Scotland

Scotland
Of my top 5 places I want to visit in the world, Scotland is my #1. Japan follows at a very close second. I found this amazing recipe that ironically reminds me of French Meat Pie or Meat Stuffing from Thanksgiving. It was so warm and comforting, perfect for a cool fall day. The shortbread was amazing as well.
Enjoy!

Menu - serves 4-6

Mince and Tatties

Shortbread

Mince and Tatties

1 lb beef mince (ground beef)
2 medium sliced carrots
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon uncooked oatmeal
Water to cover
2 tsp beef bouillon powder (or 2 cubes)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Beef gravy packet
1 lb boiled potatoes, mashed with butter and milk

In a large pot with a cover, heat the oil and fry the onion until it is soft and brown. Add in the ground beef and cook until well browned. Add the carrots and oatmeal, mix well and pour in enough water to just cover. Add in the salt, pepper and beef bouillon, stirring well. Cover the pot and simmer the mince for about 20 - 25 minutes. Once the mince is cooked, thicken with about 3 tbsp of gravy powder. Serve the mince with mashed potatoes.

Shortbread

1 pound salted butter

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup white sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar with mixer. Add flour and mix with a wooden spoon. Use hands to thoroughly mix. Press into a jelly roll pan (a cookie sheet with sides). Prick to bottom all over with a fork being sure the fork hits the bottom and the pricks are close together. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to 300 and continue to bake for 40 minutes more. Wait 2 minutes then cut into finger size bars. Cool thoroughly in pan.

Poland

Poland
My grandfather was Polish. His parents came to America from Poland. I don't know much about him or them, except that my Grandmother didn't speak English and she made really good Perogi. I know this, because we have her recipe. I grew up eating Polish foods -Pierożki , kołbasa, Gołąbki, Chruściki. My mom makes the best golabki in the world - it's something that I've tried to replicate but can never get just right. Pierozki are time consuming - so with that I will admit that I purchased most of the food for our Polish dinner. We bought it from the *best* authentic Polish Deli/Bakery in Southern NE - The Krakow Deli in Woonsocket, RI. Click the link to find out more about their delicious smokehouse meats, traditional Polish foods, bakery and desserts. Everything they make is amazing!

Menu - serves 4-6

Kolbasa (Mountain Kolbasa; Krakow Deli)

Pierozki (potato and farmer cheese; Krakow Deli)

Braised Cabbage

Apricot and Prune Squares (Krakow Deli - sorry no pictures!)

Braised Cabbage (cooking time 3 hours)

1 Medium head green cabbage
2 large yellow onions, cut into thin strips

¼ cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup chicken stock
2 tbsp butter, melted

Sea salt

Heat the oven to 325. Lightly oil a large cast iron pot or Dutch Oven. Peel off and discard any bruised or ragged outer leaves from the cabbage. Then cut the cabbage into 8 wedges. Arrange the wedges in the baking dish. Scatter in the onion. Drizzle over the butter, stock, and vinegar. Season with salt. Cover tightly with foil, or the lid, and slide into the middle of the oven to braise, about 2 hours. Toss the cabbage wedges with tongs after an hour. Don’t worry if the wedges want to fall apart as you turn them. If the dish is drying out at all, add a few tablespoons of water. Shut the oven off and continue to let the cabbage braise for another hour. Remove from the oven, toss with the tongs, and serve warm.

Braised cabbage - yummy!

We grilled the Mountain Kolbasa and served it with spicy mustard.

We boiled the Pierozki then pan fried them in butter. Serve hot with butter and salt.

Greece

Greece
My husband loves Gyros, prior to this I had never had one. They were so delicious, especially the cucumber sauce. Unfortunately I did not take pictures(grr!).
This is a great recipe for the summer- it is cool, easy and yummy.

Menu - serves 4-6

Gyro with Tzatziki

Salad

Gyro

2 1/2 pounds of boneless pork loin, shoulder, or fresh ham

white wine vinegar

----------

GREEK GYRO SEASONING MIXTURE

3 tablespoons of sea salt

1 1/2 teaspoons of sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon of pepper

1/4 teaspoon of finely crushed (powdered) Greek oregano (rigani)

----------

FOR PITA WRAP SANDWICHES

6-8 pieces of thin pita bread (not pocket pita)

1/2 cup of tzatziki

1 medium onion, sliced

2 tomatoes, sliced

olive oil

In a small bowl combine paprika, salt, pepper, and oregano.

Make the Gyro Meat:

Slice the meat against the grain as thinly as possible and pound with a meat mallet to less than 1/4-inch thick. In a flat-bottomed container, arrange one layer of slices, sprinkle liberally with seasoning mixture, then with a little vinegar. Spread the vinegar over the meat so that all pieces are moistened. Add layers, spices, and vinegar until all the meat has been marinated. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour to 2 hours.

Remove meat from the refrigerator and slice into strips about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch wide and 2 to 2 1/2 inches long. Dry fry (without any oil) in a non-stick frying pan until well browned and slightly crisp.

To Make the Gyro Pita Wrap Sandwich:

Brush the pita bread with olive oil and fry in a dry frying pan or grill for a few minutes until warmed and softened, not crisp.

In the center of each pita:

spread 1 heaping tablespoon of tzatziki

add 2-3 slices of tomato

add sliced onion to taste

add gyro meat

sprinkle with sea salt (to taste) and more sweet paprika

Tzatziki

3 tbsp. olive oil

1 tbsp. vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced finely

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. white pepper

1 cup greek yogurt, strained

1 cup sour cream

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and diced

1 tsp. chopped fresh dill

Combine olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Mix until well combined. Using a whisk, blend the yogurt with the sour cream. Add the olive oil mixture to the yogurt mixture and mix well. Finally, add the cucumber and chopped fresh dill. Chill for at least two hours before serving.

Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill just before serving.

Beth's Greek Salad

1 whole head iceberg lettuce (or any lettuce you like)

6-8 pepperocini, diced

1 green or red pepper, cut into thin strips

1 red onion, cut into thin strips

1 cucumber, unpealed, cut into thin strips

1/2 c. feta cheese, crumbled

1 jar Kalamata olives, pitted if desired

Greek House Dressing (see below)

Chop the lettuce into bite-sized pieces and toss with everything except the dressing. Serve with Greek House Dressing.

Greek House Dressing

1/4 cup and 2 teaspoons olive oil

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon Dijon-style mustard

1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

In a container with a lid (or with a blender or hand mixer), mix together the olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, basil, pepper, salt, onion powder, and Dijon-style mustard. Pour in the vinegar, and mix vigorously until well blended. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

International Dinners: August and Thailand

Thailand...a bit late
Holy smokes! Last summer was really stressful and busy -- working and trying to find a teaching job. Well, I found a job (woo-hoo!) and things have calmed down a bit. I started looking through my International Dinners folder in preparation for the coming summer (yes, it's coming!) and I quickly realized I did not post 4 of our dinners. FOUR! I'm a terrible blogger folks.
That being said, here is the first of our 4(!) missing dinners from August.

When I was in college at Salve Regina my roommate and I would always eat at the place called The Salvation Cafe on Thursdays. They had a great deal called "Seven-before-seven." Between 5-7pm you could choose from seven different entrees for seven dollars each. We would always splurge for the $4 Banana Creme Brule after, because who wouldn't? My choice was always the Pad Thai. I'm not sure if it was very authentic, but it was very delicious. Thinking of that I chose Thailand this week. I couldn't use peanuts, so we opted for almond butter instead. Also, I couldn't find a good dessert recipe so I made something up using Pineapple, which is used in Thai cuisine.
Enjoy! :)

Menu - for 4-6

Chicken Satay with Almond Butter Sauce

Thai Sesame Noodles 

Steamed Broccoli

Sponge Cake with Pineapple Caramel

Chicken Satay

8-12 skinless chicken thighs, cut into thin strips

1 package wooden skewers

SATAY MARINADE:

1/4 cup minced lemongrass 

2 shallots OR 1 small onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp. to 1 tsp. cayenne pepper, to taste

1 thumb-size piece ginger, thinly sliced

1/2 tsp. dried turmeric

2 Tbsp. ground coriander

2 tsp. cumin

3 Tbsp. dark soy sauce

4 Tbsp. fish sauce

5-6 Tbsp. brown sugar

2 Tbsp. vegetable oil

If using wooden skewers, soak them in water while you prepare the meat (to prevent burning). The kitchen sink works well for this.

Cut chicken into thin strips and place in a bowl.

Place all marinade ingredients in a food processor or chopper. Process well.

Pour the marinade over the meat and stir well to combine. Allow at least 1 hour for marinating, or longer (up to 24 hours).

When ready to cook, thread meat onto the skewers. Tip: Fill up to 3/4 of the skewer, leaving the lower half empty so that the person grilling has a "handle" to easily turn the satay during cooking.

Grill the satay on your BBQ, OR on an indoor grill, basting the first time you time it with a little of the leftover marinade from the bottom of the bowl. OR you can broil in the oven on a broiling pan or baking sheet with the oven set to "broil" Place satay close beneath the heating element and turn the meat every 5 minutes until cooked (be sure to soak your wooden satay sticks in water before skewering). Depending on how thin your meat is, the satay should cook in 10 to 20 minutes. Serve with the Almond Sauce

Almond Sauce

½ cup unsalted Almond butter (or 3/4 c unsalted peanuts)

1/3 cup water

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. dark soy sauce

2 tsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 Tbsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend or process until sauce is smooth. If you prefer a runnier peanut sauce, add a little more water.

Thai Sesame Noodles

12 oz. dried noodles

1 red bell pepper

5-8 mushrooms

1 thumb-size piece ginger, grated or finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

SAUCE:

1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 Tbsp. sesame oil

1 Tbsp. fish sauce

1/2 tsp. shrimp paste

2-3 tsp. sugar, to taste

1/2 tsp. dried crushed chili

Boil noodles until 'ad dente'. Rinse thoroughly with cold water to keep from sticking. Set aside.

Stir together all 'Sauce' ingredients with a fork or whisk in a small mixing bowl until shrimp paste and sugar dissolve. Set aside.

Heat a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Drizzle 1-2 Tbsp. oil into pan, then add the ginger and garlic. Stir-fry 5 minutes. Add the red pepper and mushrooms. Stir-fry 2 more minutes, or until mushrooms are cooked.

Add noodles and pour over the sauce you made. Stir-fry 1-2 minutes using a turning/tossing motion (almost like tossing a salad) to combine everything together.

Remove from heat. Now taste-test for salt and spice. If too salty for your taste, add another Tbsp. of lime juice. If not salty or flavorful enough, add a sprinkling of fish sauce. Add more chili for more heat.

Sponge Cake with Pineapple Caramel Sauce

The finished dish

prepared Angel Food cake

1 20 oz can pineapple rings, drained, juice reserved and rings halved

¼ cup butter

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

white sugar

Melt butter in medium saucepan. Add 3/4 cup of pineapple juice and brown sugar; blend well. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil until reduced, darkened and slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the pineapple slices on a cookie sheet. Sprinkle the tops with white sugar and broil until browned. Serve sauce over the sponge cake with caramelized pineapple slices.

The sauce, warmed, but not reduced

The sauce after it has boiled down

Angel Food Cake made from box mix (I cheated!)