Croatia, Croatia, hmm, what do I know about Croatia?
Until recently, I might have come up empty on this question. But, as is often the case in life, it's not only about WHAT you know, it's about WHO you know.
And I'm very fortunate to know some Croatians.
My dear friend Ella Mische has many things going for her. She is an accomplished actress, screenwriter and songwriter. Did I mention that she is Croatian? Furthermore, she is the daughter of the famous Croatian-American singer and designer Tommi Mischell and sculptor Nick Kacic-Miosic.
Ella and Tommi share an infectious love of their country. And when such love is expressed to me, it more or less naturally combusts into rapturous descriptions of food. Which turns into scheming about dinner parties. So, obviously, the three of us are cooking up a fabulous FED which will take place next Sunday June 26 at 6:30 pm. [RSVP here!]
Ella will be delivering an enlightening FED talk about the culture of Croatia -- and I'm extremely excited that Tommi will be giving us an exclusive musical performance! (for a sneak peak of what's in store for us, see music video below!)
So, what is Croatian food, anyway? As I understand it, it's a mixture of Mediterranean/Italian cuisine -- Croatia is the land of a thousand islands -- and Eastern European influences. But, I'm about to understand it a lot better, as Ella, Tommi and I will be cooking together to serve up a Croatian feast!
What are we cooking up? Here is the menu:
Appetizer:
Pršut - smoked pork delicacy - accompanied with:
Cheese from island of Pag, winner of World's Best Cheese award and:
Dalmatian Salad (special surprise)
Main Course:
Pašticada with homemade Njoki [gnocchi with beef stew]
Lagostini [Langostino] a la Dalmatian - fisherman's way :)
Dessert:
Fritule [boozy doughnuts] and Croatian Bajadera (you just wait) [but basically it's nougat praline chocolate]
Until recently, I might have come up empty on this question. But, as is often the case in life, it's not only about WHAT you know, it's about WHO you know.
And I'm very fortunate to know some Croatians.
My dear friend Ella Mische has many things going for her. She is an accomplished actress, screenwriter and songwriter. Did I mention that she is Croatian? Furthermore, she is the daughter of the famous Croatian-American singer and designer Tommi Mischell and sculptor Nick Kacic-Miosic.
Ella and Tommi share an infectious love of their country. And when such love is expressed to me, it more or less naturally combusts into rapturous descriptions of food. Which turns into scheming about dinner parties. So, obviously, the three of us are cooking up a fabulous FED which will take place next Sunday June 26 at 6:30 pm. [RSVP here!]
Ella will be delivering an enlightening FED talk about the culture of Croatia -- and I'm extremely excited that Tommi will be giving us an exclusive musical performance! (for a sneak peak of what's in store for us, see music video below!)
So, what is Croatian food, anyway? As I understand it, it's a mixture of Mediterranean/Italian cuisine -- Croatia is the land of a thousand islands -- and Eastern European influences. But, I'm about to understand it a lot better, as Ella, Tommi and I will be cooking together to serve up a Croatian feast!
What are we cooking up? Here is the menu:
Appetizer:
Pršut - smoked pork delicacy - accompanied with:
Cheese from island of Pag, winner of World's Best Cheese award and:
Dalmatian Salad (special surprise)
Main Course:
Pašticada with homemade Njoki [gnocchi with beef stew]
Lagostini [Langostino] a la Dalmatian - fisherman's way :)
Dessert:
Fritule [boozy doughnuts] and Croatian Bajadera (you just wait) [but basically it's nougat praline chocolate]