Zapečena cvjetača sa šparogama i kozicama/Cauliflower, Asparagus and Shrimp Gratin

Please, scroll down for recipe in English

Zaželjela sam se domaćih cvjetača. Baš kada sam se pitala zašto ih moja baka ove godine nije posadila, susjeda nam je donijela punu vrećicu. Nitko nije bio sretniji od mene! A i kako nam je došlo proljeće, organizam traži nešto povrtno :)

Kao dijete nisam bila ljubitelj cvjetača, sve dok jednom nisam kod prijateljice probala zapečene.

Od tada ih stalno radim! Osnove su iste – skuhate cvjetaču i vilicom je propasirate, a zatim dodate jaja, češnjak, sol, maslinovo ulje – ostatak po želji: nekada dodam krušne mrvice, nekada sir, nekada šparoge. Danas je izbor pao i na šparoge i na kozice :)

Na isti način pripremam i tikvice (samo njih ne kuham, već odmah onako sirove sitno naribam).

Ako imate volje, možete napraviti i slano tijesto pa ih raditi kao malene tartlete.

Nadam se da ćete uživati :)

Zapečena cvjetača sa šparogama i kozicama

(za 4 kalupa, veličine 13 cm)

      Potrebni sastojci:

·       2 manje glavice cvjetače, narezana na cvjetiće

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·       2-3 žlice maslinovog ulja

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·       2 cijela jaja

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·       50 g sira (Paški, Pramenko, Gouda – po želji), nariban ili narezan na kockice

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·       1 režanj češnjaka

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·       2 žlice krušnih mrvica

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·       50 g svježih kozica, po želji

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·       par komada sirovih divljih šparoga, po želji

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·       sol

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      Priprema:

·       Cvjetaču narežite na cvjetove pa ih operite pod mlazom hladne vode. Ja iskoristim i unutarnje listove koje zajedno sa cvjetićima skuham.

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·       U manjem loncu stavite kuhati cvjetaču s 1 žličicom soli. Neka kuha oko 15-20 minuta dok ne bude mekana. Kada je cvjetača skuhana, ocijedite ju od vode i vilicom propasirajte. Ja ne volim kada mi je skroz kašasto, volim kada ostane manjih komadića cvjetače pa ju propasiram samo u tri-četiri poteza vilicom.  

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·       Dodajte jaja, maslinovo ulje, češnjak, krušne mrvice, sol, kozice, šparoge i sir. Sve promiješajte pa ostavite sa strane da odstoji najmanje 10 minuta.  

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·       Zagrijte pećnicu na 200°C.

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·       Kuhanu cvjetaču rasporedite u kalupiće ili u jednu veliku keramičku ili vatrostalnu zdjelu.

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·       Pecite oko 30-35 minuta (ako su manji) ili oko 45 minuta (ako ste koristili veći kalup). Rubovi moraju biti zlatno smeđi, a na površini se mora stvoriti korica.

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·       Poslužite toplo.

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English version

I really like savoury individual dishes. Not only they are quite easy to make, but I also love their endless versatility.

I knew everything was perfectly all right because this dish was light, satisfying, flavorful and delicious.

To prove it all I’ll tell you that M. and I loved it.

And that’s the best evidence! For me :)

Cauliflower, Asparagus and Shrimp Gratin

     (makes 4x5-inch gratin)

      You need:

·       2 small heads of Cauliflower, broken into small florets

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·       2 whole eggs

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·       2-3 tbsp olive oil

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·       50 g cheese (firmer or pizza cheese), roughly grated or chopped

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·       1 garlic clove, finely grated

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·       2 tbsp bread crumbs

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·       50 g raw shrimps, optional

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·       few raw asparagus, optional

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·       sea salt

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      Steps:

·       Trim the cauliflower, separate into florets and wash under the cold water.

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·       In a medium pot, bring water to boil. Add cauliflower florets with 1 tsp sea salt and let cook for 15-20 minutes or until soft. Remove from the heat and drain.

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·       Using fork or hand blender, smash the florets into puree. Combine with oil, eggs, garlic, shrimps, asparagus, cheese and bread crumbs. Season with salt.

Set aside for 10 minutes.

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·       Preheat the oven to 200°C (400 F).

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·       Arrange the cauliflower into the molds.

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·       Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is golden.

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·       Serve warm.

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 P.S. For the measurements, check out the Kitchen chart! 

Gost post – Španjolska, La Coruña, Galicija: Upoznajte Lanu Morvai i njen recept za Španjolsku salatu s morskim plodovima (Salpicón) / Guest post – Spain, La Coruña, Galicia: Meet Lana Morvai & Spanish seafood salad (Salpicón)

Please, scroll down for recipe in English

Salpicón de Marisco with octopus, photo credit @ Lana Morvai

Nakon Ire Rodrigues @ Cooking Tackle i njenog divnog recepta tradicionalnog za kuhinju Indonezije, ovog puta s gost postovima idemo u prelijepu Španjolsku, u pokrajinu Galiciju.

Galicija je smještena na sjeverozapadu Pirenjeskog poluotoka, na obali Atlantskog oceana, gdje stanovnici ponajviše uživaju u plodovima mora, tipično za mediteransku zemlju koja ima bogatu gastronomsku ponudu i neuobičajeno veliku potrošnju maslinovog ulja.

Dopustite da vam predstavim prelijepu Lanu Morvai, moju dugogodišnju prijateljicu koja već godinama živi i radi u toj predivnoj zemlji, upoznaje i živi španjolsku kulturu, tradiciju i običaje. Lana je strastvena kuharica iako sama za sebe kaže da i nije najbolja, no njeni recepti, maštovitost, ideje, stilizacija jela i ljubav prema kuhanju pričaju drugačiju priču! :)

Kada se rodila ideja s gost postovima, nisam mogla zamisliti bolju osobu od nje koja bi nam predstavila jelo tipično za njenu zemlju! Španjolska je dugo moja zemlja snova, zemlja koju planiram posjetiti jednog dana, a sama činjenica da španjolski govorim bolje nego engleski, govori dovoljno o mojoj ljubavi prema toj zemlji. Stoga, kada je Lana pristala napraviti gost post, a da nije ni znala o čemu se radi, učinila me neizmjerno sretnom! To se zove imati „duh“ :)

Lana za Španjolsku kaže da je zemlja raznolike gastronomske ponude i običaja koji se mijenjaju od pokrajine do pokrajine da joj se ponekad čini da se nalazi u više zemalja odjednom :) 

U Galiciji se najviše jedu morski plodovi, no mesna jela ni malo ne zaostaju. Jede se obilno, za doručak najčešće neko pecivo ili churros, kava s mlijekom i slično. Španjolci vole ručati jako rano, već oko 13 sati, jer iza ručka slijedi poznata španjolska siesta (popodnevna drijemka, kako je Lana naziva) zbog koje španjolci vole odužiti ručak i uživati u zajedničkom vremenu. Oko 18 sati  slijede maleni zalogajčići za „nešto prigristi“, a budući da mrak pada dosta kasnije, večera slijedi tek oko 22 sata.

Tko još nije čuo za tapase? Ako ste mislili da su tapasi vrsta malenih zalogajčića, onda ste se prevarili. Tapas je način jela, malene porcije koje se služe uz pivo, neko drugo piće ili što drugo i bilo kada, a bilo što može biti tapas. U bilo kojem restoranu ili kafiću uvijek vam je pri ruci karta tapasa, a u većini slučajeva su besplatni.

Lana nam je ovog puta pripremila jelo tipično za pokrajinu Galiciju, salatu od morskih plodova (Salpicón). Ime ove salate dolazi od riječi sal (sol) i picar (sjeckati). Riječ je o najtipičnijoj španjolskoj salati koja se jede kao predjelo u vrućim ljetnim mjesecima, koju možete naći na meniju svakog restorana, a možete ju služiti i kao tapas. Možete je pripremiti sa svim morskim plodovima, pa tako u ovom receptu možete po slikama vidjeti da je ova salata vrlo često na Laninom meniju – sa hobotnicoom ili s bijelom ribom. Inače, u Galiciji koja je poznata po svojim morskim plodovima i ribi, ova salata služi se s mesom raka. Jedino pravilo kod ove salate je da su svi sastojci sitno nasjeckani i posluženi dobro ohlađeno.

Budući da sam odrasla na sličnim stvarima, svi vi koji volite mediteransku hranu, znam da ćete uživati u ovome :)

Lana, hvala ti što si bila dio ovoga, što si nam dočarala španjoslku kulturu i običaje :)

Lana možda i nema svoj blog, no to ne umanjuje njenu ljubav, talent i strast prema kuhanju.

Posjetite Laninu stranicu na Coolinarici i upoznajte jela tradicionalna za njenu zemlju: Empanda Gallega (Galicijska pita), Larpeira (tradicionalna Galicijska slastica), Dagnje Tigres Rabiosos, Dagnje a la vinagreta, Katalonski Susos, Gazpacho Andaluz, Crema Catalana, Tocinillos del Cielo (starinski slatkiš), Turrón de Coco (nezaobilaznu španjolsku božićnu slasticu), Polvorones (tradicionalni božićni kolačići), Orehas (španjolske kroštule uobičajeno poslužene u dane karnevala), Tarta de Santiago.

Španjolska salata s morskim plodovima (Salpicón de Marisco)

(za 2 osobe)

      Potrebni sastojci:

·       350 g bijele ribe ili hobotnice

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·       10 cijelih dagnji

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·       6 štapića rakova

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·       1 cijelo jaje

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·       1 manja crvena paprika

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·       1 manja zelena paprika

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·       1/2 glavice crnog luka

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·       maslinovo ulje

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·       ocat

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·       sol, papar, peršin

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      Priprema:

·       Skuhati bijelu ribu u blago posoljenoj vodi pa ju očistiti od drača i usitniti na manje komadiće. Ukoliko upotrebljavate hobotnicu, najbolje je da je hobotnica zamrznuta najmanje tri dana prije pripreme. Hobotnicu skuhajte u neposoljenoj vodi. Kuhanu hobotnicu narežite na manje komadiće. Ostavite sa strane.

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·       Dagnje stavite u veći lonac s ½ -1 dl vode pa ih poklopite. Kuhajte na srednje jakoj vatri dok se ne otvore. Neotvorene dagnje bacite, a otvorene očistite od ljuštura pa sačuvajte meso dagnji. Ostavite sa strane.

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·       Štapiće rakova također skuhajte, pa narežite na sitnije kolutiće. Ostavite sa strane.

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·       Jaje također skuhajte. Nasjeckajte na sitne kockice.

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·       Papriku i luk nasjeckajte na sitne kockice.

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·       Pomiješajte bijelu ribu ili hobotnicu s štapićima rakova, hobotnicom, dagnjama, paprikom, jajem i lukom. Začinite s uljem, octom, soli, paprom i peršinom. Sve dobro promiješajte.

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·       Ostavite u hladnjaku najmanje 2 sata. Poslužite dobro ohlađeno.

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Salpicón de Marisco with white fish and crab sticks, photo credit @ Lana Morvai

English version

In December 2011 I started a lovely team project called guest posts, which will be hosting food blogers from Croatia and from all over the world. Each of them will represent  a dish native to their country, something they are personally enjoy.  My idea is to show you there are so many wonderful traditions all over the world. I hope they will bring parts of the world to your plates :)

I'm very enthusiastic and excited about this! I'm still amazed with food blogosphere around the world and friendships I've made with an amazing people.

Thank you so much for being a part of this!

After my last guest, my friend Ira Rodrigues @ Cooking Tackle, this time we are going  to beautiful Spain, to the province of Galicia.

Galicia is located along Spain's north-west Atlantic coast, where most residents are enjoying the seafood, which is typical for this Mediterranean country.

I'm honored to welcome lovely and young Lana Morvai, my long time friend who has been living  in this beautiful country.  For a few years now, she has had a chance to learn about the Spanish culture, traditions and customs. I could not imagine a better person to present us a typical Spanish dish. Therefore, when Lana agreed to do a guest post, she made me extremely happy!

She prepared to us a typical Spanish Seafood Salad – Salpicón (sal - salt and picar - chop).

The Spanish love all kinds of fish and seafood. No matter what region, Spanish eat it several times a week, if not daily. Salpicón, which we call "Spanish Seafood Salad" is a simple and light dish that you can serve with octopus, white fish or with an assortment of shellfish, as Lana does often. In Galicia, a region famous for its fresh seafood and fish, both of excellent quality, this salad is made with crab and can be found at many restaurants and bars. It makes a great good cold entre for a quick summer dinner or tapa.

The only important rule you should never forget is to mix it a few hours ahead, and leave it in the fridge, well covered, so that flavours have time to mingle. It´s meant to be super-fresh and crunchy.

I hope you will enjoy in this Mediterranean recipe as Lana and I did :)

Lana, thank you for being a part of this :)

Lana does not have a food blog, but this does not diminish her ​​love, talent and passion for cooking. Visit Lana's page on Coolinarika (famous Croatian food site) and discover the traditional foods of her country. Each recipe is in Croatian, but if you are interested, you can use google translator :)

Spanish seafood salad (Salpicón de Marisco)

(serves 2)

      You need:

·       350 g white fish or octopus, boiled

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·       10 whole mussels, cooked and cleaned

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·       6 crab sticks, cooked

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·       1 whole egg, hard boiled

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·       1 small red bell pepper, chopped

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·       1 small green bell pepper, chopped

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·       1/2 onion, chopped

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·       olive oil

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·       vinegar

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·       sea salt, black pepper, parsley

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      Steps:

·       If you cannot purchase octopus that is already boiled, purchase the fresh octopus and boil between 30-60 minutes in the unsalted water, until tender. The cooking time depends on the size of the octopus. Once the octopus is cooked, cut it into small pieces. If using white fish, cook it in the cold water for about 5-10 minutes, then remove from the heat and clean. Allow to cool.

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·       In a small size sauce pan, bring small amount of water (approximately 100 ml) to a boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, add raw unopened mussels. Cover and boil 3-5 minutes. Remove the meat from the shells and set aside (disgard any that have not opened).

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·       Cut crab sticks into small pieces. Set aside.

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·       Chop the hard boiled egg, set aside.

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·       Combine octopus or white fish, mussels, crab, egg, onion and peper. Add vinegar and olive oil to taste, add salt, pepper and parsley. Toss well.

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·       Refregerate at least 2 hours before serving. Serve chilled.

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P.S. For the measurements, check out the Kitchen chart!

Špageti sa škampima na buzaru/Scampi Spaghetti or I grew up this way

Please, scroll down for recipe in English

Scampi Spaghetti

Buzara je tradicionalni dalmatinski umak pripremljen od bijelog vina, češnjaka i peršina „na crveno“. Ako ste se ikada pitali šta to domaćim ljudima u Dalmaciji znače izrazi „na crveno“ i „na bilo (na bijelo)“, vrijeme je da vam netko kaže da je „na crveno“ tradicionalni način spremanja brujeta, špageta, rižota i općenito sve ribe jer uključuje dodatak soka od rajčice, a najčešće koncentrata rajčice u umak, koji jelo oboji u crveno. Izraz „na bilo“ nešto je novijeg datuma i uključuje dodatak slatkog vrhnja za kuhanje. Finog, laganog okusa, ali i masno.

Home grown tomatoes from our garden

Ako ste se ikada susreli s dalmatinskim restoranima, zasigurno ste primjetili da nema restorana koji vam neće ponuditi buzaru. Buzara je u restoranima najčešće naručivano jelo, ali pored jastoga sa grilla i riblje plate, najskuplje jelo koje zaista možete brzo pripremiti kod kuće.

Na ovom jelu sam odrasla i veliki sam ljubitelj škampa, a moja baka mi ih je znala  često spremati ljeti. Uvijek dodajem luk u umak jer mi je buzara na taj način boljeg, punijeg okusa, a dok se kuha jednostavno ćete uživati u mirisima bijelog vina i škampa koji će obogatiti svaki kutak vaše kuhinje. Pritom ćete se pitati odakle stiže taj divni miris koji nikada niste okusili i zazubice će vam rasti. A onda, kada je jelo napokon servirano ispred vas, zar nije divno šta je ovo jedno od rijetkih jela koje možete jesti rukama i pritom biti dijete dok se igrate hranom u svom tanjuru?

Budite sigurni da ste upotrijebili domaće maslinovo ulje ili ako isto nemate, barem da ulje bude dobre kvalitete, kao i vino. Naravno, i da škampi budu svježi, pa preferiram kupiti ih još dok su živi :)

Prvi puta kada sam M. poslala na peškariju (ribarnicu) da kupi škampe, nastala je prava avantura jer nekoga ko nema domaći naglasak lako je privarit i svježe zaminit za zaleđene. Doma vas dočekaju škampi iz leda ulovljeni prije tkoznakoliko dana, pa vas čeka i borba s prodavačicom za povrat novca jer kg škampa košta oko 80 kn i niste spremni popustiti. Na kraju dobijete svježe škampe jer je domaće ljude teško privarit, a sve se to na kraju isplati da bi imali fini ručak, koji ste naravno platili iz svog džepa. Svježi škampi imaju lijepu narančastu boju, dok zaleđeni škampi u gornjem dijelu tijela poplave/pomodre pa budu zelenkasti. Već znate po tome da ulov nije jutrošnji i da su čekali na ledu dok se ne prodaju (a šta prodavači često rade. Naime, kada je liti lipo vrime, škampa ima u obilju i onda ne budu skuplji od 40 po kilogramu. Na lošije vrime nitko ne ide u škampe pa se prodaju ka suho zlato). 

Dakle, ako se ikada nađete na peškariji, obratite pažnju na boju škampa :)

Spremni? 

Špageti sa škampima na buzaru
(za dvije osobe)

      Potrebni sastojci:

·         500 g svježih škampa, neočišćenih

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·         300 g špageta

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·         400 ml suhog bijelog vina

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·         1 glavica luka, krupnije narezana

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·         3 režnja češnjaka, sitnije narezana

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·         60 ml maslinovog ulja, domaćeg

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·         2 žlice koncentrata rajčice ili soka od rajčica

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·         2 manje svježe rajčice, krupnije narezane

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·         ½ limuna, krupnije narezanog

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·         40 g krušnih mrvica

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·         1 vezica svježeg peršina, sitnije narezanog

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·         sol, svježe mljeveni crni papar

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      Priprema:

·         Škampe operite pod mlazom hladne vode pa im očistite crvene „brčiće“ ako želite. Možete ih i očistiti ili očistiti samo dio, ali ja ih preferiram kuhati cijele jer je u tome cijela čar ovog jela.

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·         U manjem loncu zagrijte maslinovo ulje, dodajte krupnije narezani luk pa dinstajte dok luk ne poprimi kristalno bijelo-žutu boju. Dodajte cijele škampe pa ih popržite par minuta bez tekućine, tek toliko da puste miris. Miješajte cijelo vrijeme kako vam luk ne bi izgorio.

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·         Dodajte sjeckani češnjak, peršin, malo soli, koncentrat rajčice i cijelu količinu bijelog vina. Kuhate povremeno protresajući loncem oko 20-30 minuta na srednje jakoj vatri.

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·         Kada su škampi kuhani, dodajte sjeckane rajčice i limun, te krušne mrvice. Dodajte cijele špagete pa kuhajte dok vam se špagete ne skuhaju al dente.

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·         Provjerite slanoću prije nego skinete buzaru s vatre. Ako želite, dodajte još krušnih mrvica za gušći umak, još peršina, soli.

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·         Skuhane špagete s škampima podijelite u dvije zdjelice i pospite s svježe mljevenim crnim paprom, s peršinom ili parmezanom. Poslužite odmah dok  je jelo još toplo.

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·         Jednom kada je jelo ispred vas, dajte mašti na volju i budite jednom dijete za stolom. Dopustite da vam se umak cijedi niz ruke dok čistite repove škampi i pritom uživajte u svakoj minuti predivnog tradicionalnog Dalmatinskog jela :)

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English version

Scampi spaghetti or Spaghetti on „buzara“ way. Buzara is a traditional Dalmatian seafood sauce made with white wine, parsley and garlic, mostly used with clams or scampi/shrimps. 

One of the rarely dishes that can be eaten with the hands, and we enjoy in that (pretty much).

Buzara sauce is mostly served dish in Dalamtian restaurants, and tourists love it. It's also one of the most expensive dish even it's so easy to prepare it yourself at home. 

Ready? Just be careful to use good olive oil and white wine, fresh scampi and vegetables.

This is the dish that my Grandma often cooked just for me and I love it so much. It feels like chilhood and I can say that I grew up on this beautiful dish! We love eat it with hands, while sauce slipping down the arms...

And believe me, you do not wont it to share with more than one person (preferebly your loved one) because it's so tasty you'll wont more!

Scampi Spaghetti

(serves 2)

      You need:

·         1 pound (500 g) fresh scampi/shrimps

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·         300 g spaghetti

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·         400 ml dry white wine

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·         1 small onion, finely chopped

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·         3 garlic cloves, finely chopped

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·         60 ml olive oil

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·         2 tbsp tomato juice or tomato paste

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·         2 small fresh tomatoes, chopped

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·         ½ fresh lemon, chopped

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·         40 g bread crumbs

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·         hanful of fresh parsley, finely chopped

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·         sea salt, handful freshly ground black pepper

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      Steps:

·         Wash scampi briefly under the cold water, set aside. You can clean the shells if you like, but I prefer not to even it's a little bit messy later, but that's the fun!).

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·         Heat olive oil in a large pot and set over medium heat. Add chopped onion and cook until white-golden in color, stirring occasionally.

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·         Add whole scampi and cook without liquid few minutes. Then add chopped garlic, parsley, little bit sea salt, tomato paste and white wine. Let it cook 20-30 minutes on medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally.

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·         Add chopped tomatos, lemon and bread crumbs. Stirr. Add spaghetti and cook 5 minutes more, or until spaghetti are cooked al dente.

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·         Taste and add more sea salt if you like, add fresh ground pepper, more parsley if you like, or more bread crumbs if you like little bit thicker sauce.

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·         Devide scampi spaghetti into two bowls and serve immediately. You can serve it with Parmigiano Reggiano, if you like (I prefer a lot of parmesan!).

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·         Once the dish is in front of you, let your imagination run wild and enjoy this beautiful Dalmatian seafood dish.

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P.S. For the measurements check out the kitchen chart!