Meal #8 - Togo- Chicken Groundnut Soup

Tomatoes, onions, chickens and peanut butter; how does that sound for a food combination?  Those are the flavors I got to combine in making food from the west African country of Togo - a country of 6.7 million residents that relies mainly on an agricultural economy.

As a colonial state, Togo was divided between English and German control, before being transferred to France at the end of World War I. The cultural of Togo is influences by these colonial roots and the 37 ethnic groups living in the country - primarily the Ewe, Mina, and Kabre.

The cuisine of Togo is fairly traditional, with chicken and fish being the most important protein staples. Plantains and peanuts are both staples of the cuisine. My dish choice for the country is a chicken groundnut soup. I was leery going into the recipe seeing the combination of tomatoes, onion and peanut butter. However, the combination more than worked, and produced a pretty awesome hearty stew.

Recipe:

1 chicken, cut into serving pieces, browned by frying and seasoned 1 large onion, chopped 2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped 1 small tin tomato paste 1 Maggi cube 240g peanut butter salt and pepper to taste 600ml water

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-chicken-groundnut-soup
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1 chicken, cut into serving pieces, browned by frying and seasoned 1 large onion, chopped 2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped 1 small tin tomato paste 1 Maggi cube 240g peanut butter salt and pepper to taste 600ml water

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-chicken-groundnut-soup
Copyright © celtnet

1 chicken, cut into serving pieces, browned by frying and seasoned 1 large onion, chopped 2 fresh tomatoes, finely chopped 1 small tin tomato paste 1 Maggi cube 240g peanut butter salt and pepper to taste 600ml water

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-chicken-groundnut-soup
Copyright © celtnet1 chicken, cut into cubes, cooked throughout and browned

1 chicken cut into cubes and chunks, pan fried and browned
1 large onion chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
1 small can tomato paste
1 maggi cube (chicken bullion)
240 gms. peanut butter
salt and pepper to taste
600 ml water

Method:

Add the onion and water to a saucepan then add the peanut butter and tomato paste. Cook on gently heat until the oil form the peanut butter starts to come to the surface of the sauce. Add the chicken and cook for five minutes before adding the tomatoes and seasoning. Stir over a gentle heat and cook for about 25 minutes, or until the chicken is tender.

Read more at Celtnet: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-chicken-groundnut-soup
Copyright © celtnet

Add the water and onions to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the peanut butter and tomato paste and heat on medium heat until the oil from the peanut butter separates and rises to the top. Add the chicken, cook for five minutes. Add tomatoes and seasoning. Cook covered on low heat for 25 minutes.

recipe from: http://www.celtnet.org.uk/recipes/miscellaneous/fetch-recipe.php?rid=misc-chicken-groundnut-soup

Meal #7 - England - Fish and Chips

OK, so you might say I'm cheating, by doing something like Fish and Chips instead of blood pudding or one of the strange breakfasts I found, but I swear to god that Fish and Chips is actually the national dish of England. Making fish and chips also gave me a little bit of free reign to explore with my own recipe instead of using someone else's. Below is a list of the ingredients I put in my breading. I think the addition of the lemon peel to the recipe was a real winner - it took away the need to squirt that little bit of lemon juice on the fish before eating them for that citrus bite all seafood needs.

Recipe:

1 lb. fish fillets cut into nice-sized pieces (I used cod)
Corn meal
Flour
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried lemon peel
milk
egg

Beat the egg and milk into a mixture.
Combine the dry ingredients
Dip the fish into the egg mixture, coat in flour mixture.
Fry in hot oil until fish is flaky throughout.

Fried Recipe:

Potatoes
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Oil for frying

Cut the potatoes into slices using a mandolin slicer.
Place in hot oil until just crispy on the edges.
Remove from oil and season.

Meal #6 - El Salvador - Pupusas

 So, last week for lunch, I made the national dish of El Salvador - pupusas. Pupusas are kind of like corn tortillas, but are thicker and with a bean, meat, or cheese filling. For some of mine I put chilies in with the cheese, and it was definitely a winning experiment. The hardest thing with this recipe was learning how to fold the pupusa so that none of the toppings leaked out. I'd say it took me about 4 tries to get one that didn't leak at all. I wish I could say that I had a "pro tip" here for anyone wanting to make this, but I don't - just give it some practice and hope for the best. My strategy was to roll it up into a ball and then flatten it out in between my hand. In the recipe below, it says to use a tortilla press, but I found it works better the traditional method of flattening them between your palms work just as well.

Fun Fact:

In El Salvador, Nov. 13 is Pupusa Day, a holiday meant to remind how important the food is to the national culture.

Another fun fact: In El Salvador, Pupusa is a common slang for the female vagina.

Makes 4-5 pupusas

• Masa harina -- 2 cups
• Warm water -- 1 cup
• Filling (see variations) -- 1 cup

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together the masa harina and water and knead well. Knead in more water, one tablespoonful at a time if needed, to make a moist, yet firm dough. (It should not crack at the edges when you press down on it.) Cover and set aside to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Roll the dough into a log and cut it into 8 equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
3. Press an indentation in each ball with your thumb. Put about 1 tablespoon of desired filling into each indentation and fold the dough over to completely enclose it. Press the ball out with your palms to form a disc, taking care that that the filling doesn't spill out.
4. Line a tortilla press with plastic and press out each ball to about 5-6 inches wide and about 1/4-inch thick. If you don't have a tortilla press, place the dough between two pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and roll it out with a rolling pin.
5. Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-high flame. Cook each pupusa for about 1-2 minutes on each side, until lightly browned and blistered. Remove to a plate and hold warm until all pupusas are done. Serve with curtido and salsa roja.

Variations

• Pupusas de Queso: With a cheese filling. Use grated quesillo, queso fresco, farmer's cheese, mozzarella, Swiss cheese or a combination. Add some minced green chile if you like.
• Pupusas de Chicharrones: With a filling of fried chopped pork and a little tomato sauce. A reasonable facsimile can be made by pulsing 1 cup of cooked bacon with a little bit of tomato sauce in a food processor.
• Pupusas de Frijoles Refritos: With a refried bean filling.
• Pupusas Revueltas: Use a mixture of chicharrones, cheese and refried beans.
• Pupusas de Queso y Loroco: With a cheese and tropical vine flower filling. Loroco can be found in jars at many Latin markets.
• Pupusas de Arroz: A variety of pupusa that uses rice flour instead of corn masa.
• Cooked potatoes or finely minced, sautéed jalapeño peppers are also tasty fillings. Try a mixture of different fillings.
• The above recipe uses masa harina, a special dried cornmeal flour used in making tortillas, tamales, etc. If you are able to get fresh masa, definitely use it instead. The flavor will be much fresher. Just substitute the masa harina and water with fresh masa. One pound will make about 4-6 pupusas depending on size.

Meal #5 Chile - Cazuela de Vaca

So, I'm a little bit behind in my blog, so in the next 8 hours, there are going to be three updates. Going back to last weekend, I started the weekend off by making a traditional Chilean stew called Cazuela. For my cazuela I chose to make a beef stew, although I saw recipes that used chicken or no meat at all. The stew turned out really well, even though I was making it a bit out of season. What I did to make it out of season was substituted the pumpkin with butternut squash. 

  

 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds beef roast
• 1 (32 ounce) carton beef broth
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup polenta (coarse or fine)
• 8 red potatoes, cut in half
• 1 onion, quartered
• 1 1/2 pounds slice of pumpkin (calabaza)
• 2 ears corn, cut into thirds
• 1 carrot, cut into 1/2 inch slices
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 stalk celery, cut into chunks
• 1 leek, split in half, then cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon mild paprika
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves (lightly packed)

Directions

1. Cut the piece of beef into 6 large chunks (one per serving). Place the beef into a large saucepan; pour in the beef broth and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium, cover, and simmer until nearly tender, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
2. Stir the polenta into the stew along with the potatoes and onion. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Cut the pumpkin into 6, serving-sized pieces, and add to the stew along with the corn, carrot, bell pepper, celery, and leek; simmer until the vegetables are tender, adding more water if needed to barely cover. Stir in the oregano and paprika during the last 5 minutes.
3. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into serving bowls, and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.

Meal #4 - Oman - Marak Shibass

Well, it had to happen eventually - something didn't turn out. For Saturday dinner, I tried making this shrimp-based soup from the Middle Eastern country of Oman. I got the recipe from an English language newspaper from Oman. The soup that I made looked just like the picture included with the recipe, but the taste was watery and disappointing. If I had to guess, I would say the fish and meat spices listed in the recipe is a different and stronger version than the generic American supermarket fish and meat spice I used.

I'll include the recipe here, just in case anyone wants to take a crack at making some changes and rescuing it. 
Ingredients
3 onion (chopped)
1kg prawns (boiled with turmeric)
6 garlic cloves (crushed)
3-4 dried lemon (peel)
1 tsp meat and fish spices
Green coriander
1 tbs tomato paste
4 tomatoes
Green chilli (if desired)
Salt
1/4 cup ghee

Method
Wash the prawns and shell or boil in water with 1 tsp turmeric and pinch of salt and shell.
Fry onions until brown. Add water when necessary. Add ghee, dried lemon, garlic, crushed spices and stir.
Chop the tomatoes and add together with the tomato paste. Add the prawns and leave to absorb the spices. Add the coriander and enough water. Bring to boil, then serve.
Do not add water.

Meal #3 - Uzbekistan - Plov

The next stop on my dinner tour takes me to the landlocked central Asian country of Uzbekistan. A former Soviet republic located north of Afghanistan and south of Kazakhstan. Once part of the Persian Empire, the country was captured by Uzbek nomads of Turkic descent in the 16^th century. Today, most of Uzbekistan’s 27 million people belong to this Uzbek ethnic group, speaking the Uzbek language, and preparing food unlike other Middle Eastern and Asian countries.

For dinner tonight, I made plov (also known as palov or osh), the national dish of Uzbekistan. Much like chili in the United States, there are about as many recipes for plov as there are people who cook it. Pretty much everyone seems to agree on a few key ingredients: rice, carrots, onions, meat and cumin. I chose a recipe that added coriander and peppercorns to this recipe as well. Making the dinner was much easier than I had anticipated, which is good because Katelin had friends over for dinner and I had no backup plan if my plov failed. The best bet for making this is to prep all the ingredients ahead of time before heating up the oil and beginning the actual cooking process.

The food itself was delicious and quite filling. Our guests said they enjoyed the texture of the carrots and onions in the rice, and the strong almost spiced taste the cumin gave the rice. It’s tough to give an exact comparison for the taste, but it was reminiscent of both Pakistani and Northern Iranian food. I used lamb stew meat from a local grocery store and was not disappointed. If you wanted to substitute beef or chicken, I’m sure it would work; it just wouldn’t be traditional Uzbek food. 

Recipe:

2 cups long grain parboiled rice
5 large carrots
2 large onions 

3/4 pound cubed leg of lamb
1/4 pound lamb fat or oil
4 cups vegetable or lamb broth
1 tsp peppercorns (can substitute regular pepper)
2 tbsp coriander seeds
2 tbsp cumin seeds (can substitute cumin powder)

1.    Peel and cut two large onions in half, then thinly slice crosswise. Peel and coarsely grate 6 large carrots. Set aside.

2.    Grind the spices in a mortar until you have a spice powder. Set aside.

3.     Prepare your workspace with the broth behind, a large Dutch oven in front and the ingredients on the side. Set two plates aside to reserve the meat and lamb fat.

4.      Heat the lamb fat or oil in a large Dutch oven until the fat/oil bubbles and emits a whitish smoke. Be careful not to burn the oil. If using lamb fat, remove the unmelted hunks of fat from the hot oil.

5.      Fry lamb meat in hot oil until browned on all sides and cooked throughout. Remove from oil and reserve meat.

6.      Add sliced onions to Dutch oven and cook in hot oil until browned (about 5-10 minutes.)

7.      Add ground spice mixture and mix well. Heat for one minute.

8.      Add grated carrots and cook for two minutes or until carrots and soft.

9.      Add the reserved meat. Reduce heat to medium high and cook until all ingredients are hot

10.  Pour two cups of uncooked rice over the top of the meat and vegetable mixture (known in Uzbek as the zirvak). I used par-boiled long grain rice to make my plov, but you could substitute a more Asian rice like jasmine rice for better flavor. If you do substitute rice, make sure you adjust the amount of time you let your plov simmer to ensure the rice will be cooked.

11.  Pour hot broth over the rice. Turn heat to low and simmer until rice is tender and cooked (about 15 minutes)

12.  Serve and enjoy

Meal #2 - Poland - Apricot Glazed Kielbasa

The second country on my list was Poland. I chose to make this simple but tasty Polish appetizer before joining friends for Sunday's Packer's game. It was delicious, and best of all easy. A true winner for a game-time snack to share with friends.

Recipe:

1 pound kielbasa
1 cup apricot preserves
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder 

In a medium sauce pan, combine all ingredients except kielbasa. Mix well, and cook over low heat until well balanced (clear and smooth).

Cut kielbasa into bite-sized pieces and add to sauce. Heat thoroughly.

Make sure heat is low, and cook for at least an hour until the sauce cooks down. The longer it cooks, the better. I cooked mine for about two hours.

 
Recipe from: http://www.food.com/recipe/polish-appetizer-146022#ixzz1C5I2mjIL

This coming weekend: Oman, Uzbekistan and Chile