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Mit - UVK_Sinfo_2008_06_št.11 - Index

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tarragon in potica and sweet štruklji, since in western countries,
tarragon is not used to prepare sweet dishes. And at the use of
food, such as quinoa and amaranth − we used to serve them as a
side dish to meat instead of rice.”
The chef's satisfaction is an empty plate, says Merzel and smiles.
Who would not empty a plate laden with warm and thin slices of
melon, royal shrimps and a fried slice of meaty pancetta garnished
with bits of candied lemon giving the entire dish a slightly wicked
sweet sourness? Or a plate on which reddish succulent slices of
duck's breast are arranged as a fan lying on a caramelized apple
ring, accompanied by creamy mush potatoes with mustard seeds
and sautéed carrot with leek?
Rabbit medallions were prepared with onion and refošk wine;
salmon was served with tarragon sauce; polenta was enriched
with fried leek and bacon, and giant caper berry and turkey was
accompanied by artichoke sauce. Lamb was prepared SolËava
style - with sauce and seasonal vegetables, especially yellow and
red carrots, and accompanied by peeled potato halves with sour
cream.
And the aforementioned mežerli? “Mežerli is an old meat dish
originating from the Koroška region: sliced pork meat and liver
are mixed with buckwheat porridge or millet gruel, toasted bread
slices, onion, garlic, parsley and marjoram, and then formed into
dumplings or baked wrapped in pork membrane. When they are
done, they are cut into slices. Mežerli were served with baked kisla
repa and porridge.”
Merzel and his team prepared so many different sorts of desserts
that it is impossible to enumerate all of them, but there were potica,
flancati and many cakes and small cakes, mignons and cookies.
During our visit, we were able to see the exemplary recipes for
ourselves, since an oval dessert of white and dark milk chocolate
lying on a thin and sourish currant jelly was worth sinning for.
Especially interesting was a thin, almost transparent leaf of mango
jelly spread on baking paper in a thin layer and dried in the oven
for 15 minutes. Our enthusiasm for mango was rewarded with
mango sorbet, a wonderful summer icing on the cake.
Robert Merzel will probably often remember the pleasant coolness
of sorbet these days, when he and his family are on vacation
exploring the Middle East by mobile home. When he gets back,
he will be able to devote his time to the Slovenian cooking team
which he has been leading for several years and which had to
stay in the background due to the demanding guests during the
Slovenian six-month Presidency of the EU.
sinfo 11 22
duck breast with pureed potatoes and mustard seeds.
Two-coloured chocolate dessert.
royal shrimps on melon slices.