The Recipe: Croatian Blitva (Swiss Chard and Potatoes)

Retrieved from http://www.thehungarydish.com/blitva-recipe/.

Blitva. It is the most popular side dish in Dalmatia, the coastal region of Croatia off the Adriatic Sea. You will find Blitva on most restaurant menus in Dalmatia. It is a side dish of Swiss chard and potatoes that is cooked with olive oil and garlic. Croatians eat Blitva as a side dish with most meals, and it goes well with fish. 

My father is from Croatia, born in the Istria region across from Venice. Istria, being a former Italian territory until after World War II, has its food culture roots in a blend of Croatian and Italian cuisine. Prosciutto, pasta, wine, truffles, and olive oil are all principle foods there. Blitva, however, not so much. As a result, I first ate Blitva later in life instead of growing up with it, but today it has become one of my favorite dishes. 

Simple, fresh ingredients that can be found in any kitchen can create a great side for your next seafood dinner. If you don't have access to Swiss chard or don't like the taste, spinach works just as well. 

The recipe below serves two people as a side dish. Also, I found a blog post which contains a great video (in Croatian) that demonstrates how to prepare Blitva. 

Recipe

• 1 head Swiss chard 
• 1 potato 
• 2 cloves garlic 
• 2 tbsp. olive oil 
• 1 tsp. fresh parsley
• Sea salt 
• Black pepper  

1 Clean chard and remove stems. Tear leaves into smaller pieces. 

2 Clean and peel, if desired, potatoes and chop into 1" pieces. Roughly chop parsley and garlic then set aside.

3 Bring pot of salted water to boil. Add potatoes along with a little parsley, black pepper, and garlic. Cook for five to seven minutes until potatoes begin to become tender. 

4 Add chard to pot and cook for another five to seven minutes until potatoes and Swiss chard are tender. 

5 Drain most of the liquid, but not all. Heat pan over medium heat with glug of olive oil. Add garlic, chard, potatoes, parsley, and season with black pepper when pan is hot. 

6 Saute for three to four minutes. Serve with drizzle of olive oil. 

The Sunday: Make Your Own Raviolis

I have had a very busy May, and while this blog has taken a backseat to work and school, cooking has not. Coming from an Italian-American family, Sunday's were always pasta days. As a kid, I remember going to school and Mondays, sitting down at the lunch table with my friends, and engaging in what would be the first business transactions of my life - the pasta swap.

Ziti for penne. Manicotti for ravioli. Spaghetti for linguine. Bolognese for pesto. Meatballs for sausages. We were 7 year old power brokers, running through models, assessing parameters, and making decisions that affected us each. One kid's loss was another's gain, and everyone knew the score. 

I cannot even imagine what the non-Italian kids at the table thought of us! Little captains of the pasta racket screaming in their Neopolitan accents and sliding containers across the table. I can still remember to this day the conversations that went on and the chaos our Irish friends must have observed ...

"Manigot for your ziti with mutz?" 

"Hold on, someone has an eggplant parm. I'll trade you for the manigot if he gives me the parm."  "No deal, the parm is going to the kid with the braggole."

With more time to cook, and blog, as school takes a hiatus until June, I made raviolis from scratch last Sunday. Although my days of exchanging leftovers are long gone, I still love raviolis (although I can no longer eat 13 in one sitting!) and making your own raviolis is a relaxing, fun way to spend a Sunday.

You can either make your own sheets of pasta or buy sheets from your local Italian store. Also, a ravioli mold is a handy little tool that will ensure that none of your filling sneaks out during cooking and your raviolis cook uniformally. 

The filling to your ravioli is the most important part. I prefer the classic ricotta cheese filled raviolis I make by combining fresh ricotta cheese, a little olive oil, fresh chopped parsley, and crushed black pepper. Classic raviolis also need a classic sauce. Paired with fresh tomato sauce made from scratch, you'll have the best leftovers at lunch on Monday.