My Kitchen, My World: Germany

My Kitchen, My World is traveling to Germany this week, thanks to Roxanne of Roxanne's Road Rules. Our family hasn't had much luck finding German foods we like in the past. Something about the seasonings commonly used didn't really sit well with us. In fact, my aunt recently took a trip to Europe and during her week in Germany, she lived on apple dumplings the whole time!

There is one German dish however that I dearly love. Not sure how authentic it really is but Uberbackener Spinat mit Kase (Baked spinach with cheese) is one of my favorite ways to eat spinach. It's a quick, easy recipe that packs a flavorful punch. This time I used regular Swiss cheese but in the past I've used Havarti, Gouda, Emmenthaler... pretty much any white cheese I've had around.

Uberbackener Spinat mit Kase (Baked spinach with cheese)

1 pound Spinach -- Fresh
1/4 pound Butter
1 large Onion -- Diced
2 cloves Garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 pound Emmenthaler Cheese -- Grated
1 teaspoon Paprika
1/8 teaspoon Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon Pepper

Wash and clean spinach of sand. Dry. Cut spinach into strips. In a large Dutch oven, heat butter until bubbly. Add onion and garlic, saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add spinach. Sprinkle with salt. Cover and steam for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Grease an ovenproof casserole. Sprinkle half the cheese over the bottom of the casserole. Add the spinach. Sprinkle with paprika, nutmeg, and pepper. Top with remaining cheese. Bake at 360 degrees F about 20 minutes or until cheese bubbles.

My Kitchen, My World: Argentina

It was my turn to decide where My Kitchen, My World was going to travel this week. The choices were endless. Where to go? Russia? Nope. Bad experience at a Russian Banquet back in college. Germany? France? Korea? Japan. Hmmm. Nope. This week we're going to Argentina. Sounded like a good plan. I did have to chuckle when I realized that beef-deprived dh had suggested the country with the highest per capita consumption of beef in the world.

Did you know these facts about Argentina?

• The Driest place on earth is the Atacama Desert, in Argentina. It's a place with virtually no vegetation; in some parts of Atacama Desert, it has never rained!
• The highest peak of South America, Aconcagua, is in Argentina. It is 22,834 feet high.
• Argentina is the largest Spanish-speaking country of South America.
  

While dh had been dreaming of steak, I opted for a more family-friendly (as well as budget-friendly) option: Argentine-Style Burgers. Flavored with onion, garlic and jalapeno, the burgers were moist and flavorful without being too spicy. Dh was disappointed that they weren't plain but I much preferred these. And while dh and the kids avoided the chimichurri sauce, I really enjoyed it and can't wait to find other ways to use it! While I was Googling to find the recipe again, I found that one of my favorite bloggers had also blogged about these. Go check out what Elle had to say about her experience with Argentine-Style Burgers over at Elle's New England Kitchen. I'm so jealous of her homemade pita bread! It looks delicious.


Argentine-Style Burger
Recipe from Fine Cooking 73, pp. 49 August 1, 2005

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion (from 1/2 medium-small onion)
2 Tbs. finely chopped garlic (from 6 to 7 medium cloves)
1 Tbs. finely chopped jalapeño (from 3/4 medium chile)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1-1/2 lb. ground round (85% lean)
1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1-1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
4 5- to 6-inch pita pockets
Thin red onion slices (optional)
Lettuce leaves (optional)
Chimichurri Sauce

In a medium skillet, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 min. Transfer to a medium bowl, let cool for 10 min., and then add the ground beef, cumin, oregano, cilantro, 1 tsp. salt, and several grinds of pepper. Mix gently with your hands until just combined. Shape the meat into four burgers, 3/4 inch thick and 4 inches across, working the meat as little as possible. Make a 1/4-inch dent in the center of each burger with the tips of your middle three fingers.

To pan-cook burgers:

Put a large skillet or griddle, preferably cast iron, over high heat and let it get very hot, about 2 min. (The pan is hot enough when a drop of water evaporates instantly.) Add the remaining 1 Tbs. oil and tilt the pan to spread it evenly. Arrange the burgers so there’s as much space as possible between them, reduce the heat to medium high, and cook, uncovered, for 5 min. Turn and cook until the burger feels springy but not mushy when poked, about 3 min. for medium rare (or longer if you’re concerned about undercooked meat).

To grill burgers:

Charcoal: Prepare a medium-hot fire. Cook the burgers, uncovered, on one side for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until the burgers feel springy but not mushy when poked, another 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare.

Gas: Heat the grill to high. When the interior temperature is about 500°F, cook the burgers for 3 minutes with the lid closed. Turn, close the lid, and cook until the burgers feel springy but not mushy when poked, another 3 to 4 minutes for medium rare.

To serve:

Cut the top inch or so off the pitas to open up the pockets wide enough to fit the burgers. Serve the burgers in the pita with red onion and lettuce, if using, and some of the chimichurri sauce.

From Fine Cooking 73, pp. 49

August 1, 2005

My Kitchen, My World: Morocco

I was really excited about Judy's choice of Morocco for My Kitchen, My World this week. It seems like such an interesting and exotic place. I had several recipes picked out ... and then reality (and a tragedy) intervened. We had two weddings planned. (Well, one wedding and one reception for a couple that had married out of town) but I figured I could still manage a Moroccan feast. Then, tragically my husband's cousin's son was killed in a car accident this week. The rest of the week's plans went right out the window.

I'm including two of the recipes I'd planned to make and hopefully sometime soon I'll be able to work them back into the menu. Hope everyone else enjoys their Moroccan adventures! Want to see? Check them out right here.




Kebab Koutbane: Appetizer Kebabs in a Moorish Marinade
Recipe found here

This typically Moroccan dish is an excellent hors d'oeuvre to serve at any time. It is amazing how the small cubes of suet improve the flavor of the kebab after some of the fat has burned off. The use of suet is particularly effective when cooking kebabs over a charcoal fire and may be successfully substituted in recipes calling for bacon.

Cut 1 Ib. FILLET OF BEEF OR STEAK into 3/4-inch cubes (approximately 32 cubes).

Cut 1/2 Ib. BEEF SUET into 1/2-inch cubes.

In an 8 x 10-inch shallow baking dish, prepare the Moorish Marinade:

Combine: 1/4 cup ONION, finely chopped and

2 Tbs. PARSLEY, finely chopped.

Blend: 1/2 cup OLIVE or SALAD OIL

1 tsp. SALT

1/4 tsp. PEPPER

1/4 tsp. GARLIC POWDER

1 tsp. GROUND CORIANDER (optional)

1/2 tsp. GROUND CUMIN (optional).

Blend the beef and suet cubes with the marinade and allow the mixture to marinate for several hours.

Thread four pieces of beef alternately with three pieces of suet (start and end with beef) on a 6-inch metal or bamboo skewer.

Grill or Broil using a hot fire, basting occasionally with the marinade.

Arrange 1 KEBAB KOUTBANE on a small plate.

Garnish with TOMATO SLICES and PARSLEY SPRIGS at the side of the plate.

http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Cookbook/Morocco.html#KEBAB%20KOUTBANE


Batinjaan zalud: Eggplant Salad
Recipe found here

Yield: 8 small salads

This Eggplant Salad may also be served as an appetizer. It is an excellent accompaniment to a Couscous, as it is to any of the great entrees of Morocco. Be sure that the salad is very cold when served.

Peel 1 or 2 large EGGPLANTS (approx. 2 Ibs.).

Cut into 1-inch slices.

In a 10-inch skillet:

Fry in 1/2 cup OLIVE or SALAD OIL until soft.

Mash the eggplant.

Add: 1/4 cup ONION finely chopped

3 cloves GARLIC finely chopped (or 1 tsp. garlic powder)

4 Tbs. LEMON JUICE

1 tsp. SALT

1/4 tsp. GROUND PEPPER

1 Tbs. SUGAR, and blend thoroughly.

Chill in refrigerator.

Heap 1/2 cup EGGPLANT MIXTURE on a 6- to 7-inch plate.

Mash it down to form a circle within 1 inch of edge of plate.

Dribble with 1/2 tsp. OLIVE OIL (if mixture appears dry).

Place:

1 slice TOMATO in center of circle and

1 BLACK OLIVE in center of tomato.

Garnish with PARSLEY SPRIGS.

My Kitchen, My World: Ecuador

My Kitchen, My World is traveling to Ecuador this week and I have to admit, it's a country I know almost nothing about. I'm sure back in high school I could point it out on a map, but now ... well, I do know it's in South America. ;-) This is a great opportunity to brush up on Ecuadorian (Is that really a word?) trivia.

• Ecuador is located in South America, on the Pacific Coast. It is bordered on one side by Peru and on the other by Colombia. The Galapagos Islands are a part of Ecuador. It's capitol city is Quito.

• Ecuador is a major exporter of bananas, shrimp, flowers and oil.

• The currency of Ecuador is the American dollar. (Who knew?)

• The Cotapaxi Volcano, located in Ecuador, is the highest active volcano in the world. There are 265 volcanoes within Ecuador, 19 of which are potentially active.

Have I mentioned that I have a degree in Anthropology? Back in the day, I had dreams of traipsing around the world Indiana Jones-style, discovering all sorts of really cool things. Reality intervened. (It's hard to be footloose and fancy-free when you have four children! LOL!) Ecuador has a rich archaeological history. What that means is that I get to waste half my morning, pouring over pictures of really neat artifacts. This style of bottle was produced in Ecuador from the 12th-4th century BC. This particular one is styled as a gourd. I think it's really cool.


Enough with the history lesson. Let's eat! For this challenge, I decided to prepare my Ecuadoran meal at my mom's house, for mom and my sister and her family. I wasn't sure what I'd make to please a whole room of picky people but a quick Google turned up plenty of recipes for llapingachos, or potato patties. I went with the recipe from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. Using someone else's stove and kitchen tools was definitely a challenge. I really missed my gas stove and heavy skillet! While my llapingachos didn't turn out as pretty as Natashya's, they still tasted great.

Many of the recipes call for the potato patties to be topped with a peanut sauce. Since I don't like peanuts, I decided to go with a recipe from one of my favorite blogs Laylita's Recipes. Layla is from Ecuador and has tons of delicious looking recipe ideas on her blog. She has also posted a recipe for llapingachos, along with some gorgeous pictures. She suggested topping them with Curtido de cebolla y tomate. (Pickled Red Onion and Tomato Salad, in English.) It was delicious and very easy to throw together!

I also made Locro, or Ecuadoran Potato Soup. For that, I used the recipe posted by our fearless leader over at She's Becoming Doughmesstic. Loved, loved, LOVED it! Might just become my new go-to potato soup recipe. I used Muenster cheese and it gave the soup a wonderful flavor. Yum!

Thanks to Shelby from The lives and Loves of Grumpy's Honeybunch for selecting such an interesting country!

My Kitchen, My World: Fried Green Tomatoes with an Indian Twist

Things have totally gotten away from me lately. I totally spaced last week's My Kitchen, My World blogging event. I also totally forgot all about the dishes I was supposed to make for Barefoot Bloggers. I bought the supplies and totally just never thought about it again. ::sigh:: I attempted to whip up the wonderful soup and the delicious sounding apple turnovers at the last minute but found that my mushrooms, all those yummy wild (and expensive!) mushrooms were spoiled. And all the apples had been eaten. But fear not! I've restocked the supplies and tomorrow we'll be enjoying Ina's Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup for lunch and scarfing down those yummy-sounding Apple Turnovers with dinner.

I came across an Indian-inspired dish while browsing through a few blogs today and decided to jump up and make it for lunch. With a title like: Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices, how could I resist? The tomatoes fried up perfectly: crispy on the outside and tart and juicy on the inside. And the Mango chutney? An inspired addition! This was delicious and definitely inspires

A perfect way to participate in MKMW (even if it is a little late) and use up that jar of Mango Ginger Chutney that I picked up on my last trip to Trader Joe's and some of the Garam Masala that I bought at Penzy's on that same trip!

Fried Green Tomatoes with Warm Indian Spices
Recipe from Spice Lines

4 medium to large green, unripe tomatoes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon (or more) garam masala, to taste
1 large egg
2 tablespoons milk
1-1/2 cups breadcrumbs
1/3 cup ghee, clarified butter or canola oil (enough to fill the frying pan ¼ inch deep)
Chutney of your choice

1. Core the tomatoes and cut a very thin slice off the top and bottom. Cut each tomato into 3 horizontal slices, about ½-inch thick. Season the tomatoes lavishly with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Be liberal with the salt—the tomatoes need a good sprinkle to bring out their flavor.
2. Set up an assembly line of three medium-sized bowls. In the first bowl, mix 1 cup of flour with 1 tablespoon or more garam masala. The mixture should be quite fragrant. In the second bowl, briskly beat the egg and milk until frothy. In the third, put the breadcrumbs.
3. Prepare the tomatoes: Dredge each slice of tomato in the flour mixture, shaking off any excess. Next, dip the tomato in the egg and milk, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Be sure that the tomatoes are well coated with bread crumbs. Set aside.
4. In a heavy 12-inch cast iron frying pan, heat the ghee, clarified butter or oil over medium heat. When it is very hot, put four tomato slices in the pan. Fry them for 1 to 2 minutes per side, until the crust turns crisp and golden brown. If the ghee starts to smoke, lower the heat slightly. Do not overcook or the tomatoes will be mushy. Drain on a stack of paper towels. Proceed with the rest of the tomatoes.
5. Serve at once, with a generous dollop of sweet-tart mango chutney.

My Kitchen, My World: Indonesia

This week My Kitchen, My World is traveling to Indonesia. I have to admit that I'm not really familiar with Indonesian cuisine. In fact, I didn't have the first clue exactly *what* Indonesian cuisine *was*. A quick Google during this busy week and I didn't really turn up anything that I thought the family would actually eat. (The younger kids are not particularly adventurous eaters.) I'm not sure exactly *how* "Indonesian" this one really is, but it is called Indonesian Steak Sandwich so I'm going with it! ;-) Dh enjoyed it. Ds who has taken a PB&J to school every day for the past seven years didn't care for it. Go figure! ::shrug::

For more Indonesian menu ideas, check out the other members of My Kitchen, My World made this week.


Indonesian Steak Sandwiches
Recipe from Kayotic Kitchen

Steak
Bread
Onion
Bell pepper
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp brown sugar (or sugar substitute)
1 clove garlic, grated
Ginger, grated
Chili pepper, minced
2 tbsp peanut butter
1/8 tsp sesame oil
Tiny drop of olive oil

Mix 2 tablespoons Soy sauce in a bowl with sesame oil. Add chopped chili pepper, grated ginger and garlic. Add a small amount of olive oil, brown sugar and peanut but. Mix well until mixture forms a thick paste. Spread over all surfaces of the steak and let marinate for at least 1 hour.
Slice onion and red pepper. Grill meat on hot grill. When done, let stand for 5 minutes and slice steak. While meat is standing grill onion slices and red pepper. Place steak slices on bread. Top with the grilled onions and red peppers.

My Kitchen, My World: England

This week My Kitchen, My World is heading to Jolly, Old England and while I had grand intentions of whipping up a few scones and some potted shrimp, the real world got in the way this week. Between school and practices and dh traveling out of town for work this week, it just didn't happen. Instead, we opted for an old favorite: Fish and Chips. I couldn't help myself though. I had to jazz up the tartar sauce and as a result it's more a Creole Tartar Sauce than English. Sorry! But I had to share the recipe anyway. It was too delicious! I'm not a tartar sauce fan at all and I don't care for it with fish, actually. But it was awesome with the "chips". Yum!

Since I didn't really use a recipe, here are a few good "Fish and Chips" blogger recipes for you:

Beer Battered Fish (Fish and Chips) from Closet Cooking
Beer Battered Fish from Kalofagus
Oven-Fried Fish & Chips from Yumsugar
Fish and Chips from Pinch
Easy Fish and Chips from Rookie Cookery
Authentic Fish and Chips from Tasty ... and Gluten Free!

Cajun Tartar Sauce

1 cup Mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
2 teaspoons Garlic, chopped
1/4 Cup Sweet Pickle, chopped
1 tablespoon spicy Cajun Mustard
2 teaspoons Horseradish
2 teaspoons Parsley, chopped
3 tablespoons Green Onions, chopped
2 teaspoons Hot Sauce

Combine all of the ingredients a food processor. Mix on high for 1 minuteor until blended.

My Kitchen My World: Jamaica!

I went to Jamaica a few years ago, back in the days before I had children. Never in my life have I seen such a beautiful location. I was a little apprehensive about the trip. After we booked, the island was hit by a hurricane and rocked by a political coup. Lots of people canceled their travel plans but we felt it was a now-or-never situation and we went anyway. It turned out to be a great vacation! The weather was awesome. The people were friendly. The rum punch was delicious. ;-)

I still remember having the most delicious French Onion Soup in our hotel restaurant. I've tried to duplicate it for years and haven't even come close. The soup was topped with the most incredible cheese from a local dairy. The flavor of the cheeses (and their butter!) was to die for. Nothing like what I've found here in the U.S. The other part that makes it so hard to duplicate might be that we were eating by candlelight on a private balcony over looking the Ocho Rios Bay. Hard to recreate that here in Indiana. The cornfields don't provide a similar ambiance, kwim? LOL!

This week, My Kitchen, My World is visiting Jamaica and I couldn't be more excited! We are serving one of our family favorites: Jerked Chicken Skewers. (I think the kids will eat almost anything on a skewer. Serve them a chicken breast and they'll turn up their noses but thread it onto a wooden spike and they are all over it!) We paired it with Salsa Rice with Black Beans. Add a little store-bought mango salsa, a Bob Marley CD and some rum punch and you're all set for your tropical get-away!

Don't forget to visit My Kitchen, My World and see what Jamaican deliciousness everyone else came up with!

Jerked Chicken Kabobs
Recipe courtesy of Guy Fieri

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon cinnamon stick
1 red onion, chopped
3 green onions, chopped
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh thyme sprigs
1 lime, juiced
3 garlic cloves
1 Scotch bonnet pepper
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger, peeled
Salt and pepper
2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chicken; puree until smooth. Add all but 1/4 cup of the mixture in a 1 gallon plastic sealable bag. Add the chicken to the bag and let marinate in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 hours.

Heat grill to medium-high. Skewer chicken pieces and grill on 1 side for about 5 minutes. Flip and grill the other side until cooked through and grill marks appear.

Salsa Rice and Beans
Recipe courtesy of Robin Miller

1 cup rice, regular or instant
1/2 (14-ounce) can black beans, drained
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn, thawed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a medium sauce pot, cook rice according to package instructions. When the rice is half way cooked, add black beans, salsa, and cook about 10 minutes for regular rice and 3 minutes for instant rice .Continue cooking rice. Remove the pot, using a spoon, stir in chopped cilantro and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.

My Kitchen My World: American

This week at Our Kitchen, Our World we're celebrating home, sweet home! Home for me is The United States. It sounded easy at first, but once I started thinking about it ... not so much! We've been doing a lot of grilling out so I figured, no problem. Until, at the end of the week, I realized that we'd grilled Greek, Mexican and Italian and not really anything that could be considered American. LOL! So to celebrate My Kitchen, My World Week Nine we're having a good old-fashioned cookout!

We'll start with a fresh green salad filled with lettuce and red onions from a near-by farm stand and topped with beautiful, American-grown cherry tomatoes from my garden.

What's more American than a burger and fries? This one is topped by a nice slice of locally, Amish-made pepperjack cheese, some portobellos and a slice of big red, juicy tomato.

In Indiana, sweet corn from your garden is a must at every meal!

We'll finish off with a deliciously easy No-Bake Cheesecake from Kevin over at Closet Cooking, topped with some locally grown blueberries. A perfect dessert for a hot Indiana night. (And a great snack for later while you're watching Michael Phelps bring home yet another gold medal!)

My Kitchen My World: Chinese

I was really excited to come across a post that mentioned My Kitchen, My World. I am so not a baker. I hate the whole concept. It's too precise for me. Too fussy. Too much having to follow the rules. But I've secretly been jealous of all those baking groups. The Daring Bakers. Tuesday with Dorie. Now My Kitchen, My World give those of us deprived of the baking gene an opportunity to play as well. Each week a country is selected and each member of the group has seven days to prepare a recipe from that country. How fun! This week, as a salute to the start of the Olympics, the country is China. I was doubly excited because since there are no good Chinese restaurants around here, I have quite a stockpile of Chinese recipes I've been meaning to try.


Things ended up getting a little hectic toward the end of the week so I didn't get to try all that I wanted. I did try one new recipe: Spicy Orange Beef Chicken from Paula over at The Cookbook Junkie. I don't eat much meat, and I really don't care for beef. Everyone in the family will eat chicken though so I made a quick substitution and it worked well. Next time I'd double the ingredients for the sauce because my favorite part of eating Chinese is soaking up all that luscious, savory sauce with the rice. Mmmmm!



Due to lack of time -- and whiny kids who didn't want "different" rice, I made my old standby: Teresa's Fried Rice. Quick and easy and guaranteed to keep dd happy! I threw in a few frozen egg rolls to round out the meal and everyone was happy.

Hopefully the Olympics will keep me motivated to go ahead and try the dishes I've been wanting to try.




Teresa's Fried Rice
Recipe by Teresa

6 cups rice, cooked
1 cup frozen peas and carrots
3 large eggs
3 green onions, sliced
3 teaspoons oyster sauce
3 teaspoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil

Scramble eggs in a small skillet. Remove and set aside.

Heat oil in wok. I generally use olive oil but any kind will do. Add already-cooked rice and stir-fry for a moment until heated through. Add oyster sauce and soy sauce and stir until evenly distributed. Move rice to the sides and add mushrooms and vegetables. Stir-fry until cooked through. Stir veggie mixture into the rice. Add eggs and toss.



Spicy Orange Beef Chicken
Recipe from Paula, a.k.a. The Cookbook Junkie

1 (3 /12-ounce) bag boil-in-bag brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 pound boneless sirloin steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
3/4 cup (1-inch) slices green onions

1. Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Combine rice and salt, tossing well.
2. Combine garlic, pepper, and beef, tossing well.
3. Combine rind, juice, cornstarch, and soy sauce, stirring with a whisk.
4. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add beef mixture and onions; sauté 2 minutes. Add juice mixture; cook 2 minutes or until sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Serve beef mixture over rice.