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In Italy it's Pasta e Fagioli, in the USA it's Pasta Fazool, in Croatian (you got it) Paštafažol, literally meaning Pasta and Beans. In Croatia, Paštafažol is eaten from Dalmatia to Istria, fažol being the dialect word for beans, in Croatian proper called grah. And even though you will find loads of variations with carrots, celery and other vegetables added this is meant to be a very simple dish which I have kept as it's eaten by the locals (of course some might disagree) Pasta & Bean Stew | Paštafažol (with added parmesan) It's a great one-pot-wonder and does freeze well however some of the beans do disintegrate in the reheat but for the most part they hold their shape. The one key is to use what Croatians call šareni grah, or multicoloured beans, ie. borlotti beans also known as cranberry beans. These originated in Italy and have a creamy texture along with a nutty flavour. Don't use canned beans for this recipe, use the dried ones that you will need to soak overnight. Don't skip this step! Soaking is a must!! And because there's pasta, no need to serve this with any bread but I'll leave that up to you! Let me know if you tried this hearty stew and what you thought? Zivjeli! (Cheers and let’s live!)

This is by far my favourite ever cake base. It's easy, light and just tastes so good. The weird thing is that my mum, nor any other Croatian woman that I knew in Sydney ever baked yoghurt cake when I was growing up. I don't remember any yoghurt cakes at all. But strangely whenever I go to Croatia, every woman (really) that I visit bakes (or has a recipe for) some version of this yoghurt cake. What the?!? Yoghurt cake with fruit | Voćni Kolač s jogurtom The great thing about this cake base is that it can be used for all sorts of fruit you may have on hand. In my recipe here, I've tried it with frozen fruit (a cherry and blueberry mix) but you can make this cake with apricots, plums, peaches, cherries, apples or an berry to may have on hand. And feel free to experiment, the only limit is your imagination! (I've been noodling with the idea of canned pineapple) The base is stock standard and once you've mastered it, you literally have an endless array of cakes waiting at your fingertips. One word of advice, because the fruit sits on the top, use a springform cake tin to easily remove the cake rather than trying to tip it out. If you don't have a springform tin, use enough baking paper around the sides to be able to hold onto the baking paper and lift out the cake. Using baking paper you will get the fold lines in the cake but I think that adds some rustic charm, so go with it. Enough said, let's get to it... Let me know if you tried this brilliant cake and what you thought? Zivjeli! (Cheers and let’s live!)

Pakrac is a town in Croatia's Slavonia region, up in the north of the country. My father's side of the family is from Pakrac and Dad's cousin was the first to introduce me to this recipe. I've never made it so let's do this. While Slavonia is known for its flat plains (perfect for growing crops), around Pakrac it's all about hills and even mountains. So if the recipe rises correctly it's called Pakračka Brda or Pakrac Hills. If however it doesn't rise it's Ravna Slavonija or Flat Slavonia. Ha! I've tried googling this double name theory and nothing came up, so I'm thinking this is something my aunty made up. Regardless, with two names, the recipe always turns out the way it's meant too and it is always correct :) Pakrac Hills is super simple and while it may not sound that tempting, it's kind of like a thick, almost bread-like pancake. And with the addition of honey, Nutella, jam/cream or icing sugar, it's a really nice treat for an afternoon tea, or served with a cup of tea or coffee. Being born and raised in Australia, it kind of reminds me of a scone, ie. it's not that great on it's own but with a condiment it's super. Anyway, the recipe didn't start so well. I took the eggs out of the fridge to bring them down to room temperature, turned my attention to sifting the flour and (after a couple of minutes) an egg rolled off the counter. Splat! What I really couldn't get out of my head was how it stayed there for minutes and then suddenly just rolled off! Anyway, note to self, always rest your eggs on a tea towel! The key to this recipe is to have the baking tray as hot as it can be BEFORE you put the batter in. When you pour the batter in you want to hear a hot sizzle. So if you got hills, peaks, valley's the recipe you just made is Pakrac Hills. If it's flat as a pancake, then you have Flat Slavonia. Let me know if it worked for you? Which recipe did you end up making? And what do you think of it's bready consistency? Zivjeli! (Cheers and Let's Live!)

I love this recipe because it's so easy to make. I mean, it would be so much harder if you needed tuna steaks etc, but using tinned tuna is super fast and of all the processes I think the hardest part (atleast for me) was cleaning out the tomatoes. If you've never heard of them, stuffed baked tomatoes are a Dalmatian art and there are loads of variations on what you can use as your filling. (Dalmatians call their tomatoes pome, but paradajz is the Croatian-proper term rather than the dialect, just saying) In addition to this filling, you could also add black/green olives, or there are other stuffing variations like cheese, meat etc. I love this version so that's what I'm sticking to. This filling is so delicious, I dare you not to take a few mouthfuls of the filling (pre-stuffing.) I love this recipe because it's easy to prepare and makes a great starter or side. It's also a hearty meal (more than one) and when served with a side salad it makes a filling lunch or light dinner. Serve it  with a crisp glass of white and I'm sure you'll hear Dalmatia calling. Let me know if you tried it, how it went? Was it boom or bust? Zivjeli! (Cheers and let's live!)

So I tried this recipe from the Dalmatia cookbook by Ino Kuvacic and while I love the stuffing and the taste, the method of cooking the calamari was not my cup of tea. You leave them in the oven for 10 minutes, then you take them out to let the potatoes bake, then after about 30 minutes you put the calamari back in to get golden. I don't know? I don't like cooling off food then reheating, and I felt like this method made the calamari more chewy than they needed to be. Anyway, next time I'll either sear them in a pan over the stove or finish them on the outdoor bbq. No more oven. I do love that this recipe has a stuffing that includes silverbeet. Croatians are huge fans of silverbeet, well, even if you're not a fan, Blitva is a true staple of every Croatian table and a great pairing with seafood. But here is the recipe (with my change in method)

Ok, so I love octopus. I love it anyway I can get it - boiled, barbequed, roasted in the oven. This recipe is a traditional Croatian octopus salad from Prigorje - a county which lies in the Zagreb region. Honestly there are tens of ways to do an octopus salad in Croatia but I like this style because it's substantial and can be a meal on its own. To make it less ‘heavy’ and more of a starter, take out the potato and add more tomato and olives. And yes, if I say that I didn't have reservations about cutting out the eyes or removing the stomach of an octopus, I'd be lying. But I did it and in the end it felt really liberating (that sounds weird but it's true). Don't be afraid, you can do it! And it tasted so good that the alien autopsy was worth it! Let me know if you tried it and how it went! And if you really did disassemble an octopus? Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon Appétit! Cheers and let's live!)

The humble, plain cabbage is Croatia's hero vegetable. Croatians use cabbage every way imaginable from raw, boiled, pickled, fried, or sautéed. It's go-to veg! I found this recipe in my sister's Dennis Valcich cookbook and this is probably the fifth time I've made it in a couple of months. It helps that it's cool in Australia at the moment, but this would also be good for a summer bbq. (For those of you who don't know Dennis, he is a Croatian/Australian master of Croatian cookery.) This is also a great recipe for vegetarians or anyone looking for a warm condiment with red or white meat. Or I love serving it as a quick dinner with crispy bacon. And it's super easy to make. Let me know if you tried it and how it went! Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon Appétit! Cheers and let's live!)

Ah, where would civilisation be without coffee? And more importantly, where would Croatians be without black coffee? Call it what you will - black coffee, Turkish coffee or mud coffee - it's black gold to Croatians left over from the Ottoman Empire and a staple at every breakfast table (it usually is breakfast!) and post-meal. There are loads of ways to brew it but whatever you do, don't mess with the lady making the drop. Every woman has her own 'special' way of making Turkish coffee and don't be giving someone advice on the best way. She knows what she's doing!! The general rule of thumb is to one cup of water (black coffee cup) goes two teaspoons coffee and one teaspoon of sugar. Once you have drunk your cup you'll be left the muddy grounds in the base of the cup. This is where you turn over your cup, wait until it reasonably dries out and then you can read your fortune in the grounds. (I'll leave that bit up to you) Zivjeli! Cheers and let's live!

This is possibly one of the easiest recipes in the world and possibly one of the tastiest. In Croatia it's called French salad but in other countries it's known as Russian or Olivier salad. The only problem is that it's not the most presentable and Instagram-friendly dish. It's not sexy, hence some people put it into one large mould or individual moulds for serving to make it look a bit more special. But that's kind of too much work (atleast for me!) so I just present mine the old-fashioned way ie. scooped into a serving bowl. Depending on health issues and not wanting to make it too heavy, feel free to not use as much potato, or swap half the potato for carrots or peas to get more (non-starchy) vegetables in. When making a French salad, our (my cousin in Kutina) secret ingredient is raw apple. Some recipes call for you to boil the apple, but don't do it! Raw is so much better and adds a delicious crunchy texture. This makes enough for four and it can be served with any grilled or roasted meat including beef, pork and it's super with chicken. Let me know if you tried it and how it went? Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon Appétit! Cheers and let's live!)

Yes, I know, another octopus recipe. And this one is even easier than the last. My mum would make this treat on certain no-meat-Fridays and serve it with another Croatian favourite, boiled potatoes. The boiled potatoes were definitely not my favourite thing to eat but the octopus when down a treat! I've now cut out the side of potatoes but crusty bread is always a good option with this dish. Let me know if you tried it and how it went! Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon Appétit! Cheers and let's live!)

I first tried this bread when I was in sleepy little hamlet of Komiža on the Dalmatian island of Vis, and while I loved it then, I kinda loved making it more. For those of you who don't know, pogača is a type of flat bread that you can have plain or filled. On Vis island there are two of these stuffed/filled breads available - one from Vis Town (yes, the town and the island have the same name - original!) which has no tomatoes, the other (this one) from Komiža (town on the other side of the island) has tomatoes. I figure if you can choose to have tomatoes, then go with the tomato recipe. Regardless of which one you choose, this bread is the everyday snack of the island. Cut up into squares or triangles it's the snack that you run up from the beach to eat or the after-drinking-I-need-to-eat-something treat. It's also great for a Sunday afternoon snack or for a picnic, but I do prefer it warm rather than completely cold. This was my first time using dried yeast. I've had so many problems with normal yeast that I tried this one because it seemed a lot easier...and it was! No need for extra time and warm milk etc, this was fast and simple and it rose really well which I loved. Instant dry yeast gets my tick of approval. I highly recommend this recipe, although with the anchovies and olives it can get a bit too salty. You could maybe half the amount of olives used? But I do love the salt (ha! Croatian background). This is a great recipe served cold for a picnic, or served warm straight out of the oven with a crisp leafy green salad. Let me know if you tried it and how it went! Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon Appétit! Cheers and let's live!)

Truffles. I love them. Some people can't stand the smell, texture, taste even the knobbly sight of them...but to me, truffles are the taste of the earth (in the best possible way), and perhaps more than that, the earth of Istria. Truffles in cheese, truffles on pizza, truffles tossed through pasta. But I pretty much only eat truffles when in Croatia and then take a jar (or two) away with me to Sydney. The pasta of choice when served with an Istrian truffle is fuži (twirly pasta) and this is the first time I've made my very own fuži to go with this truffley goodness. In Istria the forests along the Mirna River make the perfect home for this famous fungus. The town of Buzet sits in the heart of this pungenty goodness and is known as Croatia's 'city of truffles.' Buzet is known for both its black and white truffles and you can even do tours to find your own truffles. Anyway, I used black truffles in this recipe. While I love this recipe, I feel like you could add a touch more salt and possibly a clove (or two) of garlic. Super truffle-lovers would possibly set their hair on fire and tell you that garlic would ruin the taste of truffle, but I think it would add to it. Anyway, I still have a bit more left in my jar so next week I'll try this with garlic. Of course, if you don't want to make your own pasta, you can use the store bought stuff. It would be much faster. But for those of you who want the authentic Istrian dish, you gotta make your own. Let me know if you tried it and how it went Dobar Tek! Zivjeli! (Bon appetit! Cheers and let's live!)