ONLY clean Croatian oil: OLIVE OIL

There seem to be plans to drill for oil

in the Adriatic Sea.

Read the article on Total Split

Total Split

and you will agree:

NO OIL DRILLING 

IN THE ADRIATIC SEA

The only clean Croatian oil is Olive Oil

to busy today, so back in time than

Busy, very busy, I might even say EXTREMELY busy.
So if you desperately want to read/look, click on the blue line, as I started writing this blog around 2006.
First in Dutch, but rapidly exchanged for English, as that's more universal :-)
So if you like, click here, back to 2007, or choose any year from the archive on the right side of the main page.
Also, if you prefer to write me, in stead of reading, my email address is in the top side of this very page (in which X of course is @).

But,
now winter (with hardly any cold or snow) has gone, it's time to prepare, plant, seed.
Not like our neighbours, who buy their plants ready to put in the ground.
Not me, not this Dutchman living in Svinisce.

They buy potatoes to plant, funny enough mostly from Holland, as that country is the absolute champion when it comes to creating new potatoes.
Hundreds, even thousands of varieties, many already forgotten, still a lot new types that either give bigger crops, less illnesses, better taste.

But I let them plant potatoes this year, as last couple of years I learned potatoes need a lot of work, attention, water, killing Colorado beetles, all of it to much work for the two of us, not depending on huge amounts of potatoes.
Other stuff however, from vegetables to fruits,
I seed, plant, pamper, grow, and prepare for dinner, all of it from "tons" of seeds I bought (mostly from Holland, some also from here).
Wanna see/eat chocolate brown paprika's or "weird" tomatoes, special herbs or unusual vegetables, come to Svinisce, and be my guest.

Being the cook in the house (all my life), one day we eat some good Italian pasta dish with osso bucco or a home made pizza, the next day it's a nice salad with good bread and a nice glass, or it's some Chinese or Indonesian food.
And still there are the Turkish, French, Indian and Swedish kitchen.
Cooking, as you may understand, is my favourite activity, and the amount of inspiration and ideas unlimited.

But even the cooking these days is (slightly) more basic, as I am BLOODY BUSY.

Ah, you thought Dalmatia is just laying in the sun, sipping nice wine or swimming in the Adriatic or the Cetina River, well, uhhh, it's not :-)
Anyway, not for me/us, as we're not tourists anymore.

And as we are the proud owners of more than two thousand square meters land, which has to be turned into a true paradise, full of flowers, plants and pleasant places to relax.

So, get back to history for a while,
as I am preparing our future, pleasant, easy and most enjoyable.
AND......with a bit less work and MORE time for this blog.
So click here: back to 2007

Ikarus Kurir, the plane and the man

Thanks to the website called 

www.total-inland-dalmatia.com, 

I was reading about a man and his plane.

The ever active Paul Bradbury put a short video on it, which showed a short scenic flight on YouTube, flown in the Imotski area.

What...... , a plane flying around from Imotski, 

that's NEWS !

Is that all, NO.. , as Ivan Zlatan-Rebic is flying it,

 from his private airstrip !!!

The flight already was very interesting, 

showing that rough and amazing area from above, 

the story behind it even more !

As, after a bit of research I discovered (yes, that's inland Dalmatia, always something new to discover), 

I found more and more details.

Details about the plane, details about the man, details about the location, and I love details, as they slowly uncover a tremendous story.

Let's start with the plane, called Ikarus Kurir, 

built in the mid fifties in Zemun , 

a town in what used to be Jugoslavia (SFRJ).

Only one (this one !!!) is still flyable in Croatia, the other only one is in Slovenia, flying or resting, 

I do not know yet.

Built for reconnaissance and transport of wounded soldiers, it lost it's value when helicopters were introduced in the army.

And, it would have been scrapped and lost for ever, if not saved by a retired pilot, called Ivan Zlatan-Rebic and his nephew, who's his assistent. 

With a long professional career in flying various airplanes, from crop dusters to fire fighters and passenger planes all around the world, he managed to save, restore and fly the machine.

Yesterday, I had my day off, which I use to go into the country together with my good friend Robert.

On our list were a photo visit to the beautiful lake in Ricice (near Imotski) after which we went to search for the man and his plane.

Did we find him, yes, YES, YES !!!!!

Was it a true discovery ?

!! ABSOLUTELY !!

As not only is he maintaining this lovely flying oldtimer, he is also building a second one, 3/4 size of the original, to be equipped with an equal engine, however with a turbo booster, specially built for aerobatics .

And is that all, HELL NO, as he's also building another flying device, 

which ain't a plane, nor a helicopter.

But that's another story.

So if you think Dalmatia is just a beautiful coast, 

how terribly wrong can you be !!!

Get out to look behind the coastal mountain ridge, and you'll find out yourself.

The website about Inland Dalmatia is a perfect help.

PS.

And Ivan, thanks very !!! much 

for showing us all you are inventing and doing.

You are truly amazing !

And if you think Nikola Tesla was special,

well, than you don't know Ivan Zlatan-Rebic yet.

Split goes Indonesian

Split, the biggest city in Dalmatia, I visit once in a while, but only when I need special things.

For tourists it's a "must see", for me however, 

not being a tourist, it's that big city I only visit for Bauhaus, Lidl, Konzum or Kaufland.

Of course there are many shops in Omis, our nearest town, but once every week or so I drive to Split.

The reason I don't go more often is simple, 

I don't like crowded big cities.

Next Saturday however I must (!!) go, 

as then there is the yearly food fair.

Normally I even avoid that fair (I've seen enough fairs in my professional life), but this time I MUST GO.

The reason is simple, I love good food, 

and even more, I love cooking (and know how to). 

Italian, Indian, Indonesian, Turkish, and any other kitchen that inspires me to prepare dishes I love 

(and our friends too :-).

Indonesian food however, is one of my favourites.

Because the Netherlands once "owned" Indonesia, there is a strong link to the Indonesian kitchen, as many people coming back home when Indonesia became independent, found it's way to the Dutch 

and their dishes.

Even in our navy there is a tradition to weekly prepare an Indonesian meal.

So, as there is this food fair, with next saturday a representation of Indonesian food and culture 

(dances and such), I must (!!!) go.

The focus will be on a dish called saté (satai), which is prepared of marinated meat (chicken, pork, goat), grilled on wooden sticks over a small wood fire.

The variety is immense, 

even the sauces it can be served with.

One basic ingredient however is used to marinate almost always, and that is ketjap (soy sauce), dark brown and made of fermented soy beans.

Thin like water in Japan, thick as syrup in Indonesia, and even then there are loads of differences, 

going from sweet to salty.

Properly grilled, saté is delicious, served many times with a sauce made of ketjap, peanuts, garlic and a couple of spices, including ginger.

Saté, remember that word, as I wouldn't be surprised if after the hamburger, saté is coming to Dalmatia.

It's simple, it's grilled, it's very tasty, 

and the variety goes far beyond that of hamburgers, cheeseburgers and the like.

Served with boiled rice, French fries or a slice of bread to dip in the sauce, some fresh cucumber and a king's meal is ready to take a firm bite.

With all superior ingredients we've got here, 

no doubt Dalmatia will go Indonesian.

Saté will do the trick.

Dobar tek, slamat makan, enjoy your meal.

I simply must !!! go to Split next Saturday, 

if you know what I mean.

So what did I say:

!!! SATÉ !!!

!

PS.
Was there, saw all stands, and again was a bit disappointed 
about the level of this fair.
About 50% is of the bazaar type, direct sales, one can see every week on the market in Zadvarje (tuesday's)
selling sausages and bacon, oil and cheese.

If looking for interesting presentations, 
better go to Metro in Dugopolje near Split.
At least they were on the fair with a stand full of goodies, nót for direkt sale, but to show the possibilities of creating something else for true cooks (so not for pizza heaters).

And about the saté that was served, well, to be honest, 
I prepare better !
So Sajam Gast (the name of the fair), you won't see me again.