EGEA COOKBOOK

Gazpacho - Cold Spanish Vegetable Soup

Submitted by Alejandro Martin from Barcelona

Preparation time: 15 min. Ready in: 1 hr. Difficulty: Easy (no special experience needed)

The biggest difficulty while preparing Gazpacho is to control the quantity of olive oil and bread. This changes the taste enormously. But after two Gazpachos you will be a master! Also you have to know that it does not exist one way to prepare Gazpacho. You can change some ingredients to prepare it the way you like it.

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 1 kg tomatoes (preferable plum tomatoes)

• 1/2 small onion (60 grams)

• 1 small green pepper

• 1 or 2 cucumbers 

• 1 small cup of olive oil

• 2 desert spoons of vinegar

• 200 g bread (from the day before)

• Small portions of cucumber and bread or croutons to sprinkle on top (optional)

Directions: 

Step 1: Put the tomatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinegar, oil and bread into a liquidizer. If you want to dilute it, add a glass of water. Tip: If you like a tangy taste of garlic, add a small (!) amount of fresh garlic to the mixture before liquidizing.

Step 2: Put the mixture into a bowl, add salt and pepper and leave the gazpacho to chill for at least an hour. If you want to eat it straight away, you can put some ice cubes in to cool it down. Gazpacho is a summer dish which is meant to hydrate and cool down your body. The colder the better!

Step 3: Serve the gazpacho in soup bowls, with portions of diced cucumber and/or croutons on the table, so that everyone can add them to their bowl as they prefer.

History: Gazpacho has ancient roots. There are a number of theories of its origin, including as an Arab soup of bread, olive oil, water and garlic that arrived in Spain and Portugal with the Moors, or via the Romans with the addition of vinegar. Once in Spain it became a part of Andalusian cuisine, particularly Córdoba and Seville, using stale bread, garlic, olive oil, salt, and vinegar, similar to ajoblanco. (source:  wikipedia.org )

There are many modern variations of gazpacho, often in different colors and omitting the tomatoes and bread in favor of avocados, cucumbers, parsley, watermelon, grapes, meat stock, seafood, and other ingredients.

Mâncare de spanac cu ouă poșate - Spinach Stew with Poached Eggs

Submitted by Gabriela Moroșanu, EGEA Bucharest (Romania)

Preparation time: 1 hr. Ready in 1 ½  hr. Difficulty: Easy - Medium

Ingredients:

• 1 kg of fresh spinach
• 1 small onion (white or red)
• 250 ml of milk
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon white wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• salt
• freshly ground pepper
• Some (x no. of persons) very fresh eggs (for laying)
• 1 teaspoon of vinegar (for laying)

Accompany the dish with polenta.

Recommended drink: Any kind of wine or even beer

Directions:

Step 1. Wash the spinach well

Step 2. Boil the water in a 4-5 l pot, add 2 tablespoons of salt

Step 3. When the water boils, add the spinach and press it with a whisk. Let the spinach cook for 2-3 minutes, then drain it in a strainer

Step 4. Drain the spinach well (but do not squeeze it to get all the liquid out), then chop it coarsely

Step 5. Finely chop the onion and put it in a large saucepan, in the 2 tablespoons of oil and 4-5 tablespoons of water.

Step 6. When the onion becomes glassy, ​​add the sliced ​​garlic - if necessary add 4-5 tablespoons of water

Step 7. Add the spinach over the onion and garlic and cook for a few more minutes

Step 8. In a bowl, mix the milk with the flour with a fork, then pour the contents over the spinach

Step 9. Let simmer for 7-10 minutes and stir occasionally (be careful not to stick to the bottom of the pot).

Step 10. While the spinach is on the fire, boil the water in a saucepan, add the vinegar to the water.

Step 11. In a small bowl, break the shell of the first egg (make sure not to break the yolk), and when the water boils with small bubbles (be careful, the water must not boil!), mix (spin) with a spoon in the water, so that a "swirl" is formed, then add the egg from the bowl right in the middle of the vortex (if the egg is fresh, the egg white will "wrap around the yolk")

Step 12. Let the egg lay for 4 minutes, then remove it with a spatula and transfer it to a bowl of warm water until all the eggs are laid.

Step 13. Serve the spinach in a plate, with an egg placed on top.

Bon appetit! Poftă bună!

History: In Romania, we look forward to the arrival of spring, to abundantly use the fresh leaves of green plants in different types of light foods (nettles, stevia, spinach, wild garlic, in some areas even the leaves of dandelion flowers). From these leaves, with a little cooking effort, you can prepare both salads, soups and main dishes. The recipe shared with you is called "spinach stew with poached eggs", which I will present a little richer, with everything you need in it, but know that it can be prepared even simpler (for example, without eggs), for vegans.

Ghiveci - Vegetable Stew

Submitted by Oana Vintan from Cluj-Napoca

Preparation time: 10-15 min. Ready in: 30-40 min. Difficulty: very easy.

Ingredients:

• 3 yellow paprika
• 2 red paprika (not hot peppers)
• 2 big onions
• 3 tomatoes
• 3 garlic cloves
• 5 Tbsp oil
• salt
• pepper
• water          

Directions:

Step 1: Peel the onions and the garlic, remove the inside of the paprika. Put the paprika and the tomatoes in a bowl. Wash them carefully. Slice the vegetables and put them separately from the onions and the garlic.

Step 2: Heat the oil in a large stew-pot (be careful to choose a pot big enough for all the ingredients) and add the onions. Turn the heat on small to medium and simmer the onions until they start to get transparent.

Step 3: Add the paprika (both red and yellow) and let the stew cook for about 1 min. Add enough water to cover 80% of the ingredients. Let the stew boil on medium heat. Do not cover the pot. 

Step 4: After it started boiling add pepper and salt as much as you like. Then add garlic and the tomatoes. Let the stew boil until there is not much water left in the pan (the tomatoes will release some more juice).

Step 5: You can serve it with boiled rice or just with bread. You can add any kind of vegetables you like (carrots, potatoes, eggplants, mushrooms). Just remember to add them before you add the tomatoes and add vegetables first which boil slower.

History: I know this dish from my grandmother. She used to cook it at the end of summer when she had garden leftovers that she wanted to save (small paprika, some forgotten onions, etc). It is really easy to make this dish and it tastes awesome! It's one of my favorites. :)

Sărmăluțe în foi de viță - Romanian ”Sărmăluțe” in Vine Leaves

Submitted by Gabriela Moroșanu, EGEA Bucharest (Romania)

Preparation time : 1-2 hr. Ready in 2-3 hr. Difficulty: High

In this recipe we will learn how to prepare sărmăluțe in vine leaves. We call them "sărmăluțe", a diminutive for the basic word "sarmale" (pl.), just because the beef leaves are thinner and smaller and the final product has reduced dimensions than the initial one, obtained from the cabbage leaves. However, I consider the vine leaves more dietetic and easier to roll than the cabbage leaves, not so malleable and soft.

Depending on the geographical area of Romania and the local traditions (or religious practices, i.e. the fasting period of the year before the big holidays), these ”Sărmăluțe” in vine leaves can be stuffed with pork, beef or lamb mixed with rice, onion, greens (dill, green parsley) or can be prepared only with rice and vegan ingredients: raisins, ground cereals, nuts, etc.

Ingredients:

• Pickled vine leaves (2 × no. of sărmăluțe desired + a few extra for decoration) - the recipe is for 40-50 sărmăluțe

• 2 white onions

• 500 g of minced meat of any kind (we use beef, pork, turkey or mixed)

• Tomato paste (3-4 tablespoons)

• A can of rice (or depending on how dietary you want the dish to be, the equivalent of 150 - 200 g of rice)

• Salt and Pepper

• Hot or sweet paprika

• 1-2 eggs

• Chopped thyme

• Bay leaves

• A few tablespoons of oil

• For serving, sour cream or yogurt sauce

Drinks suggestion: Homemade red wine, țuica or palinka.

Directions:

(Optional, if not yet made) Preparation of vine leaves

Step 1. Choose the vine leaves as tender and rounded as possible to wrap the sarmales more easily.

Step 2. Wash them with cold water, cut their stems and then scald them in boiling water for a few seconds (they will change color and soften), the let them dry.

Step 3. Place the leaves in a row so that some of them overlap. Then from the last leaf you start to roll the leaves quite easily. Finally, place the roll of leaves in a sterilized jar.

Step 4. Preparing the brine. To fill one jar with vine leaves you need 500 ml of brine made from 500 ml of water and 10-12 g of salt once (for pickles). Bring the brine to a boil for 2-3 minutes, then let it cool for 10 minutes. Pour hot brine over the leaves in the jar.

Step 5. Store jars of pickled vines in a pantry.

Preparation of the filling for sărmăluțe:

Step 1. Chop the meat at home (recommended… it is fresh and tastier). Whether you choose pork, beef, turkey or mixed meat, there may be differences in the composition characteristics. The fat in the meat makes the sarmales more tender and juicy. Sarmales with lean meat, beef or chicken, will come out stronger and thicker.

Step 2. Choose the rice, wash it well and drain it in a sieve. 

Step 3. Clean and wash the onion, then finely chop it.

Step 4. In a pan, sauté the onion together with the rice and tomato juice (or tomato paste) in a little hot oil, no more than 4-5 minutes, without browning them. Set the pan aside and let the composition cool.

Step 5. Finely chop the green parsley.

Step 6. In the bowl of minced meat put (optionally chopped greens) the hardened rice and onion and season with salt, pepper and paprika, to your taste. Mix the ingredients well and leave them to cool a little, so that the tastes blend.

Wrapping and boiling the ”sărmăluțe”

Step 1. Two by two, spread the vine leaves on a shredder or on a board, with the ribbed side up (so the sarmales will be smooth and beautiful).

Step 2. On each vine leaf put a spoonful of the composition. Carefully roll the sarmales, giving them a cylindrical shape and taking care to close their ends well.

Step 3. Choose a suitable pot and put some unfilled, vine leaves on its bottom, so that the sarmales do not stick and burn. You can also cover 

Step 4. Place the sărmăluțe in the pot like bricks. Above, if some vine leaves left, you can also cover the top layer of sarmale with them.

Step 5. Pour borscht into the pot (water, lemon juice or cabbage die or sour tomato juice) to cover the sarmale. In order for the sarmales to be immersed in liquid, they can be covered with a saucer or a lid to press them.

Step 6. The sărmăluțe are boiled over medium or low heat for more than 60 minutes. Fill with water if it drops too much. Taste and when cooked, turn off and put the lid on. Leave to cool.

Serving the ”sărmăluțe”

The vines in the vine leaves are tender and fragrant! Serve with sour cream and chopped greens, if you like. They are very tasty and cold, at room temperature or even taken out of the fridge.

Bon appetit! Poftă bună!

History: “Sarmales” are the indispensable food of Romanians. For many families, they make the Christmas holiday charm. There are also other countries that claim to be the place of origin of “sarmale”. Sarmales have been the traditional dish for a significant part of the world's population (south and south-east Europe, Central Asia) for hundreds of years, but the first version of them was apparently invented by the Turks. The Romanian term "sarma" (sg.) comes from the Turkish word "sarmak", which means "roll" or "package". Indeed, the sarma is nothing than a package, a wrapper holding a filling, originally of minced meat and vegetables. In Romania, this covering is usually represented by pickled cabbage leaves, vine leaves (pickled or raw), or stevia leaves. Sarmale is usually a heavy food that is prepared especially in winter and much of the times served with polenta.

Pierogi Ruskie - Russian Style Pierogi

Submitted by Agnieszka Gajda from Krakow

Preparation time: 40 min. Ready in: 50 min. Difficulty: Easy (no special experience needed)

Ingredients (4 persons):

• Dough:
  • 400 g wheat flour
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • pinch of salt
  • hot water (c. 100ml)
• Filling:
  • 200 g cottage cheese
  • 150 g boiled potatoes
  • 2 big onions
  • salt, pepper, majoran
  • bacon (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Put wheat, melted butter and a pinch of salt in a bowl, add 1/2 of the hot water, mix it and then add water in small portions till you get a very elastic dough (it must be soft but not sticky).

Step 2: Boil water (with 1 tablespoon salt) in a big pot, cut onions into cubes and fry them.

Step 3: Mash potatoes with cheese and fried onions (e.g. in a blender), add salt, pepper and marjoram.

Step 4: Roll the dough out (ca. 2-3mm thin) and cut out circles with a glass or something else (diameter of ca. 3 cm). 

Step 5: Put some filling inside every circle, fold the circle and close the pierogi.

Step 6: Boil the pierogi for about 10 minutes.

Step 7 (optional):If you like you can add some fried bacon (diced) and/or fried onions. Sour cream also go well with the dish.

History: In the Polish cuisine there are a lot of dishes that are named after a country, e.g. Russian style pierogi, Hungarian potato pancakes or Greek style fish. Most of these dishes have nothing to do with “the country of origin" and are traditional polish dishes. Pierogi itself are one of the most popular ones around the world. They are a must-have during every exchange in Poland.

Varză călită cu legume - Spicy Sourkraut with Vegetables

Submitted by Gabriela Moroșanu, EGEA Bucharest (Romania)

Preparation time: 1 hr. Ready in 2 hr. Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients:

• 1 medium size fresh white cabbage (between 1 and 2 kg);
• 1-2 medium white onions;
• 1-2 medium tomatoes;
• 5 tablespoons (or ~250 ml) of tomato sauce/ broth;
• 100-150 ml of oil (any kind, most often we use sunflower)
• Salt, powder pepper, peppercorns, cumin seeds - to taste;
• The secret ingredient: smoked hot paprika.
• 100-150 ml of sunflower oil
• Chopped green parsley
• 1-2 bay leaves (optional)
• Dried or fresh thyme (optional)
• White wine (optional) 
• Optionally, for the non-vegetarian meals, approx. 350 – 400 g of smoked or fresh sausage 

Traditionally, hardened sauerkraut goes great served with hot peppers and a polenta. A good tablespoon of sour cream can also be offered at the table. A goodness!

Drinks suggestion: White wine.

Directions:

Step 1. Cut the fresh cabbage into suitable pieces (1-3 cm long)

Step 2. Sprinkle the cabbage with salt and leave it for ~ 30 minutes

Step 3. In the meantime, peel, wash the onion and finely chop it (fish). 

Step 4. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, which you fry over low heat, with half a teaspoon of salt, until it becomes glassy. Stir it to avoid browning.

Step 5. Cut the tomatoes into pieces, then add the diced tomatoes in the pan with onion to harden.

Step 6. Put the cabbage to harden, in hot oil, over the hardened onion and tomato, beforehand. Add enough water to contain them. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer the cabbage for 40-45 minutes, taking care to add hot water if needed. 

Step 7. If it is cooked, season the cabbage to taste, with salt, pepper, paprika and chopped greens (parsley, thyme etc). Stir to blend the spices and ingredients well. 

Step 8. Continue to harden and stir over low heat until the sauerkraut leaves no juice. Now add a cup of hot water (if you put cold water, this will stop boiling for a while and the whole cooking time will be extended), bay leaves, cumin seeds and peppercorns.

Step 9. To adjust and enhance the taste, one can add over the hardened sauerkraut some extra tomato broth and a glass of dry white wine.

Step 10. (for the non-vegetarians) If sausages are used, cut them into pieces of 3-4 cm. In a pan, prick the fresh sausage pieces with a fork from place to place (so that they do not crack during cooking) and add about 100-150 ml of water. In a short time the water will evaporate and the sausage will release its own fat, in which it will be fried on both sides until it is brown (This step can be intermixed with Steps 4 and 5, to keep the fat from the sausage and harden the onion and tomato). In the end, everything will be mixed together (cooked cabbage and the sausages).

Bon appetit! Poftă bună!

History: Cabbage is a commonly used ingredient in Romanian gastronomy. Fresh, pickled, boiled, cooked in the oven, in any way we eat it, the dish it makes most of will be always delicious. It is considered about cabbage to be a vegetable that unites the Romanians from wherever they are. In past centuries, cabbage was the main ingredient of an indispensable food on people's tables, whether noble or poor, in the city or in the countryside, being used in the preparation of many types of dishes, from salads, to soups and main course.

Marhapörkölt - Hungarian Beef Stew

Submitted by Péter Takács from Budapest

Preparation time: 30 min. ready in: 120 min. difficulty: Medium (some experience recommended).

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 2 bottles of red wine

• 60 dkg beef meat, cubed

• 2 large onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 4 tbsp oil

• 1 tbsp paprika powder 

• 1 tomatos

• 1 bell pepper

• 1-2 bay leaf

• marjoram, salt

• water

• eat with pasta

Recommended drink: As you can see, the most important ingredient for this dish is the WINE! The best choice for this meal is a bottle of delicious Hungarian dry red wine from Villány, Sopron or Eger Wineregions.

Directions:

Step 1: Open the first bottle of wine and taste it just to make sure if it is a good one.

Step 2: Sauté the onions in oil for about 3 minutes (until they are soft and glassy). Pour some more wine in your glass and drink it!

Step 3: Pull the pot from the fire. Drink wine! Put the meat in the pot and sauté for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Put the paprika powder in, add some water. Finish the first bottle of wine!

Step 6: Open the second bottle of wine. 

Step 5: Cook for around 90 minutes, while you stir from time to time and refill the boiled water (and your glass) regularly. You can use wine instead of water to refill the pot. The stew should be gravy in the end. 

Step 7: Add the remaining ingredients meanwhile the cooking and salt in the end.

Step 8: Drnik teh rset of th wne.

 History: Pörkölt is a Hungarian stew with boneless meat, paprika, some vegetables and no potato. It should not be confused with Goulash, a stew with more gravy and more like a soup (using meat with bones, paprika, caraway, vegetables and potato or different tiny dumplings or pasta simmered along with the meat), or Paprikás (using only meat, paprika and thick heavy sour cream). The traditional Hungarian stews: Pörkölt and Paprikás along with the traditional soup "Goulash" are considered to be the national dishes of Hungary.

Winzerschmaus - Vintager's Feast

Submitted by Sascha Wijesingha from Mainz

Preparation time: 30 min. ready in: 90 min. difficulty: Medium (some experience recommended)

Ingredients (4 persons): 

• 4 eggs
• 150g butter 
• 250g flour
• 3 tsp backing powder 
• 125g crème fraîche
• 500g boiled ham
• 50g diced bacon
• 250g sauerkraut
• 500g Gouda cheese
• 200g raw potatoes
• 1 bunch of chives
• 1 bunch of parsley
• mustard, salt, pepper, marjoram

Recommended drink: white wine.

Directions:

Step 1: Mix the dough with eggs, butter, flour, baking powder and crème fraiche.

 Step 2: Sauté the 50 g diced bacon and sauerkraut slightly and let it cool down afterwards.

 Step 3: Cut the 500g of ham and the 500 g of Gouda cheese into small cubes.

 Step 4: Roughly grate 200g of raw potatoes.

 Step 5: Cut the chives and parsley into small pieces.

Step 6: Put all the ingredients into the dough.

 Step 7: Add 1 tbsp. of mustard and 1 tsp. of salt, pepper and marjoram.

 Step 8: Mix everything well and stuff it into a loaf pan (if need be with backing paper).

 Step 9: Let it bake for approx. 1 hour at 200 degrees (°) in the stove.

 Step 10: The dish can be served cold or warm.

History: "When I brought this dish to the WRC ’11 in Sint Michielsgestel, NL for the cultural fair and didn’t know anything about the origin of the dish and none of the other Germans had ever even heard about it, someone wrote in the Daily Geographer Gossip: 'Sascha (Mainz): My mother made a local dish, it is so regional, not even the other Germans know it…'" - Sascha Wijesingha

Boarische Krem - Bavarian Cream

Submitted by Lukas Bösl from Munich

Preparation time: 15 min. Ready in: 20 min (+cooling time in the fridge). difficulty: easy.

Ingredients (Serves 2 persons):

• 50 g icing sugar
• 3 egg yolk
• 300 ml cream
• 2 gelatine leaves
• vanilla pulp of 2 vanilla beans
• hint of orange liqueur 

Recommended drink: White wine.

Directions:

Step 1: Put the gelatine in a bowl of tap water until it softens.

Step 2: Beat the egg yolk, icing sugar and vanilla pulp until it becomes fluffy and creamy with a hand mixer. Beat the cream in a separate bowl until it becomes half stiff. 

Step 3: Put the soft gelatine in a pot and add the liqueur. Heat the pot carefully. The gelatine must dissolve in the liqueur. The liqueur should start to steam but should not boil.

Step 4: Add the gelatine and liqueur mix to the cream and mix it again. Then carefully mix the cream with the rest.

Step 5: Put the cream in the fridge. It should cool for a few hours at least. It is best if it is in the fridge overnight.

History: The Bavarian Cream is a typical dessert in the region. It was firstly mentioned in 1815 by French cooks. Bavaria always had a strong connection to France, so it is not surprising that ideas for recipes were exchanged. This version of the recipe is from Alfons Schuhbeck, the most famous Bavarian cook nowadays.

Himmel und Ääd - Heaven and Earth

Submitted by Jan Grade from Bonn

Preparation time: 20 min. Ready in: 30 min. Difficulty: medium (some experience recommended).

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 1 kg floury potatoes

• 50g butter

• 250ml milk

• nutmeg

• 6 apples

• 3 tablespoons sugar

• 1 lemon

• 500g shallots (or onions)

• 500g black pudding (and liver sausage if you like)

• shortening

• flour

• salt, pepper 

Recommended drink: Beer (Pils or Kölsch)

Directions:

Step 1: Peel the potatoes. Cook them until they are soft

Step 2: Peel the apples, remove the core and slice them. Add sugar and lemon juice. Cook them with a little water until they are soft.

Step 3: Meanwhile cut the shallots into slices and roast them with shortening in a pan.

Step 4: Peel the black pudding and cut it into slices (thick as a thumb). Turn the slices in some flour and roast them until they are crispy (but not too long).

Step 5: Mash the potatoes and add warm milk, butter, salt and a hint of nutmeg.

Step 6: Mash the apples roughly and add them to the potatoes.

Step 7: First, put the mashed potatoes on the plates. Put the black pudding above and the shallots on top.

History: Himmel un Ääd is a traditional dish and very popular in the regions of the Rhineland (Bonn, Cologne, Düsseldorf), Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Silesia. It is known since the 18th century. The name of the dish derives from the ingredients: apples from the sky (“Himmel”) and potatoes from the earth (“Ääd”).

Erwtensoep - Pea Soup

Submitted by Samantha van der Sluis from Groningen

preparation time: 60 min. Ready in: 120 min. Difficulty: medium (some experience recommended). Special devices: pan with a thick bottom

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 500 g peas 
• 2 ham disks (bacon is a good substitute)
• 1 turnip-rooted celery
• 1 celery grove
• 1 leek
• 2 winter carrots
• 3 big potatoes (peeled)
• 1 sausage (smoked)
• meat bouillon (tablets)
• salt

Directions:

Step 1: Put the peas in 2 liters of water and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring them to a boil and skim any foam off. Let it cook for about 1 hour (or until the peas start to fall apart).

Step 2: As soon as it is boiling add the ham disks. Simmer for half an hour.

Step 3: Clean the vegetables. Cut the turnip-rooted celery into cubes. Put 3/4 of the cubes in the soup. Cut carrots into cubes and put them in the soup. Cut leek into strips and put them in the soup. Cut the celery grove into small pieces and put them in the soup. Cut the potatoes into cubes and put the potatoes in the soup.

Step 4: Add bouillon and keep tasting until you think it is enough.  

Step 5: In the end heat the sausage with the soup. Fetch the ham disks, if necessary remove any bones, and slice the ham disks into small pieces. Put them back in the soup.

Step 6: The soup is ready if it is quite thick. It will taste even better the day after. 

History: This is a typical winter food in the Netherlands. It can be eaten with rye bread.

Gurkensalat - Cucumber Salad

Submitted by Miri from Mainz

Preparation time: 10 minready in:10 min. Difficulty: easy (no special experience needed)

Ingredients

• 2 cucumbers
• 200 ml yogurt or sour cream
• 1 tspn. dill
• 1 tspn. lemon juice or vinegar
• 1 tspn. sugar
• salt and pepper

Directions: Step 1: Slice the cucumbers very thinly. Step 2: Mix sour cream/yogurt, dill, lemon juice/vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper as you like. Step 3: Just before serving, pour dressing over cucumbers and mix.

Kaiserschmarrn - Cut up & Sugared Pancake (with raisins)

Submitted by Johanna Brandstätter from Salzburg

preparation time: 10 min. Ready in: 20 min. Difficulty: easy (no special experience needed). Special devices: a mixer

What I really love about this recipe is that you can eat it at any daytime: On Sundays Kaiserschmarrn is a wonderful breakfast and on any other day of the week it can be an easy and quick meal. You can vary the recipe as much as you like by putting raisins into the dough or serving the dish with mashed apples, preserved plums or some jam.

Ingredients (4 persons): 

• 200-240g Flour
• 4 Eggs
• 3/8 l Milk (if you like you can mix the milk with a sip of brown rum)
• 1- 2 sachet of vanilla flavoured sugar - equals 8- 16 g 
• a pinch of salt
• unsalted butter for the pan 
• a handful of raisins (can be left out)
• If the Kaiserschmarrn is served as a dessert (for 4 people) use half of the amount of ingredients.                                   

No special drink has to be served with the dish, but if the Kaiserschmarrn is eaten as a breakfast or desert I strongly recommend a hot cup of coffee or tea to go with it.

Directions:  

Kaiserschmarrn is one of those recipes you probably think of as very difficult, but let me tell you how easy it can be: 

 Step 1: Take the eggs, separate yolks and whites in two separate bowls.

 Step 2: Whisk the egg white until it gets stiff. When you turn it and the egg whites do not come running out, the egg white is stiff enough. But try this over your sink only, otherwise you may have to clean up the whole kitchen afterwards. You can skip this first part and do not separate the eggs, but then the Kaiserschmarrn is not as fluffy and tasty.

 Step 3: The next step is to put the salt and the vanilla flavoured sugar into the yolk. Whisk this mixture a bit. Then add the flour and milk. When whisking again you have to be careful or you will be covered in flour. Whisk until all of the ingredients are well mixed together.

Step 4: For finishing the dough, fold the stiffened egg whites very carefully into the rest of the ingredients. It is best not to use the mixer for this. 

Step 5: Put a pan on the stove, put the butter in it and do not forget do turn on the heat. Use a moderate temperature.

 Step 6: When the butter is melted, you can pour the dough into the pan.

 Step 7: Wait until the bottom turns golden brown. Now it is time to turn the mass around, you can start dividing it into smaller parts. As soon as the second side has a golden brown colour as well, further divide the dough into smaller pieces using a spatula.

Step 8: Put the Kaiserschmarrn onto four plates. Take some powdered sugar and put it on top. The Kaiserschmarrn is done. Enjoy your self-made meal.

History: It is said that Kaiserschmarrn was the favourite dessert of Franz Joseph (1830–1916), the second last emperor of Austria- Hungary.

Mosselen met frieten - Mussels with Fries

Submitted by Daan Smekens from Brussels

Preparation time: 10 min (longer if you make your own fries). Ready in: 30-40 min. Difficulty: medium (some experience recommended).

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• Mussles
  • 4 kg Mussles
  • 4 onions
  • 1 celery
  • 2 branches of thyme   
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 leaves of laurel
  • 20g butter
  • 4 dl white wine
  • pepper
  • (optional) carrots and leek
• Fries
  • deep fried fries or potatoes (preferably long ones)

Recommended drink: Most Belgians drink a nice beer or white wine with mussels.

Directions: 

This dish does not require precise quantities or an exact cooking time, you will have to try for yourself.

Mussels  

Step 1: Rinse the mussels in cold water. Throw away all the mussels with a broken shell.

Step 2: Cut the onions and celery into big pieces (possible addition: carrots and leek). Cut the garlic into small pieces.

Step 3: Heat up a big pot and steam the vegetables shortly using butter.

Step 4: Put the mussels in the pot. Do not add water or salt. Add thyme, laurel and pepper.

Step 5: Cook the mussels on a high heat. Shake the mussels a few times (tip: Once the mussels start simmering give them a light shake and put the pot on the heat again. Do this for three times and the mussels will be ready).

Step 6: A few minutes after putting the mussels in the pot add the wine.

Step 7: Once the mussels start opening they are ready (time depends on the quantity in the pot).

Fries

You can buy fries in the shop and bake them in the oven, in a pan with oil or in a fryer.

Self-made (Belgian) fries 

Step 1: Peel potatoes and wash them in water.

Step 2: Cut the potatoes in long pieces (thickness of 6-13mm).

Step 3: Wash and dry the pieces.

Step 4: Bake them in a fryer or frying pan on a low heat (150-160°) for 4-5 minutes.

Step 5: Let the fries cool off.

Step 6: Bake them a last time on a higher fire (180°) until they have a nice golden colour.

History: Mussels with fries is a Belgian national dish and it is typical for the Belgian coast. You can adapt this dish to your liking and use for instance beer instead of whine or make Moules à la crème (with flour and cream). The mussel season is from July to February.

Vecchiarelle

Submitted by Luana Schena, Calabria, Italy.

Preparation time: c. 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

• 1 l frying oil
• 1 kg zucchine (cut in half, remove seeds with a spoon, grate thin, add a little bit of salt)
• 600 g flour
• 4 eggs
• 200 - 250g grated parmigiano

Directions:

Step 1. Put the flour, parmigiano, eggs, some water, and salt into a bowl

Step 2. Mix the ingredients to a paste (has to be thicker than pancake paste) 

Step 3. Add zucchini.

Step 4. Put frying oil into a pan (fill it only half) and heat the cooker to the maximum (like you do it with French fries).

Step 5. Put the paste into the oil with a big spoon

Step 6. Turn the vecchiarelle when they become reddish brown (circa after 1 min.) 

Step 7. Take them out of the pan after about one more minute an let them cool off a bit.

Fun fact: The Italian word "vecchiarelle" translates to English as "old women".

Vecmāmiņas Pīrāgi - Grandma's Bacon Pies

 Submitted by Lara Zemite from Riga.

Preparation time: 30 min. Ready in: 130 min. Difficulty: Medium (some experience recommended)

Ingredients:

• For the dough: 
  • 0.5 l milk
  • 250g fat (if available goose or duck fat, otherwise margarine)
  • 1kg flour
  • 2 medium sized boiled mashed potatoes
  • 2 Tbsp salt
  • 1 package (=100g fresh) or 2 packages dry yeast (for 1kg flour)
• For the filling:
  • 2 middle sized onions
  • 500 g streaky bacon (alternatively 250g ham and 250g fatty bacon)
  • dash of pepper
• For brushing the pies:
  • 1 egg

Directions:

Step 1: Prepare the yeast (if fresh) with a small part of the milk by crumbling and dissolving the yeast in the milk. From the rest of the ingredients and the yeast make a dough that is smooth. Knead the dough until it does not stick to the bowl anymore. Put the dough aside to let it rise for 1.5 hours.

 Step 2: During this time prepare the filling. Cut bacon and onions in small cubes (about 3 mm long) and mix them together. Stew this in a pan on small fire for about 10 minutes until the onions are glassy but not brown. Add a dash of pepper. Put aside (it can cool down).

 Step 3: After 1.5 hours take the dough and roll it out flat (but not too thin). Use a glass (or some similar kitchen equipment) and make disks of dough with 8-10 cm diameter.

 Step 4: Put about 1 Tbsp of filling on each of the disks and close the dough so that the filling is in the middle. Take care when closing the edges so they don't open when baking. The Piragi should have a Half-moon shape. Put these Piragi on a greased baking tray (or baking paper) and let them rise for another 10 minutes.

Step 5: Preheat the oven (200° C, upper and lower heat).

Step 6: Brush the Piragi with the lightly beaten egg and then bake them in the oven for 20 minutes until the Piragi are gold-brown.

History: Piragi are served very often at parties, as starters or just as a snack. They are an important part in the Midsommer fest (Jāņi) on 23rd and 24th of june when they belong together with beer. However, they are also served with broth as a starter before Christmas dinner.

Scones

Submitted by Camille Flückiger from Bern

Preparation time: 15 min. Ready in: 30 min. Difficulty: Easy Ingredients:

• 50g butter
• 225g plain flour
• 3 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 30g fine/caster sugar
• 50g sultanas
• cranberries or chopped dates
• 150ml milk

Recommended drink: A cup of tea.

Directions: Step 1: Heat the oven to 205°.   Step 2: Put a bakery release paper on a baking tray.   Step 3: Sieve the self-raising flour into a roomy baking bowl, add the cubed butter, the baking powder and salt. Quickly rub the butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.   Step 4: Add the sugar and the dried fruits, mix well.   Step 5: Make a well in the centre and using a dinner knife, stir in enough milk to make a soft, pliable dough. If the dough is too sticky (it is generally the case) sprinkle with a little flour until it gets nicely soft.   Step 6: Turn the mixture on to the bakery release paper, which is lying on the baking tray, and lightly roll out to 2cm.   Step 7: Cut into triangles with a sharp knife or round with a 7.5cm cutter.   Step 8: Brush with a bit of milk (it will make your scones even more shiny and beautiful).   Step 9: Bake near the top of the hot oven for 15 minutes or until golden brown and well risen.   Step 10: Cool on a wire rack before eating. History: Scones are thought to have originated from Scotland in the early 1500s. They are an essential part of the cream tea, but can also be eaten for breakfast. Usually they are served with the traditional clotted cream topping, but they are also delicious without or just with a bit of butter and/or jam.

Γαρίδες σαγανάκι - Greek Shrimp with Feta

Submitted by Vagelis Gantzias from Athens

Preparation time: 15min. Ready in: 35min. Difficulty: Medium (some experience recommended)

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 2.5 cups chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 3 cups chopped fresh plum tomatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup dry white wine, preferably retsina (Greek resinated wine)
• 1.5 lbs. shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese

Drink pairing: Cold white wine (because it is also an ingredient for this recipe) or Ouzo.

Directions:

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 200 °C.

Step 2: Warm the oil in a nonstick large skillet over medium heat.

 Step 3: Add onions and sauté until they are slightly brown (about 7 min.).

 Step 4: Add parsley, garlic and sugar and stir.

 Step 5 Add tomatoes and cook until they are soft and the liquid is evaporated (about 20 min.).

 Step 6: Add the wine to the skillet and cook until the liquid is evaporated.

 Step 7: Add the shrimps and cook for about 30 seconds (stir meanwhile).

 Step 8: Remove the skillet from the heat.

 Step 9: Pour the shrimps and sauce into a 2 qt. casserole.

 Step 10: Top the dish with feta cheese. Bake it in the oven until the cheese melts (about 5 min.).

History:  Feta cheese was discovered in Ancient Greece when Polifimos, a shepherd who was transferring milk from place to place, realised that the milk curdled after a while. In the Byzantine Empire feta cheese was mostly produced on Crete Island. After the Venetian conquest of the island the cheese spread to Italy. The name "Feta" comes from the Italian word "Fetta" (slice), which indicates the way the cheese was transferred from Crete to Venice (the practice of slicing the cheese to place it in barrels). On Greek islands, feta is strongly related with seafood.

Sarma - Sour Cabbage Meat Rolls

Submitted by Lana Gunjic from Belgrade

Preparation time: 15 min. Ready in: 4hr 15 min. Difficulty: Medium (some experience recommended)

Ingredients (4 persons):

• 2 onions
• leaves of sour cabbage 
• 500g minced meat
• 100g rice
• Salt & pepper

Recommended drink: Rakija

Directions:

Step 1: Fry the onions and the minced meat. Add spices and boiled rice.

Step 2: In every leaf of sour cabbage, put the fried filling and make rolls. Place them into a pot.

Step 3: Add water until the rolls are covered completely.

Step 4: Cook on low heat for four hours.

Shakshukah

Submitted by Orit Yemini from Israel

Preparation time: 15 min. Ready in: 20 min. Difficulty: Very easy (impossible to fail)

You can’t really go wrong with Shakshukah, it has got no rules, really, just mixing it all together ;-) It’s fun and easy!

Ingredients (Serves 4 persons):

• 4-5 large tomatoes
• 4 eggs
• 1 medium onion
• 2 tsp of tomato paste 
• 2 garlic cloves
• half a red hot pepper
• a very small amount of black pepper
• a pinch of salt (or more, depends on your preferences)
• a pinch of sugar (optional, depends on your tomatoes).
• 2 tsp of olive oil/ canola oil (depends on your preferences)                      

Israelis usually eat Shakshukah with Tahini sauce on the side (sesame paste). I sometimes add Hyssop spice mix on top and some homemade olives from our garden made by my father. 

Directions:

Step 1: Peel the tomatoes with a tomato peeler. If you do not have one, mark each tomato with a small cross cut at the bottom using a knife and put the tomatoes in a bowl with boiling water. Wait a minute then exchange the hot water with cold water. The tomatoes will peel themselves. If you do not mind tomato shells in your food, feel free to skip the first step!

Step 2: Chop the tomatoes.

Step 3: Chop the onion and garlic. Put oil in  a skillet on a medium temperature. Add the onion when the oil gets hot.

Step 4: Stir and wait until the onion gets golden and lucent, then add the chopped tomatoes and the garlic (comment by the author: I prefer to add the garlic with the tomatoes to avoid a bitter taste of the garlic when cooked too long. You can also add the garlic a minute before you add the tomatoes). Wait till the tomatoes are soft boiled (comment by the author: I like to use plum tomatoes which are usually sweeter and have got more flesh and less fluids, but you can use whatever tomatoes you have available).

Step 5: If the tomatoes look like a paste, add the tomato paste. Add chili and the spices. Stir the mixture and put it on a lower temperature.

Step 6: Open carefully 4 fresh eggs and add them (sunny side up) slowly into the tomatoes. Make sure that you leave a gap between them. Leave the skillet on a low temperature. You can leave it like that until the eggs are the way you like it.

History: Shakshuka is freestyle food. It's very popular in my country and has got many variations. In my house we have about 3 different styles. My favorite is this one, but as a shortcut, I  usually use a Yemenite chili paste that my Grandmother makes instead of a fresh chili. Since it’s a freestyle, you can change it according to your preferences and cooking skills.  Some add red sweet pepper, some mix the eggs with the tomatoes (the kind I grew up with as a kid), and some do not even use tomatoes (For example, a  green Shaksukah from spinach and cheese). I have a friend who use a Moroccan red sweet pepper paste called Matbucha as the basis of a Shakshukah.  That’s a wonderful shortcut with a nice pepper twist to it. Israelis usually eat it in the morning and you can find this dish as breakfast in probably every Cafe in the country, but you can also eat it any time of the day.