F … Favourite Foods

Is it sweet, savoury or spicy?  Maybe it’s a recipe passed down through the generations or perhaps one discovered from your loved cookbook or celebrity chef.  We all have our favourite foods, so here was our chance to share them at Anne’s.

Nadine made Nigella Lawson’s Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup

Pauline used a recipe passed down from her mother to make Broccoli pasties.

Laura displayed her Italian heritage by producing Gnocchi.

Wendy chose Neil Perry’s Chicken Saute with Pumpkin Puree

Anne, our host for the day, used Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Cheat’s Cheesecake.

Credits:

Nadine’s Butternut and Sweet Potato Soup was from a Nigella Lawson recipe.

Wendy’s Chicken Saute with Pumpkin Puree, a Neil Perry recipe, was from goodfood.com.au

Anne’s Cheesecake was from Jamie Oliver’s 30 minute meals recipe, blogged here.

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

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.

P … Portugal

 Portugal

Once a great maritime power, Portugal is a country of friendly people, maintaining a strong link to the Atlantic Ocean.  Seafood and spices epitomise its cuisine.

Lisbon on the Tagus

 

Wendy was the host for our day of Portuguese cuisine.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy prepared Caldo Verde (Portuguese Green Soup).  This traditional soup is made with couve gallego, a dark green, flat cabbage, but it has many variations.  Kathy’s version was a Potato and Cabbage soup with Chorizo.

Caldo Verde

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanie made quick and tasty Fried Chicken Breast with Bacon and Tagliatelle. Flavourful pasta dishes are increasingly popular in Portugal.

Chicken & Bacon Tagliatelle

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s traditional Açorda de Camarão (Shrimp Porridge) is typical of the Alentejo region of southern Portugal.

Açorda de Camarão

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris prepared Piri Piri Potatoes.  Piri Piri refers to a spicy sauce of crushed chili often used in Portuguese cooking.

PiriPiri Potatoes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy tried her hand at reproducing the famous Pastéis de Nata. These tasty tarts were originally made by monks who needed a use for the left over egg yolks after the whites were used to starch clothing.  The original recipe was passed to a family 180 years ago and they still produce the popular tarts in Belem.

Pastéis de Nata

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy also made Portuguese Caramel Magic Cake, a cake and a flan in one dessert.

Caramel Magic Cake

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Jeanie’s Fried Chicken Breast with Bacon and Tagliatelle is from foodfromportugal.com

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

 

 

N … Netherlands

  Netherlands

Known for its tulips and cheese, its windmills and canals, and for being flat, the Netherlands was chosen for our letter N cuisine, held at Marie’s.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan prepared tasty Boerenkaas Soep (Farmer’s Cheese Soup).  Traditionally the cheese for this soup is made by farmers in warmer weather, when the cows are in the fields eating fresh grass.

 

 

 

 

 

Julie made Veluwse Kalfsrolletje (Veluwe-style veal with chicken livers), from the forested Veluwe region of central Netherlands.

Velluwse Kalfsrolletje

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne’s made the classic Dutch meat dish, Slavinken – meat wrapped in bacon.

Slavinken

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy prepared Stamppot, a traditional dish of potatoes mashed with other vegetables.  In the Netherlands this is often served with smoked sausage.

Stamppot

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy made Hertzoggies – jam and coconut meringue tarts from the Boer colony, named after an Afrikaan general.

Hertzoggies

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy also made Speculaas, Dutch spiced biscuits, traditionally eaten around the feast of Sinterklaas (St Nicholas) in early December.

Speculaas

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

 

Joan’s Boerenkaas Soep is from SBS Food.

Wendy’s Hertzoggies are from The Spruce

Her Speculaas are from SBS Food

Kathy’s Stamppot was adapted from a recipe at geniuskitchen

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

 

 

L … Liechtenstein

  Liechtenstein

The Principality Liechtenstein is tiny – just 24km long and 10km wide at its widest.  Mountainous and surrounded by Switzerland and Austria, it has a population of less than 40000. Pauline commented that she had driven through it in a few minutes.

Near Vaduz

Its cuisine is heavily influenced by that of its neighbours, but has some unique features.

It may have been a coincidence or perhaps a reflection of this country’s tiny population, but there were only a few of our members present at our Liechtenstein day at Pauline’s. Despite this we had a wonderful day with plenty of good food.

Julie prepared Asparagus Appetisers. She suggested that these can be prepared previously then frozen, to be later baked as required.

Asparagus Appetisers

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marie made Kartoffelsuppe, a soup of German origin made with potato, vegetables and sausage.

Kartoffelsuppe

 

 

 

Wendy served Liechtensteiner Schnitzel  with Käsknöpfle (Triple Cheese Pasta with Sweet Onion)

Schnitzel with Käsknöpfle

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s contribution was Pork and Sauerkraut Stew.

Pork and Sauerkraut

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dessert we had Pauline’s Apple Fritter Rings.

Apple Fritter Rings

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Wendy’s Liechtensteiner Schnitzel was from internationalcuisine.com

Her Käsknöpfle was from globaltableadventure.com

Pauline’s Pork and Sauerkraut Stew was from allrecipes.com

Her Apple Fritter rings were from tasteofhome.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

K … Kenya

  Kenya

A-weema-weh, a-weema-weh  …  no sleeping lions for us as we were wide awake and ready for our Kenya day.

Kenya’s cuisine is as varied as its multi-racial nature of various native ethnic groups (Maasai, Kikuyu, Gikyu) as well as Asian, Arab and European influences.  Staples are domesticated animal meats of the Maasai, corn, beans and vegetables of the Kikuyu and fish stews and rice of the Lake Victoria District.

Marie prepared a pumpkin soup called Supa ya Malenge

Supa ya Malenge

 

 

 

 

 

 

Githeri

Kathy made Githeri – a Kikuyu dish of beans and maize.

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine’s Mtuzi wa Samaki  was a dish of Fish in Coconut Curry.

Mtuzi wa Samaki

 

 

 

 

Chris prepared a Potato Mash

Potato mash

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy used a Nyama Choma recipe substituting chicken for goat. and served it with Kachambari. a tomato and onion salad.

Nyama Choma with Kachambari

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan made a Kenyan beef stew with Wali.

Beef Stew with Wali

 

 

 

 

 

Laura made African Pepper Sauce as an accompaniment and for a sweet treat she prepared Koeksisters, sticky plaited doughnuts.

Koeksisters

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris supplied Pastries for dessert.

Pastries

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Marie’s Supa ya Malenge  was from allkenyanrecipes.com

Kathy’s Githeri was from jikonimagic.com

Nadine’s Mtuzi-Wa-Samaki was from whats4eats.com

Wendy’s Nyama Choma was adapted from – www.whats4eats.com (using chicken instead of goat) and her Kachumbari was from www.africanbites.com

Laura’s Koeksisters were from africanbites.com and African Pepper Sauce was also from africanbites.com

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

J … Jamaica

Jamaica

 

Jamaican food reflects the history of settlement, combining influences from Spanish settlers, African slaves, Asian and East Indian labourers, British colonialism and Rastafarian vegetarianism with indigenous influences, to produce a diverse cuisine.

Our Jamaica day was held at Joan’s.  We only had a small group for this event but there was a good mix of tasty food covering a range of styles.

Nadine’s Jamaican Run Down was a tasty fish stew with coconut milk, onion, garlic and various seasonings.  

 

 

 

 

Laura prepared Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings. Jerk is a Jamaican style of cooking where meat is dry-rubbed or wet marinated with a hot spice mixture producing a very tasty product.

 

 

 

 

Chris made Jamaican Beef Patties filled with a savoury mince.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline made a Jamaican-style Potato Salad  

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy prepared Sweet Potato Pone, a very moist cake made with yellow sweet potato.This dish is also well known in the southern states of USA, dating back to the 19th Century.

Sweet Potato Pone

 

 

 

 

 

 

Banana Bread

Joan made “We Be Jammin’ Jamaican Banana Bread” that used a tasty combination of banana, rum and citrus, topped with nuts.

 

 

 

 

Credits:

Nadine’s Jamaican Run Down was from Immaculate Bites

Laura Laura’s Jamaican Jerk Chicken Wings were from reciperecap.com.

Chris’s Jamaican Beef Patties were from foodnetwork.com 

Pauline’s Jamaican-style Potato Salad is on youtube, from Mesha’s Corner.

Wendy’s Sweet Potato Pone  was from real-jamaica-vacations.com

Joan’s Jamaican Banana Bread was from allrecipes.com  

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

D … Denmark

    Denmark

Our Danish day , held at Wendy’s was a tasty, colourful event.  We started with Kathy’s Curry Pickled Herring accompanied with  Smørrebrød (buttered Rye bread) and Agurkesalat (cucumber pickles).

Agurkesalat

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine’s Mini root vegetable cakes were served with horseradish cream – a visual and tasty treat.

Root vegetable cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

These two formed a perfect Danish combination

 

 

 

Marie’s Potato and Leek soup with Rye and Lumpfish roe provided another interesting combination of flavour and colour.

Potato Leek Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline’s Kødrulle I Øl (Danish meat loaf in beer) was served on a bed of crispy potatoes; great for cold nights.  An alternative to the beer is to use apple cider.

Kodrulle

 

 

 

 

 

Joan’s Frikadeller (Scandinavian meatballs) was served with Rodkal (Sweet and Sour Red Cabbage).

Frikadeller

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne served Potato, Egg and Smoked Salmon with Dill and Danish Blue cheese on a bed of sliced cooked potato.

Egg and Smoked Salmon

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wouldn’t be Danish without home-made Danish Pastries, supplied by Wendy

Pastries

 

 

 

 

 

 

We finished with Laura’s Risalamande (Danish Rice Pudding). Whoever found a whole almond in the pudding won a lucky marzipan pig, usually served at Christmas or New Year to symbolise good luck.

Risalamande

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

 

Kathy’s Curry Pickled Herring is from SBS Food.

Nadine’s Mini Root Vegetable Cakes are from the UK site of cooking.com

Pauline’s Meatloaf in Beer is from danishnet.com

Joan’s Frikadeller is from food.com

Wendy’s Danish Pastries use a dough recipe from Paul Hollywood

Laura’s Danish Rice Pudding is from comfortablefood.com

 

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

B…Bulgaria

  Bulgaria

After much debate about what qualifies as a country for our quest (does it have its own flag?), Marie settled on Bulgaria for our ‘B’ country.

After some research and ignoring the Wombles, we found that the cuisine of Bulgaria has some similarity to Greek and Mediterranean cooking with Russian, Turkish and Balkan influences.

Marie started us off with a cocktail served with watermelon, feta and mint skewers. Feta cheeses being typical of Bulgarian food.

Feta Skewers

 

 

 

 

Julie prepared Sarmi – Stuffed Vine Leaves.  Traditionally this is prepared with vine leaves in summer and sauerkraut (cabbage leaves) in winter.

Sarmi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pauline made Shopska Salad to accompany the main courses.  It is the most popular of the salads of Bulgaria and is so popular that it is also known as Bulgarian Salad.

Shopska

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy prepared Patatnik (пататник), a potato pie typical of the southern region bordering Greece.

Patatnik

 

 

 

 

 

Joan made Moussaka, typical of many countries that were part of the Ottoman Empire. The Bulgarian version uses meat and potatoes rather than the more familiar eggplant of the Greek recipe.

Moussaka

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne’s Palneni Chushki or stuffed peppers, a traditional dish which can use either spiced meat or vegetable stuffing.

Palneni

 

 

 

 

 

 

Laura made Praskovki or Peach Blossoms which are peach-shaped biscuit sandwiches that usually has a nutty filling.  Laura added peach to the filling to enhance the peachy image.

Praskovki

 

 

 

 

Dessert was a Yoghurt cake and icecream supplied by Marie.  Its “Bulgarianness” may have been dubious, but it was delicious.

 

 

 

 

 

Credits:

See our Recipes page for more recipes.

P for a perfect day

Julie hosted our “P” day and what a day it was. Here’s a quote from Joan:
“Ladies thank you for making me laugh so much. The food was absolutely beautiful and the company was priceless. We started at 11:30 and left at 4:30 – that is one long lunch. It was a 10 out of 10. I won’t look at food for a week. Thanks again for a fabulous day”

Here’s why:

Marie – Pear and Parmesan Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Jeanne – Pea and Ham Soup

 

 

 

 

 

Laura – Potato Gnocchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris – Sweet and Sour Pork

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wendy – Prawn Salad

 

 

 

 

 

Julie – Pulled Pork Taco

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nadine – Pomegranate and Pistachio Cake

 

 

 

 

 

 

Joan – Poached Pear with Peanut Butter icecream

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Credits

For more great recipes, check out our Recipes page.