank in the south

Gemišt – mix of white wine and sparkling water drank in the north. Version of German spritzer

Whole Croatia is one big wine region with rich wine diversity. The most known world wines such as Zinfandel from California have origins here, his parents are Dobričić and Kaštelanski Crljenac, ancient wine sorts grown near Split. If you want to go deeply into the X Wine Files you should check the documentary „Dossier Zinfandel“.

Like French have their Champagne region we have our Dingač. It is a protected area on Peljesac peninsula where vineyards are located at the decline of 45% slopes. Just by visiting that magical place makes you appreciate wine more. Hard work, dedication and love for wine are engraved in every bottle.

And finally why the wines are so closely connected with the food. Many of our traditional dishes are impossible without adding some wine: Dalmatian pašticada, mussels buzzara, cuttlefish risotto, mantala, wine goulash, brodetto… In Dalmatia people were raised on ancient cocktail „bikla“ – special mix of red wine and goat milk. They believe it is also an aphrodisiac. In Istria they cook „supa“ – authentic specialty prepared out of red wine, over fried bread, zested with olive oil, sugar and pepper. It is food for the soul served in traditional jug called „bukaleta“. And yes we drink lots of wine, it is in our blood for centuries but we are still sober.

Which wine to look for in Croatia:

Reds (or Blacks how we call them)

Plavac Mali

Postup

Dingač

Merlot

Babić

Whites

Pošip

Graševina

Grk

Žlahtina

Rukatac

Malvazija

Malvasija (it is not a spelling mistake, they are two white wine sorts with one letter different).

Cooking with my family helped us to bond and to feel safe together and it was such a rewarding experience. Even before we were connected, but because we were so busy we didn’t have enough time for longer preparation, for gathering more often around table and just chatting about food. We were chopping, slicing, making doughs, rolling, boiling, baking and it made us so much happy. Just with inviting someone to your kitchen you can create sense of community. Many times I watched movie Julie and Julia as it just proves how doing something with huge will and lots of practice added can make everyone an expert. At the beginning of the pandemic I would caught myself oftentimes trying to stick to the recipes from the cookbooks as I was trying to do the same but of course, soon I would quit from that plan but you never know, maybe I will return to it one day, being new Juliette.

I’ve realized that cooking at home:

– can teach us patience by waiting and trying to get that perfect flavor

– can teach us mindfulness, with all our senses being fully activated in the kitchen, especially by smelling, tasting, touching we forget everything around us, our mind becomes grounded in the present moment.

– it helps in leading healthier lifestyle since during the time in the kitchen we’re away from the PC or phone screens so it’s also a digital detox

– can exercise our creativity and make our life happier

– can help us build better self-confidence (especially with so many cakes thrown into the garbage).

And what can stop us not to do that more often? As Buddha said: „When you prepare your own food you give to the food and food gives to you.“

So don’t feel resistance to cook, maybe just chopping when you are nervous or stirring to calm down. Scientists published that serotonin which is our happy hormone is produced in our gastrointestinal tract, meaning eating healthier can improve our mental health, and that is the most important, isn’t it?

1. Small bag with candied almonds or sugar orange peels ( arancini)- easy to find it in souvenir shops already wrapped as a gift or at the farmer’s market on Gundulic square in the Old city.
2. Bottle of local olive oil- always a nice gift especially for those who are trying to eat and live healthy as olive oil is an inevitable ingredient in many delicious Mediterranean dishes.
3. Local wine or craft beer – Croatia is a true wine country but it’s not easy to find our wines abroad due to low export. Now is a good chance to get a couple of bottles of our local varieties: Plavac Mali and Dingač from Peninsula of Pelješac, Merlot or Malvasija from Konavle valley, Pošip or Grk from the island of Korčula.

For the beer lovers we recommend to visit shop Pomalo in the Old city and buy some of the Dubrovnik craft beers. In Dubrovnik Beer Company in the Gruž harbour you can try them on the spot and get some info about the production process.

4. Bitter orange jam – bitter orange is a symbol fruit of Dubrovnik and one of the major products is bitter orange jam that goes perfectly with pancakes, not to bitter and not to sweet…
5. Cookbooks with local specialties- they are treasury of the local recipes that you can try home to evoke your memories: Taste of Dubrovnik, Dubrovnik table, What’s cooking in Dubrovnik, Pantarul at home.
6. Rakija ( grape brandy) – herbal „Travarica“ or just pure one „Loza“, for those brave ones as they are our version of vodka. The percentage of alcohol is 40-45%. If those ones are too strong for you there are sweet versions – liqueurs made of carob, cherries, walnuts, roses, japanese plum, quince, bitter orange, pomegranate….

We like to consider these spirits as medicine, as they cure any disease (or at least you forget about pain after having few glasses :) ).

7. Jar of pickled rock samphire (in Croatian-Motar) – so simple herb but flavourful especially matched with the young cow cheese, salted or marinated fish. This souvenir you can get even for free if you are visiting us in June and pick it by yourself. It is growing on the rocks near the sea and you can find it hidden in the city walls as well.
8. Cheese in olive oil – combination from heaven for your taste buds. Aged cheese kept in a jar covered with olive oil can be preserved like that for 6 months. It is ideal snack with a glass of wine.
9. Dalmatian prosciutto – cured pork ham with the bone salted with sea salt, smoked and matured not less than 2 years. Just the smell makes you desperate to taste it. It goes best with homemade bread baked on the open fireplace.
10. Last but not the least – apron Dubrovnik Food Story that you can have after finishing one of our traditional Dubrovnik cooking classes.

Majority of Croatian people are lazy concerning how often we exercise or do any kind of activity. Not many people in Dubrovnik ever climb hill Srdj that is above Dubrovnik ( 1,325 ft). Usually when we see somebody jogging the first comment is: he must be crazy since our most beloved activity is having a coffee in a bar while sunbathing like lizards. Since Dubrovnik is full of steep and curvy roads you’ll not see many cyclists around. Only our most adventurous tourists were the ones joining these extreme biking tours in the countryside of Dubrovnik and of course grumpy locals couldn’t wait to start honking loudly when they made traffic congestions. But everything changed during the lockdown. Now it is the „new normal“ to see locals running, every family got at least two bikes, and one local even opened repair workshop which is probably now one of the most profitable businesses in the city. Hundreds of people were climbing the hill Srđ and trying to find alternative paths in the nature where police wouldn’t warn them to „stayathome“. We started to drink homemade coffee to go as well. Even my day now starts with „Yoga with Adriene“ after so many years of neglecting my body.

More importantly, our approach to the food changed a lot. Everybody is a gardener and agricultural expert now. Wherever there is an extra or an empty spot in the garden there will probably grow the new row of potatoes and tomatoes. We have virtual Facebook green market and you’re not cool if you are not the member of this new organic movement. There is also some humor to it, like some people are trying to grow watermelons or potatoes in a balcony pot. Gardening became a new big thing in Dubrovnik. It is a very positive movement because we started to support our small local producers, and buying homemade products from them as we became more aware of that short chain from farm to table. Obviously it is a result of having more time as most of our citizens are unemployed. Otherwise in this pre-season time quick sandwich was just fine. Needless to say that we all improved our cooking skills and probably this generation will give the most eminent chefs. Just check the Instagram and you’ll see we were only thinking what to cook but we forgot on pounds we got. Luckily- we don’t have house scale.

Beauty industry also faced some changes and it was not just because Keanu Reeves new girlfriend promotes grey hair look. Sorry, corona took credit for that. Fashion style speaking – good old leggings took precedence over jeans. It is for practical reasons, as we got amnesia over pounds. Pajama was the „new black dress“.

Situation with parking changed as well. It’s May and we can park our car wherever we want in the city. We are not stuck in traffic jams for hours. Soon we will start going to the half-empty beaches. That means we will be able to bring our towel and put it wherever we want without arguing with renters to pay 30€ for sunbed and sun umbrella. Thank you God! Hotels and apartments are empty and luck just smiled to those who are searching long time rentals. Even the prices decreased and locals are finally able to afford it. Big real estate market balloon is slowly bursting.

The lockdown and the current economic situation made people more humble and appreciative; children are playing on the street and you say hello to the strangers. But you still won’t see many locals in the Old City as lots of them moved out and left their apartments for rental. Who knows maybe some of them will decide to come back this summer in this idyllic setting.

We lost a lot during these challenging times. Dubrovnik, as the rest of Croatia and Mediterranean will face financial crisis this year or even maybe longer because it heavily relies on tourism as its main industry. Our future is uncertain, but we can rethink about “new normal” aspects of tourism that we didn’t have before. Responsible and sustainable tourism in interaction with locals was always our Dubrovnik Food Story goal and maybe more will follow that path now. Or not, as soon when this „new normal“ stops maybe it will again be replaced with “past normal” which in reality was not normal at all. Crossed fingers for smart „new deals“ in 21 century which can save us from ourselves so we don’t need apocalypse to fix things that were wrong. Until then those few tourists who will have opportunity to visit Dubrovnik in 2020 retain that photo in your memory as it will be truly unique.

As our Dubrovnik tourist board motto says : “We are still here, we are not leaving anywhere.”

At the same time I’m also a mother, and like every mother I’m trying to balance between the two and to spend enough quality time with my family. During the Easter time, like every other family out there, we like to indulge in a bit more extra food so I always try that the table looks perfect, nicely decorated, with lots of food, homemade cakes, free-range roasted lamb, vegetables from our own garden and other delicacies. Then we all gather around the table but before we start to eat I, obviously, have to make an Instagram photo while stopping the children to stick their little fingers into the dips and sauces and to ruin my creations. I’m glad to be able to share these tidbits of my daily life with other mums, foodies, bloggers and designers out there. We are after all, a virtual family with the same real life problems, dreams and aspirations. Even during this #stayathome period because of the ongoing COVID-19 health crisis, we still share our experiences and give support to each other through social networks.

What’s interesting with these platforms is that we almost always post the best of ourselves- the most wonderful meals we’ve made, happy family moments, ‘red carpet’ like outfits and perfect make-up and haircut photos. Behind my doors and my social networks I am just an ordinary woman in my 10 years-old pajama, yelling on my kids all day, arguing with my husband all the time, cooking and checking how many pounds of weight I’ve gotten during the quarantine since our apartment is small so you can’t exactly keep the “long distance relationship” with the fridge as usual.

Last year on one of our cooking classes during Easter time we were showing guests how to make „pengana jaja“ (colored eggs traditionally created by dripping molten wax from a beeswax candle onto an egg) and they were thrilled by the experience, appreciating that we showed them a small part of our tradition and culture.And that’s exactly what we are trying to accomplish with our tours. This year we will do those eggs with our family trying to create the same sense of community and belonging as every year. Easter Sunday lunch will be still tasty with happy shiny people around the table. Family will be a bit smaller but preparation will be done with the same love, trying to catch that special moment and capture it forever in the heart. Maybe even send not so perfect photo to those who can’t be with us. COVID19 brought us Easter in „fika“ ( fee-ka) mood –Swedish expression for a moment to slow down and appreciate the good things in life.

Cooking is big part of our culture and our everyday life and nothing much changed except we do not go so often in the grocery anymore. We try to supply occasionally and at the same time try to use as much ingredients that we already have at home. The best recipes always should be both cheap and healthy.

So let’s go to see what I prepared for the family in these past 7 days:

1. Lentil and barley stew with pancetta

During the winter time when you don’t have so much fresh vegetables it’s always good to have at home some lentil, barley, dried beans, chickpeas and combine everything together. A must have in fridge is also one big pancetta which can be used in making risotto, pasta, pizza, stew, just roasted with bread…

This recipe is really easy and tasty

One bigger onion

2 cloves of garlic

200 g of pancetta

200 g of lentil

200 g of barley

2 carrots

2 dl tomato sauce

Bay leaf, salt, pepper, red paprika (smoked)

Soak lentil and barley in cold water during the night. Fry chopped onion on olive oil, add garlic, sliced carrots, cut pancetta in smaller pieces. After 10 minutes of frying add bay leaf, paprika, tomato sauce, barley and lentil and add some water to cover everything. Cook it for one hour and if you want you can add two tablespoons of small pasta (my children like this). At the end chop parsley and spread it on the top.

2. Spaghetti with canned tomatoes and canned tuna

250 g spaghetti

1 canned tuna

2 cloves of garlic

Olive oil Basil, parsley, oregano, salt, pepper

Make tomato sauce as you do for pasta. Since there are no fresh tomatoes, I’m using canned sliced tomatoes. In the sauce add canned tuna (if it is in oil throw away oil and just leave tuna) and mix it with boiled spaghetti (or different kind of pasta that you prefer). Easy and tasty and requires no skill!

3. Leek, carrot and celery risotto

1 big leek

2 carrots

Half of celery root

Thyme

Salt, pepper

1 dcl of white wine

1 vegetable stock

1 cup of rice (200 ml)

Chop all vegetables, fry on olive oil, add rice, pour wine, wait until evaporates. Continue cooking risotto by adding vegetable stock until rice is finished. At the end melt one small piece of butter to make it more creamy

4. Cauliflower casserole with cheese and sour cream with crusted chicken from the oven

1 cauliflower

100 g of cheese / cheddar or mozzarella or if you like more salty version try with greek feta cheese

200 ml sour creme

100 g breadcrumbs

Salt, pepper

2 chicken breast

Crusted chicken breast from the oven are the same like those fried in deep oil but more healthy. And it is better especially because of the smell in the house during these days when you can’t ventilate it properly.

First coat the chicken with salt and pepper, put it in the white flour, then next into eggs and finally in breadcrumbs. Heat the water in the big pot, cut cauliflower together with green leaves on small pieces. Salt the water and put cauliflower in boiled water. It should get soft but not overcooked. Put the cauliflower in the oiled pan, add grated cheese and sour cream. At the top spread breadcrumbs. Preheat oven at 200 degrees Celsius and leave it for 40 minutes.

5. Broccoli soup, Cheese pie and Potato pie ( Bosnian national dishes)

Broccoli soup

In this case you can use both frozen broccoli or fresh one.

500g broccoli

1 onion or leek

2 cloves of garlic

200 ml of milk

1 teaspoon of dry thyme

Salt, pepper

Olive oil

Sour creme

Fry sliced leek (or chopped onion) on olive oil until it gets soft. Add garlic and thyme. When onion gets soft add broccoli and leave it to cook on low fire for 25 minutes. Mix the soup and add milk, leave it few minutes more on fire. When serve in plate, sprinkle it with sour cream.

Cheese pie with bought phyllo dough

Cheese pie is a baked pastry with cheese filling. I used box of phyllo dough instead of making homemade. It is easier and a time-saver but if you have time like nowadays then you could try making your own jufke (phyllo dough):

2 lbs all purpose flour, plus more for dusting

1-2 teaspoon of salt

Oil

You can follow this recipe – https://balkanlunchbox.com/homemade-filo-mixed-pie

Cheese filling:

650g phyllo dough

500g cottage cheese

1 tbsp of salt

3 tbsp of oil

100ml sunflower oil

500 ml sparkling water

Fantastic video recipe is at www.sasina-kuhinja.com

Instead of cheese you can use potato filling

Potato filling:

1 kg potatoes

100 ml sunflower oil

600g onion

Salt, pepper

Fry chopped onion and after 5 minutes add potatoes cut in small cubes. Stir it for 7 minutes more, it will be still raw but that is ok. Fill the sheets of dough and bake in preheated oven on 410 F / 210 C for 40 minutes.

6. Pork belly with apples and onion

1 kilo of pork belly

Salt, oil

1 clove of garlic, crushed

1 tbsp sage leaf

1 tbsp fennel seeds

8 Granny smith apples (or others which are not too sweet) halved

4 onions quartered

Season the meat with oil, salt, garlic, sage leaf and fennel. Preheat oven on 200C and roast it for 20 minutes until it get crispy skin. Reduce the oven to 150C and continue for 1 hour. After one hour add apples and onion and roast for a further half an hour- 40 minutes. Serve pork with apples, onion, cooking juices and mashed potatoes of you want.

7. Grilled fish with potatoes salad

As long as we have fish in the sea we won’t stay hungry – this was one of the most famous sentences of those who survived homeland war in Croatia in the 90ties. And it is true. Now it is even easier to get it as most of the restaurants are closed and fishermen still go to catch it and appreciate again us small buyers. If you have barbecue at home than it is easy.

Our favorite fish are sardines which are affordable for most of the people. What makes difference in potato salad is using fresh or pickled rocky samphire (on croatian it is motar) to give more flavor. In one of my previous blogs I was writing more about it. Boil potatoes in skin, sliced raw onion, chopped raw boiled or pickled rock samphire, few capers, salt, pepper,and olive oil of course.

I really hope you’ll try some of these simple, nutritious, affordable and tasty recipes. Stay safe and stay at home!