I can feel the summer in the air, the hot nights when you just can’t get any sleep, the days when you’d rather be inside the house with the AC turned on. We in Croatia spend our summers at the seaside, where most of us have our vacation homes. For the last five or six years I’ve been going to this beautiful small island of Vir. A place where you can count the people with your hand during the winter, and also a place where you can’t find a spot at the beach during the summer. It’s an island with so many hidden gems under the clear blue sky, surrounded with crystal clear sea.
Nothing is better than having a bike to explore the island and all of its natural beauty. Since it’s not a large island anyone can do so, and you won’t be disappointed. Last summer me and my friends took our bikes and went around the island. It seemed like the sea was cleaner and the sky was bluer as we left the city of Vir. And at every stop there was something to see, a place to take a photo, to jump in the sea and enjoy every bit of it.
Now I just think of it, sitting at my desk, writing this post in Zagreb. Counting the days until I can pack my bags and leave the rush and the stress that comes with living in a big city. Going somewhere where there are no obligations and worries, just a cold beer, fresh salty breeze coming from the sea and an endless day under the smiling sun.
Take a minute, relax, think of your happy place and enjoy!
Preparation: 35 min
Cook time: 40 min
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 600 g potatoes
- 500 g minced beef
- batch of fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 400 g bell peppers, sliced
- 300 g fresh tomatoes, sliced
- 350 ml crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- batch of fresh basil, chopped
- salt & pepper to taste
How to
- Place the potatoes in a large pot and cook them in water until cooked all the way through. Peel them after cooking, slice them and sprinkle with some olive oil.
- Cook the minced beef over vegetable oil in a large pan. Season with parsley, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, salt and ground pepper.
- In a small sauce pan cook the crushed tomatoes, seasoned with olive oil, basil, salt & pepper, over low heat until it comes to a boil.
- Preheat the oven to 180° C. Sprinkle some olive oil in the baking bowl.
- Take a large baking bowl and place 2/3 of sliced potatoes as the first layer of the casserole. Place minced meat as the second layer, then the sliced bell peppers, 1/3 of the remaining potatoes and cover them with sliced tomatoes. Finish the casserole with crushed tomato sauce.
- Bake in a preheated oven for about 40 min until the flavours combine.
Reblogged this on O LADO ESCURO DA LUA.
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Thank you!
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What a beautiful island to spend the summer at! This casserole sounds wonderful too!
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Thank you very much, it is a great place to enjoy the fresh sea and the sun in the sky 🙂
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This sounds really lovely ! 🙂
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Hi! Thank you a lot bot for stopping by and commenting!
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Another yum!
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Thank you!
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This looks so tasty! 🙂
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Thanks, it means a lot 😀
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Having just visited Croatia for the first time, I appreciated your words about the warmth of the blue seaside. The recipe looks excellent too!
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Thank you, hope you had a nice time in Croatia! Also thanks for sharing your comment about the recipe 🙂
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Yes thank you, it’s a beautiful country. My photo blog has gone a little Croatia-tastic lately 🙂
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Have to check it out 😁
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This looks so yummy👍🏻💕👍🏻
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Thank you very much 😁
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Your descriptions of spending time by the water and escaping the stresses and strains of city life really caught my interest. It does look like a peaceful spot. The casserole sounds just lovely too 🙂
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Hi Loretta, I love describing the feeling of letting go and having some alone time and relaxation since we all live surrounded by stress and constant obligations so that feeling comes rarely to us 😊 and also thanks for your nice comment about the casserole!
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This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it!
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Hi Natalie! Thanks for your nice comment, hope you’ll like the recipe and make it your own 😊
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That looks so beautiful! What a lovely place to go to! And the casserole looks good too!
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Hi Marilyn! Thank you, it’s a perfect place to go to relax and take some time to yourself 😁
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The casserole looks delicious! Enjoy summer at your sunmer house😊
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Thank you very much and I will, hope you’ll have a nice summer too – remember to take some time to yourself 😁
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Beautiful island! I’m with you about counting the days until summer vacation, in fact if vacationing was a job I would be the first in line to want it. Dish looks wonderful as well 🙂
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Oh, I think we would be standing in line together for that job 😂 thank you for your nice comment!
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Haha!
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Sounds great! A good store-cupboard recipe as well. Will try this 🙂
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Thank a lot, hope you’ll like the recipe as much as I do 😀
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