Denmark

Welcome to Denmark!  Denmark is reported to be the happiest country in the world as well as the least-corrupted country in the world, has twice as many bicycles as cars, and has been the invention spot of several common things (Google Maps, Lego, insulin, and dry-cell batteries)!  No place in Denmark is more than 30 miles from the ocean.  Sounds like a dream!  According to Google, the population of Denmark is 6.05 million people and the capital is Copenhagen.  Their national dish is...

Stegt Flaesk!

It is pork belly with potatoes.  What could go wrong?!  The dish traditionally is eaten with a parsley cream sauce, and I found another recipe for a second sauce to make with it.  For dessert, we made Risalamande, which is a rice pudding-like dish with a cherry topping.  This is a meal that you have to plan a bit ahead for, especially if you are going to do the dessert. And there was an ingredient (the Heering liqueur) that I could not find anywhere, so I left it out of the dessert.  Anyways, here's what I did:

STEGT FLAESK

Roast

4 lb pork belly

3 tbsp butter

Handful coarse salt

10-14 whole black peppers

6-8 bay leaves

2 lbs potatoes

Brown Sauce Base

1 C beef broth

1 onion (cut into 8 pieces)

1 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon thyme

Brown Sauce

1/2 c whipping cream

1 tablespoon redcurrant jelly

Salt & pepper, to taste

Parsley Sauce

1/3 C butter

3 tbsp gluten free flour

2 C milk 

2 handful's chopped parsley

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Score the fat on the pork belly. Be careful not to cut into the meat, which will cause the skin to be soft.
2. Rub the fat with butter and salt. 
3. Put the bay leaves and peppercorns in the cuts spread them evenly on the roast.
4. Curl up some tinfoil, and put it under the roast, so the roast won't tilt to one side. 
5. Put the roast on a rack over a pan. 
6. Put herbs, onions, and broth in the pan under the roast.
7. Roast the pork at 400℉ for 1.5 - 2 hours. The temperature in the center has to be 167℉ before the roast is ready. Make sure that there is always liquid in the pan. You have to use it for the gravy/sauce. 
8. Just before the center temperature is 167℉, pour the dripping from the pan into a saucepan through a strainer, and boil the drippings for about 5 minutes. 
9. Add the cream, jam, and salt to the drippings.
10. Thicken the sauce with corn starch.
11. To make the parsley sauce, melt the butter in a pot. 
12. Once it is melted, add the flour and stir until the butter and flour is a coherent mass. 
13. Add a little bit of milk and stir. 
14. When the milk is mixed in and has reached the boiling point stir for a few seconds and then repeat. 
15. Add milk stir, boil, stir. 
16. Repeat until the sauce has a consistency that you like.
17. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
18. While the sauce is cooking, set the oven at 527℉, or start the broiler. 
19. Brown the roast in the broiler for about 5-8 minutes.
20. Cut pork in thin slices and serve with cooked white potatoes.
21. Enjoy!

(Source: Stegt Flaesk and Stegt Flaesk)

RISALAMANDE

2.5 C whole milk

3.5 tbsp sugar

1/2 C risotto rice

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 C heavy cream

1/2 jar pitted morello cherries (in their syrup)

1/2 tbsp cornstarch , mixed with 1/2 tbsp water

1 whole almond

1. Combine milk, 2.5 tbsp of sugar and rice in a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the rice is tender and mixture is thick, stirring often, for about 30-40 minutes.
3. Pour the rice pudding into a bowl and let cool completely.
4. Using an electric mixer, beat the heavy cream and 1/2 tbsp of sugar in a medium bowl until stiff.
5. Add vanilla and cream in rice pudding mixture.
6. Cover and refrigerate for about 4 hours.
7. Drain the cherries and collect the syrup in a saucepan. Add 1 tbsp of sugar (or more or less, depending on the syrup) into the pan. 
8. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
9. Reduce heat.
10. Add the reserved cherries and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
11. Pour the rice pudding into bowls. Top with warm cherry sauce and one almond.
12. Enjoy!

(Source: Risalamande)

The verdict?  It was good!  Not super, but good. We really enjoyed the pork belly, but the potatoes and both sauces were just plain and not very flavorful.  The parsley sauce tasted a lot like creamed spinach with a lot of flour, too thick and a slightly unpleasant consistency.  The brown sauce had more flavor and was more like a regular gravy, but we didn't think it added much to the meal on the meat or on the potatoes.  The dessert wasn't my favorite, but Handsome Husband liked it.  I don't think that the rice was cooked all the way, so it tasted a little crunchy to me.  He happily ate the leftovers, even though he doesn't usually do that with sugary foods...Overall, not a meal we will likely repeat, but we may use that seasoning on pork belly again!

ME

Taste of Stegt Flaesk (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 Stegt Flaesk (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): 6

ME

Taste of Risalamande (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): 5

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Risalamande (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

Join us next time in Algeria!

Papua New Guinea

 Welcome to Papua New Guinea! Honestly, we did this meal back in October.  But life has happened and I am just now getting around to posting!  Thanks for sticking around.  Papua New Guinea is an island in the Pacific that is home to rain forests, coral reefs, and beautiful oceans.  It is also home to one of the only confirmed poisonous bird in the world: the Hooded Pitohui.  Who knew!  It is also the most linguistically-diverse country with over 800 languages!  We have some friends that are looking at moving to this  country with their family - please pray for the Lord's direction and provision as they navigate this change!  According to Google, the population is 10,576,502 people and the capital is Port Moresby.  Their national dish is...

Mumu!

Sounds like something you wear...nope!  It's a dish that is usually cooked underground in banana leaves.  I didn't dig up my yard to cook this, but I did make it in my dutch oven! To go with the Mumu we made Coconut Kau Kau,  Together it was an odd dish, but there was something comforting about it.  I wasn't sure that it was all going to fit in my dutch oven, so if you make this, make sure you have a big size!  Here's what I did:

MUMU

1 large Banana Leaf for cooking only (not edible)
2 bunches Kale
2 Taro roots Peeled and cut up
2 Green plantains peeled and cut up
2 Sweet potatoes peeled and cut up
2 lbs Chicken boneless skinless thighs, cut into bite size pieces
2 lbs Pork belly cut into bite size pieces
1 Pineapple cut into bite size pieces
1 can Coconut milk
2 Limes cut into wedges
1 tbsp Salt

1. In a large Dutch oven, place a layer of banana leaf.
2. On the banana leaf, place a layer of kale leaves.
3. Place the root vegetables and plantains on top of the kale.
4. Place the pork and chicken on top of the root vegetables.
5. Sprinkle the salt over the meat.
6. Put the pineapple on top of the meat.
7. Squeeze the lime quarters and throw them in as well after squeezing.
8. Pour the coconut milk over the entire pot.
9. Cover with the remaining kale and cover with the rest of the banana leaf.
10. Cover with a lid and place in the oven for at least an hour, or until the meat is cooked and vegetables are tender.
11. Serve hot and enjoy!

(Source: Mumu and Mumu)

COCONUT KAU KAU

2 sweet potatoes (kaukau)

4 tbsp butter, diced

3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 C coconut cream

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 (1-inch) piece fresh ginger, grated

2 tbsp orange juice

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1. Rinse the sweet potatoes, then wrap each of them in aluminum foil.
2. Bake in preheated 400F oven for 1 hour or until cooked through.
3. Cut sweet potatoes in two lengthwise.
4. Scoop out about 3/4 of the sweet potatoes with a spoon into a bowl.
5. Immediately add the butter to the bowl with the insides of the sweet potato. 
6. Add salt and pepper, and mash with a fork to get a smooth purée.
7. Set the skins of the half hollowed sweet potatoes on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
8. Add the coconut cream, onion, garlic, ginger and orange juice to the mashed sweet potatoes. Mix well.
9. Fill the hollowed half sweet potatoes with the mashed mixture.
10. Bake in the oven for another 5 minutes before serving.
11. Enjoy!

(Source: Coconut Kau Kau)

The verdict?  I really enjoyed this meal.  It was a comforting meal with lots of good flavors.  I was surprised that in the Mumu, there weren't any spices added except salt, but there was still a lot of flavor in the dish.  We really liked the Kau Kau - the ginger was a very nice addition to the sweet potato!  However, I think the recipe called for too much liquid and butter.  The inside was almost a thick soup, and did not set up.  The taste was great, but the filling didn't stay in the skins.  However, overall it was a nice meal.

 

 

 

 

 

ME

Taste of Mumu (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 Mumu (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

 

ME

Taste of Coconut Kau Kau (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 Coconut Kau Kau (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

 

Another country in the books!  Join us next time in Benin!