Istrian Bread Rolls (Nakelda)
Nakelda is one of the most authentic dishes of Slovenian Istria, according to Alberto Pucer, an author of many books about Istrian culture and cuisine. Traditionally, it was prepared right after Easter with leftover bread - due to scarcity, no food was wasted.
Multiple recipes for nakalda exist, demonstrating that the housewives of the past used whatever they had at hand; usually old bread, eggs, goat cheese, raisins and prosciutto ham or pancetta. What the recipes have in common is the use of summer savory as a spice.
Bogataj, Janez. Taste Slovenia. Ljubljana: Rokus Gifts & National Geographic, 2007.
Recipe
Ingredients:
500 g old bread (usually half of this bread is just standard white bread and the other half is brioche bread)
60 g prosciutto ham or pancetta
100 g goat cheese
50 g raisins
6 eggs
40 g summer savory*
salt, pepper to taste
1500 ml chicken stock
*if you can't get summer savory, oregano and marjoram are good replacements.
Tip: To make the dish suitable for vegetarians, skip theprosciutto ham. You may use some smoked paprika when seasoning the mixture. Instead of chicken stock, use vegetable stock.
Instructions:
Finely chop the old bread (I use a food processor for this step).
Fry prosciutto over medium heat until it becomes crispy.
Grate the goat cheese.
Fry chopped summer savory in olive oil over medium heat for about two minutes.
Mix the bread crumbs, prosciutto, goat cheese, raisins, eggs, and summer savory. If the mixture is too thick to form rolls, add chicken stock a tablespoon at a time.
Form rolls. If you form small rolls, you can put them into simmering chicken stock as they are. They are ready when they float to the top. If you form bigger rolls, like I did, wrap them into a napkin and seal the ends. Cook for about 15 minutes.
If you made big rolls, you can cut them as depicted in the recipe photo; small rolls you just put on the plate as they are. Serve hot.
The bread mixture.
