Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Greece

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Kali̱spéra, Athens calling...here is our entry to Chow Down to Eurovision 2015.
Oh almost forgot...Thank you for the really good show!
There is really very little time that I'm not thinking about Eurovision or the Chow Down, I'm forever on the hunt for that special dish for each country.
 
This year's entry for Greece came from a friend that was chatting about a recent trip to Greece visiting the old family village.
 
Well yes that is all very interesting but tell me what you ate...so he did.
A family favourite that allegedly every Greek would have grown up on is patates me agva or chips and eggs.
 
Potatoes and eggs really what's not to love!
 
I had talked about doing a version with Kipfler potatoes roasted in duck fat but was instructed that buying chips from the fish and chip shop was the more traditional way to go, so who am I to argue...
 
Ok, I have a confession and only because I am way too honest, I did use frozen chips (gasp) only because I had tried on three occasions to buy the chips but I ended up eating them on the way home. (yes 3 times...damn you hot chips smell)
 
So moving quickly onto some music while we all try and not think about jumping in the car and getting some hot chips...
 
 

 

A fleeting 4 years before Helena Paparizou became all our number one securing a victory for Greece in 2005, she was ready to (I would)Die for You.
 
As part of Antique Helena placed 3rd, the highest Greece had placed until it was equalled with 3rd place performances by Sakis Rouvas and Kalomira.
 
This is my favourite of her two entries as the choreography is much simpler to recreate at home without needing 2 bare chested Greek blokes hoisting you up to play a pretend lyra. 

 

 

Patates me avga (chips and egg)

Ingredients

• 400-500g potato chips 
• 4 eggs
• 50-100g feta
• Oregano
• Chilli flakes

Method

• Warm the chips in a frypan on medium heat with a splash of olive oil
• Add the eggs and mix with chips, just like  scramble egg
• Just before they are cooked crumble the feta through
• Season to taste
• Top with oregano and chilli flakes

(Greece is sharing the same plate as Finland because it was a gift and I love it....and it was shot before running order was known)

Taking the stage in Vienna for Greece is Maria-Elena Kyriakou with One Last Breath.

Maria-Elena certainly has quite the set of lungs that can deliver all the breaths required to rise like a phoenix.

Due to budget cuts it did sound like Greece and the Czech Republic were going to have to share the same piano intro.

On the official ITunes version though it seems Czech Republic has been granted custody of the intro and Greece has changed to an electronic crescendo that has you are just waiting for someone to get the clap and yell "Cleo, Donatan!" 

 καλή τύχη!

 

Past Greece Chow Down to Eurovision:

Pickled Octopus

Greek Chicken Platter with Tzatziki

 

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Moldova

Buna Seara Europe/World we have arrived in Moldova, the first country for Chow Down to Eurovision 2015!  

 

If this is your first time to the Chow Down to Eurovision you will discover that each country will present us with a dish, a Eurovision entry from their past and a taste of this year's contestant.

 

We begin are musical journey into Eurovision history in 2008 when Moldova gave us Century of Love sung by Geta Burlacu. 

Geta has a flexible jazz voice that successfully navigates the scat sections with the trumpeter and in case you were unsure if this was lounge music, they decided to bring one with them.

I think Moldova would score well on The Block as who wouldn't want a lounge room with a cool moody trumpet player at the foot of the sofa??

Wonder if I could get one at Ikea?

Like the great Paul Oskar's 1997 Minn hansti dans for Iceland, I have a lot of respect for someone that can combine entering Eurovision with a lay down on the couch!

Sadly as with last year, 2008 saw Moldova fail to secure a place in the final, which may have had something to do with the teddy bear...great voice, great song, creepy teddy bear.

 

 

 

Our first culinary morsel of 2015 is sure to disappear in a flash from any Eurovision party buffet.

 

Placinte are a pastry covered dumpling/pie/pastie bites of deliciousness.

There are many methods of making and both sweet or savoury varieties.

 

Today Moldova is in the space between both with a chicken and pumpkin variety.

 

The chicken with the hint of garlic champion team savoury with the pumpkin making a very welcomed appearance for team sweet.

 

I suspect Moldova will do well in Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 as covering anything in pastry is a good idea really.

 

Chicken and pumpkin placinte (makes 35-40)

Ingredients

• 300g chicken (breast or thigh meat)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 small onion
• 200g pumpkin grated
• Salt and pepper
• Puff pastry (home made or bought see note)
• 1 egg, beaten

Method

• Mince chicken, garlic, onion and a good pinch of salt/pepper in food processer
• Transfer chicken to a bowl and mix through the pumpkin
• Either roll out pastry or thaw some bought sheets
• Brush the pastry with the egg wash
• Cut out rounds with a 9cm cutter
• Place a small spoon of mixture onto the pastry, fold over and seal the edges
• Place on a lined baking tray and bake at 200°C for 15 minutes until golden
• Serve with dipping sauce of your choice, I went with sweet chill

Note on pastry: I made the pastry for the placinte featured which adds to the puffed up look, a little like a Eurovision reveal. They go into the oven all neat and oval but come out puffed and gorgeous.

 

I used about 3/4 of a 750g batch to get 40 placinte, so a packet of pastry should be enough to get 30+ depending on the size. My normal pastry recipe is from the Great British Bake Off - How to Bake but there are lots of recipes out there if you are going to make your own.

 

 

 

The offcuts became a very rustic pie

 

 

One plate just isn't enough!

The Moldovan entry to grace the Wiener Stadthalle stage this May will be Eduard Romanyuta with I Want Your Love.

While the selection process was rocked with allocations of vote buying, I think Britney Spears fans will give this song 12 points....ah yeah yeah yeah yeah

noroc!

Past Moldova Chow Down to Eurovision appearances:

2014: Moldovan Fish with Roast Vegetable and Feta Salad

 2013: Moldovan Beetroot Salad

Feed the Birds, Tuppence a Slice

While on an excursion doing research for the upcoming Chow Down to Eurovision 2014,  the group was offered some stone age bread.

Bread with no flour? What is this crazy talk??

It was like a scene from my Big Fat Greek Wedding come to life, What you mean you don't put no flour in the bread?.........ok I use spelt?

I'd never heard of it, but loved the nutty deliciousness.

So no flour, just seeds and nuts, which makes it fit into the Paleo diet (if that kind of thing floats your boat)

The chef's reply when asked for the recipe was "Google it!"

So after some Googeling, recipe comparison and testing, this is my take on the Nordic nut bread.

There are more seeds than what I found traditionally which I think gives a better firm multigrain bread texture rather than one of crispy seeds.

I'm not one for trendy diets but for me this bread is a perfect breakfast as 1 slice will keep you going for hours....and that's just the chewing! (kidding)

The only down side is it's best not to quickly grab a piece before meeting people unless you like the blacked out tooth look.

Nordic Nut Bread aka Stone Age Bread

• 100g slivered almonds
• 100g walnuts
• 100g linseeds
• 100g sunflower seeds (kernels)
• 100g pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
• 50g sesame seeds
• 50g black sesame seeds
• 50g poppy seeds
• 50g black and white chia seeds (or just 1 or the other)
• 2 1/2 tsps. sea salt flakes
• 5 eggs
• 100ml olive oil

Method

• Preheat oven to 150°C
• Line a medium loaf pan  (25.5 x 14.5 x 6cm)
• Add all the seeds and salt to a mixing bowl and combine well
• Add eggs and oil to a jug and whisk with a fork
• Pour egg mix into mixing bowl and stir till the seeds and liquid is very well combined
• Pack into the lined loaf tin
• Flatten the top of the loaf and make sure there is no excess liquid (it will just be cooked egg and not look great)
• Bake for about 1 hour and 15minutes.
• It will be oily at the bottom
• Remove from the tin and place on a wire rack over a tray to cool, and release any extra oils
• When cooled it isn't oily but moist with a nutty texture
• Enjoy with cheese, salmon, poached eggs, avocado or just on it's own for that long lasting breakfast
• Some recipes use whole almonds but I think the slivered give a better end result as the nuts cook all the way through
• It will make another appearance with a slight variation when the Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 heads to Copenhagen, so watch out for that! #eatus 

Heaven is a place on earth.....with blue cheese and quince paste.

Sunday Blood Orange Sunday

I can't believe how quickly this week has flown by it's already Sunday Baking Club time again.

And in very exciting news last week's Caveman's Quiche, Man! was voted the winner of the Golden Spoon, yay!!
 
It was a lovely surprise to wake up to find I'd won with all the lovely comments that followed. I'm sure that bakers are the nicest people in the world...might have something to do with the amount of sugar in the air.
 
This week the theme is Dinky (tiny) and my offering is mini blood orange and almond syrup cakes.
 
If blood oranges are out of season you could use any orange.
 

Mini Blood Orange and Almond Syrup Cakes
 
Ingredients
For dried orange wedges

• 2 blood oranges - thinner skinned oranges are better

For cake

• 100g soft unsalted butter
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 1 tbsp. orange blossom water
• 2 eggs
• 60g almond meal
• 60g self raising flour
• zest and juice of 1 blood orange

For syrup

• Juice of 2 blood oranges
• 2 tbsp. of caster sugar
• 1 tbsp. water

For ganache

• 80ml cream
• 250g white chocolate
• 1 tsp. unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp. Campari

 
Method
To make the dried orange wedges

• Slice the oranges to about 4mm thick (luckily I have a meat slicer to assist)
• lay on baking paper on a wire rack over a baking dish
• Bake for 2 hours at 100°C
• Let cool and then cut out small wedges
• There will be more oranges than you need but this means you can pick the best coloured pieces, left overs can be added to muesli or dipped in chocolate

 

 

To make the cake

• Preheat oven to 160°C/140°C fan forced
• Grease and flour 2 x 12 hole mini muffin time and put in the freezer to help with not sticking
• Cream butter and sugar, adding sugar in stages rather than all at once
• Beat in orange blossom water
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time
• Sift almond meal and flour into the mix
• Add zest and juice of blood orange and gently fold through
• Take the muffin tins from the freezer
• Fill each hole 3/4 full and tap to remove any air pockets
• Bake for 10-12 minutes
• Let cool for 5 minutes and remove from the tin
• While warm baste with the blood orange syrup

To make the syrup

• In a small saucepan add the blood orange juice, sugar and water
• Stir and heat on medium heat for about 8 minutes till it slightly thickens
• Take care that the sugars don't catch and burn on the sides of the pan
• Baste the cakes with the syrup while they are still warm

To make the ganache

• In a microwave bowl add the cream and chocolate and heat on high for 1 minute
• Add the butter and stir to make sure all the chocolate has melted
• Add the Campari and stir through
• Chill for about 30 minutes till it holds it's shape
• Pipe onto the cakes
• Top with dried orange wedge

 This mix should make about 24 mini cakes or 1 large 19cm round cake tin. For less of a sweet hit substitute 85% dark chocolate for the white chocolate, yum bitter.......
 
 

 

 

 
 
 

Operation Work Lunch: Purple Potato Salad

We all know my great love of anything purple so to find it in a potato is straight out winning.

 

My local greengrocer has just changed hands and while still maintaining ridiculously cheap prices they have expanded their range. I think they deal directly with the farmers and are happy to sell the non visually perfect stock the supermarkets wont.

 

I bought a few extras last time so I can add another potato tower tomorrow with the view of harvesting for the Christmas table, potato bling!

 

The other two towers are progressing well with a little help from their friends but the rest of the garden hasn't been high yielding this year.

There was a moment of contemplating a blog challenge of just eating from my backyard but at this rate I would stave in 3 weeks. (although having typed that I did take some snaps and things may not be as bleak as first suspected)

 Rainbow chard, it will be frittata all round

 Purple asparagus

 Lots of broccoli leaves

 Waiting for the peas to pod off

Broad beans getting taller but no beans so far

 
 
Purple Potato Salad
Ingredients serves 1

• 2-3 medium purple potatoes (or regular)
• 1 rasher of bacon
• 2 boiled eggs, quartered
• 2 spring onions, chopped
• Splash of olive oil
• Sprinkle of linseeds

Method

• Add potatoes to a saucepan of cold water and simmer on low for about 25 minutes, till tender
• Chop bacon rasher into strips and fry (to the crispness you prefer)
• Drain the potatoes and cut into wedges
• Add to a bowl the potatoes, bacon, spring onions
• Splash with olive oil to coat
• Add the eggs and linseed and combine gently
• Season to taste

With bacon, egg, onion, and potato your lunch time really can't go wrong!
 

Gotta love a filter!

 
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"That's not how you make a French breakfast"

AB's favourite show of the moment is Four in a Bed, it is just Come Dine with Me for B&B's but I can see why they didn't go with the obvious title of Come Sleep with Me.

The show is full of the weird, the wonderful, the downright offensive or just plain odd and their B&B's (bed and breakfast)

AB and I will sit and critic the rooms mainly based on price "and for this room we charge £99....." to which we replay "you're dreamin' love, £99 for that, it's not even got a bathroom. Travelodge was £19 and you get your own bathroom and Tattoo does the best breakfast." 

Ahh Tattoo, so named for his resemblance to the fantasy island character, just a but taller worked the breakfast shift at the Travelodge. I wish I knew his real name as he did a brilliant job and I suspect held the place together. He offered friendly banter that wasn't intrusive until, if breakfast was quiet he would try and force feed you because after all if he had gone to the trouble to cook it you can bloody well eat it.

One of the last episodes screened here in Australia was 4 B&B's in France with an Englishman who hated France and his Wife a tizzy Kath Day Knight type who judged all the rooms on their tea making facilities.
She did turn out to have quite a good sense of humour and did a great impression of the Francophile B&B owner's lecture of traditional French breakfasts.

Needless to say the phrase "that's not how you make a French breakfast" is on high rotation of a morning.

photo from http://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/four-in-a-bed/

So combining the traditional B&B bacon and eggs with a little touch of France we have the "That's not how you make a French breakfast toast" or bacon eggy bread depending on your mood.

That's not how you make a French breakfast toast
Ingredients serves 2-3

• 6 eggs
• 4 rindless bacon rashers
• 3 spring onions
• 50g of grated Parmesan or Gruyere (see note)
• 1 Ciabatta roll/loaf

Method

• Blend all ingredients till smooth
• Slice ciabatta into 2-3cm thick slices
• Pour mix into a baking tray or similar dish
• Soak the bread in the mixture, coating both sides
• Heat a frypan on high with a splash of oil and a small knob of butter
• Reduce heat to medium and add the ciabatta 3-4 at a time
• Cook on each side for about 2 minutes till golden brown
• Serve with an extra sprinkle of cheese

Note: Both cheeses work well for different reasons, the Parmesan is sharper but the Gruyere bring a sweetness to the toast. I like both versions and the decision which way to go is usually made by what is in my fridge. Also with the bread, dry and stale works the best and not cut too thick or the middle wont cook before it burns. A baguette also works well.

 

 

The baguette, gruyere prototype.

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...