This winter has been one of the most severe in recent years so it has been important to keep warm and eat plenty of hearty food. One of my favourite recipes sure to warm you up and originating from Slovenia in the Balkans, is Pašta Fižol. This bacon, bean and pasta soup is rich and has a touch of spice. Plus, it’s incredibly easy and requires just one pot to save on washing up! Simply serve with some chunky bread (preferably rye) to enjoy a fabulous winter warming meal.
Ingredients
500g pancetta lardons (or smoked bacon)
1 tin of red kidney beans (240g drained beans)
1 bay leaf
1 small white onion, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp tomato puree
20g plain flour
600ml chicken stock
125g small pasta shapes
2 tsp marjoram
2 tsp hot paprika
1 tsp cider vinegar
Instructions
Heat the bacon and onion in a large stockpot
When the bacon and onion are thoroughly cooked, add the garlic and stir thoroughly
Stir in the tomato puree
Add the flour gradually
Pour in the stock and stir
Bring the boil (constantly stirring to prevent sticking)
Reduce heat to a simmer
Add pasta, marjoram, beans and bay leaf to pan and cook for 10 minutes or until pasta is cooked
Hungarians are as passionate about mushrooms as Italians. As the autumn draws in I think about all those hearty winter dishes that will see me through the cold months. There is nothing more warming or tasty than Hungarian mushroom soup. Here’s my quick and easy recipe.
Ingredients
50g butter or margarine
8 shallots cut into quarters
3 cloves of garlic, roughly chopped
500g assorted wild mushrooms
(I like to use a mixture depending on what is in season. Often I use chestnut, enoki and shitake with some dried wild mushrooms that I’ve soaked in warm water for 20 minutes and drained. I reserve some of the liquid to add flavour to the stock)
800ml chicken or vegetable stock (depending on whether you or your guests eat meat)
1 tbsp cornflour dissolved in 2 tbsp cold water
Handful of finely chopped chives
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large pan and gently fry the shallots until soft (but not brown)
Add the garlic and stir
Add the mushrooms and cook out for five minutes
Add the stock (and a few tablespoons of the liquid from the dried mushrooms) and leave to simmer for five minutes
Then add the dissolved cornflour and allow to cook out for five minutes
Allow to cool, then blend
If you prefer a thin soup pass the liquid through a sieve but personally I like it thick
Reheat when required
Season with salt and pepper to taste
To serve sprinkle chives on the top and enjoy with plenty of crusty bread
Hot, cold, Ukrainian, Russian, there are so many arguments had over this dish it’s not even worth listing them. Ultimately, every family has their own version and this is mine. It doesn’t quite meet the standard I consumed at Chernobyl but it’s a pretty good effort. Though be warned, it isn’t a quick dish to prepare.
Ingredients
5 to 6 beetroots
2 carrots, grated
1 cabbage wedge, grated
3 potatoes, cut into chunks
2 white onions, grated
3 cloves garlic, crushed
15ml tomato puree
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 litre beef stock
300g boiled beef cut into chunks
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
Instructions
Put the beetroot in a saucepan
Cover with cold water
Heat until boiling and once come to temperature, lower to a simmer and leave for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes
Remove the beetroot from the pan and allow to cool
Keep the liquid for later
Peel and grate the beetroot
Heat oil in a large saucepan
Add the onion, cabbage, garlic, beetroot, tomato puree and carrot to the saucepan
Stir together and cook for 10 minutes on a medium heat
Add the potato to the saucepan
Cook for another 10 minutes
Add the stock and a ladle of the beetroot water
Simmer for 30 minutes, add the lemon juice and serve
Can be served with a spoonful of smetana (sour cream), a sprinkling of dill and/or parsley and crusty bread
This family recipe combines flavours from the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Central Europe. Variations of the recipe are popular in Romania, Bulgaria and in the East Adriatic region. It can be made as a starter, or as I did, for as a hearty main course. It is ideal for using up all your leftover vegetables. It’s the ultimate in one pot cooking; serve it with some crusty bread and hey presto – a delicious meal!
Charlotte J – stirring. Photo Credit: Jill Robinson
I recently visited Cornwall for a few days as my school friends had rented a large cottage for the week. The kitchen was an absolute delight and I insisted on cooking some good East European fare for my 7 companions.
The best thing about East European cooking is that the recipes are usually not desperately complicated, require just one or two pots and few ingredients, which keeps both washing up and costs down, yet enables you to create a really hearty and tasty meal.
Although this bean stew required smoked pork and a ham bone, I cheated and used pork chops and smoked bacon which added the required smokey flavour. Everyone seemed to enjoy it so I would definitely recommend this recipe!
Ingredients (serves 8 hungry beings)
2 white onions
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 red chilies
1 tbsp Hungarian hot paprika (or to taste)
3 tins of mixed beans
20 black peppercorns
8 pork chops
500g smoked bacon
4 tbsp cornflour
Tomato puree or chili powder for colour if desired
Handful of chopped parsley for garnish
Crusty white bread to serve
Instructions
Put mixed beans into saucepan
Place pork chops on top of beans
Just cover pork with cold water and add peppercorns
Heat until boiling
Reduce heat, cover pan and leave on gentle simmer for 2 hours
Remove pork chops from pan
Cut off fat and bone and cut into chunks
Return pork to pan
Chop onions and heat in sunflower oil in separate pan until translucent
Add chopped and deseeded chili to onion and cook for 5-10 minutes
Chop smoked bacon and add to onion and chili and cook until crispy
Add paprika to bacon mix, stir and cook for 5 minutes
Add cornflour to bacon mix, stir and cook for 5-10 minutes
Add bacon mix to stew and stir
Cook for further 10 minutes until well mixed
If desire deeper red colour, add tablespoon of tomato puree or chili powder
Serve into bowls, garnish with parsley (I forgot to!) and serve with chunky white bread
The Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb is the ideal location for a short stay in Zagreb. The hotel is located a ten minute walk from the main square Trg bana Josipa Jelačića and a ten minute walk to the train station in the other direction. The exterior of the hotel is not stunning but once inside, the grand piano, beautiful chandeliers and attentive staff confirm that the Sheraton is a haven of luxury.
The rooms are spacious and boast the most comfortable bed and pillows in the world ensuring after a tough, or not so tough, day of sightseeing, one can enjoy a good night’s sleep. Although there is little Croatian influence on the hotel’s interior the halls are lined with beautiful paintings of Zagreb’s most notable attractions.
Room 323
Flights with Croatian Airlines run twice daily from London Gatwick to Zagreb at 10.20 A.M. and 5.20 P.M. After landing, luggage is promptly presented on the luggage carousels in only the way a small European airport is able to, and a short, 20 minute taxi ride takes one to central Zagreb and the hotel.
On arriving at the hotel on Thursday night I was too tired to venture out to find some food so decided to order a snack from room service. While the hotel may not boast Croatian charm, its menu at least does, aside all the usual hotel food stuffs. I naturally opted for one of the Croatian delicacies: Zagorska Juha (Zagorje Soup). I was starving and the forty minute wait was a bit frustrating but when the soup arrived, I realised the wait had been thoroughly worth it. Served in a giant wholemeal bread roll, this soup was gorgeous in presentation and taste.
Zagorska Juha
Ingredients:
150g smoked beef, chopped into cubes
50g cooked ham, chopped into cubes
50g smoked bacon lardons
100g mushrooms, thinly sliced
1 onion, finely chopped
4 potatoes cut into cubes
2 peeled tomatoes, finely chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
1 soup spoon of flour
1 cup of sour cream
1 teaspoon of chopped parsley
4 soup spoons of oil
1 teaspoon vegeta
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
Heat 2 soup spoons of oil in a medium saucepan
Add onion and saute for 4-5 minutes
Add beef, ham, bacon, peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes
Stir well and fry for 10 minutes
Add potatoes and stir for a few minutes
Top up with one and a half litres of water
Add vegeta
Cook for 45 minutes or until potatoes are soft
Make a roux with the rest of the oil and flour and add it to the soup
Remove the soup from the heat and season with salt and pepper
Lightly beat sour cream with a fork to make it runny and add to the soup, stirring well
