Skonsi sa kefirom * Scones with Kefir

Skonsi su tradicionalni kolači sa britanskih ostrva i nezaobilazan detalj iz romana Aleksandra Mekol Smita. Vrlo su jednostavni i prave se od bazičnih sastojaka, a obično se jedu dok su vrući uz džem ili kajmak i čaj. Skonsi se obično prave s mlekom, ja ih ovog puta pravim s kefirom koji im pomaže da dodatno narastu i ostanu vazdušasti i narednog dana.

Scones are traditional pastry from the British Isles and a mandatory detail in Alexander McCall Smith's novels. They are simple and made of basic ingredients, and are eaten warm with jam or clotted cream and tea. Scones are usually made with milk, this time I am making them with kefir which helps them rise even better and stay light and fresh even the following day.

Sastojci

Ingredients

600 gr običnog brašna plus još malo za mešenje

½ kašičice soli

2 kašičice praška za pecivo

125 gr putera

5 kašika kristal-šećera

400 ml kefira

Žumance za premazivanje

600 g plain flour, plus a bit more for the kneading

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

125 g butter

5 tablespoons white sugar

400 ml kefir

Egg yolk for brushing

Sipati u posudu za mešenje sve suve sastojke i pomešati. Dodati puter pa ga utrljati u brašno, da se dobro sjedini. Potom dodati kefir, izmešati pa po potrebi dodati još brašna, sve dok testo ne prestane da se lepi za ruke, ali i dalje bude meko i vazdušasto.

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl. Add the butter and rub it in the flour. Add kefir, mix and add more flour if needed while kneading, until the dough becomes smooth and non-sticky, yet still soft and light.

Formirati kuglu od testa i iseći je na 4 dela. Svaki deo rastanjiti na oko 1 cm debljine, staviti u pleh obložen papirom, preseći dijagonalno tako da se dobiju 6 trouglića i premazati žumancem.

Shape the dough into a ball and cut it in 4 pieces. Shape and flatten each piece to be approximately 1 cm thick, place on a baking sheet and cut diagonally so that you get 6 triangles. Brush with egg yolk.

Peći na 200 stepeni petnaestak minuta, dok blago ne porumene, a ostanu meki u sredini.

Bake at 200 degrees C for some fifteen minutes until they get slightly brown, yet still soft in the middle.

Ovseni kolačići sa čokoladom * Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ako preteknu, ostaju sveži nekoliko dana.

Unless they all disappear right away, they will stay fresh for a couple of days.

Sastojci:

Ingredients:

250 gr putera
1/2 šolje (od 250ml) kristal šećera
1 šolja tamnog šećera
2 jaja
aroma vanile ili vanilin šećer
2 šolje belog brašna
1 kašičica sode bikarbone
1/2 kašičice praška za pecivo
1/2 kašičice soli
2 šolje ovsenih pahuljica
200 grama čokolade za kuvanje, sitno seckane, ili čokoladnih mrvica

250 g butter

1/2 cup (250 ml) white sugar

1 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs 

vanilla aroma

2 cups plain flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups rolled oats

200 g cooking chocolate (or chocolate chips)

Puter koji je odstojao na na sobnoj temperaturi staviti u posudu za mešanje, dodati sav šećer i sjediniti. Dodati jednu šolju brašna, umešati viljuškom, pa razbiti dva jaja i izmešati.

Place the butter at room temperature in a mixing bowl and add all the sugar. Mix and add a cup of flour, stir with a fork, add two eggs and mix.

Dodati preostalu šolju brašna, vanilu, prašak za pecivo i sodu bikarbonu i so.

Add the remaining cup of flour, vanilla aroma, baking powder and soda and salt.

Sipati sve ovsene pahuljice, umesiti rukom, pa iseckati čokoladu, dodati testu i još malo umesiti da se čokolada dobro rasporedi.

Add all the rolled oats, mix well with a hand. Chop the chocolate (unless you have chocolate chips already), add it to the dough and knead more in the bowl, so that the chocolate is well distributed.

Uključiti rernu na 175 stepeni, i staviti peki-papir na pleh. Kašičicom vaditi testo i ređati na pleh, ostavljajući pritom dovoljno prostora između jer će keks narasti. Peći 12 minuta, ostaviti da se potpuno ohlade pre služenja.

Turn the oven on at 175 degrees and line the tray with baking paper. Scoop the dough with a teaspoon and place on the tray, leaving enough space for it to rise. Bake for 12 minutes and let the cookies cool completely before serving.

Taljatele sa piletinom, šampinjonima i blitvom * Tagliatelle with Chicken, Mushrooms and Swiss Chard

Ako se žurite, a ipak biste želeli da pripremite kvalitetan obrok, evo jednog brzog jela.

If you are in a hurry, and still want to prepare a fine meal, this will be ready in no time.

Sastojci:

6 'smotuljaka' taljatela

pola pilećeg belog mesa

4 veća šampinjona

veza blitve

beli luk

celerova so

biber

kašičica brašna

i na kraju:

     nekoliko maslina

     komad kačkavalja

Ingredients:

6 rolls of tagliatelle

1/2 chicken breast

4 larger white mushrooms

6-7 Swiss chard leaves

garlic

celery salt

pepper

a teaspoon of plain flour

and for garnish:

several olives     

a piece of cheese     

Oprati blitvu i pečurke, očistiti beli luk. Iseckati beli luk na tanke kolutiće, a pečurke i belo meso na kockice. Blitvu iseći na šire rezance.

Wash the chard and mushrooms and peel the garlic. Thinly slice the garlic, and dice the chicken and mushrooms. Coarsely chop the chard. 

Staviti taljatele da se kuvaju prema uputstvu na pakovanju. U dublji tiganj sipati malo ulja, zagrejati i dodati beli luk. Na kratko propržiti pa dodati belo meso. Propržiti pa dodati pečurke i pržiti još minut.
Dodati začine i malo vode (4-5 kašika), poklopiti i dinstati par minuta. 

Boil the tagliatelle according to instructions on the pack. Place a skillet on the stove and add a bit of oil. Add the garlic and fry briefly. Add the chicken and stir-fry. Finally add the mushrooms, fry for another minute. Add the spices and a bit of water (4-5 tablespoons), cover and let it simmer for a couple of minutes.

Potom dodati blitvu, poklopiti i ostaviti na tihoj vatri. Povremeno promešati. 

Add the Swiss chard, cover and let it simmer. Stir occasionally.

Kad blitva svene, otklopiti, malo pojačati vatru i pustiti višak vode da ispari. Kašičicu brašna razmutiti u malo hladne vode, dodati varivu i mešati. Kuvati dok gustina sosa ne bude zadovoljavajuća.

Once the chard wilts, remove the lid, increase the heat a bit and let the excess water evaporate. Dissolve a teaspoon of flour in a bit of cold water, add to the sauce and stir. Once the thickness of the sauce is right, remove from the plate.

Dodati kuvane taljatele, promešati, servirati u činiju, dodati nekoliko maslina i naribati kačkavalja.

Add the boiled tagliatelle, stir, serve in a bowl, add several olives and grate some cheese on the top.

Majmunski hlepčići * Mini-Monkey Bread

Danas pravim majmunski hleb, i sladak i slani, ali umesto u kalup za kuglof stavljam ga u modlice za mafine. Na taj način dobijam po 6 lepih, slanih i slatkih užina.

I'm making monkey bread today, sweet and savoury. However, instead of a large mold, I'm baking them in separate muffin cups. Thus I am getting 6 sweet and 6 savoury snacks.

Sastojci:

Ingredients:

1 suvi kvasac razmućen u 2 dl tople vode sa prstohvatom šećera
kašika žutog šećera
2 kašike prirodnog, nerafinisanog kokosovog ulja
1 jaje
1/2 kašičice soli
500 gr belog brašna, plus još malo za premešavanje
     i još:
za slatke hlepčiće
     cimet
     javorov sirup
za slane hlepčiće
     maslinovo ulje
     8-9 seckanih suvih crnih maslina bez koščice
     ruzmarin

10 g dry yeast dissolved in 200 ml warm water with a pinch of sugar

a tablespoon of brown sugar

2 tablespoons non refined coconut oil

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

500 g plain flour, plus a little bit more for later

and:     

for sweet monkeys

     cinnamon     

maple syrup     

for savoury monkeys

olive oil     

8-9 chopped pitted dry black olives     

rosemary     

Kada kvasac nadođe, sipati ga u posudu u kojoj je već pomešano brašno, šećer i so. Dodati jaje i umutiti varjačom.

Once the yeast grows, pour it in a mixing bowl already containing the mixed flour, sugar and salt. Add an egg and stir well with a spoon.

Sipati ulje u šaku, pa umesiti rukom u testo. Oblikovati u loptu i ostaviti najmanje pola sata u posudi, pokriveno krpom, da naraste.

Pour the coconut oil in the palm of the hand, and knead the dough. Shape it into a ball and let it rest for at least half an hour, covered with a cloth.

Pripremiti kalup za mafine i papirne korpice. Kada testo naraste, posuti dasku brašnom i razmesiti ga. Podeliti nožem na pola.

Prepare a muffin tin and baking cups. Once the dough rises, sift some flour onto a board and knead. Cut it in half with a knife.

Jednu polovinu testa iseckati na komadiće. Svaki komadić umočiti u maslinovo ulje, posuti s malo ruzmarina i staviti u papirnu korpicu. Između staviti po par komadića seckanih maslina. Ponavljati proces dok ne potrošimo sve komadiće testa kojima ćemo napuniti 6 korpica. U svaku korpicu bi trebalo staviti 4-5 komadića, pa je najbolje unapred izdeliti komadiće na zasebne gomilice.

Cut one half of the dough into small pieces. Dip each piece into the olive oil, sprinkle with rosemary and place in the paper cup. Place several pieces of chopped dry olive between them. Repeat the process until all the pieces are used and 6 cups filled. Each cup should contain 4-5 pieces of dough, so it is wise to plan ahead and separate the pieces into small piles. 

Sad prelazimo na slatke hlepčiće. Preostalu polovinu testa opet iseći na komadiće, i po istom principu umakati prvo u javorov sirup, pa posuti cimetom i ređati u korpice.

And now the sweet monkeys. Cut the remaining dough into pieces, and, using the same principle, dip them in the maple syrup first, then sprinkle with cinnamon and place into paper cups.

Kad su sve korpice napunjene, uključiti rernu na 180 stepeni, i dok se rerna greje, testo će taman još malo da naraste.

Once all the cups are filled, turn the oven on to 180 degrees C, and while it is heating up, the dough will have some time to rise a bit more.

Peći 25-30 minuta, dok hlepčići ne porumene. Ostaviti par minuta da odstoje pa servirati. Slatke hlepčiće odmah izvaditi iz korpica, jer će se zalepiti za papir kad se ohlade.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the monkeys get golden brown. Let them rest for a couple of minutes before serving. Remove the sweet monkeys from the baking cups immediately, since it will be much more difficult once they get cold. 

Pogača sa kozjim sirom i spanaćem * Goat Cheese and Spinach Bread

Evo jedne pogače koja je rezultat trenutne inspiracije, ali sa dubokim korenima u balkanskoj kuhinji.

Here's a result of a moment of inspiration, however deeply rooted in the Balkan tradition.

Sastojci:

Ingredients:

250 gr belog brašna
250 gr kukuruznog brašna sa potočare
1 jaje
1 suvi kvasac
80 gr tvrdog kozjeg sira
600 ml domaćeg kefira
80 ml kvalitetnog maslinovog ulja
manja glavica belog luka
250 gr očišćenog spanaća
prstohvat soli, prstohvat žutog šećera
susam za posipanje

250 g plain flour

250 g corn flour from a traditional water mill

1 egg

10 g dry yeast

80 g old, white goat cheese

600 ml home made kefir

80 ml good quality olive oil

a small garlic

250 g spinach leaves

a pinch of salt, a pinch of brown sugar

sesame seeds

Pomešati belo i kukuruzno brašno, dodati suvi kvasac, prstohvat šećera i soli, kefir i ulje i dobro izmešati. Dodati jaje i sve sjediniti.

Mix plain with corn flour, add dry yeast, a pinch of salt and sugar, kefir and oil and mix well. Add the egg and mix. 

Ostaviti smesu sa strane, pokrivenu krpom. Iseckati sitno svež i očišćen spanać.

Set the batter aside, covered with a cloth. Finely chop the fresh, cleaned spinach.

Izgnječiti beli luk i sir i dodati u smesu.

Mash the garlic and cheese and add to the batter.

Podmazati okruglu tepsiju uljem. Uključiti rernu na 180 stepeni.

Grease a round baking tray (30cm in diameter) with oil. Turn on the oven to 180 degrees C.

Dodati spanać u smesu i dobro izmešati, pa preručiti sve u tepsiju.

Add the chopped spinach to the batter, mix well and pour in the baking tray.

Peći 55 minuta, prvo na 180 stepeni, a poslednjih 10 minuta na 200,

Bake for 55 minutes, first at 180 degrees, and for the last 10 minutes increase to 200.