If you are like me and you need to see what you have to do, here it's step by step photo recipe for Lentil Patties that I've prepared few days ago!
I've already stated that I'm going crazy, and this is the true story that proves that actually I have completely gone crazy.
When I first read the list of ingredients for this month In the Bag: Pumpkin, Mushrooms and Leeks, it seemed to me it will not be easy to combine them. I spent few days thinking what could I do since I really wonted to take a part in this blogevent.
After some serious thinking I realize that I've came up with several solutions and I can't decide which one to choose. At the end I reduced my dilemma to two choices:
Pumpkin gnocchi in mushrooms and leek sauce
or
Leek patties in Pumpkin and Mushrooms sauce
I decided for the later thanks for my broken English. I mistakenly took leeks for lentils. And I realized my mistake just today, three days after I have prepared the meal and ate it!
Well, history is full of fortunate mistakes and I'm so happy for this one because thanks to it I prepared delicious meal that I'll for sure prepare very often in the future.
Luckily I did use leeks too and I could use this recipe for "In the Bag" event!
So, what I really did prepare was Lentil patties in Pumpkin and Mushrooms sauce.
And I choose lentil patties solely because I remembered one recipe I read long ago that sounded very interesting but I've never try it. It was combination of lentil and walnuts and I remembered author claimed that he succeeded to convince his friends that it was meat patties. And since S. isn't trilled to have meatless lunch this seamed as very good compromise.
Since I couldn't remembered exactly were did I find this recipe I had to improvise. As a starting point I took recipe from Aine McAteer's cookbook Recipes to Nurture for Lentil loaf. Interestingly, Aine also noted next to this recipe that she served it to some young surfers and they were also convinced that it was meat.
In her recipe Aine didn't use walnuts, but that didn't stop me since, as we have already affirm, I'm crazy.
At the end it all turned just fine and Lentil patties were such a success with S. although he didn't confused it for meat (or leeks?!). The walnuts are great combination with lentil giving it smooth, discrete taste while melting in your mouths. Infect they go so well together that I'm planing to pair them in some sweet combination like Lentil and walnuts cookies!
Lentil patties in Pumpkin and Mushrooms sauce
Lentil patties (it makes +/- 30 patties)
If you prefer visual recipe you can read step by step photo recipe.
2 cups of lentil puree
1 cup of chopped walnuts
1 cup of breadcrumbs
1 cup of finely sliced onion
1-2 spoons of tomato puree
tomato juice
water
salt
Mix all ingredients. Add tomato juice to help you form the patties. Preheat your oven to 180 C. Put patties on oven pan and bake it in oven for 20 - 25 minutes.
Pumpkin and Shitake sauce
30 dag of pumpkin
4 pieces of Shitake mushrooms
5 dag of butter
1 glass of white wine
1 leek (yeaaa!!!!)
rosemary
salt, paper
1 cup of stock
Peel, de-seed and cut pumpkin into small cubes.
Slice leek into thin slices and fry them in deep pen with butter. Add pumpkin cubes, splash with with wine and cook until wine evaporates then add 1 cup of stock.
Cook until pumpkin turns soft and fluids evaporate. It will take around 30 minutes.
Take half amount of pumpkin from the pan and mince it in food processor. Meanwhile, clean Shitake and sliced them into thin slices.
Put the minced pumpkin back in pan and add sliced mushrooms. Stir lightly for additional 10 minutes. At the very end add rosemary, salt and paper.
...and you have fed him for a lifetime.
There is little hero fish that has fed generations of fisherman and their families for thousands of years. Of course, it is sardine! It is typical staple food of Dalmatia. And it is considered prefect sustainable seafood choice.
Today Sardines are popular as "brain food" thanks to the high level of omega 3 acids and many others nutrition elements like vitamin D, vitamin B, Calcium...
You can enjoy sardine in so many different ways: fried, marinated, pickled, salted, grilled, raw...
I'll send this simple fisherman lunch to blogevent Sustainable Seafood Blog Event organized by Leather District Gourmet.
Fried sardines with "restovani" potatoes 
How to prepare fries sardines you can read in my post Fried fish.
"Restovani" potatoes
This is my favorite to eat potatoes. I do not know what would be English name (or in any other language) for this way of preparing potatoes and I'll be more than glad if anyone could inform me about it.
The preparation is quite simple.
Cook the whole potatoes without peeling them.
This way all nutrition elements will be kept in potato and will not dissolve in water.
When potatoes are almost cooked, take them out, peel them and slice into small cubes.
Meanwhile, in the pan heat plenty of oil and fry the onion sliced in tin "moon halves".
When onion has turn gold add potatoes.
Fray the potatoes so that they get golden-brown crust.
Potatoes should "burn" a little. when they are nicely golden-brown, put them on the plate and season with sweet paprika, salt and lots of fresh parsley.
Links:
Buying fresh fish
Fried fish
Grilled fish
I was going through same photos from this summer and I realized that I could post step by step photo recipe for fig cake - hib. You can read the recipe in my post that was entry to the September edition for SHF!
Grind figs, walnuts and fennel. Toast the walnuts in advance.
Knead the mixture as a dough.
Add few drops of domestic brandy to help you form the small "scone".
Leave to dry in the sun for ten days, turning it regularly.
For a long time Motar was almost forgotten herb in Croatian cuisine. There were only few restaurants and chefs using it and they were mostly situated in islands like Lastovo and Korcula. Luckily, in last few years Motar is rediscovered and it is about to become the star of Croatian coastal cuisine!
All thought I'm happy that I don't have to travel for 5 hours to Augusta Insula restaurant on Island of Lastovo just to enjoy their famous Motar salad, I am little concerned how sudden popularity of Motar could affect the life of this wild green.
Motar (Crithmum maritimum L.), Rock Samphire or Sea fennel grows on rocky Mediterranean shores, it is the last dry-lend plant exposed to strong wind, salt, sea waves, draying sun... it survives extreme weather conditions but uncontrolled exploitation, initiated by growing gastronomic demand could be fatal.
Another danger for Motar menaces from tourism industry that builds hotels on the cost and destroys natural habitat of this plant.
I hope our little heroic plant that defies the wind, sea and sun for centuries will resist all threats of the modern age and that we all will enjoy it, hand-picking it moderately and wisely!
Motar has been used in different ways for centuries, from time of Greeks and Romans, as a food - raw, steamed, boiled or pickled, but it was also used as an medicament due to it's therapeutics and aromatic contents. Even today it is widely used in modern cosmetics perfumery and medicine.
I like to eat it pickled and this summer we (well, my sister did, to be more precise) pickled it ourself for the first time!
Well, Johanna from The Passionate Cook gave me perfect reason to post about it when she decided to host this months WTSIM... with a theme: SAVOURY PRESERVES.
Pickled Sea Fennel (Rock Samphire, Motar...)
Hand pick sea Fennel before it flowers. Pick of the small leaves.
Wash them in sea water (fresh pipe water will do).
Cook it in mixture of water and vinegar (70:30) for 15 min until tender.
Leave it to cool and store it in jars filled with diluted vinegar (half water, half vinegar).
You can use it for seasoning salads, or as a cold relish to round meat or fish dish! Play with it and you will discover wonderful ways to enjoy this extraordinary plant!
As so often in my life, I'm late again, but I hope Cream Puffs in Venice will accept my entry for SHF 35 since it is delicious one.
It is traditional welcoming sweet from island of Vis - HIB. It is purely natural product, full of taste and aroma, hight nutritional value and with such a remarkable history.
Original recipe is dated in pre-Roman period. It was prepared by peasants using only dry figs and natural preservative - fennel. It was further more preserved by dehydration method (sun dried) and for special occasions enhanced with walnuts.
Fig was very popular sweetener in time before sugar was brought to Europe by Arabs in 8th century. That's way so many traditional Mediterranean cakes are made with figs, honey, raisins.
In island of Vis Hib is traditionally served for Christmas together with domestic brandy.
It can be find in other parts of coastal Croatia too, under the name Smokvenjak and it is made with almonds (Mljet), or raisins (Cres)... It can be find in form of salami or small balls too..
In island Cres Smokvenjak is consumed with bread instead of salami and it was traditional food of islands farmers and shepherds who would carried while working in the fields, olive and wine yards or in pastures. It is usually formed into pyramid-like form. It was ideal food which they could keep for days thanks to it natural preservation, and thanks to its hight nutrition value it gave them strength and energy for their hard work.
Ingredients:
dry figs, walnuts, fennel, domestic brandy, sun, rosemary, bay leafs
Originally dry figs were grinded in mortar with pastle but I used electrical processor to grind figs and the walnuts (make it 90:10 ratio).
I toasted the walnuts in advance since they are very oily.
During the grinding add little of fennel now and then so it spreads evenly thru the mixture.
Knead the mixture as a dough, add few drops of domestic brandy to help you form the small "scone".
Leave to dry in the sun for ten days, turning it regularly. Be aware to protect it from flies
After ten days packet it in paper, in box together with herbs: rosemary, bay leafs and fennel to give it more aroma.
You can see step by step photo recipe here.