In search of inspiration...: September 2011

Spremanje zimnice mi je jedna od omiljenih zanimacija koja me jako veseli i u kojoj rado uživam svake godine na prijelazu ljeta u jesen. Obično napravim nekoliko vrsta pekmeza i ukiselim krastavčiće, paprike i ciklu. Ove godine moju smočnicu krase džem od šljiva s rumom i cimetom, džem od jagoda s bazgom te obični, namaz od jabuka te kisela cikla za koju vam recept upravo donosim. Recept sam dobila od mamine kolegice, vrlo je klasičan, ali zato jako ukusan. Cikla bude slatko-kisela i izvrsno se slaže sa zimskom hranom.

Pickling and preserving is one of my favorite things to do every year at that cross between summer and fall. Usually I make different kinds of jams and pickles, pickled peppers and beets. This year, my pantry is the home for plum, rum and cinnamon jam, strawberry jam with elderberry flowers and plain one, apple butter and pickled beets for which I will give you recipe right now. We got it from my mother`s friend, it is a classic but the beets turn out a real treat. It`s a sweet and sour taste which goes great with hearty winter food.

Sastojci

3 kg cikle (neoguljene)
500 ml octa
1500 ml vode
200 ml šećera
2,5 žlice soli

Ingredients

3 kilos beets (unpeeled)
500 ml vinegar
1500 ml water
200 ml sugar
2,5 tbsp salt

Priprema

Operite neoguljenu ciklu. Zavrijte vodu u velikom loncu, stavite ciklu i kuhajte dok ne omekša (vrijeme kuhanja varira ovisno o veličini i sorti cikle, probajte nožem je li mekana). Ogulite skuhanu ciklu i narežite na tanke ploške.
Zavrijte ocat, vodu, šećer i sol, stavite u tu mješavinu ciklu i zavrijte. Vruće stavljajte u sterilizirane staklenke, prelijte tekućinom i odmah zatvorite poklopcima. Staklenke zamotajte u deku, ali pazite da se ne dodiruju i ostavite ih tako do sutra dok se ne ohlade. Ciklu možete jesti nakon mjesec dana.

Preparation

Wash unpeeled beets. Bring water to boil in a big pot, put in it your beets and cook until soft (this may vary depending on the size of the beets; just try with a knife whether they are cooked). Peel cooked beets and cut into thin slices.
Bring to boil vinegar, water, sugar and salt, put your beets into prepared liquid and bring to boil again. While it is still hot, put your beets into sterilized jars, cover with liquid and immediately adjust lids.
Wrap the jars in a blanket, make sure they don`t touch each other and leave over night to cool down. You can eat your pickled beets 1 month later.

Verzija za print
Printable version

Kruh je jedna od osnovnih namirnica koju kupujemo gotovo svakodnevno, no jeste li ikad zastali i proučili listu sastojaka kruha kojeg možete kupiti u supermarketima? Brašno, voda, kvasac i onda oni zastrašujući E aditivi zbog kojih poželim nikad više ne kupovati kruh iz trgovine. Stoga se trudim što češće napraviti domaći kruh koji je puno ukusniji od kupovnog, daje vam mogućnost kontrole sastojaka s kojim ćete ga napraviti a za koje znate da nisu štetni za vaše zdravlje. Ovog puta, napravila sam focacciu ili pogaču - poznati talijanski kruh s mediteranskim začinima, a premazala sam ju mješavinom maslinovog ulja, češnjaka i još začina. Zvuči dobro, zar ne? Kad sam ju izvadila iz pećnice, focaccia je bila hrskava, a sljedeći dan je ostala mekana, baš onako kako ju volimo.

Bread is something that we buy almost every day but have you ever stopped and studied the ingredient list of the breads that you can find in supermarkets? Flour, water, yeast and then those horrible E additives that pretty much scare me so that I really never ever want to buy bread in stores again. So, as often as I can, I make my homemade bread which is delicious and you can pretty much control the ingredients you put in it and you know are good for you. This time I made an italian style bread called focaccia with mediterranean herbs and brushed it with mixture of olive oil, garlic and more herbs. Sounds good, right? The focaccia was really crunchy when it came out from the oven but the next day was nice and soft, just the way we like it.

Sastojci

Za tijesto
1 kg višenamjenskog brašna
600 ml mlake vode
40 g svježeg kvasca
1 žlica soli
1 žlica mediteranskih začina (origano, bosiljak, mažuran i majčina dušica)
1 žličica meda
4 žlice maslinovog ulja
Za premaz
3 žlice maslinovog ulja
1 češanj češnjaka
1 žličica mediteranskih začina
prstohvat soli

Ingredients

For the dough
1 kg all purpose flour
600 ml tepid water
40g fresh yeast
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp mediterranean herbs (oregano, basil, marjoram and thyme)
1 tsp honey
4 tbsp olive oil
For the brush
3 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic
1 tsp mediterranean herbs
pinch of salt

Priprema

Pomiješajte brašno, sol i začinsko bilje. U zdjeli rastopite med i kvasac u 200ml mlake vode. Ostavite da se udvostruči na toplom mjestu. Udvostručeni kvasac dodajte brašnu zajedno s maslinovim uljem i ostatkom vode (400ml). Izmiješajte dobro rukama, a kad se počne formirati tijesto, premjestite ga na površinu koju ste lagano pobrašnili i mijesite oko 5 minuta. Posudu premažite s malo ulja, stavite tijesto u nju, prekrijte vlažnom krpom i ostavite na toplom mjestu da se udvostruči.
Zagrijte pećnicu na 190 stupnjeva.
Udarite tijesto rukom kako bi izašao zrak i istresite ga na nauljeni lim veličine pećnice. Raširite ga rukama na veličinu lima, napravite rupe pomoću vrška drvene kuhače i nožem označite kriške. U mužaru izlupajte maslinovo ulje, češnjak, začine i sol pa tom mješavinom premažite focacciu. Pecite 40 minuta dok ne postane hrskava i zlatnosmeđe boje.

Preparation

Combine flour, salt and herbes. In a bowl, disolve honey and yeast in 200 ml tepid water. Let it rise until it doubles in size in a warm place. Then add it to flour mixture together with oil and the remaining water (400 ml). Mix well with your hands and when the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes. Lightly oil the bowl, place the dough in it, cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 190 Degrees Celsius.
Knock down your dough and place it into a lightly oiled tray (which is the size of your oven). Flatten it with your hands, poke with a top of your wooden spoon and cut the surface with a knife to mark portions. In mortar, beat olive oil, garlic, herbs and salt and bursh your focaccia with this aromatic mixture. Bake for 40 min or until nicely golden and crispy.