Columbia

 Welcome to Columbia!  According to Google, Columbia has a population of 50.34 million people and the capital is Bogota.  Their national dish is:

Bandeja Paisa!

Apparently "Paisa" refers to the Paisa region of Colombia and "bandeja" means "platter".  That is pretty much what it was - a big platter of food!  I think all together there were seven different elements.  Let me tell you: this was a PROCESS to make!  I had to enlist the help of Handsome Husband, or we would never get to eating.  We did leave out the rice - it was just another element that we didn't think we needed.  I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to type it all up.  The recipe we followed did a good job of walking you through it.  I would recommend looking through it SEVERAL times before making it!  Here's what we did:

CHICHARRONES

1 lb Skinless Pork Belly

2 tsp Salt

2 tsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Cumin

1. Mix salt, sugar, and cumin, and rub evenly over pork belly.  Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, and chill overnight.
2. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  
3. Unwrap pork, place fat-side up on a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet (I covered the baking sheet with aluminum foil).  Bake until golden and crispy, about 30 minutes.
4. Lower temperature to 250 degrees.
5. Cook pork belly an additional 1 hour and 15 minutes, until fork-tender.
6. Cool pork belly to room temperature for about 45 minutes and then  wrap in plastic and chill in fridge for an hour.
7. Cut pork belly into 4 strips.  Cut 3/4 of the way deep crosswise in 1 inch intervals.
8. Heat skillet over medium heat, and cook pork until golden brown and crispy.

HOAGO

1/4 C Avocado Oil

2 Onions, chopped

1 Green Bell Pepper, chopped

1 tbsp Sazon Seasoning

4 C Tomatos, chopped

8 Garlic Cloves, chopped

2 tsp Cumin

2 tsp Salt

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat
2. Add onions, pepper, and sazon.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes.
3. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, cumin, and salt.
4. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have broken down and thickened.  (This took about 20 minutes.)

FRIJOLES ROJOS

3/4 lb dried red beans

1 tbsp Avocado Oil

1/4 lb Skinless Pork Belly, cut into 1 inch peices

8 C Beef Broth

2 C Hogao (see recipe above)

1 tsp Cumin

1 tsp Salt

1. Soak the beans overnight (I forgot to do this...so mine soaked 6 hours - it worked just fine).
2. Drain the beans.
3. Heat oil in large pot on medium low. 
4. Add pork belly and cook until browned.  This took about 10 minutes.
5. Stir in beans, broth, Hogao, cumin, and salt.
6. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
7. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender (about 4 hours).

CARNE MOLIDA

1 tbsp Avocado Oil

1 lb Ground Beef

1 C Hogao (see recipe above)

1 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Cumin

1. Heat oil in pan over medium-high heat.
2. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
3. Stir in Hogao, salt, and cumin.
4. Combine, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, or until completely heated through.

CHORIZO

Go to the store and get chorizo sausage links.  

1. Barbecue the chorizo links until they are done.

AREPAS

1 C White Corn Flour

1 C Mozzarella Cheese 

1 C Warm Water

1 tsp Salt

3 tbsp Avocado Oil, divided

1. Combine the corn flour, cheese, water, salt, and 1 tbsp of the oil. 
2. Stir with a wooden spoon until dough is smooth.  (The recipe said it would be soupy, and then firm up.  Mine was never soupy.)
3. Let the dough stand for about 10 minutes.
4. Shape dough into 4 balls.  
   
5. Flatten the balls into 1/2 inch-thick disk.
6. Heat remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat.
7. Cook arepas until golden brown and charred in spots, about 5 minutes per side.

TAJADAS DE PLANTANO

1 Plantain, peeled

1/4 C Avocado Oil

Salt, to taste

1. Cut the plantain into diagonal, 1/2 inch-thick slices.
2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat.
3. Cook plantains until golden brown on each side (2-3 minutes per side).
4. Transfer to a paper-towel lined plate, and sprinkle with salt to taste.

HUEVOS FRITOS

Fry four eggs, to your liking

To assemble everything, you can put it on a large platter, or do individual plates, like we did.  

(Source: Bandeja Paisa Recipe | MyRecipes)

The verdict?  This was a really, really good meal.  It was such a challenge to cook, as there were so many different components.  Timing was crazy: trying to figure out when to start everything.  If I were to do it again, I would make the beans, pork belly, and carne molida early, and reheat them.  That would have made life so much easier!  But overall, it was a very fun meal to make, and a very tasty meal to eat!  Also, I really didn't mind the plantains, which surprised me.  I think because the plantains were more ripe than in previous recipes, and fried a little more.  They still aren't my favorite, but I didn't want to throw up after eating them...

So the rating.  We are all going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME

Taste of Chicharrones  (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Chicharrones (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

ME

Taste of Frijoles Rojos (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): NA

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): NA

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): NA

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Frijoles Rojos (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 3

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

ME

Taste of Carne Molida (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Carne Molida (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

ME

Taste of Arepas (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Arepas (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 9

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

ME

Taste of Tajadas De Plantano (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 4

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 2

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Tajadas De Plantano (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

Please note: we did not rate the Hoago, as it was an ingredient in some of the dishes, and did not stand alone.  We did not rate the chorizo, as we literally just grilled something we got at the store.  We did not rate the eggs because they were... just fried eggs.

So there you have it!  Another (complicated) country down.  We did really enjoy this food, and even said we need to go to South America just for their cuisine!  We've enjoyed all meals we've had from South America so far!  Join us next time in Gambia!

Serbia

Welcome to Serbia!  According to Google, Serbia has a population of 6.94 million people, and the capital is Belgrade.  I have to admit, I thought Serbia was somewhere way, way up north in Asia - like around Russia.  Wrong!  I learn something every day!  Their national food is...

Pleskavica!

What is this, you ask?  It is a giant hamburger patty!  Seriously.  I saw a picture and laughed.  It's a hamburger patty that is 6-8 inches in diameter.  I found a potato salad and some additional sauces to make too because a hamburger sounded too easy.  However, I didn't think about trying to flip this big of a patty...That was challenging!  Here's what I did:

PLESKAVICA

1 lb Ground Beef

1 lb Ground Pork

6 Garlic Cloves, chopped

1 Onion, chopped

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tbsp Paprika

1. In a large bowl, mix together beef, pork, garlic, onions, salt, paprika and mix.
2. Refrigerate for 1 hour, to let flavors mix.
3. Heat pan and form into patties 6 inches in diameter.
4. Cook pleskavica on hot pan for about 6-8 minutes per side.
5. Serve with green onions, sliced onions, tomatoes, Ajvar, and Kajmak.

(Source: Traditional Serbian Pljeskavica Hamburger Recipe (thespruceeats.com)

KAJMAK

1 8oz package Cream Cheese

1 Stick Butter

1/2 C Sour Cream

1/4 tsp Salt

1. Leave cream cheese out to soften.
2. Combine cream cheese and butter in a mixer until smooth.
3. Mix in sour cream.
4. Mix in salt, to taste.

(Source: The Tall Green House: Recipe: Kajmak (a Serbian cheese spread)

AJVAR

2 Red Bell Peppers

1 small Eggplant

1/4 C Avocado Oil

8 Garlic Cloves, crushed

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 tbsp Sugar

1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar

1. Roast whole eggplants and peppers until soft and skin is black.  
2. Put roasted eggplant and peppers in a plastic bag and let them steam to loosen the skin.
3. Peel the eggplant and peppers.  Stem and de-seed the peppers.
4. Place the eggplant and peppers in a food processor and make a puree.
5. Pour the eggplant-pepper in a sauce pan.  Add olive oil and bring to a boil while stirring consistently.
6. Add salt, pepper, sugar, and red wine vinegar.  Cook for about five minutes.
7. Add crushed garlic to sauce and turn off heat.

(Source: Ajvár | Zserbo.com)

SERBIAN-STYLE POTATO SALAD

4 Yukon Potatoes

1 Onion

1/4 C Avocado Oil

1/8 C White Vinegar

2 Cloves Garlic, minced

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

1. Slice potatoes very finely. 
2. Boil potatoes until cooked and drain.
3. Slice onion very finely.
4. Mix vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper.
5. Pour vinegar mixture over potatoes and onions, and refrigerate for several hours.
6. To serve, bring to room temperature.

(Source: Serbian-Style Potato Salad | Gratinée (wordpress.com)

The verdict?  This was a very good meal!  We didn't care for the potato salad - there wasn't anything special about it.  But the burger and the sauces were really good.  I don't like eggplant, and I couldn't tell that it was in the sauce at all.  I would make them again for burgers any day!  It sounds like an odd combination, but trust me: it is worth the effort!  I would suggest making the burgers smaller - the 6-inch hamburger was way too much at one time!  Overall though, this is a favorite!

So the rating.  We are all going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME

Taste of the Pleskavica (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Pleskavica (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 1

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 9

ME

Taste of the Serbian-Style Potato Salad (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 2

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of the Pleskavica (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not spicy at all, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 2

And there you go!  Another down!  Our next stop is Colombia!  I'm excited, and a little intimidated for this one.  Stay tuned!

Netherlands

 Welcome to the Netherlands!  The Nifty Niece learned all about the Netherlands in school, so once again, we decided to cook some food from this country.  It didn't disappoint!  According to Google, the population is about 17.28 million people and the capital is Amsterdam.  And the national food is...

 

Stamppot!

What is this, you ask?  It is mashed veggies!  Think mashed potatoes on steroids.  Traditionally it is served with Rookworst, which I couldn't find anywhere.  A good substitute was a smoky or spicy sausage - this I could find!  Dessert was Oliebollen, which are Dutch Donuts.  Kids love donuts, right?  I thought this would be straightforward.  Here's what we did:

STAMPPOT

4 small Yukon Potatoes

1 large Sweet Potato

3 Carrots

1 Rutabaga

1 Onion, chopped

6 Garlic Cloves

1 Leek

1 bunch Kale

1/4 C Butter

Salt and Pepper, to taste

3 shakes Nutmeg

Parsley, for serving

Smoked/Spicy Sausage 

1. Peel and chop potatoes and rutabaga.  Chop carrots.
   
2. Put all vegetables in a large pot and add enough water to barely cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
3. Drain vegetables, add butter, and mash (don't puree).  
4. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.  
5. Serve with parsley on top and sausage on the side (that you've already cooked in a skillet or BBQ).

(Source: https://www.all-thats-jas.com/dutch-stamppot-vegetable-mash#wprm-recipe-container-9998 and https://www.food.com/recipe/dutch-stamppot-with-rookworst-124192)

OLIEBOLLEN

2 C lukewarm Milk

1 Envelope Active Dry Yeast

3 tbsp Sugar

4 C Gluten Free Flour (I used America's Test Kitchen)

Pinch of Salt

1 Egg

Oil, for frying

Powdered Sugar, for dusting

1. In a small bowl, combine the lukewarm milk with yeast and sugar.  Let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, sift the flour with the salt.  Make a well in the center of it, and add the egg.
3. Add the yeast mixture and mix with a mixer until a thick batter forms.  
4. Cover and set in a warm location for 1-2 hours to rise.
5. Heat oil to 350 degrees,
6. Drop golf ball-sized balls of batter into the hot oil and cook until they are golden on the outside and cooked through.
7. Let them drain on some paper towels, dust with powdered sugar, and serve.

(Source: https://leitesculinaria.com/181644/recipes-oliebollen-dutch-doughnuts.html)

 

And, once again, we forgot to take a picture of the dessert...Guess we were too excited to eat it!  Funny story:  Nifty Niece is not a fan of vegetables, so when she heard that the meal was mashed vegetables, she went into negotiation mode.  She negotiated out of adding butternut squash to the recipe and added some additional potatoes instead.  So, if you make this, it does call for butternut squash :-)  It was an adventure to cook this meal, with some mishaps.  But I'll let Nifty Niece tell you about it:

The food from the Netherlands is interesting and suits its country well. The Stamppot does not
look good but tastes yummy. The Stamppot makes sense as their national food because it uses
a lot of farm crops and the Netherlands is known for having lots of flat farmlands. It’s a little
challenging to make the Stamppot, because cutting all of the vegetables takes a while, and all
the vegetables have to be soft enough to mash without making it into a soup.

The Dutch Doughnuts are fun to make, but a little challenging when it gets to the frying. They
are not sweet but they have a cakey texture. Our dough didn’t rise before we fried it, but it still
turned out good! I liked using powdered sugar as a topping, but they would also be good with
ice cream and fresh fruit to give it more sweetness. Or jam would be good too!

The Netherlands food is different from our food, but it still tastes delicious, and you should try
it!

 

So the rating.  We are all going to rate the dishes on a scale of 1-10.

ME
Taste of Stamppot (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

HANDSOME HUSBAND
Taste of Stamppot (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 7

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor):6

 

NIFTY NIECE
Taste of Stamppot (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 4

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 7

ME
Taste of Oliebollen (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 8

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 8

HANDSOME HUSBAND
Taste of Oliebollen (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 6

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 5

 

NIFTY NIECE
Taste of Oliebollen(1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 0

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 2

 

And there you have it!  Another country in the books.  Thanks to the Nifty Niece for sharing the experience with me!  Our next stop: Serbia!