Kad ti život da jagode na popustu ti napravi pitu od jagoda…

Neimenovani supermarket, subota popodne, gužva na odjelu voća i povrća… Komešanje je bilo vidljivo već s ulaza, nepregledno mnoštvo laktari se i čupa nešto iz drvenih kašeta odmah na početku odjela voća tik desno od banana po 9,99 kuna i lijevo od ananasa po 8,99! Iznad mnoštva glava stoji žuta tabla ispisana crvenim krasopisom, jagode samo danas extra povoljne 3,99 mjerica 1/2 kg!!!

E tako i onda kada to uopće ne trebaš kupiš odmah tri mjerice, pa kasnije smišljaš što s njima… I tako baciš pogled u frižider, nedavno napunjen i krajičkom oka spaziš: putar, jaja, mlijeko i oprane jagode. Ubaciš u coolinarika kalkulator, izvadiš tri do četiri zanimljive kombinacije sve ih smiješaš i napraviš svoj vlastiti recept. Moj mikser je smiksao pitu od prhkog tijesta s kuhanom kremom od vanilije i jagodama 'on top'.

Priča se dalje nastavlja s izradom dobrog starog prhkog tijesta koje se može upotrijebiti u gotovo svakoj vrsti slatke pite. Ovaj dio  recepta iziskuje nešto više vremena, ali ne zato što je kompliciran za izradu nego zato što treba imati malo strpljenja i dozvoliti tijestu da miruje. Za početak iz frižidera treba izvaditi sve sastojke i ostaviti ih da postignu sobnu temperaturu (barem sat vremena).

PRHKO TIJESTO

Sastojci: 300 g glatkog brašna, 100 g šećera u prahu, prstohvat soli, 20 dkg putra izrezanog na kockice i 2 žumanjka.

Postupak: Brašno, šećer i sol pažljivo smiješati. U sredini napraviti udubinu u koju se ubace žumanjci i narezani putar. Smjesu toliko dugo gnječiti prstima dok se ne izradi glatko tijesto (ponekad i do 5 minuta, ovisno o temperaturi putra). Gotovo tijesto oblikovati u disk promjera 20 cm, zamotati u prozirnu foliju i ostaviti u hladnjaku počivati do sat vremena.

Dok se čeka da si tijesto malo otpočine vrijeme se može prikratiti izradom kreme tj. punjenja za pitu

PUNJENJE OD VANILIJE

Sastojci: 500 ml mlijeka, 4 žumanjka, 8 žlica šećera + 4 ekstra,  3 žlice gustina, prstohvat soli, mahuna vanilije, 4 žlice pekmeza od jagode.

Postupak: U mlijeko sastrugati sjemenke vanilije i zajedno s mahunom vanilije staviti kuhati na laganu vatru, mlijeko ne smije postići vrenje. Za to vrijeme u drugoj posudi zajedno smiješati žumanjke, šećer, gustin i sol. Kada je mlijeko blizu vrenja polovicu uliti u smjesu žumanjaka i smiješati. Zatim tu smjesu prebaciti u preostalo mlijeko, izvaditi i baciti mahunu vanilije te nastaviti kuhati uz miješanje na srednjoj vatri dok se ne zgusne (par minuta).

Staviti pećnicu da se zagrije na 200 °C.

Sada je već prošlo sigurno pola sata i tijesto se u frižideru dovoljno odmorilo za nastavak. Izvaditi tijesto iz frižidera, staviti ga između dva papira za pečenje i izvaljati u željeni oblik. Prebaciti skupa s oba papira u kalup, skinuti gornji sloj te oblikovati prema kalupu (obrezati višak).  Sredinu obavezno izbosti vilicom (da se ne napuhne) i staviti peći u zagrijanu pećnicu bez nadjeva 10 minuta. Nakon deset minuta tijesto premazati pekmezom od jagode. Preko sloja pekmeza staviti kremu od vanilije , a po njoj u koncentrične kružnice posložiti na ploške izrezane jagode. Ploške neka budu 4-5 mm debljine. Jagode posuti s dvije žlice onog ekstra šećera i staviti peći pokriveno ALU folijom jedno pola sata. Nakon pola sata foliju maknuti posuti s još dvije žlice šećera i zapeći još desetak minuta.

When life gives you strawberries on sale, make a Strawberry Vanilla Pie… 

Saturday afternoon at the no name supermarket, a crowd begins to form at the vegetable and fruit section… A crowd can be seen even from the entrance, a mass of people pushing around and pulling something out of the wooden crates just between the bananas at 1,79$ to the right and pineapples at 1,60$ to the left. Above the heads of the crowd, a yellow plate with red letters warning, strawberry super sale 0,70$ 1 lb!!!

And so when one doesn’t really need any, ends up buying 3 lb, but then needs to figure out what to do with it… One look in the fridge, recently stocked, shows a potential. Butter, eggs, milk and freshly washed strawberries. One then throws everything into a Collinarika calculator, picks out three to four interesting recipes, puts them all into a mixer and makes one’s own recipe. My mixer ended up mixing an old fashioned pie with vanilla cream filling and strawberries on top.

First a good old fashioned dough should be made, one that can be used in any type of a sweet pie. This part of recipe takes some time, but only because a good dough needs some resting time, otherwise it is nothing complicated to make.  To start, all the ingredients should be taken out of the fridge and allowed to become of a room temperature (about an hour).

PIE DOUGH

Ingredients: 70 lb fine flour, 25 lb castor sugar, pinch of salt, 45 lb butter cut into cubes, 2 egg yolks.

Preparation: Flour, sugar and salt carefully mix together. Make a well in the middle and throw in the yolks and butter. It should all be mixed so long till a fine dough begins to form (sometimes up to 5 minutes depending of the initial butter temperature). Dough is usually formed into a 8’’ diameter disk, wrapped into clean foil and put to fridge for half to one hour long rest.

One can make the cream filling while waiting for the dough to rest.

VANILLA CREAM FILLING

Ingredients: 2 cup milk, 4 egg yolks, ½ cup sugar + 4 tablespoons extra, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, pinch of salt, vanilla bean, 4 tablespoons of strawberry jam.

Preparation: Scrape be vanilla bean seeds into the milk, and together with the vanilla bean cook over low heat. Milk should not be brought to boiling point. In the meantime in another bowl, mix together the yolks, sugar, salt and cornstarch. When the milk is near the boiling point pour some of to the yolk mixture stirring vigorously. When combined add everything beck into the milk and continue cooking over low heat until thickened (few minutes).

Preheat oven to 390 °F.

Now it’s time to prepare the dough. Put the rested dough between two sheets of baking paper and roll it out into the desired shape. Put in the tin together with the baking paper (less to clean latter), and shape the dough according to the shape, cut the excess dough off. The middle of the pay should be thoroughly stabbed with a fork to eliminate dough raising. Put the dough without the filling into the oven for 10 minutes. After ten minutes take the empty crust out and spread it with strawberry jam, on top put the vanilla filling and on top of the filling sliced strawberries (1,5 ‘’ thick slices) shaped into concentric circles. Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar on top and put in the oven covered with ALU foil for half an hour. After half an hour bake remove foil sprinkle two more spoonfuls of sugar and bake uncover for another ten minutes.

DOBAR TEK I BON APPÉTIT...

Popaj sirnica MY WAY... jer ste vi tako tražili!!!

Zbog  mog zavijanja i tupljenja, sad već većina ljudi oko mene nadam se zna da burek može biti samo od mesa, a da je sa sirom sirnica, špinatom zeljanica, krumpirom krumpiruša i td. Tko ne zna, sedi na vuhima, kak bi Đurđa rekla!!! Za početak treba nabaviti jednu poštenu tepsiju za burek. Po mogućnosti, okruglu nešto dublju varijantu. Meni su najdraže one emajlirane plave, osnovni inventar svake bakine kuhinje. Tko nema navedenu tepsiju prvo kod bake provjeriti da li se može tamo drpit, tko se ne može ni tako snaći neka bude kreativan s ostalim rajnglama u kuhinji.

Thanks to my constant nagging about it, and constant repeating the fact that burek can only be 'Burek' when it is made with meat, and that 'Sirnica' is made with cheese, 'Zeljanica' with spinach, 'Krumpiruša' with potatoes and so on…, everyone by now should know that fact. Who is still unclear about that, has been sitting on his or hers ears as granny Đurđa would say. For starters, a proper baking pan should be obtained. The pan should be round, and somewhat deeper than a regular pizza pan. I personally prefer the blue email kind, a basic inventory in all of our grandmother’s kitchens. If one does not have such a pan, he or she should try to obtain one from the previously mentioned place. If such attempt fails, use your creativity in finding a suitable replacement.

Popaj sirnica MY WAY

SASTOJCI: paket kora za savijače/pite (ako se nabavljaju na Dolcu tam dole desno kod ulaza, onda 500/600 g tankih kora), pola kg svježeg bijelog sira, 2 jaja, 2 dcl punomasnog kiselog vrhnja, pet punih šaka mladog špinata, sol, 2 češnja češnjaka krupno nasjeckati, dodatno jedno jaje umutiti s dvije žlice kiselog vrhnja, suncokretovo ulje.

NEEDED: 1 package pastry leaves or fillo dough sheets (500 grams),  500 grams cottage cheese, 2 eggs, 2 dcl sour cream, 5 handfuls of spinach, salt, 2 garlic cloves roughly chopped, additional one beaten egg mixed with two spoonfuls of sour cream, sunflower oil.

POSTUPAK: Oprati, očistiti i kratko blanširati (2 min) mladi špinat. Prebaciti špinat na tavu s malo maslinova ulja na kojem se kratko popržio krupno sjeckani češnjak. Špinat kratko prodinstati i lagano začiniti solju.
Sir prebaciti u zdjelu, dodati dva umućena jaja i kiselo vrhnje, začiniti solju i lagano promiješati. Ne previše da se baš skroz ne razbiju grudice sira. Ne bi bila velika pogreška kada bi se sve pretvorilo u jednoličnu masu, ali smatram da je s grudicama nekako cijela priča rustikalnija :)
Sada nauljiti dno i stranice tepsije uljem. Na dno staviti dva lista kora za savijače, koje se između također premažu uljem. Kore će viriti preko ruba ali to ne smeta, kasnije se one svinu prema unutra. Na njih staviti tri do četiri žlice nadjeva od sira, rasporediti i prekriti jednim listom. Premazati uljem.
Na uljem premazani list rasporediti špinat. Prekriti s dvije kore, međusobno premazane uljem.
Dalje redom sve slagati kao što je ranije opisano prema sistemu: dvije kore međusobno premazane uljem, sloj nadjeva od sira, jedna kora premazana uljem na koju ide sloj špinata, pa opet dvije kore itd.
Redati slojeve dok se ne potroši materijal. Meni obično ispadnu tri sloja sira i dva sloja špinata.
Na vrh dolaze dvije kore. Sada savinuti sve rubove koji vire izvan tepsije prema sredini. Ti rubovi kora će kod savijanja vjerojatno popucati, ali zbog toga se ne treba puno nervirati. Lagano sada još sve premazati uljem i na nekoliko mjesta izbosti vilicom. Ovako pripremljena pita može pokrivena prozirnom folijom stajati u hladnjaku do trenutka pečenja.
Zagrijati pećnicu na 200°C. Pitu prije pečenja još premazati mješavinom jaja i kiselog vrhnja. Peći do 45 min. Kada počne odozgo intenzivno tamnjeti prekriti alu folijom.
Ispečenu pitu ostaviti prekrivenu da se pohladi barem pola sata.

METHOD: Wash and put the spinach in some boil water for approx 2 min. Lightly toast coarsely chopped garlic in a pan on one spoonful of olive oil, add drained spinach and some salt. Sauté for a while, then put aside. 

In a separate bowl, mix together cottage cheese, sour cream and some salt. Lightly but carefully mix together, not too much. Some lumps of cheese should be preserved, it makes the whole story more rustic :)

Start by pouring some oil on the bottom of the pan, also oiling the sides. First two sheets of dough are put on the bottom, they should also be oiled in between. Dough sheets will be sticking out of the pan, but don’t let it bother you. Later on they will be folded towards the middle to seal off the top layer. A top the sheets 4 spoonfuls of cheese filling are put. Then the cheese is covered with one more dough sheet drizzled in oil. 

Now it’s time to put the spinach in, so spread the half of your spinach filling. Cover with two sheets of dough oiled in between. 

Continue putting layer in the described order: two sheets of dough oiled in between, a layer of cheese filling, one sheet of dough drizzled with oil on top one puts spinach. I usually have three layers of cheese filing and two of spinach filling. 

Always finish with two sheets of dough. Now that one has put all the layers in, all the excess dough sticking out of the pan is folded in towards the middle. When done so, the top of the Sirnica should be drizzled with some more oil. Fork can then be used to make few stab points all over the surface. Sirnica prepared in this way can be stored in the fridge until the time of baking covered in clean foil. 

Before putting Sirnica into the oven, the top is brushed with an egg and sour cream mixture. It is then baked for approx 45 minutes at 200°C. If Sirnica starts to get a bit too much color, cover it with aluminum foil and continue baking. 

Once baked through it should be left to rest covered, for at least half an hour.

BON APPETIT!!!

Sloppy Joe sendvič ili da kažem men-vič / Sloppy Joe sandwich or should I dare say Man-Witch

Kada sam krenuo u istraživanje povijesti Sloppy Joea, nisam ni zamišljao tako crnu povijest ove nedavno otkrivene delikatese.

Investigating the history of this not so long ago acknowledged sandwich, I couldn't imagine the dark story behind its past.

Prema urbanoj legendi, koja se već decenijama prenosi s jednog američkog kolenca na drugo najčešće u krugu oko logorske vatrice u bespućima američkog red-neck countrija, jednom davno mesar zvan Joe oženio ljubav svoga života. Joe je bio vlasnik lokalne zalogajnice. Jedne večeri Joe se vratio doma kako bi tamo zatekao svoju ženu i najboljeg si prijatelja u činu pretjeranog gostoprimstva, po principu uzmi sve što se na pladnju nudi… Poludjeli Joe u žaru borbe pretjera i ubi ih oboje. Tijela se riješio tako što ih je rasjekao i komad po komad samljeo u flajšmašini zalogajnice. Drugoga dana na večeru u zalogajnicu, Joe je pozvao roditelje drage mu sad već bivše žene i roditelje dragog mu sad već bivšeg najboljeg prijatelja. Tada im je objasnio da ga je žena zatražila razvod i da je dvoje preljubnika zajedno pobjeglo kako bi se vjenčali. Posramljenim i zbunjenim roditeljima Joe je poslužio večeru. Mljeveno meso u posebnom umaku na pecivu. Meso je bilo specifičnog okusa, kakvo nitko od njih nije ranije probao. Punica mu je naravno prigovorila: ovo je odlično, doduše malo kašasto (sloppy) Joe, zar ne!? I tako je nastao Sloppy Joe koji se od toga dana prodaje u njegovoj zalogajnici. To je i razlog zašto se Sloppy Joe ponekad naziva i Men-Witch tj. men-vič pošto su mu glavni sastojak man(čovjek) and a witch(vještica).

According to the urban legend passed down from one generation to another usually sitting around a camp fire in the who-knows where land of the American red-neck country, there was a butcher named Joe who owned a diner with his wife, whom he loved dearly. On this one very special evening Joe came home to find his wife having too much courtesy with his best friend. Joe went crazy finding out about their affair this way and during their heated argument, Joe killed them both. He disposed of the bodies by chopping them up and sending them piece by piece through his meat grinder. The next day, Joe called his dearly departed wife’s parents and the parents of his ex best friend and invited them to dinner at the diner. There he told them that the two cheaters had run off together and left him a note telling him she wanted a divorce and that she and his friend were to be married. Joe served the uncomfortable and confused parents their dinner. Ground meat in a special sauce on a bun. The meat had a unique flavor, one none of them had ever tasted before. His mother-in-law said "This is delicious, but it’s kind of sloppy Joe." Since then, Joe started selling Sloppy Joes at his diner. It’s also the reason that sloppy Joes are also called “Man-Witch”. The meat in the sandwich was made from the man and the “witch”.

A sad za ozbiljno, Sloppy Joe je tradicionalna američka kreacija koja prema jednoj priči postoji još od davnih 50tih godina prošlog stoljeća. Prema toj, Sloppy Joe je stvoren u vrijeme kada je bilo pomodno izaći i pojesti ''loose meat'' sendvič. Doduše, tada nije bilo uobičajeno u loose meat sendvič trpati umak od rajčice. No naravno našao se negdje neki Joe, točnije u Floyd Angell's zajogajnici u Sioux Cityu u Iowi, koji je u loose meat sendvič nakipao upravo umak od rajčice i na taj se način Americi narodio ''Sloppy Joe sandwich''. Prema drugom izvoru podrijetlo ove delikatese vezano za je za Key West i stanovitog Joe Russela, koje je 1933. godine  otvorio bar nazvan Sloppy Joe's, baš na dan ukinuća prohibicije. No bilo kako bilo, priča je ista, umak od rajčice je dodan u ''loose meat'' i ikona je rođena. Savršena hrana za Oscar revisited noć zabave i sve američki inspirirane zabave koje poželiš održati… Primjerice, Gilmore Girls welcome back spring party, Gilmore Girls welcome back summer party, Gilmore Girls just welcome back party itd.

And now to get serious, Sloppy Joes are an American creation that has been around according to one source, since at least the 1950s. They probably got their start as a variation of the “loose meat” sandwiches that were popular at that time but didn’t contain tomato sauce. At that time a certain cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s café in Sioux City, Iowa, added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches and the “sloppy joe” sandwich was born. Another source says that the trace of sandwich’s origins to Key West, where a certain Joe Russell opened a bar called Sloppy Joe’s on December 5, 1933, the day Prohibition was repealed. The story is similar to the first, Joe added tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwich and an iconic American dish was born. Sloppy Joes are ideal food for the Oscars revisited night and all other USA inspired candle light suppers. For instance; Gilmore Girls welcome back spring party, Gilmore Girls welcome back summer party, Gilmore Girls just welcome back party etc.

Sloppy Joes su popularni i kod dječice posebno što su tako blaženo zdravo, nezdravi :) Popularni su i kod roditelja jer  se za relativno malo novaca i vremena mogu brzo ušutkati gladna i glasna dječja ustašca. Za lakše snalaženje u kuhinji i ako se ponekad netko slučajno zatekne u šopingu u Walmartu u Iowi može kupiti i konzervirani proizvod. Takozvani i ranije spomenuti Manwich, koji u sebi sadrži sve sastojke, osim, pazi sad…. mesa, kojeg po želji biraš sam (moj izbor je govedina). Ako ste vegetarijanac možete umjesto mesa utrpati soju. Soju pripremite kako god inače soju pripremate jer ja nemam pojma kaj bi s njom… From here on you are on your own :)))

Sloppy Joes are popular with most kids, mostly because they are so healthily, unhealthy :) They’re also a favorite of parents when dinner time approaches, since sloppy Joes are easy, inexpensive and quick way to make your cute but loud kids shut up. For an easy approach to this recipe, and for your convenience, you can also use a canned product, such as Manwich, that already has most of the ingredients already mixed together. All you need to do is add ground beef! If you’re a vegetarian, you can substitute vegetable protein for ground beef to make meatless Sloppy Joes!

Inače inačica imena Sloppy Joe može biti različita pa se tako ponekad mogu naći Barbecues, Dynamites, Slushburgers, Wimpies, Yum Yums pa čak i ne bi čovjek povjerovao Sloppy Janes. Kao što postoji mnogo varijacija imena tako postoje i varijacije kombinacija i sastojaka. Neki stavljaju mljevenu piletinu umjesto govedine i man-viča, neki dodaju posebne začine primjerice cimet, neki vole dodati smeđi šećer. A ja ga volim baš ovako kako ću sada opisati:

Many people find the name “sloppy joes” to be rather funny. Would you believe that Sloppy Joes are often called by different names in different parts of the US. Some other names for Sloppy Joes include: Barbecues, Dynamites, Slushburgers, Wimpies, Yum Yums and of course the inevitable Sloppy Janes. Just like the many names for Sloppy Joes, you’ll also find all sorts of variations on the traditional recipe around the country. Some areas use other meats, such as chicken, instead of ground beef. Other areas add special spices, like cinnamon and brown sugar. And how I like my Sloppy Joes, find out in the conclusion!

SLOPPY JOE

SASTOJCI:  500 g mljevene govedine, jedna glavica sjeckanog luka, pola nasjeckane žute paprike, žličica praškastog češnjaka, žličica dijon senfa, 200 ml umaka od rajčice, 3 žlice smeđeg šećera, pola žličice soli i pola žličice papra. Dva paket hot dog peciva (8komada) i izbjegavati sezamičaste, pola teglice umaka od sira (spar čist ok), druga polovica žute paprike nasjeckana na srednje velike komade.

POSTUPAK: Zagrijati ulje u tavici i na njega staviti pržiti luka, papriku i mljeveno meso. Kada porumeni dodati redom začine: češnjak, dijon, umak od rajčice i smeđi šećer. Dobro izmiješati, smanjiti vatru i kuhati poklopljeno oko pola sata. Treba dobiti umak koji je taman kašast, a nikako preveć vodenast. Ako je previše vodenasto dodatno pirjati otklopljeno, ako je nedovoljno kašasto doliti malo vode pa zavrijeti. Začiniti solju i paprom. Za to vrijeme tostirati na pola prerezana peciva u pećnici. Umak od sira zagrijati. Na donju polovicu staviti umak od mesa i to dovoljno da bude malo neuredno (sloppy), primjerice dvije obilne žlice, zatim preko mesa preliti dvije žlice umaka od sira, prstohvat do dav sjeckane paprike, poklopiti i prerezati  po pola. Ukrasiti raznim pizdarijama i servirati uz neku finu salatu. Primjerice coleslaw.

Ingredients: 500 g ground beef, one chopped onion, half chopped yellow bell pepper,  teaspoon garlic powder, teaspoon Dijon yellow mustard, 200 ml tomato sauce, 3 teaspoons brown sugar, half a teaspoon salt to taste, freshly ground black pepper (to taste). Two packets of hot dog buns, half a jar queso dip, other half yellow bell pepper coarsely chopped.

Directions: heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef, pepper and onion. Cook until browned. Stir in garlic powder, mustard, tomato sauce, and brown sugar. Mix well. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The sauce consistency should be just right, hot runny and not to chunky. Turn oven broiler on, slice the dinner rolls in half and place cut side up on a baking sheet and broil until golden brown.4. Warm up the queso dip. Place some of the sloppy joe meat onto the bottom half of each slider bun (two spoonfuls should do the trick). Top with queso dip and coarsely chopped yellow pepper. Replace the top of the slider bun and serve cut in half with the side of a salad, coleslaw for instance.

PRIMJERICE COLESLAW

SASTOJCI: naribana glavica zelja, naribane dvije velike mrkve, 200 ml majoneze, 2 velike žlice kiselog vrhnja, 2 žice extra fino nasjeckanog crvenog luka, 2 žlice šećera (bijeli je bolji, lepše je za videti), 2 žlice alkoholnog octa, 1 žličica dijon senfa, pola žličice soli, svježe mljeveni papar po ukusu.

POSTUPAK: pomiješati zelje i mrkvu u veliku posudu i preliti pripremljenim umakom, do posluživanja držati na hladnom. Za umak, zajedno smiješati sve navedene sastojke i ostaviti desetak minuta da se kvalitetno povežu.

Ingredients: 1 head green cabbage finely shredded, 2 large carrots finely shredded, 200 ml quality mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons sour cream, 2 tablespoons finely grated onion, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons white vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Directions: combine the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Whisk together the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion, sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, and then add to the cabbage mixture. Set aside for 10 minutes so that the ingredients form a quality connection :) Mix well to combine and taste for seasoning; add more salt, pepper, or sugar if desired. 

Ako održavate Oscar revisited noć možete ju dodatno začiniti bingom prema primjeru. Pobjednik mora počistiti tanjur sa Sloppy Joeovima :)

If you are having The Oscar revisited night you can additionally garnish your evening with an Oscar bingo game, winner gets to clear the Sloppy Joe plate :)

Dobar tek i godspeed…