Slovenian Recipes

An Apple Strudel would certainly put a smile on my face any day of the week! Apple Strudel is not exactly the kind of dessert I grew up with, and I don't have many memories of this sweet but I've been baking strudels for a while now. This lovely theme for this month challenge with the Daring Bakers got me thinking of many possibilities, and how I'd try different fillings and approaches to a new favourite. Except I forgot my trip to a place not so far from the Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague where Apple Strudel is baked everyday... Because of that I ended up going for the old traditional Apple Strudel, with further experiences postponed to another opportunity. Anyway, it's a wonderful recipe. Thank you Linda and Courtney! The May Daring Bakers’ challenge was hosted by Linda of make life sweeter! and Courtney of Coco Cooks . They chose Apple Strudel from the recipe book Kaffeehaus: Exquisite Desserts from the Classic Cafés of Vienna, Budapest and Prague by Rick Rod...

For those you know me, I'm on the rational side kind of person. I like to be in control of the situation, I love to plan, and I adore when everything comes together the way I've meant it to be. But reason will take you only until a certain point. After that is all about feeling... Emotion, reason and belief play a very important and meaningful role in our lives. Fear not, I will leave it at that! It's funny how we choose things, and how sometimes things seem to choose you. My personal bond with Slovenia was totally unplanned, and yet so special. One of the few souvenirs I've brought from Ljubljana was a cookbook (surprising, I know!) with slovenian recipes. I bought the book mainly because I wanted to bake a cake called Gibanica (aka 'moving cake'). Although Gibanica is a traditional dessert in the Balkan region - many different variations can be found in Serbia, Macedonia and Bulgaria -, Prekmurje gibanica is the slovenian national dessert. We're off to ...

The Daring Bakers are a well known group of people who dare to... bake! The million dollar question is: do daring bakers dare to cook? This one does! I didn't have too much time to give this challenge a thought, so I just gathered what there was available in the fridge and (dared!) to cook us dinner. And it tasted nice. Almost forgot to say that the very first Daring Cooks' challenge is ... Ricotta Gnocchi ! Major thanks to Lisa and Ivonne for everything they've done. Thank you Ladies! Zuni Ricotta Gnocchi The Zuni Café Cookbook. Serves 4-6 For the gnocchi: 1 pound (454 grams/16 ounces) fresh ricotta (2 cups) 2 large cold eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon (1/2 ounce) unsalted butter 2 or 3 fresh sage leaves, or a few pinches of freshly grated nutmeg, or a few pinches of chopped lemon zest (all optional) ½ ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated (about ¼ cup very lightly packed) about ¼ teaspoon salt (a little more if using kosher salt) all-purpose flour for forming the gnocchi F...

I'm not much into spicy dishes. Anything hot is usually too hot for me but I'm learning to adjust my taste to "new" flavours, and my cooking experiences (for instance with chilies) to my (mild) tastes... I guess the spice girl in me is not overly spicy or (anywhere) hot!! Which brings us to a soup. What were you thinking?? ;) But this is no ordinary soup. This is one of the best soups I had in a while. Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries is not just an adorable voyage in his daily kitchen but a very good recipe book. This is the soup Nigel made in New Year's, and it's not just a good start for a book. It's a darn good suggestion for a hearty soup. Dal and Pumpkin Soup Adapted from Nigel Slater's The Kitchen Diaries: A Year in the Kitchen Makes 4 good-size bowls 1 small onion 2 cloves garlic A walnut-sized knob of ginger 225 grams split red lentils 1 tsp ground turmeric 1 tsp ground chili 250 grams pumpkin small bunch coriander, roughly chopped For the o...