Haiti

 Welcome to Haiti!  I have to admit, this is another country that has been on my heart for some time now.  The things that are happening in the country are things I can't even fathom.  Please pray for the people of Haiti.  On a lighter note, according to Google, the population of Haiti is 11.47 million people and the capital is Port-au-Prince.  Their national food is...

 

Creole!

Not the kind you get in Louisiana, but Haitian Creole!  We opted to make creole chicken as well as Soup Joumou.  Soup Joumou is a soup that is traditionally served on January 1, which is Haiti's independence day. I have learned that when the Haitian people were enslaved, they were made to make this soup for their masters and for the rich, but were not allowed to eat it themselves.  So, when they became independent, they made the soup, and it has become a tradition!  Let me tell you, both the soup and the creole were time-intensive!  We also made Haitian Pikliz to go with everything.  Here's what I did:

CREOLE CHICKEN

3 pounds chicken thighs and breasts

2 limes

1 tbsp poultry season

3 scallions, cut thin

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 C parsley, chopped

1 tsp thyme

4 whole cloves

6 garlic cloves, minced

A pinch of salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

3 tbsp avocado oil

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 1/4 C boiling water

1 onion, sliced

1 green pepper, sliced

1 tsp Franks Hot Sauce

1. In a small bowl, mix juice of limes, poultry season, scallions, vinegar, parsley, thyme, cloves, garlic, salt and pepper.  
2. Place chicken in a zip-lock bag, and pour in spices mixture.  Marinate overnight.
3. When it is time to cook the chicken, remove from refrigerator, and bring to room temp.
4. In a heavy skillet (I used two skillets), heat 2 tbsp oil 1 tbsp tomato paste under medium heat while stirring.  Once the oil is hot, add it to the oil mixture in batches and transfer to a plate.
5. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet and add the marinade and cook for about one minute.
6. Add the chicken back to the pan and stir to incorporate.
7. In a separate container, add remaining tomato paste and 1 cup of boiling water to dilute.  Mix and add to the chicken.
8. Cover the chicken and cook over medium heat until chicken is fully cooked.
9. Remove from heat, and remove chicken from pan.
10. Strain the liquid from the pan and  reheat the strained sauce.  
11. Add 1/4 cup boiling water if necessary and season with additional salt and pepper.  Add the hot sauce.
12. Add the onion and pepper slices and bring to a boil. 
13. When the sauce has thickened, add the chicken to coat.  Serve immediately.

Source:  Creole Chicken

 

SOUP JOUMOU

1 Butternut squash

3 C gluten free macaroni

1 lb beef stew meat

l lb carne asada steak meat

1/2 jicama, peeled and chopped

1 bunch radish, chopped

2 heads broccoli, chopped

2 celery stalks, chopped

6 cloves garlic, chopped

Juice from 2 limes

1 tbsp fresh sage

3 cups green and red cabbage, shredded

1 tbsp poultry season

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp avocado oil

10 C water

2 C vegetable broth

1. Combine the meat with salt, pepper, garlic, sage, 1 lime juiced, and parsley in a zip-lock bag and marinate overnight. 
2. Put the meat with the marinating liquid into a heavy-bottomed pot and add 8 cups water.
3. Cook on medium-high, covering the pot halfway.  Cook for around 2 hours, adding more water if needed.  In the end, you should have about 2 cups of water left.
4. Meanwhile, cook the squash until it is fork-tender.  Remove the seeds and put it into a blender and liquefy with vegetable broth and water.  You may need to do this in batches. 
5. Pour the mixture into the meat and stir.
6. Add the poultry season and vegetables and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.
7. Add the juice from the second lime and add the noodles until they are cooked through. Enjoy!

Source: Soup Joumou

HAITIAN PIKLIZ

2 C shredded cabbage (green and red)

1 carrot

2 bell peppers

1 onion

2 scallions

4 Habinero peppers

6 garlic cloves

1 tsp salt

14 peppercorns

4 cloves

2 C white vinegar

1 lime, juiced

1. Slice the cabbage, bell peppers, onion, scallions, and Habinero very thinly.  Grate the carrot.  Dice the garlic.
2. Place all the sliced ingredients in a large bowl and add salt, peppercorns, and cloves.
3. Add the vinegar and lime juice and mix well.
4. Let sit for two days, and then enjoy!

Source: Haitian Pikliz

We had guests with us for this meal, and overall, they enjoyed the chicken.  It wasn't my favorite, but I did have some overcooked pieces.  A couple things I would do different with the chicken:  I wouldn't cook it for as long as I did.  I omitted one instruction to add the chicken to the sauce and cook for another five minutes.  This made the chicken tough, and overcooked.  Another thing was that I could not find the hot sauce that was recommended, so I used what I could find.  If you can find "Noubess Original Hot and Spicy Sauce", and you try this recipe, let me know how it comes out!

As my Aunt said while eating the soup, it seems like a "feel better" soup.  You eat it and you feel like you're eating something very healthy and robust.  A couple things I would do differently in the soup:  If you are using gluten free macaroni, make the macaroni separate, and then add to each bowl individually.  Otherwise, it continues to cook and completely falls apart.  Second, this soup was MUCH better the second and third day.  We added some canned diced tomatoes and cooking sherry, and it tasted very much like minestrone soup.  It was actually quite good!

The cabbage slaw was QUITE spicy!  It went well with the chicken, but eating it alone was very hot.  And I didn't use all the peppers it called for!  My brother in law took the rest home to eat!  Overall, it was quite a cooking adventure, and a fun meal to make.

 

  

ME

Taste of Creole Chicken (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing):5

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

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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Creole Chicken (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): 1

 

ME

Taste of Soup Joumou (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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Soup Joumou (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): 1

 

ME

Taste of Haitian Pikliz (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 5

Spicy (hot) (1 is not at all spicy, 10 is uneatable): 7

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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Haitian Pikliz (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): 1

 

Another country down!  Join us next time in Luxembourg!

Tanzania

 Welcome to Tanzania!  I can't believe it has been close to a month since we visited Kyrgyzstan - wow!  Welcome to the holidays, I guess.  Tonight we visited Tanzania.  I've always wanted to visit Tanzania, just to see Mt. Kilimanjaro.  Bonus if I could hike it...  Somehow, I don't see that happening...Also, a fun fact about Tanzania is that it is the top producer of cloves in the world!  The population of Tanzania is 56.31 million people, and the capital is Dodoma.  The national dish is...

Ugali!

Yep, just like Kenya and several other countries.  We had it when we visited Cote d'Ivoire as well.  It is a corn meal dumpling that traditionally is dipped in soup or sauce.  So, to complement our Ugali, we made Coconut Potato Soup.  There is a very interesting story about this soup from the original blogger where I got the recipe - I encourage you to go to that site and read about it!  Anyway, here's what I did:

UGALI

1/3 C white corn meal

1 C boiling water

1/2 tsp salt

1. Boil the cup of water on the stove and add salt.
2. Add, bit by bit, the corn meal, ensuring that it is completely mixed after each addition. I used a whisk to do this.
3. By the time the last of the corn meal is added, the ugali should be thick and sticky, but hold its form when cool.

(Source: Ugali)

COCONUT POTATO SOUP

3 tbsp avocado oil

1 onion, chopped

6 small cloves garlic, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

3 carrots, diced

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

4 medium Yukon potatoes, cubed

1 can coconut milk

4 C water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Avocado, for garnish

1. In a pot over medium heat, cook onion and garlic until translucent (about 10 minutes).
2. Add the peppers and carrots to the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium-high.
4. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the juices evaporate and the tomatoes are soft and almost a paste.  This took me 15ish minutes.
5. Add the potatoes, coconut milk, water, salt, and pepper.
6. Cook until the potatoes are tender.
7. Top with avocado and enjoy!

(Source: Coconut Potato Soup)

The verdict?   We really enjoyed the soup.  We added two "dumplings" of ugali to our soup, and it actually went really well together - we were surprised.  We thought that the potatoes didn't add much to the soup, and next time we make it (because there will be a next time!) we will add chicken.  It was a rich, comforting soup, but had a lightness about it.  The avocados added a lot to it as well.  The ugali, if eaten plain, was not good - it had the consistency of thick glue.  But, when eaten with the soup, we really enjoyed it.

ME

Taste of Ugali (1 is terrible, 10 is amazing): 1

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

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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Ugali (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): 1

ME

Taste of Coconut Potato Soup (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): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Coconut Potato Soup (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

This was a good one - thanks for joining us!  As life and holidays are upon us, stay tuned for our next country...it will be a surprise!

Kyrgyzstan

 Welcome to Kyrgyzstan!  Try spelling that without using auto-correct...it's tricky!  Kyrgyzstan's main export is gold and precious stones, which I thought was interesting (thanks Handsome Husband for that nugget!)  There are several mountain ranges, and quite honestly, it looks like a beautiful place!  According to Google, Kyrgyzstan has a population of 6.59 million people, and  the capital is Bishkek.  The national dish is...

Beshbarmak!

What is that?  Literally translated, it is "five fingers".  Traditionally, this meal is eaten with your fingers.  Also traditionally, it is made with horse meat.  As horse meat is difficult to find in the Pacific Northwest, we opted for beef.  I did, however, use elk bone broth and elk fat in the meal (thanks again, Handsome Husband!).  Beshbarmak is a meat and noodle meal that is served with an onion and herb broth.  The noodles are like super thin lasagna noodles.  I did make several adjustments to the recipe, so I encourage you to look at the original recipe that is linked below.  Here's what I did:

BESHBARMAK

Sauce

1 large onion, sliced into very thin semi-circles

600 ml bone broth

Fresh parsley and dill (a small bunch), roughly chopped

Meat

1/2 pounds top sirloin, sliced very thin

1 tsp garlic powder

1 bay leaf

Salt and pepper, to taste

Animal fat, for cooking (I used elk)

Noodles

300 g gluten free flour

1 egg

100 ml bone broth, room temp

1/2 tsp salt

To make the noodles:

1. Sift the flour into a bowl.
2. Add the salt to the flour.
3. Make a well in the flour, and crack the egg into the flour.
4. Add the stock to the egg and flour and work the dough until everything is evenly combined (dough should be quite soft.  If it is not, add more broth, 1 tsp at a time).
5. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let sit for 20 minutes.
6. Take 1/3 of the dough and roll out on a well-floured surface to about 1 mm thick (mine were thicker because gluten free flour doesn't hold well when it is rolled super thin).
7. Cut into 1-2 inch rectangles.
8. Let the noodles dry on a floured surface for 30 minutes before cooking.

To make the sauce:

1. Take 600 ml of bone broth, add herbs, and simmer for about 15 minutes uncovered and reduce by half.
2. In another pan, use animal fat and sweat the onions until they are translucent.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour onions into broth and herb mixture, take off the heat, and cover with a lid.

To make the meat:

1. Heat animal fat in a pan.
2. Add bay leaf, meat, and sprinkle garlic powder, salt, and pepper on the meat.
3. Cook to your liking.

To cook the noodles:

1. Heat bone broth in a stock pot until boiling.
2. Add the noodles and cook until tender (about 5 minutes).

To plate and eat:

1. Arrange noodles on the bottom of a plate.
2. Add meat on top of noodles.
3. Pour onion sauce on top.
4. TRY eating it with your hands.  Give up, and use a fork!

(Source: Beshbarmak)

The verdict?  It wasn't bad.  I was surprised at the noodles.  I thought they would be like any other gluten free noodle - one that just falls apart and doesn't taste like much.  Surprisingly, the noodles held together very well.  I think  that adding the bone broth to the noodle and then cooking the noodles in the bone broth really helped as well.  It was a great challenge to eat this meal with your hands - it is very messy!  Forks are much easier.  Handsome Husband said he liked it, and could see how it was a comfort food.  We ended up adding a lot more salt, so that would be something to keep in mind as well.

ME

Taste of Beshbarmak (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

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Beshbarmak (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! Please join us in Tanzania!

Cambodia

 Welcome to Cambodia!  the population is around 15.55 million people, and the capital is Phnom Penh.  The national dish is...

Samlor Kako!

It is a soup that has a curry base.  It was a bit challenging, as I made my own curry paste.  Finding some of the ingredients was a challenge!  I thought that a warm soup on a cool autumn day sounded great.  It didn't disappoint!  Here's what I did:

SAMLOR KAKO

Khmer Curry Paste

3 oz galangal

2 oz fresh ginger

2 oz fresh turmeric

3 oz lemongrass, finely chopped

5 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 shallots, finely chopped

10 kaffir lime leaves

4 tbsp avocado oil

Samlor Kako

2 tsp avocado oil

2 tbsp palm sugar, finely chopped

1 tbsp shrimp paste (original recipe called for fish paste - I couldn't find it)

2 tbsp fish sauce

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp Khmer curry paste

1 lb chicken, cut into large pieces

3 lbs assorted veggies (I used Kabocha squash, grated green papaya, green beans, Thai eggplant)

6 Thai chili peppers

6 C boiling water

For the Khmer curry:

1. Peel the galangal by scraping it with a knife and cut into thin strips (I learned this is a GREAT way to peel galangal!!!)
2. Peel turmeric and ginger, and cut into strips.
3. Remove the thick center vein from the kaffir leaves and cut them into thin strips.
4. Heat oil in a wok over medium heat and fry all the ingredients until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
5. Put the mixture in a food processor until a thick paste.

For the Samlor Kako

1. Cut all the veggies into pieces.
2. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the palm sugar.  Stir the sugar quickly until it is partially dissolved - do not burn.
3. Add the shrimp paste and mix well.
4. Add the meat, stir, and sauté the meat until it is coated and slightly brown in color.
5. Add the Khmer curry paste and stir to combine.
6. Add the fish sauce and salt.
7. Add the veggies and peppers, and mix well.
8. Add boiling water.
9. Stir, cover, and cook for about 25 minutes over medium heat.
10. Serve with steamed rice, if desired.

(Source: Samlor Kako)

The verdict?  This was very good.  However, while cooking it, it smelled terrible.  I would recommend leaving a window open.  Thankfully it tasted NOTHING like it smelled.  It took a long time to peel and cut all the veggies, so do that ahead of time!  The squash we used was a sweet squash, and it was very good in the soup.  Be careful of the Thai peppers - they look very similar to green beans!  We did try it with rice, but it really didn't add much to the dish.  It was a great, fall, comforting soup standing on its own.  I would add more chicken next time as well.  Overall, we really enjoyed this soup!

ME

Taste of Samlor Kako (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): 8

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Samlor Kako (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): 7

Another down!  Join us next time in Kyrgyzstan!

Sierra Leone

 Welcome to Sierra Leone!  Sounds like it should be in the mountains of California, but it is actually a country in Africa!  According to Google, the population is 8,184,889 people, and the capital is Freetown.  It is also home to the third largest harbor in the world!  It's national dish is...

Cassava Leaves!

What do you do with cassava leaves?!  From what I read, the people in Sierra Leone often make stews and soups with cassava leaves, so that's what I opted to do.  However, I could not find cassava leaves anywhere!  I could find the rest of the plant, but not the leaves.  The recipe said that if you couldn't find the leaves, to use spinach leaves.  Spinach to the rescue!  To complement the soup, I also made Ginger Cake.  Apparently ginger is grown en masse in Sierra Leone, and the ginger cake is a common street food.  Here's what I did:

CASSAVA LEAF SOUP

3 pounds spinach, put in a blender until the consistency of sand - I used frozen (a substitute for cassava)

1 pound beef, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 pound smoked turkey (Costco for the win!)

1 onion, chopped

1/2 C olive oil

1 tbsp shrimp paste

4 tbsp peanut butter

2 C chicken stock

1 habanero pepper, diced

1 pound shrimp

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. In a large saucepan, heat the chicken stock and add the onions and beef.  Cook the beef for about ten minutes.
2. Heat the oil in a large stock pot, and pull the onions out of the beef sauce pan, and add them to the oil (I used a slotted spoon).  Add the shrimp paste and pepper, and sauté until fragrant.
3. Add the beef and the smoked turkey.
4. Add the peanut butter and mix well.
5. Add the stock, and cook for about five minutes.
6. Add the spinach, and let it cook for about 25 minutes.
7. Add the shrimp, and cook until shrimp are pink.
8. Serve over rice.

(Source: Cassava Leaf Soup)

SIERRA LEONE FRESH GINGER CAKE

2 1/2 C gluten free flour (I used Cup-4-Cup)

2 tbsp fresh grated ginger

1 C butter

3 eggs

1 C whole milk

1 C sugar

1 C brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1. Grease and flour a 8x8 pan.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt.
4. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
5. Mix the eggs, grated ginger, and vanilla into the butter mixture. 
6. Add milk to the butter mixture.
7. Add the flour mixture and mix until incorporated.
8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
9. Bake 50 minutes, until a knife comes out clean.
10. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip onto a cutting board.
11. Dust lightly with powdered sugar and ginger, and enjoy!
    

(Source: Sierra Leone Fresh Ginger Cake)

The verdict?  There were SO many things I would do differently.  Let's start with the soup.  If I were to make it again, I would leave out the beef and add extra smoked turkey.  The recipe said it could be any type of smoked protein (fish, chicken, turkey), and it really added a lot to the flavor.  The smell, however, was not good at all.  So much so that I couldn't eat it all.  It was a very earthy smell.  Handsome Husband likened it to the smell of freshly-cut wet grass.  I couldn't argue. The recipe also said to season with salt, pepper, and oil.  It needed A LOT of salt.  It was quite bland without it.  Handsome Husband tried it with the oil and said it did make a difference in a good way.

For the cake, the recipe said to use two loaf pans, and to split the batter.  Because I cooked it in an 8x8 pan, it took twice as long to cook.  It worked, but I cooked mine for about 100 minutes. It tasted pretty good for a gluten free cake.  It had a very strong ginger taste, but it was a good-strong.  

  

ME

Taste of Cassava Leaf Soup (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): 4

 

HANDSOME HUSBAND

Taste of Cassava Leaf  Soup (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

ME

Taste of Sierra Leone Fresh Ginger Cake (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 Sierra Leone Fresh Ginger Cake (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): 5

Another down!  Hard to believe we've been doing this for more than a year!  Join us next time in Cambodia!