Italy

Italy (#1) Chicken Marsala

I have often ordered this dish at Italian restaurants but this is the first time I've made it at home.  It was fairly easy to make and was just as good as what I've had out for dinner.  There are just a few main ingredients - chicken cutlets, marsala wine, cream, mushrooms and onions or shallots.  I added a pinch of dried tarragon.  The cutlets are sauteed in olive oil and butter then removed from the pan and set aside.  The mushrooms and onions/shallots are sauteed in the same pan until they're softened then equal parts of chicken broth, cream and wine are added and simmered until the sauce is reduced.  Add the chicken back to the pan and cook a few more minutes.  I served this over thin spaghetti.

France

France (#3) Saumon au Beurre Blanc

Beurre blanc is a classic French butter sauce that is wonderful drizzled over pan-seared salmon.  The basic recipe lends itself well to herbs and for mine I added fresh dill which is perhaps my favorite herb.  Shallots are finely chopped and cooked in butter then removed from the pan.  White wine and lemon juice is then added to the pan and reduced down for about 5-6 minutes. The shallots are added, then cold pats of butter are added one by one until each is melted and the sauce is emulsified.  Add chopped dill and drizzle over prepared salmon and rice.

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.