Recipes of the World

[Nick]

If quarantine has proven anything is my love for food. The last few weeks have been pretty much a repetition of emptying the fridge and expanding my waist. I dread the day I'll wear anything other than sweatpants, but I'm not here to rant.

As someone who loves dining in restaurants and trying every possible combination making my taste buds happy, one of the things I miss most about travelling is eating and experiencing new flavours and local delicacies. I know I'm not alone in this. So let me take you on a - culinary - journey. Next stop, Greece.

There is a common peas recipe, healthy, easy and ideal for everyone, vegans included. We are not making that recipe. Instead, we'll do my very own personal twist with smoked bacon and feta cheese. Vegetarians and vegans can easily avoid these, ending up with the traditional version, still full of flavour. 

Smoky peas stew with feta and bacon

Ingredients

1 kg of frozen or fresh peas, peeled  

2 carrots into cubes

4 thick slices of bacon 1cm thick, into cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

3 spring onions, chopped 

500gr. fresh, peeled, chopped tomatoes

1 spoon tomato puree 

1/2 cup of white wine 

60ml extra virgin olive oil

3-4 drops of Tabasco or 1 chopped chilli pepper

200gr. feta cheese, cut in cubes

A bunch of parsley, finely chopped

salt, freshly ground pepper

Method

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the bacon and sauté for 4-5 minutes until it turns brown and smells good. Take out the bacon with a slotted spoon and keep it in a bowl.

Put the onions (dry and fresh) in the fragrant olive oil and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add the carrots and peas and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes.

Return the bacon to the pot and add the wine. Once the alcohol has evaporated, add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato puree, Tabasco or pepper and a cup of vegetable stock. Season with pepper, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 45 minutes until the peas are cooked. 

Uncover the pot, add the feta and let it boil for another 5-10 minutes, stirring frequently until the feta melts and a nice, creamy sauce is created. 

Remove the pan from the heat, add the chopped parsley and serve. Season with salt according to taste as feta (and bacon) can be a bit salty anyway.  Bon appetit!

Tip 1: If you want to go for the traditional all vegetable recipe, have the feta on the side (with a splash of olive oil and oregano on it), along with olives and bread.  

Tip 2: You can replace bacon with chicken thighs but doing so will also mean having the feta on the side. 

Try it out and share your results! But don't stop there. How amazing it would be for all of us to have a shared journey around the world through cooking and food? I kept the recipe nice and simple so that anyone can try it, and I would recommend we don't make it too hard. I'm looking forward to seeing your recipes too!

 

[Ria16]

@Sergi  That looks very good 😍

[Sergi]

Thanks @Laura2484 

[Laura2484]

@Sergi , your pasta chup chup looks delicious , I imagine everyone loves dinner time when this is on the menu! 

We have a similar version, with sliced potatoes  used instead of the sausages. Garlic and fresh herbs. A blue cheese ( not a lot) to sprinkle over in the last few minutes of the cooking time. 

Guess with pasta and cheese combination , there are so many variations of ‘chup chup creations’.

@Βασίλης-and-Ann0  grannies homemade goat cheese, that must be a treat👍🏾

‘Thanks for sharing 😃’

[Sergi]

Exactly @Laura2484 , the dinner time becomes almost party time 😂😂. Its a good idea the blue cheese option. I'll try it.

[Liv]

Hi guys, apart from taking notes on the amazing recipes you’ve all been sharing, I’ve decided to contribute to the thread as well. 

So here is the recipe for a Brazilian style chocolate cake I made a few days ago. I hope you like it!

Fluffy chocolate cake with Brigadeiro topping

CAKE

Ingredients

1 ½ cup skimmed milk

1 cup pure corn oil

3 eggs

2 cups demerara cane sugar

1 cup cocoa powder

1 ½ cup wheat flour

1 ½ cup oat flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

Butter

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C. Lightly grease a cake tin with butter and coat it with wheat flour. Leave it aside.
2. Put the milk, the eggs, the pure corn oil, the sugar and the cocoa powder into a blender and mix until smooth.
3. Add the oat flour to the blend and mix again just long enough to make it smooth.
4. Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Sift the wheat flour when adding it to the batter and patiently mix it together.
5. Add the baking powder and the bicarbonate of soda and mix it all together.
6. Pour the batter onto the cake tin and leave it in the oven for about 40 minutes.
7. After 40 minutes, open the oven door just enough to be able to insert a skewer or knife into the centre of the cake. If the utensil comes out clean, close the oven door again, turn it off and leave the cake in there for another 10 minutes.
8. Remove the cake from the oven.

BRIGADEIRO

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1 can of condensed milk

1 tablespoon butter

Method

1. Add all the ingredients into a saucepan and continuously stir with a wooden spoon in circular movements over low to medium heat. Make sure you keep the brigadeiro from sticking to the pan and burning.
2. Gently tilt the pan to check the progress. The brigadeiro will be ready once the mixture is thick and stops sticking to the bottom of the saucepan.
3. Pour the brigadeiro onto the cake, smooth it out and enjoy ❤️

I particularly prefer this cake cold. In my opinion it’s even more delicious once it’s been in the fridge for a few hours.

Let me know if anyone has any questions, it would be amazing to see someone trying out this recipe 😋

[Nick]

Oh, Dear Zeus! 🙂 @Liv 

[David6824]

"After 40 minutes, open the oven door just enough to be able to insert a skewer or knife into the centre of the cake" 

Oh dear @Liv , is it an autopsy? 😉

[Liv]

@David6824 Baking cakes is serious business 😂

[Laura2484]

@Liv , thanks for sharing your recipe , I will certainly try it out ! Looks amazing and a big cake, I’m thinking it wouldn’t last very long in our household😆 . 

@Nick @Sergi @Ria16 @Yannis37 @Βασίλης-and-Ann0 @Helen427 another recipe to try👍🏾

[Liv]

@Laura2484 Amazing, I'm looking forward to it 😊

Hopefully you're right and the cake doesn't last long! Fingers crossed 😂

[Grace686]

This sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing, I look forward to trying it out!