25.03.2016
  • English Translation

    Bread of the Poor - Proja or Kuruza

    At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century people, in the rural parts of Croatia, such as Zagorje, Lika and Dalmatinska Zagora didn’t have much and were very poor. I would like to share with you an old and a new recipe for the bread they usually made back than. The name of the bread is Proja or Kuruza.

    Ingredients:

    250 – 500g polenta

    a pinch of salt

    2 spoons of oil or lard

    1-1.5 dcl of warm water

    Preheat the oven at 180-200°C. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix them well first with a wooden spoon and then with hands. Take the casserole pot and cover it with the baking paper. Grease the paper and add the mixture. It should be about 2 cm thick. Shake it and sprinkle with some water.

    Bake it for 20 minutes. When it’s done, take it out and cover it with the cotton cloth and leave it for half an hour. It’s the best when it’s still warm. You can serve it cut into small slices or even better just break it with the hands.

    Our ancestors used to make this bread so that it would last for a several days. After a day or two this bread hardens and it’s not so easy to eat it.

    Nowadays we look at it as especial type of bread, made only for the very special occasions.

     

    NEW RECIPE for PROJA (PROJARA)

    Ingredients

    1.5 cup polenta

    2-3 cups of white flour

    1.5 cup of oil

    2 cups of yogurt

    3 eggs

    2 backing powders (22 grams)

    a pinch of salt

    Additionally

    2 spoons of fresh cheese

    OR

    a handful of chard or spinach (cut into smaller pieces)

    OR

    2 spoons of pork cracklings

    Preheat the oven at the 200°C. Put the ingredients into the bowl and mix everything with a wooden spoon. Add either fresh cheese, chard, spinach or pork cracklings and mix again. Take the casserole pot and cover it with the baking paper. Grease the paper and add the mixture. It should be about 2 cm thick and let it rest for half an hour. Bake it for 30 to 35 minutes. When it’s done, take it out of the oven, and grease the top of the bread with the butter. Cover it with cotton cloth and let it all rest for half an hour. Before serving cut it into small pieces.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Original Language

    Proja ili Kuruza – kruh siromašnih

    U ruralnim dijelovima Hrvatske, kao što su primjerice Zagorje, Lika i Dalmatinska Zagora, krajem 19. i početkom 20. st. ljudi nisu imali puno toga i bili su siromašni. Voljela bih s vama podijeliti recept za kruh koji se tada znao pripremati. Ime kruha je Proja ili Kuruza

    Sastojci:

    250 – 500g palente

    prstohvat soli

    2 žlice ulja ili masti

    1 – 1,5dcl tople vode

    Zagrijati pećnicu na 180-200°C. Staviti sve sastojke u zdjelu i promiješati drvenom kuhačom, a potom rukama. Uzeti malo dublju posudu i prekriti je papirom za pečenje. Namastiti papir i uliti u njega smjesu. Smjesa bi trebala biti oko 2cm debela. Protresti i poprskati s malo vode.

    Peći oko 20 minuta. Kada je gotovo, izvadite van iz pećnice i prekrijte je s pamučnom krpom i ostaviti da se hladi pola sata. Proja je najbolja kada je još topla. Možete je poslužiti narezanu na manje komade ili, a to je još bolje, lomiti je rukama.

    Našim precima je ovaj kruh trebao potrajati nekoliko dana. Nakon dan, dva već je bio tako jako tvrd da ga je bilo teško jesti.

    Za nas danas, ovo je poseban tip kruha koji se priprema samo u jako posebnim prilikama.

     

    Novi recept za Proju – Projara

    Sastojci:

    1,5 šalica palente

    2-3 šalice bijelog brašna

    1,5 šalica ulja

    2 šalice jogurta

    3 jajeta

    2 praška za pecivo (22 grama)

    prstohvat soli

    Mogu se još i dodati:

     2 šalice svježeg sira

    ili

    šaka blitve ili špinata (izrezane na komadiće)

    ili

    2 žlice čvaraka

    Zagrijati pećnicu na 200°C. Staviti sve sastojke u zdjelu i promiješati drvenom kuhačom. Dodati ili svježi sir ili blitvu ili špinat ili čvarke i ponovno promiješati. U malo dublju posudu staviti papir za pečenje i namastiti ga. Ulijte smjesu u posudu. Smjesa bi trebala biti oko 2 cm debela. Ostavite smjesu da odleži pola sata. Nakon pola sata stavite u pećnicu i pecite 30 do 35 minuta. Kada je pečeno, izvadite je van i premažite s maslacem. Prekrijte kruh pamučnom krpom i ostavite da se hladi pola sata. Prije posluživanja izrežite ga na kriške.

     

     

     

     

  • Additional Translations