Egg frittata with wild herbs Istrian Recipe

Egg frittata with wild herbs is a very simple and rustic dish, quick to make and a perfect recipe choice for an easy and uncomplicated midweek or weekend lunch, dinner, brunch or breakfast.

It is delicious when eaten hot, but equally very tasty at room temperature or cold, it can be made ahead, providing a great picnic solution, and frittata cut into small bite size pieces will make a brilliant finger food feeding larger groups served together with some drinks.

This humble frittata is a very traditional dish in the Slovenian Istra where I grew up, it is similar to an omelette, it is Italian in origin (Italian word frittata roughly translates to “fried”) and to me, is more than just a quick meal solution.

This type of frittata together with other two most common variations (frittata with dry sausage and frittata with wild asparagus and pancetta) represent a real speciality in Slovenian Istra which, due to close geographical proximity to Italy, made this dish very popular and is referred by locals as Fritaia de erbe, Fritaja, Fritata or Frtalja, Fritaia, and all of these words derive from the Venetian word fritaia, given Venice's domination of the region.

Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers loved all variations of frittata and would have them for merenda (a dialect word, from Italian meaning snack) indicating in the past a quite substantial late morning breakfast (a slightly less sophisticated version of a “modern” brunch) for pheasants, farmers, fishermen and workers. They all started work at dawn, so by mid morning, when they finished working, and before returning home for lunch, they were all quite hungry, and more than ready to have some food to replenish the energy. Nowadays, merenda indicates a light mid morning or mid afternoon snack, that can be savoury or sweet, and of course, children always push for a sweet option...

Both my grandfathers would pick up wild herbs (spring providing the widest range) when returning home from spending a morning working in their vegetable gardens, orchards or olive groves, in which case egg frittata with wild herbs would be prepared for lunch or dinner.

Wild herbs frittata and other types of frittata were for a long time considered a dish for only the poorest people, but thanks to new gastronomic traditions, they are very proudly back on the menus of many homes and restaurants, and given the true dignity they deserve. They are quick and cheap to prepare, have low caloric intake, and are abundant with nutrients from freshly picked herbs in the local area.

I am sharing here a very easy family recipe for this modest frittata. All you need to do is take a nice walk in the natural world around you - forests, meadows etc., and pick some seasonal wild herbs. What can be easier than that?

Well, if you are mainly in an urban area, you can skip the walk and use store bought baby spinach, wild rocket, some fresh basil and flat leaf parsley and you are ready to go...

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 100g-150g (about 4 full handfuls) fresh mixed wild herbs, washed and finely chopped

  In this recipe I used wild garlic leaves, wild fennel, stinging nettle, dandelion leaves, mint, chives, lemon balm, sage, marjoram, flat leaf parsley, basil.

  You can also use store bought baby spinach, wild rocket, any combination, proportion does not really matter as long as you have more or less the total amount of fresh herbs stated in the ingredients list.

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 8 medium sized eggs (in this recipe I calculated 2 eggs per person)

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Wash thoroughly fresh mixed herbs, dry them using a salad spinner, if you have one.

Finely chop the herbs and set aside.

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Crack the eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk well, add sea salt and black pepper.

Add finely chopped herbs into a mixing bowl and mix well with the egg mixture.

Put extra virgin olive oil in a fairly large non stick frying pan (28cm or 30cm) and heat it up a bit.

Pour the egg and wild herbs mixture into a pan, cover with a lid (glass lid with steam hole works very well if you have it) and cook on a gentle heat.

The frittata is ready and cooked when the underside is set and the egg mixture on the surface no longer has “runny and raw” consistency.

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Hold a plate upside-down over the pan and turn the two over together so that the frittata inverts on to the plate. Slide the frittata back into the pan and cook for a further minute or so.

Fresh herbs frittata can be eaten and enjoyed warm, room temperature or cold and will make a complete meal accompanied by some salad, fresh crunchy bread, soft cooked or grilled polenta and it also makes a great sandwich filler.

If you want to enjoy it Istrian style, pour yourself a small glass of red wine.

Just a thought

This type of frittata will keep in the fridge in an air tight container for about two days and is not suitable for freezing.

In this recipe, I have chosen to cook the frittata in a traditional way, on the stove with a lid, as my family has always used this method. 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

Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla DOC 2021 - Torre Rosazza

Venetian-style Calf's liver with caramelised onions Recipe

Venetian style liver with onions, Fegato alla Veneziana, consists of thinly sliced liver cooked very quickly and combined with soft, mellow, sweet and caramelised onions, and gently sprinkled with fresh parsley, with white wine being sometimes added to balance the flavours.

It is nowadays acclaimed dish worldwide and it is one of the most classic and traditional Venetian dishes, but is has very humble and modest origins as it was created out of necessity and hunger which originally drove people to eat inner organs of fowls and beasts with great enjoyment.

If you ever had a chance to visit Venice and wondered around the calli (very narrow streets in Venice) you will be able to notice that just about every authentic family run restaurant will display on its menu Fegato alla Veneziana.

Venetian-style calf's liver is a recipe that not only is a staple dish in Venice, but also in the whole region of Veneto. It is also so popular “across the border” in Slovenian Istra, where I come from, that it has become part of a very strong gastronomic tradition there (Polenta z jetrci, Palenta z jetrci or Polenta e fegadini). This is quite understandable since its local recipes and eating habits were significantly shaped by the very lengthy presence of The Most Serene Republic of Venice in the region.

This dish, in its simplicity, when cooked properly, is simply divine, and might be enjoyed even by those who normally are not so keen on liver and thought they did not like it, and that is simply because organ meats unfortunately are very often not very well prepared and overcooked, a process which toughens the texture of the meat and accentuates the “mineral, or irony” taste of the organ meat.

Calf liver, compared to other types of liver, is delicate in flavour, tender and has a very high content of iron.

I am sharing here the recipe that has been in the family since forever - so, just try it, and I am sure that this dish will be nothing like any other liver dishes you might have had in the past and disliked. I encourage you to be brave and open minded, but if your aversion to organ meats is really strong you might just want to skip this post.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g very fresh calf's liver, trimmed and sliced into thin strips

• 500g onions, peeled and thinly sliced

• 8 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (you can use neutral tasting oil of your choice or butter or a combination)

• 100 ml white wine (optional)

• handful of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 5-10g), roughly chopped

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

If you are bothered by the slight bitter flavour from the liver a great way of reducing it, is to soak the liver in a dish or bowl of milk for about 1 hour, or overnight. Discard the milk after the soaking process.

Put extra virgin olive oil and thinly sliced onions in a fairly large frying pan and add a generous pinch of sea salt.

Slowly cook the onions on a gentle heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft, translucent, well wilted and caramelised. In order to prevent the onions getting too much colour and brown regulate the heat and maybe add a bit of water or wine to help the onions to wilt well and caramelize better. Be patient, this process might take up to 40minutes but it is crucial for the success of this dish.

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When the onions are cooked completely and ready push them on the side of the frying pan and turn up the flame. Add the strips of liver and over high heat sauté and cook quickly just for a few minutes, mixing and turning liver strips regularly, until they loose their raw colour. Mix the onions and liver together.

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Add finely chopped parsley, taste and adjust the seasoning with sea salt and black pepper.

Transfer cooked liver onto a serving plate, lightly sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh parsley and serve warm immediately.

If using white wine, deglaze the frying pan by pouring a good splash of wine and scrape up with the wooden spoon all the bits that have formed. Reduce the wine to the consistency of a syrup and pour over the liver.

Serve on soft cooked creamy polenta, grilled polenta, mashed potatoes or simply a nice crunchy bread to soak up the juices.

Just a thought

If you happen to have some left over cooked livers you can make a very delicious and economic liver pâté.

Simply weight the amount of left over livers, chop them very finely (if you like small bits in your pâté) and add the same same amount of very soft unsalted butter. Mix together and here is your Venetian style liver pâté, delicious spread on crostini (toasted bread).

If you prefer the pâté with a very smooth consistency place both livers and butter into a small food processor and mix until the mixture resembles smooth paste (you can also use a hand blender).

Wine suggestion

Valpolicella Ripasso Classico Superiore DOC 2019 - Speri

Venetian style Sardines in Savor (Marinated Fried Sardines)

Marinated sardines is a classic and quintessentially Venetian dish, where sardines are lightly fried and then marinated in onion and vinegar mixture. It is prepared and found on Venetian menus (Sarde in saòr) where typical humble dishes are served all year round The name of the dish comes from the Venetian word saòr, meaning sapore in standard Italian, which translates as flavour, and refers to the fact that the flavour of the marinated fish is elevated by the use of good quality wine vinegar.

This dish originated simply out of necessity, when the catch of the fish was particularly abundant and plentiful, people had to figure out how to preserve food to be able to eat it for days without going bad, as the refrigeration had not yet been invented.

This Venetian dish in origin is also very popular and became a staple dish along the coast of the Slovenian Istra, where local gastronomy was strongly shaped and influenced by the Venetian cuisine, and this is of no surprise, as this land was once part of The Republic of Venice who “left behind” the recipe for marinated sardines and enriched the food habits of the locals, who refer to this dish as Sardele in savor (Sardele na šavor in standard Slovenian) and serve it as a cold starter or sometimes as main. It is made all year round but particularly pleasant to eat cold during the hot summer months due to its refreshing taste.

Unlike the Venetian variety of this dish, Istrian marinated sardines do not include the use of pine nuts or raisins, testimony to the introduction of expensive and unusual ingredients in noble Venice due to a its strong trading activity with the East.

More humble and poorer Istrian variation, to offer extra flavour to this dish, introduced the use of fresh parsley and Mediterranean herbs like rosemary and bay leaves growing in abundance along the coast, instead of pine nuts and raisins, difficult to find and expensive, and therefore out of reach for most households. This variation also introduced the use of red wine vinegar, home made and produced in most households, instead of white wine vinegar, type of vinegar solely used in Venetian recipe.

This dish is customarily made with sardines (small ones are particularly suitable) but can be made with other types of fish like sprats, called papaline (Venetian word) by the locals and mackerel being most popular and most common alternative to sardines, and fillets of more prestigious fish like sea bream and sea bass can also be considered.

Once, this was food for the poor, nowadays is a delicacy and a speciality very much appreciated for their unique flavour and highly valued for nutritional content, especially in Slovenian Istra, where, unlike in Venice, this dish, although very traditional in the area, is not easily available in the restaurants, but almost exclusively made in the households.

My nona told me a lovely story, when she was only twenty two years old and got married she moved into the house, where she still currently lives, not very far away from the sea, and during the hot summer nights, the windows would be kept wide open in the hope to get some fresh breeze from the sea to cool the bedrooms to make it easier to sleep.

She could very clearly hear, in the middle of the night, the sound of very small fishing boats leaving the port and going out in the open sea to fish, this is the sound that she remembers as a very special and nostalgic one, and this is because she can no longer hear these sounds, as the majority of those small boats were replaced by only few commercial bigger fishing boats. These days they struggle for a few big catches since over the years the the sea has been depleted of fish. Sadly, fishing has become very difficult and complicated, and so is not very appealing to the younger generations.

I am sharing here my nona's recipe, this is the dish she grew up with, and the one she recalls was also made by her grandmother. This is a traditional, local and authentic family recipe for Istrian style marinated sardines. However, if you wish to “jazz up” this recipe a bit, and make it more “noble” and Venetian, you can add 50g of pine nuts and 50g raisins (previously soaked in lukewarm water for few minutes to help them become more plump).

Ingredients

Serves 4-6

• 1 kg very fresh sardines, cleaned (scaled, gutted, heads and central bone removed and butterflied)

  (ask fishmonger to prepare them for you if uncomfortable with the task)

• all purpose flour (quantity enough to flour the sardines)

• 400 ml frying oil

• 5 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 500 g onions, peeled and thinly sliced

• 5 whole black peppercorns

• 1 Tbsp white dry breadcrumbs

• 100 ml white or red wine vinegar

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry

• 1 small fresh rosemary spring

• very generous pinch of fresh flat leaf parsley (about 2g), finely chopped

• sea salt

Method

Cut the heads of the sardines, gut them and remove the central bone. Butterfly the sardines, rinse them well under cold running water and pat dry thoroughly with the kitchen paper.

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Coat them in flour and shake off flour in excess.

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Place frying oil in a frying pan, heat it up and fry gently and quickly the sardines, 2 minutes on each side is sufficient. They should have a light, not very crunchy, coating coating.

Drain well on a kitchen paper.

Season well with sea salt and set aside.

Peel the onions and slice them thinly.

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In a separate frying pan, ideally non stick, put extra virgin olive oil and heat a bit.

Add the onions and cook them on a very gentle heat until they become very soft and translucent, stirring often to avoid getting too brown.

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Add black peppercorns, breadcrumbs, bay leaf, small fresh rosemary spring, finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley.

Pour in wine vinegar and enough water to completely cover the onion mixture.

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Cook the onion and vinegar mixture on a gentle heat for about 20 minutes. The sauce should slightly thicken and reduce a little, but you should still be left with quite a bit of liquid.

If too much liquid has evaporated during the cooking add a bit more water.

Take a serving dish and alternate layers of onions in the vinegar mix and fried sardines.

Repeat the process of layering until the dish is full. The number of layers will depend on the size of your serving dish but the last layer should be onion and vinegar mix.

If you are left with a bit of vinegary liquid from the onion mixture just pour it over the layers.

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Place the dish in a fridge or a cool place for at least 24 hours or a couple of days, so the sardines marinate well and absorb all the flavours.

The longer you leave to marinate the better it will taste, but bare in mind that the fish will keep for up to a week.

Wine Suggestion

Collio Sauvignon Doc 2020 Draga

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

Fritole - Istrian small doughnuts Recipe

Fritole are a type of small fried doughnuts made of thick batter-like dough enriched with raisins and served warm covered in icing sugar, they are light and crunchy on the outside and soft and aromatic on the inside, they just melt in your mouth.

This sinfully delicious and fragrant little delights have a very deep connection with Christian, especially Catholic liturgical festivities like the Carnival season, the time of the year in which eating in excess, and gastronomic indulgence was allowed by the Church before the start of fasting and austerity during Lent, and ending with Easter.

In Venice, where this sweet treats are a synonym of Carnival, fritole used to be prepared and served strictly during the days of Carnival. Nowadays, they appear not only in Venice but also in the region of Veneto and north-east region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy, and Istria where fritole are also very popular and start appearing as soon as Christmas festivities are over and remain around on offer as a irresistible sweet temptation until Ash Wednesday begins the Lent season.

However, on the coastal part of Slovenian Istra, once being part of what was called, ‘The most Serene Republic of Venice,’ fritole hold a very special place on Christmas Eve and this is when my nona would make fritole as the tradition called upon her to do.

In dialect they could also be called Fritle, Fritule or miške, meaning little mice in standard Slovenian, as when you drop the batter in hot oil, there is a little trail on the end, resembling little mice.

My father adored them and everyone in the family simply loves fritole, and whoever also grew up with fritole knows this very well. I am sure they can share with me the fact that they get eaten far faster than they can ever be made! When my nona started to get ready for the frying process, the kitchen would suddenly get crowded, we would get louder, and more excited, and our eyes would sparkle with joy just waiting in anticipation for them to be finished, and ready to eat!

My nona would be carefully scooping fritole out of hot oil and they would be disappearing in front of her yes and my nona, being incredibly experienced and fast could hardly keep up with us.

My nona made fritole with raisins but like most recipes fritole have few variation where pine nuts, cinnamon and candied fruit is added to a basic batter.

We would eventually get full, our greediness would decrease, the kitchen would be less noisy and less crowded but she kept frying, ending up layering the fritole on a big plate and dusting them with sugar looking like a snowy mountain, and this vision will stay with me forever...

She would then lovingly packed them for us to take home...

I am miles away from her kitchen, and years have passed by, but when I close my eyes I get transported immediately right back there ... I can smell and feel all of it, and in the stillness of these thoughts I can fully recollect all the nostalgic flavours, and the emotions so closely tied to my family.

My nona is now 93 years old, and her hands sadly are no longer able to make fritole, and so I feel privileged to be have learned how to make them from her, and since she gave me the family recipe, I am to able to keep making them and keep this family tradition alive.

This is why for me these sweet treats hold a very special place in my heart, they are more than just another recipe, they are part of who I am, and who I have become as a person ...

I am sharing here my nona's recipe that was passed down to her by her nona, and so try to make them, and delight your family and friends.

Ingredients

Makes about 40 small doughnuts

• 400g plain flour

• 3 eggs, (room temperature) beaten

• 50g granulated sugar

• 60-70g raisins or sultanas

• 3 Tsp fast action dried yeast (also called instant yeast) or 40 g of fresh yeast

• 250ml milk, lukewarm (full fat or semi skimmed)

• 4 Tbsp of dark rum or grappa

• finely grated lemon zest of one unwaxed lemon

• sea salt, a pinch

• sunflower or corn oil for frying

• icing sugar for dusting

Method

Put the raisins in a small bowl, add warm water to completely cover and soak them for at least 20 minutes or until they plump up.

In a large bowl place the flour, beaten eggs, sugar, pinch of salt, yeast, grated lemon zest.

Gradually start adding the milk, mixing constantly until all the ingredients are well incorporated and you end up with a sticky dough that will be soft but thick resembling batter-like dough or a thick cake mix.

Adjust the dough by adding more milk if the dough is too thick, on the contrary, if you find the dough too runny add a bit more flour.

Add to the dough drained soaked raisins (squeeze out the all the excess liquid).

Cover the bowl with cling film or clean tea towel and place it in a warm place free of drafts from any open window.

Let the dough rest for at least 1 hour.

After this time the dough should rise a bit and have a bubbly surface.

Take a medium- sized deep skillet. Add the oil and heat it up over a medium heat to about 180C.

(If you do not have a thermometer, drop a cube of bread into the oil, it is ready when bread turns golden brown in 15 seconds).

Fritole are fried by dropping a small spoonfuls of dough/batter into the hot oil.

Take two tablespoons, with the first spoon scoop up the sticky dough from the bowl, with the second spoon slip off the dough from the first spoon into the hot oil.

Do not overcrowd the skillet with fritole and fry them in small batches, a few at the time, (4-6) this will obviously depend on the size of your pan. Fry them on both sides, fitole are fried in no time, about a minute on each size, so help them to flip over by using a fork or some tongs, however fritole will sometimes flip over themselves.

Whne you drop the batter/dough into a hot oil they will most probably not form perfect shaped balls but instead will leave a little trail on the end.

Fry until dark-ish brown in colour, puffed and well cooked through. I suggest you do a little test to make sure they are not raw inside. Simply open up a cooked fritola, if still gooey inside the oil is probably too hot and the heat too high.

Line a large plate with absorbent kitchen paper towels. Drain fried fritole with a slotted spoon and transfer them on a plate.

Allow the fritole to cool a bit.

Dust them with icing sugar or roll them in caster sugar.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Just a thought

Fritole are to best enjoyed served still warm, however they are still delicious at room temperature.

Fritole can be warmed up in a microwave or in the oven. My nona put a plate of fritole on the radiator.

Wine suggestion

Moscato del Veneto IGT "Dindarello"2020 - Maculan'

Creamed salted cod (or stockfish) Recipe

Venetian in origin, this light and creamy, almost mousse like spread, it is one of the most loved dishes, due to its very mild fishy flavour and no bones to worry about, and so it covers the whole family from the youngest children to the oldest members.

Spread on fresh or toasted slices of bread or it can be eaten with polenta, and it is a very convenient dish since it is served cold and it is prepared in advance. Creamed salted cod is rustic but it can soon turn into very elegant canapé served with a pre dinner drink.

I think that this recipe is one of the greatest recipes ever invented! Quite frankly, it takes a bit of a genius to turn an uneatable dry stockfish, which looks utterly unappealing, and is as dry as a plank of wood, into the most luxurious and delicious dishes ever created.

Venetian creamed cod, known in Italy as Baccalà mantecato, is a real speciality and a staple dish in Venice, where it was created, and it is very much appreciated and well known in the rest of Italy. Slightly less known however in the rest of the world, creamed salted cod certainly deserves greater international praise and renown.

This dish is one of my absolute top favourites, one of those dishes I am most grateful to the Venetians to have brought with them during the time they ruled my homeland in the North Adriatic, period during which dried stockfish was first introduced in Istria in 15th century from Venetian cuisine.

In Slovenian it is called Bakala na belo or Polenovka na belo or simply called by the locals Bakala or Bakalar.

My paternal grandfather, or my nono as I called him, used to always buy stockfish at the beginning of December, I have this image in my head of the dry long stockfish sticking heavily out of the shopping bag, I knew very well that it was the start of the Christmas festivities.

This recipe is a real classic holiday and festive dish in Slovenian Istra, and holds a very special place among the locals. Dried stockfish was once a food for the poor but nowadays is a staple dish and considered a delicacy, taking central stage on household tables during Christmas and Easter as it is cooked on holy days during the fasting time and not eating meat.

Traditionally, creamed stockfish is home made and served as part of Christmas Eve dinner, together with sautéed Savoy cabbage and polenta, and Istrian fritole (small fried doughnuts), of course.

These days you can find creamed stockfish on the supermarket shelves all year round, and especially during the holiday season and Easter, but unfortunately, the sad reality is, that very often, the quality of commercially produced cod spread leaves much to be desired, as very common practice is to add lard or potatoes to increase the weight

I have very vivid memories about the process of soaking the stockfish, this huge restaurant size pot was left outside in the back garden during the night and when the temperatures plummeted below 0, the ice formed on the top, and I just loved finding the sheet of ice the following morning, and braking it into pieces. My son does the same...what is it with the children and the ice, and love for breaking it ...

My son Jakob (age 9) with his gran grandmother (age91) making creamed stockfish with the help of a standard mixer

My nono was in charge of stockfish, year, after year, after year, until he sadly passed away, then my father took over and now it is down to myself, my brother, my husband, and the children, since my father sadly is longer around. Back home, according to tradition, stockfish and the preparation of it is still a male affair, however, maybe it is time for this to change!

My nono would sit on the chair, place a big pot containing pieces of cooked cod between the legs, a bottle of olive oil would be kept very close to him for an easy and frequent reach and as tradition requests, the cooked cod would then be beaten with big and long wooden flat spoon like, known locally as polentar or bat which resembles very much a cricket bat, but in my research I have found no connection between the two types of bats!

In honour of my family but in particular in honour of my nono and my father I am sharing here this very special generational family recipe. Give it a go, you will love it!

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 500g salted cod or 1 dry stockfish

• 170ml extra virgin olive oil (the very best you can afford) plus a bit of extra as needed

• 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled

• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dry

• fresh flat leaf parsley (about 7g) finely chopped, optional

• sea salt, to taste

Method

For this recipe you can use either salted cod or dry stockfish, both need to be soaked and rehydrated first.

If you are using salted cod (I used this type for the recipe) first you need to rinse well the salted cod under very cold running water and soak it. Place rinsed cod in an airtight container, fill it completely with freezing cold water, and with some ice, if you have it, so the fillets are completely submerged. Close the lid and put the container in the fridge. Change the water after 24 hours and place in the fridge for another day. After 48 hours, the cod will be completely soaked. Remove the cod from the container, rinse well with cold water and cut the fillet/s into portion size.

Place pre-soaked pieces of cod in a pan and fill it with plenty of cold water so the pieces of fish are completely submerged in the water. Add bay leaf and bring to boil.

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Turn the heat down and cook further on a gentle heat for about 20 to 30 minutes and skim the foam on the surface as needed.

After the fish is cooked drain in the colander.

As soon as it is cool enough to handle carefully remove the skin and the odd bone.

With your fingers break the flesh into smaller pieces and place them in a pan or in a bowl of a standard mixer if you are using one.

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If using a whole dried stockfish, this needs to be soaked and rehydrated first. Place the whole stockfish in a big stock pot and fill completely with cold water and soak for 2-3 days, changing the water every day. If you do not have a very big pot to fit the whole stockfish in, you can use a smaller pot, like a regular 5 litre stock pot, and then place the stockfish in a pot where half of it will probably stick out, and half will be submerged in the water. Soak the submerged part of stockfish for 24 hours and after this time the soaked part of the stockfish will get soft enough to bend, which will allow you to bend it in a such a way for the whole stockfish to be completely submerged into the water in order to get properly rehydrated. No need for rinsing as the dried stockfish is not salted.

Soaked and rehydrated cod needs then to be cooked. Place it in a stock pot, the same one you used for soaking, fill it with plenty of cold water (the whole fish needs to be completely submerged), add bay leaf and bring to boil. Lower the heat and cook further on a gentle heat until the fish is tender, for about 1 hour or just over.

Drain the fish and as soon as is cold enough to handle carefully remove the skin and all the bones.

With your fingers break the flesh into smaller pieces and place them back into in big pan or into a bowl of a standard mixer if you are using one.

Whether you have decided to use salted cod or stockfish you are now left with cooked cleaned small pieces of cod in a big pan or in a bowl of a standard mixer, again only if you are using one.

Place 5 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a small frying pan, add the garlic previously peeled and cut in half lengthwise. Fry the garlic on a gentle heat until golden in colour to infuse the oil then discard the garlic.

Add garlic infused oil to the bowl.

Now the magic can begin.

Take a wooden spoon and start beating the pieces of fish quite vigorously. If using a standard mixer, put it on the lowest and slowest setting.

Keep beating and poring gradually the rest of the oil until you obtain a whitish paste and until the creamy mixture can no longer absorb any more oil.

This action of beating and adding very gradually small quantities of oil will eventually turn the pieces of cod into a light and fluffy cream, this process, in order to get the best result, can take up to 30 minutes.

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Add sea salt to your taste and very finely 1 chopped clove of garlic, although this optional, mix well, taste, and adjust the seasoning.

Transfer cod spread on a serving plate.

Serve it accompanied with slices of fresh rustic bread, toasted slices of bread (bruschetta) or slices of grilled yellow polenta.

Wine suggestion

Venezia Giulia Malvasia IGT 2019 - Skerk

Candied Almonds Recipe

These sugar coated almonds are delicious and crunchy, and are very easy to make. It only takes a few minutes to make them, and they are ideal little sweet treats to keep in the pantry over the holidays. They also make a perfect home-made little gift for your friends and family.

Candied almonds together with the mulled wine are a reminder of the variety of offerings at Christmas markets, and are a great alternative when trying to avoid big desserts after a substantial meal, they have a “wow factor” and will impress your guests when served with tea or coffee.

My nona told me that when she was a child, sugar coated almonds, together with oranges, mandarins and other types of nuts, were very special treats, the only treats as a matter of fact, children were given during the festive season and in particular on Christmas Eve and on Christmas day.

The coast of Slovenian Istra, where I come from, is blessed with a Mediterranean climate that allows almond trees to thrive and they are commonly found in people's gardens. Almonds get harvested in autumn, then stored to be used during the winter months.

I am sharing here a basic and traditional recipe for candied almonds, how my nona's grandmother used to make them, just with sugar.

For a more “modern” and festive taste you can personalize the recipe to your liking and add a bit of cinnamon to the sugar mixture or other spices to your taste like the nutmeg, ground ginger, cardamom, and all spice, just to give you a few ideas.

Ingredients

• 200g granulated or caster sugar

• 200g whole almonds

• 100ml water

• ½ – 1 Tsp cinnamon (optional)

Method

Line a baking tray with baking parchment (or silicone sheet) and set aside.

Place the sugar, water, (and cinnamon or other spices if using) in a large pan.

Stir the mixture with the wooden spoon over a low-medium heat and let the sugar dissolve.

Bring to boil and cook gently for further 3-4 minutes or until the sugary mixture turns into a syrupy consistency.

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Add the almonds and turn the heat to medium-high.

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Stir constantly to avoid the sugar and almonds burning. During this process, it will take around 6 minutes, the water will start evaporating and the sugar will start to crystallize and stick to the almonds. You should end up with a sand like texture. When stirring make sure you go around the edged with the wooden spoon and scrape off the crystallized sugar that will form on the edge of the pan.

Continue to constantly stir and some of the crystallized sugar will start to melt, it will take roughly about 3 minutes. Try to avoid melting and caramelizing all the crystallized sugar.

You should end up with the mixture of caramelized and crystallized almonds.

Although you need medium-high heat for this process make sure the heat is not too high as it will burn the sugar and the almonds making them taste a bit bitter.

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Transfer the almonds on the baking tray, previously laid with baking parchment.

If the almonds stick to each other separate them with the spoon.

Cool the candied almonds for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Just a thought

Store sugar coated almonds in an airtight container at room temperature where they will last up to a week.

Wine suggestion

Terre Siciliane Passito IGP "Lu Disiu" 2017

Green Beans simple salad Recipe

This Green Bean salad is one of the quickest side dishes you can prepare using only four ingredients. It is incredibly simple to make, as the beans, after being cooked and still warm get tossed in delicious extra virgin olive oil and sliced garlic.

This salad, using fresh green beans, when they are in season, is an excellent choice to accompany almost any meat or fish dish.

In this recipe I slice the garlic, since this allows the option to remove it easily if someone would only like a hint of garlic flavour without a stronger one, even though traditionally the garlic is very finely chopped.

Best served still warm or at room temperature and in the summer is very refreshing dish taken out of the fridge.

This side dish is a perfect example of simplicity at its best and it has been with me as long as I can remember.

I am sharing here how it has been prepared in my family.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

• 500g fresh green beans

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (the best you can afford)

• 1 Tbsp red or white wine vinegar (can use balsamic vinegar)

• 1 clove of garlic(peeled and crushed or very finely sliced or chopped) You can replace garlic with finely sliced onion.

Method

Trim the stalk ends off the beans, place them in a colander and wash well with cold running water.

Place the beans in a pan with boiling unsalted water and cook the beans for about 15 minutes or just until al dente (tender but still with a bit of bite).

Drain well and place the beans in a large bowl. Add a pinch of sea salt, extra virgin olive oil, sliced, chopped or crushed garlic and toss well. Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve and enjoy!

Borlotti beans salad Recipe

This filling and substantial salad is traditionally made with either fresh borlotti beans when they are in season (mid to end summer and early autumn) or dried borlotti beans, during colder months when fresh borlotti beans are no longer available to buy as a seasonal produce. To make this dish even more convenient and fast, the use of good quality tinned borlotti beans is a common practice when you want to rustle up a quick meal.

Both my paternal and maternal grandfathers would take this salad to the vegetable garden and have it for lunch there with some bread and a small glass of red wine that they always kept in the garden shed.

I am sharing here the recipe for the salad, how has always been made in my family, traditionally using borlotti beans, (fresh, dried or tinned) however, you can use other types of beans if you prefer.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as part of meal

• Double the quantity of the beans if you wish to make a more substantial bean salad and serve it as a main dish for 4 people.

• 250g fresh or dried borlotti beans (when buying fresh borlotti beans in their pods you will need about 500g)

• If using dried borlotti beans, they need to be soaked overnight in a large bowl of cold water (for at least 8 hours), then drained and rinsed and then they are ready to be cooked.

• For this recipe you can also use tinned borlotti beans (one tin of borlotti beans weighing 400g will give you 250g of beans after they have been drained). If the liquid in the can is very thick, thin it out with a little bit of water and save it, as it makes integral part of the dressing.

• 1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced (you can use yellow, white or red onions, shallots or spring onions)

• fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• extra virgin olive oil, generous drizzle

• white or red wine vinegar (you can use balsamic vinegar or other types of vinegar)

• sea salt

• black pepper

• bay leaf (fresh or dry)

Method

Place fresh borlotti beans (previously taken out of their pods) or dried borlotti beans (previously soaked overnight) in a big pot and add plenty of cold water until about 3cm (just over an inch) from the top.

Add bay leaf and bring to boil. Turn down the heat and gently boil the beans uncovered for up to 1 hour or until tender. If using dried borlotti beans the cooking time will be slightly longer.

When the beans are cooked season with sea salt.

Drain cooked beans keeping a bit of their liquid.

Transfer the beans to a salad dish.

Add finely sliced onions, finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, black pepper and a bit of the liquid that you kept aside.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Enjoy warm, at room temperature or cold.

Just a thought

You can turn this simple bean salad into a more substantial meal, adding to the beans for example some tomatoes, carrots, celery, beetroot or tinned tuna, just to mention few options.

Store the bean salad in an airtight container and keep it refrigerated, it will last between 2 and 4 days.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali DOC “Friulano di Jacopo”2019 - Necotium

Mussels buzara style with garlic, parsley and white wine Istrian Recipe

This delicious, one pot recipe for mussels, is a great way to bring restaurant style mussels to your home, as is it surprisingly easy and quick to cook yourself.

This is one of the healthiest “fast foods” filled with proteins, zing and iron, makes a great appetizer or a light meal choice, above all, it is sustainable and affordable.

Mussels alla Busara (or Buzara) or Busara mussels is one of the most traditional and common ways of preparing mussels and other type of shellfish in coastal Croatia, Istria and in Italy, in Trieste, province of Trieste and in Venice.

There are two types of busara or buzara sauce, the white variation with olive oil, garlic, white wine, fresh parsley and breadcrumbs and the red variation where finely chopped onions and tomatoes are added to the sauce, a variation very commonly used with langoustines.

This is lovely way of cooking mussels as during the steaming process they release their juices and together with the rest of the ingredients make the most delicious sauce.

This was one of my dad's favourite dishes and he used to cook it very often. When the mussels were on the menu, I knew my parents would have friends coming round, usually for a Saturday evening gathering. My dad would prepare a huge pot of mussels, placed it in the centre of the table with a big serving spoon, so everyone could help themselves, and plenty of fresh crunchy bread to dip in the sauce.

I am sharing here his recipe, but before you cook the mussels, make sure you buy them as fresh as you can, they should not have a strong “fishy” smell but should have a fragrance of the sea. As soon as you can, after purchasing, take the mussels out of the plastic bag, put them loose in a bowl, cover with the cloth and refrigerate. Drain any expelled liquid, clean and prepare them only when ready to cook.

Ingredients

Serves 4 as a starter

• 1kg fresh mussels, cleaned with beard (fibrous darkish brown string like hanging out of the join in the shell) removed

• 4 Tbsps extra virgin olive oil

• fresh flat leaf parsley, a handful (about 10g), finely chopped

• 2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed (you can use more or less garlic depending on the size and personal preference)

• 1-2 Tbsp dry breadcrumbs

• 200ml white wine

• sea salt

Method

Rinse well the mussels with cold running water.

If you find the mussels particularly dirty, place them in a large bowl or sink filled with cold water, add a generous pinch of salt and leave to soak for up to 30 minutes, this will help to get rid of sand and grit. Swish them around with your hands to wash them thoroughly and then rinse well with cold water. Most of the time, when mussels are bought at the fishmonger or supermarkets, they come fairly clean and you will most probably skip this step.

Mussels normally come with beards (fibrous darkish brown string like hanging out of the join in the shell) that need removing, but not all the mussels will have beards.

Pull off the beards, they need a firm tug, the use of knife will help you.

During this process of debearding check each mussels as you go along.

It is really important to discard damaged mussels with broken shells.

Also look for any open mussels, tap them sharply with a knife, against the worktop or the side of the sink. If they don't close, mean they are dead, not edible and you need to discard them.

Rinse the mussels well with cold water and place them in a colander to drain.

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In a large pan (Dutch oven is great if you have it) put the oil and the garlic, stir around on a gentle heat for few seconds to flavour and infuse the oil with the garlic.

Add white wine, 1 Tbsp of breadcrumbs, half the parsley and bring to boil.

Add mussels, the rest of the parsley, cover with the lid and cook the mussels on a high heat for about 6 minutes giving a pan a good shake now and again so the mussels cook evenly.

The mussels are fully cooked when they are all opened, discard the mussels that have not opened.

Taste the sauce, season with sea salt if needed and add one more tablespoon of breadcrumb if you like the sauce slightly thicker.

Sprinkle cooked mussels with some extra roughly chopped flat parsley and serve hot immediately.

Just a thought

Cooked mussels should not be made in advance and then reheated and they are not particularly suitable meal for storing.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali Ribolla Gialla DOC 2018 – La Viarte

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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

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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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

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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.