Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Germany

Our culinary journey through Eurovision 2015 has taken us to 36 countries (4 to go) and now brings us to Germany. 

After Vienna I did spend a couple of nights in Dusseldorf for research so I have some great ideas for future Chow Down to Eurovision food adventures......though I'm not sure if the poffertjes and chicken nuggets is a traditional German breakfast but it works for me!

This year Germany offers us a sophisticated take on jelly and ice cream with WINE! 

Rote Grutze would be a perfect eurovision party dessert as it needs to rest overnight in the fridge so you can make it add so as not to spend a second in the kitchen while Eurovision is on!

Rote Grutze
Ingredients

• 250ml cranberry juice
• 250ml red wine
• 750ml jar of cherries
• 230g sugar
• 250g mixed berries
• 250g strawberries quartered
• 50g cornflour (made into a paste with some water)
• 300ml Pouring cream

Method

• Add cranberry juice, wine, juice from the cherries and sugar to saucepan
• Bring to the boil and reduce for about 5 minutes
• Add cornflour and stir to thicken 
• Add all the fruit and stir through for a couple of minutes
• Pour into a bowl and leave in the fridge overnight
• To serve pour some cream into a bowl and top with a good helping of the rote grutze

While this doesn't look the best, ok a blood clot, the combination of the tart berries and the cleanness of the cream is bliss. 

Not every red carpet moment is a huge success, in my head I planed a "clever" tie into Ann Sophie's song Black Smoke.

The lyrics are "too hard to say three words" so my question was going to be "while its hard to say those three words...what 3 words do you want to hear at Saturday's final could it be Douze Points Germany?".....you can see in the video that is not what come out more like a raving jumble.

I did manage to employ that timeless technique when someone is not understanding you of just repeating the same thing just louder and faster!

My favourite part of the interview is when she turns away and says "I don't understand" which is fair enough she was probably thinking who is this raving bearded chap.....didn't he quite in the German national final?

Some people have said we look alike??

Photo of Andreas Kümmert source

Sadly no one did say Douze Points Germany and along with Austria they became the Zeros of our time.

Previous Germany Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 German Farmer's Breakfast

2013 Beef Gulasch by Selin and friends

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Italy

Ciao tutti siamo arrivo in a Roma!!!!
There is no secret about my love for Italy and how much I wanted Il Volo to win Eurovision 2015. 

Who wouldn't want an Italian hosted Eurovision? The show would go for days with all the talking and 2 weeks in Rome, Florence or any where in Italy...sign me up!!

Being the country I heart the most (after Australia) and with the song Grande Amore it makes perfect sense that the Italian entry for Chow Down to Eurovision is heart.

Ok how many of you have I lost there?

This dish is inspired by coratella the Italian offal dish of pretty much most organs, lungs, kidneys, livers, spleen and heart.

I believe that if we are going to kill an animal for food we should at the very least eat all of it.

So when it comes to any grande amore it really is just all about the heart. 

Grande Amore on toast
Ingredients

• 2 lamb hearts
• 1 small brown onion
• 1 clove garlic
• Olive oil
• Knob of butter
• 30ml verjuice 
• A small handful of mixed herbs chopped, rosemary, parsley and thyme
• Thick slices of toasted sour dough

Method

• Trim the hearts of excess fat
• Cut into small even pieces about 2-3cm
• Add a good splash of oil to a fry pan on medium heat
• Add onion and garlic and let soften
• Add the heart and saute for a couple of minutes
• Season well with salt and pepper
• Add the verjuice, butter and herbs, stir through
• Serve on buttered toasted sourdough and garnish with extra rosemary

When your local farmers market has an amazing lamb farmer you just gotta take heart!

The heart is so tender and flavoursome it is well worth trying it at least once before deciding it's not for you. 

After a stellar performance in Vienna Il Volo won the televote but then finished 3rd when combined with the jury votes......aka robbed! 

Il Volo red carpet Vienna, Piero going the beard grab! 

I think Piero was very kind to say he liked my beard the couple of times I saw him in Vienna as looking back I think I may have been bordering on the wrong side of a hipster Worzel Gummidge!

Don't worry Stockholm I've had a trim...

Previous Italy Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 Zucchini and Pork Pizza

2013 Pasta Broccoli

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 Semi Final Two Recap

Now we have seen all the dishes for Semi Final Two it's time to vote for your favourites!

Which dishes are you going to send to the Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 #BuildingBrunches Final?

Seventeen dishes and countries battle it out to secure the 10 available places in the final.....you have the power to decide!

Voting will close 13/3/16
Update

The results are in and the countries moving onto the final of Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 #BuildingBrunches are:........in no particular order......

1. San Marino
2. Malta
3. Latvia
4. Slovenia
5. Azerbaijan
6. Ireland
7. Lithuania
8. Cyprus
9. Sweden
10. Iceland

You can vote with this link

Lithuania rhubarb cake

Ireland Crubeens

San Marino Piadina

Montenegro Lamb Stuffed with Chicken

Malta Stuffed Olives 

Norway Smoked Salmon Eggs

Portugal Roasted Green Pepper Salad

Czech Republic Experimental Prague Ham Loaf

Israel Kohlrabi Salad

Latvia Latvian Liverwurst Doughnuts

Azerbaijan Marinated Chicken

Iceland Hot dogs

Sweden Oyster Heroes with Chili and Dill

Switzerland Cholera tart

Cyprus Slow Roasted Lamb and Potatoes

Poland Zapiekanka

Slovenia Almond Squares

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Slovenia

What is Slovenian for we have arrived at the final country for Semi Final Two in Chow Down to Eurovision 2015?

Well according to google translate this is:

Kaj je slovenska ker smo prispeli v državo končnega za polfinale dva v Chow navzdol na Evrovizijo 2015 ?

I'm sure my Slovenian friend will let me know how well it did.

So if you are still unsure we are "in" Slovenia with a pretty easy tray bake of almond squares.

These dense almond morsels will always be Here For You when you need something full bodied and not too sweet that go perfectly with a strong coffee.

Slovenian Almond Squares
Ingredients

• 70g butter
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp. almond essence
• 140g plain flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 100g icing sugar + dusting
• 100g almond meal
• 50g chocolate chips (the type that hold their shape when baked)

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan)
• Line a 20cm square cake tin (shallow)
• Melt butter
• In a large mixing bowl beat the eggs till thick and fluffy
• Add cooled butter and almond essence to eggs
• Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl
• Fold into eggs mixture
• Pour into lined cake tin
• Even the batter out with a spoon, it will look lumpy but will spread
• Bake for 20-25 minutes (the top will still look bumpy)
• Flip onto a wire rack to cool
• Dust with icing sugar
• Cut into 2-3cm squares
• On a serving plate pile into a replica of Mount Triglav...Slovenia's highest peak   (optional)

Maraaya made up of married couple Marjetka and Aleš "Raay" Vovk represented Slovenia in Vienna and placed a respectable 14th in the final.  They came 5th in their semi final but scored 1st performance position in the final so it was always going to be an up hill battle, even with a futuristic air violinist...

I was very happy that the hop on hop off bus in Dusseldorf had joined the Maraaya trend!

Previous Chow Down to Eurovision Slovenia:

2014 Slovenian Cheese Cones

2013 Turkey Schnitzel with Gorgonzola Sauce

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Poland

Dobry wieczór we have arrived at the penultimate country for Chow Down to Eurovision 2015, Poland.

I'm a big fan of mushrooms so always happy to add mushroom recipes into the Chow Down, sadly AB isn't a fan but does suffer through bravely. 

When I heard about Zapiekanka I thought AB likes toast and cheese so 2 out of 3 aint bad and it was on it's way to represent Eurovision food for Poland.

I also had a moment of delight when I was listening to Reckoning* by Magda Szubanski & there was a passage about her queuing for hours for hot dogs in Poland only to get to the front of the line to be given mushrooms in a bun and I thought I know this dish!  

Magda also suggested the dish for Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 so it felt strangely right there an unknowing connection this year. 

*I use affiliate links to products I have purchased myself and enjoyed

Zapiekanka -Mushroom cheese toast

Ingredients

• 1 baguette about 30cm 
• 4-5 large mushrooms
• 1 small brown onion
• 1 rasher bacon (optional)
• 2 handfuls grated cheese
• Tomato sauce or sriracha

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Roughly chop mushrooms
• Finely chop onion
• Thinly slice bacon rasher
• Saute mushrooms, onions and bacon in a fry pan till golden and softened
• Season with salt and pepper
• Cut the baguette in half and place on lined baking tray
• Butter baguette and cover with mushrooms mix
• Cover with cheese and bake for 10 minutes
• Serve with tomato sauce or sriracha for the bearded hipsters in the group

This year's Eurovision was the most inclusive for people with disabilities and now that the "magic bridge" has been crossed I hope it leads to further participation in the future.

See more interviews about Eurovision and Inclusion here 

Monika Kuszyńska sang In The Name Of Love for Poland and after coming 8th in semifinal 2 finished 23rd in the final.

Previous Chow Down to Eurovision Poland:

2014 Polish Beetroot Soup with Porcini Potato "Gems"

Chow Down to Eurovision 2015 - Cyprus

Good evening Nicosia, may we have your dish please?

Just like Eurovision voting this wonderful dish from Cyprus should be done in about 5 hours!

Inspired by a recipe I found on SBS food, today's dish is as simple as cutting a potato and putting some lamb in the oven. 

So in memory of the late Terry Wogan I'm going to just get on with it!

Slow Roasted Lamb and Potatoes

Ingredients

• 1.5-2kg butterfly lamb (I think it was a leg or may have been a shoulder....I know it was lamb)
• 1kg potatoes (of your choice)
• 2 whole heads of garlic
• 2 lemons
• 2 large sprigs rosemary
• 2 large sprigs oregano
• Olive oil

Method

• Cut potatoes into quarters and add to a large baking dish with lid
• Add lamb on top of the potatoes
• Drizzle lamb with olive oil
• Season the lamb with salt and pepper
• Add the whole garlic to the baking dish
• Use a vegetable peeler to cut long strips of lemon zest
• Add the juice of the lemons over the lamb
• Add the herbs
• Bake at 150°C for 4.5 hours with the lid on and a further 30 minutes lid off
• Serve chucks (it's too soft to slice) of lamb with some roasted garlic and potatoes.....and serviettes and it is gonna get sticky!

The sticky meaty garlicky goodness comes flooding back to me every time I see this picture, though if I'm honest my preference would be for a crunchy potato

John (Giannis) Karayiannis sang beautifully for Cyprus and my judgment is not influenced at all by the fact that he said I was cool for having a Eurovision tattoo. 

(I could be his father and I'm cool, I am totally hip with the young peoples!)

When you leave your beard balm at home!

Cyprus came 6th in the semifinal and 22nd in the final.

Previous Cyprus Chow Down to Eurovision:

2014 did not participate 

2013 Homemade Haloumi trio