Biserka's Recipes

In 2004, we visited my family in Croatia, and my aunt shared recipes that we enjoyed at her summer-house on the island of Brač.

This is intended for my friends and family members (I was appointed to transcribe what Biserka was saying) but if anyone else has tasted some of these menu items in the Adriatic before and wants to recreate them at home, maybe you can make sense of my recipes below.

Dobar tek! (Bon appetit!)

• a few bunches of (soft) Swiss chard
• 1 kg potatoes
• olive oil
• fresh garlic
• salt & pepper

Peel and cube the potatoes, and cut the Swiss chard stems into small sections (see blue-outline in diagram to right), split down the middle. Boil in salty water.

Cut the Swiss chard leaves into sections (see red-outline sections in diagram to the right). Add a bit later to the boiling water. Do not cover. (it makes the Swiss chard gray)

Drain, retaining 1 cup of the boiling water.

Add freshly chopped garlic and olive oil; toss to mix.

Smush some cooked potatoes to the retained cooking water, to make a thick "gravy". Add the potatoes and chard.

Note: There are 2 varieties of Swiss chard generally available. One is the Italian variety, that is lighter-green, with white stalks, and a soft, buttery texture to the leaves. This is preferable; it makes a softer cooked chard. The other variety, with darker, tougher leaves and often colored stalks, is okay, but the leaves will have to cook a bit longer, so throw them in with the stalks & potatoes a bit earlier.

• in-season vegetables (carrots, leeks, zucchini, etc. -- whatever's in season)
• potatoes
• Vegeta (or something like vegetable bouillon)
• salt, pepper
• pasta (orzo or other small soup pasta) or dumplings (see below)
• sour cream

Cube potatoes and vegetables.

Add just enough water to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

Add salt, pepper and Vegeta, while it's cooking.

When 3/4 done, stop cooking. Add all to blender and blend until smooth.

Return to pot and add water. Cook for another 5 minutes, mixing continuously.

Either:

1) Cook pasta separately. Add pasta after blended vegetables done 2nd cooking.

or

2) Add the dumplings to the soup (see recipe below).

Remove from flame. Allow to cool to warm.

Add sour cream (not when hot). Serve warm.

• 1 kg of "pelata" (Italian peeled tomatoes) or Pomi strained tomatoes
• olive oil
• 2 tbsp flour
• fresh garlic
• Vegeta
• salt & pepper
• 2 tbsp sugar
• orzo

Smush the peeled tomatoes with a spoon, until it resembles a chunky tomato soup.

Cook the flour in enough oil to make a creamy paste. Just heat until it starts to yellow -- do not brown it.

Add the smushed tomatoes, hot water, salt, pepper, garlic, sugar and Vegeta while continuing to heat and stir.

Cook for about 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook orzo separately, and when cooked al dente, add to soup.

Allow to steep together for a few minutes before serving.

• 1 egg
• salt
• 4 tbsp corn grits

Beat one egg white (retain yolk separately) and pinch of salt until it forms soft peaks.

Sprinkle corn grits in slowly, while folding gently into egg whites.

Fold in beaten egg yolk. Resulting mixture should be "fluffy"-looking grit mixture.

Allow mixture to sit for 30 minutes.

Using a wet tablespoon, scoop the mixture into about 1/3 of the edge of the spoon (see diagram to right). Slide gently into the surface of the just-boiled soup, allowing it to float at the surface. The little dumplings will expand in the soup.

Turn off the heat on the soup, cover, and allow to sit about 20 minutes. The dumplings will cook and set.

Gently mix the dumplings into the soup. Serve.