IFN: Malagasy Dining Extraordinaire...

So the menu was really awesome, and was as follows:

Lasopy (beef veggie puree soup), Varenga (roasted shredded beef), Vary Amin Anana (rice and greens), Lasary Voatabia (tomato and scallion salad), with Sakay (red pepper sauce), and Salady Voankazo for dessert (vanilla fruit).

So the first course was Lasopy:

Does it look gross? Kind of. But it was a really good, thick vegetable soup with a whole lot of vitamins and nutrition, and it was super easy to make!

Then the main course:

 

It was really quite good! Our favorite was the rice. (And we forgot to take a picture of the dessert...)

At any rate, try it out. It's all pretty simple to make and makes a great meal together, or you could piece and pair with some other favorites.

Lasopy

Vegetable Puree Soup

serves 4

Beef stock (for base)

1 qt. water

salt

pepper

3 carrots, peeled and cut into large pieces

1 turnip, peeled and cut into chunks

1 bunch scallions, cut into large pieces

2 c. fresh green beans

2 tomatoes, quartered

In a large pot, simmer for about an hour until veggies are tender.

Puree in blender or food processors.

Serve thick soup hot.

Varenga

Roasted Beef

serves 4

2 lbs. boneless chuck, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 qt. water

2 T. salt

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 c. onion, slices

In a large pot, cover and bring to a boil.

Simmer gently for about 2 hours or until meat can be shredded easily with a fork.

Add water if necessary to keep meat at simmering point.

Shred the meat and transfer to a 9x12 in baking pan. Pour sauce on top.

Roast at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes until meat is nicely browned across the top.

Vary Amin Anana

Rice and Greens

serves 6

1/2 lb. boneless chuck, cut into small cubes

2 T. oil

1 tomato, cut into pieces

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 in. pieces

3/4 lb. spinach, cut into small pieces

1 bunch watercress, cut into small pieces

1 c. rice

salt

pepper

Brown meat in oil.

Add all except rice

Saute, stirring occasionally until veggies soften and volume is lowered.

Add 2 c. water (or enough to cover veggies)

Add rice.

Cover tightly and simmer until rice is thoroughly cooked and water is gone.

(Serve with Sakay sauce)

Sakay

Hot Red Pepper Sauce

Combine

1/2 c. crushed red pepper

1 T. ground ginger

2 cloves garlic, crushed

Add 4 T. oil to make a mush.

Lasary Voatabia

Tomato and Scallion Salad

serves 4

1 bunch scallions, finely diced

2 c. tomatoes, finely diced

2 T. water

1 t. salt

Tabasco sauce to taste

Combine all, stir lightly, and chill.

Salady Voankazo

Vanilla Fruit

1 fresh pineapple cut into 1 in. dice

1 small cantaloupe, cut into 1 in. dice

1 mango, diced

1 c. strawberries, sliced

(you could add whatever fruit you wanted)

Mix fruit so it is well blended.

In saucepan combine:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. water

1/4 t. salt

2 T. fresh lemon juice

Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute.

Add 2 T. vanilla extract.

Pour over fruit, chill.

Can serve with additional vanilla extract on top.

IFN: Where in the World is Benin?!

So we originally pulled out Iran from the bag of countries this week, but we cheated and put it back. We figured since we just had Middle Eastern food, we'd give ourselves at least a week's respite. And out came Benin! Originally we thought it was a country in the Caribbean. Not so much. It's a tiny county in West Africa on the southern coast. Yeah. Who knew? Probably some of you, but not us.

The food was excellent. We made two dishes. Beninese Beef Stew (which was a curry... and so delicious!) and Couscous Azindessi.

This is the couscous azinedessi (couscous with peanut sauce!)

Here's the couscous with the Beninese Beef Stew over rice. Both delectable! Also really simple to make. (Though it does take a couple hours of simmering to make the beef tender.)

Here are the recipes! Enjoy!

Beninese Beef Stew
serves 4

1-1 1/2 lbs. beef stew meat
2 medium onions, chopped
3 T. Spicy Curry
2 t. salt
ground Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
ground Chipotle Pepper (to taste)
1 can coconut milk
1 c. water
1 sweet potato, cut into chunks, and deep fried
4 T. butter
1 T. flour
4 T. smooth peanut butter
5 garlic cloves, minced
several whole okra with tops removed (we couldn't find any, so we didn't use them)

Melt butter. Brown beef. Remove beef and use the remaining oil to fry onions and garlic until golden brown.

Add flour, curry, salt, peppers, and peanut butter. Heat for a minute, then slowly add coconut milk, then add the water. Heat for a minute. Simmer until thickened. Add beef and simmer until meat is tender (can take up to two hours)


About 20 minutes before serving add sweet potatoes and okra.

Serve over rice.

Couscous Azindessi
serves 4

1 package couscous
2 cans chicken stock
1 garlic clove, minced
1 slice gingerroot, minced
1/4 t. freshly ground pepper
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
3 T. oil (peanut, preferably)
1 T. tomato paste
4 T. peanut butter
1/2 c. peanuts, crushed
green onions, sliced for garnish

Cook couscous according to package directions, substituting chicken broth for water. (We had 2 c. broth and a package of couscous, about 1 1/2 c. dry).

Brown garlic, ginger, and onion in oil in a separate pan.  Transfer to blender with 1 c. chicken stock and tomato. Puree. Return to pan. Add peanut butter and paste. Heat through.

Mix peanuts with couscous. Top with peanut sauce and garnish with green onion.

IFN: South African Tastiness

International Food Night strikes again! South Africa was the destination location. I will admit, I was a little wary... mainly because meatloaf is not my favorite food ever, but this recipe is truly fantastic!

Unfortunately... it looks kind of yellow and brown generally, but pair it up with a green salad, and you'll have a fantastic meal! A note, we cut all these recipes in half and they worked out wonderfully, so if you double it, you'll have enough to feed a much larger crowd. With us we had more than enough for both of us to take for lunch the next day.

Bobotie
3-4 servings

1 T. oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 lb. ground beef
2 slices bread (the recipe calls for white, we used wheat), crust removed and cubed
1/2 c. milk
1/8 c. lemon juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)
1 T. sugar
2 T. curry powder (we used spicy)
1/2 t. tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
5 bay or lemon leaves (opt)
1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet over medium. Add onion and saute until translucent and just starting to brown. Add beef and cook until crumbly. Remove from heat, drain of any excess fat and place in a large bowl.

Put the bread and milk in a bowl and soak for 5-10 minutes. Remove bread and squeeze it dry, adding the excess milk back into the bowl.

Add the soaked bread, lemon juice, raisins, sugar, curry powder, tumeric, salt, and peppter to the bowl with the cooked meat and onions. Mix well.

Pour the meat mixture into a greased casserole dish and smooth out the top. If using the leaves, arrange them in a decorative fashion on the top of the dish. Press them down slightly to make them stick. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Beat the eggs with the reserved milk. After the meat has baked for 30 minutes, pour the egg mixture over the top of the meat and bake for another 15-20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly browned.

Remove from oven and serve hot with geelrys and mango chutney.

Geelrys
serves 3-4

2 1/4 c. water or stock
1 1/4 c. long-grain rice
1/2 t. tumeric
1 cinnamon stick
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1 T. sugar
salt and pepper
1/4 c. raisins (we used golden)

Add the water or stick to a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and return to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer for 15 minutes (or until water is absorbed). You might need to add a little more water that noted (since ours was a little crunchy).

Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5-10 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick, fluff with a fork and serve hot.

Mango Chutney (Aam ki Chatni)
serves 3
I made mine the night before so it could cool

1 T. oil
1/2 t. ginger, minced
1/2 t. ground coriander
1/4 t. tumeric
1 green or ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/4 c. lime juice (can substitute vinegar)
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 t. mint, chopped
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/4 t. salt

Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium. Add the ginger, coriander, and tumeric and saute lightly to cook ginger and toast the spices (about 30 seconds).

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the mango softens and the chutney becomes glossy.

Remove from heat and cool completely. Put into a clean glass jar (it will stain plastic) and store refrigerated. (Good for weeks).

Try these out! Seriously they are awesome!

IFN: The Egyptian Fast Food

Now let me just say that the title is somewhat a misnomer... this dish isn't particularly fast... mainly because it uses a whole bunch of different ingredients that have to be cooked separately. Koshari is fast food in Egypt, I guess because the actual assembly of said meal takes all of a minute. Thus, if the food is already cooked and ready to be assembled, it really is a fast food. (Which is why it is such on the streets of Egypt.)

Honestly, I was pretty excited to try this carb fest, as I pretty much love all of the elements of this dish. And it turned out to be incredibly tasty! Try it out! (If you can balance cooking multiple things on the stove at once, you can get this dish ready in about 45 minutes.)

Koshari
2 large onions, sliced into rings and halved
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 c. uncooked long grain rice
1/4 t. red pepper
1 t. cumin
1 can tomato sauce
1 can diced tomatoes
3/4 c. lentils
4 c. water
1 c. salad macaroni
1/2 c. vinegar
1 can chickpeas

Boil lentils for 25 minutes. Drain. Add new water and add rice. Simmer for 20 minutes until rice is tender.

Cook macaroni according to directions.

Add oil to saucepan and brown garlic. Add vinegar and bring to a coil. Add tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, cumin, and red pepper. Bring to a boil and lower heat. Simmer. (You can add more red pepper and make it as spicy as you want. I'm pretty sure I added more than 1/4 t.... like way more...)

Cover onions in oil and fry.

After everything is prepared, serve in separate bowls.

Layer as follows:
lentils and rice
macaroni
sauce
chickpeas
fried onions

IFN: Malaysia, Benin, and Switzerland

To kick things off in the recipe department (excuse the poor lighting on photos, it's usually dark when I get dinner on the table) I am going to post three awesome sets of international recipes! In our family, we try to do international food night (ifn) 2-3 times a month. This involves picking a random country out of a plastic bag (where we have all the countries in the world) and making food from that country! We try to be as authentic as possible (and that we can find surfing the internet), but sometimes ingredients just aren't easily accessible. At any rate, here are three fantastic tastes!

Malaysia

Rendang
4 shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 cm ginger
1/2 t. salt
1 t. chili paste or 3 fresh chilies
1/2 t. tumeric
1-2 lb. stewing beef, cubed
1 c. coconut milk
2 bay leaves
1/4 c. oil

Blend onion, garlic, ginger, salt, turmeric and chili paste until smooth. Heat oil in wok and add blended mixture. Stir fry for 2 minutes or until paste separates from the oil.

Add beef and stir fry for 5 minutes. Add bay leaves and allow to simmer for about 45 minutes or until meat is tender, adding water as necessary to keep sauce from drying. When beef is tender, add coconut milk. Bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve with rice.

Mango Avocado Salsa
1 mango, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, diced
1 tomato, diced
2 avocados, peeled and chopped
¼ red onion, diced
garlic salt
ginger
lime juice
jalapenos

Benin

Poulet Béninois (Beninese Chicken)
1 chicken
1 hot chili, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 onions, chopped
1 chicken bouillon cubes
3 T tomato puree
2 bay leaves
1 t. dried thyme
Salt and pepper

Dissolve chicken stock cube in warm water (according to directions); add thyme and bay leaves and season to taste. Pour the stock into a large casserole dish, add chicken. Bring to a boil, cover and cook for 20 mins on high. Remove chicken and set aside. Add onions, garlic, and chili to the stock and whisk in the tomato puree. Continue to boil, uncovered, until sauce thickens (30 mins). Cut chicken into pieces and add to sauce, lower heat, cover the dish and continue to cook until chicken is tender. Stir frequently.

Serve hot, accompanied by rice, yams, or sweet potatoes.

Beninese Peanut Sauce
3 T oil
2 T tomato puree
2 habaneros, paste
½ t salt
1 bouillon cube
¾ c peanut butter
2/3 c. onion, diced

Add oil to pan, heat and fry paste, onion, tomato, and bouillon. Add peanut butter and 1 c. water. Mix and bring to a boil. Simmer, cover, and cook for 15 minutes.

Switzerland

Aelpermagronen
serves 4-6

3 large potatoes, scrubbed, and cut into small cubes
½ lb. macaroni (tubes preferred)
1 c. heavy cream
Pepper, sale, nutmeg (1/4 t)
2 ½ c. mountain cheese (Gruyere and/or Emmentaler) – (1/2 lb)

Preheat oven to 250. Boil 4+ cups of water with salt. Add potatoes and boil for 5 minutes until almost tender. Add pasta and cook al dente. Dump out excess water. Stir in cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. (This dish needs more salt than less).

In a 9x13 pan, layer half the macaroni, followed by half the cheese. Layer remaining macaroni mixture, top with remaining cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbling, but not burned.

Top with onion rings (French’s or make your own). Serve with applesauce (bought or make your own).

Onion Rings
Unsalted butter for frying
2 large onions, chopped into rings
Flour

Melt butter. Combine onion and flour, shake off excess. When butter is hot, fry onion rings for about 4 minutes until crispy, set aside to drain on paper towel.