Mavželj (Spiced Pork Polenta balls) Slovenian Romani recipe Oven to 400F 40 minutes or until cooked through, overdone slightly is better than raw! (Ratio is 2lbs of ground pork per 1lbs of freshly cooked Polenta) Freshly ground pork Freshly cooked polenta pepper sea salt oregano, parsley, thyme, sage, basil, marjoram, 2-3 cloves garlic, paprika pinches, its not an exact science. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil. There is NO egg binder, get your hands in there and mix it all up. I wore gloves because handling raw pork even organic can be dangerous. Roll into small balls and line them up until sheet is full. Cover with plastic or foil and set in fridge to solid up for at least 2 hours. sauerkraut, beets, sour cream, pickles, beer mustard as sides Velikonocni Kruhki (Lazarus bread) Heat oven to 350F. Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. 1 package active dry yeast 1/3 cup warm milk 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2 1/2 to 3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, ground ginger 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) melted and cooled butter 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt Juice and zest of 1 lemon 3/4 cup ground (not chopped) almonds (I just took my jeweler's hammer to a bag of sliced almonds and it worked out quite well) 2 cups light or dark raisins, soaked in warm water and drained 1 large egg yolk beaten with 1 teaspoon water Place yeast, milk and sugar in a small bowl. Mix, cover and let rise for 10-20 minutes until yeast has dissolved. In a large bowl or stand mixer, place 2 1/2 cups flour, yeast mixture, cardamom, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, confectioners' sugar, butter, vanilla and salt. Combine until a soft dough results. Add lemon juice, zest, almonds and raisins, mixing well. Knead for 10-15 minutes by hand or 5-7 minutes by machine. Add additional 1/2 cup flour, as necessary, so dough isn't sticky. Form a large ball and let dough rise in the same bowl, covered, until doubled. Punch down dough and knead dough on a lightly floured surface for 2 minutes. Form 10-12 balls from the dough and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough balls with egg wash. Onion/Mushroom/Garlic/Potatoes/Fresh herbs Ragu (Ragout) From Valentin Vodnik 1799 collection of recipes, called for "freshly rendered boar's grease and bitter vinegars mixed in with greens from the gardens" This is a slightly updated version! Oven 400 30-40 minutes until baked brown and tender Wash and dice all veggies, in this case it was 3lbs mushrooms and 10 large baking potatoes. Line baking sheet with a slight lip with aluminum foil. Mix EVOO, 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar, freshly ground pepper, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 whole diced onion, sea salt to taste Fresh herbs- Rosemary, parsley, sage, oregano, thyme, basil Toss all together liberally. Dessert- Jabolko Potica (Apple Roll) Oven 300-350F, 30-50 minutes, usually made in wood burning stove so if using modern stove eyeball it after 30. Another Slovenian Romani recipe, you won't find this in any Google search :) Filling (drunk apples) 6 green slightly bitter apples cored and diced 1 16oz beer (I used NA) 1 tsp vanilla extract 1/2 tsp of: nutmeg, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger 1/2 cup honey 1 cup roughly diced almonds or other available nut Boil down to a compote, add more beer if needed until apples are nice and tender. Pastry 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon granulated sugar 1/2 tsp kosher salt 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, sliced 1/2 cup cold water Place flour, salt, and sugar into bowl, use food processor or hand mix to combine ingredients then slowly add slivered cold butter. Add cold water and mix with floured hands or pulse, dump onto floured surface, knead into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour. Flour a board, counter or other clean surface. Take dough mixture, roll out with flour. Pour 1/3 of apple filling in middle, carefully roll into a tube. Transfer to heavily greased pan, top with more apple mixture. Save remainder of apple filling as a side when serving. Jagoda Zavitek (Strawberry Strudel) 350F 35-40 minutes 3 lbs fresh strawberries washed and sliced. 1/2 cup granulated sugar 1/2 balsamic vinegar Mix all together, cover and leave in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Drain excess liquid before baking. Heavily grease an 8x8 pan Carefully add 4tsp of all purpose flour into strawberry maceration taking care not to get lumpy. In a bowl combine 1 cup flour, 3tsp sugar or honey, 1tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp of sea or kosher salt. Slowly mix in 1/4 cup unsalted butter In another lightly whisk one whole egg and 4 tablespoons of whole milk or milk alternative Add wet mixture to dry mixture until all are combined, add milk if needed. Spoon over strawberry mix in a grid, 6 points is good for dough to spread out like a biscuit topping. Romanian Cottage Bread (Not Slovenian but added as a Vegan alternative by request) This is a recipe from my childhood, it is commonly eaten with ghoulash and fresh sour cream Ingredients 6 cups whole wheat flour ( preferably organic stone ground) used Spelt 8 teaspoons baking powder 2 teaspoons salt 1/2 cup sugar Herb mix-basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, parsley, marjoram, sage 2 cups milk (works with any liquid) or 2 cups water ( works with any liquid) 1/2 cup liquid fat ( i.e. melted milk free margarine, vegetable oil, olive oil) Directions Mix dry ingredients. Do not sift the flour! Mix liquids and add to dry. Stir until there is no more dry flour. Depending on the humidity of the air where you live you may need a little bit more or less liquid. The dough should be moist but not sticky. It may take a few minutes for the flour to fully absorb the liquid, so don't rush to add liquid or flour to it. Score lightly the surface in a diamond or X shape to prevent splitting of the crust. This is a country style bread that should be sliced thick. It is important not to overwork the dough. Shape into a ball or an oval, with oiled hands. You may also make drop biscuits. Place on clean baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 400°F.