Even though having common gastronomic roots with pastissada from Venice pašticada today is a gastronomical heritage of Dalmatia and Croatia. Beef in a rich sauce made of vegetables, dried fruit and wine, served with gnocchi, is a constituent part of a ceremonious Dalmatian table, where always a discussion will be led whose pašticada is the best and the most real. 🙂
This pašticada recipe was given to us by the courtesy of Damira S.
“Do you have a good recipe for pašticada”, I was asked by the manager of Kuhaona. Talking to me, a woman from Dalmatia, with long-years of service in the kitchen – and I am still thinking before I act – obviously having much trust in my culinary and gastronomic knowledge. I jump to the offer, and before I start the story on a pašticada recipe that I love, I have to repeat some of the numerous insights regarding this symbol of Dalmatian cuisine.
Edges of vineyards in Dalmatia used to be surrounded with dry walls and planted figs. It is no wonder then that figs end up in wine. If you add some honey and aromatic Mediterranean herbs, you get a simple but top-notch dessert with Dalmatian signature.
Family recipe for this caraway cake was given to us by our darling Mema. Recipe which is over 100 years old was prepared by her grandmother and great grandmother from the Goršeti village on the Kupa river side. Yeast dough strudel with unusual butter and caraway filling will definitely not leave you indifferent.
Perkelt is the profound member in the family of stews. It originated in the 18th ct. when paprika started to be used in Hungary, and left its roots also in Slavonia. Even though in the Hungarian cuisine it is prepared from chicken, pork or venison, in Slavonia you can find it made with river fish. We used pike-perch. Its excellent aroma is provided by the smoked paprika and bacon, while its taste is rounded up by wide-noodles side dish with fresh cottage cheese and sour cream.
