Bacon (or Ham) and Cheese Rolls

Bread rolls like these are sold around Australia, and are popular as quick alternative for breakfast and /or lunch. Homemade are, off course, much better and cheaper.

Ingredients:

Dough-

3 cups bakers flour

1/2 cup milk

2/3 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 tsp yeast (instant)

1 tsp sugar

3 tbs oil

Topping-

bacon, (or ham, turkey), diced 

grated cheese 

Method:

Place all ingredients for dough into a bowl or bread machine. Make a soft dough and let it double covered, in a warm spot.

Divide dough into pieces (around 65-75 g each) and shape balls. Place them onto baking sheet (with paper or greased) and press them slightly. Sprinkle with bacon pieces and grated cheese. Let it rest for 20+ minutes. Switch oven to 170*C. Cover with baking paper or al foil (with some space between) and bake for 20-25 minutes. They should stay very soft and cheese should not burn. Good warm or cold.

Pecivo sa Šunkom i Sirom  

Ovakva peciva se prodaju sirom Australije i omiljeni su sastojak za dorucak i/ili rucak za ponijeti. Domace su, naravno, puno bolje i jeftinije!

Potrebno:

Tijesto-

3 solje brasna za peciva

1/2 solje mlijeka

2/3 solje vode

1 k soli

1 k instant kvasca

1 k secera

3 K ulja

Za posuti-

mesnata slanina, rezana na kockice (ili puretina, sunka)

ribani sir

Nacin:

Umijesite tijesto; rucno, mikserom ili u pekacu. Ostavite da nadodje. Podijelite tijesto na komadice oko 65-75 g.  Oblikujte loptice, postavite na tepsiju (namastenu ili sa papirom) i blago pritisnite. Pospite sa sunkom i sirom. Ostavite oko 20+ minuta da se odmore. Ukljucite rernu na 170*C.

Pokrijte peciva sa papirom za pecenje (ili folijom), ali neka ne dodiruje povrsinu.Pecite oko 20-25 minuta. Treba da ostanu mekane i sir ne smije uhvatiti mnogo boje / izgoriti. Dobre tople ili hladne.

Cheese and Cherry Strudel

Delightful combo! Instead of making your dough, you can use ready filo pastry (2 X 4 layers, placed next to each other, slightly overlapping, brushed with melted butter/oil)

Ingredients:
Dough /Filo pastry-
1 1/2 cups plain flour
1 tbs oil
1 egg, beaten
pinch of salt
2/3 (+) cup water
Filling-
250 g cream cheese
250 gr ricotta cheese
1 large or 2 small  eggs
vanilla essence
1/2 cup icing sugar
1 jar (670 g) sour cherries, drained (or fresh-ones, pitted)
1-2 tbs fine semolina
Extra-
flour, 1/4 cup melted butter (or oil)
rolling pin, large tablecloth (if making your own dough)

Method:
How to prepare and stretch the dough
Mix all ingredients for filling, except cherries and semolina. Place along one side of dough. Shake cherries and semolina together (in a plastic bag). Put them onto cheese filling, brush  (sprinkle)  dough with melted butter and roll into a log. Brush top with extra butter, place onto baking tin
 and bake for 35 minutes at 180*C. Dust with icing sugar and serve.



Štrudla sa sirom i višnjama

Jedna od odusevljavajucih kombinacija! Umjesto razvlacenja jufke, mozete koristiti gotovu; 2 X 4 sloja, postavljena jedan do drugog, preklapajuci se. Premazite svaki sloj sa rastopljenim maslacem.

Potrebno:
Jufka- 
1 1/2 solja brasna
1 K ulja
1 jaje, umuceno
malo soli
2/3 solje(+) vode
Fil-
250 gr krem sira
250 gr rikote
1 vece ili 2 manja jajeta
vanila esencija
1/2 solje secera uprahu
1 tegla visanja, ocijedjene (ili svjeze bez kospica)
1-2 K griza / krupice
Jos-
brasno, 1/4 solje istopljenog maslaca
oklagija i veliki stolnjak (ako razvlacite jufku)

Nacin:
Kako pripremiti i razvuci tijesto
Pomijesajte sve sastojke za fil, osim visanja i griza. Nakon sto ste razvukli jufku (ili postavili gotovu), stavite na jednu ivicu fil. Protresite visnje i griz u jednoj kesi , pa i to nanesite preko sira. Poprskajte jufku sa rastopljenim maslacem i zarolajte. Premazite vrh sa jos maslaca, postavite na tepsiju i stavite peci oko 35 minuta na 180*C. Pospite sa secerom u prahu i servirajte.

Raw Homemade Chocolates

Happy Valentine's Day!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (virgin) coconut oil

1/4 cup cocoa (good quality / raw)

1/4 cup honey

Method:

Melt coconut oil, add honey and cocoa and mix really well. Pour into chocolate moulds and refrigerate until set. Take out and serve to your darling (or eat it yourself!)

'Raw' Praline  

Sretan dan Zaljubljenih!

Potrebno:

1/2 solje (djevicanskog) kokosovog ulja

1/4 solje kakaa (dorog kvaliteta / raw)

1/4 solje meda

Nacin:

Istopite kokosovo ulje, dodajte med i kakao i izmijesajte dobro. Uspite u kalupe za praline i rashladite u frizideru dok se ne stegnu. Izvadite i servirajte vasoj dragoj/ dragom (ili sami pojedite!)

Grilled Snapper with Chilly, Coriander and Lime Dressing

When I arrived to Australia (20 years ago), I realised I will have to learn how to cook fish and seafood. Being born on continent, far away from sea, I didn't eat a lot of fish (except river fish, occasionally) and didn't know much about other edible sea creatures. It all changed last few years...I'm in love with seafood now!
Snapper is one of most appreciated fish here. I like to prepare it whole, either barbecued, baked or steamed and then add flavours in form of fresh herbs, oils and (citrus') juices.

Ingredients:
2 medium snappers
oil, salt and pepper
Dressing-
2-3 tbs olive (or other) oil
1 lime, zest and juice
4-5 tbs chopped coriander
1/2 red (mild) chilly, chopped
1 small garlic clove, crushed (optional)
salt and pepper  to taste

Method:
Preheat your grill / bbq. Make slits on thickest parts of fish. Season and brush with oil. Grill each side of fish for 6-10 minutes, depending on size. Turn once only. (Fish basket or al-foil strips wrapped around head and tail of fish will help handling). Place onto serving plate. Mix all ingredients for dressing and pour over the fish. Enjoy!

Grilovani Zubatac sa Korijanderom, Čilijem i Limetom

Kad' sam stigla u Australiju (prije 20 godina), shvatila sam da cu morati nauciti kako da spremim ribu i morske plodove. Obzirom da sam rodjena na kontinentu, daleko od mora, riba mi nije cesto bila na meniju (osim rijecne ribe, povremeno) i nisam mnogo znala o drugim jestivim morskim bicima. Sve se to promijenilo zadnjih nekoliko godina...Sad' mnogo volim morske plodove!
Zubatac je jedna od najcjenjenijih riba ovdje. Volim da je pripremim cijelu; bilo na rostilju (grilu), u rerni ili kuhanu na pari, i onda dodam svjeze zacinsko bilje, ulje i sokove (citrusa).

Potrebno:
2 zubatca, srednje velicine
ulje, so i biber
Preliv-
2-3 K maslinovog (ili drugog) ulja
1 limeta, sok i ribana korica
4-5 K sjeckanog koriandera (lisce)
1/2 crvene papricice, sjeckane
1 manje ceno bijelog luka, protisnuto (opciono)
so i biber, prema ukusu

Nacin:
Zagrijte gril / rostilj. Zasijecite ribu na najdebljim dijelovima; posolite i pobiberite. Natrljajte uljem. Pecite oko 6-10 minuta svaku stranu, okrecuci jednom (Mreza za ribu ili al-folija oko glave i repa ribe ce pomoci u okretanju). Smjestite ribu na posudu ukojoj cete servirati. Pomijesajte sve sastojke za preliv i pospite po ribi. Uzivajte!

Filled Fried Bread Rolls / Punjeni Uštipci

Results for giveaway: Comments No 2 and 10 have been selected to receive stickers. Congratulation!

Rezultati darivanja: komentari pod brojem 2 (Tanja) i 10 (Danka) su izvuceni. Cestitke dobitnicima!

Ushtiptci (uštipci) are fried dough, very popular in Balkans. The other day, it came to my mind to try filling them. Experiment succeeded; ustipci gone in a flash!

Yes, they're (shallow) fried, but I guarantee that they contain less fat than many (margarine or butter overloaded) pastries / buns.

Ingredients:

Dough-

2 cups SR flour

1/2 tsp salt

200-220 ml water (or milk)

Filling-

4 ham / turkey slices

4 slices of your favorite cheese

Oil for frying

Method:

Make a soft dough, divide into 4 and roll each out to an oval. Place a slice of cheese and ham onto each, fold over and press edges with your fingers. Fry in shallow oil on medium heat, 2-3 minutes each side. Drain on paper towel; serve while warm.

Punjeni Uštipci

Palo mi je na um da probam filovati uštipke...čisto da nisu svakidašnji! Experiment uspio - uštipci 'potamanjeni'! 

Da, prze se na  (plitkom) ulju, ali garantujem da imaju manje masnoca od nekih (margarinom ili maslacem zasicenih) peciva. Evo recepta!

Potrebno:

Tijesto-

2 solje samodizajuceg brasna

1/2 k soli

200-220 ml vode ili mlijeka

Punjenje-

4 reznja sunke ili stijesnjene piletine (ili puretine)

4 reznja vaseg omiljenog topivog sira

ulje za przenje

Nacin:

Umijesite tijesto, podijelite na 4 dijela i razvaljajte u ovalne oblike. Smjestite po 1 rezanj sira i sunke na svaki, pa preklopite i krajeve pritisnite prstima. Przite na plitkom ulju svaku stranu oko 2-3 minute (na srednje jakoj vatri). Ocijedite na papiru za upijanje i sluzite tople.

Bosnian Pita with Potato Filling ('Krompiruša')

This was my favorite 'pita' from childhood, and I finally decided to share my recipe with you.

Ingredients:
Dough- (for 8 individual or 1 large pita)
2 cups plain flour
220-230 ml water
1/2 tsp salt
Filling-
1 tbs oil
1 medium onion (optional), diced finely
600 g potatoes (3 large), diced finely
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp curry (not traditional; it's my addition -optional)

Method:
Mix all ingredients for pastry; knead until smooth. Dust with flour, cover with a bowl and let it rest for 25 min. Switch oven to 190*C; prepare a pan (oil it).
Slice peeled potatoes on a mandolin (medium thick), then cut into small dices. Leave aside in a bowl) until needed.
(For traditional way of stretching the dough (circle), look here. )
Stretch the dough; season potato and sprinkle around the edges. Continue to roll the dough as described. Place in a pan and bake as 8 individual-ones , or as one large spiral-30 minutes. Serve while warm.







individual serves                                                                                                                                        or one large    
..............................................................................................................................................................

Bosanska 'Krompiruša' / Pita sa krompirom

Konacno je i recept za krompirusu dosao na red! To je bila moja omiljena pita u djetinjstvu; danas je to pita sa gljivama /sampinjonima

Potrebno:
Tijesto- (za 8 individualnih ili 1 veliku pitu)
2 solje mekog brasna, prosijanog
220-230 ml vode
1/2 k soli
Punjenje-
1 K ulja
1 srednji crveni luk, sjeckan sitno(opciono)
600 gr krompira, sjeckan na kockice (5 mm)
1 k soli
1/2 k crnog bibera
1 k kari praha (nije tradicionalan dodatak - opciono)

Nacin:
Pomijesajte sastojke za jufku, umijesite glatko mekano tijesto; pobrasnite i poklopite 'ćasom' da se odmara 25+ min. Ukljucite renu na 190*C; pripremite tepsiju.
Izrezite krompir na sitne kockice ( ja ga izrezem na 'mandolini'/ ribezu prvo na srednje deblje snite, zatim na kockice)
Razvucite tijesto / jufku (Za tradicionalni nacin razvlacenja (u krug) pogledajte ovdje.) Zasolite i pobiberite krompir u zadnjoj minuti, zatim filujte. Zarolajte u 8 individualnih ili 1 veliku spiralu. Pecite oko 30 minuta. Servirajte dok je toplo.

Organising Tips for Kitchens

Have you ever had salted coffee? You know, when instead of jar with sugar you take salt and mix into coffee?!

I thought I was well organised in my kitchen, ...until yesterday. I was cooking dinner and instead of jar with paprika, I grabbed jar with chilly and generously placed 2 tbs in my stew. I like spicy and hot food, but this was too much. Later, I would realise why they say 'chilly speeds-up metabolism' :-)

Anyway, today all my jars have LABELS! (And anyone cooking in my kitchen from now on, knows exactly where paprika is, and where chilly!)

Jeste li ikada popili slanu kafu?

Znate ono, kada umjesto tegle sa secerom uhvatite za so i umijesate u kafu?!

Mislila sam da sam dobro organizovana u kuhinji, ...sve do juce! Kuhala sam neki gulas i umjesto teglice sa paprikom, zgrabila sam chili i stavila pune 2 kasike. Zbilja volim zacinjenu (ljutu) hranu, ali ovo je bilo previse. Kasnije sam shvatila zasto kazu da chili ubrzava metabolizam :-)

Elem, od danas su sve moje teglice OBILJEZENE ! (Tako da svako ko kuha u mojoj kuhinji, tacno zna sta je paprika, a sta chili)

A few tips on organising a kitchen space.

Basic rules: 

-Create working Stations - so there is spot for cooking, cleaning,  storing, baking...

-Assure easy access  - items that are used more often should be placed closer to your working spot; very rarely used items should be further away, so there is no many unnecessary movements.

Nekoliko savjeta za dobro organizovanu kuhinju.

Osnovna pravila:

- Kreirajte 'Stanice' - mjesto za kuhanje, ciscenje/ pranje, smjestaj, pecenje/ kolace...

-Osigurajte lagan pristup- pribor koji se koristi svakodnevno treba da je smjesten blize radnom mjesu; stvari koje se rijetko koriste smjestiti dalje u kuhinji.

                   Label everything    /    Obiljezite sve

Oils, vinegars and other cooking sauces stored in a deep  drawer, close to your stove.

Ulja i drugi sastojci za kuhanje (sosevi, sirce..) u dubokoj ladici blizu stednjaka.

My (handy) spice collection, right above my head. Jars are from 'Masterfood' products (mustards and sauces), collected during last few years. 

Moja (blizu ruke) kolekcija zacina, odmah iznad glave. Teglice (od senfa) sam skupljala zadnjih nekoliko godina.

Breakfast/ Snack /Coffee /Tea Station: Anyone can prepare a snack/ coffee without disturbing other person in the kitchen. All serving ware is also located in this station, right across dishwasher, so unloading is quick and easy.

Mjesto za doručak/ kafu /čaj/ užinu: svako sebi moze pripremiti uzinu ili kafu, bez ometanja druge osobe u kuhinji. Svi tanjiri i posude za serviranje se nalaze tu takodje, preko puta masine za sudje, tako da je smjestanje cistog sudja brzo i lako.

Cake corner: All flavourings / cake ingredients in one place (large shallow container). When needed, simply pull out whole box and everything is handy. Tiding up is easy, just put the box back.
Ćošak za kolače: Svi dodatci za kolace na jednom mjestu (u plitkoj velikoj plasticnoj kutiji). Kada ih zatrebam , jednostavno izvucem cijelu kutiju i sve je pri ruci. Jednostavno je i pospremanje, samo vratim kutiju nazad na mjesto.

Smart solution for baking tins: store them vertically, separated by thin plywood (or tension rods).

Unusual shapes can be placed on wall as decoration.

Pametno rješenje za tepsije: smjestite ih vertikalno , odvojene sperplocom (ili cijevima pod tenzijom). Neobicne forme mozete okaciti na zid kao dekoraciju.

Don't throw your glass jars (you've paid for them); keep dry ingredients (or your preserves) in jars. Uniformed or colour-coordinated always look better together. Tell your friends what kind of jars are you collecting (collect different sort for your friends).

Ne bacajte svoje teglice (platili ste za njih): smjestite suhe sastojke (ili zimnicu/ dzemove) u njih. Teglice istog oblika ili koordinisane boje uvijek izgledaju bolje kada su zajedno. Recite prijateljima koje od njih skupljate (a za njih skupljajte druge).

Giveaway    /    Darivanje

For those who can't get self-sticking labels: 2 lucky visitors will have chance to get 20 of those. In your comment (bellow) let me know you would like to have them (by 05 /02 - results on 06/02) and you will have chance to win it. Choice of label names (ingredients) will be yours!

Za one koji ne mogu nabaviti (obiljezavajuce) naljepnice: 2 sretna posjetioca ce imati sansu da dobiju 20 ovakvih. U vasem komentaru (dole) me podsjetite da biste voljeli da ih imate (do 5/2 - rezultati 6/2). Izbor naziva (sastojaka) naljepnica ce biti vas!