It’s truffle season and Istria is famous for its truffles, but this is only a tiny fraction of its fungi offering. In autumn, when conditions are right, Istria’s woods are full of wild mushrooms: the weird and the wonderful, the tiny and the tremendous, the delicious and the deadly. And as the fungi appear,...
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Thanks to the Italian influence, risottos are a real Istrian speciality. But my attempts at risotto had always been disastrous (because I was always too lazy to stand over them, constantly stirring in more liquid, as you are supposed to do). So I had more or less given up on them … but since...
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A sort of pork and beans, this quintessential Istrian soup, is a meal in itself. Made in every Istrian restaurant and home, everyone has their own family recipe which varies according to what’s in season. Any restaurant’s recipes are a well-guarded secret. This isn’t quite Katica’s maneštra recipe but it’s very close. She says you...
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These are just two off-the-menu dishes available in Konoba Kaštel. I tried to get the exact quantities from owner, Alen, but that just confused him. “There are no exact quantities,” he said. “The quantity we use varies from time to time, depending on the available mushrooms, and your individual taste.” So, I’ve just given...
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With the summer rolling on and on and cherry tomatoes still so plentiful in the garden, I thought I’d share one of my favourites. My take on this is classic. It makes enough for the photo. Ingredients 500 g cherry tomatoes ½ onion (thinly sliced) Handful basil leaves (larger ones torn)...
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When Nicky returned from fig picking with over four kilos of fresh Istrian figs I knew they wouldn’t keep and I would have to come up with some fig recipes quickly. Using basically the same ingredients, the first – a simple fig sauce – is great to spice up left-over meat; the second –...
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Serves 2 (or more depending on the size of the courgette) There’s a lot of courgettes in my Istrian garden. Unfortunately, Phil’s none too fond of them, so I developed this courgette dish to go with BBQs and grills. Ingredients 1 large courgette 1 red pepper, chopped 200 ml passata 1 onion, chopped...
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Juha od šparoga Serves 4-6 This is a very economical asparagus recipe, as nothing is wasted – ideal for hand-picked wild Istrian asparagus. The goodness from any woody stems goes into the stock, the middle makes the soup and the tips form the garnish. Ingredients Handful of asparagus 50 g butter 250 g...
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Šparoge s umakom od špinata Serves 4 Ingredients Handful of asparagus (tips and softest part) 2 tbsp milk 1 tsp lemon juice 250 g spinach 2 tbsp parsley, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 2 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped 2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped 1 hard-boiled egg, finely sliced 250 ml mayonnaise 1 tbsp sour...
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Gusta juha od šparoga Serves 4-6 Ingredients Handful of asparagus 2 small potatoes (diced) 2 medium onions (chopped) 50 g butter 1 l chicken stock Salt & freshly ground black pepper 200 ml cream Method Trim the asparagus, cutting off and discarding the tough stalk-ends. Reserve a few asparagus tips to garnish the...
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Fritaja sa šparogama This is just the spring version of Istrian fritaja. At other times of the year fritaja may be made with smoked or dried sausage, or wild mushrooms – for another day. Serves 4 Ingredients 2 handfuls of asparagus 100 g onion (thinly sliced) 50 ml olive oil 8 eggs Salt &...
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Juha od šparoga I šampinjona Serves 4 Ingredients 1 handful asparagus 750 ml water 200g button mushrooms 20g butter 20g flour Salt & pepper 1 tbsp parsley, chopped Method Wash the asparagus. Separate the soft from the hard part, by bending it over a finger so the stem snaps. Cut the soft asparagus tops...
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Before attempting this recipe, if you haven’t seen it I suggest looking at the (short) article wrestling with risottos, which has some general advice and tips on making a perfect baked risotto. This is a rather fiddly dish (although well worth the effort), so do also look at the notes at the end on...
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Before attempting this recipe, if you haven’t seen it, I suggest looking at the (short) article wrestling with risottos, which has some general advice and tips on making a perfect baked risotto. Serves 2 Ingredients 2 tblsps olive oil 1 large salmon steak, skinned & cut into chunks 150 g cooked prawns 1...
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