CROATIA

COUNTRY	CROATIA
Dishes	Sataras (vegan), Peka
Time	2 hours
Effort	6/10
Rough cost	£10

COUNTRY	CROATIA
Capital	Zagreb
Population	4,058,165 km2 (128th largest)
Land mass	56,594 km2 (124th largest)
Languages	Croatian
Religions	90% Christian

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Croatia is officially the Republic of Croatia and is a Central-Eastern European country, which shares a coastal border with Italy. It has a warm and wet climate, which grants Croatia one of the richest biodiversities of a European country. Croatia is one of the 20th most popular tourist destinations in the world, providing 20% of its annual GDP. It also ranks very high on the Human Development Index and has high gender equality.

Its cuisine is regionally variable, with heavy Turkish, Austrian and Hungarian influences. Mwara made Peka which is a classic dish, traditionally made with octopus. It is cooked on an open fire, which was totally awesome, especially on a cold November night. Bridget made a super simple and quick veggie side dish called Sataras. It was pure onion-y, tomato-y deliciousness.

RECIPES

Sataras (vegan)

INGREDIENTS

1 large yellow onion, finely sliced
2 large red bell peppers, finely sliced
4 large tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp paprika
salt and pepper to taste

METHOD

Heat the oil in a pan on a medium high heat and then fry the onions for around 3-5 minutes until it is soft.
Add in the peppers and stir for 2 minutes. Then add in the chopped tomatoes and mix well.
Stir in the paprika, salt and pepper and then turn down the heat. Cook for around 10-15 minutes until some of the liquid has boiled off and you have a rich saucy consistency.
Serve with fresh rice, potatoes or just bread. YUM!

Peka

INGREDIENTS

2kg lamb gigot chops (traditionally octopus)
3kg potatoes (cut into quarters)
3 garlic cloves (whole)
1 ¼ cup of white wine
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
2 onions (halved)
3 medium carrots (chopped)
3 peppers (chopped)
Olive oil
Salt & black pepper

METHOD

Line your dish with the potatoes and coat with them with olive oil.
Add in the carrots, pepper, onions and garlic and season with salt and pepper to taste. Then drizzle some more olive oil over the top
Place the octopus on top of the ingredients and press lightly to combine. Add the bay leaf and sprig of rosemary on top
Cover with the lid and place into your FIRE! (could also use oven or slow cooker).
Add coal embers on top of the dish, to completely cover the lid.
Cook for 45 minutes and then carefully get the Peka out, remove the lid and gently stir everything. *If its too liquidy remove some or if its too dry then add additional wine.
Cover with the lid again and cooking for an additional 30 minutes.
Carefully remove the coals from the lid, take the lid off and serve
Enjoy!