Last week we had here in Istria temperatures of over 35ºC. The heat wave was able to kill my appetite but not my curiosity. I was wondering, is it possible to make a refreshing appetizer for a dinner on a warm summer evening?

Something like gaspacho but made from an ingredient you don’t meet every day. The last package of wild asparagus foraged last spring was hanging out in my freezer and I got a crazy idea. I’ll try to make a salty sorbetto from them.

Here is what I invented after consulting recipes of similar sorbettos on the web.

Ingredients:
60 g steamed and blended wild asparagus (or green cultivated ones)
15 g egg white
7 g white wine
20 g white sugar
5 g water
2 g lemon juice
2 g salt

Make sugar syrup with water and sugar, leave it to cool down. Then mix all ingredients. You will get a thick green cream. Now it’s time to turn the liquid into ice.

I did it in a fast way by using liquid nitrogen, but no worries, you can also make it in classical way by using an ice cream maker. The advantage of liquid nitrogen is that as you pour it into the mixture, it heats up, it goes from the liquid to the gas phase, the gas evaporates and part of it gets incorporated in the sorbetto, making it fluffy and with foam-like texture. The use of liquid nitrogen to rapidly cool down the ingredients has now become a classical technique of molecular cuisine and it’s convenient way to make creamy ice cream or sorbetto in 5 minutes.

With an electric mixer on low speed continuously mix the cream while another person slowly pours the liquid nitrogen in the bowl (many thanks to my roommate who helped me, although she thought her life is in danger). Do it slowly, otherwise everything will solidify and you won’t see what are you doing due to the large amount of mist that will form (see the video below).

In about five minutes the liquid will turn into tiny ice crystals and your sorbetto is done. Here is the consistency you should get at the end.

Alternatively, put the cream in the ice cream maker and follow the instructions until the sorbetto gets desired consistence. This method takes more time, 30-40 minutes at least. The third method is to put the bowl in the freezer, and then every hour you should mix everything thoroughly with the electric mixer.

I contrasted the sorbetto with something really weird – olive oil powder. It is a solid that looks like almond chunks and it smells like olive oil. At first it is crusty in the mouth, then finally while it melts you feel the taste of olive oil. Here is how I presented the dish (the mist is from the liquid nitrogen I poured before serving it).

To make it you need to find maltodextrine powder, complex sugar derived from starch that is used as a food aditive. This stuff has amazing capability to absorb any kind of fat (up to twice of its weight) and remain dry – the powder between fingers will seem as dry as breadcrumbs. You can buy maltodextrine in a sports supplements store since it is used to make high-carb drinks for endurance training (running, cycling…), or it is added in post-workout protein shakes that are usually consumed after the weight training.

You need two part of maltodextrine and one part of some good extravirgin olive oil. I used the oil made from Buža, indigenous Istrian olive variety with exceptionally strong flower and grass aroma, subtle sweet flavor and just a bit spicy in the finish. Mix the oil and maltodextrine in a small bowl with electric mixer. Pass it through tamis to aerate it and obtain fine powder. Put the powder in a stamp of your choice and serve it with a ball of asparagus sorbetto.

Final judgment on this experiment? The sorbetto was tasty and refreshing but asparagus flavor was very mild, the bitterness was almost absent so it was hard to tell it’s made from asparagus. Next time I’ll put more of them and use only freshly picked ones because after staying two months in the freezer their flavor was too faint.

What do you think: are salty sorbettos and ice creams something you would like to try or it’s balsphemy and only sweet variants should be made?

The most famous gourmand in the whole Universe was without any doubt Jabba The Hutt. Until one day antipathetic princess Leia decided to choke him with the chain. His passion for good food was so immense that every respectable foodie should be deeply touched by the sad fact he’s no more with us. To give honor to him you should eat some food he really liked. Jabba thought the food from planet Earth really sucks, apart tiny slimy animals that live in deep waters of northeastern Atlantic. Their name is perceves (lat. Pollicipes pollicipes) and these animals are considered a supreme delicacy in Spain and Portugal. I had luck to try it at restaurant Marisqueira Rui in Silves during my last trip to Algarve in Portugal. Enjoy the photos since the rest of the text is in Croatian. It’s +35ºC in my room and I am just too lazy to translate the whole text in English.

Najveći proždrljivac u Svemiru bio je bez svake sumnje Jabba the Hutt. Sve dok jednog dana antipatična princeza Leia nije odlučila hladnokrvno ga zagušiti debelim lancem. Njegova strast za dobrom hranom bila je toliko velika da svakog ozbiljnog gurmana mora duboko dirnuti da Jabba više nije među nama. Odajte mu počast tako da probate hranu koju je on volio. Hranu sa planete Zemlje smatrao je odvratnom, osim jedne male ljigave životinjice koja živi u dubinama sjeveroistočnog Atlantika.

Životinjica se zove perceves (lat. Pollicipes pollicipes) a osim Jabbe jako ih vole i Španjolci i Portugalci tako da postiže vrtoglave cijene od preko 40 eura/kg. Gurwoman (koja je kao i ja nedavno posjetila Portugal ali sjeverni dio dok ja južni, Algarve) ih je vrlo slikovito opisala kao “stara kandža otpala s neke morske nemani”. Kad vam dođe tanjur izgledaju prestrašno, doslovce kao životinja s druge planete i postane vam jasno zašto ih Jabba obožava. Da nisam rođen na moru nikad se ne bih usudio ni taknuti ih.

Donesu vam ih na stol jednostavno skuhane na lešo, i tad vas obaspe miris mora pa si počnete misliti – možda to nije tako loše? Moji suputnici me gledaju sa zgražavanjem! Ne mogu vjerovati da sam ih doveo u ovu selendru Silves, pitoreskno mjesto u unutrašnjosti Algravea daleko od prenaporne turističke vreve na obalama Atlantika, samo da bi probali ova mala čudovišta. Objašnjavam im uljudno da sam čuo da je Marisqueira Rui najbolji riblji restoran u Algarveu s desetljetnom tradicijom, i neka se strpe jer da ćemo poslije naručiti nešto iz mora na što su navikli – rižot frutti di mare, ribu na žaru…

Uzimate jednog u ruke i što sad? Prvo im treba odstraniti bijelu kamenu kandžu.

U unutrašnjosti crvića otkrivate meso koje je pri rubovima bijelo a u unutrašnjosti crveno kao pedoć. Pomažući se zubima istisnete to meso u usta. Konzistencija mu je kao od kraka od lignje, a okus i miris kao kod školjaka, meni najbliže našim mušulama ili kunjkama, samo što je okus još blaži i meso je laganije. Nevjerojatan osjećaj, kao da vam je uspjelo zagristi more.

Prije percevesa kao couvert smo dobili kozice na lešo sa majonezom od češnjaka. Majoneza je savršeno pasala jer je imala puno limuna unutra.

Poslije smo naručili rižot sa plodovima mora koji je bio prepun svega, posebice rakova i ja, kao gurman vrlo otvorenih pogleda, naravno da sam uživao u ovom jelu pripremljenom na posve drugačiji način od našeg jadranskog. Pripremaju ga u glinenom loncu kojeg vam donesu na stol dok se još puši.

Ali avaj po moje suputnike! Portugalci u rižot stavljaju korijander umjesto peršina, a oni ga ne mogu podnijeti jer ih njegov miris podsjeća kao da je netko smrvio one gadne zelene bube smrdljivice unutra. Opet su skoro ostali gladni i bilo mi je tužno vidjeti ih kako prebiru po tanjuru pokušavajući odstraniti mrsku im biljku. A ja se na kraju osjećao kriv zbog mojeg gurmanskog terora nad njima. Ja otišao iz restorana prezadovoljan a oni mrklog pogleda i praznih želuca da su me htjeli linčovati.

Marisqueira Rui
Rua do Comendador 27
Silves
Portugal
Tel: +351 282 442 682

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In Premantura, the southernmost Istrian village, there is a nice fish & seafood restaurant with an unusual name – Fra-Kat. The food is pretty good here but don’t try to argue with the owner if you didn’t like something.

The restaurant is situated in a quiet street, just 100 m from the main square in Premantura. A large terrace and a roofless loggia with many stone arches make the atmosphere just perfect for a romantic dinner on a hot summer evening. We took a table on the terrace from where we could enjoy a beautiful view on the Adriatic sea and the island of Lošinj on the horizon.
Ambient 9/10

Here are the dishes we took during two visits last summer, one in June and one in August.

The white bread was from local supermarket, but it tasted OK. We ordered a jar of chardonnay (Fra-Kat’s house wine) that was of very good quality, white flowers in the nose, nice fruitiness, crisp acids and tasty minerals, but unfortunately it was served too warm. Nevertheless, it is nice to see that the owner takes care in choosing his house wine. The olive oil that we found on the table was mediocre, surely not adequate to pour over delicate fish they serve here.
Details 8/10

Marinated anchovies on young rocket

Grilled clams

Squid salad

Pasta (bavette) with scampi

Frutti di mare (seafood) risotto

Seafood pasta (bavette)

Grilled wild dorade with steamed chard and potatoes

Everything up to now seems perfect. Then, the second time we went to Fra-Kat something not very pleasant happened at the end. Let me tell you the whole story.

For the main course instead of grilled fish we wanted to eat grilled squids, not the tiny ones “Made in Indonesia” that you usually find in the supermarket, but the big ones from the Adriatic sea whose taste is much, much better. Below is the picture of these Adriatic squids so you can see how they are usually longer than palm. They are at least two times more expensive than the imported ones and this is reflected on price in the menu.

Real Adriatic squids are longer than my palm

We kindly ask the waiter if they still have these delicious squids. November is the peak season for squids in Croatia so it’s possible in August there’s nothing left. The waiter tells us there’s no problem, we’ll get the Adriatic squids. Just to be sure, we stressed that we want to see two or three big squids on our plate, not tens of tiny ones. The waiter again said – No worries, you’ll get them!

Ten minutes later we were disappointed – on our table arrives a plate full of tiny little squids. We complain it’s not what we ordered but OK, it’s late, we’ll eat the stuff if we don’t have to pay the price of the Adriatic ones.

Few minutes later comes the owner and sits (!!!) at our table and starts his speech. He has come to explain us where we have come, that Fra-Kat is a place where they don’t take guests on a ride. He does not want to preach anything, but we don’t know what the Adriatic squids look like. In fact, what we got are the squids that were fished with a large net (koča) and that is the reason why they are so small. Nevertheless, they are from Adriatic and of course, you have to pay the full price.

Imagine that scene, he sat with us like he is our friend or a father, and done all that patronizing lecture to us! I should have asked him why then in all other fish restaurants I visited the Adriatic squids were always at least three times bigger? Just, after all the good stuff we have eaten that evening I didn’t want to argue with him and completely ruin the evening.

Conclusion? The food is pretty good here and you’ll be in heaven when you try the ingredients of exquisite freshness mostly provided from local fishermen, but there’s one drawback. Don’t try to argue with the owner if you didn’t like something or your evening might be of bitter taste.

Tell me, how would you behave in a similar situation?

Overall 8.9/10

Restaurant Fra & Kat
Premantura 42
52203 Medulin
phone +385 52 575 373
web http://fra-kat.co.cc

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Definitely the biggest surprise in Roxanich winery. Already a sniff was enough to tell me this red differs from dominant non-fruity style of Istrian reds.

In comparison to other Mladen Rožanić’s reds (Cabernet Sauvignon and Superistrian cuvée) its main quality is stylistic simplicity and precision. It tells me that Mladen knew what wine he wants to create – a Merlot that takes the right bank of Bordeaux as inspiration. But this wine has more to offer, in fact less. Thanks to organic approach in winemaking it contains less than 20 mg/L of sulphur dioxide (SO2), a number so incredibly small that there’s no chance for a hangover the day after. Many modern enologists would say it’s not possible to preserve wine with such low concentration but the fact speaks for itself, we tried a bottle from 2006 and it was in perfect health.

Ruby red with red brown reflections. The nose is not vegetal as most Merlots from Istria and north of Italy, plenty of red flowers like rose hip and poppy flowers, cherry liqueur, notes of graphite and leather create a nice chiaroscuro feeling. Not so intense as I expected.

On the other hand in the mouth it explodes, very fruity and intense! I thought fruitiness does not exist in Istrian red wines. Now the juicy, dark fruits come in action – blueberry are clearly there, mulberry and blue plum in the background. Dry, warm, long persistence in the mouth, closes elegantly, alcohols are perfectly balanced. Tannins are still young which together with excellent acids promises a bright future of this wine. It’s impressive how this wine manages to be energetic and fun in the mouth, it has intense taste but not there are no flavors that you get bored of quickly, it constantly challenges your senses and you are eager to discover more and more.

Its tannins and makes it a perfect match with fillet steak, woodfire grilled fiorentina, rump steak tagliata with rocket and parmiggiano, mature goat or sheep cheese.
90pts

People used to the fruitiness of modern white wines will not immediately understand this wine. But, give a glass of Malvasia Classica to an old peasant from any Istrian village and he will surely tell you: “This is real wine! Not a perfumed fruit juice like most Malvasias these days”.

Prolonged contact with the Malvasia skins (maceration) of 26 days is responsible for an intense gold yellow color. Only indigenous yeast, already present on the grapes, was used in the fermentation. Lately, these macerated wines are also called orange wines.

In the glass flows slowly. The nose is intense and complex, mysterious -uncommon aromas are waiting to be discovered. I like to get challenged right from the beginning.

Long maceration did not completely erased primary aromatics of Malvasia – acacia flowers is discretely present, but there’s no fruit at all. Rather, scents of dried mushrooms, dry hay, Mediterranean garrigue, forest floor and wet clay dominate, all intertwined with subtle ethereal components similar to varnish, natural gas, essential oils and hot chilly.

In the mouth it is more intense than in the nose. Dry, warm, full bodied, savory “umami” feeling. A certain lack of acidity takes away a bit of agility (alcohol becomes too obvious) and makes it a bit heavy to drink, especially without food. So please, drink this wine with some food and preferably in the autumn or winter. Very long persistence. Beautiful minerals create a mouthwatering and clean finish.

Do to its round mouthfeel, it is perfect with dishes that have slightly bitter nuances – grilled Adriatic fish, wild asparagus risotto or with pljukanci, artichokes alla Romana. The earth and natural gas aromas in the nose makes me think this wine would pair well with a fragrant dish of tagliatelle with black or white truffles.
88pts

This Rosé has a Mediterranean soul – it is sunny and bright at first sight, but it likes to quarrel and bite when you least expect it. Definitely the best rosé in Istria.

The skins of Borgonja (a close relative of Gamay) were left in contact with the grape must for 2,5 hours. No selected yeasts were used. The color is cherry red, captivating in its vivacity and intensity.

It flows slowly in the glass, your eyes tells you a lot of extract is hiding inside. The nose is dominated by red flowers, roses and hibiscus, but the sensation gets more elegant and complex when the scent of Mediterranean garrigue, grass and dry hay/straw gets on the scene.

The mouth reveals a crisp, dry rosé, full bodied, warm (13,8%!), with juicy, strong acids that provide a strong skeleton to the wine. Then, you get a soft, velvety mouthfeel, it sticks to your mouth and you start to feel minerals in abundance, creating enjoyable refreshing finish and leaving clean mouth. Tannins are barely perceptible but it give a gentle bite that makes rosé different from whites and reds. It is fascinating how a 3 years old bottle of a rosé can show such agility and dynamism.

It surprised me a bit me that flavors are more intense than aromas, usually it’s the opposite. These intense flavors make that this is not a easy rosé wine made to satisfy your thirst on a hot summer day. This wine demands time and attention.

I see it perfect for an aperitif where Mediterranean based finger food is served – stuffed olives, Istrian charcuterie, prosciutto, salted or marinated anchovies, sheep or goat ricotta and all kinds of fresh cheeses. Its strong taste does not make it suitable for some delicate fish from the Adriatic Sea, but char-grilled sardines, tuna steaks and salmon why not? At the end, I imagine a perfect pairing with a pizza with mozzarella buffala, basil and fresh tomato on top.
85pts

Have you ever eaten flowers? Probably yes, artichokes flowers on your Four Seasons – Quattro stagioni pizza.

Artichokes with peas

As the season of wild asparagus slowly fades away, another vegetable appears on our spring table in all its glory – artichokes. We have few plants in our garden that two weeks ago started to give us their first flowers. They are really easy to prepare.

Here I present a traditional recipe of artichokes with peas usually served with pan-seared chicken. For me this dish is an ultimate delicacy, my madelaine that brings me back to my childhood right in the season when the school was ending and summer holidays were close.

You need for 2 persons:

4 artichokes
300 g green peas
3 tbs breadcrumbs
4 tbs extravirgin olive oil
few cloves of garlic
few branches of italian parsley
1 dl white wine

Remove all but 1-2 cm of stem and the tough outer leaves. Cut away about a quarter of each scale with knife. Finally, trim the tip of the artichoke so that it can stand upside down. Finely chop garlic and parsley, add breadcrumbs, salt and with the aid of some olive oil make a paste.  Put about 1 teaspoon of the paste in between the leaves and in the cavity from which the inedible choke was previously removed. In a deep pan heat the olive oil and arrange the artichokes so that they stand upside down. In other words, the pan should be narrow enough to not give them room to fall over. After 1 minute add wine, a pinch of salt and water until the liquid level is half the height of the artichokes. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes, then add the green peas and cook until they are done.

Pan-seared chicken with white wine

Usually the artichokes are eaten with chicken that was slowly pan-seared with the addition of aromatic herbs and white wine.

Again heat the olive oil in a deep pan, put on low heat. Pass the chicken pieces in the flour, add to the pan, fry until the meat gets a nice golden crust. Then, when the juices almost evaporate, add a 1/2 glass of white wine, a glass of water and aromatic herbs of your choice (rosemary, sage, thyme…). Simmer for another half an hour, adding more water if necessary. At the end you should have few spoons of thick sauce that you will pour over the meat.

Arriving to Draguć, a village that was important town-castle on Venetian border

The weather is unusually cold and rainy for the end of May. Instead of wearing shorts and T-shirts, I caught a bad cold with nasty cough. Even after 10 days the cold does not want to go away. People start saying that, due to the Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland, there won’t be any summer on Mediterranean this year.

To put these dark volcanic ashes out of my head I decided to beam me up back in time, at the beginning of August 2009, when on a perfect sun warm, shade cold day, I went to Draguć to discover an olive grove that is supposedly more than 300 years old.

The doors of Draguć

Draguć is an ancient village on a curvy and panoramic road from Pazin to Buzet. In the times of Antique Rome it was a fortress that was securing the road. The name Dravuie first appears in a document from 1102 when the count of Ulrich II of Weimar donated the medieval castle of Draguć to the patriarchs of Aquileia. The Middle Ages brought to the village a lot of turnmoils, wars and devastation since it was settled on the border between Venetian Republic and territories of Habsburgs  (Holy Roman Empire to be more precise).

There’s no time for sightseeing and classical history this time. I quickly pass through the main street and arrive to the opposite end of the village – there, my guide to the history of olive tree cultivation in Draguć is waiting for me.

I meet with Oliver Blažević in front of the tiny Romanesque church of St. Roch famous for its frescoes from the end of 13th century painted by Master Anthony of Padova (not the Padova in Italy, it is the old name for Kašćerga – a village 20 km southwest from Draguć). Oliver is son of Ivan Blažević, a brave and visionary guy who, some 10 years ago, decided to put back in shape an old olive grove that was completely covered with dense forest. Unfortunately, I didn’t meet Ivan since he was on a trip.

A stunning view on Butoniga lake and valley. Behind is the St. Roch church

We take a macadam road that descends steeply, following the southern slope of the hill on which Draguć is settled. Oliver tells me how they invested a lot of weeks of hard work with all sorts of heavy mechanization just to rebuild this road that leads to their beloved olive trees – “Before, the cows and sheep were eating the bushes and grass along the road maintaining it clean and wide enough for the traffic. Now, few people keep any animals here, so unfortunately we need help of the machines“.

Heading down a really steep hill

The first olive trees are appearing. The entrance into the olive grove looks like a tunnel, as soon as you enter inside the bright summer light is eaten up by the network of interwoven branches of neighboring trees. A bit of dark Middle Ages atmosphere fills the air and suddenly you start to doubt: “Are we still on the sunny Mediterranean?”.

Some parts of Blažević's olive grove looks like a dark forest

I warned Oliver that the lack of light is not good for the olives – their yield is probably not great since the branches exposed to the North do not receive enough sun, but also the plants are more sensible to various pests since the humidity in the tree tops is high. “I know, here a drastic pruning is desperately needed, but my father does not want to hear about it. He think more pruning means less olives. Maybe next year I’ll change his mind (he smiles). We have to accept modern ideas.”

The most fascinating objects are the trunks – from their size these olives are at least 300 years old, if not more. Some plants don’t have only one 1-1.5 m high trunk from which all other branches emerge.

Never seen olive trees of such incredible form and shape

Often you find a huge stamp covered with moss, partly in a state of decomposition (maybe some trees were destroyed in a fire?), but then many vigorous branches push out and create a sculpture of most incredible forms and shapes. And the roots! Who can imagine how complicated is the root labyrinth that is hiding underground. I walked from one tree to another and admired these old creatures that maybe have seen the arrival of Napoleon troops in Istria in 1806.

These old olive trees are like Phoenix - they can reborn anew from the ashes

If you are a fan of Avatar, you should definitely visit this magical place – here you really get the feeling the olive grove is not just a collection of individual trees, but that they are just buds of one giant underground tree living beneath Draguć.

On the hill across delicious fruit is waiting for us

“From the end of October and all through November we pick up the olives. To get olive oil of extravirgin quality, the olives picked up during the day have to be in the olive mill the same evening. Otherwise, the oil won’t preserve its fruity aromas and can even become rancid.” – Oliver explains.

The adventure is not over. Just across there is a hill seducing us with an innocent look and a vineyard waiting for us. We start to descend through high grass, cross some low shrubland and soon arrive on a wide meadow.

After many years, the olive color is slowly painting the hill below Draguć

On the way down, I take a look back at the Draguć hill. It is clear how the effort and passion of Blažević family can now be seen from the satellite – the bright green of the forest is loosing the battle over the olive green.

Several fig trees surround a small vineyard. “Only two out of twenty rows survived, the rest we took out. We don’t need so much wine as before when the families were large. I think these vines are more than 70 years old. My father inherited this vineyard from his grandfather and it was time when every respectable family in the countryside had to have its own wine. On an ordinary day, at least 5 L were drunk. You know, when you work the whole day in the field, there’s nothing better than to drink a glass or two of bevanda with Istrian Malvasia (half wine, half water)” – Oliver explains.

More than 70yr old vines of Teran. Note the high density of planting

He complains how it’s impossible to use mechanization in this vineyard since the vines are planted very dense. In the past, high density plantation was common simply because the land was expensive – today, in modern viticulture, it is a key factor to get wine of superior quality.

Fruit tastes better if it has entirely ripened on the plant

My scalp is burning, it’s about 1 PM and the Sun is in the zenith. It’s time to slowly go back to Draguć. But only after we replenish our forces with delicious blackberries and pears we found on our way. I rarely buy fruits in the supermarket, they rarely have any taste – they are always picked green, unripe. But to eat fruit that has ripened on the tree is another story.

Finally, after a demanding ascent, first houses appeared through the leaves

We needed 15 minutes of steep ascent to arrive in the village. Few glasses of water and a glass of Malvasia in Blažević’s house put as back on track. It’s time to taste Blažević’s extravirgin olive oil that won gold medals at olive oils competition: Vinistra 2007 in Poreč and Maslina exhibition 2010 in Split.

2009 Ivan Blažević Draguć extravirgin olive oil

Deep green with golden reflections. The nose is vegetal – green grass dominates, later come out sweet aromas of hazelnuts and dry wood. In the mouth has strong body and structure, progressively bitter and peppery sensations get in intensity but always remaining in equilibrium. In the finish peppery notes persist, together with elegant hazelnuts notes. Due to its robust body do not use it with delicate fish, but with various minestrone, grilled meat, salads.

At the end, a big thank to Blažević family for their great hospitality and for showing me the ancient treasures of Draguć. If you pass through Draguć contact them and I am sure they can be your guide too.

Contact:
Ivan Blažević
Draguć 41
HR-52402 Cerovlje
Croatia

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After a great success last year, Punishment Party is back again with the slogan “The home is the humper”. If you love this blog, and you happen to be in Istria, you are more than welcome to join the party (more details below). There won’t be much of Istrian gastronomy and wines, but dancing until the dawn is guaranteed.

The place is the same as last year – on a farm with an olive grove, located on the outskirts of Medulin, just 800 m from the sea. Here is a PDF which explains how to come to the party (right click, save as)  http://manjada.org/arrival-punishment.pdf

Here is also the google map that will help you find the party place. Remember, when you arrive in Pula, follow signs to Medulin, then once you arrive in Medulin follow signs for Hoteli/Hotels. The last hotel will be Hotel Belvedere and from there you can use the map below.

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Two DJs from Trieste are coming with their vintage vinyls:
DJ Barbara Loden
DJ Renato

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This year we have a novelty – a VJ (Video Disc Jokey) will take care of your visual enjoyment.

VJ Kaze from Pula/Zagreb

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Official party drink – Sangria made according to an old Catalan recipe. Free for everyone!

PLEASE BRING SOME DRINKS TO THE PARTY! No high gastronomy and fine wines this time. Some good vodka is highly appreciated to be mixed with some good frozen fruit shake.

Foraging for wild asparagus near Nature Park Cape Kamenjak was a great fun, but now it’s worth to think of what can be made with these gentle vegetables apart a simple omlette or a more elaborate risotto.

Pasta? Sure, but I want a juicy and creamy dish, with full taste of asparagus. To make it a real challenge I want to use one of my favorite pasta – bigoli – fat Venetian spaghetti with a rough surface that tend to absorb a lot of sauce (if you cannot find bigoli, choose some thicker spaghetti instead). So, we need a lot of sauce, you got the message!

Bigoli is great pasta, but it needs a lot of sauce

The creaminess is easy to achieve with risotto. Take rice of good quality (arborio or vialone nano), a good vegetable stock, excellent extravirgin olive oil and a lot of patience, and you will easily get asparagus risotto with a nice creamy texture even without adding any milk cream or butter – the starch from rice does its job.

With pasta thing get more complicated if you want to avoid these two ingredients. No, I’m not a strict traditionalist that discards them just because they are never used in Istrian cuisine, or because I joined a Weight Watchers program. Here cream, and in a lesser extend butter, would just overwhelm subtle vegetable taste of asparagus and make the dish unnecessarily heavy and less digestible.

The trick is to use the stalks to make a thick soup that will give us a lot of juice. Here are the details.

Wild and cultivated green asparagus

I had both wild and cultivated green asparagus. The wild ones have stronger taste while the cultivated ones we will basically use for the soup. You might have only the cultivated ones, but this is also fine, only the taste of the sauce will be less intense. Chop by hand soft and tender shoots of both species in 2-3 cm long pieces and put them aside.

Peel the remaining woody stalks of the cultivated asparagus (this is an important step!) and chop it in 1 cm pieces. Chop also the stalks of the wild asparagus but throw away very fibrous stalks that can not be easily chopped by hand. Put these stalks in o.3 L of vegetable stock and cook for 10-15 min. Blend the soup and return it to the heat until it get thick like some good cream.

Woody stalks are for the soup, tender green shoots are fried with onions

While the soup is cooking, fry finely chopped onions in some good extravirgin olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Toss in the tender shoots and fry for another 5-10 minutes on low heat, constantly mixing the veggies in the pan. Pour few spoons of vegetable stock if the water evaporates. Do not overcook the asparagus, they need to remain al dente. The same is true also for bigoli that needs to be boiled separately in a lot of salty water.

Add the bigoli in the pan with asparagus, mix everything. At the end, pour the warm soup inside until you get the right level of creaminess/juiciness. Do not exaggerate, we want a good pasta, not a soup. Return to low heat and cook for another minute until everything is nicely unified.

Shock your guests by serving steaming hot pasta directly in the pan. Some good Parmigiano Reggiano grated over and few turns of pepper mill will give that final touch.

PS: Please let me know if also in your kitchen asparagus pasta finally won the battle over asparagus risotto.

What's better - asparagus with pasta or rice?