Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Romania

Romania calling....Let Me Try and tempt you with this comforting eggplant moussaka. 

The type of comfort food to give you the feel of being awarded Ten douze points or perfect recovery food for any nul points!

In 2005 Romania's Let Me Try from Luminita Anghel and Sistem, they brought us the first DIY (angle grinder) to Eurovision and scored Romania's highest place in a final 3rd. 
This was after they had won their semifinal. 

The only other act to reach third place for Romania is Paula Seling and Ovi with Playing with fire. (So Romania we love you and fire at Eurovision)

This year Luminita Anghel asked Romania to Let her Try for Eurovision again by participating in their national final with A Million Stars.....Romania said no and she came 2nd.

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A Don't Boil The Sauce first, replated for shoot as the first one I used the wrong flag!

Romania and Moldova same flag but one has a bird.....

Romanian Eggplant Moussaka
Ingredients

• 2 eggplants
• 3 small brown onions chopped medium
• 600g lamb mince
• 2 cups of cooked rice
• 4 eggs
• 250ml milk
• 1/2 nutmeg grated
• Olive oil

Method

• Slice the eggplant into 1-2cm rounds
• Add a splash of olive oil to a fry pan and fry eggplant in batches till softened
• In a frypan with a splash of oil fry the onions till softened
• Add the mince, a good pinch of salt and mix well
• In a just mix the eggs, milk and nutmeg
• In a baking dish place a layer of eggplant, season 
• Smooth over 1 cup of rice
• Add a layer of mince mix
• Repeat till all ingredients are used
• Pour over the egg mix
• Bake at 180°C for 40-45 minutes

Look at that juicy eggplant and ignore I took the photo with the wrong flag!!

2015 will see Voltaj sing De la capat/ All over again in Vienna. 

Voltaj is Romania's version of the boyband....a Dadband.

They sing of the children that are left behind as many Romania's need to work in other countries to support them.

I hope the Dadband only has one direction and that is straight into the final where they will get to sing De la capat.....all over again! (seriously who writes this stuff?!?)

Of course I teared up at the video....it's the old bloke and kid in the boat!

Past Romania Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 Romanian Fish Balls

2013 Mititei

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Albaina

Përshëndetje (hello) and welcome to Albania.
In 2012 Rona Nishilu took to the stage with Suss and for 3 minutes I was memorized. While there were a mired of jokes about her hair and the screaming I sat transfixed as I witnessed a moment of true musical artistry, and I wasn't even a judge on The Voice.

It just goes to show while I love all the bells and whistles and reveals of Eurovision it is hard to beat a stand and deliver out pouring of emotional vocal gymnastics.
Well unfortunately it wasn't that hard to beat she came 5th. Today I have keep the same simplicity in the cooking with my variation of the Albanian Turli Perimesh or mixed vegetables.

My Turli Perimesh
Ingredients

• 2 brown onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 large red capsicum
• 2-3 Lebanese eggplants
• 3 yellow squash
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes
• 1 zucchini
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Basil to garnish

Method

• Chop all the vegetables into roughly the same size, leave the tomatoes whole
• Add olive oil to a fry pan over a medium heat
• Add the onions and garlic and sweat for a minute or 2 without browning
• Add the eggplant, squash, zucchini, capsicum and tomatoes
• Cook the vegetable till on medium to low heat till they are tender and the tomatoes are bursting.
• If the pan gets too dry add a splash of water or stock
• Season to taste
• Serve with an extra splash of olive oil and garnish with basil leaves  

Adrian Lulgjuraj & Bledar Sejko will bring Identitet to Sweden this year.

Fat i mire!

 

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Serbia

It is hard to believe but we are already in Serbia, the final country of the 16 competing in Semi Final 1. We have a vegetarian appetiser today so that if you choose to host a party and cook all 39 dishes to celebrate the Eurovision weekend there will be something for everybody. It is a weekend for us in Australia due to the time difference and the way it is broadcast on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. I still watch it live on the internet but it is fantastic to immerse yourself in Eurovision for 3 solid days because you have to replay it and then replay past contests and play the cd's and ......I'm not going to be on that strange obsession show am I???

I couldn't decide between which of the Serbian past contestants to include so we will be getting a bonus track. Both acts have pretty impressive hair, the first being Marko Kon & Milaan from 2009 placing 10th in the semi final. The second entry is from 2011 where Nina reached 14th in the final. It may have been due to her slightly more sensible hair.

Avjar

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 2 red capsicum
• 2-3 tbsp. olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 cup parsley
• juice of 1 lemon

Method

• Place eggplant and capsicum in a baking tray and cover with foil
• Put the tray into a 210°C oven for 20 mins
• Remove the foil and cook a further 10-15 minutes till the vegetables are on the verge of collapse. (physically not emotionally)
• Remove from the oven and cover with foil for 5 mins to help loosen the skins
• When cool enough to handle, remove the skin and seeds from the capsicum and skin from eggplant and discard.
• Put vegetable flesh, oil, salt, pepper, garlic, parsley and lemon juice into the bowl of a food processer
• Pulse till chopped but not pureed
• Serve on bruschetta or as a dip
• To mellow the flavour of the garlic you can add it to the vegetables when you remove the foil before they finish cooking
• Originally the vegetables were minced by hand but in the words of Sweet Brown "aint nobody got time for dat".

 It is not the most photogenic dish in the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 but the flavour is douze points all the way.

In May Moje 3 will bring their song Ljubav Je Svuda and what promises to be excellent hair once again.

срећно!