North Croatian Cucumber Stew Cuspajz Od Krastavaca Recipes

NORTH CROATIAN CUCUMBER STEW ("CUSPAJZ OD KRASTAVACA")

Steps:

• Peel the cucumbers and cut them as for salad. Salt it and put aside for 10 minutes.
• Melt lard and add finely minced garlic and flour and sauté it until flour become brownish. Add paprika and stir well. Add cold water and make creamy liquid.
• Squeeze cucumbers with hand to extract bitter liquid and add cucumbers into the pot. Add vinegar, salt and pepper and cover with water.
• Cook not more than 30 minutes. Before serving add sour cream and stir.

CROATIAN LEEK STEW ( PORILUK CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Wash the leek very thoroughly (there might be some mud between the leaves) and cut them in 1 inch pieces (also the green parts, at least nice looking one).
• Preheat the water and when it boils put the leek in it and leave it boil for one minute.
• During this operation prepare this: put lard in a pot, heat it and brown flour in lard (but not too brown).
• Add grounded paprika and just few drops of cold water to make "zafrig" (a kind of "sauce veloutè").
• Take out leek with hollow spoon, add sliced potato in small cubes and water you have cooked leek in it.
• Season with salt and pepper and cook until potato is soft (10-20 minutes).
• Serve as a side dish to steaks, sausages, dried smoked ham etc.

NORTH CROATIAN KOHLRABI STEW (KOLORABA CUSPAJZ)

Steps:

• Peel kohlrabi like you peel apples. Remove leaves (don't throw away baby leaves, you can slice them and put into stew later) and cut kohlrabi like you cut potato for French fry potato, but just little bit thicker.
• Melt lard (or butter) in a pot, add flour and sauté it 1 minute. Add water and make creamy liquid. Add sliced kohlrabi and add water to cover the vegetable. Add salt and pepper and baby leaves if you want.
• Cook about 30 minutes or until kohlrabi softens.
• At the end add sour cream, stir well and serve.

NORTH CROATIAN BUTTERNUT SQUASH STEW (BUCE CUSPAJZ)

Steps:

• Cut butternut squash into stripes like thick spaghetti (we buy it usually already cut on the market).
• Salt it and add vinegar and leave it stay for 60 minutes. It must start to leave juices.
• Melt lard and add finely minced onion. Sauté onions until translucent, add flour, stir it until brownish; add cold water and make creamy liquid.
• Add red paprika and some more water.
• Squeeze squash with hands to remove water from it and than add into a pot. Stir it and add some fresh water to cover it.
• Cook gently (it can easily burn) until butternut squash is soft. Before serving add minced dill and sour cream. Serve with pork schnitzels and potato.

CROATIAN "COBANAC" STEW

Steps:

• Cut horse and beef meat into small pieces (not larger than 2x2 cm). Do the same with potato.
• Finely mince onion.
• Soak dried porcini mushrooms in cold water about 15 minutes, and than cut into small pieces.
• Cut pancetta into small pieces.
• Heat the lard and sauté onion until translucent. Add meat and continue to sauté (covered) 20 minutes. At that point meat will start to leave juices.
• Add paprika, salt, pepper, bay leaf, pancetta and thyme. Stir well and continue to sauté 5 minutes; now add wine, stir and sauté until alcohol evaporates.
• Add potato and water to cover meat and potato. Add mushrooms. Stir and cook on easy fire about 120 minutes.
• If you need to add more salt do it, but do not add additional pepper or hot paprika. If you want it hot, do it at the beginning.
• The stew must be soup-like. You eat it only with spoon. All ingredients must be soft and easy to eat.

CROATIAN SPINACH STEW ( SPINAT CUSPAJZ")

Steps:

• Clean the spinach leaves and put them in boiling water for 5 minutes.
• Drain the leaves and using large knife (or multi-practic machine): cut them to mash.
• Take a pot, melt butter, add flour and garlic, and add cold water to make a kind of "sauce veloutè".
• Add mashed spinach pour milk (or cream) season with salt and pepper.
• Nutmeg is optional.
• Cook for 10 minutes.