Morocco

Welcome to Morocco!  According to Google, Morocco has 36,910,560 people, and the capital is Rabat.  For some reason, I always pictured Morocco in the Middle East - not Africa!  I don't know why, but from the pictures that I have seen of Morocco, it is a beautiful country.  Their national food is...

 

Couscous!

This one was going to be challenging since couscous is literally wheat pasta.  There isn't any getting around that.  I did find some brown rice couscous online, but everywhere was sold out.  So, I made some for Handsome Husband to eat, and then I just ate the rest of the dish without it.  Everything else, however, I managed to do gluten free!  Here's what I did:

MOROCCAN CHICKEN TANGINE

Marinade for Chicken

2 Onions, finely chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped

1 Bunch Cilantro, finely chopped

1/2 Lemon, flesh separated from peel

1 tsp Ginger powder

1 tsp Turmeric powder

1 pinch Saffron

1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

4 tbsp Avocado Oil

 

Chicken and Vegetables

8 Chicken Thighs, bone-in

2 Medium Carrots, chopped

20 Green Olives

 

1. Combine the onion, garlic, cilantro, flesh of the lemon, ginger, turmeric, saffron, salt, pepper, and avocado oil in a bowl.  Combine well and then massage into the chicken.
2. Cover and place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for 1 hour (or overnight).
3. Place heavy-based saucepan on a stove top over a moderate heat.
4. Sear the chicken in batches for about 10 minutes, browning all sides.
5. When the chicken has been browned, add 1 cup of water and the marinade to the chicken and bring to a boil.
6. Lower the temperature and simmer for 1 hour.
7. Add to the pot the carrots and green olives.
8. Simmer for 15 minutes more.  Serve with couscous.

(Source: https://www.compassandfork.com/recipe/an-easy-authentic-moroccan-chicken-tagine-recipe/?utm_campaign=coschedule&utm_source=pinterest&utm_medium=Compass+and+Fork-+Food+and+Travel&utm_content=An+Easy%2C+Authentic%2C+Moroccan+Chicken+Tagine+Recipe)

ORANGE SALAD WITH CINNAMON

2 Oranges

Juice of one orange

1/2 tbsp Honey

1 tbsp Orange Blossom Water

2 tsp Cinnamon

Mint leaves

1. Mix orange juice with honey and orange blossom water and refrigerate.
2. Peel the oranges.
3. Slice the oranges into medium slices.
4. Arrange the oranges on a serving dish.
5. Pour reserved cold juice over the oranges.
6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and garnish with a few mint leaves.  Serve fresh.

 (Source: https://www.196flavors.com/morocco-oranges-and-cinnamon-salad/)

 

MOROCCAN ALMOND CIGARS

12 large sheets brick dough (I used this recipe to make the brick dough to make it gluten free (

Vegetable Oil, for frying

1 Egg White, beaten

 

For the Almond Paste

10 oz Raw Almonds

1 cup Icing Sugar 

1 Egg White

2 tbsp Orange Blossom Water

1 tsp Lemon Zest

For the Syrup

1 1/3 cup Sugar

1/2 Fresh Squeezed Lemon

2 tbsp Orange Blossom Water

4 tbsp liquid honey

 

Almond Paste (Marzipan)

1. Place the almonds in a saucepan and cover with water.  Bring to a boil, and stop cooking after a couple minutes.
2. Drain the almonds and place them between two kitchen towels and pat dry.
3. Place the almonds in a food processor and add icing sugar, orange blossom water, and lemon zest. 
4. Mix until you have obtained a smooth paste.  Place the dough into a bowl and add the slightly beaten egg white and knead well.
5. Let stand for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
6. Take out of refrigerator and form 2-inch sticks and set aside. 

Syrup

1. Pour the sugar into a nonstick pan and cover the sugar with water.
2. Add the lemon juice and orange blossom water.
3. Place the pan on low heat and, using a wooden spoon, stir once (not more) when the sugar is boiling.
4. When the sugar reaches a temp of 195 F, stir in the honey and stir the pan by the handle (not the spoon).
5. Cook gently until reaching a temp of 220 F.

Folding the Cigars

1. Place a stick of the marzipan about 1/2 inch from the edge of the brick dough.
2. Fold like a burrito.
3. Close by brushing with beaten egg white to stick.

Frying

1. Heat a large volume of oil in a non-stick pan (don't use stainless steel - they will stick) until the temp reaches 340 F.
2. Fry the cigars over medium heat, turning occasionally, until golden brown.
3. When done, place in a colander to drain.
4. Dip the still hot, but not burning, cigars into the hot, but not burning, syrup and place them on  oiled parchment paper to cool.  (Do not put them on a plate - they will stick and you won't be able to get them off easily...trust me...)
5. Wait until they are completely cool and keep them in a cool place.

(Source: https://www.196flavors.com/morocco-almond-cigars-cigares-aux-amandes/)  

 

    

 

Overall, we really enjoyed the chicken tangine.  It had really good flavor, and the chicken just fell off the bone.  The olives gave it an interesting flavor, but it worked really well.  I couldn't find preserved lemon as the original recipe called for, so I used regular lemon instead.  I think I would like to try it with preserved lemon.  I did not care for the oranges or the Almond Cigars, but Handsome Husband loved them.  The orange blossom water gave me a headache!  It smells just like orange blossoms!  But the oranges with cinnamon - I would never have thought about that combination, but it was quite tasty!  The almond cigars were very crispy when they came out of the hot oil, but got soft when they were coated in the syrup.  I think they would have been better without the syrup.  Also, as I noted above, you should NOT put warm almond cigars with syrup on a plate without oil - they will stick and you won't be able to get it off...

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

ME

Taste of Moroccan Chicken Tangine (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 Moroccan Chicken Tangine with Couscous (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 Almond Cigars (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): 2

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Almond Cigars (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 Orange Salad with Cinnamon (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): 2

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Orange Salad with Cinnamon (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): 4

 

And there you have it!  Hope you enjoyed Morocco!  Our next stop is Suriname.  See you there!

Latvia

Welcome to Latvia!  We made it!  My Nifty Niece was learning about this country in school, so we decided to try out their food.  Her reviews are farther down on this blog – and definitely worth reading!  According to Google, Latvia has 1.92 million people.  The capital is Riga, and their national food is…

 

 

Karbonade!

What is Karbonade, you ask?  I had no idea (seems to be a pattern…) but from the pictures, it looked pretty tasty.  We also chose a side dish and dessert to make too.  When you’re homeschooling, cooking can be more involved, right?! 

Here’s what we did:

Karbonāde (Pork Cutlets With Cream Sauce)

¹⁄₄ C Avocado Oil, plus more as needed

1 C Gluten Free Flour (I used Americas Test Kitchen Blend)

5 Eggs

10 Pork Chops, pounded to 1/4″ thick

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

2 tbsp. Butter

1 Onion, minced

1 C Heavy Cream

1 tbsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped

1.     Pound pork chops to ¼ inch thick. 

2.     Heat oil in a 12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Place flour in a medium bowl, and whisk together eggs and ¹⁄₄ cup water in another medium bowl; set both aside.

3.     Season pork with salt and pepper, then dredge 3 cutlets in flour.

§  Dip in egg mixture until evenly coated, then place in skillet

4.     Cook, turning once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 5 minutes.

5.     Transfer to serving platter and repeat with remaining cutlets, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

§  I did keep mine warm in the oven until we were ready to eat

6.     In a separate skillet, add butter, then onion; cook, stirring often, until soft, about 2 minutes.

7.     Season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring often.

8.     Add cream and cook, stirring, until slightly reduced, about 2 minutes.

9.     Stir in lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, pour sauce over cutlets, and sprinkle with parsley.

(Source: https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Karbonade-Pork-Cutlets-With-Chanterelle-Cream-Sauce/)

Kartupeli ar Dillēm (Boiled Potatoes With Dill

Salt, to taste

2 lb. small Yukon Gold or new potatoes, unpeeled

¹⁄₃ C Sour Cream

6 tbsp. Fresh Dill, minced

4 tbsp. Butter

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1.     Bring an 8-qt. saucepan of salted water to a boil.

2.     Add potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes.

3.     Drain potatoes and return to pot with sour cream, dill, butter, salt, and pepper.

4.     Cover pan with lid and shake until potatoes are well coated.

5.     Transfer to large serving bowl, and season with additional salt and pepper.

(Source: https://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Kartupeli-ar-Dillem-Boiled-Potatoes-With-Dill/)

Latvian Meteņu maizītes

1 1/3 C warm water, plus 1 tsp water

2 tsp Lemon Juice

2 eggs, plus 1 yolk

3 1/3 C Gluten Free Flour (I used America’s Test Kitchen Blend)

½ C Nonfat Dry Milk powder

2 tbsp Powdered Psyllium Husk

4 tbsp Sugar

1 Packet Rapid-Rise Yeast

2 tsp baking powder

6 tbsp Butter, cut into 6 pieces

Sliced Almonds

Whipped Cream

Powdered Sugar

1. Spray 2 9-inch cake pans with oil 
2. Whisk 1 1/3 C warm water, lemon juice, and 1 egg plus yolk together in a bowl 
3. In a stand mixer with paddle, mix flour, milk powder, psyllium, sugar, yeast, baking powder, and 1 ½ tsp salt on low until combined 
4. Slowly add water mixture and let dough come together 
5. Add butter and increase speed to medium and beat until sticky and uniform 
6. Working with about 1/3 of the dough at a time, shape into rounds using wet hands, and arrange in a flower shape (1 center, 6 around) in pan 
7. Cover loosely with plastic wrap until doubled, about 1 hour 
8. Preheat oven to 375 degrees 
9. Lightly beat egg and 1 tsp of water 
10. Brush rolls with egg wash 
11. Top rolls with a few sliced almonds
12.  Bake for 35-40 minutes until tops are golden brown 
13. Once rolls are cool, slice off the top of the roll 
14. Scoop out the insides of the rols
15.  Fill the hollow roll with whipped cream, and place top back on 
16. Dust with powdered sugar and serve

(Source: http://femmeaufoyer2011.blogspot.com/2012/02/meteni.html and “The How Can It Be Gluten Free Cookbook” by America’s Test Kitchen)

This was an adventure.  Well, the desserts were.  I attempted to make the rolls on the site above, and just substitute gluten free flour.  They did not rise AT ALL, and I had to come up with something else.  So I baked the dinner rolls from the cookbook referenced, and added some extra sugar to make the rolls a bit sweeter.  It worked, but I’m sure these would be delicious using the original recipe! 

I’ll let the Nifty Niece tell you about the other courses:

Latvian food is fun to make!!!!! 

 

My favorite thing to cook was the pork because I had lots of fun pounding it down and coating

it and putting it in the pan. Make sure that you carefully put the pork in the pan and don’t just

drop them in - slowly lay it down in the pan. For me I didn’t really like the sauce but I know that

other people would.

 

I learned something really really really really really really really really really really

reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally

important, DON’T UN-SCREW THE LID TO THE SALT WHEN SEASONING THE

PORK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love salt so much, but it was WAY too salty!

 

I recommend that you make the pork because you can put lots of different sauces on it to make

it really yummy!!! 

 

The potatoes were not my thing, but I know that other people would like them if they enjoy a

creamy dill flavor.

 

The dessert wasn’t sweet enough to be considered a dessert for me. Adding something sweet

(like fruit or honey) would probably make it taste a little better.

 

For me, cooking was a little challenging because there was more than one thing to be doing at

once, but I still had fun!

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

ME

Taste of Karbonāde (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 Karbonāde (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 NEICE

Taste of Karbonāde (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): 4

ME

Taste of Kartupeli ar Dillēm (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 Kartupeli ar Dillēm (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): 3

NIFTY NIECE

Taste of Kartupeli ar Dillēm (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): 6

ME

Taste of Meteņu maizītes (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): 2

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Meteņu maizītes (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

NIFTY NEICE

Taste of Meteņu maizītes (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): 2

And there you have it!  Hope you enjoyed our journey to Latvia.  Upon the request of Handsome Husband, we are heading to Morocco next!  See you then!