During this very difficult time when coronavirus is severely impacting people’s lives all over the world and now that most countries have issued stay-at-home orders amid the coronavirus outbreak, there’s one thing we know for sure: cooking is one way we can bring a sense of pleasure into our lives.
That’s why we’ve decided to start sharing authentic Slovenian recipes with you at the end of each week. The first one we would like to share with you is Grenadirmars, a comforting and very simple potato-and-pasta dish that dates back to the First World War. It is also a very handy dish because the ingredients are almost always in the pantry.
Potato And Pasta or Grenadirmars
Author: Spela Vodovc
Grenadirmars is a simple, nearly forgotten dish fondly remembered by older generations. It is supposed to date back to the First World War, when soldiers in Kobarid fought on the Soca Front. An odd combination at first glance, but for soldiers with limited food options, it gave them strength to fight on.
It can be made with just about any pasta. My granny Nusa most often used tagliatelle, which works nicely with sautéed potatoes. It is a handy dish because the ingredients are almost always in the pantry. To keep the dish moist, add cracklings.
In the Primorska region, the recipe includes bleki with sliced and sautéed bacon, whereas in Zasavje it is associated with the food of miners.
This very filling calorie bomb is best served with a bowl of salad. But let’s forget about counting calories and just dig into this soul food.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
– 800 g (1 lb 12 oz) potato
– 170 g (6 oz) pasta (tagliatelle)
– 2 medium-sized onion
– 5 tbsp sunflower oil or 2 tbsp pork lard
– Salt and pepper
Wash the potatoes and cook, unpeeled, in salty water until soft. Drain the water and allow the potatoes to cool a little.
In a large pan or pot, sauté the thinly-sliced onions in oil or lard until golden. In the meantime, cook the pasta al dente in salty water.
Add the potatoes, peeled and thinly-sliced, to the onions, stir for the flavors to bind and for the potatoes to soak up the fat. Add the cooked pasta and sauté over a moderate flame for 10 minutes. Allow the bottom to caramelize, mix and repeat the process so the whole dish turns golden. It’s best when it starts to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Note: Get this recipe and many more in the Cook Eat Slovenia cookbook HERE!
Food photography: Mateja Jordovic Potocnik
Cooking and food styling: Branka Vodovc and Spela Vodovc
Design: Gregor Zakelj
| Contributed by Spela Vodovc! |
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Thank you! Looking forward to trying these out!
This is a recipe that my long-gone grandparents made and a fond memory from my childhood.
Carb-phobia begone! This reminds me of my mom and dinner at home. I love pasta and potatoes. Sauce it as you please, and pass a plate my way.
Yes, carbs do me in. But nothing satisfies better. I have a love for peasant food. This is soul-satisfying.
What a wonderful recipe!! And the combination doesn’t sound strange at all. In the days when meat was scarce this dish would not only taste marvelous but it would fill tummy’s void.
Bolivian cooking have the best recipe for pasta and potatoes. Google Aji de Fideos, and you can find in English recipe. Is delicious.
What an interesting idea to pair pasta with potatoes. Both are such comfort foods on their own, but together? Yum. I really appreciate seeing rustic, simple ingredients (and not necessarily too many of them) come together to create an elegant and comforting dish.
This would be heaven for my carb-loving wife! 🙂 Looks delicious and creamy!
This dish look so good! I love the combination with potatoes. I’d be in starch heaven! Yum.
I have never thought of putting pasta and potatoes together – I do make chickpeas and potatoes very often. I am anxious to try your recipe, it looks delicious.
This is interesting because we, Hungarians, have a traditional pasta & potato meal! 🙂 I cooked it last week! We cook the potato, then saute onion in a pan. We add the half mashed potato, season with salt, pepper and paprika. We also add some pasta water to it to make it a bit creamier then we combine this with the cooked pasta. It is true a winter comfort meal!
Very delicious. thank you for the recipe.
What a lovely pasta. Never heard of a potato pasta before, but it sounds delicious. I definitely think you should share more Slovenian dishes!
I love national cuisines, but I’m not really familiar with Slovenian one (except potica). I’ve got to fix that! This pasta sounds and looks really good even though I’m a bit sceptical about mixing pasta and potatoes.
I can’t wait to try this. It looks delicious.