Steemit Iron Chef 2018 act 01 round 06: Sour turnip and Matevž (potato man)

Greetings, world of Steemit!
My first entry for this week on Steemit Iron Chef 2018 act 01 round 06 hosted by @progressivechef.

Sour turnip and Matevž (potato man)

I made a step by step tutorial for this recipe and I uploaded on https://d.tube/ for the first time:

I was born in Slovenia, an idyllic country set on a small piece in a world between the mountains and the sea. Slovenia is a country which acknowledges viticulture as the most popular national hobby and cultural wine drinking right behind it. It's place of breathtaking nature, many archaeological discoveries and rural horror tales. It's also a place where a lot of empty stomachs came up with a new recipe idea with a high nutritional value.

Slovenians were rarely wealthy, known they suffered heavy loss due to forced labor and slave system for six centuries by the Austro- Hungarian Empire.
In a region where most of the countryside were almost completely covered with forests and dealing with climate of drought periods in summers and cold snowy winters and with presence of oppression of ruthless monarchist bishops, lifestyle was a struggle to survive for many.

picture source: http://i-love-slovenija.50webs.com/slovenija-v-evropi.html

Although Slovenia is so small, it is extremely diverse. There are many different types of landscapes, culture customs and dialects in this tiny country. In addition to the above, Slovenia is also a culinary sight offering many traditional dishes. Each of our landscapes has a different culinary character and this time I will devote my post to a dish typical of Prekmurje (seaside region) called Sour turnip and Matevž or potato man which is typical for Dolenjska and Bela Krajina.

Turnip is Slovenian traditional dish, which is most commonly offered on our tables in cold winter months.
Because our ancestors were not yet known abut the advanced ways of storing food (times before electricity was used) would be preserving fruit, vegetables, meat or mushrooms using ancient methods of storage such as pasteurization, fermentation, salting, drying, dry salting, smoking, curing...
The natural process of cultivating cabbage and turnips, which centuries ago had a higher nutritional value, has always been dominant in every Slovenian house, since it was one of the few ways of long-term storage of vegetables.
We should be most thankful for an enormous amount of rich cultural heritage and knowledge our ancestor left into our presence.

Sour turnip can supply our body with the necessary ballast substances, proteins and carbohydrates.
It is also a rich source of calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus and vitamins B1, B2, B3 and C. It also contains folic acid and antioxidants that inhibits aging processes. Although is rich with vitamins and minerals, at the same time it has a very low calorie value that's way we like to add some dried smoked pork meat into the dish to increase it's energy value.
It also contains a lot of glucosinolates and sulfur and therefore has a beneficial effect on the respiratory tract, and at the same time because of the vitamin K content, it also cleans and cleanses blood.
It stimulates the human immune system and detoxifies the body. Lactic bacteria, such as those involved in the process, are an integral part of a healthy intestinal flora.
Natural or biological acidification is the only way to preserve foods, which will not only last, but also increases nutritional value. During acidification, it is carried out with the help of microorganisms naturally occurring in the vegetables, a chemical process known as the lactic acid fermentation, during sugars within vegetables becomes lactic acid.

Matevž also potato man or wild man is a dish made out of mashed potatoes and mashed beans. We offer it as an accessory to sour turnip or sour kale. It is Dolenjska's and Bela Krajina's specialty. Every cook prepares it a little bit differently using their family recipes for generations.

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small white onion
1 clove of garlic
1 kg of sour turnip
2 bay leaves
400g of smoked dry pork ribs
3 tablespoons of flour
3dl of water

1kg of potatoes
500g of beans
1 small red onion
1 clove of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil
pepper
salt

Chop 1 small white onion and 1 garlic clove.

Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil add chopped onion and fry it slowly until it turns golden yellow color. Add garlic and fry it on lowest heat just for a moment.

Wash 1 kg of sour turnip and mix it with fried onions and garlic. Cook it on low heat and stir it occasionally.
Mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 3dl of cold water and add it in to the sour turnip.
Blanch 400g of smoked dry pork ribs and put it in the dish.
Add 2 bay leaves, salt and pepper and cover it. Boil it for another half of an hour and occasionally stir it.

Put 500g of beans in a cold water and leave it overnight. Boil the beans.

Peel 1kg of potatoes and boil it in salted water. Chop 1 small red onion and 1 clove of garlic.

Heat up 1 tablespoon of olive oil, add diced onion, salt and fry it slowly until it crystallizes. Add chopped garlic and fry it just for a few seconds then take it off the stove.
Strain boiled potatoes and beans and mix it together with fried onions and garlic.
Use hand immersion blender (or a potato masher) and mash it.
Add pepper and salt (if it's needed).