Sketches of a Life: June 2015

Korčula Half New Year Party

Why would we only celebrate the beginning of a new year? Why not celebrate the mid-new year as well? And make it different, special in a way? Apparently the people of Korčula had the same idea when they decided to start what is now the tradition of celebrating the Half New Year's Eve on June 30 every year, counting back from 2001. ...

4:19 pm
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Stop Yulin!

love animals

Yesterday (June 21st) was the day of the Summer solstice - the first day of Summer. It was also the World Music Day, an all-day musical celebration based on the concept of bringing music out on the streets, with numerous free musical events held all over the globe. But I am bitter today because I can’t write an upbeat post about the joys...

8:27 pm
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On the Menu Today: "Chinese"

recipe

There is a dish that’s become “traditional” in my family, although it has absolutely nothing to do with where I come from (except that I add Vegeta to it). My parents got it from the cook at a Chinese restaurant many years ago, and we never learned its actual name. So we kept referring to it as the “Chinese” (as male, plural). In several occasions, I prepared it for my friends, and they all thought it was delicious and wanted me to share the recipe. And since it happens to be on my menu today, that is exactly what I will be doing in this post!

Although the recipe may seem complex at first glance, I assure you it’s actually very simple! It takes less than hour to prepare and cook everything, and the taste is just amazing! The original recipe includes chicken and pork, but since the Husband doesn’t like pork, I’ll be using turkey today.

Note: if you lose the meat and increase the amount of mushrooms, this makes for a great vegetarian meal as well!

~ ~ ~ "Chinese" ~ ~ ~

4 servings

Preparation: 15 mins

Cooking: 30 mins

Ingredients

Main dish:

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

1 skinless, boneless chicken breast half - cut into small cubes

1 skinless, boneless turkey breast half – cut into small cubes

250 g sliced champignons

1 dl soy sauce

1 dl tomato purée

1 dl water (optional)

½ red bell pepper, cut into small cubes

½ green bell pepper, cut into small cubes

½ yellow bell pepper, cut into small cubes

1 big carrot, sliced very thinly

2 onions, sliced into lines

Spices: salt, paper, Vegeta, ground sweet red pepper, curry

Side dish:

200 g white rice

100 g frozen peas

100 g frozen carrot sliced into small cubes (optional, I usually leave this out)

Salt

3 eggs

Sunflower oil

Salt, Vegeta

Fresh parsley

Directions

Note: You have to do 3 (simple) things at once, so I am going to mark each point either by wok, pot, or pan.

1. Wok: Heat 2-3 teaspoons of olive oil in a wok over moderate temperature, and add the meat cubes.

2. Wok: After stirring them for 5 minutes, until the meat has turned white on the outside, add the mushrooms, and 1 dl of soy sauce. Make sure there is enough sauce to cover the meat and mushrooms.

3. Pot: At this point, you can start heating water for boiling rice. Add some oil and salt to the water.

4. Wok: Add the spices, as much as you prefer: salt, pepper, Vegeta, and curry. Remember, this dish is supposed to be a bit spicy.

5. Wok: after 5 minutes, stir in the sliced vegetables: peppers, carrot, and onions. Onions combined with soy sauce is what gives this dish its specific taste. Cook everything for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time. If necessary, add more soy sauce and water.

6. Pot: when the water starts boiling, lower the heat, and add 4 handfuls of rice (for 4 people).

7. Pot: when the rice is halfway done (after approximately 10 minutes), add the frozen peas (and carrot) and stir.

8. Wok: add 1 dl of tomato purée and stir. Taste the dish and add more spices if necessary.

9. Pan: you basically need to make scrambled eggs. Crack 3 eggs into a bowl, add salt and Vegeta, and mix well until the colour and texture are uniform throughout. Heat a teaspoon of sunflower oil in a frying pan, and pour the egg mixture into the pan.

10. Pan: As the eggs start to cook, move the mixture around the pan with a fork to scrape the cooked eggs from the bottom to the top of the mixture, and expose the still-wet portions to the heat. Your eggs are done after there's no liquid of any kind left.

11. Pot: after the rice and beans are done, drain off the water.

12. Pan + Pot: Mix the scrambled eggs with the rice and peas, and sprinkle with some minced fresh parsley.

13. Wok: By this point, the dish in the wok should be done as well.

Serve and enjoy!

3:07 pm
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A Different Kind of Festival

travel and events

Gljevstock (or Gljevstok) is a music festival held at an isolated location in the Central Dalmatia countryside, near the village of Gljev. It started off in 2010, and the original idea behind it was to gather young local people to celebrate Labour Day in an unconventional way, somewhere far away from “civilization”. Some local musicians and their friends pictured it as a celebration...

9:53 pm
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Sketches of a Life

Korčula Half New Year Party

Stop Yulin!

On the Menu Today: "Chinese"

A Different Kind of Festival

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