Continent Week: The Eating Extravaganza

Back when I was in high school I cooked almost every night, tortuously making everything from scratch. Mousse filled cake rolls, cranberry and orange sauce glazed pork loin, petit fours, loaves of French, Italian and challah bread. I fried doughnuts once and lit the kitchen on fire, boiled maple candy and cooled it over fresh snow I'd collected and packed in the freezer. I baked, broiled, braised and brined until I'd sliced all of my fingers at least once and left a dozen still persisting burn scars on my hands and arms. Most things turned out edible and, as my mother can attest, there was almost always some sort of food stuck to the ceiling when I was done. Teenage vigor knows no bounds.

At seventeen my cooking came to an abrupt halt. West Point barracks don't come with kitchenettes- except for that one time I brought a griddle into John's room, tried to make him steak and potatoes and set the fire alarm off. By the time I finally had a functional kitchen again I was pregnant with James. After a short lived stint of  the stuffing my face with crepes, french toast and homemade bagels (damned cooking channel) I became a "working mom" and John was kind enough to prevent us from starving by ushering in The Year of the Hamburger Helper.

I'll be 27 this year its an underestimate to say my cooking skills have suffered over the last decade. The question "whats for dinner" had begun to stir fear in my heart. I needed a plan- so I invented my own little Tough Mudder of cooking, I planned out a month of themed challenges. This week is "Continent Week". Simple enough. Each day cook one dish from a different continent.

So far, here's the roundup:

Sunday: European Night 

 

Norman Porkchops

 (2.5/5 stars, recipe not worth posting).

Vichyssoise 

(recipe in "Collaborator Soup" post. One of my favorites)

Monday: Asian Night 

 

Spinach Salad with Ginger Dressing (courtesy of Allrecipes.com) 

Famous Japanese Restaurant-Style Salad Dressing:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup minced onion 1/2 cup peanut oil 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar 2 tablespoons water 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger root 2 tablespoons minced celery 2 tablespoons ketchup

4 teaspoons soy sauce 2 teaspoons white sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions:

1.	In a blender, combine the minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper . Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ingredients are well-pureed.

 Coriander Teriyaki Flank Steak (epicurious.com) 

• 1 lb flank steak
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, coarsely ground in an electric coffee/spice grinder
• 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons packed brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Press coriander onto both sides of steak and put steak on a large plate. Stir together soy sauce, brown sugar, ginger, garlic, and oil and pour over steak, turning steak to coat. Marinate, turning occasionally, 10 minutes.

Preheat broiler.

Heat an oiled broiler pan about 3 inches from broiler until hot. Put steak on hot pan and broil 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes before slicing. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Tuesday: African Night 

 

Moroccan Chicken with Green Olives and Lemon. 

This sounded really good and had two dozen ingredients that made me raise my eyebrows thinking it was going to have a very powerful flavor. It did not. Not impressed. You can find the recipe here if you want to give it a try, though.

Moroccan Carrot Soup

Tasty! And kid friendly if you cut back on the cumin sprinkling on top. This soup turned out a little sweet and very thick and filling. Recipe is from Epicurious.com

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 1 cup chopped white onion
• 1 pound large carrots, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 2 2/3 cups)
• 2 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt, stirred to loosen

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 2 minutes. Mix in carrots. Add broth; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes.

Stir cumin seeds in small skillet over medium-high heat until fragrant, 4 to 5 minutes; cool. Finely grind in spice mill.

Remove soup from heat. Puree in batches in blender until smooth. Return to same pan. Whisk in honey, lemon juice, and allspice. Season with salt and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle yogurt over; sprinkle generously with cumin.