On tour in Croatia - Part 1

Mr Vegan Man and WOTVM are on our holiday in beautiful Croatia. We've been staying  in a small town called Podstrana, about 10k south of central Split. So far, we've eaten out twice and have cooked in our apartment three times and we thought we'd offer you a quick round up of our home-cooking adventures to date. No recipes this time as the dishes were somewhat thrown together but hopefully they will give you an idea of what you can put together in a strange kitchen with limited equipment and ingredients. We will bring you a review of our dining out experiences in Part 2 later this week.

On night one we opted for a quiet night in and a quick and easy dinner; we'd been up since 3.15am in order to get to Stansted for our 7.30am flights so by early evening we were starting to droop. WOTVM had the excellent idea of grabbing some pre-made pizza dough from Lidl, where we stocked up on supplies on our way to the apartment from the airport.

The dough is the sort that is now readily available in most supermarkets and is similar to readymade pastry in that it is pre-rolled on a sheet of greaseproof paper and you just have to unroll it to get started. We simply smeared some passata over the base, added our toppings - mushrooms, fresh peppers, jarred roasted peppers, green olives and capers - then on one half of the pizza WOTVM tore up some mozzarella and added some small slices of gouda, whilst Mr Vegan Man made a small well and cracked an egg into it for a take on a Fiorentina style pizza.

It turned out really well and was exactly what we needed at the end of a long day. We were lucky to have a nice new kitchen with an oven that was good and hot, just what you want when cooking pizza. The base was crispy and although it lacked a bit of the flavour of a freshly-made base, it was still decent. The toppings were fresh with a nice bit of saltiness and a slight bitterness from the olives and capers against the sweetness of the peppers. Th egg was well cooked and helped to hold together the cheeseless half of the pizza for Mr Vegan Man whilst WOTVM enjoyed the creaminess of the mozzarella alongside the rich gouda. We topped the pizza off with a generous helping of fresh rocket which added a nice peppery zing.

On Saturday, Mr Vegan Man cooked up a tasty dish using some of the lovely fresh asparagus tips that we'd found in the supermarket. Asparagus is bang in season at the moment so it's a great time of year to cook with it. On top of some toasted bread - the fresh breads over here are lovely by the way - we went for the classic pairing of of asparagus and egg.

The eggs were poached and retained an unctuous runny yolk whilst the asparagus spears were simply blanched for a few minutes. We made a lemon and caper butter to drizzle over the top and once again topped it off with some fresh rocket and, in WOTVM's case, some local prosciutto. The balance of flavours was really good, the sharp and salty caper butter cut through the richness of the egg and both worked really well with the gorgeous, fresh asparagus. The toasted bread absorbed the lovely juices and the rocket once more added some freshness and peppery bite to the dish.

Our final home-cooked dish meal of the holiday was a take on pasta primavera. We still had plenty of lovely fresh asparagus, mushrooms and peppers to use up as well as our jarred peppers, olives and capers as well as half a carton of passata. This is a really good way to use up any leftover bits and bobs you might have.

We simply cut up the fresh and jarred ingredients into small chunks or thin slices, fried off the peppers and mushrooms in a little butter before adding the asparagus tips. We then added the passata and a little water, the remaining vegetables and left to simmer on a medium to high heat for around 10 minutes whilst the pasta cooked. We made enough to last us for two meals and it was very fresh and tasty, and WOTVM used up some more of her mozzarella to add a bit of extra flavour and dairy richness to hers.

We feel we've managed to eat pretty well away from the comforts of our own kitchen. When you're away you don't necessarily want to spend much time cooking and you don't want to buy lots of different ingredients that you might not use up. These three dishes are a good way to make three very different meals using the same range of ingredients. This is useful for when you are cooking at home too, especially when cooking for two as it can be hard to make sure that you use up fresh ingredients before they go out of date. Having a few off the cuff recipe ideas up your sleeve to create unique meals using a smallish range of ingredients can help to ensure that you always feel you are eating well and not getting bored of having the same old things.

If you'd like to know more about the dishes we've cooked then please contact us via e-mail or leave a comment at the bottom of the article.

Pea, mint & asparagus risotto with confit egg yolk, hazelnuts, parsley oil and olive bread crisps

You may have noticed that the majority of our recipes are quick and easy; we both work full-time and so during the week our aim is always to try to achieve maximum taste without having to spend too long on preparing and cooking dinner.  We, like many people, simply don't have the time after work to spend two or three hours in the kitchen and so delicious meals that can be prepared in under an hour are very much the order of the day.  However, there are times when we have more time to spare that we like to spend more time on our food and this recipe was created on one of those occasions. Mr Vegan man had a Monday off work and decided that he wanted to surprise Wife of the Vegan man with something a little bit special.

This recipe is fresh and seasonal - a real springtime dish - and is fancy enough for a dinner party or just to treat yourselves to.  It is also relatively straightforward to make; there are a few processes and steps to follow but nothing that is too taxing.  You will need to begin making the parsley oil either the day before or on the morning that you intend to make the dish.  The other elements can be prepared and completed within an hour or so of serving and so although it requires a little more effort than some of our midweek recipes, it is still not a hugely time-consuming dish to make.

Ingredients (serves 2):

Parsley oil:

25g flat leaf parsley
150ml vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed oil
Pinch of salt

Risotto:

150g of frozen peas
125g asparagus
150g Arborio rice
20g fresh mint
1.5 tbsp olive oil
500ml veg stock
125ml white wine
2 cloves of garlic
Half a small white onion
1 lemon (juiced)

Confit eggs:

2 yolks of large free range eggs

250ml (or more) of olive or vegetable oil

Garnish:

25g blanched hazelnuts
Handful of pea shoots
Olive bread wafers

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour, parsley oil to be made in advance

To make the parsley oil, remove the parsley leaves from their stems.  Leaving small stems is fine but you don't want the large stems as they can be a little fibrous in texture.  Blanch the leaves for 5-10 seconds in boiling water and then immediately place them in a bowl of cold (preferably iced) water to stop them cooking any further.  Use kitchen roll or a clean tea towel to squeeze the excess moisture out of the parsley.  Add the parsley to your oil with a pinch of salt and blend in a food processor or using a hand blender.

Once the mixture is blended, cover it over and leave in the fridge for at least a few hours, overnight is best if you have the time as this will give the parsley longer to really infuse the oil.  Remove the oil from the fridge and it should look like the below.

You can serve the parsley oil like this with fine bits of leaf, however it looks nice if you strain out the solid parsley and are left with a vibrant green oil to drizzle over your dish.  Strain the oil through a piece of muslin or you could use filter papers for a coffee percolator if you have them.  That is your parsley oil made and you can then set aside until you are ready to garnish the dish.  The quantities used in this recipe will leave you some for future use too.

When it's time to cook the rest of the dish, begin by pre-heating your oven to 65°C.  Then place 100g of your peas in a pan of water and bring up to the boil, set aside the remaining 50g for later.  Boil the peas for 3-4 minutes and then drain.  Place the peas and mint leaves (no stems) into a bowl with half of the olive oil and lemon juice and then blitz in a food processor or with a hand blender.  If you need to loosen the mix add a little water.  Blend until smooth.

Chop your asparagus as pictured.  You will want to remove an inch or so from the bottom of the asparagus spear as it will be too tough and woody.  Leave 2-3 inches of the tip and then cut up the rest of the spear into small rounds.  Crush the two cloves of garlic and finely chop half a small onion.  You will then need to cut some thin slices of olive bread or if you don't have olive bread then use a sourdough or good quality fresh white or wholemeal loaf.  Place these slices on a baking tray.

Take a small ovenproof crock pot, ramekin or saucepan and fill to at least halfway with oil - we used a combination of vegetable and olive.  Separate out your two egg yolks from the whites, the easiest way to do it is to use your hands as a makeshift sieve.  Carefully place the yolks into the oil.

Place the bread and egg yolks into the oven.  It will take 40-45 minutes for the bread to crisp up and become almost like a savoury biscuit and for the yolks to cook through whilst remaining runny.  Turn the bread over halfway through the cooking time to ensure that it cooks evenly.

As soon as you've placed the eggs and bread in the oven, make up your 500ml of stock and then griddle the asparagus tips for 2 minutes on each side to give them some colour and soften them slightly.  If you don't have a griddle pan use a hot frying pan to add a little colour but be careful not to burn them.  Set the asparagus tips to one side and then heat the remaining olive oil in a large frying pan or saucepan.

Soften the onions and garlic in the oil on a low to moderate heat before adding the Arborio rice and chopped asparagus.  Stir until all of the grains of rice have been coated in the oil.  Increase to a moderate to high heat and add the white wine.

Once this is bubbling, reduce the heat again to a low to moderate heat and then keep adding small quantities of your stock each time the liquid in the pan reduces to the point that the rice is sticky and no longer loose.  Stir your risotto frequently to help release some of the starch from the grains and to ensure it cooks evenly.  It will take about 25 minutes for the risotto to cook, although this can vary by a few minutes and also depends on how much bite you like in your rice.  Start tasting the grains from about 20 minutes in.  Make sure you season with salt and pepper to taste, although bear in mind that the olive bread crisps will be quite salty so you might want to go a little lighter on the seasoning of the risotto to compensate.

About 15-20 minutes into cooking the risotto, add your pea and mint puree and stir through.  About 4-5 minutes before the risotto is due to finish cooking, add in the remaining peas and the pre-cooked asparagus tips to warm through.

When the risotto has finished cooking, add in the remaining lemon juice and then set aside ready to serve. 

Whilst the risotto is cooking, heat a small frying pan on a high heat and add the blanched hazelnuts.  They will only need a minute or two in a really hot pan to toast slightly and bring out some of their natural oils.

Put the toasted hazelnuts into a sandwich bag and crush using a rolling pin or saucepan, then set these aside until you are ready to plate up the dish.

When your risotto is finished, the timings should mean that your egg yolks and bread will have been in the oven for the required 40-45 minutes.  Remove them from the oven ready for serving.  Spoon the risotto into two large bowls, or on to plates if you prefer.  Flatten the risotto slightly with the back of a spoon so that the egg yolk has a flat surface to sit on.  Spoon some of the crushed hazelnuts into a circle on the risotto and then place the confit egg yolk on top of the nuts.  Use a slotted spoon to carefully remove the eggs from the oil or alternatively use a dessert or table spoon to remove them and then drain in a small, fine-meshed sieve. Sprinkle the rest of the hazelnuts over one side of the risotto and then place your olive bread crisps in or around the edge of the risotto.  Decorate with a handful of pea shoots, which add a nice fresh flavour as well as looking pretty, and then drizzle over some of your parsley oil to finish.

And that is that!  You should have a restaurant quality dish at home that both looks and tastes amazing.  The flavours are lovely and fresh and the egg yolk adds a nice richness to the dish.  If the idea of the confit egg yolk doesn't appeal, then use a poached egg as a substitute, or if you are vegan then do away with the egg altogether as the rest of the dish is entirely vegan.

We hope you will give this recipe a go.  Please let us know how you get on by leaving a comment below or by sending us an email.  Alternatively, you can contact us via Facebook or Twitter.