mintsaltMASCARA

ENG

Rovinj's Lone is a hotel I've wanted to stay in for the longest time. It's a cruise-ship-look-alike, really modern and stylish. A design hotel, as its name suggests. This week my Lubi and me took a week off and stayed in it for a three day romantic retreat. As part of the cool bargain package we had a three course dinner at Restaurant L, its a la carte place. I couldn't have left my camera in the room and was the annoying guest who takes picture of each dish. Also I smell food from really close. TMI?

I had the meat menu, my BF had the fish menu. As my first course was a warm chestnut foam with brussel sprouts and haselnut crumble, really something. I would have never thought that brussel sprouts go with a what seemed a sweet soup. But it was rather interesting and I'm glad that I've tried it. It warmed me up nicely, really prepared my belly for the next dish, which was chicken breast stuffed with garlic, potatoe cream and onions. It might only be my problem but it was a bit too salty, I think it's really me - I almost never use salt. The salt took away the taste of the dish's ingredients. Which is a shame. The glass(es) of red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon) went perfectly with it. And for desert was a Kinder-pingui-inspired dish that looked a bit like the hotel. My dishes were really filling, so were my Lubi's.

He had smoked salmon with rocket, capers and mustard-honey dressing as his first dish and then monkfish with bacon, olives, lentils, mango and celery cream. With a glass of Malvazija, how can you go wrong with this order? It tasted perhaps a bit muscat-ottonel-like, my guess. I'm no wine expert. Oh it looked fantastic and again, I should have ordered that. Does anyone else feel like they order wrong everytime? For desert he got two little apple-tarts. A winner again. 

All in all it was really tasty, I got many new ideas for new dishes, which is something I am massively looking for in all restaurants. 

WINNER DISH: is definitely the chestnut foam-brussel sprouts-hasenut crumble combo. Need to try this a home as soon as I possibly can.

SLO

Lone hotel v Rovinju je moderni, stajliš hotel, ki daje videz stilizirane križarke. Dizajnerski hotel pač, kot že piše v njegovem imenu. Ta teden sva si z Lubijem privoščila trodnevno romantično razvajanje v njem. V super ceni tega paketa je bila tudi romantična večerja s tremi hodi v njihovi alakart restavaciji L. Sej me poznate, fotoaparat je prišel z mano in seveda sem poslikala vsako jed. Tudi vohala sem jih od blizu. Je to TMI?

Moj Lubi je vzel ribji meni, jaz mesnega. Moj prvi hod je bila kostanjeva pena z brstičnim ohrovtom in lešnikovim kramblom, zelo interesantni krožnik. Nikoli ne bi rekla, da gre brstični ohrovt z nečim kar zelo sliči na sladko juho. Dobro, da sem ga probala. Jed me je pogrela, mojega bušija pa pripravila na naslednji hod, piščančje prsi s česnom, krompirjevo kremo in čebulo. Mogoče sem to le jaz, a bilo je preslano. Sama kuham skoraj brez soli, morda sem se odvadila. Sol je prekrila okus sestavin jedi, kar je škoda. Kozarec/kozarci rdečega vina (Cabernet Sauvignon) so super pasali k hrani. Kot desert je bila sladica na temo Kinder-pingui, pa tudi videti je bila kot obrisi hotela. Res sem se najedla, tudi Lubi se je.

On je imel dimljenega lososa z rukolo, kaprami in gorčično-medenim dresingom kot predjed in file kovača s slanino, olivami, lečo, mangom in zelenino kremo. Le kako lahko 'vdariš mimo' s tako jedjo in kozarcem Malvazije. Morda je bila malo muškat-otonelu podobna, nisem vinski ekspert. In, kot vedno, morala bi si naročiti to. Ima še kdo to srečo, da naroči kar vedno slabše kot drugi pri mizi? Dvignite roke. Za sladico pa je imel jabolčne tortičiče s sladkim snegom. Ponovno zmagovalno.

Če potegnem črto, zelo okusno. Dobila sem mnogo idej kaj kuhati, kar je tak to, kar iščem v vseh restavracijah.

ZMAGOVALNA JED: definitivno kostanjeva pena-brstični ohrovt-lešnikov krambl kombinacija. Nujno  želim sprobati doma takoj ko lahko.

ENG

This week my BF and myself went to Rovinj, Croatia. We took a well deserved break from Maribor's everyday and our jobs so we could spend some time together. It was great… Well, it still is. As I'm typing this up we are in Piran and sipping tea at the 'Mestna kavarna', a coffee place nice for many reasons, one of which is definitely Wi-Fi.

On Monday night we went in the Rovinj's centre to taste some local istrian food, which can only be fish or pasta with truffles. We searched for a local wine bar and restaurant that we ate in two years ago but it was sadly closed. As it was pretty late (9.50 pm) we went to the Main Square where it seemed we could eat at this late hour. Brasserie Adriatic is a hotel restaurant that appealed to me right away (I was hungry, to be frank, anything would do the trick at this point) and in the last minutes of its opening hours we opened the doors to this cool place. The staff were extremely friendly and didn't make us feel like we came when they were about to close the place.

I ordered french onion soup and truffle pasta, my Lubi ordered sea bass with veggies. We asked for their recommendation on wine that would go nicely with our dinner. As the waiter suggested we ordered Malvazija, a really tasty local white wine. Naturally I had two glasses…

The food was really nice. My onion soup had bread with cheese in it, so it was really filling. The onions were sweet-ish, a nice touch of extra flavour. And the pasta was to die for. Can't believe I didn't eat truffles for the best part of my life. What a mistaka-to-maka. The bass, oh my, I really should have ordered that dish, it was mouthwatering. A bit too salty for my taste, but really good nevertheless. The evening's best dish, hands down.

We had a nice cup of tea outside after our meal, the waiter was even kind enough to bring cushions out, so we wouldn't freeze our you-know-what off. All in all, we'll definitely go back. And as I'm typing this up, I'm hungry already. Lunch, come to my belly!!!!

WINNER DISH: the onion soup. No other words needed.

SLO

Ta teden sva si z Lubijem privoščila oddih od mariborskega vsakdana in najinih služb ter sva odpotovala v Rovinj v sosednjo Hrvaško.

V ponedeljek zvečer sva se odpeljala v mestno središče, da bi večerjala dobro lokalno istriansko hrano, kar seveda pomeni ribe ali testenine s tartufi. Ponovno sva želela v vinski bar, ki je hkrati restavracija, a je žal bil zaprt. Tako sva ob deset do desetih zvečer prišla do restavarcije Hotela Adriatic, na glavnem trgu. Brasserie Adriatic je bila očesu simpatična, moj želodec pa je že tako krulil, da bi pojedla kar vse, kar bi mi prišlo dovolj počasi nasproti. Vstopila sva v zadnjih minutah njihovega obratovalnega časa a niti za sekundo nisva dobila občutka, da bi bili zato kaj manj prijazni, ker morejo ostati dlje časa odprti.

Jaz sem naročila francosko čebulno juho in istrske testenine s tartufi, moj Lubi pa brancina z zelenjavo. Po priporočilu natakarja sva naročila kozarček lokalne Malvazije, no po resnici, jaz sem spila dva…

Hrana je bila res fajna. Moja čebulna juha je imela kruh s popečenim sirom in je bila nasitna še pa še. Čebula je bila sladkasta, super okusa. O testeninah pa niti ne morem govoriti, brez da bi se mi spet nabirale sline v ustih. Težko verjamem, da dolgo tartufov sploh nisem jedla. No, hvala bogu, sem se spametovala. Brancin pa … definitivno, bi morala naročiti brancina, ker je bil odličen. Malo preslan za moj okus, a res dober. Najboljša jed večera, brez dvoma.

Na terasi sva potem svila čaj in natakar je bil tako prijazen, da nama je prinesel podloge za stole, da naju ni zeblo v … sej veste kam. Da končam ta slavospev - definitivno se vrneva!

ZMAGOVALNA JED: čebulna juha. S temi besedami končam to objavo.

ENG

Right now it is 'fašenk' in Slovenia and we eat way too many of these lovelies. They are called 'krofi' and are basically jam filled doughnuts. I found an English translation - krofne. Oh yeah, how I love them. Every family has their own recipe, but these days there is not one biweekly catalogue from different shops that doesn't offer their version of the Rp.

This one is from my BF's mother. I ate them on our first date nearly two years ago and they were seriously yummy. Naturally I wanted to learn how to make them and I was hoping that's it's not some highly protected secret family recipe I would never get. It wasn't, thank god. This saturday I was an early bird and with pen and paper (and a camera and laptop) and the doorstep of my Lubi's mom. Thank you so much for teaching me and for all the krofi I got to taste (just to check, if they're OK!).  They were mouthwatering so some drooling whilst reading this post is almost expected.

(Published with consent!)

Ingredients:

- 2 litres of oil for frying

- icing sugar
- jam (we used apricot and grape)

- 1.12 kg of type 400 flour (the one used was: Žito - posebna bela moka, tip 400, bela z roza pikami)

- 1 bag of baking powder

- 1 bag of vanilla sugar

- 8 egg yolks

- 100 g of sugar

- 600 mL of warm milk

- 70 g of softened butter (best if it is nearly fluid)

- 60 g of yeast (roughly 1.5 cubes)

- zest of one eco bio lemon

- 3 shots of rum (for cooking)

- 1 teaspoon of salt

The how-to:

We heated the oven to 70 C and in it we heated the sieved flour in it in the mixing bowl that we later used for mixing the doughnut mixture in. We heated it for about half an hour. We made coffee and drank it and chatted whilst the flour was being heated.
Then it was time to make the yeast. We took a cup and crumbled the yeast into it. Then added about half a dL of warm milk, one tea spoon of sugar and whisked it up to a nearly even consistency. If the yeast is fresh it will grown in size in the cup. It's a test, just to make sure you don't waste all the ingredients if it's by any chance not good. And it was fresh.
In a separate bowl we divided the egg whites from the yolks. The egg yolks we put in a blue bowl and into it we added the milk. We whisked it to get an even consistency then added the sugar and vanilla sugar and whisked again. Gradually we then added the butter, rum and zest, whisking after each ingredient.
In the bowl with warm flour we added the salt and sieved baking powder and mixed it up with a wooden spoon. Then we added the yeast and the mixture from the blue bowl (yolks, butter, milk, sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and rum). We mixed it lightly with our hands so that all of the flour got combined. Then we used the stand mixer and kneaded the dough with a hook attachment for about half an hour. The dough is sufficiently kneaded when it no longer sticks to hands and the walls of the bowl.
We left it in the same bowl and covered with a clean kitchen towel. We waited for it to rise and at least double in size for about one hour. Once risen we made little balls with our hands. Each weighed about 50 grams and covered them. Whilst they were rising on a wooden surface for the second time we prepared the oil for frying.
Now ideally the frying pan is heavy bottomed, wider, is not too high and has a lid. Into such a pan we poured roughly 2 litres of frying oil. The doughnuts should't touch the bottom or the walls of the pan, it's best if they swim in the fluid. The oil mustn't be too hot. Here's the 'art-and-science' part of making doughnuts - what is too hot what is not hot enough? That mainly depends on the experience of the cook and I am not experienced at all. I have been told a trick however - put the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil and it bubbles are being formed around it, the temperature is right. We put firstly just one doughnut in it. A test doughnut if you will. Just so we don't waste a batch of 6 if the temp isn't right.
Frying protocol: turned upside down put the doughnuts into the frying pan and put the lid on. Fry it with lid on for 3 minutes then remove the lid, turn the doughnuts and fry them for another 3 minutes lidless. Let them cool on paper towels. We injected them with 10 mL of fluid apricot and grape jam and prior to serving them sprinkled with icing sugar.
Being extremely tasty as they are, it's not likely they will last for a longer period of time. But should you feel the need to keep them for a day or two just put them into an airtight container without the paper towels. They may not be as yummy later a they are now. They're best warm!

SLO

Najbrž mi ni potrebno razlagati, da je v času fašenka ta jed najbolj popularna. Vsaka mama/babica ima svoj družinski recept, na katerega prisegajo in je seveda najboljši. Pa tudi vsak prospekt od trgovin ga te dni ponuja. Pustni krofi, o ja, kako so dobri...

Recept, ki sedaj sledi, je od mame mojega Lubija in je resnično za obliznit svojih deset prstkov. Prvič sem jih jedla na najinem prvem dejtu in sedaj že skoraj dve leti želim izvedeti kaj vse je noter. Na pustno soboto sem ob 9.00 bila na vratih z eno eko-bio limono (vse ostalo je bilo že pri Lubijevi mami!), fotoaparatom,  laptopom, svinčnikom in papirjem. Hvala lepa za inštruktažo in vse tiste krofe, ki sem jih maznila. Že samo branje bo povzročilo hiperprodukcijo sekreta žlez slinavk. Pripravite robčke. V resnici pa so še boljši kot na slikah.

(Objavljeno z dovoljenjem!)

Potrebujemo:

- 2 litra olja za cvrtje (sončnično, danes sva uporabili Zvezda)

- sladkor v prahu (za posip)
- marmelado

- 1.12 kg posebne bele moke (uporabljena je bila: Žito - posebna bela moka, tip 400, bela z roza pikami)

- 1 vrečka pecilnega praška

- 1 vrečka vanili sladkorja

- 8 rumenjakov

- 100 g kristalnega sladkorja

- 600 mL toplega mleka

- 70 g stopljenega, že tekočega masla

- 60 g kvasa (približno 1.5 kocke)

- nastrgan olupek ene eko bio limone

- 3 zamaške ruma za kuhanje

- 1 žlička soli

Kako se naredi?

Moko sva presejale in segrele v pečici na 70 C že kar v posodi v kateri, se bo testo kasneje mesilo / gnetlo. Počakale sva približno toliko časa, da sva naredile in spile turško kavo. Nato sva nastavile kvas. Kako?
Kvas se nadrobi v lonček in doda približno pol deci toplega mleka in žlička sladkorja ter požvklja. Nastavljanje kvasa je test, če je svež in če bo 'kipno'.
V modri posodi sva ločile rumenjake od beljakov(ki jih pospravi v hladilnik in uporabi za kaj drugega) in samo rumenjakom dodale sladkor, žvrkljale, da se masa segreje in sladkor raztopi. Tekočina bo tako homogenejše konsistence. Nato sva dolile toplo mleko, maslo, vanilin, nastrgan limonin olupek, rum in vedno znova šprudlale.
V posodo z moko sva pomešale žličko soli s kuhalnico. Tja sva dale tudi presejan pecilni prašek. Nato sma dale v moko najprej kvas in ga z njo zmešale. Nato sva dolile vse sestavine iz modre posode (rumenjaki, sladkor, mleko, maslo, vanilin, limono, rum) in vteple s kuhalnico, da se je vsa moka pomešala z ostalimi sestavinami. Nato sva posodo dale v prostostoječi mešalnik s kljukastim nastavkom za kvašeno testo in pustile, da se zadeva zgnete. To je kar trajalo, približno pol ure. Testo je primerno zgneteno, ko gre enostavno od roke in se ne lepi več na stene posode.
V isti posodi sva ga s čisto kuhinjsko krpo pokritega pustile vzhajati za kakšno uro - testo je naraslo vsaj na dvakratno začetno velikost. Z roko sva oblikovale kroglice, ki so tehtale 50 g in jih položile na leseno podlago ter pustile še enkrat vzhajati.
V času, ko so pokriti s čisto krpo drugič vzhajali, sva pripravile olje za cvrtje.
Posoda za crvtje je idealno nižja in širša, s težkim dnom ter ima pokrovko. Vanjo sva vlile grobo rečeno 2 litra olja za cvrtje. More ga biti toliko, da se krofki ne dotikajo ne sten ne dna, da plavajo. Olje naj ne bo prevroče. Tu je sedaj 'art-and-science' peke oz. cvrtja krofov. Kakšna je ta tempertura je zavito v tančico skrivnosti. Majhen trik, ki sem ga danes prvič slišala in je genialen, pa vseeno podam: v olje daj ročaj lesene kuhalnice in poglej, če se olje okoli ročaja peni. V tem primeru je olje primerno segreto. Najprej sva dale noter le en krof, takega testnega. Da če slučajno ni olje primerne temperature ne uničiš vseh šestih.
Postopek cvrtja: na glavo obrnjen krof (tisti del, ki je bil prej spodaj-je pomokan, mora sedaj biti na vrhu) daj v olje, ponev pokrij s pokrovko in cvri 3 minute nato ga obrni in cvri 3 minute brez pokrova. Odložile sva jih na papirnate serviete, da se ohladijo. Vanje sva nato vbrizgale približno 10 mL marmelade (marelične in grozdne), ki je tekoča. Zato sva marelično prej segrele v mikrovalovki. Preden sem lačna planila po njih sva jih še posipale s sladkorjem v prahu.
Najboljši so seveda sveži, še topli. Če pa še kakšni ostanejo, se jih da hraniti v zaprti posodi, vendar brez papirja spodaj, da se ne izsušijo.