Eat like Nicky Hilton

Yes, less famous of notorious sisters Hilton visited Croatia and sailed around Dalmatian islands. Big deal. I did too!

But I do not see my beautiful butt on the cover of the local newspapers.

Nevertheless, diligent, so called, journalist accompanied by fearless paparazzi followed every step of poor little rich girl so that we, inpatient agitated public, can catch a glimpse of the wonderful life of shamelessly rich heiress.

So, we could read where did she party, when did she pass out, where did she lost her money gambling, and, at last but not least, where and what did she eat!

Luckily, best things in life are free and we all can enjoy our life as much as Nicky Hilton and her kin! All we need is little bit of sun, drop of sea and pinch of talent and one can prepare fast that even both sisters Hilton would die for.

But, let as start with treating ourself with dinner Nicky Hilton had on Island of Korcula (42° 58'N; 17° 08'E).

According to local newspaper on the menu for Nicky and her gang were:
for appetizer prawns and octopus salad; for main dish they enjoined grilled lobsters and they did not take any desert which is pity since Korcula's cookies are delicious.

I'm starting with the recipe for Octopus salad and hope to bring you all recipes as soon as possible!

Of shells and airplanes

After the break we continued our voyage visiting Krknjasi (43o26,3' N - 16o10,6' E), wonderful laguna near the Island of Drvenik with crystal blue sea. It is really stunningly beautiful, but I'm not big fan of it since it is very popular destination for day excursions from Trogir and Split and is always very crowded. Still, we had fun counting the airplanes circling over busy Split Airport.

Thanks to the extraordinary clear and clean sea, and its sandy bottom, Krknjasi are very rich in shells. Well, they used to be, but it seams that the "secret" has been busted and people have overexploited it. We (my father) "hunted" only few "volaka" (murex shell), “Pedoča” (mussels) and “Brbavica” (Venus verrucosa) but it was more than enough for delicious dinner -Spaghetti with Mixed Shellfish (read recipe here, watch recipe here).

We are sailing, we are fishing, we are eating....

The first exacting thing we did was two weeks long vacation on our old wooden sailing boat called "Lutalica" meaning "Vagabond". We wondered around nearby islands of Drvenik Veli, Drvenik Mali and Šolta.

The crew were: my parents, my nephew Roko, my "precious one" and me! My sister joined us letter. Our boat is old and small but offers great comfort. But cooking on boat requires lots of good organization. Although the kitchen is really small and very essential we managed to cook and eat fabulous breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The secret is in my mother's experience in organizing the stocks and cooking on boat that she gathered over the years. More about cooking coming soon!

First we visited beautiful cove on mainland called Stari Togir (43° 29.5'N; 16° 02'E), meaning 'Old Trogir' that was the site of an ancient town called Trogir, allegedly visited by Cleopatra. There are remains of the old roman palace and old walls that are partially submerged under the sea. At the end of the cove there is beautiful small sandy beach. We spent our first day just relaxing and putting ourselves in "boat" mood.

Next day we sailed to the island Mali Drvenik, little port Borak (43^o26,6' N - 16^o05,1' E) and spent two days in that small port that seemed frozen in same strange time. The only connection with a mainland is a small ferry that during the summer drives two or three times a day. But, we did get a special bonus - our neighbors were fisherman boats which gave as the great source of fresh Adriatic fish for our hungry tummies!

Drvenik Mali is beautiful small Island situated 8 nautical miles from Trogir. Locals cultivate olives and grape so you can buy great home made olive oil and wine. Since the sea around the island is shallow and rich in fish, there are lots of fishermen and it is great opportunity to buy fresh fish directly from fisherman boat. We didn't miss that opportunity! On the island there are few nice sandy beaches. One afternoon we walked to cove of Vela Rina, known as the most beautify beach on the island. Vela Rina (43^o26.6' N - 16^o05.1' E) is also a pier for smaller yachts.