Sunday lunch, Croatian style

Croatia and its diverse cuisine. Almost divided by region, the mainland is mostly influenced by the earlier Slavic culture, neighbouring countries like Hungary, and even Turkey. Coastal cuisine on the other hand roots back to Greek and Roman, which later evolved into Mediterranean cuisine.

This dish however, is a staple of the mainland, especially served as Sunday lunch.

It incorporates roasted duck or chicken, and is served with a side dish called "Mlinci".

Mlinci are made from a flour and water based dough (some use eggs as well) which is then rolled out to measure approximately 1mm in thickness, and baked in an oven or a hot plate surface. Once baked, the long crispy charred shards are broken into smaller pieces and cooked in boiling salted water, and usually fried in the remainder roast fat. Yes, its heaven. Fried flatbread type heaven.

Not to long ago, my boyfriend's mother with Hungarian roots (a very VERY good home cook) sent us a wonderful package filled with Croatian produce and ingredients. Amongst other things, it included a bag of my long missed "Mlinci", which inspired me to make this dish. Unfortunately, I still don't have an oven (woking on that so I can deliver more diverse recipes) so I used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken. Skin on, to get that iconic crispiness.

Now, I know a lot of you will not be able to get a hold of these, and you'll ask for a replacement. To be brutally honest, YA CANT REPLACE THEM, they*re one of a kind, unique and delicious. BUT, you can make the chicken, and serve with your fave side dish :) (or eat it with your hands like Ron Swanson here)

Enough rambles now, and let's crack on, shall we?

INGREDIENTS (serves 2)

400-450g chicken thighs (with skin on - this is a MUST)
250g (1 bag) Mlinci
2-3 whole cloves of garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon salt

Set a large pot of salted water on high heat, waiting for a rolling boil for the mlinci.

Meanwhile, generously season the chicken with salt and set aside. Heat up a non stick pan, (or even better if you own a skillet) to a medium high heat. Once heated, add the butter, garlic, and the chicken facing skin side down. (you can also add a few sprigs of thyme, since you are essentially basting the chicken in the garlic infused butter)

At this point, it will all begin to sizzle and pop, but don't worry! Its those exact reactions which will produce the crispy skin. Leave the chicken on the skin side until it is golden and crispy (at least 5-6minutes) and once there, flip on the other side. Thighs usually take a little longer, since the meat is thicker, but you can always poke the thickest part to check if its done. Using a spoon, tilt your pan and baste the chicken with the garlic infused butter. After approximately 6 minutes on the other side, the chicken should be cooked. Set it aside, but leave the pan on the heat.

At some point while the chicken is cooking, your salted water for the mlinci will come to a boil. Break them to smaller bits while still in the bag, and cook for 2 minutes, or until they have a soft outside, but a chewy al dente centre. Be careful though, if overcooked, they end up a hot mushy mess. Strain well, and add them to the remainder of the butter and chicken fat leftover in the pan. Stir carefully, and coat them in the fat evenly. Serve with a salad, and

you'll end up with something like this!