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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

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.

View fullsize

View fullsize

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

Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs Istrian Recipe

This extraordinarily simple and humble dish is really easy to make and truly sublime. It consists of cooking down the asparagus with some crunchy pancetta and then adding whisked eggs and cooking them to a creamy and smooth consistency, and when served with some fresh crunchy bread, this dish becomes a perfect choice for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.

Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs (Umešana jajca s šparglji) or Green asparagus frittata with pancetta, know locally as Fritaja s špargljo, Fritata s šparglji or Fritaia coi sparesi, are probably the two of the most representative dishes and part of a unique gastronomic offers of Slovenian Istra, so much so, that a Festival called Šparga Fest is dedicated to these two dishes, traditionally using exclusively wild asparagus (divji šparglji).

Wild asparagus, like store bought ones, have a fairly short season, but are more aromatic and they are ready to be picked around Easter period and one can commonly find them growing on the south facing pieces of land close to dry stone walls, on the edges of the forests, among the bushes, and although they are free in Slovenia to be foraged and enjoyed, there is a legal limit of how much wild asparagus someone can pick for personal use and consumption.

This is not quite the case in the United kingdom, where I currently live, as I found out, according to Janet Lister (Wildlife and Countryside Advisor for the National Trust). Wild asparagus, once a plentiful plant, is now a very rare coastal plant that only grows and can only be found in a handful of counties (Glamorgan, Pembrokeshire, Cornwall and Dorset). In fact, it is in decline and classed as an “endangered” species on the GB Red List.

Wild asparagus

In the olden days, along the coats in Slovenia, these green delicacies were only known to the locals who used to invent and create dishes that were born out of necessity, with the ingredients available only during a particular season. This, once again, is a testimony and a reminder of the great resourcefulness of local people, who proved time and time again the ability to find clever ways to overcome hunger.

Nowadays, this type of asparagus has reached such a popularity that the inhabitants from inland Slovenia make a special day trip to the coast to enjoy this truly seasonal speciality.

Green asparagus with pancetta and scrambled eggs is a very much loved dish in many households, and so it is made very often. However, since it can only be made during asparagus season, it is also during this time that it is found in many informal family run restaurants.

I am sharing here the family recipe I grew up with, made with wild asparagus, which was picked by the family during many enjoyable and very memorable walks in nature. In this recipe I have replaced wild asparagus for the cultivated alternative, and you can also transform this recipe into a vegetarian and vegan friendly variation by using and frying the onions instead of pancetta, bacon or lardons. For this recipe you can also use fresh white asparagus.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Ingredients

Serves 4

• about 500g fresh green asparagus

• 180g roughly, pancetta, bacon or lardons, finely sliced

• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 8 fresh eggs

• sea salt

• black pepper

Method

Wash the asparagus under cold running water and chop each asparagus into smaller sections.

Put extra virgin olive oil in a fairly large frying pan, add finely sliced pancetta, bacon or lardons and fry until fully cooked and slightly crispy.

Add chopped asparagus and cook for a few minutes together with pancetta, until they soften a bit and deepen in colour.

Add small amounts of water, about 50ml at a time, this will help to cook down the asparagus.

Cook the asparagus until they are fully cooked, deepen in colour, and tender but not overcooked and falling apart.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Cook the asparagus until they are fully cooked and tender but not overcooked and falling apart.

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take the pan off the heat and pour the eggs over the asparagus mixture.

Put the pan back on the heat, stir and cook the eggs to the desired consistency stirring with a wooden spoon or spatula, lifting and folding the egg and asparagus mixture from the bottom of the pan.

Cook the eggs until they are softly set and slightly runny in places or cook further until they reach the desired consistency.

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

Sprinkle with roughly chopped fresh parsley, if desired, and serve hot immediately with fresh crunchy bread.

Just a thought

This dish is not suitable for freezing.

Cooked asparagus and pancetta mixture, without adding the eggs, makes a fantastic base for risotto.

You can also turn cooked asparagus and pancetta base into a scrumptious sauce for a pasta dish by simply adding a bit of single cream to it and dilute it, if it gets too thick, with a bit of water where you cooked the pasta.

Wine suggestion

Lugana DOC "Le Fornaci" 2021 - Tommasi

Cooked ham in bread dough Recipe

Cooked ham in bread dough is a real show stopper and a crowd pleaser, this recipe goes back to medieval times when it was customary cooking various types of meats in bread dough.

This dish consists of a piece of ham being cooked first and then wrapped in bread dough and baked in the oven allowing the aroma and the flavours of the ham to travel into the dough during the baking process.

On the Slovenian coast, where I come from, there is no Easter without this dish. This baked delicacy is so deeply rooted in Slovenian gastronomic culture that it is traditionally cooked and eaten around Easter period (with freshly grated horseradish or horseradish cream and mustard) and served as part of Easter breakfast on actual Easter day, in just about every corner of the country, together with hard boiled eggs, Pinca (Easter sweet bread) and Potica (traditional Slovenian festive nut roll).

This dish is also typically found in Trieste, and province of Trieste in Italy, in local osterie (informal, usually family run eating places serving simple local specialities), on a daily basis and typically served with a a glass of wine or locally produced artisan beer.

I studied in Trieste and had this dish on my graduation day as part of the buffet.

This recipe is so popular and delicious that it is nowadays enjoyed all year round, it is also ideal for picnics, as it can be made ahead of time and travels well.

Ingredients

Serves

For the dough

• 500g strong white bread flour

• 7g (one sachet) fast-action dried yeast

• sea salt, a pinch

• 300ml lukewarm milk (full fat, semi skimmed or skimmed)

• 25g butter, unsalted or slightly salted, melted

You also need

• 1.4kg, roughly, unsmoked or smoked Gammon joint

• 1 carrot, optional

• 1 celery stick, optional

• ½ onion, optional

• 1egg, beaten

• a bit of extra milk (about 2 Tbsp)

Method

Place the ham in a big pot and add enough cold water to completely cover the ham.

Add a whole carrot, celery stick and half an onion for extra flavour, if desired.

Bring to boil, lower the heat, cover with the lid and gently boil for required time, this will depend on the size of the ham. (Weight your meat to calculate and work out your cooking times, allow 20 minutes per 450g)

While the ham is cooking, make the dough. (You can cook the ham in advance and wrap it in aluminium foil to keep it moist, and use when needed.

Drain cooked ham in a colander and let it cool completely.

Pat dry the ham well with the kitchen paper.

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl, add dried yeast on one side of the bowl and sea salt on the other. Add the milk, melted butter and mix to combine well all the ingredients.

View fullsize

View fullsize

The dough at this point will be a bit sticky, but should not be soggy. The dough will become less sticky as you knead.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer the mixture on to a lightly floured (or lightly oiled) work surface and knead for about 10-15 minutes until the dough is nice and smooth and has an elastic texture. Your hands should not stick to the dough, if they do add a bit of flour at a time.

Put the dough in a lightly oiled large bowl and cover with a cling film. Stand in a warm place, free of drafts, and let it rise for at least 1-1 ½ hours until the dough has doubled or tripled in size.

Turn the dough on to lightly floured surface and knock back by hand for few minutes. Flour well the surface and with the rolling pin roll the dough to about 2cm thick. At this point you can pinch a bit of dough for decorating if you wish (I made a little dough plait, as it is done traditionally).

View fullsize

View fullsize

Preheat the oven to 180C static or equivalent and line the baking tray with the non stick baking parchment.

In a small bowl mix the beaten egg with a bit of milk and brush the centre of the rolled dough.

Place the ham in the centre on the brushed area.

Brush the rest of the ham with egg and milk mixture.

Wrap the ham with the dough all around, a bit like a parcel. Seal well the edges to avoid the dough opening up during the baking.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Place your ham and dough parcel on a baking tray with the junctions facing downwards.

Glaze the ham and dough parcel on all sides with the egg and milk mixture.

Prick the ham and dough parcel with a toothpick.

If you created a small Easter themed dough decoration, place it on top of the dough parcel and brush with egg and milk mixture.

Put the ham dough parcel in the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes. Half way the baking time cover with aluminium foil and bake further until golden in colour.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take out of the oven, leave to cool on the baking tray for a few minutes, then remove from the baking tray and leave to cool on a wire rack.

Best served warm with horse radish sauce, freshly grated horse radish root or/and mustard.

Wine suggestion

Collio Pinot Bianco DOC 2020 - Doro Princic

Potica – traditional Slovenian festive nut roll Recipe

Potica – traditional Slovenian festive nut roll Recipe

Potica is a light brioche like roll filled with rich and very tasty walnut filling, it is the most famous Slovenian dessert and the queen of festive sweet treats.

This cake is traditionally prepared and eaten around Christmas and Easter or other special and festive occasions like the weddings, Christening, family celebrations like birthdays and the birth of a new baby, but these days potica is available to buy in bakeries and supermarkets all year round.

Most loved and well-known is walnut potica, with or without raisins, but other regional sweet and savoury varieties are also very popular, where fillings are most commonly made with poppy seeds, pork crackling, cottage cheese and tarragon. They are all super delicious and recipes for potica are proudly passed from generation to generation.

The name "potica" derives from a Slovenian word “poviti” which means to roll up or to wrap and goes back as far as 16th century when it was baked in Slovenian monasteries.

In Slovenia, potica is traditionally baked in “potičnik” which is a round bundt-style baking dish made from ceramic, but it is also very commonly baked in a simple bundt cake tin, loaf tin or cake pan.

Potica, this Slovenian national treasure, has been registered as a Traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) in the European Union since April 2001.

A slice of potica can be a great choice for breakfast, is ideal as an afternoon treat with coffee or tea, or like me, you will find any excuse, or none at all, to eat it.

I am sharing here the recipe of my nona's grandmother that made the filling for potica using a mixture of walnuts and almonds, the latter being widely available in Istria.

The mild Mediterranean climate makes almond trees a very common sight. My nona told me that the filling for potica was made with a mixture of those nuts that were most readily available, and sometimes raisins and a little bit of grated apple were also added to the nut mixture, and very rarely, a piece of a chocolate bar (not the whole bar), might be grated into the mixture, which then made the potica particularly luxurious. She reminded me that in the olden days, when she was small, (in the 30s and 40s) seasonal and home grown produce were used to create a wonderful array of dishes, shopping lists, as we know them today, just simply did not exist...

Ingredients for the dough

• 500g all purpose flour or 00 type flour

• 20g of fresh yeast or 7g fast-action dried yeast (also called instant yeast)

• 100g unsalted butter, melted

• 80g caster sugar

• 250ml lukewarm full fat or semi skimmed milk

• 2 eggs, separated (egg yolks slightly beaten, keep the whites for brushing potica just before putting in the oven)

• 1 Tbsp dark rum

• grated lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

• pinch of sea salt

Ingredients for the filling

• 250g walnuts

• 250g almonds (skin on or peeled)

• 200ml single cream (can use semi skimmed or full fat milk instead)

• 100g caster sugar

• 1Tbsp dark rum

• 2Tbsp of honey (about 50g)

• 2 eggs, separated (egg yolks slightly beaten and egg whites whisked to soft peaks)

• finely grated lemon zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

• icing sugar for dusting

Method

The dough

In a fairly large bowl, sift the flour, make a little well in the centre and add instant yeast, melted butter, caster sugar, lightly beaten egg yolks, grated lemon zest, dark rum and a pinch of sea salt. Mix and combine well all the ingredients.

(If using fresh yeast, slightly brake it down into smaller pieces with your fingers and place it into a small bowl. Add few tablespoons of tepid milk, ¼ Tsp of sugar, gently stir and leave for about 15-20 minutes or until gentle bubbles form on the surface).

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer the mixture onto a well floured working surface and start kneading, for about ten minutes, adding a little flour at a time if the mixture is too wet and sticky.

Alternatively, use a mixer fitted with a dough hook and leave running for about 5 minutes.

The dough is ready when it ends up being really smooth and elastic. It should not stick to your hands or working surface and should leave the bowl clean if using a mixer.

Transfer the dough back into a very lightly oiled bowl and cover with cling film or clean kitchen towel.

Put the bowl in a warm room free of drafts for at least one hour and leave the dough to rest and rise, the dough should double in size.

View fullsize

View fullsize

While the dough is resting and rising start preparing the filling.

The filling

Place walnuts and almonds in a food processor and mix to a coarse consistency.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer ground walnuts and almonds into a bowl, pour over lukewarm single cream and mix well.

Add caster sugar, dark rum, honey, 2 lightly beaten egg yolks and 2 egg whites (previously whisked to soft peaks and not too stiff) and grated lemon zest. Mix all the ingredient until very well combined and set aside.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Flour well your working surface and rolling pin. Put your dough onto a working surface and roll it out to a more or less rectangular shape (40cmx50cm) to the thickness of about not more than 1cm.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take the walnut-almond mixture and spread it evenly on the rolled dough but leave some space around the edge so the filling does not come out when rolling the dough.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Gently roll the filled dough quite tightly into a log.

Cut off or tuck well in the edges.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Prepare the bundt pan (for the quantities in this recipe I use a 24cm round bundt cake tin).

Grease it very well with butter, make sure you reach all the nooks and crannies and coat it well with the flour. Shake the excessive flour out of the bundt tin.

If you do not have a bundt pan you can use:

1. loaf tins (cut the roll into two or three parts, depending on the size of the loaf tins you are using)

2. greased spring form cake tin (24cm for the quantity in this recipe)

3. or simply use a baking tray previously greased with butter (in this case model the log into a U shape)

View fullsize

View fullsize

Very gently place your rolled dough (seam side down) into a bundt pan, cake tin or baking tray. Cover with a clean kitchen towel, place it in a warm, draft free room and leave to prove for the second time for 30min to 1h or until well risen (not necessarily doubling in size, just filling out nicely the tin).

View fullsize

View fullsize

Take a toothpick and make little holes in the dough on the whole surface and brush with egg whites.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Bake in the preheated oven at 180C static for about 50-60 minutes. Halfway through baking, tent the potica with the aluminium foil to prevent it browning too much and starting to burn.

Leave until completely cold in a tin.

To remove the potica more easily, take a little plastic knife and run it around the edges to loosen the cake.

Transfer on a serving plate, dust with icing sugar and serve.

Just a thought

Potica tastes at its best the day after has been baked.

You can store it in an airtight container for up to five days and is suitable for freezing.

Wine suggestion

Friuli Colli Orientali Picolit Cialla DOC 2008 - Ronchi di Cialla (0.5l - astuccio)

Apple Strudel with home made pastry Recipe

Apple strudel is a traditional Viennese dessert, made of very thin elastic pastry, and the filling contains sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, raisins (soaked in dark rum), lemon zest, lemon juice and bread crumbs. This popular pastry can also be found in the rest of Austria, Bavaria, Czech Republic, Northern Italy, and in many other countries in Europe that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

It is believed that strudel originated from baklava, a very famous Turkish pastry based dessert, that came to Austria with the Ottoman's Empire and through Hungarian cuisine.

Records show that Strudel was first named in 1696 and gained popularity after it was served to Empress Maria Theresia who was the ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the only women to hold the position.

In Slovenia and in coastal Istria, areas that also once belonged to Austro-Hungarian Empire, apple strudel became, and today still is, a very well known sweet treat. It has gained such a high level of popularity that it is almost considered a national dessert. During autumn and winter months, this typical and very much loved dessert would be baked on a regular basis up and down the country, with little variations, and no Sunday roast lunch could be completed without a slice of strudel, dusted, of course, with a generous amount of icing sugar. When this task was left for us children, there would be so much icing sugar on the top that you could hardly see what type of dessert was hiding underneath it. Some things just never change...this is what happens when I leave my 11 year old son with the icing sugar task!

Apple strudel in Slovenia is called Jabolčni štrudelj or Jabolčni zavitek while along the coast of Northwest Istria, where the informal Istrian dialect is also spoken, it can be referred to as Strucolo de pomi.

Strudel made with apples is by far the most popular but in the North Adriatic two variations of strudel have been created and are also very well liked, strudel filled with ricotta cheese filling and strudel with cherries.

In my family we all knew when it was weekend, as apple strudel, this warming autumnal pudding, would be in the oven, and the aromas of apples and cinnamon would travel around the house. This dessert is not just part of my childhood but part of my adulthood as well. It has been the most frequently baked dessert by my mum and even today my friends and family cannot get enough of it. Now that I live abroad it is even more special, and it really does take me right back home to my childhood, and my mum's kitchen.

Apple strudel is traditionally served warm, dusted with regular icing sugar or vanilla floured icing sugar, and when accompanied with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce, this rustic pudding soon turns into a complete and very elegant dessert.

This recipe for apple strudel is made with home made pastry, however you can still indulge yourself and cut corners a bit by using a store bought ready made puff pastry, in which case only half the amount of apple filling is enough

Apples can be sliced or coarsely grated and lightly toasted walnuts can replace pine kernels.

View fullsize

View fullsize

In this recipe I will indicate which apples are appropriate to use for apple strudel, however, I have never used specific type of apples and that is simply because I always bake apple strudel when apples are in season and abundant in nature. Apples would be generously given from neighbours and friends with fruit orchards or apple trees in their gardens, I just make sure I taste them and pick a mixture of sweet and tart apples.

Ingredients

Serves 10-12

Dough

• 250g all purpose flour or bread flour

• 1 egg, lightly beaten

• 3 Tbsp neutral tasting vegetable oil (I used sunflower oil)

• 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice

• sea salt, a pinch

• 50ml-60ml lukewarm water, or as needed

Apple Filling

• 1kg apples, peeled, cored, quartered and sliced (sweet-tart apples like MacIntosh and Gala in combination) Bramley

• 1 unwaxed lemon, grated zest and juice (grate lemon zest first and then squeeze the lemon juice, trying to do it the other way round might prove a tricky task)

• 1 Tsp ground cinnamon

• 30g pine nut kernels, slightly toasted (can use walnuts)

• 50g raisins or sultanas

• 3 Tbsp dark rum or lukewarm water (for soaking the raisins)

• 60g dry fine breadcrumbs

• 20g unsalted butter plus extra for brushing

• 80g caster sugar

• icing sugar for dusting

Method

To make the dough

Place the flour in a big mixing bowl and make a well.

In a separate, smaller bowl, mix slightly beaten egg, oil, vinegar or lemon juice, (the acidity will help to relax gluten in the flour making the dough more stretchy) a pinch of sea salt and lukewarm water. Pour the mixture into a flour well.

With the fork, stir the mixture with the flour until well combined. Add a little bit of flour at a time, until the dough comes nicely together, then work the dough with your hands.

Transfer the dough on a lightly floured working surface and knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until nice and smooth.

After this time, the dough should be moist and elastic and not sticky. Add a little more flour if the dough is too sticky to knead.

In order to further encourage the development of the gluten, resulting in a very elastic dough, slam the dough onto the working surface a few times.

Shape the dough into a smooth ball and place it in a clean bowl, previously brushed with oil.

Cover the bowl with cling film and let the dough rest for about 1 hour at room temperature.

View fullsize

View fullsize

To make the filling

In a small pan, place pine nuts and toast them on a medium-low heat for a few minutes until golden-light brown in colour. Remove from the heat, cool and set aside.

In another pan melt the butter over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted add breadcrumbs, toast them, stirring constantly until golden-brown in colour. Remove from the heat, cool and set aside.

In a small bowl, place raisins or sultanas, add dark rum (traditionally used) or lukewarm water. Leave them to soak and plump up for at least 15 minutes, or until you need them.

Peel, core, quarter and slice the apples. Place sliced apples in a bowl, pour lemon juice over them, toss and mix well. The lemon juice will prevent apples from oxygenating and turning brown.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Add lemon zest, roasted pine nuts, breadcrumbs mixture, soaked raisins or sultanas (squeeze out excess rum or water), sugar and cinnamon. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 200C static or equivalent.

Place the dough on a clean and lightly floured table cloth. Flour the rolling pin and start rolling out the dough. While rolling, to prevent sticking, flour the dough and the surface every now and then.

When the dough reaches about 20 cm in diameter pick it up and keep stretching it. The best way to do so is to use the back of your hands and in particular the knuckles but make sure you remove any sharp jewellery first.

View fullsize

View fullsize

When the dough becomes difficult to handle as it becomes bigger and thinner, place it on a lightly floured tablecloth.

With your hands (tip of the fingers) keep stretching gently the dough on the tablecloth to paper thin consistency, from the inside to the outside working your way round the sheet of dough.

Keep stretching until the sheet of dough starts to look almost translucent and you will be able to see a pattern of your tablecloth through it.

You should end up with a thin sheet of dough stretched more or less into a rectangular shape with a diameter of approximately 40 cm which will fit into a standard 40 cm baking tray.

If you notice that the edges are still a bit thick, stretch them further very gently or cut them off. If you leave the edged thick, when rolling the strudel, they will form quite a thick layer at the very centre of the strudel risking to remain slightly underbaked.

Place and spoon evenly the apple mixture over one half of the dough sheet leaving about 2-3cm to the edge.

Fold in the side ends of the sheet to prevent filling coming out during rolling. Using the tablecloth to help you, roll the dough all the way and place the rolled strudel very gently on a baking tray previously lined with baking parchment, seam side down.

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Brush it with a bit of melted butter.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Bake on the middle shelf for 40 45 min.

Apple Strudel is ready when the crust turns nice and golden.

Take it out of the oven, let it cool. Dust it with icing sugar, cut into slices and serve it on its own or with vanilla ice cream or cream.

Just a thought

You can make the strudel dough ahead and keep it refrigerated for up to two days. Before using the dough take it out of the fridge allowing it to come to a room temperature.

Wine suggestion

Alto Adige Gewürztraminer DOC Vendemmia Tardiva "Roen" 2019 - Cantina Tramin (0.375l)

Plum Dumplings Recipe

This is a great dish for Autumn that originated in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is made with potato gnocchi dough in which you stuff the plums, simmer them in water, and then coat them with breadcrumbs, sugar and cinnamon mixture.

These rustic plum dumplings will become a real treat in the family since they are super delicious and easy to make! This dish is traditionally offered as a dessert, however, it is very common as a main course for lunch or dinner.

Plum dumplings are very well known and common throughout the countries that were once part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. This dish is therefore very popular in Eastern and Central Europe as well as in Trieste and the province of Trieste in Italy.

This historical influence made plum dumplings a very appreciated meal in Slovenia, and is referred to in Slovenian as češpljevi cmoki or slivovi cmoki (češplje and slive meaning plums and cmoki meaning dumplings). They are widely available to buy frozen in bags in the supermarkets, but nothing is comparable to making them at home with this simple recipe.

This dish is very familiar to me, I grew up with it, and it was prepared frequently in the late summer and early autumn when plums are in peak season, in abundance, and with the right level of sugar and sweetness in them.

In Slovenia, where I come from, plum trees are very common to have in the back garden or in a near by orchard and the sight of these beautiful, humble, bluish purple colour fruits, almost like jewels hanging from the branches, is simply heart warming. Plums are popular to use not only for plum dumplings but also for other desserts like bake trays, tarts, jams, and compotes.

Damsons plums, being oval and small, therefore easy to handle, are the preferred and most frequently used type of plums for this recipe. Other types of plums work very well too and fresh apricots are also used frequently to make the dumplings.

If you decide to offer plum dumplings as a dessert, I would suggest to serve 2, if you decide to prepare them as a main meal then 3 or 4 depending on the size.

Ingredients

Serves 6- 8 (you will get about 16 dumplings)

Ingredients for the plum dumplings

• 16 fresh plums, Damsons plums and prune plums most commonly used, you can use other variety (plums should be sweet, ripe and fairly firm to the touch, avoid overripe with soft pulp as it gets quite difficult and messy to pit them). You can use fresh apricots instead.

• 1kg floury, yellow-fleshed potatoes, e.g. King Edward, Maris Piper, (avoid new potatoes). I use red skin potatoes.

• 300g all purpose flour (plus extra for flouring the board and working surface)

• 1 egg, slightly beaten

• sea salt, a pinch

Ingredients for the breadcrumb coating

The ingredients stated here are to coat all the dumplings, if you wish to half the quantity of dumplings half the ingredients for the breadcrumb coating

• 100g unsalted butter

• 5 Tbsp natural dry breadcrumbs

• 5 Tbsp caster sugar

• 1 Tsp cinnamon

Method

Start this recipe by making a basic potato gnocchi dough. (For more details refer to my full step by step recipe for Potato gnocchi dough)

Wash the potatoes, with the skin on, under cold running water.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan or a pot, cover with cold water and bring to boil. After the water has come to a boil, cook for about 20 minutes or until tender. Cooking time will obviously vary depending on the size of the potatoes you are using.

Don't pierce them during cooking and don't overcook them allowing the skin to burst as they will absorb too much water, alternatively you can steam them.

Remove from the pot, drain them in a colander and let them cool enough to handle, then remove the skin. If the potatoes are still quite warm to handle, the best way to remove the skin is to stick the fork though the potato and peel it using a knife.

Put the flour on a working surface, add salt and mix with the fork.

Make a well in the middle and pass the potatoes through a potato ricer while still warm as they become stickier when cooler. Allow riced potatoes to cool for few minutes and then add the egg.

With your fingers work the flour into the potato and egg, bringing the dough together, until it becomes a soft, pliable dough and do not overwork it. If the dough is too sticky, wet and soft add a bit more flour. Make sure your working surface is always well floured.

When the dough is the right consistency it should not stick to your fingers.

Shape the potato dough into a log.

Prepare your plums by washing them and pat dry them. Then cut each plum lengthwise all the way round in order to get two halves and remove the pits.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Flour well your working surface and divide and cut the potato dough log roughly into 16 portions.

With your hands slightly floured, flatten and shape each portion into a round circle.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Place one half of the plum in the centre and fill it with half Tsp of sugar, then place the other half of the plum on top of it.

If your plums are quite big in size, you might want to use only one half, as you will end up with very big dumplings which are more difficult to handle and not looking particularly elegant on a serving plate.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Wrap the dough tightly around the plums.

Seal the edges properly and tightly and shape it into a ball, roughly the size of a peach.

If the edges do not stick properly, dampen the edges with your fingers previously dipped in a bit of water, this will act a bit like a glue.

This step is quite important to prevent the dumplings from bursting and losing the juices during cooking.

Make sure you place each dumpling on a well floured surface to avoid sticking.

View fullsize

View fullsize

It is quite crucial, when making dumplings, that you start and finish the process without interrupting for too long, as the sauce from inside the dumplings (the sugar inside the plum starts dissolving) will start leaking from the dumplings making it quite a mission to rescue them, and this is from the first hand experience!

Repeat the process until you use all the dough.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Fill a large pot with water, add a generous pinch of salt and bring to boil.

Place gently each plum dumpling in a pot making sure they do not stick to the bottom.

Cook the plum dumplings in simmering water for about 12 minutes (not strong boiling as that can damage the dumplings).

They are fully cooked when they float on the surface.

While the plum dumplings are simmering, make the breadcrumbs sauce.

In a large pan, ideally non stick, melt gently the butter, add the breadcrumbs and toast for few minutes on a medium-low heat until slightly darker in colour.

Add sugar and cinnamon and mix until all the ingredients are well combined. Remove the pan from the heat to avoid burning the breadcrumbs mixture.

View fullsize

View fullsize

With a slotted spoon, remove plum dumplings from the simmering water.

Transfer them and place them in a pan with breadcrumbs mixture.

View fullsize

View fullsize

Shake the pan gently so the dumplings can roll around and get fully coated in the breadcrumbs mixture.

Place on the serving plate, dust them with a bit of extra icing sugar and serve immediately. They are best eaten hot but equally delicious at room temperature.

Just a thought

If you decide to only make half a batch of plum dumplings, you can use half of the potato dough for the plum dumplings and the other half for potato gnocchi. (see my full recipe step by step for potato gnocchi).

You can store cooked plum dumplings for up to three days in a airtight container.

If you need and desire to warm them up, putting them in a microwave is a good option as they retain the moisture.

The great thing about plum dumplings is also that they freeze very well. It is very important that you spread the uncooked dumplings in a single layer, leaving a bit of space between each dumpling, so they don't stick together, on a well floured wooden board, baking sheet, serving tray laid with baking parchment or with well floured kitchen cloth or similar.

Put the tray with the freshly made dumplings into a freezer, for at least 20- 30 minutes, and once frozen, put them into a freezing bag.

When you want to cook them just drop them frozen directly into a boiling salted water without defrosting them first, bearing in mind that the cooking time will be slightly longer, around 15 minutes. They are ready when they are floating on the surface.

Wine suggestion

Moscato Rosa delle Venezie IGT 2014 - Foffani

Frittata with dry sausage (salami) recipe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ingredients

Serves 4

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

• 6 eggs, beaten or whisked

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

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

• black pepper, freshly ground (to taste)

Method

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

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

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

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

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

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

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

Just a thought

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

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

Wine suggestion

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

Kaiserschmarrn (Austrian style giant shredded pancake) recipe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 4 eggs (separated)

• 2 Tbsp caster sugar

• pinch of sea salt

• 250ml milk

• 130g all purpose flour

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

• ½ Tsp vanilla extract

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

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

Method

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

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

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

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

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

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

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

View fullsize

View fullsize

View fullsize

Transfer to the plate and dust with icing sugar.

Wine suggestion

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