I was recently on an adventure in Croatia and visited a park that had been on my must-see list for about 20 years. Plitvice Lakes National Park is one of the most beautiful natural wonders of the world that i have ever seen! It is Croatia’s first and largest national park of the country’s seven parks. The park was instated into the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage List in 1979.

We booked AirBnB accommodations in a village about five minutes away and was famished by the time we had arrived after a day of sightseeing along the way. We asked around about dining options and the restaurant at Plitvice National Park was decidedly a fantastic choice! My dinner consisted of fine local Croatian offerings: white wine, grilled trout, salad topped with finely shaved pickled red cabbage, and stewed carrots and green beans, served with a basket of a dense but amazingly moist bread with sir (pronounced seer) cheese.  The stewed carrots were soft and buttery, seasoned to perfection. I have no earthly idea how the chef cooked that dish, but this is my take on it—with a Lulu twist of course! Enjoy! 🙂

On another note, like the unknown wine region of Switzerland (YES, there is one, and it’s gorgeous!), Croatia does not export their wines! You must enjoy their creations there and buy some to bring home.

Croatian Words

While you’re reading this post and possibly going to attempt this recipe, you should try to learn some basic Croatian food words. It’s one of the most difficult languages I’ve ever had to learn for my travels, but it’s quite challenging but fun! I learned that the language uses few  vowels in their words. Instead, the uses of accent marks over some letters create some of the sounds that would otherwise have been created with vowels. Quite minimalist! 🙂

• molim = please/you’re welcome
• Dubro Jutro = good morning!
• hvala = thank you
• kruh = bread
• sir = cheese
• butter = maslac
• radish = rotkvica
• mrvka = carrot
• salata = salad
• grilled fish = riba na zaru
• trout = pastrva
• wine = vino
• coffee = kava; coffee with milk = kava s mlijekom
• water = voda

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1-2 bunches organic red radishes ~ ends and tops (leave 1/4 of the green stems) removed, radishes cut into halves or quarters
• 1 cup organic baby carrots ~ cut into sections of two or three
• 1 pint sunflower sprouts
• Splash of white wine ~ I used chardonnay
• Sea salt ~ to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper ~ to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a stainless steel pot, heat the butter on medium heat until melted. Add the carrots, sauté for a few minutes then allow to cook for about 3 minutes, covered.
2. Turn up the heat slightly and add a splash of white wine. Immediately add radishes and cook for about 5 minutes, covered. Be sure to stir occasionally so that nothing burns. Add more butter and/or wine if needed. Your root veggies should be soft and tender.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve over a bed of sunflower sprouts. Garnish with freshly ground black pepper and a sprout.