Slovenia (Europe) 20 August 2023

Slovenia is located in the continent of Europe. It has Austria to the north, Slovakia to the northeast, Hungary to the east, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the southeast, Croatia to the south, Italy to the southwest and west, and Germany to the northwest.

The capital is Ljubljana.

The official language is Slovene.

The climate is divided into three climatic zones. It has temperatures that range from 50F to 80F depending on the zone.

The staple foods are buckwheat, mushrooms, pumpkin seed oil, honey, nuts, dandelions, potatoes, cream, fruits and bread and so much more (https://www.travlinmad.com/blog/traditional-slovenian-food-guide).

https://www.britannica.com/place/Slovenia

SLOVENIAN JOTA (SAUERKRAUT PORK AND BEAN STEW) (https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/sauerkraut-pork-slovenian-jota):  

Beans:

            – 1 C dried pinto, berrloti, or kidney beans

            – 1 bay leaf

            – ½ tsp salt

1. One day before making Jota, soak the dried beans in a bowl filled with 4 C of water.
2. Set aside overnight (but for no longer than 24 hours).
3. The next day, drain the beans and rinse them under running water.
4. Add to a pot along with 4 C of water, bay leaf, and salt.
5. Cover with a lid and simmer for 40-45 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat and leave in the water for about 10-15 minutes.
7. Drain the beans and save the cooking water.

Tip: Feel free to use canned beans. In that case, use 3 C cooked beans. We would encourage you to cook dried beans though because the dish’s flavor will be so much better.

Sauerkraut and Potatoes:

            – 3-1/2 C sauerkraut

            – 1lb. slab of smoked bacon

            – 1 bay leaf

            – 1 tsp black peppercorns

            – 4 potatoes, peeled and cut

1. Rinse the sauerkraut under cold running water.
2. Add the sauerkraut to a small pot along with the slab of smoked bacon, bay leaf, peppercorns, and water.
3. Place over high heat and bring to a boil.
4. Then reduce the heat to a minimum and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
5. In a pot filled with salted water, add peeled large pieces of potatoes.
6. Place over high heat.
7. When the potatoes start to boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are nearly cooked.

Jota Base:

            – 3 TBSP canola oil

            – ¾ C cubed pancetta

            – 1 onion, diced

            – 2 TBSP all-purpose flour

            – ½ tsp paprika powder

            – 1 garlic clove

            – 1 tsp tomato paste

1. To a large pot, add the oil, cubed pancetta, and diced onion.
2. Place over medium-low heat and saute for 2-3 minutes for the pancetta to cook.
3. Add the flour and cook for 5 minutes for the flour to brown a little bit.
4. Add the paprika powder, diced garlic, and tomato paste.
5. Stir, and continue to cook for 2 minutes.
6. Pour in the reserved water from cooking the beans (3C).
7. Using a whisk, stir continuously until the mixture starts to boil.

Tip: If you are using cooked canned and drained beans, add 3 C of water or broth.

1. Transfer the bacon to a plate, discard the bay leaf.
2. Add the sauerkraut with all the mixture until the Jota base along with the beans.
3. Stir to combine, then add the drained nearly cooked potatoes.
4. Cover with a lid and cook for 10 minutes.
5. Cut the slab of bacon into six thin slices, then chop the rest of the bacon and add the chopped bacon to the Jota.
6. Divide the Jota between six plates.
7. Optionally sprinkle with diced parsley and place a slice of bacon on top.

I did not use potatoes as I am now switching to a low-carb eating style. I used a few dried pinto beans and the flavor for the entire stew was amazing!

BELOKRANJSKA POGAČA (https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/belokranjska-pogaca):       

            – ½ C water, for yeast

            – ½ tsp sugar

            – 1 TBSP instant dry yeast

            – ¾ C water, for dough

            – 4 C + 2 TBSP all-purpose flour

            – 1 tsp salt

            – 1 egg, for egg wash

            – one pinch of coarse sea salt

            – ½ tsp caraway seeds

1. Add ½ C of lukewarm water, yeast, and sugar to a bowl.
2. Stir to combine and set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate.
3. Add the yeast mixture, the rest of the water, flour, and salt to a bowl (or a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook).
4. Knead into a smooth and elastic mixture.
5. Knead for 5 minutes with a stand mixer or 8 to 10 minutes by hand.
6. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
7. Cover with a kitchen towel or a large bowl and set aside.
8. Proof for 20 minutes at room temperature or until doubled in size.
9. Place a rack in the middle of the oven.
10. Place a pizza stone on top (if you have one) and preheat the oven to 430F.
11. Shape the dough on the parchment paper.
12. Using your hand, shape the dough into a round 12-inch disk with a thickness of up to ¾-inch.
13. The dough is thinner on the edges than it is in the center and should not touch the baking sheet.
14. Using a dough scraper or cutter, make incisions in the dough.
15. Press the dough, cut it only some of the way through.
16. First, create a long incision in the middle of the dough, then make three incisions on each side, about 2-inchs apart, to get a crisscross pattern.
17. Brush the dough with an egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sea salt and caraway seeds.
18. Place the baking sheet with pogača into the preheated oven.
19. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 430F or until golden brown.
20. Serve warm or at room temperature.

I used a non-GMO flour low in carbs for this and it still turned out great!! I loved the combination with the stew!

SLOVENIAN SWEET OMELETTE (https://jernejkitchen.com/recipes/slovenian-sweet-omelette):  

            – 2 eggs

            – 2 TBSP sugar

            – ¼ C all-purpose flour

            – ¼ tsp vanilla paste

            – 1 TBSP kirsch liqueur

            – 2 TBSP cranberry jam

            – ¾ C whipping cream

            – 2 TBSP icing sugar

            – 1 C mixed fresh berries (raspberries, blueberries, blackberries)

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Place the rack in the middle of the oven.
3. Grease an 8-inch round non-stick springform cake pan. Don’t forget to grease the sides too.
4. Separate the yolks from the whites.
5. Add egg yolks to a large bowl and egg whites to a small bowl.
6. Add sugar and vanilla to the yolks.
7. Using an electric mixer, mix the egg yolk mixture for about 3-4 minutes, or until fluffy and pale.
8. Clean the whisks and whip the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
9. Stir half of the egg white mixture into the egg yolk mixture using a spatula.
10. Add in the sifted flour and stir to get a smooth mixture.
11. Fold the rest of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture. Do it gently and try keeping the volume.
12. Pour the sweet omelet batter into the prepared cake pan.
13. Spread evenly. The easiest way to do this is by shaking the pan around to evenly distribute the batter.
14. Place it in the preheated oven.
15. Bake for 8 minutes at 400F.
16. Remove from the oven and remove from the pan while still hot.
17. Transfer to a wire rack.
18. Place a small rolling pin or 500ml bottle in the middle and fold over to get a taco-shaped form.
19. Set aside for 3 minutes to cool slightly.
20. Add whipping cream and icing sugar to a bowl.
21. Whip on medium speed until stiff peaks form, keep an eye on it to not overwhip.
22. Carefully and gently remove the rolling pin from the omelet.
23. Optionally brush with liqueur, then spread the cranberry jam over the whole cake.
24. Support the cake with your hands to prevent it from cracking.
25. Arrange fresh berries on top.
26. Save about a TBSP of berries for the decoration.
27. Decorate with whipping cream using a pastry bag or a spoon.
28. Arrange the rest of the berries over the whipped cream.

Optionally sprinkle with some mint leaves and dust with icing sugar, then serve.

Again I used a low-carb flour and this really helped clean the palate after the meal. Very good!!!