Starogrojski Paprenjok - biscuits from Croatia

 These biscuits are typical from Croatia, specifically from the island of Hvar ,their origin is in the city of Stari Grad. In the past they were also widely consumed throughout the Dalmatian coast.

They are eaten at all family parties and are highly appreciated for being very durable. In fact in the past, it was a gift that the guests used to give to the bride and groom on their wedding day, the bride and groom had to keep them and consume them when they had their first child.

The sailors' wives and mothers used to make these cookies for sailors to take with them on long voyages, they knew that they were going to have a good sweet for the whole trip.

They are made with sweet wine, honey and a set of spices called 'prapen' with nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon.

Ingredients:

For the dough

- 500 grams flour.

- 250 grams honey.

- 62 ml olive oil.

- 75 ml sweet wine.

- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

- 1 teaspoon baking soda.

- 1 teaspoon nutmeg.

- 1 teaspoon cloves.

- 0,5 grams saffron strands.

For the decoration

- 250 grams cast sugar.

- 1 lemon juice.

- 1 egg white.

Method:

1- Put the wine in a saucepan together with the cloves , turn on the fire until it boils.

2- Turn off the heat and add the saffron threads, let the wine get cool.

3- In a bowl, mix the honey with nutmeg, cinnamon and baking soda.

4- When the wine is cold, strain it and add it to the honey bowl, mix everything well.

5- Add the flour and oil, mix and knead until everything is well integrated, make a ball with the dough and cover it with cling film.

Let it rest for 5 or 6 hours.

6- Take portions of the dough and with the help of a rolling pin flatten the dough on a flat surface.

Use cookie molds to cut the dough, also use some stamps to make some drawing on the surface of the cookie.

7- Line a tray with baking paper and place the cookies on it, preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 5 minutes, and then bake at the same temperature for 20 minutes, heat up and down.

8- You can decorate the cookies on the same or another day, the advantage is that these cookies can last for many months, so you won't lose them.

To decorate the cookies we are going to prepare the icing.

Put an egg white in a bowl and beat until it is white and you can make peaks with it and the peaks do not fall off.

Add the icing sugar little by little while stirring.

9- Add lemon juice and continue stirring.

10- Once the mixture is added, cover it with cling film, you can keep it in the fridge until you decide to decorate the cookies.

Croatian women traditionally use a pin to decorate, they dip it in the icing and then make some drawings on the biscuits.

You already have some cookies that you can use at Christmas even if you make them in summer!

Receta en Español

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Croatia

Drap:
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Rice with hearts of palm - Costa Rica

Rice with heart of palm is a delicious dish very typical from Costa Rica. Additionally, it's simple to cook, and heart of palm can be easily found in Spain at Mercadona.

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of rice.

- 2 cups of water.

- 1 cup of milk.

- 1 cup of evaporated milk or cream.

- 2 tablespoons of oil.

- 2 tablespoons of flour.

- 60 grams of butter.

- 1 onion.

- 1 garlic clove.

- 1 green pepper.

- 1 can of heart of palm.

- White pepper.

- Nutmeg.

- 1 and 1/2 cuos of mozzarella cheese for grting.

- 4 slices of mozzarella cheese.

Method:

1- Cut the onion,garlic,pepper and hearts of palm into litle pieces. Pour the oil in a casserole and fry onion,garlic and pepper until the onion gets transparent.

2- Add the rice and cook for a minute, then add 2 cups of water, put on a high heat until it boils and then put on a low heat and cook covered with a lid for 20 minutes.

3- While the rice cooks, let's do the dairy mixture. Take another casserole, put the butter and the flour, mix well (in a low heat):

4- Add a cup of evaporated milk or cream and another cup of milk, stir and cook at low heat for 5 minutes.

5- Add the heart of palm, salt, pepper and nutmeg, stir well and keep cooking for about 15 minutes.

7- Add the rice, mix well , cook for 5 more minutes and add the slices of mozarella cheese, mix well and pour everything in an oven proof dish.

8- Put some mozzarela cheese to grate on top of all the surface. After that put inside the oven to grate until you see that the cheese gets golden.

Serve hot!

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my  favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Costa Rica

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Dégué -dessert from Ivory Coast

  Dégué is a typical dessert from Ivory Coast, also from Mali or Mauritania, and from Senegal where the dessert is called Thiakry. It's a tasty dairy dessert that may remind you of a kind of rice pudding, but made with another cereal, millet.

The dessert is usually prepared for baptisms or weddings. It's also very simple.

Ingredients:

- 300 grams evaporated milk.

- 200 grams millet couscous.

- 300 grams yogurt.

- 200 grams fresh cream.

- 100 grams sugar.

- 1 teaspoon Vanilla.

- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg.

- 10 grams Butter.

Method:

1- To cook millet couscous, pour boiling water over it until it covers everything, then let it stand for half an hour until the semolina has absorbed all the water. In case you find not completely soft, you can continue cooking it for 5 minutes in the microwave.

2- Add the butter to the millet, mix well.

3- Pour evaporated milk, fresh cream and yogurt into a bowl and mix well.Add sugar, vanilla, and millet, continue stirring well.

Then add nutmeg and to garnish, some raisins.

4- It is served cold and it can last in the refrigerator for several days.

You can also watch the recipe on my Youtube Channel:

Here you have a link to my favourite cooking tools where you can find my spices grinder:  

Favourite cooking tools

Ivory Coast

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