Sunday, September 14, 2014

Argentina - Recipes



http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/empanadas-argentinas-recipe.html

Empanadas Argentinas

(NOT SHOWN IN PICTURES, but that's just because it wasn't ready yet)

Recipe courtesy of Jorge Rodriguez
Total Time:
50 min
Prep:
20 min
Cook:
30 min

Yield:5 servings
Ingredients

1 tablespoon caul fat or any other type of fat
1 pound bottom round or sirloin, hand-chopped or ground
5 to 6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and green parts separated
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 tablespoons dry oregano
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons Spanish sweet paprika
Salt and pepper
2 roasted peppers, diced
Empanada dough discs*
10 green olives, pitted
3 eggs, hard boiled and sliced
Oil, for frying
ADD CHECKED ITEMS TO GROCERY LIST
Directions

In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon caul fat. Add the chopped meat and white scallion slices, and saute until slightly browned. Add raisins and spices and cook until meat is cooked through. Stir in green scallion slices and roasted peppers. Let mixture cool.
Fill empanada discs with meat, add 1 olive and 1 slice of egg. Seal the empanada.
Preheat oil in a deep sauce pot fitted with a frying thermometer to 375 degrees F. Deep fry the empanadas in the oil for about 3 minutes. Remove from oil with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.
*Available frozen at specialty markets.

_____________________________________________________________________

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/traditional-chimichurri



Traditional Chimichurri

Michelle Bernstein's mother taught her how to make this recipe when she was five years old because it is such an essential part of Argentinean cuisine; a bowl of chimichurri can be found on every dinner table. In her home base of Miami, the award-winning chef is known for her expert cooking with Latin flavors. Super tasty, traditional and incredibly easy to make, her recipe features fresh parsley, garlic and tangy vinegar. It gets an extra kick from oregano and crushed red pepper. Chimichurri is typically served with steak, but it's also great on smoky grilled fish and chicken.


INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 cup coarsely chopped parsley
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 4 large garlic cloves, minced (2 1/2 tablespoons)
  • 2 tablespoons oregano leaves
  • 2 teaspoons crushed red pepper
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a food processor, combine the parsley, vinegar, garlic, oregano and crushed red pepper. Process until smooth; season with salt and pepper. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and pour the olive oil over the mixture. Let stand for at least 20 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD

The chimichurri can be refrigerated overnight. Bring to room temperature before serving.

NOTES

Watch this how-to video to find out the best way to peel and chop garlic.

SERVE WITH

This traditional chimichurri recipe is incredibly versatile. Serve it over beautifully charred steaks or as a sauce for a mixed grill. It's also perfect with grilled chicken or seared tuna.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Chimichurri sauce originated in Argentina as a complement to the country's great grass-fed beef; similarly, a smoky Argentine Malbec will make a great partner to grilled steaks topped with this expert sauce.
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http://southamericanfood.about.com/od/maincourses/r/Milanesa-Napolitana-Argentinian-Fried-Steak-Italian-Style.htm

Milanesa Napolitana - Argentinian Fried Steak, Italian-style


Milanesa napolitana is a variation on the breaded fried steak called milanesa that is popular in Argentina and Uruguay. Milanesa a la Napolitana does not originate from Milan or Naples - it's thought to have been invented in the 1940's at a Buenos Aires restaurant called “NĂ¡poli”.
Milanesa napolitana is similar to veal parmesan, but with South American touches - after the steak is breaded and fried, it's topped with a slice of ham, tomato sauce, and melted mozzarella cheese, and served with french fries. Leftovers make great sandwiches, especially when paired with a soft but crusty roll.
INGREDIENTS
  • 4 thinly sliced skillet steaks, such as top round
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups fresh bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 1/3 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
  • 4 sliced of deli ham
  • 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or oregano
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield4 servings
PREPARATION
  1. Place the eggs in a shallow bowl or pan, and whisk them together with the oregano and some salt and pepper.

    Stir the parmesan cheese and garlic into the bread crumbs and place them in another shallow pan.

    Dip the steaks first in the egg mixture, then in the bread crumbs, coating them well with the crumbs.

    Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and cook steaks for several minutes on each side, until golden brown and crispy. Drain steaks on paper towels.

    Place steaks on a baking sheet. Turn on oven broiler. Top each steak with a slice of ham, 2-3 tablespoons tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup grated Mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle Italian seasoning over the cheese and place steaks under broiler until cheese melts.

    Serve warm, with fries.
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Tomates Rellenos con Arroz
Rice-Stuffed Tomatoes
1 cup white rice
salt, to taste
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 egg, hard-boiled and chopped
1 tablespoon dried parsley
juice of one lemon
8 tomatoes, tops and insides removed
8 green olives, for garnish

Cook the rice according to instructions on bag. (1 cup rice, 2 cups water, salt.  Bring the water to a boil in a medium stock pot, add rice and salt, and cover the pot.  Reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes, or until water has absorbed.)
Meanwhile, warm the peas in a small stock pot with some water, and drain.  Let cool.
Remove the rice to a bowl to cool, and add in the peas, mayonnaise, parsley, chopped hard-boiled egg, lemon juice and salt to taste.  Stir until well combined.  Fill the cavities of the tomatoes with the rice, garnish with the green olives, and refrigerate until serving.





Argentina - Pictures

As part of the Great Computer Crash of '14, we lost virtually all pictures of Argentina's country a month dinner, HOWEVER two were recovered because I e-mailed them to a friend;



Saturday, August 23, 2014

Antigua Film - Hooked (2009)




Hooked, the only Antiguian film we could get turned out to be one of the worst films we have ever seen, ever.  Oh my gosh, where to begin.  SPOILER ALERT, the film ends with the protagonist in jail after being framed by his girlfriend for the murder of the girlfriend's ex for intentionally giving her HIV.  The narrator then tells us that the moral of the movie was that good people never find each other.

So, a happy film!  

OK, I don't need every film to end on rainbows and sunshine, but you have to earn your downer ending and this film has some acting that would embarrass an elementary school recital, the dialogue sounds like the writer has only briefly ever met another fellow human being and instead was just copying lines from the Jerry Springier Show.  

Antigua - Recipes

We had a computer crash and unfortunately lost all the photos and recipes for a couple of months.
But I did find an old email so I know that these are some recipes from Antigua we cooked;

All the recipes were found here

Pepperpot recipe (Main Dish)
Ingredients
1
lb
beef
4
eddo leaves
4
eggplants
2
teaspoons
margarine
4
ochroes
some
salt and pepper
some
chive and thyme
2
chopped onions
2
cups
green peas
1
lb
chopped spinach
2
sliced tomatoes
1
cup
diced pumpkin
1
cup
diced squash
2
teaspoons
oil
1
lb
salt pork

Posted by Art99 on Jul 28, 2011
   
Instructions
Cook the meat, add the vegetables except the green peas, add the seasoning.
Cook the peas in a small amount of salt water, remove the vegetables.
Chop well and return to fire.
When cooked, serve hot with fungee.
Sometimes dumplings are added to the mixture.




Review: We remember the combination of okra, pumpkin and squash to be awesome with the flavors all mixed up. The Eddo leaves were the hardest ingredient to find but we did find taro leaves in a Japanese food mart. 








Fungee recipe (Side Dish)

Ingredients
2
cups
cornmeal
3
cups
water
3
ochroes
2
tablespoons
butter

Posted by Art99 on Jul 28, 2011
   
Instructions
Fungee is a paste-like ball of cornmeal and ochroes.
Bring water to boil with the ochroes until they are cooked. Remove 2 cups of water to a pan, add the cornmeal to the remaining boiling water. Using a wooden spoon, mix the corn meal and crush to the side of the pan to remove lumps. Add water when necessary. When the mixture leaves the bottom of the pan, remove from the fire. Place butter in a small bowl, place a large spoonful of fungee in the bowl and roll to a ball. Serve hot with pepperpot; stewed or fried fish.

Review: This was a very Bland side dish. Not a favorite, not memorable.















Baked Bananas recipe (Dessert)
Ingredients
Yield: 4 servings

4

large bananas, peeled
½
cups
brown sugar
3
tablespoons
lime juice
½
cups
light rum
1
teaspoon
ground allspice
some

butter

Posted by Joan2007 on Feb 9, 2008
   
Instructions
Split the bananas lengthwise, then in half across. Arrange in a well-buttered baking dish. Sprinkle with the sugar, lime juice, ¼ cup of the rum and the allspice. Dot with butter. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes, basting two or three times during cooking. Just before serving, heat the remaining ¼ cup of rum and pour over the bananas, and set aflame.





Saturday, July 26, 2014

Angola - Recipes - Prawns, Rice-Cornbread, Angolan Chicken Stew, Cocada Amarela


The thing that really struck me about the Angolan food we cooked was how bland it all was.  Obviously I can't speak for all of Angolan cuisine, but if I had to use one word for each of these recipes, every one would get the word "bland."

This was the first meal we've cooked where I don't consider it to be a great meal.  I might not even give it a "good meal."

C+ at best. 


http://www.food.com/recipe/angolan-corn-and-rice-bread-367994


Ingredients:

Servings:
8
Units: US | Metric

Directions:


  1. 1
    Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
  2. 2
    Sift all the dry ingredients together then beat together the eggs and mix with the coconut oil, milk and rice.
  3. 3
    Mix this into the dry ingredients and combine well.
  4. 4
    Pour the mixture into a well-oiled baking pan, place in an oven at 375 degrees F (190°C) and bake for 30 minutes.
  5. 5
    Take out of the oven, allow to cool a little then tip from the tin and allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.
 
http://www.angolanfoodrecipes.co.uk/recipes.html

Starter

Camaro grelhado (Grilled prawns)

Crunchy prawns grilled in an aromatic garlic and lemon marinade. A simple yet delicious starter.

Method
Wash the prawns and place it in a bowl. Crush the garlic, pepper and salt together and add the seasoning and marinate it together with the prawns. Squeeze the lemon on top and stir with a wooden spoon. Leave it to marinate 20 min so that the seasoning can get inside the prawns. Grill the prawn on each side for about 3 min or until brown.
Tip: Serve the prawns with peri peri on the side.
Ingredients
450g/1lb Fresh king size prawn
5 cloves Garlic [Finely chopped]
½ tsp salt
1 lemon
1 tsp pepper
1tps olive oil



 http://www.food.com/recipe/muamba-de-galinha-angolan-chicken-stew-498166

Muamba De Galinha (Angolan Chicken Stew)



Muamba De Galinha (Angolan Chicken Stew). Photo by Debbie R.
1/2 Photos of Muamba De Galinha (Angolan Chicken Stew)
more photos

Total Time:

Prep Time:
Cook Time:

2 hrs 20 mins

20 mins
2 hrs

threeovens's Note:

This is the national dish of Angola, at least according to Wikipedia. It gets is characteristic flavor from re ...

Ingredients:

Servings:
4
Units: US | Metric

Directions:


  1. 1
    Combine lemon juice, 2 of the garlic cloves, salt, and chili powder; rub all over chicken and marinate at least 1 hour up to overnight.
  2. 2
    Heat oil in a Dutch oven, over medium heat, and brown chicken on all sides, in batches, if necessary.
  3. 3
    Add onion, remaining garlic, chili pepper and tomatoes; bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.
  4. 4
    Add squash, chicken broth, and okra; coom until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
  5. 5
    Serve with boiled yuca or over rice.



http://angolarising.blogspot.com/2010/03/angolan-food-desserts-yum.html

Angolan Food: Desserts. Yum!

For the most part, dessert is not a part of the traditional Angolan meal. Most Angolan desserts consist of simple fruits, but there are also western-like puddings like Cocada amarela, which was inspired by the Portuguese cuisine; since Angola was previously ruled as a Portuguese colony, some of its food and cuisine owe much to the culture of Portugal.

Cocada amarela (yellow coconut) is the best known Angolan dessert and its main ingredients are: sugar, water, whole cloves, coconut, egg yolks and ground excellence.  The yellow color is derived from the abundance of egg yolks in the recipe. There are several recipes for this dish, but the differences between them are represented mainly by the cooking technique. Since Cocada amarela is a very sweet and heavy dessert, it is best served in small portions.  ENJOY!

Cocada Amarela

Ingredients
2 cups Sugar
4 whole cloves
12 egg yolks
6 cups water
4 cups grated coconut
ground cinnamon

Directions
Combine the Sugar, cloves and water in a 4 to 5 quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Continue boiling and stir
constantly until syrup reaches 230°F on a candy thermometer. Reduce heat to low, take out cloves and add coconut. Mix thoroughly and cook 10 minutes on low heat. Take off heat.

In a deep bowl, place 12 egg yolks. Beat them with an electric mixer for one minute. Stir in 1 cup of Sugar, coconut mixture and then pour yolks into saucepan with rest of syrup. Cook at medium heat 10 minutes. Pour in 1-inch deep platter or individual dessert dishes. Sprinkle with cinnamon and refrigerate for 2 hours. 

Angola - Film - The Hollow City / Na Cidade Vazia (2004)



I really really wanted to watch a non-depressing foreign film.  I wanted to watch The Great Kilapy, a comedy, but I could not find it anywhere.  Hollow City is available for free on Amazon Prime right now.

I think the film is a good "slice-of-life" for Angola's capital city after the end of the civil war, but the main character lacks agency.  He doesn't really make any choices (except to run away in the beginning) and then allows things to happen to him until he dies.  I get that the film is supposed to show the corrupting nature of the city on an innocent, but it's lack of a three-act structure hurts it, in my opinion.


Friday, July 25, 2014

Angola - Pictures

Camaro grelhado (Grilled prawns)
Nothing too fancy or exotic about this dish. It was just simple and delicious.



Angolan Corn and Rice Bread
Most corn bread you would find in the US has at least 1/2 cup of sugar. This bread was made similar to standard corn bread in the US sans sugar with extra added texture of cooked rice. My take away is that the rice reduces the flavor only slightly and extends the corn bread.

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