Croatian Zgvacet Food

CROATIAN "ZGVACET"

Steps:

• First slice the meat in peaces 2-3 cm large.
• Put the olive oil in a pot and sauté the onion until it is soft. Add the meat, salt pepper and bay leaf. Sauté it for 15 minute When the meat relief the water, add bacon, garlic, majoran and basil and sauté for 5 more minutes; than add the wine and sauté until wine partly evaporates.
• Add tomato and cook 30 min on easy fire. If there's not enough liquid add some water.
• Cook it for about 60 min; or until the meat is soft. Before eating leave it still for 10 min., and add some more olive oil (to taste). If you taste it is too sour, you may add some sugar (sometimes tomatoes are sour, plus wine, it can be too sour).
• Serve with potato gnocchi, noodles or mashed potato.

CROATIAN DALMATIAN VEGETABLE SOUP

Steps:

• Soak beans and barley over night and cook the next day until soft.
• Slice carrots, parsley and celery roots into small cubes, and finely mince onion and garlic. Cut pancetta into small cubes.
• Cook French beans and green peas for 10-15 minutes drain and put aside.
• Put olive oil into pot, add onion, carrot, parsley root, celery root and sauté it until soft. Add pancetta and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes.
• Add some water, French beans, green peas, barley, beans and tomato. Stir and cook 5 minutes, add whole water. It may be more than 1 liter, depends how much soup you want and how dense you want it to be.
• Season with salt and pepper and half amount of oregano. Cook about 45 minutes or until all vegetables are soft.
• Twenty minutes before end add penne and cook until pasta is done. Before serving add majoran and oregano, taste and add salt if necessary. Serve with grated parmesan over the soup.

CROATIAN MOUSSAKA

Steps:

• Make filling:
• Cut an X in bottom of each tomato with a sharp paring knife and blanch tomatoes together in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling water 10 seconds. Transfer tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a bowl of ice and cold water to cool. Peel off skin with paring knife, beginning from scored end, and discard. Finely chop tomatoes.
• Peel potatoes and cut into slices slightly less than 1/4 inch thick.
• Heat oil in a 4- to 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until it registers 370°F on thermometer. Fry potatoes in 6 batches, turning over occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes per batch, transferring with slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. (Return oil to 370°F between batches.)
• Heat butter in a wide 6- to 8-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then add onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 8 minutes. Add beef and sauté, stirring occasionally and breaking up large lumps with a wooden spoon, until meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost all of liquid is evaporated, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese and bread crumbs until just combined.
• Arrange one third of potatoes, overlapping slightly, in a buttered 13- by 9-inch glass baking dish, then spread with half of beef mixture. Repeat layering with potatoes and beef, ending with a third layer of potatoes.
• Make topping and bake moussaka:
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Whisk together butter, eggs, milk, cheese, and bread crumbs until just combined, then pour evenly over potatoes.
• Bake until golden brown and bubbling around edges, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.