Country #47 – Kosovo

Challenge Log:

#47        Date selected:    06/07/17             Date completed:  31/07/17

Country selected:  Kosovo

Dining Selection:  Cooked Own

What was on the menu/Recipe address:

• Flija

http://globaltableadventure.com/recipe/flija/

I remember the Kosovo war.  It was in the late 90s when I had just moved out of home and was studying at university for the first time.  It was regularly in the newspapers and on the television but, I’m ashamed to say, apart from having a vague idea of what the war was about and the ability to…..maybe…..be able to point out the general region on a map, my knowledge of Kosovo is severely lacking.

Kosovo is in the central Balkan Peninsula, landlocked and bordered by Albania, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia (though whilst Serbia recognises administration of the territory by Kosovo’s elected government, it continues to claim it as its own).   Strategically positioned, Kosovo serves as an important link in the connection between southern and central Europe and the Black and Adriatic Seas.

The terrain is mountainous with forests representing a significant 39% of the total surface area of the country.  As a result, there is a wide range of flora and fauna, with more than 1800 species of vascular pant species (with the actual number estimated to be higher than 2500) identified.  Rare or endangered animal species live in this habitat along with 255 species of birds.  These include lynxes, brown bears, lesser kestrel, the golden and eastern imperial eagles, wild cats, roebucks, deers, wild goats, wolves and foxes.

Not surprisingly, the Kosovan cuisine is similar to that of surrounding Albania, Montengro and Greece.  It also draws heavily on influences from Turkish cuisine.  Diary is featured heavily in the diet including milk, cheese, yogurt, ayran, spreads and kaymak.  Beans, rice, peppers and meat such as beef, chicken and lamb are also staples, along with seasonal vegetables.

This challenge was a little like a challenge on top of a challenge for me.  It took me quite some time to decide on what to make but in the end I decided upon a cake……that takes 3 hours to make!

Traditionally Flija is cooked layer by layer outside, near a campfire with friends and family around.  Little by little the cake builds as you chat and monitor the cooking process.  The cake itself is a cross between bread, cake and a pancake I guess but the picture that I found online was what sealed the deal for me.  Delicate threads of batter formed together to create the whole.

As I didn’t have a spare fire pit handy, I found a recipe where the author had worked out how to create the same effect under a broiler or grill.  They recommended using a couple of plastic squeeze bottles and I would also highly recommend this for anyone interested in giving this a go.

The plan was to sit round the oven grill with a bottle of wine, near the end of winter and create this dish.  I had actually invited my sister-in-law around to help but she had something come up last minute and was unable to make it.  I was worried that the dairy products wouldn’t keep long enough for me to make another attempt so in the end it was just me, the stove and a bottle of wine!

Wine poured and ready to go!

There are two layers to the cake – one is a mixture of flour, eggs and milk, the other a mix of sour cream, kefir and melted butter.  You lay one of the batters around a pan like rays of the sun or spokes in a wheel and grill it til cooked.  The spokes are brushed with dairy mixture, then the next layer of batter is squeezed on between the spokes of the first.

The first layers

Each layers takes 3-5 minutes to complete but little by little the pan begins to fill.  When you run out of batter, you are done!  It sounds simple enough but the grill is up high and the radiant heat is intense.   The wine was amazing but I ended up having to rehydrate with water on several occasions throughout the afternoon.

On high heat

The end result though was incredible.  It doesn’t look like a whole lot when you first take it out of the pan, but when you slice it up and the layers become visible, it’s a whole other ball game.  You can see from the picture how the layers start to thin more as you get near the top, that’s because when I first started, instead of brushing the dairy batter onto the first layer, I was actually using it as the second layer of spokes.  I realised a little way in and then continued the correct way for the rest of the process.  It also takes a bit to get used to how the batter will fall into the pan.  I started in the middle, spreading out to the edges of the pan but was finding that the cake was getting much higher in the middle.  In the end I decided to mix it up a bit and did some from the outside in and vice versa depending on how I felt the cake was forming.

Layers

These bottom layers were a little thicker and heavier than the top but the texture of the top layers was incredible.  Surprisingly light given the heaviness of the batter and broke apart as you ate it.

The taste is very reminiscent of a pancake but the kefir and sour cream give a bit more of a bite to the flavour.  I drizzled some honey over it and the sweetness and texture complimented the cake perfectly.  It’s very moreish and much better to eat fresh – the layers tend to dry out after a day or two.

Flija

I really enjoyed this challenge.  It was completely different to anything I’d done before and I was extremely happy with the results.  I would definitely like to try this again, definitely not in summer, and this time with company so that we can chat as we cook and share in the spoils at the end.

But instead, I’ve got my next challenge to attend to…..

 

 

SIDE NOTE: South Korea Trip – April 2017

 

Recently I was given the opportunity to visit South Korea for a wedding.  My boyfriend’s mate, a New Zealander was marrying a Korean girl.  Both lived in Melbourne, Australia but had decided to hold the wedding in Jeonju, South Korea so that the bride’s elderly relatives could attend.  My boyfriend and I were invited to attend and we decided to take the opportunity to travel around the country and see (and eat!) as much as we possibly could.

From eating bulgogi during a DMZ tour, trekking 45 minutes uphill at night to banquet at the top of N Seoul Tower and scoffing fried chicken and beer before a theatre performance to sampling street food in markets, sipping cocktails by the beach in Busan and of course trying a range of traditional Korean BBQ (complete with traditional side dishes such as kimchi), we made the most of every opportunity we could.  There was a huge array of things to see and food to try over the two and a half weeks or so that we spent there and I wanted to share some of the food adventures we had along the way.

For the most part, I will leave the pictures to speak for themselves but I will try and offer a little commentary in order that the reader knows what it is that they are looking at.

Korean BBQ:

I thought we should start at the most widely known dining experience that Korea has to offer – the Korean BBQ.  As we discovered, the BBQ varies dramatically from region to region, but there are certain aspects to the meal that remain consistent:

1. The food (usually meat – beef and pork seem to be favourites) is cooked at the table on a small grill. The grills are usually either charcoal or gas fired and once cooked, the meat is chopped up into bite sized pieces using kitchen scissors before being eaten directly off the grill with chopsticks, or wrapped in a salad leaf of some description, along with a sauce and any sides that you may fancy.
2. The meat is always accompanied by a series of accompaniments – salads, vegetables, garlic cloves that can be eaten raw or thrown onto the BBQ and of course kimchi, the national obsession (fermented cabbage in a spicy sauce). The accompaniments vary from region to region but there is often a soup served in a little earthenware dish to start (although in one establishment in Busan, we were served some kind of egg dish instead) and almost always a Korean red sauce and/or soy sauce gravy.  Kimchi is a given for almost any meal and also varies dramatically from one place to another – everyone has their own special recipe.

Korean BBQs are simply delicious and we ate ourselves silly at several of these!

Beef & Taro over charcoal in Yeosu

Black Pork, onion & gravy with sides on Jeju Island

Kimchi – fermented cabbage in a spicy sauce.  A Korean staple.

Tangerine & Broccoli with sesame oil on Jeju Island. Citrus is a speciality of the area.

 

Bibimbap:

This literally translates as ‘mixed rice’ which pretty much sums up the dish.  You’re given a mixture of vegetables and sometimes meat with a bowl of rice.  It often has a raw egg cracked onto the top You mix it all together and it eat directly from the bowl with metal chopsticks.  Of course, like with all Korean meals, there are also accompaniments!

Korean chopsticks are unique in that they are made of metal, are quite thin and are often served alongside a metal spoon.  They are quite a lot heavier than wooden chopsticks and Koreans are apparently known for having well developed index and middle fingers from years of chopstick use.

We were lucky enough to be given the opportunity to try the dish in a traditional village in Jeonju, where bibimbap was first invented.  We tried a traditional style bibimbap with steak tartare and were talked through the process by the bride’s cousin who just happened to be a chef.  We were seated on thin cushions on the ground aside a low table and all the food was served at once, with everyone sharing the accompaniments.

Jeonju Bibimbap before the rice was thrown in.

Accompaniments and cutlery in Jeonju

 

Restaurant Food:

There is a huge array of restaurants around, especially in some of the major cities like Seoul and Busan.  There’s also a thriving café culture as well as novelty cafes such as a Hello Kitty Café & a café that you can play with cats, dogs or even racoons or meerkats while you sip your coffee!

Chicken and beer is another firm favourite amongst the younger generation, especially in places like Seoul.  Huge plates of fried chicken are brought to the table and are shared.  Several sauces and salads are also included, all washed down with a local beer or soft drink.

Korean fried chicken in Hongdae, Seoul

The pictures below are from a restaurant in a tiny village near Jeonju where the wedding was held.  The day following the wedding, quite a few members of the wedding party decided to enjoy a sauna to try and sweat out the impressive amounts of soju, raspberry wine and duty-free liquor that they had consumed after the ceremony!  There was a small restaurant attached and we all gathered for a delicious lunch consisting of two kinds of chicken soup (a ‘clear’ chicken soup and a spicy red one) and a buffet of accompaniments.

Spicy Chicken Soup in Jeonju

Buffet Goodness

 

Markets and Street Food:

As with a lot of Asian countries, markets in South Korea are a way of life.  We wandered around a lot of them and found that many are split into sections: fish and seafood are in one area, vegetables are in another and so on.

Traditional Market, Seoul

Sometimes entire markets were dedicated to a particular kind of food and we did have a wander through some of the coastal seafood markets such as this one near a fishing port in Busan.

Seafood Market, Busan

Huge vats of fish in coastal port, Busan

In some of the coastal areas, the time it takes for the seafood to get from the ocean to the plate is minimal.

Woman prepares seafood for restaurant, Jeju Island

Street food is also extremely popular and it’s easy to find chicken skewers, gimbap rolls and rice cakes soaked in spicy sauce in almost every market or on popular street corners.  There’s roasted chestnuts and crazy coloured ice drinks, ice cream and all things fried.

Street Food Stall, Busan

 

Street Food Selection, Busan

Chestnut stall, Busan

 

Woman mans drink stall, Jeonju

On occasion, you can find something really interesting, such as this gelatin sweet dish made to look like a large dew drop.  This one was served with chocolate and raspberry syrup and some kind of sweet powdered substance (I’m still not sure what it is!).

Dew drop dessert

With toppings

Alternatively there is a range of bakeries, grocery and convenience stores all stocking a range of weird and wonderful culinary delights.

Squid Ink Sausage Bread

Cocktail with a beach view, Busan

It was very easy to fall in love with South Korea despite all its challenges.  We both made sure to bring home a Korean cook book so that we can continue to enjoy the tastes and textures of this amazing country.  I can’t wait to be able to cook some myself when I reach the South Korean challenge!

And, of course, I can’t finish this post without saying a huge congratulations to the bride and groom, without whom we would not have been given the chance to experience this incredible journey.

 

Country #44 – Japan

Challenge Log:

#44        Date selected:    9/1/17   Date completed:  26/2/17

Country selected:   Japan

Dining Selection: Cooked Own

What was on the menu/recipe address:

• Easy Soba Noodle Salad with Wakame

https://asianinspirations.com.au/recipe/easy-soba-noodle-salad-with-wakame/

• Japanese Potsticker Dumplings (Gyoza)

https://asianinspirations.com.au/recipe/japanese-potsticker-dumplings-gyoza-2/

• Special Occasion Japanese Omelette Crepes

https://www.japancentre.com/en/recipes/1210-special-occasion-japanese-omelette-crepes

• Green Tea Steamed Cake

http://www.justonecookbook.com/green-tea-steamed-cake/

When I first selected Japan as my next challenge, I was filled with a mixture of delight, anticipation and dread.  I love Japanese food, have a great respect for Japanese culture and was excited to try something new, but was also keenly aware of the great care and detail that the Japanese put into the preparation and presentation of each dish.  I knew that to do this challenge justice in my own head, I would need to take the same time and care in the dishes I made.

Japan is located in the Pacific Ocean off the eastern cost of the Asian mainland and if often referred to as the “Land of the Rising Sun.”  For a great many years Japan shut itself off from the rest of the world, only opening its gates to the West in 1853.  Today it has the highest life expectancy rate in the world with a very high standard of living.  It has one of the largest military budgets of any country in the world and is a leading nation in scientific research, with a particular focus on fields related to engineering and the natural sciences.

Having studied and performed one of Japan’s traditional performance arts, Kyogen, for a brief period at university, I’ve come to appreciate the beauty and subtlety that make up much of the Japanese cultural identity.  The painstaking lengths that artists take to learn their craft is quite remarkable with students taking decades to perfect their craft.  Something as simple as the way a performer holds themselves and moves around a space is dissected in intricate detail and perfected over long periods of time.  I remember our teacher saying that one of the greatest compliments a Kyogen performer can receive is that they walk well.

The Japanese take as much care and pride over their cuisine and cooking is often seen as an art form in itself.  A great deal of thought goes into every item served and chefs work to bring out the simplicity of each dish, doing as little as possible to bring out the colour and flavour of each dish.  As with other art forms, apprentice chefs sometimes work in restaurants for ten years before they are allowed to handle the fish or meat.  Particular rules and etiquette are entwined with the process of serving and eating the cuisine which goes to show how ingrained it is within the culture.  In fact Japanese cuisine is only one of three national food traditions recognised by the UN for its cultural significance.  This basically means that the preservation of this way of eating is vital to the survival of the traditional culture.

So no pressure whatsoever……eekk!

I decided that there was no way I was going to be able to replicate a truly traditional style meal so I decided to try a few different smaller style dishes, that would feature a range of ingredients and textures and I would attempt to serve them in a simple yet stylish manner.  With such a huge range of dishes to choose from, I ended up choosing three dishes that I thought were representational of my goals and a fourth dish, gyoza, because I’ve been a little bit obsessed with these dumplings since I tried them many years ago, but have never quite made the leap of attempting to cook them myself.

Gyoza are also known as Japanese Potsticker Dumplings and I discovered why in the preparation of this dish!  They’re simply a fried dumpling with a mixture of pork, spring onion, cabbage, egg, soy sauce & chilli oil however the cooking style is a little more unusual than other dumplings I have attempted before.  You fry them arranged in close rows for a couple of minutes until the bottoms are golden. You then add water, covering the pan and cooking again until the wrappers are translucent.  You then remove the lid and again continue cooking the dumplings until the water has mostly evaporated and the bottoms are crisp.

Inevitably the dumplings become extremely tactile and wind up sticking to the bottom of the pot, which is how they got their name.  This process also makes them very difficult to get out of the pot unscathed and I broke quite a few trying to scrape them out of the pan.

Japanese Potsticker Dumplings (Gyoza)

Boy are they delicious though!  I served mine as the recipe suggested with a dipping sauce of spring onions and soy sauce and some drizzled chilli oil.  They’re a little like dim sims in some regards, but lighter and somehow more delicate.  The juices from the meat burst into your mouth when you bite into the dumpling (a word of warning if you’re eating them straight from the pan – you could be in danger of a burnt tongue) and they’re full of flavour.  I could eat these for days on end.  Simply delicious!

I wanted to include a dish that allowed me to get a hit of umami for this challenge and this, for me, meant something with wakame (seaweed).  I chose a soba noodle salad with wakame for its freshness and because I thought it would go perfectly on an Australian summer day.

Again, it’s a very simple process.  Soak the wakame in cold water until it’s softened and shred.  Cook the noodles and drain and refresh them under cold water.  Mix the two along with finely julienned cucumbers, carrots, a handful of bean sprouts, sliced spring onions, fresh ginger, sesame oil, lime, soy sauce and toasted sesame seeds.  It’s served cold as a meal or as a side dish.

Soba Noodle Salad with Wakame

The salad certainly provided me with everything I had hoped.  It was fresh tasting, surprisingly filling and the umami made the mouth water, enhancing the flavours of the dish even more.  I would (and in fact already have) make this dish again and I could see it going perfectly with some grilled fish or chicken or as a tasty vegetarian alternative.

Next on my list was special occasion Japanese omelette crepes.  I chose this because they intrigued me.  Any omelette I would make usually either has eggs, maybe a bit of milk and not much else or has a mixture of vegetables and/or bacon as a filling.  Instead this one is a mix of ingredients that I would not normally associate with this kind of dish so I decided to give it a try.

The eggs are mixed with soy sauce, mirin, black sesame seeds, sugar and a pinch of salt.  You thinly fry them and they are eaten rolled up.  Usually you are supposed to roll them around a small amount of freshly steamed rice, however, as this wasn’t listed in the ingredients list, I somehow managed to completely overlook this detail until it came time to serving!  I decided to simply roll them up as is and secure them with a strand of chives rather than ruin them whilst I waited for rice to steam (besides by this time I had run out of eggs!).

Special Occasion Japanese Omelette Crepes

The taste of the omelette was very unusual for me.  There was a rich, fragrant taste that almost (but not quite) overpowered the egg.  The egg was still very discernible however and the entire result was a rich, fatty, savoury snack that, admittedly, could have done with a bit of rice to balance out the flavours.  It was still very tasty though and the dark sesame seeds against the yellow of the egg makes for an interesting visual effect as well as providing that gorgeous nutty flavour to the mix.

Finally, knowing the importance of tea to Japanese and other Asian cultures, I decided to make a green tea steamed cake for a sweet option.  I had some matcha in the cupboard which I don’t use very often but loved the idea of adding another dish that I could utilize this ingredient into my collection.  I was also thrilled with the recipes’ claim that it takes less than 20 minutes to cook from beginning to end (disclaimer: I didn’t actually time myself doing this so I have no way to substantiate if this claim is true or not.  It was a very quick process none the less!).

First up is preparing the frying pan by wrapping the lid with a kitchen towel which apparently prevents condensation from falling onto the cakes while they are steaming.  The pan is half-filled with water and covered with the lid as the water brought to the boil.

Next up you whisk together an egg and vegetable oil before adding honey and yogurt.  Sugar is mixed in before you sift flour and baking powder together and add to the mix.  Finally matcha powder is sifted and folded into the batter.  You are supposed to put cupcake liners into the ramekins before pouring the batter, however I decided to pour it directly into the ramekins themselves.  Once the water is boiling, the ramekins are placed inside the pan, covered with the lid and left to steam for 12-14 minutes.

I was originally planning to serve the cakes in the ramekins but found that they came out remarkably easily so ended up serving them on small individual plates with a touch of sweet red bean paste on top as a garnish.

Green Tea Steamed Cake

The cakes were beautifully light and fluffy with that hint of a chewy skin that you can only get from steamed cakes.  The matcha gave the cakes a nice savoury zing that was balanced beautifully by the sweetness of the honey, sugar and red bean paste.  Not to mention that gorgeous dusty green hue that screams of summer or spring.  They were delicious, delicate and incredibly moreish.  I am not ashamed to say that I polished off several small cakes within a very short period of time and this will certainly become a favourite recipe for morning teas or for when I’m looking for something a little different to serve.  I’d be very curious to try making a larger style cake in the same manner and see how that came out.

However, before we do that, it’s onto our next challenge…..

 

Country #41 – Cabo Verde

Challenge Log:
#41                    Date selected: 22/8/16                 Date completed: 11/9/16
Country selected: Cabo Verde
Dining Selection: Cooked Own
What was on the menu/recipe address:

• Canja (Thick Chicken Rice Soup)
  http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/cvrecipes.html
• Pudim De Queijo (Cheese Pudding)
  http://www1.umassd.edu/specialprograms/caboverde/cvrecipes.html

Wow I can’t believe how behind I am with my blogging! So much has happened in the past few months that I’ve become a bit slack and haven’t posted nearly as much as what I should have. I have finally moved house and am now living north of Melbourne in a very pretty townhouse with a fabulous kitchen so I have no excuse! I have been cooking I’ll have to try and belt through a few entries and get myself up to date.

The next country on my list is Cabo Verde which is also known as Cape Verde. It’s an island country in the Atlantic Ocean, 570km (350mi) off the coast of West Africa. It’s comprised of 10 volcanic islands clustered in a horseshoe shape and spanning a combined area of slightly over 4000 square kilometres (1,500 square miles).

The country was discovered by the Portuguese in the 15th century and, being perfectly located, prospered greatly throughout the 16th & 17th centuries from the Atlantic slave trade. It slipped into decline after the end of the slave trade before recovering and becoming an important commercial centre and stopover for shipping routes.

As the country is quite isolated from the rest of the world, it has resulted in the islands having a number of endemic species. In particular birds such as Alexander’s swift, the Cape Verde warbler and the Raso lark reside here amongst others, along with reptiles including the Cape Verde giant gecko. Many of these are now endangered due to human development.

Fish and staple foods such as corn and rice are staples of the local diet and these make up much of Cabo Verde’s cuisine. These are often supplemented with vegetables such as onions, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, kale, manioc and dried beans which are available most of the year or seasonal fruits such as mangoes and avocados or papayas and bananas.

I flipped between a few different recipe options when deciding on what to make for this challenge. There was quite a lot that looked very appetizing but in the end I went with a couple of dishes that didn’t require me to purchase too much extra in the way of ingredients and that I thought could be simple, tasty meal options that I could utilize again.

The first was a dish called Canja or thick chicken rice soup. It’s incredibly simple and hearty with a minimum of ingredients. You simply saute some onions, add a whole chicken that’s been cut up into pieces, boullion and water. Boil these up, add some rice and simmer until the desired consistency. So simple!

CANJA (thick chicken rice soup)

The soup itself is very tasty and I could imagine would be great for a winter’s cold. You do need to be wary of the bones from the chicken when eating it but, given how soft the meat is, I would think it would be fairly simple to pick the bones out prior to serving if you were squeamish about such things. Alternatively using chicken breasts or thighs would produce a similar result.
Next on my list was a dessert – Pudim de Queijo or Cheese Pudding. What attracted me to this one was the idea of using goats cheese in a dessert and also that burnt sugar is sprinkled on the bottom. I’ve never attempted to make burnt sugar and its really quite delicious – a mixture of cane or brown sugar and vegetable oil that’s cooked until just beginning to brown. As it cools the mixture takes on a deep brown colour as if it’s burnt.

The pudding is made making a thick syrup from sugar and water then adding the graded cheese. Once removed from the heat you combine this mixture with a LOT of egg yolks and a few egg whites. You sprinkle the bottom of the pan with burnt sugar, pour the mix on top and bake in a double boiler (or by adding the pan that the mixture is in to a pan filled with hot water before putting it into the oven).

The finished product of this dish didn’t quite turn out the way I had hoped and I think there were a few key indicative things I may have done wrong. First, I’m not sure I used the correct cheese. The recipe asks for a soft goat’s cheese. I went for a fetta which was more crumbly than soft and ended up giving the mixture a bit of a curdled texture to it. Something smoother probably would have resulted in a better result. Secondly, the dish I used was long and shallow. I think I would have achieved a better result using a deeper dish. The pudding wasn’t bad but I don’t think my attempt quite lived up to its full potential.

PUDIM DE QUEIJO (chesse pudding)

The dish itself if ridiculously sweet – too sweet even for a sweet tooth like me. It made my mouth pucker once the sugar hit the tongue. I would be likely to try and cut back on the sugar if making this again and try it make it less like a punch in the face. That said, the pungent flavour of the goat’s cheese does mean that you need to keep it on the sweet side and I think finding that balance and the consistency of the dish are the two key elements to doing this one successfully. One perhaps to attempt again at a later time!

But for now, onto the next challenge….

Country #30 – South Africa

Challenge Log:

#30        Date selected:    25/4/16 Date completed:  4/5/16

Country selected:  South Africa

Dining Selection:   Cooked Own

What was on the menu/recipe address:

• Traditional Cape Malay Bobotie
• https://africhef.com/Traditional-Cape-Malay-Bobotie-Recipe.html

 

• Souskluitjies (cinnamon dumplings)
• http://funkymunky.co.za/eighteen.html

 

Tuesday 26^th April 2016, 2.16pm

I’ve had a bit of a fascination for South Africa ever since I read the novel ‘The Power of One’ when I was a teenager.  It’s one of those places I’ve always wanted to visit but never quite made it there so I’m looking forward to seeing what this challenge uncovers.  My sister-in-law mentioned that there are some stores in Melbourne that specifically stock South African foods so I’m hoping I might get a chance to go check out some produce at some point too!

The coast of South Africa covers 2,798kms stretching along the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean.  It’s home to a very diverse set of cultures and has some of the highest numbers of official languages in the world (11 are recognised in the constitution).  Along with a number of African ethnicities, the country also has significant influences from Dutch and English cultures.

South Africa was subject to international scrutiny during the 20^th century for its attempts to institutionalise racial segregation.  Under apartheid, white minority rule was maintained and the rights, associations and movements of the non-white inhabitants were curtailed.  As a result of these policies, the vast majority of black South Americas were not enfranchised until 1994.  A lengthy and sometimes violent struggle by anti-apartheid activists helped to bring about the abolishment of many of the discriminatory laws.

Amongst these activists was a revolutionary, Nelson Mandela.  He served as President of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1991-1997 after his release from prison in 1990.  He had served 27 years on a conviction of conspiracy to overthrow the state in his fight against apartheid.  He was pivotal in the negotiations with President F.W. de Klerk to abolish apartheid and establish multiracial elections in 1994.  It was at this time he became the country’s first black president.  Over his lifetime he received more than 250 honours for his activism including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize and became known in South Africa as the ‘Father of the Nation.’

The traditional culture of South Africa’s black majority is predominantly upheld by the substantial number of rural inhabitants who lead largely impoverished lives.  Increasingly they are becoming urbanised and Westernised.

The cuisine, as per the culture, is diverse and foods from many cultures are enjoyed by all.   The diet is heavily meat based and South Africa has also developed into a major wine producer.   The Braai is a distinctively South African social gathering in which is meat is cooked outside in a similar fashion to the Australian, New Zealand or American barbeque.

Wednesday 4^th May 2016, 10.44pm

My choice of recipe went through a bit of an evolution for this challenge.  The range available online was plentiful and I knew that I wanted to make a couple of dishes that represented at least a couple of the different cultures that have influenced South African culture.  Beyond that I was open to suggestion.

I did really want to visit the South African store that my sister-in-law had mentioned and had planned a meal around doing a BBQ.  My plan was to pick up some Boerewors (traditional sausage) from the store, grill that on the BBQ at home and serve with a couple of different sides.  Life ended up getting in the way however.  Cash is tight at the moment and time was in short supply I was also invited to attend a couple of job interviews in the city – I live over an hour away from the CBD via public transport so these took the good part of the day to attend.  The weather over the past couple of days has also turned particularly bad with gale force winds and storms (not the best for cooking outside!).

I decided to scrap the BBQ idea entirely and instead went with a menu that I could source locally and cook indoors.  It ended up for the best however as, not only were the dishes I ended up choosing very tasty, but one of the people I interviewed with have offered me a job!  Winning all round!

The first item on my amended menu was a Cape Malay Bobotie which is kind of like a spiced meatloaf topped with a layer of egg.  It is thought to have arrived in South Africa with the advent of slaves and political exiles (mainly Javanese) and was chosen by the Women’s League of the United Nations as South Africa’s national dish.

Bobotie is actually a dish I have made before.  I have a vague recollection of making it when I was a teenager however the recipe I used was very different than this one.  I have no idea of the origins of the first.  This one however, is supposed to be a rather more elaborate, fruity version of the traditional recipe so perhaps that goes some way to explaining it.

The dish itself is quite easy to make.  It’s a case of mixing ground beef (the recipe calls for beef fillet that you mince prior to cooking but I simply bought pre-minced beef for convenience) with a large array of spices, some sultanas, flaked almonds, chutney, garlic and fried onion.  It is baked in the oven for half an hour until the meat is cooked then a mixture of egg and milk is poured over the top.  The meat is then put back in the oven until the egg mixture sets on top.

Cape Malay Bobotie

Wow does this meatloaf have a kick to it!  It’s almost like a flavoursome curry wrapped up in meatloaf form.  It’s got a nice amount of oil that creeps out and mixes with the liquid from the meat so it’s all lovely and juicy and the egg mix on top gives it a gorgeous golden look.  Every now and then you get a hit of sweetness whenever you bite into a sultana and the occasional bit of crunch from the almonds.

Bobotie is nothing like a traditional European style meatloaf and you could easily serve it at a dinner party if you wanted to add a bit of ‘comfort food’ to the menu.  I’d actually like to see how it would go if you were to split it up into little oven proof bowls so each guest got their own mini meatloaf.  I suspect it would look quite spectacular.

I ate mine with a bit of tomato sauce (as I used the last of the chutney in the meatloaf itself) and it went beautifully.  The recipe also suggests accompanying it with Sambels and I could see how that would work also.  Simply delicious!

For dessert I decided on an eighteenth century dish that obviously has a strong Dutch influence.  Souskluitjies are cinnamon dumplings that are boiled rather than baked or fried.

Again, it’s a very easy recipe to follow.  Simply rub butter into a flour mixture, add beaten egg and milk to make a thick batter.  You put spoonfuls of the batter into boiling water, cover the saucepan and leave them to simmer for around 10 minutes.  After removing the dumplings, you lightly butter them and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  You can also make a sauce by adding cinnamon sugar and butter into the water in which the dumplings were cooked.

The dumplings have a bit of a gelatinous texture to them and are even a little chewy.  They go nicely with the butter and cinnamon sugar however and I made the sauce which I found gave it a bit more complexity in texture.  The recipe didn’t actually state how much butter and sugar to add to the sauce so I simply went by taste.  I held back on the sugar a little but you could make it as sweet as you’d like.

Souskluitjies (cinnamon dumplings)

I wouldn’t call this a sophisticated dish but it was tasty and very easy to make.  It’s a dessert that would suit summer or winter and something that you could whip up quickly.  I imagine it would be something that could also appeal to kids who are still working on developing their palettes.  There’s flavour there but it’s not too complex and I think the textures would appeal to some of the kids I know.

Overall I was very happy with the choices I ended up making for this challenge.  I would happily make both of these dishes again and the Bobotie in particular was a great success.

Now onto our next challenge….

 

Country #28 – Canada

Challenge Log:

#28        Date selected:    14/4/16 Date completed:  22/4/16

Country selected:  Canada

Dining Selection:  Cooked Own

What was on the menu/recipe address:

·        Asparagus Salad with Canadian Ricotta Fritters

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/asparagus_salad_with_canadian_ricotta_fritters.php

·        Newfoundland Pea Soup

http://newfoundland.ws/Newfoundland_Recipes_Cookbook.asp?Recipe_ID=Newfoundland_Pea_Soup

• Sieonas Painitsiak

  http://icor.ottawainuitchildrens.com/node/32

·        Maple Creme Brulee with Hazelnuts

http://www.recipe.com/maple-creme-brulee-with-hazelnuts/

To be honest, I’m really not sure which direction this challenge is going to go.  Canada is such a large country and it’s very similar to Australia in terms of size and population  From the best of my knowledge, the cuisine is also very similar though I’m excited about discovering what traditional recipes I might be able to uncover.

The county is the second largest in the world by total area (fourth by land area).  Canada’s border with the United States is also the longest land border in the world.  Like Australia, much of Canada’s land area is sparsely populated though its climate is a lot colder.

Canada has a long and rich history with indigenous populations including the First Nations and Inuit people.  In 1000 AD, the first known attempt at European colonisation began when Norsemen settled briefly at L’Anse aux Meadows in Newfoundland.  Then no further exploration happened until the Atlantic coast was claimed by John Cabot in the name of King Henry VII of England in 1497.  Basque and Portuguese mariners established seasonal fishing and whaling outposts along the Atlantic coast and eventually the colonisation by the French began in 1534.

In modern times, Canada has become a multicultural society and in recent months has made worldwide headlines Justin Trudeau’s new parliament.  It has been dubbed the most diverse ever with 88 seats being held by women and with more Muslim and First Nation members than ever before in the nation’s history.

The cuisine reflects the multicultural nature of the nation but the overarching style of Canadian cuisine can be difficult to define.  In addition to the Aboriginal influences, much of the cuisine has been influenced by its European roots with particular emphasis on British and French tastes.

Friday 22^nd April 2016, 3.09pm

It took me quite a long time to decide what I wanted to make for this challenge.  I spent quite a bit of time looking at poutine (because, well….Canada!) but cheese curds were an issue.  I hunted high and low for sheep curd but it’s exceptionally hard to find in Melbourne.  Goats curd is available but not sheep for some reason.  I did look up alternatives and self made curd-like mix and baby bocconcini can be substituted but I felt uneasy about not using the real deal for this one.  I felt that for a dish that is essentially just chips, cheese and gravy, substituting one of the key ingredients wouldn’t be right.  I decided to ditch the poutine as an option and go with something else instead.

First on the list was Asparagus Salad with Canadian Ricotta Fritters.  Once again, cheese was a bit of an issue, with Canadian Ricotta unavailable here.  This dish was a bit more complex however and I felt more comfortable with substituting Australian ricotta for the real thing.

The dish is made up of thinly shaved asparagus spears with roasted walnuts and a dressing, topped with fried ricotta fritters.  It’s a rather elegant dish which would make a beautiful light summer lunch or – as in this instance – a great starter.  The asparagus is crisp after sitting in the ice water bath.  The dressing has a nice acidic kick to it and the fritters are beautifully rich and creamy.

Asparagus Salad with Canadian Ricotta Fritters

I like how different this is to your ordinary salad.  Without the tips, the asparagus flavour is only subtle and the textures blend well together.  It looks a lot more fancy than what it actually is and would be a nice addition to any dinner party.

For the next dish I decided on Newfoundland Pea Soup, served with Sieonas Painitsiak.

The Pea Soup takes quite a while to prep and several hours to cook but is actually relatively simple.  I chose corned beef for the meat and soaked that with the yellow split peas overnight.  The meat is boiled the following day.  Once cooked, it’s diced into pieces then boiled with the peas for another hour.  A mixture of diced (mostly root) vegetables are added to the soup and boiling continues until the vegetables are tender.

The end result is a hearty winter soup perfect for the cold weather that we’re experiencing here in Melbourne at the moment.  Dicing the vegetables means that each bite of the soup brings a different flavour to the palette.  The meat gives everything a comforting salty flavour and the peas help to thicken the broth nicely.

Newfoundland Pea Soup

This recipe makes a TON of soup!  I used only half quantities and had enough to fill a large pot.  It would easily serve 4-6 people (if not more).  It is also really economical and would be a great choice for a large family on a budget.  I only used a portion of the corned beef roast in the soup but you could easily add the whole thing if you wanted to ‘up’ the meat content.

In looking at choices for this challenge, I decided that I really wanted to try an indigenous recipe.  I came across an Inuit recipe called Sieonas Painitsiak which are like fried dumplings.   I still have absolutely no idea how to pronounce the name of them, but I thought that these would go nicely with the soup.

The dumplings were very easy to make, puffed up beautifully in the hot oil and came out a gorgeous golden brown colour.  They were crispy on the outside and light and doughy on the inside.

Sieonas Painitsiak

Now I’m not sure if it was simply a typo in the recipe, but these dumplings were incredibly salty!  It struck me that they were salt-heavy when I was mixing the dough but I didn’t realise quite how salty they would actually be.  It was almost like eating fried play dough!  I thought perhaps they might work better in the soup but alas, this didn’t work for me either.  The salt just overpowered everything.

I concede that it’s very possible that the recipe was designed to be salty in order to give the eater extra nutrients in, what I imagine to be very extreme wintery conditions, however, if you’re not a fan of salt, I would highly recommend substituting the tablespoons of salt listed in the recipe for teaspoons instead.  I think if I had done this, I would have really enjoyed this as a side.

For dessert, I went from super salty to super sweet with Maple Crème Brulee with Hazelnuts.  I had decided that making something with maple syrup was a must and I quite like crème brulee so this seemed like a winner to me.

I found the recipe easy to follow and this would be an easy dessert to make in ahead of time, with only the caramelised sugar needing to be then done before serving.  Don’t miss the sugar part as it creates a hard toffee-like shell on top of the brulee which needs to be cracked in order to get to the creamy goodness underneath.

The dish is definitely a sweet one so keep that in mind.  The hazelnuts do help cut through the sweetness but it’s still very much a sugar fest (probably heightened by the amount of salt contained in the last dish) so beware!

Maple Crème Brulee

That said, it is delicious, and in small servings would make a lovely end to a lighter, less salty meal.

Overall, I was very happy with the end result of this challenge, even if one of them wasn’t to my liking.  I think I was able to get a good range of different types of dishes and several of these will be making their ways onto my ‘make again’ list.

But for now, it’s time to choose another challenge…..

Country #25 – El Salvador

Challenge Log:

#25        Date selected:    2/4/16   Date completed:  4/4/16

Country selected:  El Salvador

Dining Selection:   Cooked Own

What was on the menu:

• Pastina-stuffed avocado
• Leche Poleada

Restaurant/Recipe address:

http://en.belgourmet.be/world_recipes/El_Salvador_recipes/Pastina_-_stuffed_Avocado_.php

http://latinaish.com/2012/06/27/leche-poleada/

 

Saturday 2^nd April 2016, 3.27pm

So for this challenge we’re off to a country that is known as the “Murder Capital of the World” – this should be interesting!

El Salvador is in Central America, nestled between Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.   It also happens to be the only one of the four countries that I can spell without help from spell check!  It’s the most densely populated country in Central America and has the unenviable reputation as having the highest murder rates in the world.

According to The Washington Post, El Salvador had more than 6,600 homicides in 2014.  That’s out of a population of 6 million and equates to around 18 homicides a day.  Gang violence is rife and, despite a drop in crime rate in recent years, it’s had a spike in murder rate with the 2015 stats showing an increase of about 70 percent from the year before.

Human Rights in the country is poor with Amnesty International drawing attention over the past 10 years including missing children, several arrests of police officers for unlawful police killings, rendering organised labour illegal and failure of law enforcement to properly investigate and prosecute crimes against women.  The gender gap seems quite significant and I was shocked to read that if a woman miscarries in El Salvador, it is frequently assumed she deliberately induced an abortion or could have saved the baby.  Long prison terms face women who did not know they were pregnant or who could not have prevented a miscarriage.

Salvadorian cuisine relies strongly on indigenous foods like beans, corn, squash and tomatoes with strong influences from Mayan culture.

 

Monday 4^th April 2016, 12.38pm

I like to try and mix things up a bit in these challenges so when I saw the recipe for Pastina-stuffed avocados, I decided to try them for my El Salvador challenge.  Whilst rice or couscous is usually utilized with avocado, the author decided to substitute pastina.  I did look for something a bit more traditional but had no luck so decided to go with this one regardless.  I also decided to do a traditional dessert – leche poleada, which sounded interesting to me.

Both recipes were quite easy to make and I was able to whip them up in a reasonable amount of time.

Finding pastina was a little difficult, but I was able to locate some in my “go-to” specialty grocers.  It is cooked over a stovetop in chicken stock and saffron.  If you were after a vegetarian option, I’m sure you could substitute the chicken stock for vegetable easily enough though the chicken stock did give it a lovely rounded flavour that complemented the other ingredients very well.  The recipe uses a surprisingly large amount of saffron and finding a cheaper powdered type substitute might be in order if you’re cooking a lot or are on a budget.

Pastina-stuffed Avocado

The avocado I used was probably a little firmer than I would have liked and I missed the creaminess that a riper fruit would have given me, but it did go very well with the pastina mixture.  There was way too much pastina mixture for the amount of avocado but it’s actually quite nice by itself and gives you the option of really piling it onto the plate if you wish.  It’s a deliciously fresh dish and the suggestion of serving it for a main course at lunch or as an entrée is right on the money.  It may be a little fiddly if you’re making lunch for yourself but would definitely work if you were hosting a lunch or dinner party for friends.

Leache Poleada was my choice for dessert and is reminiscent of a thick vanilla custard.  Again it’s a very easy dish to make and could easily be made in advance.  The thing to remember is to ensure you keep stirring the mixture as it heats as when the custard thickens, it does it very quickly and it would be extremely easy to burn the mixture accidentally if you weren’t paying attention.

Leche Poleada

I was a little worried that the amount of vanilla extract that the recipe called for was a little excessive, but I was pleasantly surprised at how balanced the taste was and it almost had a slight caramel taste to it.  The cinnamon on top is a must as that really complements the vanilla. I’m sure that there are a myriad of different options that you could serve with this dish.  I could see strawberries or similar sweet fruits going very well with it, or even a hint of chocolate.  I really enjoyed it as is however and found it a beautiful finish to this challenge.

Onto our next challenge however….

Country #24 – Lativa

Challenge Log:

#24        Date selected:    28/3/16 Date completed:  2/4/16

Country selected:  Latvia

Dining Selection:              Cooked Own

What was on the menu:

• Come Back Tomorrow

Restaurant/Recipe address:

http://www.latvianstuff.com/Comebacktomorrow.html

Crepe: http://www.latvianstuff.com/Crepes.html

 

Monday 28^th March 2016, 7.24pm

It was only a few challenges ago that I made a beautiful pasta style dish from Belarus.  This challenge, we’re heading to one of Belarus’ northern neighbours, Latvia, so I’m hoping that the recipe selection will be just as delicious!

Latvia has a long history of foreign rule but, despite this, retains one of only two surviving Baltic languages.  It’s managed to retain its identity throughout the generations via the language and musical traditions.  In fact, traditional Latvian folklore dates back well over a thousand years with more than 1.2 million texts and 30,000 melodies of folk songs having been identified.

The country, along with Estonia and Lithuania, took a unique approach to the way in which they demonstrated against Soviet Rule throughout the 1980s & 90s – the Singing Revolution eventually led to the restoration of independence in 1991.

Meat features in most main meals in Latvia and fish is regularly consumed given the country’s location on the Baltic Sea.  Latvian cuisine is typically agricultural in nature and has been influenced by its neighbouring countries.  The food is generally quite fatty with very few spices used.  Grey peas and ham are generally considered staples, along with a dark bread called Rupjmaize that’s made from rye.

Friday 1^st April 2016, 2.36pm

I suspect that the main reason I chose this recipe was less to do with the fact that I like crepes and more to do with the name of the dish.  “Come Back Tomorrow” is such an odd name for a recipe but it makes sense if you think of the fact that it’s traditionally made with the leftovers of ‘yesterday’s’ roast beef.

Having been flat out attending shows as a part of this year’s Melbourne International Comedy Festival, I had no leftover roast beef to work from.  Instead I used roast beef from the supermarket which is usually intended for lunch meat in sandwiches.  Given that the meat is supposed to be ground, I didn’t think it would be an issue and I think that this was a perfectly acceptable substitute in the end.

Crepe making is not my forte – it’s not something I’ve done much of so I was a little cautious going into this challenge.  It did take me a bit of time to get the hang of how much mixture to put in the pan each time but by the end of the mixture, I think I was getting a reasonable crepe – light with a nice crispy outer rim.  My first attempts were pretty woeful but we’ll just forget about those ones!

My first attempt at “Come Back Tomorrow”

Apart from the crepe making itself, the recipe is pretty easy to make – grind up the beef, add the chopped onions, sour cream…….

Saturday 2^nd April 2016, 3.02pm

Shit.

I’m mid sentence in my write up when I realise that something’s not right.  I’ve forgotten to add beef bouillon to the recipe!  I can’t see how I can give myself a pass after missing one of what is essentially only a handful of ingredients.  Under my self-imposed rules, I’m going to have to try this again!

The second attempt was even easier than the first as I had the hang of how much mixture to use, how hot to have the pan, etc. from the previous attempt.  I remember to add the bouillon this time round too!

Due to this extra liquid in the mix, the crepes were a little more difficult to wrap than the last batch.  The juice makes the crepes a little slippery and it’s harder to get a grip.  It’s manageable though and everything was made with little fuss.

As per last time, I served the dish with cranberry sauce and a generous dollop of sour cream.

“Come Back Tomorrow” – My second attempt

To be honest, I didn’t find a significant difference between the two attempts in terms of taste.  The bouillon certainly makes the crepes juicer and perhaps enhances the beefy taste a little, but overall there’s not much between them.

Second, juicer, attempt at “Come Back Tomorrow”

The dish itself is delicious!  The crepes are incredibly moreish and if they weren’t so full of fat, I’d happily eat these on a regular basis.  I used only a small frying pan so the parcels were quite small but they’re pretty filling.  They’d be perfect for a decadent brunch and you could easily make the parcels in advance, frying them off just before serving.

The crepes without the filling are also very yummy and I did try them with some sweet toppings also.  Can confirm that they’re also very tasty with maple syrup, whipped cream and nuts.

Despite the rocky start, I’m very impressed with the end result to this challenge and I’d happily make the dish again.

But for now, the next challenge lies ahead……

Country #23 – India

Challenge Log:

#23        Date selected:    26/3/16 Date completed:  28/3/16

Country selected:  India

Dining Selection:              Cooked own

What was on the menu:

• Tadka Dal
• Palak Paneer (Spinach in Cottage Cheese)
• Strawberry Phirni

Restaurant/Recipe address:

http://chefinyou.com/2008/12/08/tadka-dal-recipe/

http://maayeka.com/2016/03/strawberry-phirni.html

 Recipe for Palak Paneer taken from ‘Extending the Table (World Community Cookbook)” by Joetta Handrich Schlabach.  Found on Amazon Kindle books here:  http://www.amazon.com.au/Extending-Table-World-Community-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00AKDXRCU/ref=sr_1_2?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1457172097&sr=1-2&keywords=extending+the+table

Saturday 26^th March 2016, 2.51pm

Hooray – another excuse for curry!  As you might be able to tell, I’m a little excited about picking India for my next challenge though I didn’t expect to get it so soon, having only completed my Pakistani challenge a short time ago.

India is the second-most populous country in the world (and the most populous democracy) with over 1.2 billion people.  The country is nestled amongst quite a few other countries – namely China, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh.  It borders the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east.

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India with Judaism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism and Islam arriving in the 1^st millennium CE.  A very diverse culture evolved with this mix of influences, with the British East India Company shaping this further during the 18^th & 19^th centuries.

The struggle for India’s independence was marked by a figure synonymous with freedom and non-violent resistance – Mahatma Gandhi. He attempted to practise nonviolence and truth in all situations and advocating for others to do the same, leading nationwide campaigns for easing poverty, expanding women’s rights, building religious and ethnic amity, ending untouchability and achieving self-rule.  He is unofficially called the Father of the Nation and helped India achieve independence in 1947.  He was assassinated in January 1948 on his way to a prayer meeting with his death sparking nationwide mouring.  His funeral procession was five-miles long.  Over two million people joined the procession which took over five hours to reach Raj Ghat from Birla house where he was assassinated.

Like Gandhi, many Indians practice vegetarianism and the cuisine is heavily influenced by religious and cultural choices and traditions.  It has also helped the history of international relations, the spice trade between India and Europe being one such example.  Rice, beans and other pulses feature heavily as staples with a wide range of spices and flavourings utilized throughout.

Monday 28^th March 2016, 6.37pm

I decided to go vegetarian for this challenge.  In part this is because vegetarianism is so common in India but also because I’m keen to try some more vegetarian options in my diet.  I decided to try a few different recipes and went for a vegetable based curry, a lentil based curry and a dessert.

Lentils are very common in India and I was surprised just how many different versions were available online.  Many called for a pressure cooker and this item has obviously made the traditional style of cooking much easier and quicker.  Unfortunately I don’t have one myself so this wasn’t an option.  I toyed with adapting the method for stove top or slow cooker but realised, with a bit more research, this wouldn’t be necessary.

The range of different lentils used is simply incredible!  I didn’t even realise there were so many different types out there.  There is a strong Indian community in Australia and many of the different varieties of lentils are available online, but in the end I decided to go with what we already had in the cupboard.

Tadka Dal is a simple red lentil curry.  I settled on this one because of its vibrant colour and the selection of spices used in the recipe.  Thanks to the addition of the turmeric, it comes out a bright saffron colour that’s really quite beautiful.

Tadka Dal

It’s easy to make – a steady process of sautéing then simmering the various ingredients to make the dish, then frying off a bunch of different spices and adding them to the finished product for an extra layer of flavour (called tempering).  It’s not a particularly spicy curry and I think I might have added a bit too much water to the lentils which watered it down a bit but the flavours of the mustard seeds, garlic and ginger filter through and gives it plenty of flavour (though subtler than I had expected).

The recipe gives you the option to add some lemon juice to the dish.  I had planned on doing so and even had the lemon ready on the bench, but completely forgot to add it in the end!  I have some leftovers which I was planning on eating for lunch tomorrow so perhaps I’ll try the added lemon then instead.

I did however use a small amount of curry powder (in lieu of the optional curry leaves mentioned in the recipe) and this gave it another layer of complexity.  I didn’t have any asafoetida but I read that onion powder was a suitable substitute so added a bit of that instead.

Next was the vegetable-based dish.  I settled on Palek Paneer (Spinach in Cottage Cheese) as I thought it would be a nice creamy contrast to the lentils.

Spinach with Cottage Cheese

It’s incredibly easy to make – fry off some onion and ginger, add fresh chopped spinach, chilli, garlic and a cinnamon stick and cook for about 10 minutes.  Later add some chopped tomato, some cottage cheese and a bit of water and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed.  That’s it!

Now I have to admit that this isn’t the prettiest of dishes to look at.  It’s actually kind of off putting to be honest.  What it lacks in visual appeal however, is more than made up for in flavour.  It has a smooth, creamy texture and the flavours of the cinnamon and spinach shine through.  I found it incredibly moreish and actually went back for seconds it was so good!  I could easily eat this on a regular basis and the best thing about it (as well as the lentil dish for that matter) is that it’s incredibly healthy.  Definitely one to add to the favourites list!

I served both curries with rice and kind of picked and chose between them.  Neither was particularly spicy and I think would be fairly accessible for anyone who is looking to broaden their diet.  I’m used to eating quite a lot of meat but I didn’t miss it at all with this dinner.

Lastly, I decided to try and Indian dessert.  I found it too difficult to pass by the Strawberry Phirni so that made it onto the menu.  It’s basically a strawberry flavoured rice pudding but the rice is ground down so it’s much smoother than you’d imagine.  It’s sweet but not sickly sweet, has a lovely hint of cardamom through it and goes deliciously topped with almonds and pistachios.  I also added a few rose petals (my new favourite thing!) and these went beautifully with the dish.  I’m actually not a huge fan of strawberries but I really liked this dish and would definitely try it again.

Strawberry Phirni

All up I was incredibly happy with this meal and will almost certainly be trying them again sometime in the future.

But first, onto the next challenge…..

 

 

 

Country #19 – Belarus

Challenge Log:

#19        Date selected:    19/3/16 Date completed:  20/3/16

Country selected:  Belarus

Dining Selection:              Cooked Own

What was on the menu:

• Lazanky with Bechamel Sauce, pork sausages and mushrooms
• Belarusian Pie

Restaurant/Recipe address:

http://worldrecipes.expo2015.org/en/recipe-lazanky_14019.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/white-sauce-or-bechamel-sauce-40046

http://knihi.com/none/Belarusian_cuisine-en.html#chapter11

 

Saturday 19^th March 2016, 4.49pm

Anything I know about Belarus I learned from watching Eurovision, so I think we can safely say that I know virtually nothing about Belarus!

Looking at a map, Belarus is wedged in between Poland and Russia, with Lithuania and Latvia to the North and Ukraine to the South.  It was a precarious position during WWII and the country was devastated by military operations.  It lost more than half of its economic resources and about a third of the population during these years.

The politics of Belarus are fraught with citisizim from the international community.  According to many, political opposition has been violently suppressed by the government (headed by president Alexander Lukashenko) and, until being surpassed by Russian in 2014, Belarus’ democracy index rating was the lowest in Europe.  It was rated as the worst country in Europe for press freedom according to Reporters Without Borders and labelled as ‘not free’ by Freedom House.

Belarus is also the only European country which retains capital punishment in law and in practice.

Vegetables, meat (particularly pork) and bread are common in Belarusian cuisine and are usually slow cooked or stewed.  Rye bread is more plentiful than wheat because conditions tend to be too harsh for growing the wheat.  It is traditional for a host to present an offering of bread and salt when greeting a guest or visitor in order to show hospitality.

Sunday 20^th March 2016, 8.32pm

The first thing I noticed about Belarusian cooking, is that much of it is left up to the creativity of the cook.  With both dishes I made for this challenge, the recipe gave the base for the dish and the fillings or additions are left for interpretation.  I kind of like the idea that one recipe can have thousands of different variations on the theme.  For mine, I tried to stay true to my limited knowledge of Belarus and its cuisine.

The first dish I decided to try was Lazanky.  It’s basically a dough that is rolled out, cut into squares and boiled in a similar manner to pasta.  It’s fairly simple to make but quite time consuming to do all the rolling and cutting.

The recipe I used was a little vague on details such as how thin the dough should be rolled (mine ended up around 2-3 millimetres thick) and how big the squares should be (mine were 2-3 centimetres but varied a bit).  It’s difficult to be sure whether my estimates were correct but the dish turned out ok so I couldn’t have been too far off.  It did occur to me that you could probably use a pasta machine to roll out the dough for this recipe if you found it easier though I would probably still keep it on one of the settings for a thicker dough than your traditional Italian-style pasta.

There was no instructions for the béchamel sauce included in this recipe.  I could have probably made one up but in the spirit of the challenge, I found one online and used that instead.  There was also very little guidance given on what other toppings to use.  Given my limited knowledge of Belaurian cusine, I decided to fry up some pork sausage (which I cut into slices), mushrooms and red onion and put that on top of the Lazanky.  I then poured the béchamel over and topped with a dollop of sour cream.  To finish, I sprinkled some fresh chives over the top.

Lazanky with bechamel sauce, pork sausages and mushrooms

It was delicious.  The Lazanky was tasty and just slightly chewy – definitely very similar to pasta.  The choice of toppings worked beautifully and the chives gave it just the right amount of freshness.  I could imagine that some chopped parsley would also work quite well.

This is a dish that I wouldn’t mind experimenting a bit more with.  There are several different options in terms of flour and endless possibilities for toppings and accompaniments.  It is a lot of prep work however so if you are planning on trying this one, make sure you have plenty of time on your hands.

The Lazanky, whilst time consuming, was less work than my second dish of the challenge – Belarusian Pie.

The pastry for this dish is made up of a dough using dried yeast so it involves a leavening process.  It’s a step by step process with lots of time in between each where the dough is left to rise (a couple of hours all up).  My past experience with dried yeast has sometimes yielded questionable results so I was pleased to find that my dough rose quite nicely and had the smooth, elastic quality that the recipe called for.

There were some slightly odd aspects of the recipe and I do wonder if someone has tried to convert parts of it into metric and not quite got parts right.  For example, the recipe tells you to roll the dough into a layer 3-4cm thick.  That’s a VERY thick dough and I suspect they meant 3-4mm (which is approx. what I rolled mine out to in the end).

The recipe states that the dish can be decorated by cutting out various shapes in dough and placing these on top of the pie before cooking.  The only small cutter I could find was a star so my pie ended up looking a bit like it had just come out of Hogwarts, but it was cheerful and fun to do.

Belarusian Pie

 

The recipe also says to put the pie into the oven at 220-230 degrees Celsius for 25-30 mins.  I was using a normal baking tray instead of a griddle (as I don’t own one myself) so this may have made a difference, but I found that the oven was a bit too hot for the pastry.  I noticed that it was very dark after about the 10 minute mark when I checked on it.  Worried it might burn, I turned down the oven for the remaining time.  It may be the correct temperature, but I would strongly recommend checking your pie when cooking to make sure that it doesn’t over-cook if trying this dish yourself.

Once again, the recipe did not state what kind of filling to use for this pie.  I decided to go fairly basic and lightly stewed some apples with some cloves, cinnamon and a little bit of lemon rind/juice.  I also added some sultanas.  I was going to add some sugar with it as well but I decided to keep it as is and sprinkle some icing sugar over the top of the pie once it was cooked instead.

The end result was pretty yummy!  I cut the pie into large slices and served them with cream.  The dough was nice and light.  It was crispy on the edges and thinner than I had expected.  I imagine it would have turned out crispier still if I had left the oven on the higher setting but I quite enjoyed it the way it was.

Belarusian Pie with cream

Neither of these dishes were particularly healthy and I don’t want to even think about the fat content involved!  They were rich and warming though and would make for great comfort eating.  Both are worth exploring some more I suspect.

But for now, onto the next challenge……