Easy Lamb Casserole Istrian Recipe

This slow-cooked lamb casserole recipe is absolutely amazing, it is incredibly easy to make using cheaper and tougher cuts of lamb that by the end of cooking become so tender they truly melt into your mouth.

It is a simple dish to put together, perfect for a cosy and satisfying meal, and great to make ahead of time as the flavours will have the chance to mingle, develop fully and intensify.

Along the Slovenian coast you might find this dish in more informal and rustic style restaurants called in local dialect Janje or Jančić na rošto or referred to as Pečeno Jagnje in standard Slovenian.

This very popular and much-loved dish is frequently prepared in the households during the weekends, and when the family and friends get together for special celebrations. It is also a recipe that is understandably appropriate for an Easter menu.

I am sharing here my family recipe with you. It only needs a few basic ingredients and you are ready to go.

You will come back to this recipe time and time again, as the best things about this incredibly flavourful lamb casserole is that the oven will take over and do the work for you.

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1kg diced lamb meat of your choice (I used neck fillet). You can use boneless shoulder or leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat and diced.

• 1 medium onion (about 150g), peeled and finely chopped

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

• 3 Tbsp olive oil

• 100 ml white wine, optional

• 100g ripe and sweet tomatoes of your choice, roughly chopped (I used mini-San Marzano tomatoes)

• If you cannot get hold of ripe and sweet tomatoes, you can use high quality tinned chopped tomatoes instead.

• a sprig of fresh parsley, finely chopped

• leaves from a small sprig of fresh rosemary (about 1 Tsp), very finely chopped or ¼ Tsp of dry rosemary

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 250°C static or equivalent.

Trim off the excess fat from the diced meat if necessary to avoid the final dish being too greasy and potentially unpleasant to eat.

Put the olive oil in a fairly large flameproof casserole dish or Dutch Oven.

Add finely chopped onions, crushed garlic, a pinch of sea salt, and gently fry until soft and transparent.

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Place diced lamb meat in a casserole dish and mix with the onions.

Transfer in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.

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Remove from the oven and add chopped tomatoes, the herbs, and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Add white wine, if you are including it, and pour enough water to almost completely cover the meat.

Stir gently so all the ingredients are mixed together.

Turn the heat down to 220ºC.

Transfer the casserole dish back into the oven and cook for about 1 hour or until the meat is very tender.

Check the casserole now and again, giving it a good stir making sure there is always enough liquid.

If the casserole gets too dry, top up with a bit more water.

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When the dish is ready you can spoon out any excess oil at the surface of the casserole.

Great served with oven baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, soft cooked polenta, some crusty rustic bread, sautéed peas, and other green vegetables like beans, broccoli, curly kale, and cavolo nero just to mention a few possible vegetables.

Just a thought

This lamb casserole is great for freezing. Once fully cooked, allow it to cool completely, and then freeze for up to three months.

Venetian style Rice and Peas Recipe (Risi e Bisi)

This springtime speciality dish Risi e Bisi, meaning rice and peas in Venetian dialect, originated in the north-eastern region of Veneto in Italy. It is a dish that has been long disputed in the culinary world whether it is a very ‘runny’ risotto or a very ‘thick’ soup, and hence whether you should eat it with the fork or with a spoonBeing a risotto or a soup, this dish is absolutely delicious, incredibly satisfying and deeply rooted in the history of the region. It has such a profound cultural significance to the point of being celebrated by the Venetian poet Domenico Varagnolo:

To bless the holy spring,

which makes a garden a paradise,

all I need is a soup bowl,

a soup bowl of our own risi e bisi...

There, in hundreds of tiny little globes,

I savour a tender green jewel of the earth

scattered in a white sea of tender smiles.

Risi e Bisi was one of the key dishes, among a menu of more sophisticated foods and fine wines, that used to be served at the Doge's banquet (Doge is the highest official of the republic of Venice for more than 1,000 years, from the 8th to the 18th century, and symbol of the sovereignty of the Venetian state) on April 25th to mark and celebrate Venice's patron Saint, St. Mark, the Evangelist, since he is the saint who evangelised the people of the Veneto.

This traditional dish served on a feast day also marked the period approaching Easter, the end of winter, and the arrival of Spring, which provided the very first peas in the new season, renowned for being small, sweet and tender.

This dish has been very popular and very much loved along the Slovenian coastline where it is known as Rizi e Bizi. This should come as no surprise since this area is bordering with Italy and was once dominated and ruled by the majestic La Serenissima (‘The most Serene Republic of Venice’) which left behind a significant “foodprint” in the region.

A pea and rice dish is a very family friendly meal and was cooked by my mother on a regular basis when the peas where in season and at their best. Shelling the peas was worth the effort since the final dish is divine in its simplicity and humbleness.

This recipe has remained one of the top favourites among family and friends. Try to make it and you will understand what the fuss is all about and why the Doge requested it every year at his palace...

This is not the dish I would normally cook in springtime as peas are a long way off in the UK where I currently live, but are widely available a bit later in the season. It is well worth waiting for them, and you will end up with unbeatable (late) summer or early autumn supper!

Recipe

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kg fresh young peas in their pods, shelled (can use 400g of frozen petits pois)

• 1.2 litres good vegetable, chicken or beef stock

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 small onion (about 100g), peeled and finely chopped

• 50-100g pancetta (salt-cured pork belly) or ham, cubed

• 250g risotto rice like Vialone Nano, Arborio or Carnaroli

• 40-50g Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese, freshly finely grated

• small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves (about 15g), finely chopped and some extra for garnish

• a knob of butter, optional

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Before starting to make the risotto have your boiling hot stock ready to hand for later.

Pour the oil in a low-sided pan, add finely chopped onions and cubed pancetta.

Cook for a few minutes until the onions become soft and translucent and the pancetta begins to release its fat.

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Add the peas and the chopped parsley, sauté for a few minutes, stirring constantly and making sure that the mixture does not start to stick to the bottom of the pan.

Season with black pepper and add roughly a glass of stock.

Cook the mixture over a fairly high heat so that the liquid evaporates quickly.

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Add more stock and the rice. Cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking to the pan, until the first amount of liquid is absorbed.

Start gradually adding ladles of hot stock, one at a time, allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding more.

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Cook on a medium heat, stirring almost constantly, until the rice is cooked and ready, and the mixture has a distinctly runny consistency.

Finish the dish with a typical Italian “mantecare phase” (when the rice is cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat, add a knob of butter (if using), and finely grated Parmiggiano Reggiano or Grana Padano cheese. Stir quite vigorously with a wooden spoon to obtain a creamy consistency).

Taste and adjust the seasoning with black pepper (if using) and the sea salt, but the latter might not be necessary since the stocks from the stores, generally speaking, pancetta and the cheese contain salt already.

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Serve immediately while still hot and distinctly runny in consistency.

Ladle onto the plates and sprinkle with some roughly chopped fresh parsley to garnish (optional).

Just a thought

A variation of this recipe, which further refines the dish, involves the use of the empty pea pods which get washed, placed in pan with a plenty of cold water and boiled for roughly an hour.

Then they get drained in a colander and the inside of the shells get scraped with the spoon obtaining the green paste which is added to the onion, pancetta, pea and parsley mixture.

I have not been familiar with this process and made aware that this is only done if the peas are organically produced.

Apparently, all the pesticides residues concentrate on the inside of the pea shell and the farmers are very keen on the use of the chemicals as peas are particularly susceptible to pests.

Wine suggestion

Soave Classico DOC "Vin Soave" 2022 - Inama

Chicken Stew with Simple Dumplings (Obara) Istrian Style Recipe

This dish must be one of the most comforting foods ever. It is rustic, homely, authentic, it showcases true simplicity at its best, and best of all it is incredibly easy to make.

Onions, celery, carrots, and pieces or chunks of chicken are slowly cooked until the vegetables are completely soft and the chicken slightly browned. Then the water, fresh marjoram, and the seasoning are added, and the stew is then gently boiled for less than an hour. The simple dumplings are then cooked in the hot stew giving it a slightly thicker and velvety consistency.

This dish is part of the traditional Slovenian cuisine (known as Piščančja or Kokošja obara or simply known as Obara) and is very popular up and down the country, with a different regional variations along the way. An array of vegetables (peas, celeriac, cauliflower, leeks etc.) and herbs (thyme, bay leaf, parsley) can be added to the stew. It is cooked in households on a regular basis and can sometimes be found in rustic style restaurants, and then it is eaten as independent meal (main dish).

My paternal grandmother (nona Nada) and my maternal grandfather (deda Anton) made the very best, and they always took a great care and pride to cook one of the humblest peasant dishes.

They both told me that this stew was made from the old chickens that no longer laid the eggs – so everything was used, and nothing was wasted. The meat was quite hard, and tuff and it needed hours of cooking in order to become more tender, but it did provide a very flavoursome and tasty stew. It was then served with simple flour dumplings floating elegantly on top, and sometimes an egg would be added to the basic flour batter for extra richness (one of the variations on the dumplings recipe calls for semolina flour).

This stew is one of the top favourite dishes in the family, and here I am sharing the recipe of my grandparents from Slovenian Istra.

The recipe for the dumplings used for this stew are inspired and originated from Austrian style gnocchi called Nockerel (the batter is made with eggs and flour, then they are cooked in hot boiling water and eaten as a main dish with different sauces, beef goulash being the most common one).

This gastronomic influence will come as no surprise as Slovenia is geographically very close to Austria and was once also ruled by the Austro- Hungarian Empire.

Recipe

Ingredients for the stew

Serves 4-6

• 1 big onion (about 220g), peeled and finely chopped

• 1 carrot (about 100g), peeled and finely chopped or finely grated

• 1 celery stick (about 40g), finely chopped

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 700g roughly of chicken meat like tights, drumsticks, wings, breast

  (chicken pieces that you choose can be on the bone or without, with the skin or skinless, bear in mind that the skin will give the stew more flavour but can also make it too oily and greasy and potentially unpleasant to eat).

  For this recipe I used ½ of the whole chicken and cut it in smaller random sized chunks and removed most of the skin.

• 1 generous Tbsp fresh marjoram, very finely chopped (you can also use dry marjoram)

• 1 Tbsp white flour

• 2 litres of water

• sea salt

• black pepper

  Ingredients for the dumplings

• 200g white plain flour

• 150ml roughly water

• sea salt

Method

Place the olive oil in a stewing pan and add finely chopped onions, celery, finely grated carrots, and the chicken meat.

Season with sea salt and black pepper and cook altogether, very slowly on gentle heat, stirring quite frequently until the vegetables cook down completely and become soft and the chicken is lightly brown and caramelized on the outside. This could take up to 45 minutes, but it is crucial for the success of the dish.

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Sprinkle with flour and stir, then add the water, chopped marjoram, and bring to boil.

Turn the heat down, partially cover with the lid, and cook gently for about 45 minutes.

While the stew is cooking prepare the batter for the dumplings.

Put the flour in a bowl and add a pinch of sea salt.

Gradually start pouring the water and mix with the fork until you get the consistency of a quite thick pancake batter. Beat the batter until it gets quite stiff and lump free. Set aside and leave to rest until the chicken stew is cooked.

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Taste the stew and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Remove the chicken pieces form the stew. Remove the skin and the bones.

To make the dumplings dip the spoon into the gentle boiling chicken stew (this should prevent the batter sticking to the spoon).

Simply scoop up with a side of a teaspoon a bit of batter and gently drop it in the stew (dipping the teaspoon into the hot stew will help the batter just slide off the spoon, if it does not, help yourself with another spoon).

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Repeat the process and drop the dumplings into the hot stew one by one until you finish all the batter.

Cook the dumplings for about 5 minutes in gently boiling stew (do not boil the stew aggressively).

Put back in the stew the pieces of chicken (free of bones and skin) and serve hot immediately.

Just a thought

This stew, like most stew and soups, is best made in advance.

You can keep cooked chicken stew in the fridge in an airtight container for about two days.

This dish freezes very well.

Dumplings can be made using buckwheat flour instead of white plain flour and the amount of water needs to be adjusted accordingly (different types of flour absorb different quantities of liquid).

Dumplings can also be made using the eggs. Crack one egg into a bowl and whisk gently. Add a pinch of sea salt, plain white flour and water as needed to obtain a fairly thick batter.

You can also use two eggs and white flour without the addition of water.

Wine suggestion

Alto Adige Pinot Grigio DOC "Porer" 2021 - Alois Lageder

Szegedin Goulash – Hungarian style Sauerkraut and Pork meat stew Recipe

This traditional, Hungarian in origin stew, is flavourful, hearty and comforting, made by slowly simmering sauerkraut with pork  and enriched by adding sweet ground Hungarian paprika and caraway seeds. If you are a lover of a sauerkraut, this stew could not be more perfect during colder months,  and it can easily become a vegetarian and vegan friendly dish, just by omitting the meat , however, Rosl Philpot in her book, Viennese Cookery, Hodder and Stoughton Limited 1965, indicates that this dish, “It's definitely not for dainty appetites, nor for those who dislike Sauerkraut”. 

Although this particular type of goulash is well known and famous in Hungary, it is also very popular in Germany and Austria, where it is called Szegedinergoulash,  and in all the other countries that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, including Slovenia, where this stew has established itself, and it is a very much loved dish and simply called Segedin. 

It is cooked, up and down the country with slight variations, mainly in households, although it is sometimes found on the menus in more informal family run restaurants where more rustic dishes are served. 

Variations of this stew could include the use of smoked or unsmoked lardons or sliced bacon which is fried together with the onions and the garlic and sometimes all-purpose flour would be used to thicken the stew. 

The origin of this dish is disputed and it is believed that the stew was originated in the Hungarian town of Szeged, hence the dish is called 'Szeged goulash,' the other theory leads us to believe the legend that says that the dish was accidentality invented  by the famous 19th century Hungarian poet, lawyer, and journalist  Jozseff Székély, and consequently the name of the dish could also be called Székelygulyása or  Székely Gulyás.  

The legend says the poet once walked into a guest house where he was told, due to late hours, they only had some sauerkraut and some cooked meat left. He ordered them to mix the two together and to heat it up, and this is how the sauerkraut goulash was born. 

I simply love this stew and grew up with it. My mum would always make a huge pot of it, ideally a day in advance, so all the flavours can mix well and absorb. This dish has such a distinctive aroma that when I was coming home from school, I could smell it even before I walked through the door. I knew very well that I would soon be having a very warm, comforting meal, especially welcome on cold days.   

This is an old peasant food at its very best and I am sharing here my mother's recipe. 

Recipe

Ingredients 

• 4 Tbsp olive oil or vegetable oil 

• onions (about 200g), peeled and finely chopped 

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed 

• about 500g pork shoulder or pork shoulder steaks, trimmed off excessive fat and diced 

• 1 jar of sauerkraut (about 650g drained sauerkraut) Taste the sauerkraut before cooking it, if too acidic for your liking, put it in a colander and give it a quick rinse under cold running water. 

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry 

• 1 Tbsp sweet ground Hungarian paprika, or to taste 

• 1 Tbsp tomato paste 

• ¼ Tsp caraway seeds, crushed in pestle and mortar (can use whole caraway seeds if you do not have pestle and mortar) 

• 5 black peppercorn or juniper berries 

• sea salt 

• black ground pepper 

• sour cream, for serving, optional 

Method 

Put the oil in a fairly large pan, stewing pot or casserole dish. Add finely chopped onions, crushed garlic, a pinch of sea salt and cook, on a medium-low heat stirring occasionally,  until golden in colour and soft. 

Add diced pork and brown the meat on all sides. 

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Lower the heat and add sauerkraut, bay leaf, sweet paprika, tomato paste, crushed caraway seeds, peppercorns or juniper berries, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of ground black pepper. 

Add enough water to completely cover the sauerkraut and pork, stir with a wooden spoon. 

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Bring to a boil, partially cover with the lid and gently simmer for about two hours, giving it a little stir now and again. 

Sauerkraut and pork meat stew is ready when you achieve the desired consistency, most of the liquid should evaporated but you should not end up with a dry dish. 

If you think the stew is too thick simply add some more water. If on the other hand you like your stew thicker cook further without the lid. 

Serve hot with mashed potatoes, cooked rice, bread dumplings, fried potato gnocchi crescents, boiled or oven roasted potatoes or simply with some nice rustic crunchy bread. 

Just a thought 

For this stew you can use different quantity of meat and sauerkraut, it really is a question of preference, you cannot get the recipe wrong. 

Sauerkraut and pork meat goulash will keep well in the fridge in the airtight container for up to four days and is suitable for freezing. 

If serving with a dollop of sour cream do that just before serving. 

Wine suggestion

Cannonau di Sardegna Riserva DOC “Senes” 2017 - Argiolas

Chicken Goulash traditional Istrian Recipe

This hearty, comforting, succulent, and delicious meat dish, is as rustic or as elegant as you want to make it. It is made with only a few ingredients, fresh marjoram, being one of them, which gives this dish a distinguished flavour, very often found in Istrian cooking. 

Chicken goulash is one of the most representative dishes of Slovenian Istra, known in local dialect as Kakušji šugo  or in standard Slovenian Kokošji golaž, and it is a part of Istrian Žgvacet or Žvarcet, a collective term indicating traditional stew or goulash made with different kinds of meat like chicken, beef, venison, rabbit and then cooked in a sauce. 

Nowadays, chicken goulash is prepared in the households on a regular basis, but this certainly was not the case in the past, as my nona told me. When she was a child,  meat dishes were a rare sight on the dining table, and this particular dish was no exception, served exclusively to mark special occasion and during festivities. This may be a concept a bit difficult to grasp, as in today's world chicken meat is easily affordable and accessible for most people. 

My nona also told me that in the past, in more rural settings, on small land holdings, even if not a farm, chickens were a very common sight, and were most common animal around. They roamed freely around the courtyards of the farmhouses, and kept safe during night time in fenced spaces (called in local dialect Kapunere). They were fed exclusively on corn or scraps from home grown vegetables, which made the meat particularly tasty. This was the reason, my nona explained, why a long list of ingredients were not used for this dish, as you really want to taste, elevate and appreciate the flavour of the chicken meat of such high quality. 

Old chickens, no longer able to lay eggs would “disappear” from the courtyards and appeared in pots and pans in a slightly different form. Traditionally, for this recipe, the whole chicken is used, even the parts that have very little or no meat on them like ribs, but will truly add crucial flavour to the goulash and are removed and discarded when the dish is fully cooked. 

This once festive food was accompanied by home made potato gnocchi, polenta, typical Istrian home made fresh pasta like bleki, fuzi, pljukanci or bigoli, pan-fried potatoes with onions and pancetta, or simply with some crunchy bread to soak up the sauce. This recipe for Chicken goulash can be served with mashed potatoes or oven baked potatoes, although these alternatives are slightly a less traditional, but are still quite common side dishes. These days this dish is still enjoyed in this same way!  

I am sharing here my nona's recipe, a very simple but very special recipe, as it has been in the family for generations. My nona learned how to cook this dish from her nona, and as the story goes for most of the recipes, this one also has variations and ingredients like white wine, a bit of chopped fresh tomatoes or a tablespoon of tomato concentrate, crushed garlic and other fresh herbs like a bit of finely chopped fresh rosemary, sage, basil and parsley, few celery leaves finely chopped can be added to the basic recipe. 

Recipe 

Ingredients 

Serves 4-6 

• 1 whole chicken (roaster or cockerel) 1kg-1.5kg, skinned, jointed and cut into chunks (your butcher will be more than happy to do this for you) 

  You can use just chicken thighs or drumsticks on the bone (or boneless pieces) or a combination of the two, and some chicken wings. 

  If you skin yourself, make sure you remove most of the skin to avoid the dish becoming to oily and greasy, and potentially unpleasant to eat. 

• 2 Tbsp olive oil 

• 2 medium onions (about 240g) peeled and finely chopped 

• 1 Tbsp white all purpose plain flour 

• 1 Tbsp fresh marjoram, finely chopped  (can use dry marjoram) 

• sea salt 

• black pepper 

Method 

Put olive oil, finely chopped onions, and chunks of chicken in a fairly large shallow cast iron casserole dish or frying pan. 

Add salt and pepper, and cook on a gentle heat until the onions become soft and caramelized, and meat is golden brown in colour, stir occasionally. This process should take around 45 minutes. 

If it starts catching at the bottom, add a tiny bit of water. 

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Sprinkle flour and add finely chopped fresh marjoram (or dry if using), stir with a wooden spoon. 

Add water to the pan, about ¾ full, and scrap with a wooden spoon bits and pieces that attached to the bottom and the sides of the pan. 

Simmer for a few more minutes until the sauce thickens a bit. 

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The dish is fully cooked when the sauce becomes nice and velvety in consistency, it should not be either too thick nor to watery and too thin. 

If you are using whole jointed chicken, fish out and discard pieces that you are not going to serve, like knuckles and chunks of ribs for example. 

Taste and adjust seasoning with sea salt and black pepper. 

Serve hot with potato gnocchi , soft cooked or grilled polenta, typical Istrian home made fresh pasta like bleki, fuzi, pljukanci or bigoli, pan-fried potatoes with onions and pancetta , mashed or oven roasted potatoes or simply with some crunchy bread to soak up the sauce. 

Wine suggestion

Provincia di Pavia Pinot Nero IGT “Junior” 201 - Monsupello

Lamb Peka – One pot slow roasted lamb with potatoes and vegetables Istrian style Recipe

The word Peka, in Slovenian (also called črpinja) and in Croatian, refers to a large metal baking dish with a lid that resembles a bell-shaped dome but it is also a name given to the finished dish (lamb peka, octopus peka etc.) cooked with this very ancient method (in an open fireplace) and the oldest roasting technique which ensures the slow and even cooking as hot coals and embers are placed on top of the dome.

Any Peka type of recipe, traditionally, is usually for a large number of people, when family and friends come together to mark a special occasion. It is a very informal and rustic way of cooking, and yet, feels very special and celebratory. Various types of meats and poultry, as well as fish, octopus being the most popular choice, can be cooked this way, always paired with potatoes and vegetables to soak up the juices, preparation for which takes minimal effort but offers a spectacular one pot meal feast and an unforgettable experience.

Food prepared with the “peka method” recipe, typically found in Slovenian and Croatian Istria and along Dalmatian coast, will give you the finished dish that it is neither baked or cooked, but something in between, will be slightly crispy outside and very tender inside, it falls apart and almost melts in your mouth.

Most of you, including myself, as I currently live in England, will not have the possibility to make this dish with the authentic and traditional peka method, but where there is a will there is a way.

Here I am sharing with you the recipe for lamb peka in the oven, using a Dutch oven or cast iron casserole dish, even a baking tray and aluminium foil will do, that will give us the possibility to come as close as we can can to a “real deal lamb peka”, just as delicious and aromatic!

This is probably the easiest recipe for the “roast”, you can use chicken thighs, or smaller chunks of any other meat, lamb chops for example, in which case the cooking time will be between 1 -2 hours.

You really need to adjust the cooking time according to the type and size of the meat you are using.

Serve this dish hot, place the pot in the centre of the table and make sure there is plenty of crunchy bread to soak up the juices, prepare a mixed salad to accompany the dish, and you are ready to go.

Try this recipe, this is one of those dishes you will get a lot of 'oohs' and 'aahs'!

Ingredients

Serves 6 people

• 2 – 2.5kg lamb meat (lamb shoulder with bone in or leg of lamb) For this recipe I used shoulder of lamb with the bone weighing 2.350kg.

• 1kg baby potatoes (or regular potatoes, peeled and quartered)

• 1 medium onion (about 150g) peeled and quartered (you can use red onion or shallots)

• 3 cloves of garlic, peeled

• carrots (about 150g) peeled and cut into chunks

• small courgette (about 220g) cut into chunks

• small aubergine (about 240g) quartered

• small green pepper (about 130g) deseeded and quartered

• fresh rosemary sprig

• 100ml white wine, optional

• sea salt

• black ground pepper

Method

Marinating the meat (optional)

Before making this dish you can marinate the meat the evening before for extra flavour (I always do it but this is not necessary).

Put the lamb in a container, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and with your hands rub the oil into the meat.

Season with sea salt and pepper and add 2 peeled cloves of garlic and some fresh herbs like rosemary and sage.

Close the lid, put in the fridge for a few hours or ideally overnight.

Take the meat out of the fridge and bring it to the room temperature at least an hour before cooking it.

Preheat the oven to 170C static or equivalent.

Prepare the vegetables, wash them, quarter them or cut them into bigger chunks (if you are using baby potatoes cut the bigger ones in half lengthwise).

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Place the potatoes and roughly half of the vegetables in the Dutch oven, stick the fresh rosemary sprig in the middle of the potatoes and vegetables, season with sea salt and black pepper, pour white wine if using, and place the meat on the top.

Arrange the rest of the vegetables around the meat.

Close Dutch oven with the lid, or cover well with the aluminium foil if using a baking tray, put in the oven and bake for 4 hours until the meat becomes so tender it falls off the bone.

Turn the meat half way cooking time.

Remove the meat from the Dutch oven or baking tray, and wrap it into the aluminium foil to rest and keep warm.

While the lamb is resting, take a big spoon and scoop/spoon out the excessive fat.

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Return the Dutch oven or baking tray back in the oven (without the lid or aluminium foil) and bake further for a few minutes allowing the potatoes to colour a bit and and liquids to dry.

Take the potatoes and the vegetables from the oven, unwrap the lamb, place it back in the Dutch oven, or tray, on top of the potatoes and vegetables.

Place the pot in the middle of the table and serve or let everyone help themselves.

Just a thought

You can play around with this recipe a bit, use the vegetables that you particularly like and adjust the quantity of the potatoes and the vegetables according to the size of a pot or a dish/tray you are using.

Wine suggestion

Alto Adige Cabernet Riserva DOC 2019 - Alois Lageder

Venison Stew with red wine and fresh herbs - Istrian Recipe

Venison goulash is simply a lovely dish, perfect for colder days, and is very comforting and warming. It is slow cooked and braised for a long time with onions, garlic, fresh herbs, juniper berries, and red wine until the meat becomes so soft and tender it almost melts, and falls apart easily.

Venison meat, as it is very lean and low in saturated fat, works great in recipes requiring long cooking times which prevents drying the meat too much and helps to further develop the flavour.

Venison goulash is a great alternative to most common lamb or beef stews cooked on a more regular basis, and it is really super delicious as venison meat is packed with flavour because wild deer feed on apples, chestnuts, fruits, berries and acorns.

Venison Stew with Bread Dumplings

I am sharing here my paternal grandmother's recipe that has been in the family since .... forever. I grew up eating game meat that was provided very generously by my paternal grandfather's friends who were hunters. My nono, as I used to call him, would provide his hunter friends with a delicious extra virgin olive produced by him, and in exchange he would receive venison meat, an easy, uncomplicated trade, which everyone seemed to be happy with, especially the beneficiaries of the cooked venison goulash!

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1kg stewing venison (I used ready-cubed venison for stewing and a small shank)

• 4 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 medium size onion (about 180g), peeled and finely chopped

• 2 big (or 4 small) cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

• 2 Tbsp tomato purée

• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour

• 100 ml red wine

• 1 small whole carrot, peeled

• few juniper berries (about 4), crushed

• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary, made in bouquet garni or leaves picked and finely chopped

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry, made in bouquet garni or just placed in a pot

• few fresh sage leaves, made in bouquet garni or finely chopped

• sea salt

• black pepper, freshly ground

Method

In a large pot put the oil, finely chopped onions, a pinch of salt, and cook on a gentle heat, stirring quite often, until the onions are soft.

Add crushed garlic and cook for a further minute.

Add the venison meat, turn up the heat a bit and brown it and seal it on all sides, stirring and turning quite frequently.

Pour in the pot red wine and deglaze the pan, scrap with the wooden spoon all the bits and pieces that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Stir in the flour, add tomato purée, a carrot, juniper berries, bouquet garni or finely chopped herbs, sea salt and black pepper.

Add water, just enough to cover the meat, bring to boil, turn the heat down and gently simmer for about 2-3 hours, with the lid partially uncovered, or until the meat falls apart easily.

Keep an eye on the goulash during the simmering, and add splashes of water if you think it gets too thick and dry.

On the contrary, if you think the sauce is too thin, make a paste with some more flour and a bit of water, and add as much of the paste to venison goulash as needed to thicken the sauce.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Serve hot with some crusty bread, potato gnocchi, soft cooked polenta or grilled polenta, mashed, boiled or roasted potatoes, rice or with bread dumplings.

Just a thought

This is a great dish to make ahead of time and suitable for freezing.

If you have a bit of leftover goulash, shred the meat and use it as a venison ragù, delicious served with your favourite shape of pasta or potato gnocchi.

Wine suggestion

Teroldego Rotaliano DOC 2019 - De Vescovi Ulzbach

Home made Baked Beans Istrian Recipe

Home made baked beans is one of the most humble staple dishes in Slovenian Istra, the peninsula located at the head of the Adriatic Sea. This dish is nutritious, as full of fibre and protein, wholesome, super delicious, cheap and simple to make, and what it may lack in appearance it most certainly makes up in flavour.

This dish is classic comfort food, quintessentially rustic, a truly peasant food since it used to be made by farmers during colder months to help them to get warm, and to partially replenish their energy used up during the very hard, physical and laborious jobs required in the fields during the day.

This borlotti beans casserole is made with beautifully caramelized onions and sautéed pancetta and flavoured with garlic, bay leaf and a touch of tomato paste, it is typically served with polenta or crusty bread and a fantastic companion to grilled meats.

My nona grew up with this dish, as borlotti beans were consistently cooked as a part of the Mediterranean diet, the recipe was passed down to my father who adored baked beans and would prepare them regularly when there was a family barbecue, normally in such a huge quantities that we would eat them on a toasted bread for days to follow, nobody seemed to mind or complained about it, on the contrary...

This home made baked beans are known in standard Slovenian as Praženi Fižol, but the locals would refer to this dish simply in the dialect as Pražen Fežu.

This very traditional dish calls for dry borlotti beans, but you can use canned beans to cut down on time without compromising the deliciousness of the final dish, it can also be made with or without the meat component, in which case, this version makes an excellent vegetarian and vegan meal option.

I am sharing here the traditional, local family recipe which uses only few simple ingredients, however, you can take this dish slightly off the beaten track and jazz it up a bit by adding few chilli flakes or powdered sweet or smoked Hungarian paprika, which will give a more “Imperial” and “Balcanic” flavour. My father attempted this only once and was severely told off by his mother, my famous nona, for “corrupting” the traditional recipe making it too “exotic” for her to eat, this version of baked beans, although very delicious indeed, was never cooked again by my father in her presence...

Whether you go for a traditional or more exotic version of the recipe for home made baked beans, give it a go, a store bought tinned baked beans might just become a thing of a past...

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

• 500g dry borlotti beans, (or other dry beans of your choice) soaked overnight or for about 8 hours

  For this recipe you can also use tinned borlotti beans or other tinned beans of your choice 4 x 400g)

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

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

• 100g pancetta, (smoked or unsmoked) thinly sliced and chopped

• You can replace pancetta for smoked or unsmoked bacon or lardons

• 1 Tsp white all purpose flour

• 2 Tbsp tomato paste

• 2 bay leaves (fresh or dry)

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Place dry borlotti beans, or other dry beans of your choice, in a big bowl, cover completely with plenty of cold water and soak for about 8 hours or overnight.

Drain soaked beans in a colander and rinse with cold running water.

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Transfer soaked beans in a pot.

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Add plenty of cold water, to completely cover the beans, a bay leaf and bring to boil.

Turn the heat down to medium-low and cook the beans for about 1 -1 ½ hour or until the beans are fully cooked and soft but not falling apart. Skim any foam if it rises to the surface. Towards the end of cooking time add sea salt.

Fish out the bay leaf and discard. Turn the heat off, leaving the pot with the beans in their liquid on the stovetop for later use.

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Put extra virgin olive oil in a fairly large and deep skillet or casserole dish (both preferably non stick). Add finely chopped onion, crushed garlic, finely sliced and chopped pancetta or similar, if using, and sauté on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions become soft and translucent.

Add the flour and stir well with the onion, garlic and pancetta mixture.

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With the slotted spoon, (or a regular big serving spoon) transfer the beans to the skillet with the onion, garlic and pancetta mixture.

Pour the liquid from the beans into the skillet to completely cover the beans. If you are left with more liquid from the beans as needed at this stage, keep it aside and do not discard it. You might use it later on, if the beans during the cooking process get too dry. On the contrary, if you end up using all the liquid from the beans, and the beans get too dry, you can simply use water.

Add sea salt, black pepper, bay leaf, tomato paste and bring to a gentle boil.

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Lower the heat and gently simmer for about 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Serve hot or at room temperature.

Just a thought

Home made baked beans are suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Schiava Alto Adige DOC "Kolbenhofer" 2020 - Hofstater

Braised Pheasant with fresh herbs Recipe

Braised pheasant is a fantastic winter warmer, comforting and hearty, made with only few fresh ingredients evoking seasonal flavours.

First, the pheasant meat is browned and then slowly cooked with fresh herbs in a beautiful sauce allowing the meat to be tenderised.

This simple and rustic dish offers and provides full and rich but delicate flavour and it is best made ahead of time as it improves when cooked in advance and then re-heated gently before serving.

Braised pheasant has been a very much loved traditional dish in Slovenian Istra where its gentle landscape has provided many opportunities for hunting, a pheasant representing one of the foremost preys among the local hunters.

This area was once part of The Republic of Venice, and it is believed that this gamebird with oriental plumage, was introduced to the West via Venice, as this majestic city had very close links with the Byzantine empire.

Moreover, some sources report that the name pheasant, Fasan, in venetian dialect, and Fazan, in standard Slovenian, comes from the fact that the pheasant was originally a native of the river Phasis in Colchis (in present day Western Georgia).

Cooking pheasant meat, in general, used to be a rare treat and was reserved for festivities and very special occasions, and although nowadays pheasant meat is a bit more accessible and affordable, it is still served to mark more special events, and is not presented on your plate as a average midweek dinner. Pheasant dishes can be enjoyed and found on menus in formal and informal restaurants during autumn and winter pheasant hunting months.

Braised pheasant is a very much appreciated dish in the family and here I am sharing my nona and my mother's recipe.

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 2 small pheasants (about 1.5kg) jointed (your butcher will be more than happy to do this for you)

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 medium onion (about 150g), roughly chopped

• 2 celery sticks (about 40g), finely chopped

• carrot (about 50g), finely grated

• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed

• sea salt

• ground black pepper

• 1 fresh rosemary spring (tied with the cooking string as this makes it easier to remove after cooking and prevents the needles to fall off the spring)

• 2-3 fresh sage leafs

• 100 ml white wine

• chicken or vegetable stock (can use just water) It is perfectly fine to use a good quality instant stock .

Method

In a heavy, lidded casserole pan add extra virgin olive oil, chopped onions, finely grated carrot, finely chopped celery sticks, crushed garlic, jointed pheasants and mix well.

On a low and gentle heat, fry, stirring occasionally and moving around the meat. Scrape the bits off the bottom of the pan with the wooden spoon if it starts to catch to avoid burning (this will get deglazed later and become part of the sauce).

This stage of very gently frying and browning the meat on all sides can take up to one hour (the longer you brown the meat the darker the sauce will be).

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Deglaze the pan with white wine and let it completely evaporate.

Add fresh spring of rosemary, fresh sage leafs and stock or water, just enough to cover halfway up.

Place the casserole pan over a medium heat and bring to a simmering point.

Cover with a lid, lower the heat and gently simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally, until the pheasant meat is tender and cooked through. Cooking the pheasant with the lid covered partially or completely will ensure the pheasant meat stays moist as the moisture will be kept in the pan, gently steaming the meat during the simmering process.

If excess fat is formed during cooking process skim it off using a spoon.

Remove rosemary spring and sage leafs.

Taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

If the sauce is too liquidy, increase the heat allowing it to reduce and thicken slightly. On the contrary, if the sauce has a thick consistency dilute it a bit with the stock or water.

Serve hot with soft cooked or grilled polenta, mashed potato, potato gnocchi, egg based pasta like bleki or simply nice fresh crunchy rustic style bread to soak up the juices.

Just a thought

This is a great dish to make ahead of time and suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali Merlot DOC 2017 - Livio Felluga