Don't boil the sauce!

Sunday, April 27, 2014

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Poland

Dobry wieczór, after a 2 year absence from Eurovision this is Poland calling.

This is Poland's first entry in Chow Down to Eurovision, so please let's make them feel welcome.

The inspiration for this entry came after listening to a talk by the amazingly brilliant Magda Szubanski on reclaiming fear. (It's a must listen)

During the talk Magda speaks of family history in Poland so of course while tweeting her it was magnificent, I had to ask her for a Chow Down to Eurovision Dish! (never miss a trick)

If you don't follow her on twitter yet, you most certainly should! @MagdaSzubanski She is one of the world's good guys and I'm very thankful for her suggestion though she may not recognised the final dish. (Did I avoid crazed fan territory? I tried so hard)

I have played around with the idea of the pierogi and it became almost like a porcini potato gem, the best of Poland and Australia.

Continuing today's Magdalena theme, Magdalena Tul sang Jestem for Poland in 2011 and while it has a touch of the single ladies about it, she came last in the Semi Final.

Perhaps next year they could send Magda Szubanski for guaranteed douze points
(I'm calling shot gun on back ups ok?)

Like languages with multiple dialects there seems to be endless variations of this soup, some that are allowed to infuse for days and even ferment.

My homage is perfect for when you need a super changed hit of vegetables, ok so the gems are deep fried, but think of the antioxidants!

Polish Beetroot Soup with Porcini Potato "Gems"

Ingredients

3 beetroots
1 parsnip
1 swede
1 turnip
2 brown onions
2 carrots
2 celery stalks, with leaves
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. peppercorns
5 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
4 bay leaves
Big pinch of salt

Gem ingredients (about 15 gems)

2-3 potatoes boiled, cooled
50g dried porcini mushrooms
1 egg
3-4 tbs. fine semolina flour
Panko breadcrumbs
oil to fry
Salt and pepper

Method

Add beetroot to a baking dish, splash with olive oil and salt and cover with foil
Roast in a 160°C oven for about 1 hour till tender
Make the stock in a heavy based pot.
The stock will be strained so the vegetables can be quartered and added whole
Heat a splash of oil to coat the vegetables and brown for about 2 minutes
Cover with boiling water and simmer for 2-3 hours (can be left overnight to develop)
Strain the stock
When the beetroots are cool, cut into fine strips (remember one man's fine is another man's chunky so don't stress, just cut)
Add beetroot back to stock, the colour will be a brilliant purple
Heat slowly
Season to taste
Serve topped with parsley or herbs of your choice, mine is a bit light on herbs due to my love of purple, I don't want to cover any of it up!

To make the gems

Cover the mushrooms in cold water, let sit for 30 minutes
Pass the cooked cooled potatoes through a ricer (medium holes)
Drain the mushrooms and roughly chop (liquid can join the soup or be saved for later)
Add egg, mushrooms, pinch of salt/pepper and flour
Gently combine, the lighter the touch the lighter the gem
Shape into desired shape and coat in breadcrumbs
Deep fry in hot oil for 1-2 minutes
If not too big they will float when ready like gnocchi

Donatan & Cleo will shake what their mama's gave them in My Słowianie - We Are Slavic, a touch of the not single for long ladies!

Will they twerk their way into the final?

Powodzenia!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Results of Semi Final 1

and #Eatus

These countries from Semi Final 1 have made it through to

The Final of Chow Down to Eurovision 2014

Stay tuned to see who will join them from Semi Final 2

(Shown in Semi Final 1 running order)

Saturday, April 26, 2014

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Georgia

საღამო this is Georgia calling, our fourth port of call in Semi Final 2 on our culinary journey to Copenhagen.

If you joined us last year for Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 you may remember that Georgia brought us the scrumptious Khachapuri (cheese bread) which secured them a place in the final.

This year Georgia is offering a moreish walnut sauce to serve with a roast chicken, eggs or vegetables.

There are many variations of this sauce with ingredients that include dried marigolds, blue fenugreek, saffron, though I have made a version that doesn't require a trip to a spice bizarre. (even though I do love a trip to a spice bizarre or shop as they are commonly known)

Just like today's walnut sauce this act is great with the excitement added by the dancers but is just as great if it was pared back with Sopho just standing and singing.

Georgia first joined Eurovision in 2007 with Sopho and Visionary Dream, she came 12th in the final.

Chicken with Walnut Sauce
Ingredients

12 chicken legs (going on it serving 4-6)

Cayenne pepper

Salt & pepper

Olive oil

120g walnuts

1 large brown onion

1 clove garlic

400ml chicken stock

Pinch saffron threads
40g butter
60g plain flour

1/4 tsp. cloves ground

1/2 tsp. cinnamon ground
1 tbs. red wine vinegar

Method

Preheat oven to 180°C
Lay chicken legs on a foil lined tray
Splash with olive oil
Rub with a good pinch of cayenne pepper, salt and pepper
Bake for about 35-40 minutes
To make the sauce
Blend the walnuts into a paste (a tbs. of water can help it along)
Add the saffron to the chicken stock to let it infuse
Roughly dice onion and crush garlic
In a medium sauce melt butter
Add onion, garlic and cook on low heat till soft
Add flour and stir to make a paste
Add cloves and cinnamon to flour and cook for about 1 minute
Slowly add the chicken stock, bit by bit, stirring continuously
As the sauce thickens add more stock
When the sauce has thickened add the walnuts and vinegar
Mix well and cook for another minute or 2 to ensure it is the consistency you like
Season to taste
Serve over the roast chicken legs, my vegetable option is boiled potato with sauté kale (I'm a bit kale mad sorry)
For a Eurovision party this could be converted to a great nibble with drinks using chicken wing drumettes and having a walnut dipping sauce....and 1 or 2 drinks

The Shin & Mariko will perform Three Minutes to Earth but will their three minutes being heard around the world get them a place in the final?

გისურვებთ წარმატებას!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Norway

God kveld this is Oslo, Norway calling, current home of the Chow Down to Eurovision trophy*.

In 2013 Norway presented Smultringers, a cardamom flavoured donut cooked in lard, so really no one else had a chance of wining the inaugural Chow Down to Eurovision.

*no actual physical trophy due to budget cut backs

Smultringers...yes please!

So in fairness to the other contestants this year they are just presenting a sandwich, but being Chow Down to Eurovision you know it won't be just any old sandwich.

To honour of our reigning champions let's enjoy Anne Karine Strøm singing Mata Hari in 1976 where she came dressed as a gold statute.

Unbelievably she come last on 7 points, which thinking positively is 4 points better than when she came equal last in 1974.

No matter what history says I hereby state she came first in the fashion stakes!

Douze Points la Norvège!

Don't worry I'm not going to give you a recipe for a sandwich, just the filling!

I used a loaf I'd baked using Dan Lepard's Sour Cream Sandwich Loaf, with the slight variation of increasing the sour cream to a use up a 300ml tub and doubling the remaining ingredients to make 2 loaves.

You can use precooked prawns or cook them yourself. I prefer chopped larger prawns rather than the little baby one...let them have a good life before hitting my tummy.

Norwegian Prawn Open Sandwich

Ingredients

500-600g of prawns (about 100-150g per sandwich, see note)
1/2 cup mayonnaise (jar or made depends if the chickens have delivered enough eggs)
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
2 spring onions (whites only) finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Method

Chop the cold cooked prawns (not too small)
Mix through mayonnaise, lemon juice, spring onions and season to taste
Assemble the sandwich, with or without an attempt at a great work of art

The other ingredient in my Prawn Garden masterpiece are

Bread of your choice
Boiled eggs sliced (flowers)
Avocado (stems and leaves)
Red and black caviar (pollen)
Chives chopped (grass)
Note: I use peeled green prawns and poached for 1-2 minutes in salted boiling water
The perfect snack for an afternoon of Eurovision repeats

Carl Espen will take the heartbreaking ballad Silent Storm to Demark this May, will Norway go from a victorious Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 to Eurovision 2014 champions?
Lykke til!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Israel

ערב טוב this is Jerusalem, Israel calling.

Last year Israel was extremely popular in Chow Down to Eurovision with their dish Hummus with the Lot.

There is a limit to how much hummus one human can safely consume and without over sharing all I'll say is I know that exact quantity.

We are going to be having breakfast in Israel today with an apple fritter known as Apples in Pyjamas, it tastes just like a donut but it's an apple so you can truly say you only had an apple for breakfast.

Izhar Cohen provides the cardio to burn off our breakfast with Olé, Olé from 1985.

Get out the leg warmers, head bands and smile extenders this is classic 80's jazz ballet at it's Tony Bartuccio best!

Despite winning in 1978 Izhar placed 5th in 1985.

Apples in Pyjamas

Ingredients

3 granny smith or other tart apple
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1 egg
Cinnamon
Sugar
Oil to fry (about a litre)

Method

Add flour, milk, egg and a pinch of sugar to a jug
Blend smooth with a hand blender
Slice apples about 1/2cm thick
Remove core with a cutter (I had a star cookie cutter)
Heat the oil in a deep saucepan on high heat (raise and lower heat as required)
In 2 separate bowls place some extra flour and the batter
Coat the apple ring in flour
Dip the apple into the batter and let the excess run off
Fry for about 1 minute on each side till golden brown
Coat in cinnamon sugar (add as much or as little cinnamon as you like to a bowl of sugar)
These would be perfect with ice cream for a quick faux apple pie
If you work quickly you don't need lemon to stop the apples going brown, the flour also helps to slow the process

Can Mei Finegold and Same Heart bring the Eurovision trophy back to Israel for the fourth time?

בהצלחה

Monday, April 21, 2014

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Malta

Filgħaxija tajba this is Malta calling and welcome to the start of Semi Final Two in Chow Down to Eurovision 2014.

Last year Malta made it through to the final of Chow Down to Eurovision with tasty little fried white bait, yummo!

This dish was very similar to a Eurovision act with multiple reveals.

I knew that the dish would have pomegranate molasses as I had a beautiful bottle I was busting to use.

Reveal 1 it's going to be an ice cream

Reveal 2 an ice cream sandwich in fact

Reveal 3 ditch the sandwich, it's a chocolate podium!

Reveal 4 wish I had thought of it earlier, more seeds and they could be pomegranate mirror balls rather than flying saucers. (next time)

A small insight into how my mind works and the dishes for the Chow Down to Eurovision evolve....ok back to the music.

In 2008 Morena failed to qualify with Vodka, Gin would have been a much better option.....

Pomegranate Molasses Ice Cream
Ingredients

6 egg yolks

1 cup caster sugar

2 cups milk

1 cup cream

100ml pomegranate molasses

Seeds from 1 pomegranate

Method

In a heavy base saucepan add milk, cream and heat to just below boiling

Add egg yolks and sugar to a mixing bowl and whisk

When milk is hot slowly pour into eggs, while whisking

Once combined return the custard to the saucepan

Keep stirring over a low heat until the custard thickening enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Be careful not to overcook it or it will curdle.

Add the pomegranate molasses and stir through

Pass through a sieve and either chill on ice or in the fridge overnight. (the faster chill the less crystals)

Put into ice cream machine and churn as per manufactures instructions

When halfway through churning add the pomegranate jewels (leaving a few for garnish)

Sweet, yet tart, yet sweet yet tart!

"Chocolate Podiums"
Ingredients

125g butter softened

125g golden caster sugar

1 orange zest and juice

1 egg

200g self raising flour

30g cocoa

Method

Cream butter and sugar

Add egg and beat through

Add zest and juice of orange

Add flour and cocoa and mix to combine

Place about 2 tbsp. into a whoopie pie pan

Bake at 180°C for 8-10 minutes

Allow to cool completely before assembling, unless you want a puddle
To assemble put a scoop of ice cream onto the biscuit and sprinkle some seeds....I know it's some really advanced presentation today!

Coming Home will be performed by Firelight

While there is no mention of risk assessments will they place higher than Dr Gianluca Bezzina's Tomorrow and have the Eurovision trophy Coming Home to Malta?

Xorti tajba!