Fritule s bazgom - Fritters with elderflowers - Frittelle con il sambuco

Neka digne ruku tko nije radio sok, tj. sirup od bazge. Ja svake godine berem bazgu i radim sirup od bazge po starom receptu (možete ga pročitati ovdje). Radim ga u malim količinama, jer Mr. M. nije ljubitelj ni mirisa niti okusa bazge. Uvijek imam sirup od bazge u hladnjaku, jer mi je bolji od najboljeg soka i baš mi osvježi dan u ove ljetne sparine! Bolje i od najboljeg klimatizatora!

Možda ste vi svoj sirup i potrošili, jer je poznata stvar da sok od bazge brzo nestane, on nestane istom brzinom kao što se brzo njegovi cvjetići pretvore u bobice. Kad pripremim sirup, teško mi je odoliti, a da ga odmah ne isprobam, ali bi ga trebalo ostaviti da barem malo odstoji prije upotrebe, barem dok se ne pojave prve bobice na grmovima bazge, i dok zadnji grozdovi cvjetova još uvijek opstaju na najvišim granama. To čekanje traje samo par tjedana...
Do tih zadnjih mirisnih cjetića može se doseći samo uz pomoć dugačke kuke privlačeći grane polako i nježno da ih ne biste slomili, jer će vam se sigurno i druge godine brati bazga za sok i za čaj, a i da vam osvježi dan bez da uključite klimatizator.
Znači, kad vam sirup odstoji par tjedana i postane najbolji za upotrebu, a još uvijek uspijete nabrati i najzadnje cvjetne grozdove koji krase vrhove grmova bazge, onda si pripremite ove fritule. Zapravo su cjetovi samo fora, tako su minijaturni i nježni da se niti ne osjete u fritulame, pa ako ih  napravite i bez cjetova biti će vam odlične!

Fritule s bučom bez jaja - Fritters with pumpkin without eggs - Frittelle con la zucca senza uova

Pravo je vrijeme za fritule, tj. po meni se karnevalski kolači i krafne mogu pripremati ciju godinu. Oni nisu sezonske namirnice već se mogu sa sezonsim namirnicama kombinirati! Čak se i ja tu i tamo upustim u nekakvo prženje, iako je kod mene od uvijek uveden veto za prženu hranu (znam, znam, crna sam ovce, pogotovo ako k tome dodam da je Mr. M. naprosto lud za prženom hranom!!!).
Postoji samo par iznimki koje imaju dozvolu uskočiti u vrelo ulje, jer i mene obara s nogu pohano meso, faširanci i prženi karnevalski kolači. Ostale prženice me ne mame, ni mirisom, a pogotovo ne teksturom . . . ne mogu zamisliti da se neke fine namirnice trebaju umotaju u sto slojeva razno raznih tekućih i mrvičastih sastojaka, kad su same po sebi pune aroma!

Ali ako spomenete fritule. . . evo me odmah, jurim, i moram si zadati mjeru prije nego što mi ruka posegne za prvom fritulom, da ne pretjeram, jer mi je mjeru teško poštivati kad je riječ o već spomenutim karnevalskim prženicama!

Slatki kruh s aromom naranče i bademima - Sweet bread with orange flavour and almonds - Pane dolce con aroma d'arancia e mandorle

Volim zimu! A vi?

Volim i zimsko voće, pogotovo volim agrume…mmmm naranče su mi najdraže od svih agruma, jer imaju debelu koricu koja polagana ispušta miris eteričnog ulja dok se suši na ridijatoru. Da barem u stanu imamo peć na drva, onda bi se miris naglo osušenih korica naranče još više osjetio u zraku.

Volim čistiti naranče i volim miris koji se tada širi zrakom dok mi nevidljive kapljice mirisnog ekstrakta iz korice škakljaju nosnice i boje prste.

Kad mi kuća zamiriše na osušenu koricu naranče, znak je da se te korice trebaju obilatno naribati i umijesiti u dizano tijesto. Tada obično zamijesim ovaj dizani slatki kruh kojeg možete zvati i babka ili pletenica. Važno je da ono miriše na zimu i na agrume i da je prošarano tankim narančastim ribanim koricama.

Slatki kruh Božićna zvijezda - Christmas star bread - Stella di Natale pane dolce

Puhala je bura i šuštalo je lišće zavijeno u vrtlog. Nosili su ga refuli hladnog, suhog vjetra dok su sunčeve zrake probijale kroz gustu tkaninu teških, tamno zelenih zavjesa na školskim prozorima.

Gledali smo neke projekcije, pa je u trebalo zamračiti učionicu, ali je jedna uporna zraka sunca našla jedinu rupu na tkanini i ušuljala se među nas. Presjekla je svjetlosnu zraku koja je izlazila iz projektora i na susretu dviju zraka stvorila se svjetlosna kolizija. Dvije su sjajne zrake eksplozivno proizvele novu svjetlosnu zvijezdu u sred učionice.

Bližili su se školski praznici i Božić tada nismo iščekivali i obilježavali kao danas. Bili su to jednostavni dani, čekali smo zadnje dane prosinca i pokoji dar pod borom i konačno školske praznike. Čekali smo doček nove godine i vatromet i bor koji smo kitili tik pred kraj godine. Čekali smo stol pun kolača i maštali večeru uz svijeće.

U meni je i danas ostao taj isti laički osjećaj prema Božiću, dovoljno mi je osvjetliti dom toplim svjetlom svjećica i lampica, doboljan mi je miris dizanih kolača i cimeta. I obraduje me čestitka koja stigne poštom i neka posebna poštanska marka. Kao nekada, kad smo čestitke iščekivali i slagali ih pod okićenim borom. I sad me obraduje topli prosinački dan i vedra zvjezdana noć. I iščekujem praznike kao nekad one školske, iščekujem razno razne dizane kolače i kekse koje smo nekad pekli danima da bi se zasladili tih zadnjih prosinačkih dana u iščekivanju Nove. Sad iščekujem odmor od godine koja je proletila u tren oka i nadam se novoj i boljoj i drugačijoj i dužoj.

Slatki kruh s kestenom i maslinovim uljem - Sweet bread with chestnuts and olive oil - Pane dolce di castagne all'olio d'oliva

U iščekivanju kiše…ruke su u džepovima, ramena uzdignuta tik do ušiju, a glava bi najradije nestala negdje u dubini okovratnika jakne. Pramen kose mi škaklja nos, a par dugih vlasi su mi se zalijepile na usnice. Puše, zrak je topalo, stiže u refulima i u istom ritmu se ramena uzdižu da ipak taj zrak ne uđe u jaknu i ne napuše ju kao balon. Nije hladno, ali zrak snažno stiže, udara po licu, razbacuje kosu i vitla tu kosu u zamršeni grm.

Ruke su još uvijek u džepovima, prsti se igraju nekim suhim sjemenkama koje su ostale u tu od proljeća. To su sjemenke nekog zimskog žbunja koje sam zaboravila i ostavila u tami ormara da se suše. U jednom su džepu sjemenke veće, a u drugom su sitne i skoro ih teško razbirem prstima, kao da su se uvukle u šavove. Sjećam se dobro kad sam ih ubrala s namjerom da ih zapiknem u neku vazu na terasi. Podijelila sam ih u dva džepa da se ne pomiješaju…i zaboravila na njih. Do sada, dok nisam ponovno ruke uvukla u džepove i poigrala se suhim, crnim sjemenkama mirte.

Slatki kruh s maslinovim uljem - Sweet bread with olive oil - Pane dolce all'olio d'oliva

Vjerujem da ste primijetili da ne pratim normalni tok objave postova i recepata, da obično objavim recepte sa zakašnjenjem ili baš u zadnji čas. Umjesto da vam nešto ponudim prije nego što tome nečemu počne sezona, kao svi ostali normalni bloggeri, ja uvijek kasnim i objavim to nešto kad su svi već svoje smučkali i ispekli i pofotkali i kad su već u nekim novim pripremama. Zapravo izbjegavam taj pritisak nekog "moranja", pa onako spontano slijedim svoj tok misli i želja, te kuham i fotkam, a ponekad i pišem direktno iz srca, bez obaveza. Nisam vam ja baš neki promoter, a niti savjetnik, nisam još dobro uskladila svoj bioritam sa web medijima, tj. dobre savjete kako što pripremiti i aranžirati ili uslikati vam mogu dati, ali nikako da sve u detalje unaprijed isplaniram, mada sam imala dobru namjeru i čvrstu volju slijediti neki raspored.  Ne pratim masu, nego polako, po svom putu, spora sam vam ja za današnju žurbu. Dok ja zadovoljim svoje standarde....ode voz, a s vozom ode i vrijeme i ljudi i zbivanja (autokritika!!!).

Ipak sam još uvijek uvjerena da ću prije ili kasnije ipak nešto napraviti po planu, bez improvizacije i kreativnih promjena u toku zbivanja…jer obično to tako krene, mimo puta…nešto iz hladnjaka treba brzo potrošiti, nečega sam previše kupila, neka iznenadna želja me spopadne i onda umjesto dizanog tijesta skuham juhu, a i klimatske promjene utječu na tok zbivanja.

Brze slane kiflice s ricotta sirom - Quick salty croissants with ricotta cheese - Croissants veloci con la ricotta

Cvrčci su cvrčali u žitu. U zrelom žitu koje se meškorilo i šumilo kao more. Zlatno, žuto more izraslo na šupljim stabkama slame.

Žito su već poželi, u rane jutarnje sate, ranije nego obično, i na polju su ostali ležati cilindri slame. Sunčaju se pod zenitom i sanjaju hladovinu. Duboku hladovinu štaglja da ohlade mirisnu vlagu žarkih srpanjskih dana.

Sve se žuri, i priroda i ljudi. Za vremenom žalimo, jer ono nas pretiče, brže je od nas. I nepovratno.

I kola su već krenula da pokupe cilindre slame s polja, opet su poranili, sve im se nešto žuri. Priroda ih tjera, i ona je u žurbi. Pretiče nas i zbunjuje. Kao da sanja okove leda koji će brzo stići, prebrzo. I zlatno, žuto more će biti zaboravljeno pod srebrnim iskrama hladnog sunca.

Cijeli je prirodni ciklus užurban i ushićen kao da taj čas mora zaokružiti svoj vijek. Hitro promiče pokraj zlatnih cilindara slame koji su do jučer bili razbacani po polju, a sad već uredno čekaju kola da ih pokupe i pohrane u hladovini štaglja, daleko od žarkog zenita.

Raženi kruh s kestenom - Rye bread with chestnuts - Pane di segale con le castagne

Koliko puta sam već krenula pisati o raženom kruhu, a isto sam toliko puta i stala, jer nikako da ga zarežem kako treba! Tj. kruh se digne, izvrnem ga u posudu za pečenje, zarežem ja njega, ali mi taj rez nakon pečenja još uvijek nije onakav kako sam si ga zamislila, pa moram još par puta trenirati prije nego vam napišem taj recept, recept za raženi kruh. I tako ja raženi kruh jedino uspijem uslikati dok se odmara u košari za dizanje, dok je onako mjehurićav i nabrekao. Stigla sam do te faze recepta.

A recept je doslovno spreman, isproban i uspješan. Kažu: strpljen, spašen! Tako je to i sa mnom i s kruhom. Trebam još malo strpljivo čekati pravi trenutak, a u međuvremenu ću uvijek nešto drugo peći. A moje “nešto drugo” je ovaj put opet bio kruh. I opet je u njemu bilo raženog brašna i bio je taman i mekan i ukusan….i u njega sam strpala ostatke kestena od prethodnog posta.

Pogačice od Hokkaido tikve s majčinom dušicom - Hokkaido pumpkin scones with thyme - Focaccine di zucca Hokkaido al timo

Kad mi nedostaju riječi, pišem slikama. To mi nekako bolje ide. Nisam neki govornik, obično mi riječi zapnu negdje na pola puta, pa onda i mozak naglo zakoči, a onda posegnem za foto aparatom i s jednim "klik-om" riješim problem.

Imala sam još nekoliko Hokkaido tikvi koje sam si donijela od mame za zimnicu, onako kao pravi gastarbajter, sve što stane u auto, putuje s nama. Bez obzira što se pri pakovanju Mr. M. malo uzbudi, ali ipak traži najbolje mjesto za sve te male stvari koje mene malo prebace doma kad onako zagusti u duši. I te su tikve tako preživjele jesen i pola zime i sad je i Mr. M. zahvalam tom slatkastom tikvastom okusu, jer kad zagrizete ove pogačice, sve vas prožme aroma slatkoće i miris svih začina što sam u njih umijesila.

Slane kiflice od lažnog lisnatog tijesta - Salty croissants made of fake puff pastry - Brioche salate di pasta sfoglia veloce

Nowadays searching for new recipes in the web is so natural as once was so obvious exchanging handwritten recipes. Once these handwritten recipes were adjusted, corrected, changed and occasionally even lost among plenty of identical handwritten papers with the recipe of some buns or cakes we have had tasted somewhere during a bithday party or a dinner with friends and neighbours. Once even neighbouts were our friends, sometimes our best friends. And it was so natural to share a piece of cake with our neighbours. They were happy to receive such a treat, they admired its look with their eyes and they enjoyed its last, but most of all they appreciated our kindness. The reputation of a good pastry chef and baker was verbally announced first to the family, then to the condominium, to the town, while going to work to bus passengers, to colleagues at works...and so the rumour slowly driffted from person to person.

Babka s čokoladom i liešnjacima - Babka with chocolate and hazelnuts filling - Babka con il cioccolato e nocciole

I will start this year writings very late and with one of my last year recipes that I have never finished. This is even not one of last recipes I have had in my mind last year. Not at all, I have prepared this one back in May. How annoying it is to leave unfinished thing around, right?! I dislike it (but I continue doing it!) like I hate even numbers.

What is the connection here? It happens that this is the year with even number and there is a lot of unfinished stuff in my PC. It is not the best start!

Something changed in my last years, I don't have fixed plans or "to-do lists" and I'm always kinda afraid to finish what I'm doing so I leave plenty of undone things behind and I start new ones again and again...whitout plans, with no order, because I always have to do something new and different...it's crazy,isn't it?

Kuglof od kestena - Bundt-cake with chestnuts- Ciambella lievitata alle castagne

I'm being away from this place for some time, but I have baked a lot in the meanwhile and one of my last autumn creations is this bundt-cake prepared with chestnuts we brought from our last excursion to near forest. It happens year after year, during October  we go to our forest when days are still sunny and warm and the forest starts to change its tunes, but still full of green leaves and summery perfumes.
Nostalgically thinking of another forest, when the time comes to visit the forest, I pack my rucksack, I put on my boots and I go to explore the richness of the nature.

Slatko dizano tijesto s nadjevom od rogača - Yeast dough sweet roll with carob filling - Rotolo dolce di pasta lievitata con il ripieno di carrube

The train started to slow down the speed, we are approaching the city. Arriving from the westside the city welcomes you with its magnificent white castle on the cliff above the sea. It attracts the gaze of travellers while hastily gathering their luggages from the overhead locker. Some of them are already waiting the arrival to the final destination in the corridor. Probably they must continue their journey and don't have time to waste. The view from the window is wide, but not clear. Dense sea fog is announcing autumn rainy day.

I don't mind the weather, nor other passenger's haste. I have enough time before my bus will leave the city. In about one hour I can go quickly to the city center and see if it has changed since I've been there some months ago. Suddenly even the weather changed a bit and a weak midday sun made the fog feeble and eventually it vanished.

Omelette burger with aromatic herbs - Omelette burger con erbe aromatiche - Omelette burger sa začinskimo biljem

There is nothing better then cooking with aromatic and wild herbs. Of course, growing your own aromatic herbs in a vase is the best way to make everyday cooking more perfumed and flavourful, isn't it true?! Rosemary was the very firs herb I have planted in a vase. I've brought some branches from my parents garden many years ago and  now I have small rosemary bush that went through snowy winters of Italian Po valley. Because it happen that it bloom in December, just before it starts snowing. And it's surviving in spite of minus temperature and ice!
Basil is the one I love most of all aromatic herbs I have on my balcony. Some of aromatic herbs I have are growing on the huge and sunny terrace. Our terrace was already very big before we enlarged our apartment, now it is even bigger. Useless to say that we have more and more vases and new plants on our terrace-garden.

Unrolled buns - Danubio invertito - Otvorene buhtle

Great heat of these past days brought me so much exhaustion and lazyness. It interrupted every sign of thinking or writing, even taking new pictures were impossible. My eyelids were sweating, my palms were sweating, the camera got hot after only a while. So I stopped thinking and I decided to relax for a while, I took a break long all weekend. Nevertheless I couldn't find a peace of mind in anything, even baking didn't succeed during those days. I was continuously searching for some fresh place on the sofa, staying motionless and trying to stop the sweating, but all my trying were vain, there were no fresh place on the sofa. Air-conditioning is something I don't want in my house, I love to feel the air waving form room to room, I like the freshness and early morning breeze waking me up every morning. But in these last days even the breeze was hot and humid and the sun was shining so bright and it emanated unpleasant big heat from early morning hours.

Whole wheat bread with walnuts - Pane integrale alle noci - Integralni kruh s orasima

This time the story begins from its end. The story begins when the hot and sweet smell starts to fill my kitchen. Its sound is dull and echoing. The crust is rumbling and crisp. When all these things happen, the bread is ready. It doesn't matter if it's simple white bread, or some of those coloured strange breads that I like to bake when I find some inspiring natural dye, the most beautiful moment is when I divide the smoking and hot breathing bread. I look at it searching countless cavities that have trapped the air, same cavities that I was searching while it was raising, still and pampered under the blanket to warm its rest.
Because I like to spoil my bread, I gently place it in its bowl, I let him breath and grow. It has his special place protected from the wind and air flows. It has its own blanket and its feather pillow...

Nettle bread - Pane alle ortiche - Kruh s koprivama

I have three simple wood boards that I've brought home from a local carpenter. He wanted to scrap one old long board, so I asked him to cut it in three pieces, I removed all the dirt from them and washed them with water and soap. Now I can put all the food on my boards so that after shooting that food can be eaten. Wasting food, or wasting stuff in general is something I dislike.

My wooden boards are irregular and I always have some problems to arrange them in the proper way. Under every board I have to fit pieces of cardboard or newspapers to lift them up or down. In this way I get flat and almost equal surface, but they will never be totally aligned. This is the biggest problem I have when arranging the set. All the rest is pure fun and joking with light and shadows!

My props collection is poor (don't say this to Mr. M, he definitively disagree with me!), better to say, I use poor collection of props. Glamor is not my thing, I prefer empty scene and a lot of air all around.

Brioche

Carpe diem! Do it right now, before the time takes away all petals from cherry trees.

First quarter of this year ended in a heartbeat and summer heat confused the normal season exchange. Yes, summer heat, becuase last week the sun was shining so bright and the air was so hot like it happen in summertime. I miss crisp spring breeze and white and pink fruit trees vibrating and slowly losing their gentle petals. I went out to the park last sunday to take some pictures and thanks goodnes I did it. All blossoming are over already. Dense green shades have covered the very last petals and we risk to have ruby red cherries on out Easter table, cherries from our farmers, not the ones arriving from some other part of the world. I'm exaggerating a bit, but how wonderful it would be to have right seasons at right moments again.

Now it's time to be amazed by the beauty of the awakening, to step barefoot on young, green grass. It's time to smell fresh and delicate fragrance of spring air. It's still time for some rainy days, but it's not raining since some time. The ground is arid, it's weeping for some water and the air if dry and dusty!

All has been accelerated, it seams that this year we will have eight seasons instead of four!

Sweet blueberry marbled buns - Panini dolci marmorizzate ai mirtilli - Slatko mramorno pecivo s borovnicama

I like to capture memories of my time spent at home in Croatia and each time I come back to Italy, to my second home, I write down few words combined with a simple recipe and some pictures. Since some time all my efforts to put down some words were vain. There were other, more essential requirements in these last months that continue keeping me busy and there is a kind of psychological interruption inside of me. Probably my brain took a break trying to minimize all commitments me and Mr. M. are facing at present. Indeed my brain took a long break and it's still not giving signs of any kind of willpower to start running again. I’m afraid it will go on like this until all works in our home will be definitively over.

Yes, we will have bigger home and all our efforts will be rewarded! Now we are demolishing some walls, opening spaces and imagining how will it look like when all the dust and the dirt will disappear. Our tiny home is already full of light, can you imagine how much light will enter in our home when there will be three times more door windows!

Pita bread, the story about trees and wheat - Pane pitta, la storia di alberi e di grano - Pita, priča o drveću i žitu

Long time ago, when I was a child, I went with my family to a journey. We have traveled from the northern Croatian cost, through the nearest mountainous hinterland up to the biggest and most important city in Croatia - Zagreb, but we have traveled ahead through the beautiful countryside where my grandparents lived in a quiet village so similar to thousends of small villages scattered tidily in the flat and rich Croatian countryside. It was so, so long time ago, when hours didn't ran so fast and there were time for everything. Life was simple and easy, people were never late and knew how to enjoyed the life!

So we stopped for a visit to my grandparents only for few days before we went away and continued our journey to Belgrade, the capital city of what once has been my homeland - beautiful, united and proud ex-homeland. Years ago this country tragically disappeared...but this is another long and very complicated story to tell.

Our journey was long, but nothing forced us to arrive to our destination too quickly...and we offten stopped for a break. In those days the high-way was not so fast and crowded, it was a bit larger and straight then the ordinary roads and we have traveled slowly and relaxed.

We gradually entered into the region of Slavonia and we traveled in the shade of big, awesome oak trees. This was the majestic Spačva forest. Suddenly we stopped at this lovely motel surrounded by the barrel-shaped bungalows and the image of those small round huts with sloping roofs remained fixed in my memory. The forest is still there, full of those ancient trees hiding stories of yesteryear!
If you speak about hardwood in my country, you don't have to mention its name, it always comes to the oak wood! Oak wood for enormous wine barrels and small brandy kegs. Oak wood for parquet and furniture. All that need to be lasting and strong was build from the oak wood...in the past and nowadays.
Few months ago I remembered again this journey we did together long time ago, it happened that I've discovered twelve-dots.com  and their beautiful and so essential design. And when my new cuttingboard arrived it was natural to write few words about majestic Croatian woods and oak trees and to bake some sort of bread. Oak trees and golden wheat are the essence of the vast region of Slavonia. Art and crafts are coming back to their old origins offering the beauty to the world!