Italy

Italy (#2) Italian Wedding Soup

The term "wedding soup" or "minestra maritata" in Italian, means "married soup" which refers to the marriage between greens and meat.  I searched for recipes online and in my cookbooks but the one I settled on and have made many times came from the back of the box of Acini di Pepe, the little pearls of pasta that is used for the soup.  Onions, carrots, celery and garlic are sauteed in olive oil until softened.  Four cups of chicken broth is added and brought to a boil.  In a separate pan, sweet Italian sausage is crumbled and cooked in a little olive oil for a few minutes.  Add spinach, the Acini di Pepe and the sausage to the broth and simmer for several minutes.  I have also made this with different greens such as a Chinese green called gai-lan, and other vegetables such as zucchini and red peppers.  This is excellent the next day when the broth is absorbed and the soup thickens.  I served it with a fried egg on top, which is my new favorite thing to do. 

France

France (#1) Salmon Scaloppine with Mustard Sauce

I had never heard of salmon cooked scaloppine style until I saw Jacque Pepin prepare it this way on his wonderful "Heart and Soul" show.  He made it with a sorrel sauce but I discovered Chef Jean-Pierre's You Tube channel and found it cooked with a mustard sauce that I decided to make.  I bought a half pound filet of salmon and asked the butcher to cut it in four equal pieces.  He seemed a little confused that it was being cut so thin until I told him I would be cooking it on it's side scaloppine style instead of skin side down which would have been impossible since it's so thin.  He said, "Hmm, I'll have to give that I try." The sauce is made by sauteing shallots in olive oil, then adding chopped ginger and scallions.  Deglaze with white wine then add a touch of chicken broth and cream (I used half and half), salt and pepper, a grainy Dijon mustard and a pat of butter.  The salmon is cooked in a little oil for about a minute on each side.  It's very thin so it's important not to overcook it.  Served it with the sauce drizzled over the top.

Jamaica

Jamaica (#26) Jamaican Patties

I love these savory baked pastries and they're so easy to make.  There are many different ways to make Jamaican patties just by changing the spices.  This recipe uses a combination of curry powder and thyme, but a mixture of allspice and paprika can also be used.  I sauteed diced onions then added ground beef and cooked until brown.  I sprinkled a little curry powder, thyme, salt and pepper on the mixture then added some beef broth, bread crumbs and some Pickapeppa sauce.  I cut circles in a pie crust and stuffed them with the patty mixture then folded them over and brushed egg wash over the top.  Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.  I added a little sprinkling of Pickapeppa with each bite. 
Delicious!

Japan

Japan (#25) Yakitori (Skewered Chicken Thighs and Scallions)

I've been exploring Japanese food a lot and with all the things I want to make, I should probably start a separate blog.  Yakitori literally means skewered food, and there are many different yakitori dishes - for example, negima is chicken thighs and scallions, tebasaki is chicken wings and chicken liver is reba.  The chicken pieces and scallions are skewered and broiled for six minutes then brushed with a mixture of soy sauce, sake, mirin, water and brown sugar that has been simmered for about a half hour.  The chicken skewers are cooked for another 5-6 minutes and drizzled with remaining soy sauce mixture before serving.  I served this with sticky rice sprinkled with Japanese sea salt and black sesame seeds.  This recipe is from San Francised based Japanese cook, Nami's website and You Tube channel Just One Cookbook. 
https://www.justonecookbook.com/yakitori/

Korea

Korea (#24) Sticky Honey Garlic Wings and Sticky White Rice

There are a lot of recipes for Asian-style wings but this one appealed to me because of the chili serrano peppers.  I found the recipe on popular Korean You Tuber Seongkyoung Longest's channel called "Asian at Home".  The wings are marinated in a mixture of mirin, grated ginger and grated garlic for about two hours.  After marinating, they're broiled for about 15-20 minutes on each side then tossed in a mixture of soy sauce and honey that has been brought to a boil and cooked for a minute or two with slices of garlic and serranos.  I served this with Annie Chun's sticky white rice from Sprouts which takes just one minute to make in the microwave. 

Peru

Peru (#23) Pollo a la Brasa (Roast Chicken)

According to a favorite website of mine "The Spruce", this Peruvian dish has become popular on the east coast.  In Peru, it's almost always found on restaurant menus and is one of the countries most popular dishes.  Traditionally, a whole chicken is marinated and cooked on an open flame.  The secret to this recipe is marinating it for a minimum of two hours or up to 24 hours.  The marinade is a mixture of oil, lime juice, soy sauce, oregano, cumin, paprika, sugar, fresh garlic, and salt and pepper.  I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs and wingettes.  After marinating, the chicken is baked at 350 degrees for about an hour and 15 minutes.  The chicken was melt-in-your-mouth delicious.  I served it with a butter and garlic rice cooked in chicken broth.

Japan

Japan (#22) Miso Glazed Salmon

I saw this recipe on Jacque Pepin's Heart and Soul cooking show and decided to make it.  I researched other versions of the recipe and settled on one from one of my new favorite websites called "Just One Cookbook".  The salmon is marinated in a mixture of miso paste, sake, mirin, soy sauce and sesame oil for about an hour then broiled for about 10 minutes.  I served it over sticky white rice sprinkled with black sesame seeds and sea salt.  This was easy, healthy, inexpensive and delicious.  There was a leftover piece of salmon which I'll use for onigirazu for an easy, healthy lunch.
https://www.justonecookbook.com/miso-salmon/

Onigirazu is popular in Japanese bento lunch boxes.  They're easy to make and the fillings are endless.