World Recipes

I've been seeing risottos and pasta (even bread) made with squid ink, and was wandering what kind of taste do they have. Then I found bottled squid ink on special in Aldi, and decided to have a try.
It has very seafoody smell and extremely black colour (the smell has disappeared during cooking).
Pasta was tasty and with interesting, unusual colour. After doing my research I found that squid ink is very healthy; contains iron, antioxidants and other nutritious and protective ingredients. Reason more to use it again!

Ingredients:
Pasta-
500 g flour (durum if possible)
3 eggs
100 ml water
1 tbs squid ink
1 tsp salt
Sauce-
300 ml thickened cream
2-3 garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
salt and white pepper to taste
1 tbs parsley, chopped (optional)

Method:
Place flour in a deep bow, make a well. Break eggs in the middle, add water salt and squid ink. Make a stiff dough (mixer's spiral beaters or by hand), cover (or wrap) and leave it rest for 20 + minutes. Cut dough into manageable sizes. Roll out each onto floured surface and cut into strips / fettuccine. You can do this by hand or using pasta machine. Cook in a large pot of salted water for 5 minutes.
Sauce- Boil cream, add garlic and parmesan and mix well. Add drained pasta to this and mix well. Enjoy warm.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese 
• 2 tbs flour
• 1+ cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs + 1 egg white 
• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (150g each)
• (4 slices short cut bacon -optional)
• salt , pepper
• oil for frying 
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, or 4 large slices  fresh mozzarella
• 4+ tbs tomato pasta sauce

• 450-500 g whole-milk ricotta 
• 2 large eggs
• 100 g Parmesan, grated
• Oregano leaves, (or basil) finely chopped - to taste
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

This is what we had for dinner last night. Sometimes is difficult to come up with a meatless menu, but sometimes material presents itself; I saw this beautiful fresh spinach at my green grocer and decided to use it with ricotta from my fridge. Sage is from my garden, eggs my hens', so dinner was as fresh as it can get.

Ingredients:
Gnocchi-
1 bunch spinach (150 gr cooked)
1 cup Parmesan, grated
3 eggs
200 gr Ricotta cheese
1/2 tsp salt
white pepper (optional)
1 cup semolina (fine preferably)
1/2 cup flour (+ for shaping)
Sauce-
100-120 gr butter
8-10 sage leaves, thorn
Extra Parmesan for sprinkling
Method:
Cook or steam spinach; cool then squeeze all the moisture. Put spinach and ricotta in a food processor, pulls it until incorporated then add  other ingredients. Process it until smooth.
Dust working surface with flour. Turn dough onto it and shape 2 logs. Cut them into fingers and with dusted hands shape each gnocchi.
bring a pot with salted water to boil. Place 10-15 pieces of gnocchi into it. When gnocchi come up to surface cook a minute more then take out with a slotted spoon. Do the same with the rest of shaped dough.
Heat butter and sage and let it boil until sage slightly browned and release aroma. Pour over the gnocchi, mix well and grate extra parmesan on top. Serve immediately.



 Rikota, Špinat i Griz Njoke sa Sosom od Maslaca i Žalfije

Ove divne njoke smo imali za obrok prosle veceri. Ponekad  nije lako smisliti sta napraviti bez mesa, a ponekad se materijal i ideje sami nametnu. Vidjela sam divan svjez spinat kod moga piljara i odmah sam odlucila koristiti ga sa rikotom koju vec imam u frizideru. Zalfija je iz baste, jaja od mojuh koka, tako da je vecera bila izuzetno 'frishka'.

Potrebno:
Njoki-
1 veza spinata (150 gr kuhanog)
1 solja parmezana
3 jaja
200 gr ricote
1/2 kasicice soli
bijeli biber (po zelji)
1 solja griza / krupice (finije ako je moguce)
1/2 solje brasna (+ za oblikovanje)
Sos-
100-120 gr maslaca
8-10 listova zalfije / kadulje, iskidane
Jos parmezana za posuti 
Nacin:
Skuhajte spinat, ocijedite i prohladite.
Ubacite ga u elektricnu sjeckalicu zajedno sa rikotom. Isjeckajte, zatim dodajte ostale sastojke. Sjeckajte dok masa ne postane jednolicna i kasasta. 
Pospite brasnom rdanu povrsinu, pa na nju istresite masu. Podijelite na  2 dijela i formirajte valjke. Isijecite valjke na 'prste'. Svaki dio oblikujte nabrasnjenim rukama.
Pristavite lonac sa zasoljenom vodom da kuha. Ubacujte 10-15 njoka; kada isplivaju na povrsinu kuhajte jos minutu, zatim ih izvadite u posudu za sluzenje. Ponovite sa ostalim njokama.
U manjoj posudi kuhajte maslac sa zalfijom dok ne postane zlacano i dok zalfija ne pusti aromu. Prelijte ovime njoke, dobro promijesajte, pa pospite parmezanom. Sluzite odmah!

Every now and then we have only time to cook something very quickly. This recipe saves you time and money, but doesn't compromise the taste.

Ingredients:
375 g spaghetti (or other dry pasta), cooked al dente
2 tbs olive oil (or butter)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
120 g bacon, chopped (Turkey 'bacon' is OK instead)
250 g mushrooms, sliced
300 ml thickened cream
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
salt and white pepper to taste
Method:
Heat oil (butter) in a pan, cook onion, garlic and bacon. After 3-4 minutes add mushrooms; cook until soft. Pour cream and wine over, stir. Cook until slightly thickened. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and check the taste. Mix in prepared pasta; sprinkle with more Parmesan



Kremasta 'Karbonara'

S vremena na vrijeme se desi da moramo nesto skuhati na brzinu, jer nemamo mnogo vremena. Ovaj recept nam stedi vrijeme i novac, ali ne zakida na ukusu.

Potrebno:
375 gr spageta ili druge tjestenine, kuhane
2 K maslinovog ulja (ili maslac)
1 crveni luk, sjeckan
2 cena bijelog luka, protisnutog
120 gr mesnate slanine, sjeckane (moze 'slanina' od purice / ćurana)
250 gr sampinjona, sjeckanih
300 ml slatkog vrhnja
1/3 solje bijelog vina
1/4 solje ribanog Parmezana
so i bijeli biber, prema ukusu
Nacin:
Skuhajte tjesteninu prema uputsvu na paketu.
U drugoj posudi zagrijte ulje (maslac) pa proprzite oba luka i slaninu. Nakon 3-4 minute ubacite sampinjone, i przite dok ne omeksaju. Uspite vrhnje i bijelo vino; kuhajte dok se malo ne zgusne. Provjerite ukus, zacinite ako je potrebno. Pospite Parmezanom i umijesajte tjesteninu. Dodajte jos Parmezana pri serviranju.