Ingredients
3-5 spring onions (green onion / scallion) - depending on the size
1 bunch of coriander (cilantro)
1 bunch of culantro (if you can get it - if not replace it with another 1/2 bunch of coriander)
1 bunch of parsley
​1 bunch of thyme (leaves only)
1 large head of garlic (10-15 cloves)
1 large red onion
1 bell pepper (I usually use green one to stay true to the color theme)
1 chilly pepper (habanero, jalapeno, or some other hot pepper you have)

Method
1. Wash, clean and peal all your veggies and herbs
2. Roughly chop all the ingredients and place them to a food processor or a blender.
3. Blend in your food processor or blender until almost fine paste is formed. If your blender is having some trouble with the mixture add a spoon or two of water to the mix. 
4. Keep in a closed glass jar in your refrigerator for up to a month. 

Ingredients
4-8 bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces (wings, thighs, legs)
1 tomato
1 medium sized onion
1 bell pepper
1 chilly pepper of your choice (hot chilly)
2 cups of rice
4 cups of chicken stock 
salt
pepper

- for the marinade
2-3 spoons of Green Seasoning (check our recipe for Green Seasoning here!)
jucice of 1/2 lime
1/2 tbsp of Vegeta (can be replaces by salt)
1/2 tbsp of cumin powder

- to serve
1/2 lime cut in slices
some finely chopped coriander (cilantro) - if you are not a fan of coriander use parsley

Method
1. Prepare your chicken pieces (for best results and juiciest meat use chicken thighs or chicken legs with bone in and skin on. Chicken breasts will turn out a bit dry).
2. Season the chicken with Vegeta (or salt) and cumin powder
3. Spread the Green Seasoning over your chicken and sprinkle with juice of 1/2 lime. Leave marinating for at least 30 minutes and up to couple of hours.
4. Once your chicken has marinaded prepare a skillet you are gonna make this dish in. A non stick or cast iron skillet with somewhat higher walls is the way to go here. 
5. Put your skillet on medium heat and add 1-2 spoons of olive oil.
6. Put the chicken into your skillet in one layer (skin side down) and let sear. Leave the chicken on medium heat until the skin has reached nice golden brown color (the skin side will look done).
​7. Take the chicken out of the skillet and set it on the side (the chicken will not be cooked trough at this time, but it will cook more later with rice)
8. If needed add another spoon of olive oil to your skilled and add finely chopped onion.
9. Saute the onion until slightly browned and add finely chopped garlic, saute for another half a minute.
10. Add chopped bell pepper and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
11. Add the whole chilly pepper and the tomato sliced into 1/2 cm thick slices (about 1/4 inch)
12. Add your rice and stir until the rice is coated in oil
13. Pour over with hot chicken stock give it a god stir and taste the liquid. If needed add some salt and pepper.
14. Place your chicken back into the skillet over the rice (uncooked side down!)
15. Leave on medium heat cooking until the liquid has been absorbed by rice (for about 10-12 minutes - can take a bit longer depending on your rice).
16. If the rice is not completely cooked trough by the time all the liquids are absorbed add some water and cook for another couple of minutes.  
17. To serve place on a plate or in a large bowl, add couple of slices of lime and some chopped coriander leaves (cilantro).

It's not the prettiest beast of the sea, but it sure is tasty! I love squids. Fried, grilled, baked, boiled... if you do it right they turn delicious and tender. If you mess it up - you can just as well buy a pair of rubber gloves at your local store and chew on those.
But no worries! It is not hard at all to do it just perfect!. :-)

I got some black garlic from a friend and decided to combine it into something new. So, here is a brand new recipe for super tasty stuffed squid.

​Time needed: about 30 minutes
Preparation and assembly: about 20 minutes
Final cooking: about 10 minutes.

Preparing the stufifng
6. Finely chop the dried shrimp
7. Put 1/2 cup of rice into a pot, add 1 cup of water and the chopped shrimp and put it on high heat
8. When the water starts to boil reduce the heat to low and cover for about 10 minutes (this can be shorter or longer depending on the rice you are using)
9. Once the rice is cooked set it aside and let it cool for about 15-20 minutes.
10. Chop the remaining ingredients for your stuffing (spring onion, heads of your squids, and the shrimp) into one bowl, add the gochujang and gochugaru and combine.
11. Put a non stick skillet on medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and fry the chopped mixture for 3-4 minutes. Give it a couple of god stirs so that the squid heads and the shrimp are cooked trough. 
12. Finely chop the black garlic and add it to the skillet. Take it of the heat immediately.
13. Combine the mixture with the cooked rice and add another table spoon of olive oil. 
14. Taste the stuffing and add salt and pepper if needed. 
​

Preparing the squid 
15.  ​Season the squid with salt, pepper and some garlic powder. 
16. To stuff your squids you can either use a tea spoon and fingers or a piping bag. Piping bag does make it a little less messy.
17. Transfer the stuffing into a piping bag and cut an opening that is a bit smaller than the squids you have. 
18. Using the piping bag fill the squid tubes with your stuffing leaving about 1/4-1/3 of your squid empty. When cooking the squid will shrink and if you put to much stuffing into them it will burst out. 
19. Put a non stick skillet on high to medium-high heat, add some olive oil and fry the stuffed squid for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Method:
1. Cut your meat into large pieces (double of what would be "bite size").
2. Finely chop the onions (feel free to use a food processor for this one).
3. Chop other veggies (except garlic) into small cubes. 

4. Put 2 tbsp olive oil In a large heavy bottom pot (we are using our dutch oven).
5. Add your meat in batches and brown from all sides.
6. Remove the meat to a plate on the side, add another tbsp of olive oil if needed and put your onions into the pot. Saute them until very soft. 
7. Using a garlic press (or just finely chopped) add the garlic to your onions and give it a minute to fry up.
8. Add 1 tbsp of tomato paste and mix well with onions and garlic.
9. Add the rest of your veggies and saute for another minute or two. 
10. Put your meat back to the pot.
11. Add your spices and red wine.
12. If needed, add some water to cover all the ingredients. 

13. Give it all a light stir and bring to a boil. 
14. Once your stew is boiling reduce the heat to very low.
15. Cover with a lid and forget about it for about 2.5 - 3 hours.
16. After about 3 hours the meat should be really nice and tender and the liquid will be reduced by a lot.

17. Give it a taste, add more salt if needed,
18. Remember to remove the bones and the bay leaves from the pot before serving!
19. Serve with pasta, gnocchi, polenta, rice, or go full on traditional and make your own home made traditional pasta - Fuži (check the recipe HERE) 

Method:
1. Start with seasoning your chicken. Combine all the spices (salt, Vegeta, paprika powder, garlic powder, white pepper) and season your chicken with the mix. Leave the chicken in the refrigerator for couple of hours. (If in rush, just continue... it's still gonna taste delicious)
2. After your chicken has marinated preheating your oven to 200°C (400°F)
2. Take the 1/4 cup of oil (use vegetable oil that can heat up to high temperature) and put it into a oven proof dish. We are using a baking tray  32 x 20 cm (12.5 x 8 inch)
3. Put the baking tray with the oil in the oven and let it heat up. 
4. In the mean time start working on your batter by whisking up 3 eggs, salt and yogurt in a large mixing bowl. 
5. Add the milk and start adding the flour and baking powder (1/3 at the time) 
6. Combine all into a smooth batter (somewhat similar to American pancake batter in consistency - so a little thicker than the European pancake - crêpe)

Method
1. Start by preheating your oven to 230°C (450°F)
2. Put the flour in a mixing bowl and make a small well in it.
3. Add cold shortening (reserve a tiny bit to grease your baking pan) and cold buttermilk
4. Mix and squeeze between your fingers for couple of seconds to form a rough dough. Don't use your mixer for this dough. The biscuits would be overworked, crumbly and dense. 
5. When the ingredients have just combined transfer the dough to a floured surface.
6. Fold in half for couple of times (2-3 folds) 

9. Prepare the table for the dough. Put a cotton tablecloth on your table an dust it with flour. This amount of dough stretches easily over a 150 cm x 150 cm (60 inch x 60 inch) table. 
10. Take one ball of dough (keep the second one covered) and put it on the floured tablecloth. Using a rolling pin (or in my case a clean wine bottle because I don't have a rolling pin here) roll the dough out to about 3 mm thick (about 1/8 inch)
11. Using a brush, or simply the palm of your hand cover the surface of the dough with oil. Let it rest for another 5 minutes
12. After 5 minutes get both of your hands under the dough and with the back of the hand start slowly stretching the dough form the middle towards the outside.
13. Keep stretching the dough slowly on all sides until you can almost see through it. ​

When exploring Downtown LA you will most certainly find yourself within couple of hundred meters away from the Grand Central Market at one point. And when you do so, you'd be a fool not to pay it a visit! 
Within walking distance from Walt Disney Concert Hall and The Broad is this temple of food diversity and "bite and sip entertainment" that you want to check out.  

We basically knew where we wanted to go. On our internet research before visiting LA (in one of the many YouTube videos) we saw a short story about The Eggslut and wanted to give it a go.  I don't know it it was the best thing that we could have tried there, but it was a really good one!
The menu is EGG! There are three things on the menu (+ drinks) that do not include an egg (a buttermilk biscuit, side salad and a chocolate chip cookie. but when I think it trough - the cookie has most probably eggs in the dough...  The Eggslut serves a variety of tasty sandwiches and their special Slut. 

Ingrediens
- for the mashed potatoes 
2 medium sized Potatoes
50 g butter (4 tbsp)
125 ml warm milk (1/2 cup)
salt
pepper

-for the slut
Eggs
salt
pepper
chives or spring onion

Method:
1. Peel your potatoes and cut them into approx. 2 cm large cubes (about 3/4 inch)
2. Put the potatoes in a pot with water, add salt and put it on a stow to boil. 
3. Boil the potatoes for about 10 minutes, or until soft
4. Drain the water out of the potatoes, add the butter and warm milk and using a potato masher crush into smooth potato mash. If the mashed potato is thick use more milk to make it nice and smooth. 
5. Add salt and pepper to taste

6. Divide your mashed potato into small jars (with lids) leaving enough room in each jar for an cracked egg.
7. Using a spoon smoothen out the mashed potato in the jar and carefully crack an egg into each jar. Salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with some finely cut chives or spring onions. Close with a lid.
8. Fill a large pot with enough water to be able to submerge your jars completely.
9. Bring the water to a boil and place the jars in the pot.
10. Lower the heat under the pot to low and slowly cook your sluts for about 15 minutes. 

If you happen to find yourself in Croatia in spring time make sure to check the local markets for some wild asparagus (aka garden asparagus). If you decide to go hunting for asparagus yourself just keep in mind that you need a permit from the local Forest Administration. The permits are issued free of charge and valid for a year for all forest - produce like asparagus, mushrooms (except truffles!), chestnuts and other forest fruits. 
​
This is a recipe for a delicious breakfast (or lunch) made with those wild asparagus and eggs. 

Time needed: about 15 minutes
Preparation about 5 minutes
Cooking time about 10 minutes

Ingredients:
1/2 bunch of wild asparagus (or couple of green store bought ones) 
1/2 medium sized onion, finely diced
1/4 cup diced pancetta (or smoked bacon) 
3 eggs
salt, pepper
olive oil

Method: 
​1. Put some olive oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the onions and the pancetta.
2. Saute for couple of minutes until the onions are soft and slightly golden and the pancetta fried and a little crispy.
3. Cut the asparagus into 3-4 cm long pieces (1 - 1.5 inch) and add them to the onions and pancetta. Fry for 4-5 miniutes (shorter if you are using wild or really thin asparagus).
4. Slightly whisk your eggs (just enough to break the yolks apart), add a pinch of salt and add to your skillet. 
5. Stir gently for half a minute and take of the heat. Keep in mind that your eggs are going to continue to cook in the skillet even you take them of the heat!
6. Serve with some toasted bred.