Denmark has a special connection with Australia through Our/Their Princess Mary so I wanted a dish that had a touch of both countries. Apples are the theme ingredient as Princess Mary is from Tasmania where they produce wonderful fruit. I thought that this was a little bit more classy than using beer because they met in a pub, yep I'm all class. Speaking of class I did have a trainer whose dogs had met Princess Mary, I'm not sure where that puts me on the Kevin Bacon degrees of separation scale but I think we are practically BFFs.
Technically Denmark did not break the 6 person limit on stage rule in 1988 as one of the people was inside the singer, well at least for another 3 weeks anyway.
Apple Oven Pancake Ingredients
2 apples
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
40g butter unsalted
Squeeze of lemon juice
4 eggs
1 cup milk
150g plain flour
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt
60g butter
Icing sugar to dust
Method
Preheat oven 240°C
Cut 1 apple in half and grate the remaining 1 half and the whole apple.
Thinly slice the other half of the apple into wedges (for optional decoration) and squeeze with lemon juice to stop them browning.
In a saucepan put the grated apple, sugar, cinnamon, butter and squeeze of lemon.
Simmer on low for about 5 mins till the apples are softened. Take off the heat to cool slightly.
Put butter into the glass dish and put into the oven until butter is melted
Brush the dish with butter
Pour the batter into the dish of melted butter
Arrange the apples on top
Return the dish to oven and bake for 15-20 minutes
To serve dust with icing sugar and drizzle with honey if you'd like that extra sweetness.
A variation is to not add the grated apple mix into the batter but add it to the top of the cooked pancake. This will let the pancake rise higher like a Yorkshire pudding.
I hope there wont be "Only Teardrops" for Emmelie de Forest this year in Sweden.
Today we arrive in the beautiful land of Croatia for some Dalmatian cuisine (no, not dogs.) Scampi Buzara is a rich tomato, cognac and white wine sauce that the seafood is cooked in. On my trip to the market I couldn't get scampi so I recreated the dish with prawns. I was lucky enough to find some yabbies so they will play the role of a massive tasty garnish. I've also substituted the Cognac for Brandy as surprisingly I already had some in the pantry from my almost needing to "check into rehab Christmas cakes". Our Croatian Eurovision treat is Maria Magdalena from Doris Dragovic in 1999. I love a strong performance from a strong woman who halfway through, whips off some of the outfit for a reveal. I remember years ago in a Eurovision chat room talking to someone who claimed they had designed her dress. I have no idea whether it was the truth or just an attempt to get me to do a private reveal, rest assured it didn't happen. Trust me by the end of this you will all join in on the "woe ahh ahh ahh ahh", you don't believe me but wait and see.
Is that Jane Turner on backing vocals?
Scampi Prawn Buzara Ingredients
500g green prawns, peeled and devein
60ml olive oil
1 medium brown onion chopped
2 cloves of garlic chopped
60 ml brandy
120ml white wine
240ml tomato passata
Salt
Pepper
4 cooked yabbies (optional)
Chopped parsley to garnish
Method
Peel the prawns and devein them (I'm bad I don't always devein, I know, I know)
In a deep fry pan heat the oil on a medium to high heat.
Add the onion and garlic and let cook till soft without browning
Add brandy, white wine and passata and let cook down for about 10 minutes to thicken.
Add the prawns and cook for about 4 mins till just cooked through.
Remove the prawns and add the yabbies to way through (this will avoid the prawns and the yabbies over cooking)
Return the prawns and season with salt and pepper.
Traditionally served with bread and butter, but I served on a bed of basmati rice.
Garnish with chopped parsley.
This served both AB and I but I could have happily had it all!
Onto our third country in as many days, we really are moving along at a Contiki pace, well maybe just not as drunk. Slovenia's highest placing in a Eurovision final was 7th in 2001 and 1995, after first joining in 1993. Throughout the years Slovenia have been responsible for sending an array of performances to delight audiences from a James Bond theme in 1999, to cross dressing flight attendants, an operatic ET with a light up hand, mild bondage themes and a wolverine look-a-like.
For the Slovenian dish I came upon a recipe for turkey, it is really just a sneaky way of getting Turkey to be part of the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013. I think this recipe will be a favourite amongst the Australian audience as it seems we love to crumb a poultry breast and cover it in cheese.
Turkey Schnitzel with Gorgonzola sauce
Ingredients
4 turkey breast fillets
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1 cup breadcrumbs (I used panko)
Salt and pepper to season
1/4 cup oil and a knob of butter fry pan frying
For the sauce
60g unsalted butter
195g gorgonzola dolce, chopped
200ml cream
pepper to taste
Method
Beat the egg in a bowl with 1 tablespoon of water
Put the flour and breadcrumbs on 2 separate plates
Using a meat tenderiser pound the turkey breasts to flatten out a little.
Coat the turkey in the flour, egg and breadcrumbs
Heat the oil and butter in a hot frypan
Pan fry the turkey for 2 mins each side
Put the turkey on an oven tray and put in a 180 oven for 5-7 mins depending on thickness.
Season to taste
Serve blanched broccolini or chips and salad.
To make the sauce
In a medium saucepan heat the butter over a medium flame
Add the gorgonzola and cream and stir till melted and combined
Pepper to taste
It will be Straight into Love for Hannah this year in Malmö,
Firstly a warning, some readers may find some pictures disturbing.
Today we have had landed in Estonia and our most adventurise recipe of the Chow Down to Eurovision 2013, cue the pig head or Kyle as I have come to know him. It was a bit of a challenge at first having Kyle look at me as I was about to chop him in two, but we made friends and got through it. That was the secret really, give him a name and thank him for his contributition to the blog and eurovision, talk about how he would be a celebrity and just never look him in the eye. I discovered this recipe on an Estonian website that has a series of how to videos, and thought sometimes an entrant just needs that special wow shock factor, thank you Kyle.
Poor Kyle, one eye looking at you, one eye looking for you
Doing much better after a trip to the spa, well clearly not that much better.
I'm really happy I went through with it but the flavour of the end result wasn't that great, there may be something lost in translation, or my missing celeriac. I love brawn but the stock was lacking some punch. I have included the recipe as written but I still have half of Kyle in the frezzer so will try again one day and update the recipe with any changes I make.
Estonia won eurovision in 2001 with "Everybody" by Tanel Padar, Dave Benton & 2XL but todays musical treat comes from Tanel's sister Gerri in 2007. This is dedicated to Kyle as for this meat jelly experience we were true parnters in crime.
This is the original ingredient list but I needed to vary the meat as they must have really small pig heads in Estonia as Kyle was 4 kg. Jellied Meat Ingredients
It is very easy to sit at home and criticise while watching the MKR contestants flap about without showing any obvious signs of common sense. But how easy is it to walk in their shoes and try the challenges yourself? Minus the cameras. Well I put the call out on twitter this morning via @WeNorthside (where I am hosting this week) to try the $10 meal for 4 challenge. The rules were pretty relaxed, as we wouldn't be fighting for the chance to win $250000. Budget was $10 with the aim of feeding 4 people, 1 course, 2 courses or 3 courses depending on how far your creativity could stretch the budget. There was a list of common pantry items that were included as free items: oil, milk, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, pepper, and any spices you already had. There was also a clause for the home grown such as herbs, veg, sauces as long as you disclosed what they were. I was really looking forward to seeing what people could use from the backyard. The most important factor I found to staying within budget was where you shopped, I would normally get my fruit and vegetable from the green grocer but for the sake of 1 receipt I thought I'd try the supermarket. I was able to pick up some reduced to clear/nothing wrong with them items there, but the rest of the produce was more expensive. I have compiled a budget from the best of both stores and have made a spreadsheet, yep a spreadsheet how many food blog benefit from the joys of excel?? This meant there was a $1.22 leeway from the 1/2 packet of parmesan not used towards the meal. The Menu, 3 course for 4 $10 plus pantry
Entrée - Cauliflower soup with parmesan wafer
Main - Meat balls in rich vegetable sauce on spaetzle
Dessert- Lemon syrup cake
The verdict, in hindsight less is more and I'd stick to a simple tomato sauce for the meatballs as while being delicious and healthy the colour of the sauce was vile. The rest I'm sure would have impressed Manu.
Item
Cost
$10
Beef Mince
$2.10
$7.90
Cauliflower
$1
$6.90
Silver beet
$0.99
$5.91
Garlic
$0.25
$5.66
Eggplant
$0.34
$5.32
Parmesan Cheese 1/2 pack
$1.22
$4.10
Bacon 2 rashers
$1.32
$2.78
Brown Onions
$0.75
$2.03
Carrots
$0.43
$1.60
Lemon
$0.59
$1.01
Celery
$0.94
$0.07
Pantry Items
Passata
Home Grown
Herbs
Home Grown
Eggs
Home Grown
Flour
Oil
Salt, pepper
spices/stock
Milk
Sugar
Lemon Syrup Cake, Ingredients
2 eggs
3/4cup sugar
1/2 cup sunflower oil
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups self raising flour
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
Method
Preheat oven to 160°C
In a mixing bowl add the eggs and sugar
Beat with an electric mixer till fluffy and pale
Add the oil, milk, flour, zest and 1/2 the juice of the lemon and mix to a smooth batter.
Pour into a greased and floured Bundt cake time
Bake for 30 -40 mins till a skewer comes out clean when poked into cake
Cool the cake
To make the syrup, put the other 1/2 of the lemon juice, water and sugar into a medium saucepan and simmer to a thick syrup but not toffee.
Pour syrup over the cake and allow it to soak in.
Can be served with cream but is just as good on it's own.
The first stop on our European trek towards Malmö is Austria. Home of the Von Trapp family singers, Sachertorte, Pez dispensers, and chef Sarah Wiener. I will happily admit I am a little bit in love with Sarah Wiener. While preparing this Chow Down to Eurovision, I watched her TV series where she travels the Alps and cooks the local recipes. It seems only fitting that Austria is represented by a version of her recipe for Lamb on Hay, that was inspired by the Austrian town of Tyrol. I love the way she goes traveling to befriends the locals and learns their way of life and cuisine. At the end of the visit she will either replicating her host's dish or come up with her own inspired invention. I was very hesitant to use the hay as it just reminds me of Sailor's box, she is cute but she is also very capable of producing the not so cute.
Sailor "Yum hay, HEY are you eating my tea?"
When it comes to Austria in Eurovision my favourite act would The Rounder Girls, Eurovision meets Sister Act. Their song All to You came 14th in 2000, they were robbed, all that big haired wise cracking should have came at least top 10.
This recipe is based on what Sarah demonstrated on Sarah Wiener in the Alps season 1 episode 9, I used a different cut of lamb and cooked it slower and longer, oh and also I, unlike Sarah, didn't climb up a hill to select the lamb that was getting a one way trip down the hill to become lunch. Lamb on Hay Ingredients
1.5 kg of lamb shoulder, cut into large pieces.
2-4 lamb shanks
Mustard to coat the lamb, I used whole grain Dijon, but any will do.
1 large bowl of hay (optional see note)
A few sprigs of Rosemary
About a handful other herbs, made up of thyme, lavender, parsley
2 cloves garlic chopped
2 medium carrots chopped
2 small onions chopped
1 celeriac chopped (I forgot and bought leek)
1 1/2 cups red wine
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
Oil for browning lamb
Method
Coat the lamb with the mustard and brown in a fry pan with a little oil.
Place the lamb in a baking dish on top of optional hay (read the note below)
Scatter lamb with garlic and herbs
Fry the onions leek and carrots in a deep fry pan with a little oil
Add the stock and red wine to the vegetables and simmer on medium heat for about 3 minutes
Pour the vegetables and stock over the lamb
Cover baking dish with foil
Roast in a 170°C oven for about 2.5 hours, uncover for the last half of the cooking.
The lamb should fall away from the bone.
Remove the lamb pieces from the baking dish and place on serving plate.
Discard the vegetable stock
Serve with a baked potato topped with sour cream and finely chopped chives.
Note: I wouldn't use the hay again, I couldn't taste the difference. I think you need to get it from the Austrian Alps before it has any major effect. Really all the stressing about the food safety, thinking if there had been any mice running through this hay before it got to me and associating it with bunny's left overs, just wasn't worth any flavour enhancement that was supposed to be there. My advice, love Sarah but ditch the hay.
This year Austria will be represented by Natalia Kelly singing Shine
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mesdames et Messieurs, Welcome, and Bievennue to Chow Down to Eurovision 2013. From now and till we touch down in Malmö on the 18th May, we will be sampling some of the best cuisine the 39 countries competing in this year's Eurovision Song Contest have to offer. So please ensure that your tray table is firmly locked in the extended position, have some glitter on standby, kick off your sling backs and as they say in the classics, ladies you relax too.
My love of Eurovision began in 1999 but reached a peak in 2005 when I was the Eurovision Song Contest WinnerESCtoday.com Fan of the Year Winner, ok, ok I was first runner up, but do you have any idea how hard it is to beat a girl that's been trapped in a bomb shelter?? So as you can see I have a minor obsession with Eurovision or does a having tattoo put me in the weird freaky fanatic box? The thing I love most about Eurovision is it is just a celebration of music, culture and joy, laced with some remarkable frocks and at times questionable singing.
AB and I also have a bit of a strange habit (if the tattoo wasn't enough) when it comes to Eurovision as we try to avoid hearing the songs until the actual contest, that way they are all given an equal 3 minutes to wow us with song, dance, as many outfits as humanly possible to create the most memorable performance. This can lead to problems when people what to have prediction type conversations causing me to rethink my life choices and vow to watch the national finals, but I never do. It stems from going to parties on a Saturday night to see the contest, a week after it had happened because of the time zone, so you need to spend the week in media lock down to not find out who won. That also involved being with new party goers that didn't quite get the contest and felt compelled to join in by pointing out that "she didn't sing in tune" "that dance was awful" "what are they wearing" "River Dance started in Eurovision you know" or the classic of anyone new to Eurovision "why isn't Australia in Eurovision?" Seriously people?!?! If I had a dollar for every time I got asked this I would be able to host the contest myself, and the answer is " we aren't part of Europe, just like Israel, Azerbaijan and Turkey" (thank you Julia Zemiro, have always loved your work)
So now the only way for me to watch Eurovision is, alone, at 5am, via the official streaming. You can almost pick up the excitement and buzz in the stadium, almost like being there, which I was in Athens 2006 greatest night of my life but more about that when we get to Greece.
I have included some musical condiments to help us enjoy our stopovers in each country, at the top of the post you will find a piece of musical gold from past contests and at the end, for those who don't like surprises, will be the song that will represent each country this year in Malmö.
The recipes that feature in this Chow Down to Eurovision 2013
have come from a variety of sources, some have been suggested by friends in the
respective countries, others are from my own travels, or are a result of a huge amount
of trawling the internet. They are a tribute, a homage more than being 100% authentically approved by the department of culturally cuisine in each country.
As the Chow Down to Eurovision progress through the
years I would love it more of the recipes are submitted by readers or the Eurovision
contestants themselves.
If there are any TV
produces reading my dream would be to take this all the way and do a road trip
through the each Eurovision nation and learn the authentic dishes from village
Nonne and the like, very Sarah Wiener style. On that note, seriously any TV
producer that wants to throw money at this, it would be brilliant television as
any thought of killing my own lunch would certainly bring on some big blokey
shrieks, tears and probably even a little on screen chunder. I can hear a Logie, Bafta and Golden globe just begging
for this to be made.
How it works:
Voting will be open during each semi final
The countries with the most votes will move to the final
Voting will recommence and our winner will be announced on the 18th May
