E … Egyptian Foods

Egyptians have always enjoyed a rich variety of foods, thanks to fertility of their soil from the Nile river. In ancient times bread and beer was a staple, as well as a range of vegetables, particularly garlic, onion and beans, as well as meats, fish, poultry and various seasonings.

Nadine prepared dips, one of Beetroot and the other of Roasted Pumpkin, Cashews and Parmesan Cheese.

Julie made Ful Medames which is an Egyptian staple dish made of stewed beans with seasonings.

Anne made Dukkah-crusted Chicken with Roasted Carrot Salad

Wendy paired Egyptian Potato Casserole with Fattoush, a salad dressed with lemon and Sumac.

Kathy prepared Kushari, a vegetarian recipe of lentils, rice and macaroni, with a tomato sauce and caramelised onions.

Credits:

Anne’s Dukkah-crusted Chicken is from taste.com.au

Wendy’s Fattoush is from SBS Food. Her Egyptian Potato Casserole is from Cookpad

Nadine’s Pumpkin, Cashew and Parmesan dip is from Thermofun. Her Beetroot dip is from My Food Story.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

D … Desserts

Who doesn’t love dessert? The word comes from the French desservir, meaning to remove what has been served. Since the 16th century it has referred to the food consumed after the main meal has been removed.

Wendy served Mango-Coconut Dessert Soup with homemade icecream. Ten minutes to prepare and one hour in the fridge for this deliciously simple dessert.

Laura made Poached Pears in Spiced Brown Sugar Syrup, accompanied by Baked Ricotta with Honey, Almonds and Orange Syrup.

Kathy prepared Chocolate Mousse. A dessert spread must have chocolate!

Pauline made a colourful Dragonfruit Cheesecake with freshly-picked dragonfruit – watch those prickles!

And Sue prepared a classic Sticky Date Pudding.

Credits:

Wendy’s Mango Coconut Dessert Soup is from Havoc in the Kitchen. See the Recipes page for her ice-cream recipe.

Laura’s Baked Ricotta is from Women’s Weekly Food.

Her Poached Pears recipe is from taste.com.au

Pauline’s Dragonfruit Cheesecake is from Tropical Fruit World.

Kathy’s Chocolate Mousse is from Donna Hay.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

C ..Comfort Food

According to Collins English dictionary, Comfort Food is enjoyable to eat, makes you feel happier, but it may not be very good for your health. We are not sure about that last comment, but our day of comfort food certainly made us feel happier.

We started with Marie’s Baked Crab Dip. Served with crusty bread, this was delicious and would go well as a cob dip.

Wendy provided two Focaccias, one with potato and the other with olives. Each was based on the Paul Hollywood recipe in our Recipes page.

Olive Focaccia

Pauline’s Minestrone recipe was taught to her by her Sicilian mother. It was topped with parsley and Parmesan cheese, then drizzled with olive oil.

Wendy also prepared Jamie Oliver’s Chicken and Squash Cacciatore.

We finished with Nadine’s Traditional Bread and Butter Pudding

Credits:

Marie’s Baked Crab Dip was from Taste of Home

Wendy’s Chicken and Squash Cacciatore was from Jamie Oliver

Nadine’s Bread and Butter Pudding was from AllRecipes

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

B … Brunch

 

What to prepare for Brunch?  In 1895 Guy Beringer, in Hunter’s Weekly, wrote a plea inventing the term.

He claimed “Brunch is cheerful, sociable and inciting.  It is talk-compelling.”  He added a PS. “Beer and whiskey are admitted as substitutes for tea and coffee.”  In more modern times, the news blog SFist blamed its popularity on Sex and the City.

Well, we didn’t have the beer or whiskey but there was plenty of “bubbles” (not champagne – trying to keep France’s Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC) happy), and there was plenty of talk and a “cheerful, sociable and inciting” time had by all at Pauline’s.

We started with Marie’s Lemon Scented Baked Ricotta accompanied by Kathy’s Stewed Peaches.

Lemon Scented Ricotta and Stewed Peaches

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was followed by Sue’s Savoury Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Caviar.

Savoury Pancake, Smoked Salmon and Caviar

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our next course was Jeannie’s Swiss and Ham Overnight Breakfast Strata and Kathy’s Stuffed Mushrooms.

Swiss and Ham Overnight Breakfast Strata

 

Stuffed Mushrooms

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we had Anne’s Sausage Rolls with Sage, Apple and Pistachios and Wendy’s Hash Brown Egg Cups served with chutney.

Sausage Rolls with Sage, Apple and Pistachios

 

with Hash Brown Egg Cups

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dessert was Julie’s Cinnamon Scrolls and Pauline’s Pistachio, Yoghurt and Cardamom Cake.

Coffee Scrolls

 

Cardamom, Yoghurt and Pistachio Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Hash Brown Egg Cups were from taste.com.au

Jeannie’s Swiss and Ham Overnight Breakfast Strata was from livinglocurto.com

Kathy’s Stuffed Mushrooms was from a Yotam Ottolenghi recipe.

Pauline’s Pistachio, Yoghurt and Cardamom cake was from grouprecipes.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

A … Appetisers

Welcome to a new round of cookinga2z. 

Well, we’ve done ingredients and cuisines, so what do we do for our next alphabet round?  Not wanting to be too restrictive we decided that our host for each meeting will choose a theme from the relevant letter.  This time the theme was A – appetisers and Kathy was our host.

A tradition originating, perhaps in Russia or China and elevated to an art by the French,

Renaissance feast – reblogged from tiny-librarian.tumblr.com

appetisers or hors d’oeuvre in the 17th century were small dishes served  with the meal but displayed outside the main work of display. Hors d’oeuvre literally means “outside the work”.

 

 

 

 

Our Appetisers day was held at Kathy’s place.

Pauline prepared  Artichoke and Asparagus Fritters with a tasty olive relish.

Artichoke Asparagus Fritters

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sue made Cucumber and Salmon Rolls

Cucumber Salmon Rolls

 

 

 

 

Nadine made mini quiche.

Mini Quiche

 

 

 

 

 

Julie made Blackened Fish tarts with Mango Salsa.

Blackened Fish Tart

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy prepared Smoked Salmon Cake.

Smoked Salmon Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Despite our theme, traditionally the host prepares dessert.  Kathy made Apricot, Walnut and Lavender Cake and guest Sophie prepared GingerNut caramels.

Apricot Walnut Lavender Cake

GingerNut Caramels

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Pauline’s Artichoke and Asparagus Fritters with Olive Relish was from Women’s Weekly Food

Wendy’s Smoked Salmon Cake was from Olga’s Flavor Factory

Julies Blackened Fish Tarts with Mango Salsa was from taste.com

Kathy’s Apricot Walnut Lavender Cake was from Yotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty More

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

Z … Zambia

  Zambia

This is a landlocked country of Southern Africa, once Northern Rhodesia but the independent Republic of Zambia since 1964.

Victoria Falls on the Zambia-Zimbabwe border

Zambian cuisine includes comfort foods like various types of stew, cooked vegetables and different types of beer. Dried fish and insects are also eaten.  A staple is Nshima, pounded white maize.

 

 

As Pauline was unable to host, Anne volunteered for our Zambia day.

Laura prepared our breads, Chapati and Mealie Bread.

Anne made African Chicken Stew.

African Chicken Stew with Mealie Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

Julie used a recipe for Wild Boar in Groundnut Sauce, substituting pork, as the Wild Boar were not co-operating.

Pork in groundnut sauce with Chapati

 

 

 

 

Marie prepared Kachumber Salad.

Kachumber Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy made Vitumbawa (Zambian Fritters with Orange Syrup)

Vitumbawa

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline prepared Golabjamoun (Zambian Sweet Potato Fritters)

Golabjamoun

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Laura’s Chapati was from Spicing Your Life, her Mealie bread was from Mzansi Style Cuisine.

Anne’s African Chicken Stew was from Immaculate Bites

Julie’s Wild Boar (pork) in Groundnut Sauce  was from Genius Kitchen

Marie’s Kachumber Salad was from Vegan Richa

Wendy’s Vitumbawa was from Expresso Show

Pauline’s Golambjamoun was from Varada’s Kitchen

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

Y – Yemen

Yemen

 

 

Sitting at the southern end of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen formed in 1990 after independence from Ottoman and British control.

Sana’a

 

 

Its cuisine shows Turkish, Arabic and Indian influences, often consisting of dishes of chicken, goat, lamb or fish with vegetables such as tomato, broad beans and potato.  Food is often cooked in a tandoor.  We met at Laura’s for our Yemen day.

 

Nadine prepared Tabeekh (Stewed Vegetables), made with Hawaij, a spice mix often used in Yemeni meat and broth dishes.

Tabeekh

 

 

 

 

Kathy made Malawah Bread and Zhoug, a chili paste popular among expatriate Yemeni Jews.

Malawah

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeannie prepared Shakshouka (Spiced Skillet Eggs), served with Naan

Shakshouka

 

 

 

 

We had two versions of the popular dish of meat, rice and spices, called Mandi.  Wendy made Chicken Mandi with Hawaij spice.

Chicken Mandi

 

 

 

 

Julie made Beef Mandi

Mandi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline was unable to attend, but she supplied Yemeni Foul, a fava bean dish like a thick soup.

Yemeni Foul

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert we had Laura’s Mahalabia, an Arabic Milk Pudding.

Mahalabia

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Jeannie’s Shakshouka was from Global Table Adventure.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

W & X – Winter Feast and Xmas

For a change, and because we have a superb winter season in the tropics, we set that as our W theme – a time to try some favourite Winter recipes.  Kathy was our host for our Winter day and we followed this with Xmas in the tropics at Wendy’s for a change, because for us, Christmas is usually hot and steamy.  This was a chance to try out cold-climate dishes.

This was a celebration for all of us and some pictures and recipes are included here.

 

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

See our Recipes page for recipes from Julie and Kathy

 

V … Vietnam

Vietnam

With a balance of vegetables, meats and herbs, and minimal dairy, Vietnamese food is healthy and tasty.  Vietnamese cuisine reflects the 5 elements of Chinese Wu Xing philosophy in that it combines five tastes – sour, bitter, sweet, spicy and salty, corresponding to the natural elements, wood, fire, earth, metal and water.

Vietnamese temple

Our Vietnam day was held at Marie’s and we had guests in attendance.

 

 

 

 

We started with Wendy’s Gỏi cuốn (Vietnamese spring rolls) 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine used a recipe from Viet World Kitchen by Andrea Nguyen, a Californian author and teacher.  Nadine substituted chicken for the pork to produce her Vietnamese Lemongrass Chicken.

 

 

 

 

Julie produced Phở (Noodle soup). Though it is often eaten for breakfast in Vietnam, it was a perfect, light and tasty break in our meal. 

 

 

 

 

 

Anne made Lime Leaf Chicken, served with a Tangy Salad.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy prepared Bánh Mì (Pork and Pâté roll).  This popular sandwich, usually filled with meats and vegetables, reflects French colonial influence, being based on baguette-style bread.  

 

 

 

Pauline made Vietnamese Prawn Salad, a quick and easy, tasty salad.

 

 

 

 

To finish we had Marie’s Bánh Gan (Coconut creme caramel) 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Gỏi cuốn is from the University of Washington’s Foods of the World

Kathy’s Bánh Mì is from chowhound.com

Anne’s Lime Leaf Chicken is from a recipe by Australian Women’s Weekly, published in foodtolove.com.au.  Her Tangy Salad was adapted from a Tangy Beef Salad recipe at the same source.

Nadine’s inspiration for the Lemongrass Chicken was Andrea Nguyen’s  Viet World Kitchen

Pauline’s Vietnamese Prawn Salad is from Woolworth’s

Marie’s Bánh Gan is from taste.com

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

U … Uruguay

Uruguay

Uruguayan cuisine is much more strongly influenced by Mediterranean and European influences than by the indigenous diet, particularly Spanish, Italian, French and German (for sweet dishes).  There is a strong emphasis on meats, especially beef, but little use of native resources.

Palacia Salvo, Montevideo

 

We met at Anne’s and she set an appropriately-themed table decorated with personal menus and blue and white flags.

 

 

 

 

 

Anne greeted us with a welcome drink of Clerico, the South American version of Sangria, made of white wine and fruits.

 

 

 

We started with an appetiser of Aji Meatballs prepared by Chris.  Aji is the South American term for Chili peppers.

Aji Meatballs

 

 

 

 

 

Our mains included Wendy’s Torta Pascualina, which is a traditional Easter dish of Italian origin.

Torta Pascualina

 

 

 

 

 

Marie prepared Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese and Walnut Salad.

Beetroot Salad

 

 

 

 

 

and Anne’s son, Rhys made a char-grilled Uruguayan Asado-style Beef and Chicken Barbeque.  This process of slow-cooking over an open fire was popular among the gaucho of the Rio de la Plata.

Beef and Chicken BBQ

 

 

 

 

Dessert was Uruguayan celebration cake prepared by Pauline. Chaja was invented in 1927 and named after a South American bird that is light and fluffy, as is the cake.

Chaja

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Anne’s Alfajores, a confection dating back to the time of the Muslim Caliphate in central and southern Spain.

Alfajores

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

The Aji Meatballs by Chris are from justapinch.com

Wendy’s Torta Pascualina was from 196flavors.com

Marie’s Beetroot, Goat’s Cheese and Walnut Salad is from thecookspyjamas.com

Pauline’s Chaja is from quericavida.com

Anne’s Alfajores are from atreatsaffair.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.