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: A Cheery Costa Rican Breakfast

I thought we'd change things up a little and do a typical breakfast instead of regular lunch or dinner food, though this is still pretty savory and may be mistaken as a lunch/dinner. But anyway.

So Costa Rica (officially The Republic of Costa Rica). The capital of the country is San Jose and their official language is Spanish. The population is over 4 million. They've come a long way from being a tiny isolated (read: poor) colony in the 18th century to present where they have become one of the most prosperous (and stable) countries in Latin America. Interesting fact: they have no standing army. It was abolished when their constitution was written and accepted in 1949. It is a constitutional republic, and was the only democracy in Latin American before 1950 (even if it was 1949).

Read more about Costa Rica here.

Gallo pinto is apparently the most (or one of the most) common breakfasts in Costa Rica. It is served with huevos (eggs-fried or scrambled), natilla (sour cream), and patacones (fried plantains). And, of course, a generous dose of Lizano Salsa. Apparently it's the sauce of choice there. Unfortunately, I didn't do my research early enough, so the version below is a homemade recipe I found. Hopefully it tastes similar. I guess I won't know until I try the real Lizano. My gallo pinto recipe is kind of a mash of the various recipes I found. And we've made patacones before, but I'll put the recipe on here just for easiness sake.

We thought this was a hearty and tasty breakfast! Bubs and I had scrambled eggs with cheddar and The Man had a fried egg. And by the way, if you love potato chips and/or french fries, you should try fried plantains. They are like a cross between the two. We LOVE them. LOVE!

And here's Costa Rican BREAKFAST!

Gallo Pinto
3 c. black beans
1 1/2 - 2 c. white rice
small onion, finely chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
3 c. chicken stock (or veggie)
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 sweet pepper (red or orange), finely chopped, (optional)
4-6 tablespoons Lizano salsa (or sub some Worcestershire sauce)
oil

If beans are dried, cover with water and soak overnight, if they are fresh, just rise them off. If they're from a can, drain the beans and skip the simmering. Add fresh water to an inch above the top of the beans, salt, and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and reduce heat to very low simmer until beans are soft.

Saute dry rice in oil (1 tablespoon) for a minute or so, then add the onion and garlic. Saute until soft. Add pepper (if desired) and cilantro. Add stock and cook until rice is tender. Stir in the beans and the salsa.

Lizano-style Salsa
makes about 1 cup - original recipe found here 
1 dried chili, such as guajillo
3/4 cups water
1/4 small yellow onion
1 2-inch piece thick carrot, chopped
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon molasses

Remove the stems of the chili(es) and then slice the chiles in half lengthwise. Remove the innards and pre-heat a skillet over medium heat. Lay the chile pieces in the pan and toast, turning after about 2 minutes. Add the water and lower the heat to bring the water to a simmer. Simmer for about five minutes. Remove the chile pieces from the pan and place in blender. Measure out 1/2 cup of the chile-infused water and add this to the blender with the chiles. Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth. Sauce will keep in refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Patacones (Fried Plantains)
3-4 green plantains
salt
oil

To peel the plantains, take off both ends with a sharp knife. Then cut incisions along the natural ridges of the plantain, peel away the skin. Cut into 1” rounds.

Heat an inch of oil in a deep skillet at medium (325F). Carefully place plantains in the oil. Fry until light brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and place between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. Flatten the rounds with a mallet, frying pan, bottle, knife, etc. to about 1/4 “ thick. Season with salt.

Turn up heat to 375F. Carefully drop the flattened plantains back into the oil and fry until brown. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Season to taste with salt. The second fry is SO important!

Eggs

Microwave Scrambled
When I'm in a time crunch, and I want to make a scrambled egg fast, I do it in the microwave!
eggs
butter
salt and pepper
other mix ins (cheddar cheese!)

Crack eggs into a microwave safe mug. Scramble the eggs well. Season and add mix ins. Place in microwave for 30 seconds on high. Remove and scramble with a fork. Place in for additional 15 second increments until done to taste.

Fried - Sunny Side Up
eggs
butter/oil
salt and pepper

Preheat a skillet (bigger if you're cooking more than one egg) on medium with a little bit of oil or butter coating the bottom. Crack egg carefully onto pan (or you can crack into another dish first if you don't trust your egg cracking skills!) and allow the white to set before you finish pouring the yolk on. (The white should start cooking immediately upon touching the pan). Place a few teaspoons of water in and cover with a lid (this steam creates the top white coating on the yolk and helps cook the white through). Check periodically until done to taste. The yolk should be covered with a white film and the white should be cooked through with the edged of the egg starting to curl. If you do not want the steam on your egg, turn the heat down to medium low and cook slowly until the egg is done through. 

So there you have it. Costa Rican breakfast!

IFN: French Fare

Old post...

I don't know how reputable these particular recipe is in terms of its "French" origin, but it was amazing either way! (At least the site I looked at mentioned it as French... so if the internet says it, it must be true, right?)

We had amazing French Onion Soup (with made up wine flavor since I didn't have any on hand), Rosemary Lemon Chicken, New Potatoes with Butter and Parsley, and Honey Baked Brie for dessert. TASTY!!!

French Onion Soup
serves 2

1/2 c. unsalted butter
2 large onions, sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 bay leaf, crushed
Thyme
Salt
Pepper
1/2 c. red wine (or 1/2 c. grape juice, short 1 T. + 1 T. red wine vinegar)
1 1/2 T. flour
2 cans beef broth
1 baguette, sliced (3 slices per serving)
1/4 pound grated Gruyere (or mozzarella)

Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, and seasonings. Cook until onions are very soft and caramelized, about 25-30 minutes. Add the wine (or wine substitute), bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the wine has evaporated and the onions are dry. (If using the substitute and after 10 minutes there is still liquid, drain the extra liquid off.) Dust the onions with the flour, stir, and turn the heat to medium low so the flour doesn't burn. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the beef broth and simmer for 10 minutes or more. Add additional seasonings if desired.

There are two methods for finishing it off. If you don't have cups or bowls (to serve individual servings in) that can go in the oven,  then place the baguette slices on a baking sheet in a single layer, sprinkle with cheese, and broil until golden and bubbly (3-5 minutes).

Ladle the soup and float the cheese croutons on top.

If you have stoneware to go in the oven either under the broiler or oven, broil the baguette slices until golden brown on each side (2-3 minutes - browner is better if you don't like soggy bread). Place a crouton at the bottom, ladle the soup into the serving bowl or cup. Cover the top of the soup and croutons with soup and place in the oven or under the broiler. Heat until cheese is melted and browned.

*notes* sometimes I just use red wine vinegar instead of "red wine." It doesn't taste quite the same, but works in a pinch. Also... sometimes I just throw cheese in this and dip the bread if I'm feeling particularly lazy.

The Gruyere is really good, and some chefs will swear by it for their soup. I didn't think it was worth the extra cost. I will stick with mozzarella next time.

Rosemary Lemon Chicken
1/2 - 1 chicken breast per serving
1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest (I like to use more)
1/4 c. dry white wine (cooking)
3 T. fresh chopped rosemary
1 clove garlic, crushed and chopped
3/4 t. salt
Rosemary sprigs for garnish if desired.

Stir the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, white wine, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper until thoroughly combined. Pour the marinade into a bag or glass dish. Add the chicken and turn to make sure all is coated. Turn throughout the marinating process. I marinated my chicken about 8 hours. It was delicious. I'm sure overnight would be fine.

Grill or fry in a skillet with a little oil and serve with rosemary garnish.

Parsleyed New Potatoes
3/4 lb. baby Yukon Gold potatoes, halved or quartered
1 T. butter
2 T. chopped parsley (Italian)
1/3 t. salt
1/3 t. pepper

Combine potatoes and 2 t. water in a microwave-safe bowl and cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 6 minutes. Test with a fork. Microwave more if needed. Stir in butter, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover.

Baked Honey Brie
1 round of Brie
3 T. honey
Bread (I used the same baguette as with the soup)

Preheat the oven to 375F. Place Brie on ovenproof serving plate and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is hot throughout. Garnish the baked Brie with honey and serve with bread.

Cheers!

IFN: East Timor aka Timor-Leste

I've decided to start incorporating a little bit about the country for all of the interested parties out there...

East Timor or Timor-Leste, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia (by Indonesia). The capital is Dili and it uses the USD as currency. Official languages are Portuguese (because it was colonized by Portugal) and Tetun. It's been a little rough for them. In 1975 they declared independence from Portugal only to be invaded by Indonesia the same year. Finally, in 2002, the country became the first new sovereign state of the 21st century!

But things are still hard. Almost 40% of the population lives on less than $1.25 a day. Which is crazy. And about 50% are illiterate. But things are slowly improving and hopefully getting better!

If you want to learn more about this country, visit the Wikipedia page.

Originally I was going to make this involved soup, but if I felt like it used too many ingredients, I can only imagine that it's not really everyday fare for these islanders. So, I went with something that appeared a lot in my searches: Batar Da'an. It's essentially a corn, bean, and squash soup. Looking at all the recipes, if you wanted to be completely authentic, you would just have those three ingredients, salt, and pepper, and serve over rice. But I needed a little more flavor, so I just added some simple ingredients like garlic and onions to give it a little more flavor. Make it however you'd like!

This meal is one of those that is nothing to write home about, but it is cheap and incredibly filling. And it doesn't taste bad by any stretch, it's just very... normal. It's definitely something that you could eat for days and be okay with. We liked it.

Batar Da'an

1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced (pumpkin was also a popular ingredient)
1 can red kidney beans (or mung beans... but I wasn't going there today)
1 large onion, diced
3 cups stock
Garlic, minced (to taste - I use about 4 cloves)
1 can or 2 cups corn
salt and pepper 
Ai-manas to serve on the side (see below) OR sub:
     red pepper flakes
     basil (or 1 sprig fresh which is best, but I used dried)
     dash ginger (or fresh)
     lemon juice
     OR use pre-made chili sauce or other spicy sauce like Tabasco

Rice for serving

Method:
Saute onions and garlic until tender.

Add stock and squash and increase heat until simmering. Reduce heat to medium and add remaining ingredients. Cook until squash is tender (15-20 minutes).

Serve over rice.

If you are feeling ambitious (and I wasn't), you can make your own chili paste. Untested recipe here, so use at your own risk. :)

Ai-manas

Recipe found here.

Chili peppers 1/4 lbs fresh and pulverized (use Thai peppers or long hot peppers for best result)
2 Shallots, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
Basil (Thai is close to the type they have there), one big sprig
Ginger fresh and grated or sliced one medium sized root (about the size of your index finger)
Lemon juice 3 tbls
Lemon skin with outer layer sliced off leaving white flesh sliced
Salt

Mix together.

Enjoy your eating adventure. :)

IFN: Smashing British Fare...

Hallo... I have a bunch of old posts of food and international food nights, so I'll be posting them along with new stuff as it happens!

So...

Let's be honest, Britain isn't exactly known for its exotic fare... it's typically roast beef and other hearty, yet fairly bland, foods that smatter the plates of the Brits. So I went searching for some kind of recipe that would give a little twist on typical British food...

And I found this AMAZING braised pork recipe (adapted a little, of course, as most of my recipes are)! I paired that with green beans and roasted potatoes and classic Yorkshire puddings, and we had an amazing, tasty British meal! This pork is particularly good for those of you who are not huge fans of pork because it gets dry. This pork was incredibly moist!

Braised Spicy Pork
serves 4

2 lb. pork shoulder roast
6 garlic cloves, peeled
2" fresh ginger, peeled
3 T. soy sauce
3 T. honey
1 t. freshly ground pepper
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
4 red chilies
2 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise
500 ml (or so) chicken stock
1 t. butter

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Put garlic, ginger, soy, honey, pepper, and olive oil into a blender or food processor (it will make a paste). Place pork into a large roasting pan/tray and smear the paste all over the pork.

Snap the chilies and throw them in the roasting tray with the cinnamon, star anise, and chicken stock. Cover (if desired) and roast about 30 minutes for every pound.

For the last 20 minutes of cooking, uncover and baste with juices. Increase temperature to 400 degrees F. Test that the internal temperature is 160F and remove from oven.

Allow pork to rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Strain the juices from the pan into a small saucepan. Place over high heat and drop butter into sauce. If a thicker sauce is desired, thicken with cornstarch or flour. Serve over pork.

Yorkshire Pudding
serves 6

3 medium eggs (or 2 large)
Milk
Flour
Salt
Vegetable Oil

Heat oven to 425 F.

Pour the eggs into a liquid measuring cup. Note the amount of eggs. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Measure out the same amount of milk (as the eggs) and pour into the mix. Whisk and add a pinch of salt. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.

Measure the same amount of flour (as the eggs) and whisk into the mixture to create a lump-free batter resembling thick cream. Leave the batter to rest for AT LEAST 30 minutes (longer is better).

Take muffin tin and place about 1/2 t. of oil in the bottom of each cup. Place in oven until oil starts smoking. Take out.  Give the batter another good whisk adding 2 T. of cold water. Fill a third of each in and return quickly to the oven.

Leave to cook until golden brown (15-20 minutes). Repeat if you have additional batter.

*we ate them the next morning cold with jam and honey and they were delicious! They don't reheat well due to their makeup, so don't reheat them :)*

Roasted Thyme Potatoes
serves  4 (I cooked these at the same time as the pork)

6 potatoes, cubed
Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Rosemary
Thyme

Preheat oven to 350F.  Mix cubed potatoes with remaining ingredients. Place in baking dish and cook for about 1.5 hours. Increase temperature to 425 and cook for 10 minutes to get a nice browning.

It was all delicious! And the fresh green beans with butter and salt and pepper were so good!

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.