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Archives for November 2017

Croatian Cvita Recipe

28/11/2017 by Anastasia Kingsley 7 Comments

CROATIAN CVITE – a Croatian cookie recipe

EuroCafeAuLait profile image

The story behind the recipe.

I first tried these cookies at the Croatian club in San Pedro, where my dad occasionally brought us to keep up with friends and family from the “Old Country”.  They were good, light and airy, citrus combined with anise and practically dissolved into my mouth. Granted, they were different in Croatia than in America due to slightly different ingredients, I made it a priority to learn how to “make them right!” like my grandma Antonia probably did.

When I first came to Vis in 1999, I asked my neighbor, Lukrija Gospodinović, a retired chef from the hotel Tamaris to please show me how. Another neighbor, Teta Mandina Roki, showed me how the milk grows up over the metal pot and into the mixed dough below.  I am forever grateful to these kind ladies, and I’m really glad I learned, since neither one is with us anymore.   In the olden days, people made these cookies for weddings, using farm fresh eggs- instead of the wedding cake we usually see nowadays.

These cookies also helped me break free from a housewife existence.  Right after my second child was born, I began baking and selling them to the Restaurant at Breakfast with Tihana located on the Riva in Vis. These cookies were kind of  a launching pad for me before going back to work again. becoming a successful tour guide and then finally becoming self-employed.

So – with no further ado – may I present – “CROATIAN CVITA”.

Sweet and Low

Any special occasion wouldn’t be complete without these dry, break in your mouth cookies with an unusual combination of citrus and anise. The bubbly, airy texture of the cookie is due to the tablespoon of ammonia bicarbonate, which can be bought at the pharmacy. It’s dissolved in hot milk to make a “science project” eruption of foam which is added to the cookie dough. The ammonia lends an unusual but delightful taste and texture which lends to the cookie’s dry, bubbly texture (like well risen bread).

It’s called Cvite (svee-tuh), which means Flowers, and is cut to resemble a stem with leaves and flowers. I prefer using a pizza dough cookie cutter to give them a zig-zag edge, but using a knife is perfectly acceptable. Practically speaking, they end up looking like a “V” (peace symbol made with two fingers) or a “Y”-shape.

How to’s for the ultimate baked cookie recipe

The recipe

Whip up four egg whites, preferably from farm fresh eggs. When they are stiff, cover them and put them in the refrigerator.

In a medium sized bowl, whip together the following, step by step:

First, cream together the shortening and the sugar.

1 cup of white sugar

1 cup of shortening – preferably bacon grease or lard – it gives a slightly salty taste

Second, add the egg yolks, one at a time to ensure good blending.

4 egg yolks (home grown is well worth the trouble – find a farmer!)

And now for the flavorings:

Rind of one lemon

Rind of one orange

1 T. vanilla

1 T. Rum

1/2 T. anise flavoring

Mix well.

Dry Ingredients:

In a separate, larger bowl, mix together 1 tsp salt into a pound of regular self rising flour and a pound of cake flour. Mix well with a fork or a pastry blender, until it has a nice fine consistency.

Make a well in the center – in other words, dig a big hole in the center of your bowl. In the big hole, and add the wet mixture (egg yolks, vanilla, etc).

Now for the Science Part

Here comes the fun part:

On the stove heat up a little bit of milk – no more than 1/2 a cup. When it starts to rise, add a heaping tablespoon of already prepared amonia powder. If it has lumps, it needs to be crushed so it will dissolve easily into the milk.

Holding the pot with a potholder of course, with the batter underneath, mix the spoonful of ammonia into the milk, and the whole pot will overflow with foam! No problem, let it fall right into the batter. A never ending stream of foam will erupt into the batter, which needs to be mixed well at the end.

Now retrieve the already beaten egg whites from the fridge and mix a little bit more.

When the batter is nice and mixed, let it sit for a half hour – cover with a fresh clean towel or dishrag and leave it out at room temperature. It is still in shock!

You may need to add a little more flour to absorb the moisture from the milk and egg whites. The blob of dough should be moist and supple, a little like a generous blob of clay to work with (a bit later!).

Croatian cookies – roll and cut like a puzzle

These cookies are made in Croatia - and as far as I know - nowhere else.
These cookies are made in Croatia – and as far as I know – nowhere else. 

Arrange the Cookies in a nice Formation

The cookies should not touch. Try to maximize space because they don't stretch out while they bake.
The cookies should not touch. Try to maximize space because they don’t stretch out while they bake. 

Roll Baby Roll

Rolling out the dough

First – a note about the dough consistency.

It should be sweet, but not sticky. If it sticks to your fingers, add more flour (a little more – easier to add than to take away!) The dough should also be moist. Too much flour creates dryness.

The end result of the cookie should be about as thick as your little finger, as long as you are not Shrek. Keeping this in mind, while rolling out the dough, your aim is to create the same thickness across the table. Subtle or not so subtle differences in thickness results in burned cookies, since some will be done much earlier. Keep the thickness around 1 miimeters, patting down with your hands (a love pat) to give the cookies a good start.

I usually roll them out on the kitchen table, by making a big circle and cutting outwards. Then I trim the outside edges of my “ink blot” with the pizza cutter. From the center outwards, I start making inverted and upright triangles, which will become cvite.

Bake me a Cvita

On a moderately oiled cookie sheet, put as many cvite as you can (inverting the triangle shapes, of course) since they don’t spread out at all.

The bake in about 10 minutes (you will smell them – mmm) at 375 F. or 210 degrees C. Normal baking temperature for sweets like cake, etc., is 325 to 350 or 180 to 200. This cookie goes up a notch – it cooks quickly at a slightly higher temperature.

One batch makes around four cookie sheets filled with cvite. Once they have cooled down a bit, they are ready to be topped with the sugar topping.

Top This!

Just a note about the sugar in the recipe.

If you know someone who has to seriously limit their sugar, the cup of sugar for the fifty – plus cookies you will get is not excessive. If you are a diabetic, simply omit about half the sugar and they are probably considered acceptable to eat. Check with your doctor. I know my father ate them “bare” without topping, and didn’t suffer any consequences.

Now for the topping, which I simply can’t imagine omitting!

Sugar topping

Once the cvite are cooled – at least an hour later – you will do the sugar topping.

In a ceramic coffee cup, mix 1 T Rum, 1 tsp Anise flavoring and any other sweet liquor. Paint onto the cookies with a cooking paintbrush – lightly is fine – then turn them upside down in a plate of 50/50 sugar or sprinkle the sugar on top. 50/50 refers to half granulated, half powdered sugar.

If you don’t have a brush, the back of a tablespoon is also a possibility, as is a fork (dip, then pass the back of the spoon or fork across the top of the cvita).

Storage

These cookies can be stored for a couple of weeks (perhaps more) in a sealed container. Good for having on hand for unexpected company. That is – if they don’t get eaten before hand!

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Advent 2017 in Olde Town Zadar!

25/11/2017 by Anastasia Kingsley 4 Comments

Well we decided to paint the town red and headed out on Friday night to Old town Zadar.  Woo Hoo!

Zadar

Zadar is great because, most usually cheap parking near the center is easy to find, but as it so happened, there were three live outdoor concerts within a five mile radius – so it took a bit of doing, even so we did manage to find a good place.

Zadar as an attractive place to visit / tourist destination

Zadar gives the impression of a kingly welcome. So regal, when I approach its thick walls and arched gated entrances, complete with Venetian lion and other stone decor, I almost transpose into a fine lady in silk and satin seated upon a fine steed.  It really gives this kind of dramatic feeling.

Fireworks over the old town wall of Zadar at night
A Firework display could be seen over the city walls

Advent 2017

We came to the place near Pet Bunara (that means Five Fountains) where the women used to draw water for their daily needs.  Now it’s an open area ideal for exhibits.  The weather wasn’t all that cold – around 12 degrees C , I was warm enough in my leather jacket with two thin sweaters underneath and a woolen scarf in case it got breezy.  It didn’t. There were tons of vendors selling mulled wine, popcorn, fritule (a nice fried dumpling with bits of apple, raisins and nuts inside, depending on the baker) and dusted in either powdered sugar or drizzled with chocolate.  You can also find lots of homemade ornaments, other nic-nacs, and its always refreshing to see couples of all ages out on the town with their families or just on a date together.  Yeah for holiday socializing!  The place is decked out and the feeling is fine 🙂

A picture of Old Town Zadar near Pet Bunara
Lights, sound, and a feeling of Christmas during the Advent festivities in Zadar!

Music

Well – as much as I love Croatia, the music here does leave something to be desired.  I told my teenage son that with a population of 4-to 41/2 million, it’s easy to beat the competition because there really isn’t any (ha ha .. sad to say but true).  Anyway, we made the most of it, enjoyed the lights and spectacular fireworks display -a bit over the top – the mood was festive.

Fashion

Girls are wearing flesh colored thicker pantyhose with ankle boots – a nice look – people here are very fashion conscious – and it was nice to see crowds of people coming out to enjoy the kickoff of the Advent season.

Christmas Culture

Here in Croatia it is not quite as insane as the US as far as shopping and presents. There are many Black Friday sales going on everywhere – the most I saw was 70% at JYSK – but yes, it is happening here too 🙂

Shopping

I am a fan of internet purchases – and Etsy is one of my favorites for interesting, cool gifts at a good price.  There is a consumer service now that will check out any shopping link you may wish to buy from called www.scamadvisor.com – Amazon is 100% safe – so it is a good service to know about.

Staying Healthy

So – the craziest time of the year is soon beginning – and I will be drinking lots of warm drinks (like tea, and warmed lemon water) to keep flushed, hydrated and warm, eat as much fresh ginger, black cumin, garlic, fresh spinach and other greens to avoid too many empty calories, and take the dog for a brisk walk once a day to keep the blood a-pumping and calories a-burning.

Stress Levels

What do you do at this time of year to stay unstressed and not let your health take a back seat?

A picture of me and Mladen hamming it up in Zadar during Advent 2017
Two visitors in the Old Towne of Zadar having a lovely time 🙂

Feel free to comment and thanks for reading the Amerikanka in Croatia!

Happy Holiday (The fun has just begun!!)

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FUNNY OLD CROATIAN PEOPLE!

22/11/2017 by Anastasia Kingsley Leave a Comment

Hello everyone – it’s the Amerikanka in Croatia.

Of all the culture shock I have experienced since coming to like here, it’s the people that really crack me up sometimes.

Take tonight. It’s November now, so naturally, the weather is cool at night. We live near a forest, so we heat our home with fallen wood and it provides a great ambiance for family bonding in the kitchen 🙂 imagine – four people hanging out together – even if they are on technical devices – we also play cards and study and write blogposts. The wood burning stove is simply magnetic.

So when Mladen went off to his rehearsal he started the fire with the instructions – Use the fat pieces of wood to keep the fire going. I went down to the garage to get some freshly chopped wood – but – it’s gone! Who done it?

STARI, of course! Stari – means Oldie – male version. Old lady version is Stara.
He lives below us on the ground floor – and sure enough – he took all the wood!

 

To see his photograph – click on the colored link above!

Being American, I figured out about 18 years ago that being direct doesn’t work too well in these here parts, but – just for fun, I tried it once more (i.e. does gravity work? hmm, yes, seems that it does):.

It went a little like this.
A: “Good evening! (smile!)
May I take some of your wood?”

S: “No, you may not!”

A: (Aha, so, I thought) and a few more words back and forth, just meaningless banter… then I got a bright idea.

A: Hey Stari – I was thinking, maybe we can SHARE the wood?”

S: “Oh, that would be alright.”

CHA-CHING!

Of six nice chunks, I managed to get three (sharing, remember?)

Thanks Stari!

 

Earlier today we spent some time in nature picking olives, another seasonal pasttime.  It can actually be quite profitable – each liter of domestic olive oil easily fetches 75-85 kn – especially the olives grown without pesticides etc.  (Unsprayed, we like to say.)

 

Just another adventure from… the
Amerikanka in Croatia

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Hey there!

My name is Anastasia. I’m a translator by day and groupie by night - (I love to go out and hear live music!).

Born, raised, and educated in the USA, I live in the most beautiful place in the world, Dalmatia, on the gorgeous Croatian coastline, the land of my forefathers. Ever since I came here, I've been called Amerikanka, and I’ve grown to like it.

Tell me what you want to know about CROATIA!

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