New Zealand

 Welcome to New Zealand!  I was talking to my Amazing Aunt and she suggested New Zealand as the next country.  I'm glad she did!  This is a bucket-list country, for sure.  The pictures look incredible, and who doesn't love the accents?!  From the pictures I have seen, the mountains remind me of those in Alaska.  Some day, I hope to visit!  According to Google, the population of New Zealand is 5.3 million people and the capital is Wellington.  Their national dish is...

 

 

None!

That's right: another country without a national dish!  Since there was not official national dish, I looked for popular meals, and one of the ones I found over and over was meat pie.  Sounded interesting, so we gave that a try.  To go with the meat pie, we made melting moments, which apparently are popular around Christmas.  We also made Hokey Pokey candy.  I had two of my Courageous Coworkers over for dinner as well, and we all ventured to the cuisine to New Zealand.  Here's what I did:

 MEAT PIE

1 tbsp of avocado oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 lb ground beef
1 tbsp cornstarch
3/4 C beef stock
1/8 C tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp vegetable bullion 
2 gluten free pie crust sheets (I made my own)
1 egg, beaten

Ketchup, for serving 

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. 
2. Add the onion and fry for 3-4 minutes or until soft and translucent.
3. Add ground beef and cook until browned.
4. Combine cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of beef stock and stir well. Set aside.
5. Add remaining beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste and vegetable bullion to beef. 
6. Stir well to combine. 
7. Add cornstarch mixture to the meat mixture and bring to a boil. 
8. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes or until thick. 
9. Remove from heat.
10. Preheat oven to 428 degrees.
11. Use one of the pie sheets and line a pie dish, making sure to leave a little around the edges to attach the top pie sheet to.
12. Fill the pie with meat mixture and brush rim with water.
13. Place pie top over meat. Use a fork to press edge to seal, and trim edge if necessary. 
14. Brush top with egg.
15. Place pies on to a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes or until golden. 
16. Serve with ketchup and enjoy!

(Source: Meat Pie)

MELTING MOMENTS

For the cookies
14 tbsp butter, softened
1/2 C powdered sugar
1 C gluten free flour

1 tsp xanthan gum
1 C cornstarch
1/2 tsp ground ginger

For the lemon cream
4 tbsp butter, softened
2 tsp lemon zest

1 C powdered sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Sift the flour, xanthan gum, cornstarch, and ground ginger together.
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and powdered sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4. Add the sifted flour mixture to the butter and powdered sugar.
5. Knead quickly until forming a homogeneous mixture.
6. Divide the dough into 24 equal pieces and roll them.
7. Place them, well spaced, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Gently press each ball with a fork to flatten them slightly.
9. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes. The top of the cookies should be pale, but the bottom should be lightly golden.
10. Let stand on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a baking rack to cool them completely and stuff them.
11. Beat together the butter, lemon zest and powdered sugar.
12. Add the lemon juice to give it a spreadable consistency.
13. Spread this cream on half of the cooled cookies.
14. Cover each cookie coated with cream with a remaining cookie.
15. Enjoy!

 (Source: Melting Moments)

HOKEY POKEY

10 tbsp sugar

4 tbsp golden syrup

2 tsp baking soda

1. Grease a plate or pie dish.
2. Heat the sugar and golden syrup in a medium-sized pot at a medium-low temperature.  
3. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or a whisk until the sugar has melted.
4. Simmer on a medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring continuously, until it turns a golden amber color (until it reaches 293 F). 
5. Take the pot off the heat and immediately add the baking soda.  Stir madly and watch it foam up.
6. Immediately pour it on to the greased plate/dish and leave it to become cold and set.
7. Break apart and enjoy!

(Source: Hokey Pokey) 

The verdict?  The meat pie was VERY good.  We really enjoyed this.  It was very similar to a shepherds pie, but the flavors were wonderful.  The pie crust was delicious as well.  We will be making this again for dinner...  I was surprised at how well I liked the ketchup on the meat pie.  I am not a fan of ketchup at all, but it really added a nice sweetness to this meal. We also really enjoyed the melting moments.  The cookie part was a little dry, but the filling was so delicious and together just melted in your mouth.  These were also pretty easy to make, so they could become a fun cookie to do when you need something quick.  We were not a fan of the Hokey Pokey.  This tasted like burnt sugar.  It was pretty funny making it though - it made quite the mess!  The good thing is, it was pretty easy to clean up.  I wouldn't recommend that dessert...But overall, we really enjoyed New Zealand!

        

      

 

ME

Taste of Meat Pie (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): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Meat Pie (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): 7

 

ME

Taste of Melting Moments (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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Melting Moments(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

 

ME

Taste of Hokey Pokey (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 2

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 Hokey Pokey (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 3

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

Flavor (1 is no flavor, 10 is packed with flavor): 3

 

We're making our way through all the countries!  Join us next time in Ghana! 

 

 

Croatia

 Welcome to Croatia!  If I were honest, I didn't know where exactly this country was.  I've heard about it, but couldn't tell you where on a map it was.  But when I saw pictures, I told Handsome Husband that we needed to visit.  It looks STUNNING.  Some fun facts about Croatia: the necktie was invented there, Dalmatian dogs are said to have originated there, Nikola Tesla was Croatian, and they have a literacy rate of over 99%!  According to Google, the population is 3.8 million people and the capital is Zagreb.  Their national dish is...

 

 

None!

That's right, they don't have a national dish.  Which means, I got to research different recipes that they are known for.  So I found Pasticada, which is a braised beef, served on gnocchi.  To go with that, we made Cheese Strukli, which is like a white cheese lasagna, and a cherry strudel for dessert.  Sounded like a full meal!  The problem was the gluten free filo dough for the strudel.  Read on to find out what I did about that.

PASTICADA

3 lb pot roast
6 garlic cloves, sliced
Red wine to cover the meat

Apple cider vinegar - 2 tbsp per cup of wine
1/4 C avocado oil
1 tbsp bacon fat
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 onions, quartered
3 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 celery root, peeled and quartered
1 parsnip, halved lengthwise and cut into 2-inch lengths
1 cup beef broth
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp tomato paste
1/3 C sweet dessert wine
1/2 C red dry wine

1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
6 prunes
4 dried figs, cut in half
4 dried Medjool dates, pitted
1 lemon, cut into slices
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tbsp Dijon mustard 
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Arrowroot slurry (for thickening, if desired)
1 lb gluten free gnocchi

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Pierce the meat with the sharp point of a knife.  
2. Place the sliced garlic in the bottom of the Zip-Loc bag.  
3. Combine enough red wine and vinegar using the ratio of 2 tablespoons vinegar per cup of red wine to cover the roast.  
4. Pour the wine/vinegar mixture over the meat.  
5. Seal the bag, pressing out as much air as possible.  The wine/vinegar should cover the meat.  
6. Place the sealed bag in the fridge for at least 8 hours or up to 48 hours. 
7. The next day, remove the meat from the wine/vinegar; pat dry.  
8. Fish the garlic slices out of the marinade and reserve.  Discard the marinade.
9. Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat.  
10. Add the bacon fat and olive oil to the Dutch oven.
11. Add the meat to the hot fat and do not move the meat for at least 2 minutes to allow it to brown.  
12. Using a tongs, turn the meat and let it brown, not moving the meat for 1-2 minutes.  
13. Remove the meat from the pot; set aside on a plate with an edge.
14. Add the onions, reserved garlic, ground cloves and allspice to the pot and saute for a few minutes. 
15. Return the meat to the pot and add broth and bay leaves.  Simmer for about 6 to 8 minutes.
16. Stir the tomato paste into the dessert wine.  
17. Add tomato paste and dessert wine, along with the red wine and the dried fruit, to the Dutch oven.  
18. Simmer for one hour and then add the carrots, celery, parsnip, lemon slices, rosemary and thyme sprigs.  
19. Continue to simmer, covered, on LOW heat for 3 hours or until the meat is completely tender.  
20. About 10 minutes before the meat finishes cooking add the ground nutmeg.
21. When the meat is tender, remove it to a plate and cut into 1/2-inch thick slices.  
22. Remove the sprigs of fresh herbs.  
23. Whisk in enough arrowroot slurry to thicken the mixture.  
24. Remove the pan from the heat source and stir in the mustard and the balsamic vinegar into the sauce.  
25. Taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
26. Serve with potato gnocchi and enjoy!

(Source:  Pasticada)

CHEESE STRUKLI

Gluten free lasagna noodles, uncooked

2 eggs
12 oz cottage cheese
3/4 C sour cream
5 oz white cheddar cheese, shredded and divided, more for topping
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
3/4 C half-and-half
Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and grease an 8x8 baking dish. 
2. In a bowl, mix the cottage cheese, sour cream, shredded cheese, eggs, thyme, garlic powder, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper together.
3. Line the bottom of the baking dish with a layer of lasagna noodles.
4. Spread one-quarter of the cheese mixture over the noodles.
5. Repeat with the remaining lasagna noodles and cheese mixture (I made 4 layers). 
6. Pour half-and-half over the top and sprinkle on the remaining shredded cheese.
7. Bake for 45-50 minutes, until the tops are puffy and golden, even in the center of the pan. 
8. Cut and serve!

(Source: Cheese Strukli) 

CHERRY STRUDEL

28 oz sour cherries
1 package rice paper wraps
2 tsp cinnamon
Splash of vanilla 

7 g sugar
150 g brown sugar
25 g gluten free breadcrumbs
75 ml oil
75 ml milk
Powdered sugar, for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 356 degrees (can you tell yet that this recipe was converted from the metric system???) and line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. 
2. Place cherries in a bowl and add the vanilla, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon and carefully mix.
3. In a pie dish, mix oil and milk and soak the rice paper wrappers, one at a time, until soft and pliable.
4. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the mixture on the rice paper wrapper, then add the cherries.
5. Roll the rice paper wrapper and cherry mixture like a burrito, and place on the baking tray.
6. Bake for 30 minutes, until slightly crispy.
7. Once ready let it cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar on top.
8. Enjoy!

(Source: Cherry Strudel) 

The verdict?  This was an interesting one.  The Pasticada was nothing special.  It had a sweet taste to it, and it tasted just fine, but there was nothing special about it.  This surprised us, because of all the ingredients that were in the dish.  It was also weird on the gnocchi.  I would recommend eating it with mashed potatoes - I think that would be much tastier.  The Cheese Strukli was delicious.  It was a little dry, but tasted so good.  We think it would be good with some Italian sausage or some kind of meat.  This was, by far, our favorite part of the meal.  The cherry strudels were not great.  Part of that was using rice paper wrappers.  I had read that this was a good substitute for filo dough, but it was disappointing.  The wrappers didn't crisp up and it wasn't flaky like filo dough should be.  The breadcrumbs in the strudel were weird as well.  I wouldn't recommend making this one.

           

ME

Taste of Pasticada (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): 7

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Pasticada (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): 7

 

ME

Taste of Cheese Strukli (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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Cheese Strukli (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): 5

 

ME

Taste of Cherry Strudel (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): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Cherry Strudel (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

 

Another one down!  Join us next time in New Zealand! 

 

 

Chile

 Welcome to Chile!  We did take a detour on our way to Guinea-Bissau, but we are back in South America, where we love the food!  Chile's highest mountain is over 22,000 feet tall, and is only the second-tallest mountain in South America!  It is the southern-most country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica (bucket list!).  It also has the highest volcano on earth.  Chile sounds like it's got a bit of everything, and a place to go visit!  According to Google, the population of Chile is 19.66 million people and the capital is Santiago.  Their national dish is...

 

 

Cazuela!

It is a stew with a little bit of everything.  Another source said that Curanto was the national dish. Curanto is almost like a Spanish paella without the rice.  What do you do when you find two recipes to make?  Make them both! So that's what we did.  It was great to share this meal with the whole family - there were lots of folks to help eat it all!  Here's what I did:

CAZUELA

4 short beef ribs
2 tbsp oil
1 onion, cut into quarters
1 bell pepper, cut into quarters
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and pepper, to taste
One celery stalk, chopped

2 carrots, chopped
2 ears of corn, cut into thirds
6 small red potatoes, peeled
4 handfuls of rice
1 butternut squash, chunked
5-6 cups boiling water

1. Fry meat in the oil, brown all sides.
2. Add the onion, oregano, and cumin, and fry until brown.
3. Add all other ingredients, except for squash, and cover them with water.
4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil then simmer for at least 1 hour, up to 2 hours.
6. Add the squash about 30 minutes before serving.
7. Serve hot and enjoy! 

(Source: Cazuela and Cazuela) 

CURANTO

2 tbsp avocado oil
1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
1 lb gold potatoes, quartered
1 red pepper, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 jalapeño, thickly sliced
1 tbsp garlic chopped
1 large Savoy cabbage leaves, torn off
2 chorizo sausages, cut in thirds
1 lb pork chops, chops cut in half
2 lbs clams
1 lb mussels
1 C white wine

1. Heat oil in a large pot over high heat.
2. Add chicken and cook until lightly brown.
3. Add potatoes, red peppers, onions, jalapeño pepper and half of garlic, season with salt and pepper and cook for a few minutes or until softened.
4. Cover tightly with cabbage leaves.
5. Add sausage and pork chops, and cover with more cabbage leaves.
6. Add clams, mussels and remaining garlic, pour wine over top and cover with a final layer of cabbage leaves.
7. Cover pot tightly with a lid.
8. Cook for about 40 minutes on medium heat, or until everything is cooked and steaming hot.
9. Remove pot from heat and put all the ingredients clams, mussels, sausage, chicken and pork on a platter.
10. Serve cabbage as well.
11. Enjoy! 

(Source: Curanto) 

 

The verdict?  Mixed reviews.  The Cazuela was pretty bland, and difficult to eat.  It is supposed to be eaten with your hands (which is really strange for a stew), but we found there wasn't much flavor to the dish.  It was  OK, just not anything great.  The Curanto was very good.  There were lots of different flavors, and we enjoyed all the different elements of the meal.  Although, I must admit, I did skip the clams and mussels...

 

      

 

ME

Taste of Cazuela (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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Cazuela (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): 4

 

ME

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

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 2

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

 

Join us next time (for real!) in Guinea-Bissau!