Strukli

You know, I'll just continue with another traditional dish from this parts. Few weeks back i had these on a small birthday party, and they were excellent. Hopefully you will enjoy too.





5 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
5 eggs
1 tablespoon cooking oil
pinch of salt
2 1/2 pounds dry curd cottage cheese or ricotta
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted
4 cups heavy cream


In a large mixing bowl make a dough from the flour, 1 egg, the oil and a small
amount of salted water. Keep kneading the dough, either in the bowl or on a floured surface, until bubbles start to form and dough becomes smooth. Then shape the dough into a ball. Coat the surface with cooking spray, cover with a clean dishtowel and let stand about 15 minutes.

While the dough is resting, make the filling: Mix the cheese with the remaining 4 eggs
in a mixing bowl. Add salt and 1/2 cup of melted butter. Blend until the mixture is
smooth. Sprinkle a large work surface such as a kitchen table with flour. Roll out the dough to paper-thin thickness. Then spread out the cheese mixture evenly over dough. Brush the dough with 1/2 cup melted butter. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion.

Cut the roll into 20 pieces (the cutting is traditionally done with the rim of a plate).

Boil them in boiling salted water for about 10 minutes. Drain and arrange in a greased ovenproof dish. Preheat oven to 400°. Pour the remaining half cup butter over the them and top with cream. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until golden.

Double the recipe and freeze them after boiling them. Prior to baking, thaw slightly, place in ovenproof dish and top with butter and cream and then bake.

Makovnjaca (Poppy seed Roll)

The same friend (from my last post) also served another traditional Balkan dish, Makovnjaca (Poppy seed Roll). This could be one of my favorite sweets, and he knows it.

Ingredients

875 ml (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

185 ml (3/4 cup) milk

60 ml (1/4 cup) sugar

6 tsp. (2 packets) dry yeast

2 egg yolks

1 tsp. lemon zest

6 tbsp. melted butter

1/4 tsp. salt

Filling

500 ml (2 cups) ground poppy seeds

125 ml (1/2 cup) cream

3 tbsp. raisins

125 ml (1/2 cup) sugar

4 tbsp. honey

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. rum

1 tsp. lemon zest

Allow the yeast to rise in 60 ml (1/4 cup) cup of warm milk until doubled in size. Sift the flour into a deep bowl. Make a well in the center and place the yeast in the well. Add the remaining milk, sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, vanilla, butter and salt. Mix together well and beat with a wooden spoon until blisters begin to form on the dough.
Place in a greased bowl, cover with a damp towel and allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour or until doubled in volume.
Divide the dough into two sections. Roll each section out very thinly on a floured cloth, brush with melted butter and spread with poppy seed filling (see below).
Roll up like a jelly roll, using the edge of the cloth to assist in the rolling. Place the two rolls on a well-greased baking sheet and allow to rise in a warm, draft-free place for 30 minutes. Brush the rolls with a well beaten egg white and bake at 180° C (350° F) for about an hour until golden. Cool before slicing and serving.

Filling

Mix the finely ground poppy seeds, lemon zest, raisins, sugar and cinnamon. Spread this mixture over the rolled out dough.

Heat the cream. Combine the cream, honey and rum and pour this mixture over the poppy seeds.

Gibanica

Gibanica - Traditional dish from the Balkan area. Something my friend served last night, and i thought is excellent to post here. This is a slightly modified recipe, but the taste is the same. Enjoy.

Dough

8 cups flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pint sour cream
2 cups milk (about), scalded
2 ounces yeast
3 egg yolks, beaten
1/4 pound sweet butter

Dissolve yeast in about 2 teaspoons sugar and 1/2 cup warm water; let stand until it bubbles.

Sift flour in large bowl and add salt and 1/2 cup sugar.

In another bowl beat 3 egg yolks, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and sour cream; add yeast; add scalded milk and sweet butter which was added to the milk and cooled. Add this to the flour bowl and knead to a soft silky dough, not sticky. Let rise in a greased bowl until double in bulk. Make sure the dough is soft as it has to stretch.

On floured cloth roll dough to about 1/4 to 1/2 inch in thickness; stretch gently so it won't break. Stretch oblong about 30 x 20 inches (use rolling pin if necessary) and fill with following filling.

Filling

1 1/2 pounds ground nuts
1 tablespoon honey
3 egg whites
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy milk or cream
1/3 cup sweet butter

Scald milk with butter.

In bowl add ground nuts, honey, vanilla extract, sugar and pinch of salt, then add scalded milk with butter. Mix, then add stiffly beaten egg whites. If thick, add a little more milk. Spread on dough like you would for nut roll and roll like a jellyroll (make as sweet as desired).

Grease roasting pan 4 to 6 inches in depth and fill pan; start at one edge of pan; make a "U" shape. Do not cut if roll is longer; turn again. Brush with milk. Prick with knife on top for air bubbles. Let stand 1 hour.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Remove from oven and brush with butter. Let cool, then flop it on a cloth and place it on a rack to cool.

Old Fashioned Pork Roast Marinade

Something i found online, that will do nicely for today's lunch. Simple but tasty.

1 cup (225 ml) finely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 good sized sprigs of parsley, finely chopped
6 sprigs dried marjoram
or

1 tbsp (15 ml) dry marjoram
pinch of sage
1/4 tsp (1 ml) dry mustard
1/4 tsp (1 ml) ground cloves
1/2 tsp (2 ml) salt
1/2 tsp (2 ml) fresh ground pepper
1 tbsp (15 ml) cider vinegar
1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar, optional
1 pork roast, your choice

Take your pork roast, (or any other meat to be roasted) and wipe it off with a damp cloth and rub it with salt to taste, pork usually is nicer with more salting. Prepare and mix well all the ingredients. Rub the roast thoroughly with this mixture, working on a large piece of aluminum foil, (or waxed paper or plastic wrap will work too). Then, wrap the roast in the aluminum foil tightly, then wrap in a piece of heavy paper, like a grocery sack, butcher's or freezer paper and tie well. Allow to stand in the refrigerator for a full 2 to 3 days. Remove from the wrappings and roast as usual for the amount of lbs. (kg) of meat you have. Make a double batch of marinade for larger hunks of meat such as a turkey, a full pork loin, or a full leg of lamb. Hint: I add a tbsp of sugar to this recipe to give the meats more tenderizing, more flavor, and a nicer crust to the meats while roasting to lock in the juices.

Mixed Salad With Bolete Mushrooms

I went to the forest yesterday to collect some mushrooms, and some fresh air. Amongst all kinds of edible mushrooms i found a few excellent Bolete mushrooms. One of the most beautiful mushroom in the forest, by my humble opinion. That gave me an idea for a easy meal. Oh and the picture is one of those finds.

200g mixed leaves (lettuce, spinach, any other greens)
100g fresh bolete mushrooms
pinch of garlic
15g butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
salt and freshly-ground pepper

Wash, rinse and dice the mushrooms. Mix the vinaigrette in a bowl: first the salt and vinegar, then the pepper and oil. Wash and spin or drain the salad, put them in the bowl and mix with the vinaigrette. Heat the butter in a pan and cook the mushrooms with the garlic for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the salad and serve.


And a small warning at the end, don't pick mushrooms you are not familiar with. Most are poisonous. Instead buy them.

Homemade Vegetable and Beef Soup

2 1/2 to 3 lb. boiling beef
1 qt. water
1 medium onion, minced
3 medium carrots, diced or sliced
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 small can Campbell's vegetable soup
1 qt. tomato juice
salt to taste

Cover boiling beef with water in a 4 quart pan. Cook until tender; remove beef from pan, reserving the broth. Let beef cool in a pan with lid. After cool, cut up into small
chunks. Add 1 quart water to broth; add onions and carrots and simmer 15 minutes. Add potatoes; simmer 10 minutes. Add vegetable soup, tomato juice and beef; simmer 30 to 40 minutes. If desired, you can add 1/2 small head of shredded cabbage with potatoes. Also, if soup is thick, add more water, tomato juice and half and half.

Braised Chicken And Vegetables

4 1/2 lb. chicken (with
giblets)
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine
1 small onion, sliced
12 small carrots, pared
4 tsp. flour
1/2 c. dry white wine
1 c. canned chicken broth
Watercress sprigs

Remove giblets from chicken. Rinse them and drain on paper towels. Rinse chicken and dry with paper towels. Sprinkle inside with salt and pepper. Tuck wings under body; tie legs together. If necessary, fasten skin at neck with skewer or wooden pick. In hot butter in Dutch oven, brown chicken well all over, about 30 minutes. As chicken browns, turn it with 2 wooden spoons, taking care not to break skin. Meanwhile, coarsely chop giblets and combine them with sliced onion. Place giblet-onion mixture under browned chicken and cook over low heat, covered, for 30 minutes. Arrange carrots (halved, if necessary) around chicken; simmer, covered, 40 minutes longer, or until chicken and carrots are tender. Remove from heat. Remove chicken and carrots to heated platter. Cover with foil to keep warm while making sauce. Strain drippings; skim off fat and return drippings to Dutch oven. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually stir in white wine and chicken broth; bring to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning; add salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish Braised Chicken and Vegetables with watercress sprigs. Pass sauce in gravy boat. Makes 6 servings; 430 calories each.