Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Lithunania

In 2006 Lithuania were the winners of Eurovision, well according to their song anyway but they really came sixth. It is a shame the year I went to Eurovision they sent their worst entry because I normally enjoy what Lithuania has to offer. The biggest mistake ever in any Eurovision song is to try to predict the future. Any time there is a lyric about being the winner it's almost automatically guarantees it ain't gonna happen. So I wont be making the claim that these Lithuanian bacon buns will be the winners of Chow Down to Eurovision 2013, but just as they said in 2006 "you got to vote! Vote! Vote for the winners"
Just a side bar on the voting, it is open now, you can vote for more than one country and as many times as you like. Don't let Lithuania's pleading cries go unanswered.
I found these little gems on lithuanian-recipes.com and based my recipe on that. The recipe there states that they disappear quickly which is no word of a lie, AB and I scoffed them down so that was dinner done. The larger bun I made was perfect for toasting in that bacon and egg all in a piece of toast kind of way. Just writing this I can taste them again and am on the verge of needing a private moment.

They didn't win.

Lithuanian Bacon Buns
Ingredients

• 500g bacon rindless
• 250g ham finely diced
• 1 large onion
• 2 cups milk
• 250g butter
• 7g yeast
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups plan flour
• egg wash

Method

• Finely dice the bacon and the onion
• Add to a frypan with 3/4 of a cup of water
• Simmer till the water has reduced to nothing
• Transfer into a glass bowl and refrigerate to cool
• When cooled add the ham
• Put 1/2 cup of milk and the butter into a glass bowl and microwave for 1-2 minutes till the butter is melted.
• Pour into the bowl of a stand mix and add remaining 1 1/2 cups of milk
• Make sure the milk/butter is only lukewarm and not too hot
• Add the yeast, eggs, salt and flour
• Mix using a dough hook for about 3-4 minutes to combine, it will be a wet dough
• Transfer into an oiled bowl and cover with cling wrap
• Let prove for about 2 hours
• Punch down the dough and leave it in the fridge over night
• On a floured surface roll out to about 1-2cm thick
• Use a 6-7cm cutter (or glass) to cut circles out of the dough 
• Fill each circle with 1 tablespoon of the meat mixture
• Gather the edges together and seal
• Roll in a cupped hand on the bench to form the bun
• Put buns on a greased baking tray
• Allow to rise for about an hour
• Brush with egg wash (1egg, 1 tablespoon water, pinch of salt)
• Bake in a 170°C oven for about 20 mins
• If you make a mega loaf as I did it takes about 45 minutes. To shape the loaf I rolled out the dough and cover with the meat mixture. Rolled it into a log, then rolled in like a snail.
• Try to save some to toast the next day, so yum!

Andrius Pojavis will preform the song Something in Malmö.

Sėkmės!

 

Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 - Netherlands

Only one dish that can represent The Netherlands this year the croquette. This choice was easy as it is my first meal in Amsterdam after my beautiful friend Chantal picked AB and I up from Schiphol airport. I sorry we smelt so bad, 30 hours is a long time travelling even at the front end of the plane. A quick shower and risking life and limb on the Amsterdam stairs at the hotel and we were ready for dinner. No need to wait for a table or translate a menu, just pop €1.60 into the slot and open the little door to feast on a piping hot crumbed saucy treat of deliciousness. I knew Amsterdam was famous for what they sold in windows but I had no idea it could be so tasty. The Netherlands proved to be a foodie mecca with all the cheese on display (read free tourist lunch), apple pie, ostrich, and I even did the down the gullet moment with a hearing. I have no idea how many croquette I had during my week time there but I don't believe the Netherlands was hit too badly by the GFC, you're welcome.

 

Almost as entertaining as the Eurovision songs is the what seems like 3 hours now of voting. It is the chance for every country's presenter to have their moment on the world stage, which many use wisely and other just seem to miss the mark by miles. One classic voting moment was in 1998 when Conny van den Bos was talking about her participation in the contest and Ulrika Johnson asked "a long time ago was it?".(4min mark on video) From then on AB and I had a new measurement of time, when was it? "it was when that Dutch woman was in Eurovision" The second clip is Conny's entry in 1965 and given the feisty rhythms if Conny and Ulrika were in a cage fight my money is on Conny!

 

 

This recipe is based on a bitterballen recipe from Dutch Cooking Today given to me by the lovely Chantal.

Veal Croquettes

Ingredients

• 400g diced veal
• 1 litre of beef stock
• 1 bouquet garni
• 6 black peppercorns
• 50g butter
• 50g flour
• salt
• pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• flour
• 2 eggs
• breadcrumbs

Method

• Make a bouquet garni by tying together a sprig of rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley and oregano.
• In a saucepan put the meat, stock, bouquet garni, and peppercorns then simmer for 1 hour.
• It is ready when the meat is falling apart
• Strain the meat and reserve the stock
• Discard the peppercorns and bouquet garni
• Pull the meat apart with a fork
• In a large saucepan melt the butter
• Add the flour and stir to combine
• Slowly add some stock while whisking to make a smooth sauce
• As the sauce thickens add more stock a little at a time, you might not use all the stock.
• While whisking let the sauce cook to thicken further for a few minutes, it should be a "thick shake" consistency
• Add the meat back to the sauce
• Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg
• Pour the sauce into a flat baking dish and refrigerate over night.
• You can make either big croquettes or smaller bitterballen
• Form the sauce in to the required shape and coat in flour, egg and breadcrumbs
• In hot oil, fry for 2-3 minutes till crispy and warm in the middle (you might need a few/several test subjects)
• Drain in a metal colander over a bowl to retain the crispness while draining
• Serve with mustard and gherkins or fries with mayonnaise
• If you make different types, e.g. beef and veal a little polenta in the breadcrumbs with help telling them apart



 

 

 

Will Anouk and Birds make it to the Eurovision Final this year?

veel succes!

 



I hate snakes, will all year and forever

There is nothing I hate more in this world than snakes. I'm a tad odd, as I can watch a snake in an open area without a hint of Whitney Houston pitched screaming. But put me in a dark enclosed reptile house and I am running for the hills. The strangest part of my "condition" is that is it a million times worse if it is just an image on TV or in a magazine. I would often have to drive past a furniture store called the Cane Cobra and their sign with a badly drawn not remotely realistic image would freak me out. AB has been nothing but a rock when it comes to this phobia, especially when he had to show me every plastic snake in Toys R Us, there wasn't chasing more just running away. So great is my hatred that AB had a dream about there being a snake in our backyard but didn't tell me for weeks in fear that I would put the house on the market that morning.
I am sounding like a total wimp but I have touched a snake, on my 25th birthday at a reptile park. Yep I was taken (the man who hates snakes) to a reptile park for my birthday, this was only topped by my cake which was topped with more plastic snakes than the set of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark.
So you can imagine my despair about this Chinese New Year starting the year of the snake, I am concerned it will impact on my Yum Cha experience if I have to be constantly on the look out for snakes. With snakes at the end of the hate spectrum, Yum Cha is worlds apart on the absolutely love immensely end...ahhh my poor brain!

The first thing I always get at Yum Cha is the chickens feet, it's like a code to the staff to not just send the spring rolls to this table. It proves you're hardcore and can handle the tendons, jellyfish and tripe, oh then tendons.
In Eurovision terms it means you're not just after ABBA and Lulu, but bring on the Bulgarian stilt walkers.
My other must have item is sui mai, those steamed morsels of pork and prawn goodness. I'm not proud of it but there is probably nothing I wouldn't do for a sui mai......I mean nothing.
I'm late for Chinese New Year but I have been making a couple of inspired dishes, more a homage than truly authentic, and sometimes the eating has gotten in the way of the photography.

Enjoy the year of the Snake, just keep em far away from me.

Seafood Roll
Ingredients

• 250grams green prawn meat
• 200grams boneless fish fillet (I used Basa)
• 2 chopped spring onions
• 1 teaspoon schezwan pepper
• 1/2 thumb ginger grated
• Salt to taste
• Sesame Oil
• 1 packet rice paper
• extra cornflour

Method

• In a food processor add prawn, fish, spring onions, schezwan pepper, ginger, salt and a couple of drops of sesame oil.
• Pulse to mince the prawns and fish, but not into a puree. Some rough bits add texture.
• Wrap a small amount of the mixture (however big or small your like) in the rice paper.
• Coat the wrapped rolls in a little corn flour
• Fry in hot oil for about 5 mins or until firm and slightly golden. You will know when they are cooked by the colour, so you may need to make a few extras to try just to make sure it is right, bonus!
• A tip I learnt for the rice paper is to not over water them, 2 seconds max in the water and then onto a barely damp tea towel.
• The 2 dipping sauces in the picture are quick and tasty, not really cooking more combining.  To 3 parts kewpie mayonnaise add either 1 part sweet chili sauce or kepis manis.
• Bamboo shoots can also be added for extra texture, either chopped separately or towards the end of the pulsing.
• If you would like me to add some pics of how to roll the rice paper, let me know and I'll make it happen

History repeating

With the party season well and truly upon us, I remember the party food of my childhood. Not kids food but the food the adults would have, smoked oysters, cheese and cabanossi, and vol au vents
Bacon Canapes (pronounced KaNaps not Canopay) are pretty lame but I remember them so fondly, mainly for making an appearance at every function. They were also something that as a kid I could make.
I have upgraded the ingredients from the orginal, maybe just a sign of the times, free range bacon, colby instead of plastic cheese, butter instead of margarine.

Bacon KaNaps

• 1 bagette
• 2 rashers of bacon, sliced in 2cm pieces
• 6 sliced of colby cheese quatered
• butter

Method

• Slice the bagette into 1 cm pieces
• Spread with a little butter and place on a baking tray
• Place a piece of cheese on each round
• Top with a piece of bacon
• Bake at 180 degrees for 25-30 minutes until golden.