Chow Down to Euroivision 2015 - Armenia

 

I hope you managed to collect your luggage, we have arrived in Armenia.

In 2009 Armenia sent 2 sisters Inga & Anush to Moscow to have us all dancing to Jan Jan, giving us a taste of flash mob possibilities. They managed to keep Armenia in the top 10 for the fourth year running. 

For me the sisters bring pure joy to the song and if you aren't tapping your toes at the end of it, well I'm not sure I can help you.

Inga will again represent Armenia at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2015, with a group formed around Armenian bloodlines, interestingly without her sister...
 

 

 

Armenia's contribution to #BuildingBrunches is a chickpea and date soup. While I love a good date as much as the next bloke, my obsession at the moment is currants...they are totes right now!

 

There is a beauty in the surprise sweetness that dried fruit has to offer a savoury dish.

 

Possibly one of the simplest dishes in Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 I can see this easily securing a place in the top ten soups for any wintery night.

 

 

 

I love the sound of chickpeas cracking as they soak.....

 

Armenian chickpea and date currant soup

Ingredients

• 500g soaked, cooked chickpeas (or canned)*
• 1 brown onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Olive oil
• Butter
• 1 litre chicken/vegetable stock
• 80g dried currants

Method

• Dice onion and garlic
• Add a "splash and a knob" of oil and butter to a large saucepan
• Fry the onions and garlic on low heat till they are translucent
• Add 400g of the chickpeas (keeping 100g to add later)
• Add the stock and simmer for 20-30 minutes till the chickpeas are soft
• Mash the soup with a potato masher, or hand blender for a smooth soup
• Add the remaining chickpeas and currants
• Season to taste
• Serve with a finely sliced spring onion....only because I like a soup topped with spring onion

*I used dried chickpeas I soak and then cook but you could use canned as well, I would use 2 cans of chickpeas and 1.5 litres of stock.

 

 It don't look too pretty but what a surprise treat the currants make!

 

 
 

 

 

In 2015 Armenia has cooked up the act Genealogy which features 6 singers of Armenian heritage from around the globe, it's like The Voice meets Who Do You Think You Are?

 

The group consists of some very talented singers individually, but will this family reunion work or will it end in tears just like every Christmas after Aunt Mavis has a touch too much sherry and not enough trifle.

 

The song evokes a night at the opera with Tori Amos and a touch of the burlesque all rolled into a film clip that could easily be an episode of Dr Who.

 

Հաջողություն!

 

 

Past Armenia Chow Down to Eurovision:

 

2014: Eech - Bulgur and Tomato Salad



2013: Apricot and Nutmeg Cake with Apricot Cream

 



Operation Work Lunch: Polka dot chickpea salad

It's time to reignite the war on terrible food with Operation Work Lunch ready for deployment.

I revisited the café where the war began and I truly have no idea how it is possible but I think it is even worse than before.

Looking at the dry brown shrivelled objects that were labelled "warm healthy salad" I almost shed a tear for the wasted potential of these poor brutalized vegetables.

While being at such a stage of hunger it would justify eating your frozen rugby teammates I did however order a ham and cheese toasted sandwich.

Not to be overly dramatic......

I would never have thought it possible to get a toasted sandwich wrong but by the time the coffee was made the sandwich was not only flattened not to less than an inch of it's life but was so squished that it could have slid under a door.

So that's it! Never again!

The key to the success of this mission is preparation, make your lunch the night before so that in the morning you only need enough time to stumble to the kitchen to pour yourself a cup of ambition.
Who doesn't love a bit of Dolly Parton?

 

Polka dot chickpea salad
Ingredients

• 400g chick peas
• 1 red onion finely sliced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 red sweet chilli or capsicum roughly chopped
• 1 large zucchini rough chopped
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin seeds 
• Black sesame seeds ( just a many as you like)
• Olive oil

Method

• In a mixing bowl add the chickpeas, onion, lime juice, sweet chilli
• In a fry pan on high add a good splash of olive oil (this will also be the dressing)
• Add the zucchini, ground cumin and cook till tender.
• Remove from the heat and let cool for about 15 mins
• Add zucchini to mixing bowl
• Add black sesame seeds in and mix through

Note on chickpeas, you can use canned or do the whole soaking over night and boiling method either works great.
Now that lunch is so much healthier, tasty and a hell of a lot cheaper!
We will win the war!!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Israel

Ding Dong say no more Israel it's your turn to Chow Down to Eurovision. The 1999 contest in Israel was the first Eurovision I saw when I stumbled across it on Sunday night and thought what the hell is this and was hooked.

Naturally I have gone back and watched every contest from 1957, expect 1956 and 1964 as there aren't visual recordings seriously no one pushed record??

The Eurovision moments I will highlight today are The chocolate girls from 1976 (you just have to sing and bounce along) and Dana International's interval act extravaganza as I believe that played a huge part in getting hooked in this joyous sceptical.

For our dish today I was inspired by Yotam Ottolenghi series in Jerusalem where hummus is more a meal than just a dip as most would see it in Australia. I have combined my love of the late night drunken roadside chicken kebab with hummus and created my hummus with the lot, probably not traditional but oh so satisfying.

 

 

Hummus with the lot

Ingredients

• 6-8 chicken thigh fillets
• 3 tbsp. ras el hanout
• 1 small red chilli finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 4 tbsp. olive oil
• 2 400g cans chick peas
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 tbsp. tahini
• 160ml olive oil
• 80ml water
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• Handful of parsley
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 2 sweet chilies, sliced
• Pomegranate seeds to garnish

 

Method

• Cut 1cm slices across the width of the fillets
• Combine the chicken slices, ras el hanout, chilli, garlic, and oil in a mixing bowl
• Let marinate for 30 mins
• Drain the chickpeas in a colander
• In a food processor as the chickpeas, peeled garlic, cumin, tahini, olive oil, water and lemon juice
• Process to a smooth paste
• Salt to taste
• In a really hot large fry pan add the chicken and marinade
• Cook for about 15 minutes till golden brown, I like to crispy and even over cooked to represent the chicken from a late night kebab
• Spread the hummus over a plate finishing with the classic trough
• Arrange some parsley, sweet chilies, spring onion on the plate
• Add some chicken to the centre of the hummus
• Drizzle with either some of the oil from the pan or fresh olive oil
• Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds
• This can be done on individual plates or one larger platter to share, or to eat all on your own if AB is not home, it's full of fibre so it's healthy!

 

 

 

 Israel will be represented by Moran Mazor who will perform Rak Bishvilo.

!בהצלחה

 

 



Mother Hubbards work lunch

As much as I would love it, like most people I don't have a Nigella sized pantry or a Master Chef store room that is restocked by the ingredient fairies overnight.
So there are time I stand in front of the fridge/pantry and say I have nothing to make. This quick post was the result of throwing some of the nothing together and ending up with a pretty good work lunch or side salad.

Rocket chickpea salad
Ingredients (or whatever you have on hand)

• rocket (washed)
• 1 can chickpeas (or soak dried)
• chopped capsicum
• chopped red onion
• chopped sweet chili
• Juice of 2 oranges
• good splash olive oil
• salt and pepper

Method

• Combine all ingredients and toss
• I didn't make the dressing separately I just added it all together.
• Serve and enjoy the pleasure of creating something from what seemed nothing.