Cook like a true Bokeljka

When asked what advice she would give to those attempting to recreate her dishes she answered, “I warmly advise everyone who tries the recipes from the book to stick to the recipe and make no mistake!” - so be warned and deviate at your peril!

Dobrota Cake

Made using maraschino and rumoured to be a favourite of Casanova himself - this layered pastry cake was originally known as Venetian cake, before the women of Perast named it Perast cake and finally the women of Dobrota claimed it for their own - naming it Dobrota cake. A delicious and indulgent dessert, perfect to finish off any meal or enjoyed alone as a guilty treat!

INGREDIENTS:

PASTRY: - 6 egg yolks - 6 tbsp sugar - 200g butter - 1 tbsp milk - flour FILLING: - 6 egg whites - 400g almonds - 400g sugar - 1 1/2 dl maraschino - lemon zest

PREPARTION:

PASTRY: 1. Whisk the yolks with sugar 2. Then add melted butter and mix together 3. Once blended add milk and gradually add the flour to make a pastry (the pastry shouldn’t be too firm or too soft) 4. Lay the pastry over the bottom and sides of a cake pan 5. Cut thin strips of pastry and a ‘swallows tail’ shape for decoration FILLING: 1. Place the almonds in hot water until soft, then skin and finely chop 2. Whisk the egg whites with sugar until firm 3. Add the almonds 4. Stir in the maraschino and lemon zest 5. Top the pastry with the filling 6. Lay the pastry strips over the top in ‘crisscross’ pattern & place the ‘swallow tail’ on top 7. Bake at 160°C for 40 minutes

Provveditore’s Bonito

A seafood dish using classic Mediterranean flavours, enjoyed by the Provveditore of Kotor himself, Jeronim Pisani!

INGREDIENTS:

- 1 Atlantic Bonito Whole (approx. 1kg) - a dozen olives - 5-6 garlic cloves (minced) - parsley (chopped) - 2 tbsp breadcrumbs - pepper - olive oil - 2 tomatoes - red wine - salt

Love Mussels (2 servings)

A delicious, light seafood dish. Perfect for an outdoor lunch with friends and a bottle of chilled white wine.

INGREDIENTS:

- mussels - 5-6 tbsp of breadcrumbs - 4-5 garlic cloves (minced) - parsley - Capers - pepper - olive oil - 50g grated parmesan - 1 whisked egg white

PREPARTION:

1. Mix all ingredients (except mussels) into a paste 2. Clean the mussels thoroughly. Take a sharp knife and insert at one end of the mussel, prying open the shell 3. Put 1 teaspoonful of the mixture (step 1) into each mussel before closing the shells

PREPARTION:

1. Remove the fins and gills with a sharp knife 2. Gently slide the knife in at the top of the stomach until it reaches the backbone 3. Carefully slice horizontally for several centimetres, keeping the fish in one piece 4. Gently gut the fish, removing the stomach and organs 5. Lightly salt the fish and spread the fish open like a fan 6. Mix together the garlic, chopped parsley, several finely chopped olives, salt, breadcrumbs and pepper - adding olive oil to create a paste 7. Lightly spread the paste on each side of the fish 8. Place a couple of olives, a twig of parsley and a 2 slices of tomato inside the fish 9. Mix a drop of red wine and oil to sprinkle over the fish 10. Place the fish in a preheated oven (180°C) for 1 1/2 hours or until fish flakes easily with a fork

4. Place the mussels side by side in an oven dish and place in a pre-heated oven (200°C) 5. Cook until the shells open 6. Remove top shells and brown off the mussels 7. Remove and serve immediately