Hungary

Hungary (#5) Turos Teszta (Noodles and cottage cheese)

One of my co-workers told me about this recipe.  Her father is Hungarian and she grew up eating this wonderful dish.  I viewed several YouTube videos and it’s a staple in Hungarian homes because it’s so simple and uses only three ingredients – egg noodles, cottage cheese and bacon.  The noodles are cooked then tossed with creamy cottage cheese and topped with bacon crumbles.  Sour cream and minced garlic were used in several recipes I researched but it’s just as good with the lower fat version using low-fat cottage cheese and omitting the sour cream.  This dish will be a staple in my home because I almost always have all three of the ingredients and it was simply delicious.

Russia

Russia (#4) Salad Olivier

I first discovered this recipe on Mo Rocca’s “My Grandmother’s Ravioli”.  Salad Olivier is a traditional Russian salad.  The original version was created by Lucien Olivier in the 1860’s.  Lucien was the chef of the famous French restaurant in Moscow called L’Hermitage.  The salad is very similar to traditional American potato salad except for carrots and peas that are added, and sometimes chicken or bologna.  I boiled potatoes, carrots and eggs and chopped them into a fairly small dice.  I then added cooked frozen peas and diced pickles and tossed everything with a mixture of mayonnaise, lemon juice, mustard and olive oil.  I really enjoyed this recipe and have it on the top of my list for a future potluck.

  

Asia

Asian Ginger Salad Dressing

I found this recipe on Allrecipes.com and it instantly became a favorite of mine.

Ingredients:
3 cloves of minced garlic
2 TBLS grated ginger
3/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup light soy sauce
3 TBLS honey
1/4 cup water

Combine all ingredients.  Shake well.  Microwave for one minute to dissolve honey.  Let cool before serving.

China

China (#3) Steamed Fish, Dumplings, and Spring Rolls

It's the Chinese Lunar New Year, Year of the Rooster, and to celebrate, I made three lucky foods.  Steamed fish symbolizes prosperity and the saying associated with it is "may the year bring you prosperity".   The dumplings and spring rolls symbolize wealth.  The saying associated with dumplings is "ring out the old year and bring in the new".  The shape of the spring rolls represents gold bars.   I also made a leafy green salad drizzled with a homemade Asian salad dressing and toasted sliced almonds.  I found the recipe for the steamed fish at woksoflife.com, a really wonderful website.  Here it is: http://thewoksoflife.com/2013/10/cantonese-steamed-fish/

Jamaica

Jamaica (#2) Brown Stew Chicken

Brown stew chicken is the Jamaican version of Chicken Fricassee.  I found several recipes on You Tube but this one on "The Jamaican Mother" channel was the one I settled on and it was wonderful.  One of the ingedients was something I had heard of but have never used - Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning sauce.  It's made with a vegetable base of carrots, cabbage, onion, parsley, turnips and parsnips and adds a nice richness to the dish.  I used organic boneless, skinless chicken thighs.  The chicken is combined with chopped red, yellow and orange bell peppers, onions, garlic, habanero pepper (as a substitute for Scotch Bonnets), all-purpose seasoning, allspice and fresh ground pepper.  Marinate in the refrigerator for at least an hour, then remove the chicken and brown on both sides in oil.  Add the vegetables to the pan along with water, browning and ketchup.. Cover and simmer for 45-60 minutes.  Serve with rice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tVPOU4Q_kc

U.S.A.

Hoppin' John (#1)  (Rice and Peas)

I usually make black eyed peas for New Year's which is a southern tradition I grew up with, but this year I made Hoppin' John.  I hope I don't wait until next New Year's to make this again, because it was really, really good.  According to a New York Times article dated 2003, Hoppin' John originated in Africa.  It traditionally consists of peas and rice.  Collard greens are added along with pork or beef sausage.  The peas represent coins, the collard greens represent dollar bills and the sausage represents fat or prosperity.  I drizzled a little olive oil and hot pepper sauce over the top for extra flavor, and served with jalapeno bread.
This American/African dish kicks off another year of international cooking.
Coming soon, Caribbean coconut shrimp.

Tunisia

Shakshuka (Eggs Poached in Tomato Sauce)

This baked egg dish is a staple in North Africa - Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco, but is also popular in Israel and throughout the Middle East.  There are many versions, but the basic recipe is onions, peppers and garlic sauteed in oil.  Cumin and smoked paprika are added to the vegetable mixture and cooked for a few minutes.  Next, add a can of tomatoes to the pan.  You can used crushed tomatoes, diced, or whole tomatoes crushed by hand which gives a lot of flexibility depending on what you have in your pantry.  After simmering the mixture for 10 minutes or so, eggs are cracked on top.  Move the pan to a preheated 375 degree oven and cook for about 10 minutes.  This dish cooks well in a cast iron skillet.  Serve over rice.
Note: I always use organic, cage free eggs.