MOROCCAN VEGETABLE STEW WITH COUSCOUS: AFRICA
INGREDIENTS: ( serves 4 )
500 g sweet potatoes
500 g potatoes
2 carrots
4 small courgettes
6 tomatoes
1 onion
4 tbs oil
1 tsp harissa paste
150 ml vegetable stock
1 tin chickpeas
Salt and pepper
1/2 bunch of parsley, chopped
Couscous to serve
2 cups quick-cooking couscous
2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tsp oil
METHOD:
- Peel the sweet potatoes and the potato and cut into cubes. Blanch the potatoes in salted, boiling water for 12 minutes; the sweet potatoes for 6 minutes.
- Peel the carrots and cut into 1 cm- thick slices. Blanch the carrots for 3 minutes. Wash the courgettes and cut into 2-3 cm thick slices. Place the tomatoes in boiling water, then immediately into cold water. Peel and chop the tomatoes finely.
- Peel the onion and chop finely. Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid. Fry the onions in the oil then add the tomatoes and continue to fry. Stir in the harissan paste and add the potatoes and the sweet potatoes.
- Cook for 5 minutes stirring continuously. Pour in the vegetable stock, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Add the courgettes. Drain the chickpeas and stir in. Cover with the lid and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Season with salt and peppers. Add the chopped parsley and divide into bowls. Serve hot with couscous.
- To prepare the couscous, take a large saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Add salt and oil, then stir in the couscous and cover. Remove from heat and place it aside for 5 minutes. Use a fork to fluff it up and let it cool.
TIPS : Pinto beans, white beans, kidney beand, black beans and green lentils could be used instead of chickpeas, if desired. Couscous is traditionally steamed and fluffed to separate the granules. Boiling and stirring can reduce quick-cooking couscous to a sticky, starchy mush. 1 cup couscous = 2-2-1/2 cups cooked. As a side dish, plan on 1/2 -3/4 cup cooked couscous per person.
ASPARAGUS RISOTTO: EUROPE
INGREDIENTS: ( serves 4 )
500 g asparagus
1 onion, finely chopped
85 g butter
300 g arborio rice
200 g garden peas
750 ml hot chicken or vegetable stock
55 g freshly grated parmesan cheese
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD:
- Gently fry the onion in the butter until it becomes translucent. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes on a medium heat, stirring so that it gets a good coating of butter.
- Add a ladle of hot stock at a time and continue stirring until all the stock has been absorbed. Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 3-6 minutes, or until tender when poked gently with a knife.
- Chop roughly once it is cooked. Steam the peas for about 10 minutes and drain. Add a knob of butter, the asparagus, half the parmesan and a good grinding of black pepper to the risotto and give it a stir.
- Serve your risotto in warm bowls with a sprinkling of parmesan on top of each serving.
TIPS : You can replace the asparagus with Swiss chard, collard greens, zucchini, butternut squash and pumpkin. Use high- quality short- grain rice, extra -virgin olive oil, homemede stock if possible, and good parmesan cheese. Don't put together strong- tasting vegetables such as cauliflower, broccoli, roasted red peppers or beets, since the flavour can overwhelm the taste of the risotto.
SKATE WING MEDITERRANEAN STYLE: EUROPE
INGREDIENTS: ( serves 1 )
1 tbs breadcrumbs
1 tbs parsley, chopped
180 g skate wing, boned
Salt and pepper
1/2 red onion
2 tsp white vinegar
1 potato
4 cherry tomatoes
3 capers
2 anchovies
2 tbs olive oil
5 taggiasche or black Italian olives
1/2 lemon, squeezed
METHOD:
- Prepare the parsley crust by mixing the breadcrumbs with the parsley, reserving a little as a garnish.
- Season the skate with salt and pepper. Flake the red onion. Bring a pan of water, salt and the white vinegar to the boil. Blanch the onion in the liquid for 3 minutes until tender.
- Peel the potato and cut into 1/2 cm cubes. Boil them for 10 minutes until tender, then leave to cool down. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, the capers in half and the anchovies into strips.
- Sprinkle a hot pan with olive oil and slowly fry the skate on both sides. Place the fish on a tray, cover with the parsley crust and put into the oven at 180c for 3 minutes.
- Heat the remaining olive oil in a saucepan and pan-fry the tomatoes, adding the cooked potato, capers,onion, anchovies and olives. Stir-fry for 3 minutes and glaze with lemon juice.
- Place the potato mixture on the plate, top with the skate and garnish with parsley.
TIPS : To recreate the dish at home, you can substitute tilapia, cod or sole fillet for the skate wing.
KADAI JHEENGA: ASIA
INGREDIENTS: ( serves 4 )
50 ml cooking oil
10 g chopped garlic
5 g whole red chillies
50 g chopped onions
50 g chopped tomatoes
20 g coriander powder
20 g cumin powder
15 g garam masala
20 g red chilli powder
10 g ginger paste
200 g medium sized prawns
50 g diced capsicum
5 g green chillies
5 g fresh ginger
5 g fresh coriander
Salt to taste
METHOD:
- Take a heavy pan and add some cooking oil. Once it is hot, add chopped garlic and whole red chillies, frying gently until they start to brown, and follow with the chopped onions.
- Continue to fry until the onions are soft and golden, and pour in the chopped tomatoes. Sprinkle in your spices and ginger paste and stir well, leaving the sauce to cook and absorb all the fragrant flavours.
- Throw in your prawns that you have previously washed, deveined and salted and after a few minutes add the green chillies and capsicum.
- Leave the curry on the stove on a moderate heat to allow the flavour to circulate for 20 minutes.Serve hot with a garnish of chopped coriander and julienned ginger.
TIPS : Prawns or scampi cooked in Indian style, this dish known in North India as jheenga Fish and in Bengali as Chingri Machi.
SAUERBRATEN: EUROPE
INGREDIENTS: ( serves 4 )
3 small onions, chopped
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
2 tsp rosemary
4 tsp thyme
1 kg beef
1 clove
2 bay leaves
1 tsp peppercorns
750 ml beef stock
100 ml vinegar
3 tbs vegetable oil
1 tbs butter
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves, ground
1 tsp allspice
Parsley, to garnish
METHOD:
- Combine the chopped onion, carrots, celery, rosemary and thyme to make a mirepoix. Put the mirepoix and the meat into a bowl and add the quartered onion, clove, bay leaves and peppercorns.
- Add the beef stock and the vinegar and make sure that everything is well covered by the liquid. Cover and allow to marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Remove the meat from the marinate and fry well on all sides in the hot oil and butter in a stew pot. Season with salt and ground black pepper and add the marinade.
- Allow to stew for approximately 90 minutes. Remove the meat from the pot and sieve the sauce. Reduce to about half, add the spices and season to taste .
- Slice the meat, place in the sauce, serve with mashed potatoes and garnish with parsley.
TIPS : A famous dish of German origin in which meat is marinated in a sweet and sour mixture for several days and is then braised for several hours in the marinade, producing meat that is very tender and flavourful.
