A Taste of Italy: Risotto

A staple of Italy is risotto, which is a soft rice that has a texture similar to porridge. It was first introduced to Italy by the Arabs who brought it to Sicily where rice flourished because of Italy's flat lands, abundance of water, and humidity. The legend behind risotto goes back to 1564, where a young apprentice of the Gothic cathedral, Duomi di Milano, was in charge of staining glass to make it look decorative. People in town teased the young apprentice for using the spice saffron to create a more colorful color for the stained glass windows. As a joke, the apprentice put saffron in his master's rice, but many people ended up enjoying the rice so much that it became a national dish. Risotto has 4 basic ingredients: soffrito (sauteed vegetables), broth (chicken, vegetable, fish, or beef), flavoring (saffron, mushrooms, truffles, wine), and rice (arborio, vialone, carnaroli). To prepare a good risotto, you need to keep in mind these important things. First, don't wash the rice before cooking it, because it takes away the starch that gives risotto it's soft texture. Second, try to make your own broth to give the risotto a richer flavor. Third, cook the rice for 18-20 minutes to get the right texture and add butter if you want. Here is a delicious mushroom risotto recipe from the Food Network website that takes about an hour to make:

Ingredients

8 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2-ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onions
10 ounces white mushrooms, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice or short-grain white rice
2/3 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2/3 cup grated Parmesan Salt and freshly ground black pepper, optional

Bring the broth to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Add the porcini mushrooms. Set aside until the mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes. Keep the broth warm over very low heat.

Melt the butter in a heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil. Add the onions and saute until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the white mushrooms and garlic. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the porcini mushrooms to a cutting board. Finely chop the mushrooms and add to the saucepan. Saute until the mushrooms are tender and the juices evaporate, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice and let it toast for a few minutes. Add the wine; cook until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 2 minutes. Add 1 cup of hot broth; simmer over medium-low heat until the liquid is absorbed, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Continue to cook until the rice is just tender and the mixture is creamy, adding more broth by cupfuls and stirring often, about 28 minutes (the rice will absorb 6 to 8 cups of broth). Stir in the peas. Mix in the Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

sources:http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/mushroom-risotto-with-peas-recipe/index.html http://www.annamariavolpi.com/page52.html

A Taste of Italy: Gelato (frozen)

Most say that Bernardo Buontalenti, a native of Florance, invented gelato during the 16th century. He served this sweet creation to many nobles, the most famous was Queen of France Catherine De Medici. Later in 1686, Sicilian born Francesco Procopio dei Coltelli was the first to open a gelato cafe in Paris that quickly became very popular in Europe. Today, many Italians pass down their own style of making gelato from father to son. Gelato is a healthy alternative to regular icecream, because it uses all natural ingredients and less air that gives it an intense flavor. Gelato uses the same ingredients as icecream: milk, sugar, air, and flavorings. There are 2 types of gelato in Italy: milk-based gelato made in northern Italy and fruit-water based gelato made in southern Italy. Most flavors are chocolate, lemon, strawberry, custard, panna cotta, and banana. It's a refreshing dessert after a light meal. Here is a recipe to make chocolate gelato:

Ingredients
2 ounces fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened)
2 1/4 cups whole milk
1/3 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup minus 2 tablespoons superfine granulated sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 large egg yolks

Coarsely chop chocolate. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan bring milk, cream, and about half of sugar just to a simmer, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Remove pan from heat and add cocoa powder and chocolate, whisking until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth.

Have ready a large bowl of ice and cold water. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat yolks and remaining sugar until thick and pale. Add hot chocolate mixture in a slow stream, whisking, and pour into saucepan. Cook custard over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until a thermometer registers 170°F. (Do not let boil.) Pour custard through a sieve into a metal bowl set in ice and cold water and cool. Chill custard, covered, until cold.

Freeze custard in an ice-cream maker. Transfer to an airtight container and put in freezer to harden, 1 to 3 hours. Enjoy!!!!

sources: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chocolate-Gelato-101903 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gelato

A Taste of Italy: Gnocchi

Until the mid 19th century, Italy was made up of city-states (separate kingdom) that occupied the peninsula and even today their government is made of many political parties. The first great ruler of Italy was Charlemagne who brought Frankish culture into Italy and gave power to the Church of Rome. Italy has become a very diverse culture with many cultures over the past who mixed their traditions with Italian customs. Jewish people came during the period of the Roman Republic, then Germanic tribes after the fall of Rome. Then during the 17th century, Austrians ruled Italy's biggest cities, Sicily, where many other cultures have already invaded. Today, each of Italy's regions are different, but linguistically the majority all speak Italian. Food customs, as it is in many countries, are the same, where any guest who visits will always be offered great hospitality and food. Food is a time to catch up with friends and family. Italian cuisine varies on each region, in the north, meals tend to be lighter and in the south, there is richer and heavier cooking. A favorite comfort food of many Italians is a dumpling called gnocchi that has been around since Roman times. Gnocchi can be made with potato flour, wheat flour, spinach, ricotta, or cheese. Gnocchi is pretty simple to make, but to save time, people can buy gnocchi at any local supermarket in the international foods aisle or frozen aisle. Here is a recipe to make a delicious tomato sauce gnocchi (if you don't want to make from scratch, buy frozen gnocchi in any Italian or local supermarket and boil in water):

Gnocchi (potato based)
Ingredients
3 pounds russet potatoes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, extra large
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup canola oil

Boil the whole potatoes until they are soft (about 45 minutes). While still warm, peel and pass through vegetable mill onto clean pasta board.

Set 6 quarts of water to boil in a large spaghetti pot. Set up ice bath with 6 cups ice and 6 cups water near boiling water.

Make well in center of potatoes and sprinkle all over with flour, using all the flour. Place egg and salt in center of well and using a fork, stir into flour and potatoes, just like making normal pasta. Once egg is mixed in, bring dough together, kneading gently until a ball is formed. Knead gently another 4 minutes until ball is dry to touch.

Roll baseball-sized ball of dough into 3/4-inch diameter dowels and cut dowels into 1-inch long pieces. Flick pieces off of fork or concave side of cheese grater until dowel is finished. Drop these pieces into boiling water and cook until they float (about 1 minute). Meanwhile, continue with remaining dough, forming dowels, cutting into 1-inch pieces and flicking off of fork. As gnocchi float to top of boiling water, remove them to ice bath. Continue until all have been cooled off. Let sit several minutes in bath and drain from ice and water. Toss with 1/2 cup canola oil and store covered in refrigerator up to 48 hours until ready to serve.

Tomato Sauce:
Ingredients

1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove

Add 1/3 cup of tomato sauce and simmer in a pan for about 5 minutes. For a delightful addition, add a few slices of porcini mushrooms. Crush the garlic and sprinkle on or add Parmesan cheese, then put into the oven for a few minutes to warm. Enjoy with some fresh fruit juice or lemonade!


sources: http://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Italy.html http://www.world-food-and-wine.com/italian-gnocchi.html http://www.lifeinitaly.com/food/gnocchi.asp

A Taste of Russia: International Women's Day

One of Russia's most important holidays is International Woman's Day on March 8th. It celebrates the social, political, and economic achievements of woman. The holiday originally began in 1857 with a protest march by textile factory workers in the United States and spread to Russia after the October Revolution in 1917. It marked the achievements of women-workers in the USSR. In 1965, International Woman's Day became a national holiday, where women could take a break from work and maybe from chores, if her husband and children were feeling generous enough. Woman would also receive flowers and small presents from her family. Today, International Woman's Day has lost its feminist flavor and resembles a combination of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day. The day before, women bring home bagfuls of presents and flowers, returning late after the now popular corporate parties. The next morning, men crowd the streets, buying presents and flowers and make a big breakfast or lunch. Here is a recipe for a delicious and filling meal perfect for International Woman's Day:

Ingredients

2 lbs ground beef
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (4 ounce) can sliced mushrooms, drained
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup beef bouillon or consomme
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons flour
3/4 cup sour cream, mixed with the flour

Brown ground beef in large skillet; add onions, garlic and mushrooms.
Saute until onion is golden brown.
Put in Crock Pot with all remaining ingredients except sour cream and flour.
Stir thoroughly.
Cover and cook on low 6-8 hours (or on High 3 hours).
Stir in sour cream and flour 1 hour before serving.
Serve over hot buttered noodles or rice.

sources: http://www.russianlife.com/article.cfm?Number=1621,

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=10146

A Taste of Russia: Blini

Blini, similar to a French crepe, is a thin pancake from either white flour, buckwheat flour, cornmeal, but most Russians use wheat flour. In Russia, blini was eaten during pre-Christian times to honor the birth of the new sun, because of the round shape of the blini. Blini was also eaten to honor the dead. Today, blini is still eaten during the week of Maslenitsa (also known as Butter or Pancake Week) as the last week of dairy and egg products before Lent to follow with the Orthodox Church. Blini gets a lot of it's flavor from the different toppings. Some toppings can be sour cream, caviar, butter, honoey, fruit preserves, or smoked salmon. Here is a simple recipe to make a blini that is perfect for a small lunch or breakfast:

Ingredients

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 buckwheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon instant yeast (not rapid-rise)
1/4 cup warm milk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, separated
Toppings of choice

In a large bowl, mix flours, salt and instant yeast, and make a well in the center.

Pour in milk, mixing until smooth. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Stir cooled melted butter and egg yolk into batter. In a separate bowl, whisk egg white until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Cover and let stand 20 minutes.

Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop quarter-size dollops of dough into pan without crowding. Cook for about 1 minute or until bubbles form and break. Turn and cook for about 30 seconds. Cover blini and keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve with toppings of choice: red or black caviar, smoked salmon or other fish, chopped hard-cooked eggs, minced red or white onion, sour cream or creme fresh, chopped dill and lemon wedges. Enjoy with some coffee, hot chocolate, or for those who are old enough some vodka.

sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cuisine,
http://easteuropeanfood.about.com/od/noodlesdumplings/r/blini.htm

A Taste of Russia: Kvas

Kvas is the most popular drink in Russia, especially during the summer time. During the 19th century, peasants drank kvas very often, some say even more than water. Kvas is also known as "bread drink", but can also be added with fresh fruits and herbs during the spring time. It is usually made with rye, wheat, or malt flour that is boiled in water, then baked in an oven for 24 hours. Then the bread is dissolved in water for 2-3 hours and gets bottled. Kvas has a slightly alcoholic flavor, because of the way the bread is fermented, but the alcohol content is so small that children can drink it. Since the early 16th century, Russians have been drinking kvas for its unique sour taste and high vitamin B content. Today many street vendors sell kvas everywhere in Russia and if you can't buy it in Russia, you can have it shipped over to your home. If you want to try kvas, here is a website that sells it at a very cheap price:
http://www.russianfoods.com/showroom/product01422/vendor003E7/default.asp

Or you can try making it at home (good luck!):

Ingredients

1 lb stale black bread or 1 lb stale pumpernickel bread
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons raisins
2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves or 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves
2 tablespoons Active dry yeast
1/4 cup luke warm water

Oven must be preheated to 200 degrees.

Cube the bread and then spread on a cookie sheet and place in oven for 1 hour.

Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and drop in the bread.

Remove from heat, cover with a towel, and allow to sit at room temperature for 8 hours.

Strain through a fine sieve and press the juice from the bread.

Sprinkle the yeast and 1/4 teaspoon of sugar in the cup of lukewarm water and stir to dissolve the yeast completely.

Set aside in a warm place covered by a towel for approx. 10-12 minutes or until. mixture doubles in volume.

Add the mint leaves, and remaining sugar, stir well, then re-cover with the towel and set aside for 8-12 hours more at room temperature.

Again strain the mixture through a fine seive. Pour into a 1 gal. container, add the raisins, cover the top with plastic wrap, secure with a rubber band, and place in cool NOT cold, spot for 4-5 days or until the raisins are floating and the sediment has sunk to the bottom.

Pour off the clear amber liquid and rebottle in a clean jug or bottles. Refrigerate until ready to use.
You can enjoy kvas with a meat and vegetable dish or by itself.

sources:http://ask.metafilter.com/64513/Kvas-recipe,
http://www.traditional-russian-food.com/Kvas.html

A Taste of Russia: Pelmeni

A Russian national dish and favorite is pelmeni. Pelmeni is a type of dumpling that can be filled with different meats like pork, chicken, and beef. To give it a spicy flavor, people add black pepper and onions. Pelmeni originally came from northwestern China, where the Mongols lived and spread to Siberia, then eventually reached eastern Europe during the 16th century. In the past, hunters made pelmeni to take with them on long-hunting trips for the winter. Pelmeni is a very non-perishable food and a light meal that can be eaten for lunch or a snack. Most Russian or Ukrainian supermarkets carry frozen pelmeni that can be boiled in chicken broth. Russians make pelmeni by boiling and sometimes frying then boiling, then they are topped with sour cream, melted butter, spicy mustard, or vinegar. Here is a recipe to make pelmeni, make sure you have a couple hours to make them:

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup water
1 egg
1/2 pound mixed ground beef, lamb and pork (by taste)
1 onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix ground beef, lamb, pork, onion, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper; reserve. Mix flour with egg (yolk and egg white) and water; 1/4 teaspoon salt until a soft dough forms. Knead on floured surface until dough is elastic. Divide into 1-inch round pieces. Roll each piece so that they are 1/16 inch thick. Fill each piece with the meat mixture; fold into half-moons. Pinch edges together and connect the opposite sides. Pelmeni can be frozen to be cooked later, or cooked immediately. To cook pelmeni, boil about 1/2 gallon of water; carefully drop pelmeni into boiling water. Boil for 20 minutes. You can different toppings like sour cream, melted butter, spicy mustard, vinegar, or soy sauce on pelmeni. If you have any leftovers, remember these dumplings will taste just as fresh when you freeze them. Enjoy these tasty dumplings!


sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pelmeni,
http://www.russiansabroad.com/cuisine/Recipe.asp?ComID=91

A Taste of Russia: Okroshka

Russia has had a difficult time building a culture with the tsarist and Soviet expansion. Many older generations only know of the Soviet cultural experience, because the Communist Party controlled and shaped daily life and social practices. Today many minority cultures are developing by reinventing their ethnic pasts. Russia is known for its philosophy, architecture, food, politics, etc. A very important symbol in Russian culture is Moscow's Saint Basil's cathedral with its colorful cupolas representing the country's long Orthrodox history. Many postcards, calenders, and posters are filled with images of the beautiful Saint Basil's cathedral. Many older cities like Moscow, Novgorod, Pskov, and Yaroslavl reflect Russia's complex and violent histories using architectural styles of Baroque, Renaissance, and Neoclassical. In the more urban cities are huge public parks where people spend time walking around, talking, playing chess, or reading. To unite the many ethnic groups, Russians speak in metaphors talking about soul dusha, which refers to the many ethnic groups uniting under a single multinational identity. Since the end of the Soviet repression, many holidays such as Christmas, Easter, and Russian Independence Day are celebrated. Russian cuisine hasn't changed, its foundations began long ago with different kinds of meats, fruits, vegetables, and rich stews and soups. For lunch, soups like okroshka are eaten with cabbage, potatoes, and ground meat cutlets. There are 3 types of soups: hot and cold. Okroshka is a cold soup that can be made with kvass (bread-based drink) or sour milk that is mixed with vegetables, meat, and fish. When making okroshka you put in a neutral tasting vegetable and a spicier vegetable such as a green onion to give it more flavor. Here is a variation recipe on okroshka that is a perfect for a warm summer day since there are no substitutes for kvass:

Ingredients:

1 cup meat, cooked
1 cucumber
2 eggs, hard boiled
3 onions, green
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
4 cups apple cider

It is served with ice cubes in it. Dice meat. Peel and dice cucumber and eggs. Slice green onions. Combine first four (4) ingredients. Mix together sugar, mustard, sour cream, and cider, and beat well. Add beef mixture and chill. Serve sprinkled with dill. Enjoy!

sources:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russian_cuisine,
http://www.everyculture.com/No-Sa/Russia.html,
http://www.dailymunch.com/recipe-collection/soup/okroshka.html

A Taste of Canada: Fusion cuisine

Canada has been hit by a recession just like America and many people can't afford to eat in a high scale restaurants, but that doesn't mean people want to stop going out. So instead they find restaurants that are cheaper and taste just as good. Many Canadians are turning to Asian fusion restaurants with a casual atmosphere and that give great value for their money. Asian fusion restaurants combine different cultural foods like Japanese and Caribbean or Japanese and American. A more fancier and expensive fusion restaurant like the famous Gastropod is closing down to be replaced by a more simple and inexpensive Thai restaurant called Maenam. Despite the recession many Asian fusion restaurants are thriving, especially in Vancouver, Canada. Vancouver is known for being the melting pot of many cultural cuisines, especially Asian because of its close location to Asia. Owner of a hot dog stand, Noriki Tamura shows how Asian fusion food is growing by selling his Japadogs. Japadogs combine hotdogs and add an Asian twist with its delicious toppings. Another popular Asian fusion place is The Lion's Den Cafe that serves Japaribbean (Japanese and Caribbean) food. The laidback atmosphere, cheap prices, and exceptional quality of food in both the hot dog stand and The Lion's Den Cafe are what restaurants need to have in order to keep their customers during the recession.

source: http://thethunderbird.ca/2009/04/08/cheap-fusion-rides-out-the-recession/

A Taste of Germany: Staple Foods

In Germany, staple foods used in many regional specialties are meat, vegetables, spices, and wheat. The most popular meat consumed is pork, but other types like chicken and beef are used commonly too. Schnitzel (breadcrumb roasted pork or veal), Sauerbraten (sour roasts), Bratwurst (pork or veal sausages), and Frikadellen (meat patties) are delicious meat dishes that people eat for lunch or dinner. One specialty meat in Germany are sausages, there are over 20 kinds of sausages and are all spiced differently to give each a unique and tasty flavor. Sausage recipes can range from pork liver sausages, veal sausages, mini sausages, even blood sausages. Meat dishes are always accompanied by some kind of vegetable dish with carrots, potatoes, spinach, broccoli, white asparagus, and many kinds of cabbages. Vegetables can also be used in stews, but mainly as a side dish. Most vegetables are boiled in salt water, but some can be fried or mashed like potatoes or onions. Spices and herbs are a very important part in cooking because it gives food that unique flavor. Fresh parsley, thyme, chives, juniper berries, basil, sage, and oregano are commonly used spices and herbs in Germany. German food isn't very spicy, but can be when making mustard for sausages and using horseradish. Another important ingredient used in breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert cooking is wheat. Wheat can be used in cakes, bread rolls, sandwiches, basically most Germans eat food with wheat more than once a day. Bread is made in Germany everyday with over 17,000 bakeries and about 6,000 types of bread, depending on the type of wheat used. Wheat bread is usually mixed with rye flour to make breads such as Pumpernickel and Westphalian that have a special sweetish taste. Visitors should make time to try Germany's wide variety of foods that can be delicious for vegetarians too. Here is a recipe to make rotkohl (red cabbage) that goes great with meatballs, boiled potatoes, or buttered spatzle (German noodles):

Ingredients
1 small or medium head of red cabbage
4 slices bacon, chopped
1 apple, peeled, cored and chopped
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced
2 bay leaves
1/3 cup sugar (more to taste)
¼ cup white vinegar (more to taste)
salt and pepper

Peel the outermost leaves off the cabbage and discard. Chop the rest of the cabbage coarsely, as if for a chunky coleslaw. Meanwhile, fry the bacon over medium heat in a large cooking pot. Once the bacon is cooked but not crisp, add the sugar and onions and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the sugar is slightly caramelized. Stir in the cabbage, apple, onion, bay leaves, sugar and vinegar, as well as generous amounts of salt and pepper. Cook on medium for several minutes until the ingredients are heated through, stirring constantly to prevent anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cover the pot and reduce heat to medium low. Allow the cabbage to cook for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The cabbage should still be very slightly tender-crisp. Taste and adjust seasonings accordingly; you may find that for a larger head of cabbage, more sugar and vinegar will be required.

Serve the rotkohl steaming hot. Enjoy!

sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine,
http://recipes.suite101.com/article.cfm/rotkohl

A Taste of Germany: Drinks

In Germany, beer is a huge part of their culture, along with some non alcoholic beverages. Many centuries ago, beer was made at home by various tribes and later was made by brewmonks and brewnuns. Beer wasn't produced in large quantities until feudal lords created institutionalized brewing to earn money. Now there are over a thousand breweries and over 5,000 brands of beer to choose from. When beer is being produced, it must follow the German purity law where you can only use barley-malt, water, and hops to make beer. Much of German beer is ale, which is made by fermenting the grain marley for 3 to 4 weeks, until later lager became popular in Germany around five centuries ago. Different kinds of ale can be Weizen, Koelsch, Altbier or beer can be mixed into coke or fruit syrups. Lager is different than ale becauseof the yeast used and its fermented at lower temperatures, resulting in a stronger taste. Another popular type of beverage is wine and the majority comes from Rhine that are best known for white and red wines. Some common non alcoholic drinks are coffee and many kinds of soft drinks. Some of these soft drinks are Apfelschorle (apple juice mixed with sparkling water), Spezi (coke mixed with orange flavored drink), and other fruit juices mixed with carbonated water. Germans usually drink coffee for breakfast with some bread or during the afternoon with a slice of cake.



sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine
http://www.germanbeerinstitute.com/history.html

A Taste of Germany: Oktober Fest

Oktober fest originated in 1810 as a wedding celebration of Prince Ludwig and Princess Theresa of Saxony. The celebration was held in fields that were in front of the city gates, which were later known as "Theresa's fields". It was an exciting night filled with dancing, music, horse races, and beer. This celebration became so popular in Munich that it was held in late September and ending around the first week of October. Today, Oktober fest has grown to over a million people all over the world and has spread to many other countries like Canada and America. There are many new and entertaining things to do like go on a carnival ride, taste all the different kinds of German foods, watch performers, dress in traditional costumes, drink lots of beer, etc. People can also go into tents, where different beers and wines are served. Traditional Oktober fest food is various kinds of sausages, roasted chickens, potato dumplings, red cabbage, dampfnudel (a steamed cake served with sweet vanilla sauce), and beer. If that isn't enough to fill you up, there are many snack foods such as soft pretzels, cotton candy, potato salads, sugar-glazed almonds, steckerlfisch (grilled fish on a stick) to enjoy. Here is an easy recipe to make a favorite meat roll called rouladen that eaten as an Oktoberfest snack:

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds flank steak

German stone ground mustard, to taste

1/2 pound thick sliced bacon

2 large onions, sliced

1 (16 ounce) jar dill pickle slices

2 tablespoons butter

2 1/2 cups water
1 cube beef bouillon

Cut the flank steak into thin filets; about 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide. Generously spread one side of each filet with mustard to taste. Place bacon, onions and pickle slices on each filet and form into a roll. Use string or toothpicks to hold the roll together. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Place the rolls in the butter and saute until browned. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of water and add the bouillon cube; stirring to dissolve the bouillon cube. Simmer the rolls for about an hour. Enjoy!

sources: http://www.vistawide.com/german/oktoberfest/oktoberfest.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oktoberfest
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/German-Rouladen/Detail.aspx

A Taste of Germany: Schnitzel and Kartoffelsalat

Germany, a country in Central Europe, has had a long-lasting culture before the rise of the nation-state (country that has defined borders and people that are the same ethnically and culturally) and is presently a representative democratic republic. Ethnically, Germans are the majority but Germany is the 3rd largest home to international immigrants in the world, bringing different cultural customs and foods. One popular past time is playing or watching football and tennis. When visiting Germany, always make eye contact and shake a person's hand when meeting others to be polite. Visitors don't need to know German to get around, even though most Germans speak the native language German, over 60% know a 2nd language. Another popular thing Germany is known for is their literature and philosophy, which has always been admired by people around the world, especially in America. Famous philosophers like Marx, Engels, Nietzsche, and Gadamer have been the creators of radical ideas such as communism, existentialism, postmodernism etc. Music and and architecture has also flourished beautifully with many Renaissance and Baroque paintings; Germany furthermore pioneered the ever growing genre of music called trance. This creativity has been influenced by social and political changes, even in German cuisine. German cuisine varies on each region, which are Thuringia, Saxony, and Saxony-Anhalt. Meat, vegetables, and bread is very common in all these regions. One very delicious meat dish called schnitzel (fried and breaded veal or pork) is eaten for lunch, which is the biggest meal of the day in Germany. Lunch time is around 12 or 1pm, where many stores will close for a couple hours so people can eat at home or at a restaurant. Schnitzel is eaten with a side dish such as potato salad or meatballs. Here is a recipe to make Schnitzel with Kartoffelsalat (potato salad) as a side dish:

Ingredients:

4 veal fillets (approx each 200g)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp flour
3 eggs
150g breadbrumbs
butter, lard or cooking oil

Flatten the meat with a rolling pin or meat hammer. Season with salt and pepper and then coat in flour.

Coat in beaten egg and then coat in breadcrumbs.

Heat oil in a pan and then fry the Schnitzel on both sides until brown and the meat is cooked through. Approx. 4 mins on both sides.


Kartoffelsalat:

Ingredients

8-10 salad potatoes
1 onion
1/2 cup of warm meat broth
white wine vinegar, sunflower oil and salt to taste
pepper

Steam the potatoes in their skins until tender. If you have any potatoes from the day before, even better as they are easier to slice. Scrape them and let them cool slightly until just warm.

Chop the onion finely.

Slice the potatoes thinly with a potato slicer or a vegetable knife. Place in a large bowl.

Add the onion and enough warm meat brothso that the potatoes are quite moist but not sitting in broth! and leave to soak for an hour.
Lastly add enough sunflower oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste. Again I can`t give exact quantities but I suggest that you start off with a couple of tablespoons of each of the oil and vinegar and then add more to taste.

Mix thoroughly. The potato salad should not be too dry, but quite moist.

Enjoy!

sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Germany,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_cuisine,
http://www.tasty-german-recipe.com/wiener-schnitzel-recipe.html

A Taste of Nicaragua: Snacks

Cheese is an important part of Nicaragua's food, they cook it fried, baked, or make it into creamy string cheese. A special type of cheese dish is quesillo, which is made in Nicaragua's villages Nagarote and La Paz Centro. Quesillo is a soft creamy cheese. You can use quesillo in a tasty combination of onions and sour cream wrapped in a toasted tortilla. Many street vendors sell quesillo as a snack, the most popular places are in Leon and Managua. Some history on the city Leon is it was founded by the Spanish conqueror Francisco Hernandez de Corbaba in 1524. When the city was threatened with the eruption of a volcano in 1610, people fled to where the location of Leon is today. Leon has many colonial buildings, churches, streets, and monuments, where visitors can see the beautiful architectural work of Nicaragua. Another key ingredient used in many Nicaraguan's cooking are plantains, which are related to bananas, but are larger and different in taste. Plantains are very starchy, making them great for cooking, specifically when frying or baking. Most Nicaraguans fry unripe thinly cut plantains into chips called tostones that are served with some cheese. When plantains turn yellow with dark spots, they are made into a dish called maduro, which has a sweeter taste than a regular plantain. Here is a simple recipe for maduros:

Ingredients

4 maduros (sweet bananas) peeled
3 cups milk
2 cinnamon sticks
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place maduros and milk in a bowl and boil until tender. Add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, boiling for another 5 minutes. Place it in a dish and bake in the oven for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Enjoy!

Next week will be on Germany! Have a great weekend.

sources:
http://www.nicaragua.com/recipes/,
http://www.vianica.com/go/specials/14-nicaraguan-fruits.html

A Taste of Nicaragua: Tres de Leches

When it comes to desserts, Nicaraguans are big on using milk and sugar in their recipes, making their desserts very rich and sweet. Some of their more popular desserts are tres leches cake (cake of three milks), arroz con leche (rice pudding), flan de leche (caramel custard), maduros (baked sweet bananas), and cajeta de coco (caramelized strings of coconut and the plant yucca). Some of these desserts have also become popular in other parts of the world like America. Tres de leches is a very known cake recipe that some historians say was first made in Nicaragua and has spread to other Latin American countries with different variations. Tres de leches is where a butter cake is soaked with three different kinds of milk: evaporated, condensed, and whole milk or cream. People have found that this cake could have been used to increase sales for these types of milk during the 1850s. Tres de leches doesn't have a soggy consistency that most might think, but rather the cake soaks up the milk like a sponge, giving the cake a light texture, even though it is very fattening. Nicaraguans usually eat this cake for dessert, but also for different celebrations. Most are religious celebrations like the festival called "Fiestas Patronales", where each city honors their religion's Saint. Despite this religious celebration, most Nicaraguans go to these festivals for tradition, rather than for religious devotion. Here is a recipe to make the famous Tres Leches cake:

Ingredients:

1-½ cups All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ cup Unsalted butter
2 cups White sugar (divided)
5 Eggs
1-½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (divided)
1 cup Milk
½ of a 14-ounce can Sweetened condensed milk
½ of a 12-ounce can Evaporated milk
1/3 cup Liqueur, Frangelico, Brandy or Chambord (optional)
1-½ cups Heavy (whipping) cream

Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pan.

Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

When cake has finished baking, pierce it in 8 or 10 places with a fork or skewer, and let it cool. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and liqueur and pour over the top of the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Whipped Cream Topping: When ready to serve, combine the whipping cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of sugar, whipping until thick. Spread over top of cake.

Because of the milk in the cake, it is very important that you keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve chilled.

sources: http://www.vianica.com/culture.php, http://www.texascooking.com/features/sept2002treslechescakerecipe.htm, http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Category:Nicaraguan_Desserts

A Taste of Nicaragua: Nacatamales

A tasty and popular dish in Nicaragua are nacatamales. Nacatamales are steamed corn cakes that can be filled with meat (chicken or pork) and vegetables (tomatoes, potatoes, onions, bell peppers). After that the tamales are steamed in banana leaves, which gives the tamales a special flavor. You can add different chiles, raisins, or olives to add a spicy, yet savory flavor to the tamales. You can also add sour orange juice (naranja agria) that you can buy in a Latino store or make by using an orange and 2 limes. Usually nacatamales are eaten on Sunday mornings with some coffee or hot pinolillo. Nacatamales taste wonderful even after freezing and reheating them the next week after. Most Latin American countries have a variation of tamales, but Nicaragua's nacatamales are made bigger and are made with masa (corn) dough to add more filling to the tamale. Nacatamales can be eaten for special occasions like birthdays or weddings, basically any type of event that involves a large group of people. While most Nicaraguans use meat for the filling of nacatamales, vegetarians can substitute meat with tofu or cheese and use vegetables oil and water instead of lard (animal fat) and milk. Also if you can't find any green bananas leaves in your local supermarket, check any Asian or Latino stores. If you still can't find any, use cooking parchment paper or aluminum foil instead. Here is a recipe to make the traditional nacatamales, so make you have a couple hours to spare:

Ingredients:

2 cups of cornmeal
2 teaspoons of lime (to taste) or sour orange juice
1/4 cup of lard
1 chopped onion
2 cups of broth of your choice
2 garlic cloves minced
1 red pepper chopped
1 green pepper chopped
1 teaspoon of fresh Parsley
Pinch of paprika
1 breast of chicken, cooked and cubed
1 pound meat of pork, cooked and cubed
2 tomatoes cubed
1/2 cup of cooked Chick-peas
4 teaspoons of capers
2 cups of mashed potatoes
12 stuffed olives chopped
1/2 cup of cooked Rice
Ground pepper to taste
10 banana leaves cut into about 16" squares
Salt to taste

Cover the corn with water.
Add the lime juice and cook on low heat until the hulls start to separate from the meal.
Rinse well with cold water.
Place in pot and cover with water.
Let sit for 3 days changing the water daily.
Drain and mash the corn.
Add 1/2 of the lard, salt to taste and knead slowly adding the broth little by little until the mass is soft and homogenous.
With the remainder of the lard brown the garlic, onion, peppers.
Add the parsley, tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper to taste.
Add the meats and remaining ingredients cook for a few minutes until hot.
Wash and cut the banana leaves in squares. In the center place a spoonful of corn mass with a couple spoonfuls of the meat mixture. Wrap well to ensure no leakage with butcher's string.
Cook in boiling water with a bit of salt for 30 minutes.
Enjoy with a glass of cold chocolate milk and fresh fruit!

sources:

http://www.whats4eats.com/breads/nacatamales-recipe, http://hubpages.com/hub/Central-America---Discover-Nicaragua