kitchen Angst!

In a recent discussion with my Friend in Croatia, I found myself again on the subject of food. I am always wanting authentic recipes to import, and introduce to the American public! We started talking about Fritule ( Fritters, to all you Americans out there).   I have Apple Fritters on my brunch menu,  so I was intrigued about how they differ… if at all. He was kind enough to give me some recipes to share with you!

Now they write recipes differently then we do, and they use the metric system so I will have to translate as best I can for you. I will first give you the ingredients as they were given to me, then I will do my best to translate them into an American style.

Croatia

Fritule:

2 Yogurt

2 eggs

6 spoons sugar

some rum

almonds

raisins

lemon peel ( or orange peel )

20 to 26 spoons of flour

1  packet of baking powder

mineral water

Soak the raisins in the rum and let set. Chop the almonds fine. and combine all the ingredients.

To cook:

In a large pot add about a liter of oil ( sunflower oil ) on med heat, heat the oil until the batter bubbles when it is dropped in. with two spoons drop the batter into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides ( you will need to turn them over half way through ). Remove form the oil, let them drain, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving. Serve warm.

Now some helpful hints to decipher this recipe!

1 Yogurt is 200g, so 200g=7.054 oz.

a spoon is a Tablespoon

1 packet is 7g, so 7g=0.246 oz.

16 Tablespoons=1 cup

1 ounce= 30 grams

America

Fritters:

3 cups all purpose flour

1 & 1/4  cup sugar

3 teaspoons baking powder

3 teaspoons salt

3 eggs

3/4 cup whole milk

1 granny smith apple ( diced )

sift all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl, in a small bowl beat the eggs in the milk, add the wet to the dry mixing with a wooden spoon or spatula. mix in the apples and reserve

To cook:

In a large pot add about 1 quart of oil ( vegetable oil ), on medium heat bring the oil to 325 degrees F., using two spoons drop the batter into the oil and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 10 to 12 minutes, ( turn them over half way through ). Remove from the oil and let drain, dust with powdered sugar just before serving, serve warm!

As you can see these two examples are very similar, with just minor differences. this shows us that food is much more universal and blended together than we may have believed. I know in my limited travels, I have found that I was more shocked by the similarities, than the differences!

He has given me more recipes that I wish to share with you soon!

Until then I’m off to discover more great foods from far away lands!

James