Steak, barley & green bean salad

Split, most of you probably heard of it if you ever visited Croatia because it’s the first stop for most of our tourists, being second largest city in Croatia and a intraregional transport hub where you can catch a ferry to one of the islands in the Adriatic. But it’s not just a port, it’s a tourist destination with a centuries-old history, architecture and one of the most beautiful promenades.

In a few photos that I’ve taken of Split I’ll try and show you how beautiful it is.

As I mentioned before, one of my grandfathers was from the island of Brač and the other from the island of Korčula. Most of my family is still living on the islands in the Adriatic, not to mention those who moved to Canada, Argentina, Australia, Germany and a lot more countries, but sticking to the Adriatic coast my father’s half-brother and his family still live in Split. Since I was a kid my family and I were going on vacation to the island of Hvar, always catching a ferry in Split and always visiting that part of my family. This year it was my first time in Split after 3 or 4 years and from the moment I passed the sign Welcome to Split I felt like coming somewhere where I can feel like home. I got to see my uncle, I took a moment to take some photos and enjoyed the fresh air and a light salty breeze coming from the sea.

The same day I got onto a ferry going to the island of Vis and I got the chance to take some photos from the ferry of the beautiful city of Split. It’s not just because I have family ties in Split, but because it has so much to offer, from the culinary experience, to music festival like Ultra and breathtaking architecture for all of you history buffs I can recommend visiting.

I hope that the photos I shared convinced you, even just a little bit, to come to Croatia and enjoy our beautiful coast, I can promise you’ll have a nice time, from swimming in one of the most beautiful and crystal clear seas to experiencing true culinary achievements in one of our amazing restaurants.

Getting back to the recipe, this recipe has it all – a delicious finger-licking side dish with crispy bacon, Mediterranean seasoned tasty & mouthwatering steak and a salad so yummy, you’ll make more just to have it for dinner the next day.

Enjoy and happy cooking!

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Preparation: 35 min

Cook time: 30 min

Servings: 4

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Ingredients

• 4 pork steaks
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp marjoram
• 1/2 tsp rosemary
• 1/2 tsp sage
• 300 g barley
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 carrot, grated
• 1 parsley root, grated
• 1/2 kohlarbi, grated
• 1/2 tomato, diced
• 60 g bacon, sliced
• 350 g green beans
• 2 tbsp aceto balsamico
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 1 tbsp pumpkin oil
• Salt & pepper to taste

How to

1. Season the steaks with salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, sage. Let them rest in the fridge for at least 20 – 30 min.
2. Cook barley in boiling water until soft, drain water.
3. Heat a small pan over medium heat. Fry sliced bacon until crispy. Add diced onion, grated carrot, grated parsley root, kohlarbi & diced tomato. Let the vegetables simmer with bacon for a few minutes but leave them crisp. Add barley, a bit of salt and pepper and cook until combined.
4. In a second pot cook green beans until soft. When cooked drain water and let them cool down. Season with salt, pressed garlic, pumpkin oil and aceto balsamico. Cool in the fridge.
5. Grill steaks on each side until well done, or medium rare – the way you like them. Serve with barley and green bean salad. Enjoy!