North Croatian Green Peas Stew Grasak Cuspajz Food

NORTH CROATIAN GREEN PEAS SOUP

Steps:

• Clean the green peas and put it into hot water for 5 minutes. Grate of slice carrot and sauté on butter; after a while, mince onion and sauté both on butter until onion is translucent.
• Add finely sliced pancetta and sauté not more than 5 minutes. Add flour and fry about 2 minutes, than add cold water and make creamy liquid (like sauce veloute).
• Cut green parts of spring onion, mince parsley and celery leaves and add into pot. Add green pea and about 1 liter of beef stock. Add salt and pepper.
• Cook until green peas are soft. When soft, remove green pea and blend it into puree (leave 1/6 of peas untouched). You can blend it with stick blender so you do not have to remove geen pea. Add thyme and cook 15 minutes.
• At the end add sour cream and minced chive. Serve with croutons.

NORTH CROATIAN CUCUMBER STEW ("CUSPAJZ OD KRASTAVACA")

Steps:

• Peel the cucumbers and cut them as for salad. Salt it and put aside for 10 minutes.
• Melt lard and add finely minced garlic and flour and sauté it until flour become brownish. Add paprika and stir well. Add cold water and make creamy liquid.
• Squeeze cucumbers with hand to extract bitter liquid and add cucumbers into the pot. Add vinegar, salt and pepper and cover with water.
• Cook not more than 30 minutes. Before serving add sour cream and stir.

NORTH CROATIAN GREEN PEAS STEW ("GRASAK CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Melt butter in a pot and add flour. Fry it until becoming brownish than add water and make creamy liquid.
• Add some water and when boils add all green peas, parsley leaves, salt, and thyme.
• Add water just to cover peas and cook abut 30 minutes or peas become soft.

SPRING MINESTRONE

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, add oil; heat over medium heat.
• Add in onions and garlic; saute for 5 minutes or until onions are softened.
• Add in the leeks and saute/stir for 2-3 minutes.
• Add in the celery, oregano, fennel, salt and pepper to taste; continue to saute/stir for another 5 minutes.
• Add in vegetable stock; stir and bring to a boil.
• Lower heat, add the zucchini and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add in the white beans and return to a gentle simmer.
• Add in the greens, peas, and asparagus; simmer for about 10 minutes or until tender.
• Right before ready to serve, add the lemon juice or vinegar.
• Ladle soup into individual serving bowls; sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

CROATIAN SPINACH STEW ( SPINAT CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Clean the spinach leaves and put them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Drain the leaves and using large knife (or multi-practic machine): cut them to mash.
• Take a pot, melt butter, add flour and garlic, and add cold water to make a kind of "sauce veloutè".
• Add mashed spinach pour milk (or cream) season with salt and pepper.
• Nutmeg is optional.
• Cook for 10 minutes.

NORTH CROATIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW (BUCE CUSPAJZ)

Steps:

• Cut butternut squash into stripes like thick spaghetti (we buy it usually already cut on the market).
• Salt it and add vinegar and leave it stay for 60 minutes. It must start to leave juices.
• Melt lard and add finely minced onion. Sauté onions until translucent, add flour, stir it until brownish; add cold water and make creamy liquid.
• Add red paprika and some more water.
• Squeeze squash with hands to remove water from it and than add into a pot. Stir it and add some fresh water to cover it.
• Cook gently (it can easily burn) until butternut squash is soft. Before serving add minced dill and sour cream. Serve with pork schnitzels and potato.

NORTH CROATIAN KOHLRABI STEW (KOLORABA CUSPAJZ)

Steps:

• Peel kohlrabi like you peel apples. Remove leaves (don't throw away baby leaves, you can slice them and put into stew later) and cut kohlrabi like you cut potato for French fry potato, but just little bit thicker.
• Melt lard (or butter) in a pot, add flour and sauté it 1 minute. Add water and make creamy liquid. Add sliced kohlrabi and add water to cover the vegetable. Add salt and pepper and baby leaves if you want.
• Cook about 30 minutes or until kohlrabi softens.
• At the end add sour cream, stir well and serve.