BEATEN SOUP
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Ingredients:
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon of red paprika
lard
200 ml sour cream
200 g smoked meat
meat broth
salt and pepper
flour.

Preparation:
In a hot pan, melt the lard, add the chopped onion and smoked meat, and briefly sauté everything together. Then, add the red paprika, pour in the broth, season with salt and pepper, and let it cook for about 20 minutes. Towards the end of cooking, prepare the “beaten” mixture by combining sour cream and flour in a bowl, then pour the resulting mixture into the soup and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Garnish the finished soup with a spoonful of sour cream and a few drops of pumpkin oil. Enjoy!

The recipe for this dish is provided by the restaurant Shhhuma from Velika.

APRICOT DUMPLINGS WITH WARM PLUM SAUCE COOKED IN WINE

Ingredients:
1 kg potatoes
400 g flour
2 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
Salt
Sugar
Plums
Apricot filling
Cinnamon stick
Lemon
Anise
Red wine
Breadcrumbs
Sour cream
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Preparation:
Cook and mash the potatoes. Add flour, egg, salt, sugar, and a bit of oil. Knead the dough, roll it out, and cut into squares. Place a teaspoon of apricot filling on each square and form into balls. Boil in salted water, drain well, and coat with breadcrumbs that have been toasted in a dry pan.

For the plum sauce, first caramelize the sugar, then add the cinnamon stick, lemon juice, plums cut in half, anise, and red wine. Cook until the sauce thickens, and remove the cinnamon stick and anise towards the end. Serve the dumplings with the plum sauce and a dollop of sour cream. Enjoy!

Wheat Flour Flatbread with Beaten Walnuts

Ingredients:
1 kg all-purpose flour
500 ml lukewarm water
10 g salt
150 g sugar
500 g walnuts
1 tablespoon lard (or fat)

Instructions:
In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, and lukewarm water to make a smooth dough.
Grind or crush the walnuts.
Roll out the dough and sprinkle the first portion of walnuts and sugar over it. Gently press this mixture into the dough and then fold it over.
Repeat the process of adding the walnut and sugar mixture and folding the dough two more times.
After letting the dough rest a bit, roll it out to fit your desired baking pan.
Grease the baking pan and place the flatbread inside.
Prick the top layer with a fork or make decorative cuts.

Bake for 40 minutes at 180°C (350°F).

Enjoy your meal!

The recipe for this dish was provided by the restaurant of Hotel Trakošćan from Trakošćan

CVETLINSKA GIBANICA

Ingredients:
For the dough:
250 g wheat flour
40 g fresh yeast
150 ml milk
120 g sugar
60 g butter for greasing
3 g salt

For the filling:
150 g corn grits
400 g fresh cheese
250 ml sour cream
2 eggs
250 ml milk
3 g salt

Preparation:
Crumble the yeast, add a little flour, a tablespoon of sugar, pour in lukewarm milk, and let it rise. Sift the remaining flour into a bowl, add salt, the risen yeast, and knead the dough. Leave it in a warm place for half an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Cook the corn grits in milk, add an egg, sugar, and salt, and let it cool slightly. The filling should be loose, not too firm. Roll out the dough and place it on a buttered baking tray, lifting the edges slightly. Spread the corn grits filling over the dough. Sprinkle with cheese, pour over with sour cream mixed with the remaining eggs, and bake in the oven at 180°C for about 40 minutes. Enjoy your meal!

The recipe for this dish was provided to us by Seoski turizam Moslavačka priča from Velika Ludina.

VENISON PAŠTICADA WITH HOMEMADE COLORFUL GNOCCHI FROM SPINACH AND AJVAR

Ingredients:
1 kg venison
2 onions
3 cloves of garlic
2 carrots
2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour
500 ml red wine
150 g dried plums
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation: Cut the venison into bite-sized cubes. Clean and dice the onions, garlic, and carrots into small cubes. Heat the oil in a large cooking pot and sauté the meat until it is browned on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside. In the same pot, add the onions, garlic, and carrots, and sauté until softened.

Add the flour and mix well until everything is combined. Pour in the red wine and broth, then stir well. Return the meat to the pot and add the dried plums and bay leaves. Cover the pot and let the dish simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce thickens. Stir occasionally.

When the meat is tender, remove the pot from the heat and let the dish cool slightly. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the meat with homemade colorful gnocchi. Enjoy your meal!

The recipe for this dish was provided by the Verglec restaurant in Varaždin.

VARAŽDIN ROAST WITH HOMEMADE MLINCI

Ingredients:

• 100 g of pork shoulder
• 2.5 g of garlic
• 5 g of salt
• 40 g of all-purpose flour
• 1 egg
• Water as needed

Preparation of mlinci:

1. Mix the flour, egg, and salt to form a firm dough.
2. Roll the dough into round shapes and bake in the oven.
3. After baking, pour boiling salted water over the mlinci and then drizzle with the fat from the roast.

Preparation of the meat:

1. Choose a smaller pork shoulder and cut it into 3 pieces.
2. Stuff the pieces with garlic, salt them, and leave them in a dry brine (pacu) for two days.
3. Place the prepared shoulder in a baking tray, cover it with onions, and roast at a temperature of 200°C.
4. Serve the roasted meat with mlinci and salad, and we highly recommend a glass of dry white wine.

Enjoy your meal!

Vegetable Fritters with Pea Purée

Recipe provided by the restaurant Shhhuma from Velika.

Ingredients:
350 g leeks
450 g carrots
300 g potatoes
pinch of salt
100 g flour
100 g breadcrumbs
oil for frying
100 g eggplant
100 g peas
50 g butter
10 g mint
25 g onion
5 g salt
5 g pepper
10 g parsley leaves
25 g lemon
10 g garlic
10 ml olive oil
10 ml palm oil

Preparation: Clean the leeks, wash them, cut them into rings, and place them in a cooking pot. Wash, peel, and cut the carrots and potatoes into cubes, then add them to the leeks and pour water into the pot, adding a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and cook covered for about 15 minutes. Drain the cooked vegetables well, mix in the flour and breadcrumbs. Combine everything well and shape the mixture into fritters using your hands. Coat the prepared fritters in the remaining breadcrumbs, fry them in oil, and drain excess oil.

In the meantime, prepare the eggplant cream. Cut the eggplant lengthwise, sprinkle with salt, drizzle with olive oil, and roast in the oven until soft. Once cooled, remove the skin and place the eggplant flesh in a blender. Add the sautéed onion, garlic, lemon juice, parsley leaves, and a bit of olive oil. Season to taste.

For the pea purée, sauté the onion and peas in butter, add the mint, and add a bit of liquid until the peas soften, then let it cool. Pass the cooled peas through a sieve to achieve a creamy texture, season to taste, and serve alongside the eggplant cream and fritters.

Lemon Blueberry Cake
Recipe courtesy of Café Grofica Marica from Varaždin

Ingredients
For the cake:

• 230g butter, at room temperature
• 220g white sugar
• 100g brown sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 240ml milk
• 3 lemons – zest and juice (about 120ml)
• 350g all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 300g blueberries
• 1 tbsp flour

For the cream:

• 300g cream cheese
• 200g butter, at room temperature
• 500g powdered sugar
• 200ml heavy cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For decoration:

• 10g blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, edible flowers

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350°F). Line 3 round cake pans (20cm in diameter) with parchment paper and grease the paper with butter.
2. Cream the butter, then add both white and brown sugar. Mix for 2 minutes. Add the eggs one by one, mixing well after each addition.
3. Add milk, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and juice.
4. Sift the flour, baking powder, and salt, then gently incorporate it into the mixture.
5. Toss the blueberries in 1 tbsp of flour and fold them into the batter.
6. Divide the batter evenly among the 3 prepared pans. Smooth the tops and bake for around 20 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. For the cream: Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy, then add powdered sugar and mix well. Add heavy cream and vanilla extract, continuing to beat until you get a firm cream.
9. Assemble the cake: Layer the cakes with cream in between, spreading cream on the outside as well. Decorate with fresh berries, strawberries, raspberries, or edible flowers.
10. Let the cake chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe provided by Shhhuma restaurant from Velika

BOILED HAM IN HOMEMADE BREAD
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Ingredients:
500 g all-purpose flour
300 ml water
300 ml oil
5 g fresh yeast
300 ml milk
3 g sugar
500 g homemade ham
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Preparation:
Dissolve the yeast in warm milk with sugar and let it sit for 15 minutes. Add this mixture to the flour. After adding the yeast, also add salt and oil to the flour. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it no longer sticks to your fingers, indicating that it is well kneaded. Let the dough rest for 1-2 hours.

Once the dough has rested, roll it out and wrap it around the pre-cooked ham. Bake together in the oven at 180°C for 1 hour.

Traditionally, the bread with ham is served with boiled eggs and green onions.

EASTER LAMB

Recipe courtesy of Kuća dida Tunje restaurant from Oprisavac.

Ingredients:

• 1 kg lamb shanks
• 0.5 g rosemary
• 1 g salt
• 0.5 g parsley leaves
• 0.3 dl oil
• Vegetables (1 carrot, 1 bell pepper, 2 zucchini)
• 500 g potatoes
• Butter
• Milk

Preparation:

Chop the fresh rosemary and mix it with salt. Rub the seasoned salt into the meat and let it sit to absorb the flavors. Place the shanks in a baking dish, drizzle with oil, and bake in a preheated oven at 180°C. After 30 minutes, turn the meat over, bake for another 30 minutes, then turn again and continue baking for an additional 15-30 minutes until the desired color is achieved. Before serving, drizzle the meat with the roasting juices and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Serve with thinly sliced vegetables and potatoes. In a wok, heat oil well and stir-fry the vegetables. Start with the carrots, then add the bell pepper, and finally the zucchini so they finish cooking at the same time.

Peel and dice the potatoes, then boil them in salted water for 10-15 minutes until tender. Drain the potatoes and mash them with a potato masher. Add butter and hot milk, mixing everything well to make a creamy mash.

Enjoy!