Winter - A season for hearty food

Low temperatures, snow and ice create the perfect backdrop for a true winter story, one that awakens the senses and brings us back to simple pleasures.

When it gets colder, the body instinctively seeks stronger, richer food, with a little more fat, fragrant and full of flavor, but at the same time prepared from healthy winter vegetables and produce that warm you up inside.

At my restaurant, winter life revolves around fire. Two fireplaces are constantly crackling, filling the space with warmth and creating an atmosphere that takes guests back to some slower, more honest times. Times when food was eagerly anticipated, savored and celebrated.

Slowly, patiently, sucklings, capons and lambs turn on the spit. The fat melts, the skin becomes crispy, and the smells spread through the restaurant, leaving no one indifferent.

The bread is baked under the lid, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the entire restaurant smells of winter, hearth and homemade cuisine, which is rarely encountered today.

The special joy of the entire kitchen is the melting of pork rinds. It is a ritual that brings excitement. Crispy, golden, warm… this time I decided to reveal the secret of our irresistible pork rinds ("čvarci") and share some of the passion we put on our plate every day.

Winter is here to be tasted, felt and remembered.

Recipe for pork rinds from a cauldron over open fire

Ingredients:

10 kg of pork bacon with skin

2–3 dl of water

About 0.5 l of milk

Salt to taste

Preparation:

Cut the pork bacon into 3x3 cm cubes. Do not remove the skin.

Set fire using beech or hornbeam wood and place the cauldron on open fire.

Add 2–3 dl of water to the cold cauldron, then put in the bacon cubes.

The cauldron should be heated gradually with constant stirring with a wooden ladle, so that the bacon does not stick and burn.

Allow the fat to slowly melt and let the bacon simmer on low heat for 2.5 to 3.5 hours, stirring continuously.

Towards the end, when most of the fat has leaked out and pork rinds are almost done, add about half a liter of milk. Continue to stir until the milk has completely evaporated and pork rinds have a beautiful, uniform golden color.

When they start "rattling" in the grease, remove the cauldron from the fire.

Take the pork rinds out with a hollow spoon and place them in a press or cloth bag and gently squeeze them to release the excess fat.

After they have cooled and tightened completely, shake them out and only then salt to taste, so that they remain crispy and do not become rubbery.

Keep the pork rinds in a clean, dry container.