Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Switzerland

Beautiful, beautiful Switzerland how wonderful it is to cook from you again.

Switzerland the land of my favorite chocolate and the only time I've had motion sickness which was on the train over the Alps delivers a showstopper of a dish.

As mentioned when we visited Iceland, the internet provides a lot of inspiration for the Chow Down to Eurovision and when you see a dish called Cholera tart it is an instant Eurovision food qualifier.

According to the internet, which is never wrong, this dish was invented out of necessity during an 1836 Cholera outbreak. Due to limited availability of food people would put whatever they had into pastry, typically vegetables, bits of meat and cheese.  (Yes folks I've even added some history) 

Cholera is a delicious come as you are tart that with the right marketing could be a catchy food trend of epidemic proportion! 

Cholera tart
Ingredients

• 2 sheets of puff pastry (or home made, I know I didn't make it this time)
• 600-700g cooked mixed vegetables *see note
• 250-300g grated Swiss cheese or mix of your choice
• Optional additional soft rind cheese to garnish

Method

• Line a greased 25cm quiche pan with the puff pastry
• Add the vegetables
• Cover with cheese and garnish if desired
• Bake at 180°C for 30 minutes
• Serve though it might not be wise to tell your guests they are getting cholera for dinner

Note 

The cooked vegetables I used were a mixed of red cabbage, Romanesco broccoli, potato, purple cauliflower and red onions that was chopped to bite size, a great way to used up leftovers!

Being about necessity it doesn't have to be pretty....

As unexciting as it may seem the flavours really do all come together to make this a very enjoyable midweek dinner or lunch the next day.

In 2015 it was Mélanie René's Time to Shine for Switzerland and despite being in a forest with a coven of illuminating drummers and an outfit that could go from evil to good with the swish of a cape, Mélanie came last in semi final 2.

Will Switzerland suffer the same fate in the Chow Down to Eurovision?

Previous Switzerland Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 Prawns with Devil's butter sauce 

2013 Chocolate Parfait with Chillied Almond

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Serbia

Good evening this is Belgrade calling....well welcome back Serbia it is so wonderful to have you with us after your absence in Chow Down to Eurovision in 2014.

While Serbia was missing from Copenhagen some of us had a Serbian representative  thrilling us in Melbourne.  I co hosted a Eurovision fan club event and through the magic of twitter had discovered that the 2011 Serbian contestant,  Nina was living in Melbourne.  

You can imagine everyone's surprise when I needed to "fill in" time because the votes weren't ready and asked if anyone from the audience could help me sing Caroban....and Nina volunteers!

She gave an amazing performance and was so incredibly lovely and generous with her time having photo's taken with everyone. 

Caroban is most certainly a Eurovision crowd favourite!

Nina in Düsseldorf 2011

Nina in Melbourne 2014

I think I nailed the "stay cool" on stage selfie, right??

The Chow Down to Eurovision could easily be sponsored by cabbage and pork farmers as so many European recipes love these ingredients.

I know when I say cabbage soup you probably think Charlie Bucket from Charlie and the Chocolate factory but believe me this is so delicious I could happily live off it for a week. 

Cabbage Soup

Ingredients

• 1kg cabbage
• 2 brown onions
• 2-3 tsp. hot paprika 
• 150g bacon pieces
• 300g pork mince
• 750ml passata
• Olive Oil
• Knob butter
• Salt/Pepper

Method

• Quarter the cabbage and slice into 2cm strips
• Dice the onions
• Add a splash and a knob of olive oil and butter to a oven proof pot
• Add the onions, fry for a couple of minutes till softened
• Add the cabbage and coat with onions and oil
• Add the bacon and mix well
• Cook till cabbage starts to soften
• Dot the top of the cabbage with the pork mince
• Add the passata 
• Bake with lid on in a 180°C oven for 45 minutes
• Season to taste
• Top with some parsley and enjoy with a crusty loaf 

Cabbage, more than just coleslaw

The cabbage has a sweetness that would warm any winters night

Beauty Never Lies is a brilliant life motto and will be the Serbian entry in Vienna from Bojana Stamenov. 

This preview video is my favourite of 2015 for it's simplicity in capturing people's love for Eurovision and embodying a sense of empowerment. I am different and it's ok!

Bojana is going for a record with the number of languages the song has been recorded in, Serbian, English, French, German, and Spanish... but there is still time for Italian, Swedish and Russian before Eurovision starts! 

This is one of the songs I am really excited about seeing in Vienna plus Bojana seems such a lovely person. In interviews she comes across as someone who would be great fun to be around....I think we could be besties......#justsaying

срећно!

Past Serbia Chow Down To Eurovision:

2013 Avjar 

Coldcannon

I would love to say I am ultra foodie forward by creating dishes where no cooks have gone before. The truth is often there is no plan, I just make stuff up as I go along.

 

This is mainly the case around midweek dinners, racing from work, to create something spectacular with whatever is left in the fridge.

 

Our adventure begins while some Kipfler potatoes were merrily roasting.

 

I had some spring onions and wombok (Chinese cabbage) and cheddar, if only the potatoes weren't already roasting I could have made a colcannon. (I know you can mash roasted potatoes but not Kipfler, too fiddly)

 

So long story short and borrowing some wisdom from Kate Perry things can be Hot'N'Cold, so Cold-cannon was born.

 

 It has all the flavours of colcannon but with a freshness and crunch.

 

The original was meatless but I have never been one to say no to some crispy lardons, or even some speck as pictured below in another version.



 

 

Cold-cannon

• 1kg potatoes (the variety is up to you)
• 1/2 a large wombok
• 4 spring onions finely sliced
• 150g speck sliced (or 250g crispy lardons we all know not all of them will end up in the dish)
• 150g grated cheddar or parmesan
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil

Method

• Roughly chopped the potato into even pieces, just a bit bigger than bite size.
• Add to a baking dish with a good amount of olive oil, not drowning but enough to paddle.
• Season the potato with salt and pepper
• Bake in the oven till crisp and golden on 180°C, about 45mins.
• Finely shred the wombok and add to a large bowl
• Add the hot potatoes and combine
• Mix through the spring onions, speck/lardon and cheese
• Season to taste but it shouldn't need much with the salt from the meat, cheese and potatoes.
• I find because the potatoes go in hot out of the oil it doesn't need a dressing as such as the combination of oil, fats from the meat and cheese do this job. If you prefer it creamier stir through a couple of tablespoons of sour cream.
• I love it with a steak or on it's own as a work lunch!