Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Finland

Hyvää iltaa this is Finland calling.

Home to many wooden spoon performances and one hell of a victory in 2006 with Lordi and Hard Rock Hallelujah (it's a shame you can't hear my intonation as I type this because I'm using my best full monster metal falsetto! Hallelujah!)  

I assume, not being totally au fait with the monster diet that Lordi would devour a Finnish hot pot being meat, meat and meat but it would forever ruin the illusion if I found out they were Paleo Vegans!

Laila Halme was the first Finnish contestant to come last at Eurovision with the dreaded nul points.(zero points) They have placed last 9 times since first participating in 1961 but thankfully only nul points on 3 occasions.

I believe Laila deserved some points in the very least as she does have a touch of the Eleanor LaGore about her, I'm just waiting for the entrance of The Saturday Show Dancers!

Laila Halme Muistojeni laulu

 

 

This recipe was inspired by Karelian hot pot from about.com. The quantity of this recipe will feed a Eurovision party crowd, or freeze for later, but once the slow cooker is out you want to make it worth your while.

Finnish Hot Pot

Ingredients

• 1kg pork fillet
• 1kg beef chuck
• 1kg lamb chump
• 2 tbsp. of black peppercorns
• 2 tbsp. of whole pimento/all spice
• 6 large brown onions
• 5-6 bay leaves
• 1 tbs. sea salt
• 2 tbs. cornflour approx.
• 2 tbs. verjuice
• Olive oil

Method

• Thinly slice the onions, a food processor is a joy to be hold at this stage 
• Cut the meats into equal(ish) 2cm cubes
• With a splash of olive oil brown off the meat in batches
• Make sure to render the lamb fat well (or leave it out)
• In a slow cooker add 1/4 of the onions and 1/4 of the meat and repeat layers till used
• Add the pepper, pimento/all spice, salt, bay leaves and 600ml of water
• Cook for about 6 hours on low till meat is tender and the stock is glorious (I believe that is a culinary term)
• When it's ready you can thicken the sauce with cornflour, but I prefer separate the meat from the stock and leave both overnight
• The next day you can remove a layer of fat from the stock and strain away any excess spices 
• Heat the stock and thicken with a paste of cornflour and a touch of water
• Add a couple of tablespoons of verjuice to the sauce and adjust the seasonings
• Reheat the meat gently through the sauce so it doesn't dry out

Serve with a rustic mash potato, skin on, manual masher, no fine dining passing through drum sieve here, just salt, pepper and enough butter to......actually I'm not sure I should publicly speak of the amount of butter used...use your own judgment here.

Traditionally the dish is served with cranberry sauce but my twist and revelation is a good handful of dried cranberries through the mash potato takes it to the next level as they say would on reality TV cooking shows. The cranberries offer a tart yet fruity accompaniment to the meat and potatoes, and possible an extra vitamin or two.

Another option is to use ground spices if cooking for children, older people or you can't be bothered eating around the whole spices.

 

This year Finland doesn't want to risk coming last for the tenth time so they have decided to send Something Better, performed by Softengine.

Onnea!

More tales from the wood panel Chinese

The 2014 Chinese Lunar New Year welcomes the year of the Horse (or whores as the BBC typo read, true, Google it).

I am thrilled about this year for no other reason than that it is no longer the year of the Snake! (Still hate them)

To accompany the Ham and Chicken rolls previously mentioned, I thought I'd recreate another authentic dish from the wood panelled Aussie-Chinese restaurants of my childhood.

Now when I say authentic I'm talking a restaurant that was more like a converted house on an inconvenient bend of the main road of East Gosford, its not quite Guangzhou.

Dome rice is the name I remember this dish by but I have no recollection whether that is what it was called on the menu.

I always found this dish magical as a kid, firstly because it had white sauce and that really should have only ever been used for vegetables. (what were they thinking??)

And secondly I had no idea of how they made the rice take on a shape, let alone fill it. I had visions of the rice being built up and around to enclose that special combination goodness. Those rice ads where the rice took on the shape of famous landmarks only further confused me.

In reflection I don't believed I was a particularly thick kid but the idea of serving an upside down bowl of rice just didn't cross my mind.

This doesn't take long to cook but there is a bit of prep at the start. It also seems like there are a million steps but it's really just a stir fry, in a bowl of rice with a white sauce but packed full of flavour and memories. 

Dome Rice
Ingredients

• 1-11/2 large mugs of basmati rice
• 2 chicken thigh fillet diced
• 200g beef diced (I had some scotch fillet)
• 2 x pinch bi carb soda
• 2 tbsp. oil (peanut/canola)
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 4 Chinese sausages, diagonally sliced
• 1 brown onion, diced
• 2 carrots (see note on vegetables)
• 1 zucchini,
• 1 broccoli stem
• 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 1 small thumb ginger finely chopped
• 200g green prawns (halved if large)
• 2 spring onions chopped
• small handful of sliced bamboo shoots
• Small handful of chopped baby corn
• 6-8 quartered straw mushrooms (more if they are smaller)
• 2 tbsp. Chinese cooking wine
• 2-3 tbsp. Oyster sauce
• Salt and a pinch of Schezuan pepper to taste
• a few toasted almonds to decorate

 Method

• Place chicken and beef in two separate bowls of cold water and a pinch of bi carb soda
• Allow to rest for 20-30 mins (this is what makes the meat silky tender)
• Cook the rice (I use the microwave method of 1 mug rice 2 mugs water)
• Blanch the vegetables
• Make white sauce (see directions below)
• Drain the chicken and beef separately and pat dry with paper towel
• Into a hot wok add the oil and sesame oil
• Fry off the Chinese sausage them remove just the sausage and place in a bowl
• Repeat with chicken, fry till just cooked and remove to the bowl
• Repeat with beef, fry till just cooked and remove to the bowl
• Leave the juices in the wok as this forms the base of the sauce
• Reduce the heat and add the onions, garlic and ginger stir fry until tender
• Add the meats and prawns back to the wok
• Add all remaining ingredients and
• Add about a 1/4 cup of the white sauce to the wok and combine
• Take off the heat

• To assemble dome
• Spray a glass bowl with oil
• Spread the enough rice to line the bowl with a thin layer (about 3/4 of the rice)

My bowl has a diameter of 22cm and is about 12cm at it's centre

My walls are a bit thicker than I would normally have them, the rice was very hot and I was hungry!!

• Fill bowl with stir fry
• Cover with a layer of rice to enclose it all, press firmly so it takes on the shape of the bowl
• Place a plate over the bowl and then flip it over
• Remove the bowl and you'll have a great looking rice dome!

Steaming!

To serve pour over hot white sauce and top with some toasted almonds or more decorative vegetables.
There were only ever 3 almonds on the top of this dish at the restaurants but live a little and add a few more, I think I have 6!

 


 


 


 

 

White Sauce

Ingredients

• 40g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 250ml chicken stock
• 500ml light milk 

Sauce Method

• In a  saucepan melt the butter
• Add the flour and stir to combine, cook the flour for about 1 minute
• Add stock and milk together in a jug (or use all milk and a good quality stock cube)
• Slowly add some stock/milk mix  while whisking to make a smooth sauce
• As the sauce thickens add more stock a little at a time, you might not use all the stock.
• While whisking let the sauce cook to thicken further for a few minutes, it should have a thick pourable consistency (but not thick enough you can cut it!)
• Season to taste

Vegetable Note:

If you have a lot of spare time on your hands or don't mind heading to the land of all things naff, you could can use various cutters to shape the vegetables.

 

The broccoli stem adds element of surprise as it is a pale green star that looks nothing like it but tastes like broccoli.

 

The zucchini I sliced lengthy ways around the outside so I got .5cm thick slices with the skin on one side for the colour contrast.

 

Blanch each vegetable separately in boiling water for about 1 minute, then  refresh in icy water.

 

 

 

Sausage and Egg Crumpin

We all have our little food dirty secrets that we don't want the foodie paparazzi to snap us eating, mine was the drive-thru breakfast but after such a public declaration of my self imposed ban I'm even too scared to drive past said establishment.

Yes with my ever increasing twitter following I am lame enough to believe the paparazzi would be interested in me. (Sad isn't it)
I now even wear 2 pairs of underpants just in case they try and snap me getting out of the car, although I should think wearing jeans should see me safe there.

I do miss a meat patty and egg muffin though in all it's peppery glory, it had the staying power to be with you all day. The Italians even do fast food better and I remember their breakfast meat patty flavoured with fennel. So in lieu of a 27 hour flight I have put my Crumpins to good use.

There is no science behind the ingredients in the patty it was just what was in the fridge.
Sausage patty
Ingredients

• 1 tbsp. fennel seeds
• 1 tsp. salt
• 200g pork mince
• 100g beef stir fry strips (optional but adds more body)
• 100g streaky bacon
• 4 spring onions chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp. tomato sauce
• 1/4 tsp. black pepper

Method

• Toast fennel seeds for 30 seconds in a hot fry pan
• Grind seeds and salt in a mortar and pestle
• Add all ingredients to a food processer and blend, not too smooth.
• Shape into 1-2cm thick patties, I cheat and use the cake tin I use for the Crumpin to help with sizing
• In a fry pan on medium seal one side of the patty then flip.
• Don't squeeze the patty as that pushes out the moisture.
• They should take about 7-8 minutes to cook and makes about 6
• For the egg I also used the cake tin as a mould but also added some left over eggs whites, and just fried as normal
• Assemble as pictured or whatever combination you like, bacon, no bacon, no egg, double patty......
• A slice of cheese or two is a must but I don't add sauce due mainly to memories of sauce dripping onto my tie before work, always carry a spare!

This one I call Eileen...

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Germany

The first of our big 5 players this year is Germany.
I managed to get to the Eurovision host city Dusseldorf in 2011 only 4 months late and at 6am on a speeding train bound for Amsterdam but I have the picture to prove it.

Sorry about your eyes with that one.

Germany's dish de jour comes from another of my class mates in Rome, Selin with the help of her friend.  

We had some great times in and out of class when she and Yuka came for lunch and I cooked for about 20, mind you they did have to travel past all the sheep to get to my flat. 
Although the highlight of our class time was our performance of a scene between 2 mothers in Italian about a baby sitter.

We were brilliant but it probably came down to our professionalism and commitment to the craft as we took to the project as Meryl Streep and Kate Winslet, I can't remember who was who but I can still remember our lines "SHHH parli piano!"

Selin got to know the real me well in a very short space of time, I gave her an alarm clock for her birthday as she may have occasionally been a little late to class, she said it was very thoughtful and a little bit mean, yes she knew me pretty well indeed!

Thank you Selin for the contribution of this Beef Gulasch I hope that one day we can all be back together, maybe receiving Oscars for our portrayals of Kate and Meryl.

54 years ago Alice & Ellen Kessler gave us a first glimpse of how choreography would play a role in Eurovision, they did a brilliant job with a space smaller than most people's bedrooms. I wonder what they would think about the elaborate staging the contest offers now, let along the hurricane of wind machines!

This is the recipe given to me, I have also done a Sarah Weiner again and made a Gulasch sauce that can be used to accompany a steak or meat of your choice.

Beef Gulasch by Selin and friends

Ingredients

• 800g beef ( beef for ragout or stew/ cut in pieces, it’s a really soft meat after boiling it)
• 1 large onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 3 tbsp. paprika powder mild
• 1 tsp. paprika spicy
• Salt/pepper
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup water
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 100ml sour cream 

Method

• Peel the onion and cube it
• Mince the garlic and add it to the onion
• Heat up some oil in a deep frypan and brown the beef
• Add the onion and the garlic to the beef
• Reduce the heat to low
• Mix the paprika with the beef
• Add the wine
• Simmer on low for 1.5 to 2 hours
• Add water and season to taste
• Add the flour and stir to thicken the gulasch
• At the end of the cooking you can put some sour cream in it to make it more creamy
• Serve the gulasch with Spätzle, potatoes, dumplings or bread.

Gulasch Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 30 ml red wine
• ½ cup stock
• 100ml cream

Method

• Sweat the onions on low till transparent, you don’t want them to colour.
• Add garlic, paprika, wine, and stock
• Simmer for 15 minutes
• Drain the onions and return to the saucepan
• Add the cream and heat through

I'm sure Cascada will continue the Germany tradition of making us want to dance this year with Glorious.

Gluck!



Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 -Romania

Romania the final country in Semi Final Two of Chow Down to Eurovision 2013, I can't believe we are already here it only seems like 4 years ago we set off from Austria. In honour of the journey today's recipe is the longest of the Chow Down needing 3 days preparation. It sounds a lot but it is about 15 minutes a day. There are a lot of recipes for mititei on the internet so I studied and took the best from them all to develop my version.
Romania always delights me in Eurovision and usually ends up on my playlist for the year. Their highest place in a final was in 2010 when Paula Seling & Ovi where Playing With Fire, appropriate for a barbecued sausage.

Don't forget to vote for your favourite country in Semi Final Two.
We then only have 6 countries to see before a winner of Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 is crowned on the 18th May.

Mititei
Ingredients

• 1 kg chuck steak
• 1 tsp. ground coriander
• 1 tsp. ground oregano
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. ground all spice
• 1 tsp. ground star anise
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp. salt
• 1 tbsp. pepper
• 1 cup beef stock
• 3 leaves of gelatine
• 1 whole garlic
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. bi carb soda
• extra olive oil

Method

• Pass the meat through a fine grinder 3 times
• Prepare the gelatine leaves as per instructions on packet and mix through the cup of beef stock
• In the bowl of a stand mixer add the meat, spices, salt, pepper
• Combine the lemon juice and bi carb soda in a bowl, let it fizz and add to the meat
• Using the dough hook mix the meat on slow while adding 1/2 cup beef stock bit by bit as it is absorbed into the meat, like a risotto. Will take about 10 minutes
• Refrigerate meat and remaining beef stock over night
• Don't peel but smash the garlic and soak in 1/2 cup warm water for 30 minutes
• Strain the garlic water
• Remove the meat and stock from the fridge and allow to stand for 30-50 minutes
• Repeat the process mixing with a dough hook and add remaining beef stock and garlic water
• Refrigerate over night
• Shape the meat into small sausages (makes 20-25 the size is up to you) and brush with oil
• In a frypan or on a bbq cook on a medium heat for about 8 minutes
• They will be very light and moist and you might need to test a couple to see if they are done.
• If you're in a hurry you could leave out the resting time I'm sure they'll still taste good.

I wasn't very neat shaping the sausages I must do better next time, might be my eternal love of the nugget??

It's my Life will be performed by Cezar offering more than just a key change. Some media is claiming is the first time "Popera" will feature in Eurovision which is incorrect, they have either never seen the contest or at least not read the article on "Popera" they published in 2009, but I'll let it go..........

Noroc!

 

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Belarus

Dobry Vecher,  Ladies and Gentleman we have landed in Belarus. Since their first participation in 2004  Belarus has never failed to delight, amuse, shock and appall. Anastasiya Vinnikova summed up my true feelings about Belarus in 2011, I Love Belarus, ('got it deep inside').  
The Queen of Belarusian Eurovision is former MRS Russia Angelica Agurbash, who in 2005 brought us "Love Me Tonight" which some of us did more than others, she came 13th in the semi final.

Yes, I have an Angelica shrine

 

Every Google search for Belarusian cuisine came up will lots and lots of potato pancakes, Drakini. I tried a couple of versions and in the end based this recipe from a Russian clip on Youtube, I followed the pictures. I have taken inspiration from Angelica and used a filling in the centre to create that age old Eurovision standard, the reveal. After hours of watching Love Me Tonight I knew there were only 2 ingredients that could possibly do, cheese and mince.

Love Me Tonight Drakini
Ingredients

• 250g beef mince
• 120ml passata
• 1.5kg potatoes
• 1 medium onion
• 2 eggs
• Plain flour about 1/2 cup but maybe more or less
• Black pepper
• Salt
• 100g grated cheese
• Lard or oil

Method

• In a fry pan, cook the mince and passata on high for about 8 minutes, till the mince is cooked through and the passata has reduced into the mince.
• Put the potatoes and onions into a food processor and blend till the consistency of porridge
• Transfer into a large mixing bowl
• Add the eggs, flour, pepper and salt
• Stir to combine, you may need to add a little more flour depending on the consistency.
• Add 2 tablespoons of oil/lard to a hot fry pan.
• Add about dessert spoon of the batter to fry pan and push the spoon in to create a small well.
• Spoon on a little of the meat mix into the well.
• Cover with about 1/2 spoon of pancake mixture
• Let cook for about 2 minutes and then flip over.
• Cook for a further 2-3 minutes till brown and cooked through. You made want to lower the heat on the fry pan during the cooking if they look like they are going to burn.
• Serve with sour cream
• While experimenting with the recipe I did a version where the meat and cheese was mixed into the batter rather than in the centre, this was AB's personal favourite version.

 

This year Belarus is sending us Alyona Lanskaya and her song Solayoh

udacha!