Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - F.Y.R.Macedonia

добро вечер, dobro večer this is former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine calling, and contestant number eleven in Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 Semi Final 2.

Last year former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia presented the easy to make and even easier to eat sugar ladened halva.

 

This year there is a touch less sugar with a very simple yet satisfying salad.

 

Sometimes we can get too fancy in fear of presenting a dish that could be labelled pedestrian that simple pleasures like this salad can be over looked, and that would be a greater tragedy.

 

Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia always sends great voices to Eurovision and 2012 was no exception with Kaliopi and Crno I Belo.

 

While she hasn't replaced Karolina as my favourite from F.Y.R.M she comes a very close second.

She placed 13th in the final.

 

 

My Shopska salad

Ingredients

• 2 red onions
• 2 small cucumbers
• 1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
• 1 small red capsicum
• 1/2 cup fine grated Cheddar cheese
• Salt, pepper
• Olive oil

 

Method

• Peel cucumbers and dice to 1-2cm cubes
• Dice the rest of the vegetable the same size
• Season with salt and pepper and a splash of olive oil
• Top with grated cheese
• When I first read about this salad it said to serve in an oval, on further readings it may have been a translation issue and meant to serve in a bowl!
• Either way it is the most delicious simple salad and is perfect, in an oval, bowl, or jar as a work lunch.
• You may like to decorate the top with some additional red capsicum, but I advise stopping before you try and recreate F.Y.R. Macedonia's flag as you may have to spend time picking them out before you take the photo!

F.Y.R. Macedonia are sending another power house vocalist in Tijana who is heading To the Sky and possibly Saturday's final.

Will she be able to make the final top ten, a place F.Y.R. Macedonia hasn't been...yet.

 

If they win, their air force might even be able to afford shirts as well as gas masks! 

со среќа so sreḱa!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Latvia

Welcome to Latvia and the start of the second semi final in the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013. Since Latvia hosted the contest in 2003 and an appropriate menu item was needed to celebrate I have loved Latvian liverwurst, that smooth creamy meat paste on a warm buttered English muffin..........oh sorry where was I?

The natural choice to represent Latvia this year in the Chow Down was Liverwurst and I was so looking forward to making it until disaster struck! If you follow me on twitter* you'll know my oven has broken! I opened the door and heard a hell of a crack and now the oven door wont stay closed. The poor old thing I suspect is older than I am so she had a good innings but I say it will be a little while before she is replaced for with younger shiner model. Thankfully I had completed the baking for most of this Chow Down so not too many countries have been affected.

Latvia and my liverwurst will have to wait unfortunately but it has been replaced with a much better option health wise anyway.

*If you're not following me on Twitter why aren't you?? @dbtsauce

Our past Eurovision hit is an homage to my broken oven, I'd ask why my oven breaks in the middle of the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 but only Mr God knows why! I could have asked if there are a lot of out of tune notes in this one but I know the answer to that, enjoy.

Latvian Cucumber Salad
Ingredients

• 2 large cucumber
• 1 small red onion
• 100ml sour cream
• 2 tbsp. chopped dill plus extra
• juice of a small lemon
• salt and pepper

Method

• Slice the cucumbers and onion finely (I used the food processer)
• In a large bowl mix the sour cream, dill, lemon juice
• Add the cucumbers and onions
• Mix to combine and season to taste
• Sprinkle with extra dill to garnish 

Fittingly Here we go by PeR is a first taste of semi final 2, will we see them again in the final?

lai jums veicas!

War on terrrible food....

Enough is enough, I will no longer spend money on substandard work lunches or any food for that matter.
Make the pledge with me people.

I came to this mission after a month of the dodgy cafe next to my work ( it's a captive audience type arrangement), over priced, under flavoured, and about as healthy as a packet of Winnie Blue.
So as I stood in line looking at the upside down friands, waiting way to long for the usual bad coffee, I thought what am I doing here, I can cook, why am I wasting my money with somewhere that clearly can't.
My criteria was it has to be something cold and quick that was desk edible. I also want something healthy that tasted evil, and not like grass and dirt.
This wasn't part of a new years resolution as it has been sitting in draft for about 2 months. I'm not fond of the crazy diet resolution as it ends up like a business I saw on twitter. "Resolutions Gym" January it is a gym, from February to December it's a tapas bar.
Although one change I will make this year is to not eat at any resturant that is happy to throw their food out a window, e.g. no drive-thru.

This was the first wave of troops. Enjoy, and stop paying for rubbish food!

Corn Salsa Salad
The quantity of each ingredient is really up to you, I base it around 1 can of corn.

Ingredients

• 1 410gram can of corn kernels
• 1 head cos lettuce
• 1 handful cherry tomatoes
• 2 red onions finely sliced
• 1 Lebanese cucumber
• 1 long chili
• 1 handful flat leaf parsley
• 1 handful coriander
• 1 lime
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Method

• Drain corn
• Roughly chop lettuce, cucumber, chili, tomatoes and herbs.
• Combine in a bowl
• Add juice of the lime and 2 table spoons of olive oil
• Toss and serve
• If you take as much care with the chopping as it do, you will be finished in under 3 minutes.
• So many variations, add avocado, capsicum, mint.