Tag Archives: Side Dish

Argentina (Part 2)

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Carne y Chimichurri

Argentinean flank steak with parsley sauce. Pictured above (top right) with bunuelos de espinaca (top left) and tzatziki sauce (bottom).

Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 2 medium-size jalapenos, finely chopped
  • 8 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 bay leaves
  • 1 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
  • 1 cup fresh oregano, finely chopped
  • 2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1.5kg flank steak (can substitute tenderloin if flank steak not available)

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Directions

  1. Preheat a grill or broiler to high.
  2. In a food processor, combine vinegar, jalapenos, garlic, and bay leaves. Puree until smooth. Add the herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Puree briefly until well-blended. Set aside.
  3. Season the flank steak with olive oil, salt, and pepper and grill/broil the steak medium rare. Slice the steak thinly. Serve with chimichurri sauce.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 5/5 for chimichurri sauce, fantastic!
  • Papa: 4.7/5, great steak and great sauce!
  • Girlie: 3/5, I don’t really like steak
  • TW: 5/5, the steak and sauce combination is perfect
  • McM: 4/5, I don’t generally like steak but the chimichurri sauce is very flavorful and I think it would go well with many other dishes

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/argentinean-steak-with-parsley-sauce-carne-y-chimichurri-recipe.html

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Argentina (Part 1)

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Bunuelos de Espinaca

Argentinean spinach fritters.

Total time: 60 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

  • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • salt and pepper
  • 450g fresh baby spinach, chopped and steamed
  • 3/4 small onion, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • oil for frying (liquid coconut oil recommended)

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Directions

  1. Chop spinach, then steam over boiling water for 4-5 minutes until fully wilted.
  2. Mix spinach and onion together in a bowl. Add milk and eggs. Mix well.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper together.
  4. Stir flour mixture into spinach mixture until batter is evenly combined.
  5. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a large, deep frying pan over low-medium heat. Oil is ready to use with a drop of spinach batter added to the oil bubbles immediately.
  6. Drop batter (about 1 tablespoon per fritter), into the hot oil. Fry until outside edges of fritters are golden brown (3 – 4 minutes per side). Remove fritters with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Repeat with remaining batter, adding more oil and adjusting oil temperature as needed.
  7. Serve with tzatziki sauce and chimichurri.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5, very good as an appetizer!
  • Papa: 3.5/5, somewhat bland but the coconut oil adds a nice flavor
  • Girlie: 2/5 by themselves, but 4/5 when served with tzatziki sauce
  • TW: 2.5/5 by themselves, 4/5 when served with tzatziki sauce or chimichurri

Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/236662/bunuelos-de-espinaca-spinach-fritters/

Egypt (Part 2)

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Chipotle Tahini Dip

Spicy dip for falafel or pita bread.

Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 10-12

Ingredients

  • 1 cup tahini
  • 4 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 can (about 100g) chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 3 tablespoons adobo sauce

Directions

  1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until evenly blended.
  2. Serve with falafel or spread on pitas.

Family Ratings

  • Papa: 5/5, one of my new favorite dips!
  • VOD: 5/5, subtle flavor at first with more spice in the aftertaste
  • McM: 4/5, great flavour but a little too spicy for my preference

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/falafel-with-chipotle-tahini-dip.html

Egypt (Part 1)

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Creamy Yogurt Sauce

Falafel dressing made with navy beans and yogurt.

Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 8-10

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups canned navy beans
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

  1. Puree all ingredients in a food processor until very smooth.
  2. Serve with falafel or as a salad dressing.

Family Ratings

  • Papa: 5/5, fantastic!
  • VOD: 5/5, really good in combination with the chipotle tahini sauce
  • McM: 5/5, light and refreshing, very flavorful

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/falafel-recipe.html

Romania (Part 1)

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Cheese Dumplings

Romanian dumplings made from cottage cheese.

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

  • 500g cottage cheese
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 cup flour (plus additional as needed)
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Use a colander to strain the excess liquid from the cottage cheese, leaving just the curds behind.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix the cottage cheese curds, 3 eggs, and one tablespoon of sugar.
  3. Slowly add flour, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, while stirring until the consistency of the mixture thickens enough to allow the formation of small balls. If the mixture crumbles, continue adding flour to thicken. (We used approximately 1/2 cup of flour total).
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil.
  5. Wet your hands and shape the cottage cheese mixture into small balls (2-3cm diameter). Drop the balls into the boiling water (they should sink to the bottom of the pot). Avoid stirring as this may break apart the balls.
  6. Boil the dumplings until they rise and float on the surface of the water. Gently scoop the dumplings out of the water and set aside.
  7. Serve with pepper to taste.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5, these are better than most traditional dumplings!
  • Papa: 3.5/5, would be even better by substituting some of the cottage cheese for more flavorful cheese (such as grated Parmesan, chunks of sharp cheddar, or crumbled blue cheese).
  • Girlie: 1/5, I really didn’t like these.
  • TW: 4/5, would be even better using different types of cheese.
  • McM: 3.5/5

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Original recipe: http://www.romanianfoodrecipes.com/recipe/cheese-dumplings-galuste-cu-branza

Finland (Part 1)

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Porkkanasosekeitto

Finnish cream of carrot soup.   

Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 4-6

Ingredients

  • 500g carrots, peeled, sliced into 1cm rounds
  • 1 cup beef broth
  • 3 tablespoons brandy
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 4 cups 1% milk
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
  • nutmeg (for garnish)

Directions

  • Combine beef broth and brandy in a small pot and bring to boil. Add carrots and simmer, covered, until carrots are tender (about 20-25 min).
  • Mash the carrots in the broth. Set aside.
  • Heat the butter in a large pot. Add the flour and stir until blended.
  • Gradually add the milk to the pot, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then simmer (3-5 minutes).
  • Add the mashed carrots, broth mixture, and sugar to the boiling milk. Stir thoroughly.
  • Serve. Garnish each serving with parsley and a dash of nutmeg.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 4/5, a little on the sweet side but very tasty!
  • Girlie: 3/5
  • TW: 4/5, this is very sweet so I would recommend not adding sugar next time.
  • McM: 4/5, excellent soup!

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Original recipe:  http://www.food.com/recipe/cream-of-carrot-soup-porkkanasosekeitto-274678

Thailand (Part 1)

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Thai Green Curry Chicken Stew

Hearty chicken stew with green curry and coconut milk.    

Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 4 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 tablespoons green curry paste
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • 2 400ml cans regular unsweetened coconut milk
  • 2 400ml cans “lite” unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 250g thin rice noodles, broken into pieces
  • 3 medium chicken breasts, thinly sliced crosswise
  • 100g shredded carrots
  • 3 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 3 scallions, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
  • fresh bean sprouts (for garnish)

Directions

  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned (8 minutes).
  2. Add garlic and curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant (2 minutes).
  3. Add chicken broth, coconut milk, and fish sauce. Cover and bring to a boil.
  4. Add bell peppers and noodles and simmer, uncovered, until the noodles are al dente (3 minutes).
  5. Add chicken and carrots and simmer until chicken is cooked through (3-5 minutes).
  6. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and scallions and simmer (3 minutes).
  7. Add more fish sauce and lime juice to taste. Serve with bean sprouts as garnish.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 5/5
  • Papa: 5/5
  • Girlie: 5/5
  • TW: 4.5/5
  • McM: 5/5, amazing! So flavorful! One of my favorite recipes so far!
  • Kid Cairo: 5/5

Original recipe: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/thai-chicken-soup-recipe.html

Chile (Part 1)

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Fricassee

Hearty Chilean side dish with sausage, potatoes, and chard.

Total time: 45 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3/4 red bell pepper, diced
  • 2 large bundles of chard, stems removed, cut into 1cm strips
  • 2 thick slices country bread, cubed
  • 3 small potatoes, cooked, cubed
  • 5 large chicken sausages, cooked, sliced
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/3 cup milk
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onion until translucent (4-5 minutes). Add the pepper and cook (2 minutes). Add chopped chard and cook until wilted (3-5 minutes). Season lightly with salt. Remove from skillet at set aside.
  2. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Fry the bread cubes (5 minutes). Remove from skillet and set aside on a plate with paper towel.
  3. Heat another tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the potatoes (5-10 minutes).
  4. Combine the potatoes, bread cubes, and chard mixture in the skillet. Add sausages. Warm of medium heat.
  5. Beat the eggs with the milk and season with cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste.
  6. Add the egg mixture to the skillet and stir until egg is cooked (2 minutes).
  7. Serve warm.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 5/5, the chard is an excellent addition to the recipe!
  • Papa: 4/5, could have used fewer potatoes but otherwise delicious!
  • Girlie: 4.5/5
  • TW: 4.5/5,
  • McM: 3.5/5

Original recipe:  http://www.enmicocinahoy.cl/chilean-fricassee/

Philippines (Part 1)

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Lentils and Pechay

Filipino side dish with bok choy.

Total time: 30 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

  • 3 cups canned lentils, drained
  • 2 tablespoons ginger, minced
  • 3 medium tomatoes, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3 cups fresh bok choy, coarsely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups vegetarian chicken broth

Directions

  1. Blend the onion in a food processor to create a soft mush.
  2. In a large pan, combine blended onion, 1/2 cup broth, garlic, ginger, and tomatoes. Cook (3 minutes).
  3. Add the canned lentils and remaining broth. Bring to a boil, add the bok choy, and cook until tender (about 5-8 minutes).
  4. Serve.

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Family Ratings

  • Mama: 3.5/5
  • Papa: 4/5, would be even better with more bok choy!
  • Girlie: 4.5/5
  • TW: 3.5/5, I don’t like tomatoes
  • McM: 4/5, double the amount of bok choy next time!

Note

  • Lentils were substituted for mung beans in the original recipe. Mung beans were not available in our local grocery stores.

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/philippines-monggo-beans-and-pechay-mung-beans-and-bok-choi-305953?photo=155213

Laos (Part 1)

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Shrimp Paste

A common ingredient in many Laotian recipes. Can be served on crackers or in sandwiches for a tasty snack.

Total time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 cup

Ingredients

  • 100g canned cooked shrimp
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
  • 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoon onion, finely chopped
  • pinch of salt

Directions

  1. Place all ingredients into a food processor. Blend into a smooth paste.
  2. Serve on crackers or in sandwiches.

Family Ratings

  • Mama: 4/5
  • Papa: 4/5
  • McM: 4/5

Original recipe: http://www.food.com/recipe/shrimp-paste-134317