Beef Bourguignon

This French classic still very much has a place in the modern kitchen. That place namely being like it was today, freezing cold outside and you wanting something really heavy to warm you from the inside out.

I cooked this dish in a saucepan but it can also be done in a casserole dish and in the oven – if you are cooking it in an oven you would want to cook it at 140C

Wallenbergare

GROUP D: Sweden

I have been told that Wallenbergare is typical Swedish. I had talked about making some meatballs but when I got this recommendation from a Swedish colleague I decided to go for this.

Yet again I learned something new while undertaking this European Championships Kitchen. I had to really stop myself when making this recipe as when you combine all the ingredients I had the feeling that the mixture was way too moist (I really wanted to added either flour or breadcrumbs to it). Due to this moistness in the mixture the meat is encrusted in a sort of omelette texture during the cooking process. The end result really is delicious.

I served Wallenbergare with a creamy mashed potato and frozen peas (very traditional appartently).  It is all served with a deliciously simple cream sauce. The recipe can be found here:

Beef and Guinness Stew

Group C: The Republic of Ireland

Ireland are back in a Major Championships for the first time in 10 years and I wanted to do something special for the occasion. This stew is placed in an oven for 2-3 hours so once you get it together you can just sit back and relax. A tip I would give on it would be to get a good quality beef as then your meat will be very tender.

If you are interested in more Irish recipes here at Food Devil why not check out my Irish section which you can find here:

Stuffed Bell Peppers with Minced Beef

The title to this recipe does not really do this beef mixture justice. I have taken the combination of garlic, onion & courgette and married that with a touch of white wine, tomato puree & some delicious Hungarian paprika powder I have. 

I then take the already roasting peppers and line with fresh basil & pinenuts. Add back the beef mixture, some more pine nuts and top with grated cheese. Pop back in the oven and away you go….it really is delicous

Korean Bulgogi

I made this recipe during the World Cup Kitchen in the summer but wanted to repost it as the photos back then I was never happy with.
 
Bulgogi is a marinated beef recipe, although other meats such as chicken and pork can also be used.

It is made from very thin slices of prime cut beef. The meat is marinated with a mixture of soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil & seeds, garlic & chilli. This is then combined with a selection of vegetables. I used onions, carrots, peppers, mushrooms & broccoli. (you can use of course other vegetables to your own taste)

Steak Mushroom & Onion Pies

Finally the search for a suitable meat pie casing has come to an end. I combed many a website for the perfect one but in the end I found a very large muffin baking tray, it worked perfectly. The beauty of this method is that you can buy sheets of frozen pastry (flaky puff pastry) that fit perfectly into each meat pie so that all you need to use is different meat sauces as the pastry is easily available in your freezer. You want to find a pastry that is butter based & not oil/yeast based, this pastry will give the pie a beautiful flaky texture.

Previously I have made a Chicken & Leek Pie during the World Cup Kitchen but this time I wanted to make a more traditional meat pie filling. I went for a Steak Mushroom & Onion Pie. The key when making the meat sauce is: more time the better. In the recipe I say cook it for 2.5 hours but the longer the better. Turn the sauce temperature right down and let the sauce stew away would be the best philosophy. Let the mixture cool completely before you add it into the Pastry casings.

Day 24: Calamari with Aioli Vs Bitterballen/Kroketten

Day 24: World Cup Final

Spain 1 The Netherlands 0  

Spain are World Champions

3rd Place playoff
Germany 3 Uruguay 2

For the final meal of the World Cup Kitchen I have decided to also have a food match between something from the 2 cuisines. Like the football match itself Spain would always be the favourites and like the match itself Spain did indeed win 1-0.

For the Dutch I tried my best to replicate the Dutch favourite: Bitterballen & Kroketten. Personally I am not a huge fan of either and cooking it has not overly changed my opinion but try them yourselves if you like, perhaps they might be for you?

On the Spanish side I went for Calamari. Given what our tentacled friend in Germany, Paul the Octopus said I felt drawn to Calamari with some lemon wedges. Calamari are of course squid but I am sure you will forgive me on this one. The secret to tasty calamari is to soak them overnight in milk and they turn out absolutely perfect.

Day 21: How to cook the perfect Steak

Day 21: Quarter Finals
Germany 4 Argentina 0
Spain 1 Paraguay 0

If Argentina are in a World Cup and you are doing a food related blog you simply have to do Steak for the Argentinian team. If you want to enjoy a steak you got to know how to cook it properly!

Some time ago I spent quite some time finding out how to cook the perfect steak…. steak was always a big let down when I use to cook it….never really got it the way I liked it but I now have it sussed so will break it down what you need to do and how you cook the perfect steak.

Day 18: Slovakian Goulash Soup

Day 18
The Netherlands 2 Slovakia 1
Brazil 3 Chile 0

 

I have just returned from a weekend in Budapest and I had the below soup or a variation of it every day for my lunch. I know the paprika is Hungarian but the Goulash is also a very popular dish in Slovakia.

The rule of tongue with this soup is to really let the beef simmer away for as long as you can, as the longer you leave it the more tender it will become.

Day 16: The Hamburger

Day 16:
Uruguay 2 South Korea 1
Ghana 2 USA 1

With it origins from Hamburg, Germany but its widespread appeal coming from America there is nothing tastier than cooking up your own burger and of course your own favourite garnish.

A quarter pounder is a little over 100g so a safe bet is to give yourself 100g of mince per burger. Making the burger itself is just a matter of combining everything in the right order. Starting with the mince and the egg yoke, when you add the egg yoke you can straight away feel the change in the texture of the meat as the egg infuses around it.

Day 9: Seared Beef Sashimi with a Gyoza sauce

Day 9
Netherlands 1 Japan 0
Australia 1 Ghana 1
Denmark 2 Cameroon 1
 

 
World Cup Kitchen today is Japanese: Seared Beef Sashimi and a crisp vegetable salad with ginger and coriander served with an accompanying Gyoza Sauce

I love this fresh and colourful salad that is perfect for a weekend lunch or a light dinner. The crispness and spiciness of the vegetables compliments the peppery beef and is all served with a chilli and soy sauce.

Day 8: Serbian Cevapcici

Day 8

Serbia 1 Germany 0

Slovenia 2 USA 2

England 0 Algeria 0

World Cup Kitchen is a Serbian Cevapcici  

This kebab like sausage originates from the Balkans and is considered the National Dish of Serbia and is also common in Slovenia. The ingredients differ from country to country but in essence it is a combination of minced meats and spices.