Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Hungary

Jó estét this is Budapest, Hungary calling the 16th and final country in Semi Final One of 2014 Chow Down to Eurovision.

While Eurovision has it's trending gimmicks such as the reveal, key change or long haired man in a white suit. The Chow Down to Eurovision appears to be developing it's own standby by gimmick, pork crackling.

Last year we saw it dipped in chocolate in Ukraine and this year Hungary have delivered it in a biscuit, though it is probably more part of the scone family.

I saw a lot of different versions but basically it's like an enriched scone dough that is treated like a croissant, so I thought cool I can do that so this is my take on the Hungarian Pork Crackling Biscuit.

In 1997 Hungary sent VIP (a boy band not a Pamela Anderson sitcom) to sing Miért kell, hogy elmenj? They placed 12th in the final perhaps adding Pamela Anderson could have helped?

 

 

Hungarian Pork Crackling Biscuit
Ingredients

• 6 large pork belly rashers
• Pork rind sheet about 300g
• 500g strong flour
• 14g yeast
• 2 eggs
• 2 tbsp. golden caster sugar
• 100ml milk
• 150ml cream
• 100g butter softened
• Paprika

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Give the rashers and rind a splash of olive oil and salt
• Bake for 35-40 minutes on a wire rack over a tray
• They should be crisp and dry
• Cool and then grind to crumbs in a food processer (not too fine)
• Heat the milk a little, don't let it boil
• Add the flour, yeast, eggs and caster sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer
• Add the cream and milk
• Knead till smooth and elastic
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let double in size.
• Mix the butter through the pork crumbs with a good pinch of salt
• Roll the dough into a rectangle on a floured bench
• Cover the dough with 1/4 of the pork/butter mix
• Fold the dough in a book turn and repeat 3 times till pork/butter mix is used
• Roll the dough out to be about 2cm thick
• Cut out rounds and place on a lined tray
• Brush tops with milk and sprinkle with paprika
• Bake at 200°C (non fan) for about 10-12 minutes till golden and puffed.
• Serve warm
• While jam and cream may not be the best friend for these scones, a bowl of hot pumpkin soup would be heaven. I also want to try adding chilli, cos chilli makes everything better!
• Using an espresso glass as the cutter I get about 40 biscuits

 

 The folds don't have to be perfect, it's probably better but life is short!

András Kállay-Saunders will perform Running which highlights an issue you wouldn't instantly think of for the Eurovision stage, family violence.

The world seems to have lost the basic concept of treating each other with respect so well done Hungary for bringing this issue to the spotlight.
If you or someone you know needs assistance call Life Line on 13 11 14

Let's hope that Hungary makes it through to the finals so that more people can hear Kállay-Saunders' message.

Sok szerencsét!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Montenegro

Dobro veče this is Podgorica, Montenegro calling.

The second last country of Semi Final One to give us their delicacies in Chow Down To Eurovision 2014.

Are you full yet? We still have Semi Final Two and the Final to go!

Unlike most of the hosts or commentary teams at Eurovision, I'll just get on with it and head straight into our hit from Eurovision days gone by so we can eat!

Montenegro's first entry to Eurovision was from Steven Faddy with Ajde, kroči in 2007 they finished 22nd in the semi final.

As yet Montenegro has not performed in a Eurovision final, they also sadly did not make it to the final of Chow Down to Eurovision 2013 with Sesame Chicken Soup.

 

Squid Ink Risotto with Calamari
Ingredients

• 1 knob butter (the size of the knob is up to you)
• Olive oil
• 2 cups arborio rice
• 4 shallots
• 1 clove garlic
• 250ml dry white wine
• 1.5 litres fish stock
• 8g squid ink
• 1-2 calamari tubes
• 1 red chilli
• Salt

Method

• Add the butter and a good splash of oil to a fry pan on medium heat
• Chopped the shallots and garlic
• Sauté to the shallots and garlic till soft
• Add rice and stir coating in oil
• Stir till rice changes appearance and looks translucent
• Add wine and stir
• Reduce heat to low and add a ladle of fish stock
• Keep stirring and adding stock by the ladle as it is absorbed by the rice
• This process can take about 20 minutes till the rice is cooked but still al dente
• Add the squid ink and stir through.
• Cut calamari long fine strips of the
• Finely chop the chilli and add to a bowl with the calamari
• Add a pinch of salt and olive oil
• Heat another fry pan on high heat
• Add the strips of calamari to the pan and cook for about 1 minute till tender
• Serve the risotto topped with a pile of calamari
• Don't season the risotto before adding the squid ink as it is quite salty (being from the sea and all)

 

 

 Sergej Ćetković will perform Moj Svijet for Montenegro on the 6th of May, will this be the year they get to the final of both Eurovision and Chow Down to Eurovision?

 

срећно!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Portugal

Boa Noite this is Portugal calling!

Please let us all welcome Portugal to their first appearance in the Chow Down to Eurovision. YAAAY!!

I have spared no expensive on their debut in the competition with this dish coming directly from Lisbon, well via Facebook.

I met Manel while he was visiting Melbourne many, many years ago through a mutual friend Anne.

We then all caught up again a few years later for a great New Years Eve party in London with a very excellent chilli if I remember rightly (there may have been 1 or 2 beverages consumed).

Being both wonderful cooks and Manel being from Portugal I knew that this was the brains trust I needed to consult.

Manel suggested pork belly and claims to which I replied that he had me at pork belly!

Hopefully we will get to catch up in person again soon to cook and eat more Portuguese food, naturally in the name of Chow Down to Eurovision research.

Portugal's highest placing since first joining Eurovision in 1964 was in 1996 with O meu coração não tem cor sung by Lúcia Moniz who later went on to the hopelessly romantic bilingual relationship with Colin Firth in Love Actually.

They placed 6th.

Portuguese Pork Belly and Clams
Ingredients

• 1kg pork belly (rasher, less cutting)
• White wine dry (about 400ml, enough to cover pork)
• 1-2 tbsp. hot paprika
• 1 tbsp.  sea salt flakes
• 1 tsp. cracked black pepper
• 3 bay leaves
• 8 cloves garlic
• 4 red capsicum
• 2 red onions
• 3 shallots
• 1 cup vermouth
• 1kg clams, cleaned
• 1/2 bunch coriander

Method

• Remove the rind from the pork belly and reserve
• Cut the pork belly into 2cm pieces
• Rub the pork belly with paprika, salt, pepper
• Place in a container and cover with white wine, about 400mls
• Crush bay leaves onto the pork belly
• Add 4 crushed cloves of garlic
• Cover and let marinate overnight
• Roast the capsicums covered in a tray for about 45 minutes in a 160°C oven
• Remove the skin and seeds and add to a jug
• Add 4 cloves of garlic and a pinch of salt
• Blend until smooth
• Pass through a fine sieve to catch any stray seeds (there is always one!)
• Drain the pork belly and pat dry
• Finely chop the onions and shallots
• In a heavy based oven proof pan heat a good swig of olive oil 3-4 tbsps.
• Add the reserved rind to add additional flavour to the oil
• Fry till crisp but not burnt then discard the rind (let's be honest we know what that means, yum!)
• Add the onion and shallots and sauté to soften
• Add the pork belly to brown it (do in batches to avoid over crowding)
• Add the capsicum puree and stir through
• Bake in a 180°C oven for 30 minutes
• Take the pan from the oven and stir through the vermouth
• Add the clams and cover with a lid or tin foil
• Bake for a further 10-15 minutes till the clams open (discard any non openers)
• Serve topped with chopped coriander and a drizzle of olive oil

You can reduce the number of clams, but mine came in a 1kg bag from the fish monger and I wasn't going to waste any.

This pork is also delicious without adding the vermouth and clams as it is all crispy and sticky.

Some warm ciabatta and I could happily be left alone with this dish

Making a return to Eurovision this year after not participating in 2013, Portugal will be represented by Suzy singing Quero ser tua. 

Boa sorte!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - San Marino

Buona sera, come state?

Sono molto bene, grazie ma fame adesso. ah scusami, parliate L'Inglese?

Ok...OK... sorry about that, just the mention of pasta and off I go.

The two dishes I found to represent San Marino were a lasagne verde (beef with spinach pasta) or Nidi di Rondine as rolled pasta with ham in a béchamel.

Well everyone loves a mashup up, don't they? So today we have spinach rolled pasta with a chicken and ricotta filling.

I'd like to give a shout out to the wonderful Joanne from What's on The List? Who is a great supporter of the Chow Down to Eurovision. I think she is almost a converted Eurovision fan now!

Interestingly a bit of Googling alerted me that Joanne also has a delicious recipe for swallows nest with prosciutto and basil, so why not invite friends over and make both versions.

San Marino also has a tradition of doing different versions of the same thing as this year will be the third connective year they will be represented by Valentina Monetta.

San Marino has, as yet failed to qualify for the final, but the songs are getting better and better with each attempt.

2012 The Social Network Song placed 14th out of 18.

2013 Crisalide (vola) placed 11th out of 17 (an improvement of 2 places)

Hold onto your hats Saucers, this recipe seems long but it's more the number of steps than the time it takes.
There is time for a vino while the pasta chills

Chicken and Spinach Swallows Nest (Nidi di Rondine con pollo e spinaci)
Ingredients

• 1 large bunch spinach
• 500g 00 flour
• 3 eggs
• 700g minced chicken
• 3 small red onions
• 600g ricotta
• 40g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 750ml milk (50:50 chicken stock if you prefer)
• 100ml cream
• 1/2 nutmeg grated (I like a lot)
• 100g parmesan or pecorino grated

Method

• Boil the spinach for about 3-4 minutes in a pot of salted water
• Drain
• Squeeze the spinach to remove most of the water (don't burn your hands)
• Put into a jug and blend till very smooth
• Pass through a fine sieve (there should be about 150g of spinach puree)
• Add flour, eggs and spinach puree to bowl of a food processor with dough attachment
• Process until pasta has come together as a ball
• Check for smooth feel, knead further if required or cover in plastic wrap to rest in fridge for 30minutes
• Finely chop the onions
• Add a splash of oil to a fry pan and fry off onions and chicken together till cooked
• Transfer to a bowl and place in the fridge to cool
• Make the sauce
• In a medium saucepan melt the butter on high heat
• Add the flour and combine to make a paste
• Cook the flour for about 1 minute
• Slowly add some milk while whisking to avoid lumps
• Reduce the heat and continue to stir
• As the sauce thickens add more milk and continue to stir
• Repeat till all milk is used and sauce is at a consistency you are happy, not too thick as it will thicken more as it bakes
• Season with salt and pepper and grate in 1/2 nutmeg
• Pour sauce into baking dish (mine is 32cm x 22cm), leaving about 1/2 cup to add to the chicken and onions

• Roll the pasta out to about 40cm wide and 120cm long
• You want the pasta to be thin, but not so thin that it will have holes
• Mix ricotta and 1/2 cup of sauce with chicken and onions
• Spread thinly over the sheet of pasta as evenly as possible (the old pallet knife came in handy)
• Roll the pasta up lengthways firmly, it will end up looking a bit like a door snake (draught excluder)
• To make it manageable cut into 4 equal lengths
• Put the tubes into freezer for 20 minutes to firm up
• Slice the tubes into 4cm slices
• Put the slices into the baking dish (it should work out to be 4 rows)
• Add 2-3 tablespoons of water, just to add some extra moisture to help cook the pasta
• Lightly sprinkle the parmesan over the top
• Bake in 170°C oven for 40-50 minutes till golden and pasta is cooked
• Serve with a salad or just eat it as is....remember the spinach so it practically is a salad

Will Valentina strike it lucky and make it to the final with this 3rd attempt?

Maybe?

Buona Fortuna

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Netherlands

Goedenavond this is Netherlands calling from the beautiful canals of Amsterdam.

Our trip to Amsterdam in 2011 (can't believe it's 3 years already, get me to flight centre STAT) has inspired this year's entry for Chow Down to Eurovision 2014.

One of the things I love to do while travelling, apart from eat and check out the supermarkets, it see what's on TV.

I think it gives you a taste of the differences in culture by doing something you would normally do at home.

Sadly these days it seems to be more dubbed reruns of Friends and Seinfeld, though it was fun flicking on the TV to see Australian Master chef with Dutch subtitles.

Maggie Macneal (minus Mouth) sang Amsterdam which placed 5th in 1980 and provided a wonderful soundtrack to our trip.

I'm sure none of the Dutch people tired of my head appearing out of a boat in the canals singing Amsterdam, Amsterdam at the top of my lungs.....their only respite was when my mouth was full of croquette!

 

 

One of the "delights" of our Amsterdam trip was our hotel not only had tea and coffee making facilities but Cup-a-Soup as well, clearly no expense was spared!

Not content with the good old chicken noodle, it was Chinese Tomato, which we learnt was popular with children in Holland possibly due to the addition of sweet apple sauce.

AB as a tomato fan loved it but did declare that "the croutons were a waste of time" 

I come up with my own version, that doesn't require packets or a 27 hour flight.
There are some apple croutons that have been slipped in but allegedly they aren't a waste of time!

It's a bit more adult with the apple cider and apples rather than apple sauce.

Chinese tomato soup
Ingredients

• 1kg tomato topped and halved
• 2 large granny smith grated
• 700ml chicken stock
• 300ml apple cider
• 1 clove garlic grated
• 1 small thumb ginger grated
• 1 tbsp. oil
• 3 tbsp. kecap manis
• 1 green chilli sliced finely
• 1 tbs. dark soy (use light for a lighter colour...obviously)
• 2-3tbs. brown sugar
• 1/2 an apple extra for croutons (optional)
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

• In a large saucepan add oil, ginger, garlic and chili
• Add the apples and tomatoes and stir to coat in oil
• Add apple cider and bring to the boil
• Add chicken stock
• Add kecap manis, sugar and soy
• Simmer on low for 20 minutes
• Blend with a hand blender
• Roughly cut extra apple into small pieces and coat in lemon juice
• Drain any extra juices and sprinkle apple croutons onto soup, or stir through (these aren't a waste of time I have been informed)

After Anouk got The Netherlands to the finals last year after an 8 year absence will The Common Linnets' Calm After The Storm continue the trend or start another drought?

I'm hoping for rain!

veel success!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Moldova

Buna Seara this is Moldova calling and this year is the 10th year of Moldova participating in Eurovision.

So far they have qualified for the final every year bar one and if you ask me an 8:1 success rate is something to be proud of. 

Moldova's highest placing was in their first year of participation but that was with Grandma Bunica so she is a tough act to follow.

As Grandma Bunica featured in last year's Chow Down to Eurovision, we are going to hear from Sunstroke Project and Olia Tira with Run Away, they could have done with adding a Grandma.

 They placed 22nd

 

There is one performer in this act that lasts a lot longer than the official 3 minutes,  
Epic Sax Man which thanks to someone's hard work looping and YouTube you can enjoy for 10 HOURS!! 

That's almost longer than the voting.
 

I'm not sure if he has a nasal spray or blue pill but that's what I call longer lasting SAX!

This recipe was inspired by a Moldovan fish baked in a vegetable sauce, now I'm all for togetherness but I thought it might be nice to have the vegetables as a cold salad instead....yep, I never win friends:( 

 

Moldovan Fish with Roast Vegetable and Feta Salad
Ingredients

• 500g white fish (I went for a chunky rockling)
• 1 lemon
• 1/2 bunch chives, finely chopped
• 5 small Roma tomatoes, quartered
• 5 brown mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large leek, sliced 1 cm thick
• 1 red capsicum, cut into rough chunks
• 50g feta crumbled

Method

• Preheat oven to 180°C
• Place tomato, mushrooms, leeks, and capsicum on a baking paper lined tray(s)
• Lightly splash with olive oil and salt and pepper
• Roast for 30 minutes then allow to cool
• Marinate the fish for about 10 minutes in, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper and 1/2 the chopped chives
• Heat an oven proof frypan on high heat
• Lightly pat dry the fish and fry for about 3 minutes on each side
• Put the frypan in the oven to finish the fish for about 10-15 minutes (internal temp of 63°C for those playing My Kitchen Rules along at home)
• The cooking really depends on how think you fish is so go with your gut (and thermometer)
• Combine all vegetables in a bowl and add feta and any remaining chives
• If required add another splash of olive oil
• The feta should take care of the salt component, but you better have a taste just to be sure.
• Slice the fish or serve whole on a plater to be shared
• The next time I make this I want to add rocket to the salad, it needs more green

 

Wild Soul (appropriate for a fish dish) will be performed by Cristina Scarlat for Moldova on the 6th of May (7th Australian time)

 

Will she continue the great final strike rate this year?

 

Noroc and happy 10th anniversary Moldova!

Chow Down to Eurovision 2014 - Belgium

Goedenavond, Bonsoir, Guten Abend, this is Belgium calling and when you have 3 official languages you get an extra welcome.

Last year's Chow Down to Eurovision was a great success for Belgium, more artistically than on the score board but they made a sensational beer soup, yes that is a meal of beer!

This year they have gone for an equally comforting dish, with just a gentle nod to my idea of 80's food, where if it was covered in a cheese sauce it was fine dining.

Now the 80's weren't kind to hair or fashion but you can just imagine how great they were for Eurovision!

In 1981 Emly Starr sang Samson in Dublin, I'm not sure but I suspect in the 80's Samson may have lost all his butch manliness with a spiral perm.

Samson came 13th.

 

 

Witlof Gratin
Ingredients

• 8-9 witlof
• Squeeze of lemon
• 40g butter
• 60g plain flour
• 250ml milk
• 250ml chicken stock
• salt and pepper
• 200g  maasdam or Swiss cheese grated
• 8-9 slices of prosciutto
• 100g parmesan grated

Method

• Bring a pot of water to the boil and add squeeze of lemon
• Add the witlof and boil for about 10 minutes
• Drain the witlof upside down in a colander (it is best to do this over night so they aren't too water logged)
• Make the sauce 
• In a medium saucepan melt the butter on high heat
• Add the flour and combine to make a paste
• Cook for flour for about 1 minute
• Slowly add some milk/stock while whisking to avoid lumps
• Reduce the heat and continually stir
• As the sauce thicken add more milk/stock and continue to stir
• Repeat till all milk is used and sauce has thickened
• Add grated maasdam and stir through
• Season with salt and pepper
• Wrap each witlof in a slice of prosciutto and lay in a greased baking dish
• Cover with sauce
• Sprinkle top with parmesan
• Bake in 180°C oven for 30-35 minutes

If so inclined you can arrange them to recreate a scene from Alien with one poking up.

AB was not a fan of the bitterness in the witlof but I love it, that speaks volumes, AB is the nice one around here!

Copenhagen will see Axel Hirsoux perform the hauntingly beautiful ode Mother, which if he makes it through, the final is the day before Mother's Day, well played Sir, well played!

I hope he brings the backing dancer with him as in my world he is singing to the ghost of his mother, Edith Piaf.

Goei chance!