Sautéed Bell Peppers with Onions and fresh Basil Recipe

This recipe is very easy, very tasty, you only need a few fresh ingredients and you have a perfect summer side dish to accompany meat or fish.

Peppers cooked this way are also fantastic served on bruschetta, can also be used as a sauce for pasta dishes, great base for risotto, or simply enjoyed on its own with a fresh crunchy bread. I also love using sautèed peppers as a topping on a pizza.

This dish can really be summed up as a simplicity at its best.

I simply adore peppers, I love them raw in salads, cooked, sautèed, grilled...

I have very vivid memories as a child going with my mother to the farmers market and seeing the vegetable and fruit stalls full of colourful peppers, it just looked so beautiful...

After buying the peppers, I would pick one and my mother would wash it under cold water in one of the Venetian looking fountains in the market, and I would just munch it raw during the trip back home.

As soon as the peppers were available fresh to buy at end of spring and during the summer, when they are in abundance, my mother would make this dish very often and here I am very happy to share it with you..

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 6 mixed colour bell peppers, about 1kg (I used yellow, orange, green and red, you can use just one variety or a mixture of your preference)

• 1-2 onions, about 200g (peeled and thinly sliced)

• fresh basil, few leaves

• sea salt

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• chili, optional

Method

Wash and dry the peppers, cut them in half, remove the seeds and the white filaments.

Cut the peppers into smaller pieces.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Peel the onions and slice thinly.

Add the oil into a fairly large non stick pan.

Heat the oil and add the onions and a pinch of salt

Stew the onions over medium-low heat, for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions become soft and translucent.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Add the peppers, mix them well with the onions, add sea salt, fresh basil leaves and chilli if using.

Cover with the lid and cook the peppers on a medium-low heat anything between 30-50minutes, stirring occasionally.

The peppers, after this time, should be completely soft and all the water should be completely absorbed.

If the peppers are completely cooked but still quite watery, take the lid off and cook further for few minutes until all the water is completely absorbed.

Add few more fresh basil leaves and your peppers are ready to be enjoyed hot, warm, at room temperature or cold.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Just a thought

Peppers cooked this way can be stored for about 2-3 days in the fridge in an airtight container.

Freezing this dish is not recommended.

You can add crashed garlic (1 or 2 cloves) if you wish and replace fresh basil for fresh flat leaf parsley or use both.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali Sauvignon DOC 2019 by Valentino Butussi, Colli Orientali, Friuli

Ćevapčići (Grilled Minced Meat Sausages of the Balkans) recipe

Ćevapčići (plural and diminutive form of Ćevapčić) or Ćevapi (pronounced [ʨɛ'va:pi]) are small pieces of rolled grilled mince meat, type of Turkish kofte kebab, originally made in the Balkans during the Ottoman period. They are oriental in origin but can be traditionally found in the countries of what was formerly Yugoslavia, the Czech republic, Austria, Slovakia and the Italian province of Trieste and Gorizia.

Ćevapčići must be one of everyone's absolute favourite dishes back home in Slovenia and it is hard to imagine a barbecue without them. In fact, they are so popular, you can buy them ready made in almost every butcher shop or supermarket. They are popular street food (fast food) and became part of everyday diet in Slovenia. For meat lovers this little skinless sausages are a real dream.

As a child I have very vivid memories of going to a skiing holiday to a capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo, and having the best ever, and I mean the best ever Ćevapčići in Baščaršija which is Sarajevo's old bazaar and the historical and cultural centre of the city. I was utterly fascinated by the place being so different from my native small Venetian looking coastal town of Koper. That was the first time I saw a real mosque and was captured by the beautiful Ottoman architecture.

Ćevapčići are grilled and served as a main course in groups of five to ten pieces on a plate or in a lepinja (traditional flatbread). They are commonly eaten with Ajvar (cream of roasted red peppers), chips, flat breads, pieces of spring onions or thinly sliced yellow or white onions and kajmak (type of cream cheese). What accompanies really well this dish is a fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumber, onions and any feta type of cheese, it completes the meal well.

I currently live in England where I cannot buy ready made Ćevapčići so I have decided to make them fresh from scratch, there is a great sense of satisfaction as you can tweak the ingredients to your taste.

The main ingredient is mince meat, lamb, veal pork or beef, you can mix two or three types of minced meat and there could be a variation of meat content and seasoning.

I am sharing here my father's recipe, he used to love Ćevapčići and he loved preparing them for the family.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g mince lamb

• 500g mince beef (can use 250g of mince beef and 250g of mince pork)

• 60g unsmoked pancetta or bacon, cut in small pieces (can use smoked alternative if prefer)

• 180g roughly of onions (very finely chopped)

• 1-2 clove of garlic (pressed)

• 1 egg (slightly beaten)

• 1 Tbsp powdered Hungarian sweet paprika

• ¼ Tsp baking soda

• sunflower oil for brushing

• sea salt

• black pepper (freshly ground)

Method

Put a table spoon of water in a frying pan and sautée on a medium heat pieces of pancetta or bacon. Turn the heat down, add the onions, garlic, a pinch of salt and fry gently, stirring frequently, until they become golden in colour and soft. It should take 10-15min, then set aside and cool.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer the pancetta/bacon and onion mixture into a food processor, add mince meat and mix at a low speed. Pulse if you can, as you do not want a completely smooth paste but a mixture with still a bit of a texture. If you have a smaller food processor you might have to do this in batches.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer the mixture from the food processor into a big bowl. Add the egg, pinch of salt, black pepper, baking soda and sweet paprika. With your hands mix well to combine all the ingredients, no food processor will do better job!

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take a size of a golf ball, weighing roughly between 30-40g and shape into small sausages of about 7-8cm long.

Place your Ćevapčići onto a big plate or a tray and refrigerate for about 1hour.

Ćevapčići are ideal for barbecuing but as this is not always possible you can cook them in a grill pan.

Barbecue or grill the Ćevapčići on the hot grill pan for about 14 minutes, turning them often in between. They are ready when nice and brown on the outside and cooked through. It might be a good idea to check by cutting one in the middle. In this way you can calculate the grilling time for the following batches.

No matter which way you choose to cook them, make sure you lightly brush them with oil during the cooking process and try not over cook them as they will go hard.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Just a thought

Ćevapčići freeze well, just make sure you freeze them individually first on a plate or a tray to avoid them sticking to each other, and then place them in a freezing bag...... and you are all set for your next BBQ outside with friends or family, or for an enjoyable meal indoors!

Wine suggestion

Carso-Kras DOC "Terra Rossa" 2009 by Branko & Vasja Čotar, Carso-Kras

Minestrone Primavera (Spring Vegetable Soup) recipe

This is a really lovely soup to make, it is delicious, comforting, easy to prepare, and it is a great choice for a light lunch or dinner. It will soon become one of your favourites as it is ideal for a rustic style meal or for a more elegant option dining.

What I love about this minestrone is that it is really uncomplicated to make and it looks so pretty with all the new vegetables, yes, spring in a plate and a real celebration of springtime.

This soup is Italian in origin and due to such a close geographical proximity of my homeland it became incredibly popular, it is prepared in almost every household on a weekly basis, and because of its healthy and nutritious properties it is a popular choice in nurseries, school canteens, restaurants and nursing homes.

It is also very common to blitz or puree this soup and use it as a baby food.

In Slovenia you can find it in the menus as Zelenjavna Mineštra and in Istrian dialect being referred to as Maneštra.

This spring vegetable soup is quite light but it is very common to turn it into a more substantial meal just by adding a bit of small shaped pasta or rice, barley, freshly cooked or tinned cannellini or other type of beans, chickpeas and similar.

Minestrone Primavera is one of those dishes that was created out of necessity, using what was available in the season. The idea behind this, is that you would go to the vegetable garden during the spring and early summer season and pick the vegetables that were ready to be used in cooking. And this is exactly what my both paternal and maternal grandfathers used to do.

As a alternative, if you do not have a vegetable patch, you can go to the farmers market, food stores or supermarket and pick up the spring vegetable that you like.

The beauty of Spring minestrone is that it can never taste exactly the same, as the selection of vegetables will slightly vary each time you cook it.

My mum would make this soup very frequently especially in the spring and early summer when there are fresh vegetables available in abundance.

There are also quite a lot of regional variations of this dish like Minestrone alla Genovese, a variant typical of Liguria (Italy), that commonly uses fresh basil pesto and a greater amount of fresh herbs.

What gives this humble minestrone a real boost in flavour is to put the end of a Parmiggiano Reggiano or Padano cheese rind into the soup rather than to throw it away. The rind is that part of the cheese that develops on the outside wheel as it ages and acts as a protective layer. When you are no longer able to grate the cheese, as you get to the crust that also becomes quite hard (i.e. the rind), you do not throw the crust away, use it in a soup to enrich it as it is packed full of flavour.

It just transforms the overall taste of the minestrone, as if just by magic, you have to trust me on this one! You will be amazed what an old rind of cheese can do!

This is a poor, peasant soup, my paternal nona shared with me that when she was young ingredients were scarce, and the word abundance was almost hardly ever used when it comes to food. It is quite emotional to think how incredibly clever and creative people were to use everything they could to give them fuller flavour with something that would normally end up in the bin or compost.

Here I will share a basic recipe for the minestrone, just how it has been made in my family for generations and it is just a guide, as there is no set recipe.

Ingredients

Ingredients for soffritto (Italian in origin, it is a flavour base for many dishes, gently fried chopped onions, carrots and celery in olive oil)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion, approx. 140g, finely chopped

• 1 medium carrot (finely chopped), use 70g for soffritto and chop the rest of the carrot and use it in a soup together with the other vegetables

• 1 celery stick (approx. 70g), finely chopped

Ideally, the onion, carrot and celery stick should be chopped quite finely when preparing soffritto. If you have a mini food processor, this is the time to use it.

The rest of the ingredients for the soup

• courgette (approx. 100g), a handful, sliced and roughly chopped

• 1 potato (approx 130g), peeled and cut into cubes

• 4 runner beans, washed trimmed and sliced

• 4 green asparagus, wash, trim off the wooden ends and finely slice the stalks leaving the tips whole

• 4-5 radishes, washed and roughly chopped

• 5 broad bean pods, podded

• fresh sweet peas in pods (approx. 150g), remove the peas from the pods (frozen petits pois would do just fine, about a handful)

• baby spinach, about a handful, chopped

• 1 handful fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks included (that is where the flavour is), finely chopped

• 3-4 fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

• 1 fresh sage leaf

• 2l hot vegetable or chicken stock (using instant stock is perfectly fine). You can just simply use hot water if you do not have any type of stock in hand.

• sea salt (to taste)

• freshly ground black pepper (optional)

• Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese rind (optional)

• 80-100g small shaped pasta or broken up spaghetti

Method

Prepare all your vegetables as described in the Ingredients list above and put it aside.

Drizzle the oil in a casserole pan, add onions, carrots and celery and prepare the soffritto by gently and slowly frying the trio of vegetables for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until soft.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Add all the other vegetables and fry gently together with soffritto for few minutes.

Add all the herbs, stock and cheese rind, if using, and cook for about 40 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper. If using cheese rind there might be no need for extra seasoning as the cheese rind is quite salty already.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Halfway through cooking add barley, beans (already cooked or canned), rice or any other small shaped pasta you like, very traditional is to use ditalini shape pasta. It is also very common, especially when you realized you have not got any small shaped pasta or completely run out of it, to take a bit of spaghetti and break them up into smaller pieces.

I have lovely memories of my mother giving me this job when I was a child to keep me entertained.

I give this same job to my son today, to keep him entertained...

Serve it hot with freshly grated Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese and bruschetta of your choice.

Wine suggestion

Chardonnay DOC “Vigna Runc” 2019 by Il Carpino, Collio.

Rustic Sea Bream spread recipe

This fish spread is creamy and full of flavour and could not be simpler and quicker to make. It is rustic and informal, fantastic as a dinner party starter or as light lunch, it brings people together at the table as it is a real sharing dish and a real success every time I make it.

You can prepare this spread any time of the year but on a hot sunny day it feels somehow a bit of a treat.

Back home it is very popular starter and commonly used as a part of a selection of cold fish based starters.

This spread, like many other dishes, was created out of necessity with the left over baked fish. The fish was cleaned and the three most basic ingredients used in the North Adriatic (garlic, extra virgin olive oil, flat fresh leaf parsley) were added to the fish that was simply mashed with a fork.

Place the spread in the centre of a table, sprinkle with some extra chopped parsley or dill, a drizzle of olive oil, arrange some bread, olives, sliced tomatoes, salads, other fish based starters and really all the other things that you like.

Your family and friends will love this spread, they will ask you for the recipe or you will find them on your doorstep before you intent to invite them back.

Ingredients

Serves 4- 8

• 2 whole baked sea breams (each weighing between 300-500g before baking) or 4 fillets (can use sea bass, mackerel or similar)

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled and pressed (small to a medium sized garlic would be appropriate to avoid overpowering the delicate flavour of the fish, you can use big garlic if you are after a more garlicky taste)

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• fresh flat leaf parsley, stalks included, finely chopped (about a handful)

• sea salt, to taste

• lemon juice (optional, to taste)

Method

If using the whole fish, remove the skin and any bones from the fish.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Place cleaned pieces of fish meat in a food processor. If you do not have food processor you can use hand blender which will give you a very smooth consistency or you can simply finely chop fish fillets and have a spread with more texture.

Add pressed garlic, extra virgin olive oil, chopped parsley and a pinch of sea salt.

Blend until smooth or blitz for more coarse consistency.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt.

Add a squeeze of lemon juice if desired.

Serve at room temperature with fresh or toasted bread, crackers or bread sticks.

Just a though

If you bake the fish, there will be juices coming out of the fish. Spoon them up and add to the rest of the ingredients. It will really give extra flavour.

This spread can be made up to a day ahead and kept in the fridge but served at room temperature.

Wine suggestion

Ribolla Gialla IGT 2019 by I Clivi, Tre Venezie.

Sautéed Early Sweet Peas with fresh parsley and onion recipe

This is a great classic side dish, light and delicious, ideal for a rustic as well as a more formal lunch or dinner, it goes with just about any meat or fish dish, and it is quick and easy to make.

It can also be used as a base for pasta and risotto dishes and is very tasty used in frittatas and on top of bruschetta.

It is ideal to make this dish in spring using fresh peas as they are very sweet and tender. For this recipe, however, you can use fresh peas when in season but frozen petits pois are the ones I use most of the time as they are great alternative to the fresh peas when they are not in season and can be enjoyed all year round.

My mother made sautéed peas very frequently, they are nutritious, healthy and delicious, and they were served on a weekly basis, used fresh when in season but most of the time my mother used frozen petits pois as an alternative.

As a child I loved going to the allotment with my maternal grandparents and have vivid memories picking the pea pods from the plant. I also remember being always amazed walking home with big wicker baskets full of pea pods and ending up with half of what we picked after removing the peas from the pods.

I found picking the pea pods very entertaining, I liked very much opening the pods and finding this lovely vibrant green peas inside them.

As a child, I also soon spotted the opportunity to play and as the peas were all different sizes I would create a long line of peas starting with the smallest.

I thought that was great fun, it also provided fantastic healthy snack, I ate them as I went along creating this pea chain.

My most heart-warming memories around peas, whether they were picked at the allotment or bought at the farmers market, must have been me sitting at the table with my mother or paternal grandmother, and remove the peas from the pods. It provided the opportunity just to be together, have conversation or just stay in silence and smile at each other, I guess I felt reassured, loved...

View fullsize

View fullsize

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

• 1kg fresh early sweet peas in pods (after removing the pods you should end up with roughly between 400- 500g of peas)

  You can use sugar snap peas, in this case you will need about 2kg to get roughly 400g of peas after removing the pods.

  In both cases do not worry if you end up with more or less peas. Just use what you end up with after taking them outside the pod and follow the recipe.

  You can also use frozen Petits Pois (about 500g) or canned peas.

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, medium size (about 130g), finely chopped

• fresh flat leaf parsley, about a handful, finely chopped

• hot vegetable stock or Bouillon powder instant stock

• sea salt (only needed if using vegetable stock without the salt)

Method

If using fresh peas, clean and prepare them by removing the peas from inside the pods and discard the pods.

In a skillet add the olive oil and onions and sautéed them over gentle heat until lightly browned and softened (this should take 5-7 minutes).

View fullsize

View fullsize

Add the peas, fresh or frozen, and sautéed them together with the onions for few minutes. If using frozen peas cover with the lid as it will help to defrost them quicker.

Add fresh parsley and hot vegetable stock just enough to completely cover the peas.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid is absorbed but the peas are still nice and moist and not dry (it should take around 15 minutes).

Taste and season with sea salt if needed and serve warm.

Just a thought

You can keep the cooked peas in the fridge, in a airtight container, for about two or three days.

They freeze very well, so good side dish to prepare ahead.

Frittata with dry sausage (salami) recipe

Frittata with dry sausage is a quick and easy midweek lunch or dinner and a great weekend breakfast or brunch option. Fantastic eaten hot but often served at room temperature and perfect to make ahead for picnics and larger groups. Serve it with rustic bread or polenta and a salad. Great also as a sandwich filling.

To me, however, this simple dish is more than just a quick meal solution.

Both my grandfathers loved frittatas, and not without a glass of red wine! They would normally have it upon the return back home late morning after working in the allotments or in the olive grove.

My paternal grandfather really liked dry sausage frittata while my maternal grandfather was really keen on wild fresh herbs frittata but both really liked wild asparagus and pancetta (or without) variation. All three typical in the region.

This simple dish, similar to an omelette, is Italian in origin (frittata is an Italian word and roughly translates to “fried”) but due to such a close geographical proximity to Italy, frittata found a huge popularity in a local cuisine and could be referred to as Fritaja s klobasami – Fritata or Frtalja s klobasami and Fritaia con le luganiche in Istrian dialect. All these names come from the Venetian word fritaia.

Amazingly, this simple frittata with dry sausage, is a speciality in Istria and also has a deep meaning in a local folklore. This type of frittata is typically made especially during Carnival period (festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent). In rural areas and particularly in small villages locals dressed up in different Carnival costumes. In groups they would walk from house to house singing traditional folk songs accompanied by sound and the melodies of the accordion, usually played by one member of the group.

As a sign of appreciation for entertaining and lifting the spirits, they received food gifts which consisted of fresh eggs, dry sausages, salami, crostoli, fritole (typical Carnival sweet things) and also wine.

When this simple Carnival procession was over, the participants would gather in somebody's home and frittata with dry sausage was made and other dishes were prepared with everything they received.

All the food was displayed on the table, shared and enjoyed, often ending up in excessive consumption of alcohol and other foods that will be forgone during upcoming Lent. There was a lot of singing and dancing, this is how local people came together and enjoyed each other company, the festive period and the the end of harsh winter.

My nona Nada also shared with me a lovely story, telling me that this festive season also provided the opportunity for young men and women to casually meet and possibly fall in love...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• Italian dry sausage/salami (about 150g), can use French sausage (saucisson), Spanish Chorizo (the important thing is that they are not too dry and hard, when buying should feel a bit soft when squeezing)

• 6 eggs, beaten or whisked

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• sea salt, to taste (bear in mind the sausages are dry cured and taste salty already)

• black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

Method

Peel the dry sausage, place it on a chopping board, slice it, half it and then cut it into quarters.

View fullsize

View fullsize

In a separate bowl whisk the eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Put the oil in a skillet, ideally non stick, and heat it.

Sauté and lightly sear the sausage on a medium high heat stirring frequently.

Pour the egg mixture in the skillet over the sausage, turn the heat to fairly low and cover with the lid (glass lid with steam hole works very well, if you have it). Also, using a slightly bigger lid than the skillet will help to keep the frittata “dry”. Lid that fits perfectly on top of the skillet could potentially trap quite a bit of steam and possibly making your frittata a bit wet.

The use of the lid will also help to cook the frittata evenly, avoiding the bottom of frittata being almost burnt and the egg mixture on the top being still raw, runny and unset.

Cook the frittata for about 20 min. The frittata is cooked when the underside is set and the egg mixture on the top no longer runny.

Just a thought

In this recipe, I have chosen to cook the frittata on the stove with a lid as my family has always used this method. I have also bear in mind that not everyone has a skillet that can go in the hot oven or under the grill.

However, if you are familiar cooking the frittata in the oven, and that is your preferred method, it is perfectly fine to do so.

Wine suggestion

Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso IGT 2017 by Vigna Petrussa, Venezia Giulia.

My mum's Creamed spinach (without cream) recipe

Creamed spinach is one of my absolute favourite side dishes and it is one of those recipes that you will go back to time and time again. Spinach is a beautiful leafy plant but it is sometimes an unsung hero of dinner greens. It is quick and easy to make, perfect to introduce as a vegetable dish during midweek or to serve along those special weekend meat roasts. It is very tasty, nutritious, healthy and accompanies really nicely just about any fish or meat dish.

Spinach cooked this way was the one I loved most as a child, and I could never get enough of it, I could literally eat it out of pan with a spoon, nothing much has changed. And of course, I was never told off for eating too much of it! Definitely worth giving it a go if you have children (and adults) that are not so kin on vegetables.

My mother made creamed spinach very often for me and my brother when we were little during the week as a quick meal together with mashed potatoes and fried egg. This vegetable side dish is very popular back home and still served as part of school meals just as it used to be. It is reassuring to know that some things just haven't changed...

Ingredients

Serves 2-4 as part of meal

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 500g of baby spinach (washed and ready to use) You can use other varieties of spinach or Swiss chard in which case you remove the stalks

• 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

• 250 ml milk (semi skimmed or full fat)

• sea salt

• nutmeg, freshly grated (optional)

Method

First of all you need to wash the spinach thoroughly if you bought it unwashed. If you are using the spinach that has been washed already and is ready to use just skip the following step.

The best way to wash the spinach is to put it in a sink or large container of cold water. Swish leaves around and than let them stand for a few minutes allowing the dirt to sink to the bottom.

Place washed spinach in a big pot and pour over boiling hot water. If you prefer you can bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and then add the spinach. In both cases you need to push the leaves down to completely submerge them in the water.

Blanch the spinach for about 40 seconds to a minute (blanching is most often used as an intermediary step for a dish and it means giving greens, in this case spinach, a quick cook in hot water to cook them through and soften them).

Place a large colander in a sink, drain the spinach and run it under cold water just for few seconds. This will stop the cooking immediately (and retain the nutrients) but it will also help to cool down the spinach.

Let the spinach cool completely for few minutes and drain as much as you can. You want to remove as much excess liquid as you can (spinach contains quite a lot of water). I do this in batches by taking small handfuls of spinach and squeeze it very well. I end up with few balls of very well drained spinach.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer drained spinach on a chopping board and chop quite finely.

Put the extra virgin olive oil and peeled clove of garlic in a saucepan. Infuse the oil with the garlic on a medium-low heat and when the garlic turns nice golden colour remove it from the saucepan and discard it. Be careful not to burn it, trust me this is easily done.

Add the flour and cook briefly, stirring constantly, until the flour turns golden colour.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Add chopped spinach and stir well so the spinach is mixed well with the flour mixture. At this point the spinach mixture might stick to the bottom a bit, do not worry if this is the case.

Start pouring gradually the milk, stirring and mixing constantly, incorporating well. Season with salt and add some freshly grated nutmeg, if using, and cook further for about 5-7 minutes on a gentle heat, stirring constantly. By this time you should end up with a lovely thickened creamed spinach. If it does look a bit watery give it another minute or so.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Just a thought

If you prepare this dish in advance it might get a bit thick. When heating up just pour in gradually a little bit more milk and stir constantly until you get the desired consistency.

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian style giant shredded pancake) recipe

My maternal grandma Iva would make this dish quite often for us children. And she would make it as a main meal for dinner with a big glass of fresh milk. Yes, having a sweet based dinner is perfectly acceptable now and again and we children just loved it.

It takes me back into my childhood as this dish would also often be freshly prepared and served in schools as a dessert. It was reassuring to learn from my two lovely nephews living in Slovenia, that this is still the case and they still “fight” in the queue for second helpings.

The name of this dish comes from the Austrian Emperor Kaiser Franz Joseph I (1830- 1916) who apparently had a bit of a sweet tooth and the dish was first prepared for him.

Kaiserscmarn is also known as emperor's mess, (Kaiser = German, meaning Emperor; Schmarrn = Austrian German, meaning mess or nonsense.

Austrian in origin, Kaiserscmarrn, is a fluffy and light giant pancake that is cooked and then shredded into bite size pieces. Raisins soaked in lukewarm water or dark rum can be added in which case you can make this dish into a dessert and serve it with seasonal fruit compote, fresh fruit or ice cream served on the side.

Quick and easy to make, and commonly dusted with icing sugar. Great option for breakfast, especially during dark and cold winter months. I regularly make it at this time. Needles to say, we all love it in the family.

Very popular in Austria, where it can be served as a main meal, especially in mountainside restaurants and taverns in the Austrian Alps, Bavaria and many parts of the former Austro- Hungarian Empire, e.g. Hungary, Slovenia and northern Croatia. In Slovenia it is simply called “šmorn” or “cesarski praženec”.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 eggs (separated)

• 2 Tbsp caster sugar

• pinch of sea salt

• 250ml milk

• 130g all purpose flour

• 30g raisins (optional) soaked in few Tbsp of dark rum or lukewarm water and drained

• ½ Tsp vanilla extract

• knob (1-2 Tbsp roughly) of unsalted butter or any neutral tasting oil for cooking

• icing sugar for dusting (vanilla icing sugar even better if you can get hold of it)

Method

If using raisins, start by soaking them in a lukewarm water or dark rum for at least 15min, then drain.

Put in one large bowl egg whites, a pinch of salt and half the sugar. With a hand blender whisk to soft-firm white peaks.

In another bowl, put egg yolks, add milk, other half of sugar, vanilla extract, and whisk a bit with a hand blender to combine the ingredients then start adding the flour gradually and whisk further until you obtain a nice smooth batter with no lumps.

With a spatula, very gently add half of egg whites to the egg yolk mixture and fold delicately. Then add the other half of egg whites again by folding gently. Keep the batter nice and airy.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take a fairly large (I used 29cm) non stick and quite deep skillet and melt a knob of butter or oil. Heat it up and pour the batter, spread it evenly with the spatula and sprinkle, if using, the raisins on top. Cover with the lid and cook for few minutes on a fairly low heat.

Uncover the lid occasionally and check that the sides are nice and golden in colour. With a spatula cut the pancake in quarters, even if the top is still a bit runny, and flip over each quarter. Most probably they will collapse a bit but this is quite normal and do not worry.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

At this stage you will take the spatula and start shredding the pancake into smaller bite size pieces and stirring them around cooking further until they are cooked.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer to the plate and dust with icing sugar.

Wine suggestion

Moscato Giallo Dolce DOC 2020 by Cantina Tramin, Alto Adige.

Liptauer (Austro-Hungarian paprika spiced cheese spread) recipe

Liptauer, pronounced “Lip-tower”, is a simple, flavourful, central European, or Mitteleuropean, well seasoned, paprika spiced cheese spread with a sharp, rich, and deep smoky taste.

Its origin has long been disputed but the name derived from the German name Liptau for the region of Liptov (Hungarian: 'Lipto') in northern Slovakia, a former county in the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

Nowadays, Liptauer spread appears in numerous variations throughout many other European countries, and is a part of Slovak, Hungarian, Slovenian, Italian (some north-east regions) and Austrian cuisine, where it is commonly served as a popular dish in wine taverns, and as a snack for kids during break time in schools.

Despite extensive variations on the recipe, as many families have their own unique version of Liptauer, they all have in common the main ingredient which is cheese that can vary from Quark, Bryndza (a sheep milk cheese) cream cheese, cottage or goat cheese and powdered sweet paprika giving a spread a beautiful colour.

It is great for vegetarians and you can change and play around with the quantities of some ingredients to suit your taste.

Here, I will share with you the recipe my maternal Grandma Iva used to make. This dish was a constant part of my childhood and it really does bring back some wonderful memories as it was made on numerous occasions, especially when the family got together to mark special festivals like Carnival (before Lent began), Easter, Christmas, and All Saint's Day, or family celebrations like birthdays and anniversaries.

My grandmother would put the spread in the middle of the table with freshly made home made bread, and everyone would help themselves before the big meal ahead. Along with the spread, there would be a selection of cold meats, different types of cheeses, and a variety of pickles. We children often got so stuffed with this delicacy we did not get to the first course! We just simply could not resist the fresh spread on a crunchy piece of bread. It is a great appetizer from Mitteleuropa to start the children on!

Liptauer has a very versatile use. Traditionally served as part of cheese and charcuterie board and hard boiled eggs.

It is typically eaten as an open sandwich, or on toast, crackers and bagels. It is a great alternative base for a variety of sandwiches, and can be used as canapè spread.

You can serve it with drinks, pretzels, and a selection of pickles, cheese sticks, and really whatever you fancy.

I also serve them as a canapè with drinks, and they do go down as a real treat. Just take a single round of thinly sliced piece of German or Hungarian style salami, spread a bit of Liptauer and roll it into a cigar shape. And there you have it, salami roll ups.

Ingredients

• 250g curd cheese (was difficult to find, now available in most supermarkets and Polish food stores)

• 50g butter (soft at room temperature)

• 1 Tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 Tsp powdered sweet Hungarian paprika

• 1 Tsp caraway seeds (crashed well with pestle and mortar)

• 2 Tbsp pickled gherkins, cornichons or pickled cucumber (very finely chopped)

• 2 Tbsp onions (very finely chopped)

• sea salt, a pinch or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper, a pinch or to taste

View fullsize

View fullsize

Method

Put all the ingredients in a bowl. Mix and combine well all the ingredients. Serve as a cold starter.

You can keep the spread in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container.

Just a thought

This is a great cold starter. If you can, try to prepare it in advance, and ahead of a time to allow all the ingredients and flavours to absorb well.

Wine suggestion

Traminer Aromatico DOC 2019 by Sirch, Friuli Colli Orientali.