With travel momentarily on pause, many of us find ourselves seeking creative ways to satisfy our wanderlust from the safety and comfort of our own homes. From virtual tours of world-famous museums made available through Google Arts & Cutlure, to live performances and concerts streamed online, creative people around the world are finding ways to connect and engage from their home to yours.

One of our favorite trends has been the increase in online cooking classes and demonstrations. It’s a fantastic way to learn a new skill while connecting with a people and culture far away. Tasteful Croatian Journey’s very own Chef Ivana Oresic, author of two culinary travelogues sharing nostalgic stories and traditional recipes, is now offering virtual classes allowing would-be travelers to learn the essentials of Dalmatian cooking.

 

 

 

 

Ivana is based in the historic coastal city of Trogir, whose UNESCO World Heritage protected old town is located on a small island just 30 minutes north of Split. Normally, her in-person cooking experiences begin with a chat over a cup of coffee and fresh pastries, followed by a visit to the local farmer’s market. There, ingredients are purchased for a menu of your choosing – fresh fish direct from the Adriatic, locally grown organic produce, artisanal cheeses. Her fun and informal classes take place in an authentic old stone house and focus on traditional Dalmatian home-cooking techniques and recipes – a true cultural experience not to be missed!

While we await the day we can visit Ivana in person once more, we invite you to enjoy her online cooking demo in the video below. More than simply a tool for learning new skills, these virtual cooking classes provide a way of feeling connected to each other, and to travel, while self-isolating.

In addition to the demo, Ivana offers live virtual cooking classes!

Have an aspiring chef or foodie among your friends and family? Spice up your weekly video chat with a fun, interactive cooking class! (It’s way more fun than making sourdough)

Classes are offered via the video platform of your choice, such as Google Meet or Zoom.

If you are interested in booking a one-on-one virtual class with Ivana, please contact us for more details.

 

 

 

 

Recipes from the video: 

Sardines with Capers and Dried Figs

½ kg of sardines

10 dried figs

100 ml prosecco

1 tablespoon of pickled capers

1 teaspoon wine vinegar

2 pickled shallots

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

salt

 

1. With a knife, cut the heads of sardines and pull out the innards. Wash the fish.
2. Cut figs and shallots into slices,
3. In two tablespoons of olive oil, saute shallots, capers and figs for two minutes. Add prosecco and vinegar, and then sardines. Add a deciliter of water and simmer for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

 

 

Krostule

2 eggs

2 tablespoons plum brandy

2.5 cups white flour

60 g of melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of salt

½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

1 liter of vegetable oil for frying

100 g of powdered sugar for sprinkling

 

1. Melt the butter. In a bowl, mix flour, butter, beaten eggs, brandy, salt and lemon zest.
2. Knead the dough with your hands until it begins to separate from the container. Make a ball, wrap it in plastic foil and store for an hour in the refrigerator.
3. On a floured surface roll out the dough as thin as possible. Using a cutting wheel cut the dough into four inch long strips.
4. In a deep pan, heat the oil. Put a pinch of flour into the oil. If it foams, it is hot enough for frying. As soon as krostule become golden brown, place them on a kitchen paper.
5. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.