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 23: Jagerschnitzel with Bacon Mushroom Gravy

Day 23: Semi Finals

Spain 1 Germany 0

With its origins in East Germany this particular schnitzel is always served with a mushroom sauce. What is really interesting with this schnitzel dish is how the spices are mixed with flour and the egg emulsion is egg, milk & mustard. All combined with your breadcrumbs & pork offer you something very tasty 

Day 22: Pollo En Escabeche

Day 22: Semi-Finals

Holland 3 Uruguay 2

 

This is a very interesting dish, it is an authentic Uruguayan recipe for marinated chicken. It uses a combination of 2 parts vinegar and one part olive oil, so you could argue that it is more of a pickled chicken than marinated chicken.

Very simply you just brown your chicken pieces (I used de-boned thigh pieces) then you add in your onions, carrots, garlic & herbs/spices and mix together your vinegar & olive oil and simmer for 1 hour or until the chicken is done. You let the chicken completely cool and then you can eat it in a Salad or in a sandwich.

Its all very tasty and something I certainly never tried before, so why not try it!

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 20: Pannekoeken (Pancakes)

Day 20: Quarter Finals
The Netherlands 2 Brazil 1
Uruguay 1 Ghana 1 (Uruguay win 4-2 on pens)

Pancakes are most certainly not Dutch in their origin but when you live in a country with no apparent food culture you got to go with what you can get. The Dutch do however love their Pannenkoek especially at Dinner time, with Pannenkoek houses very popular offering a wide range of both sweet and savory options on pancakes.

Day 19: A Marinated Salmon Salad from Japan

Day 19
Paraguay 0 Japan 0 (Paraguay 5-3 on pens)
Spain 1 Portugal 0

For the World Cup Kitchen today it was an easy choice. I decided to go for this delicious Japanese Salmon salad. I had played with the idea of sushi but I will hold that one off for another day. The salad today can be eaten for a lunch or a light dinner. When buying your salmon for the best results try to buy a high quality piece of Salmon.

The centrepiece of this salad is the marinated salmon pieces which are marinated in a delicious Lime/Sugar/Soy/Sesame Oil marinade and is served with bean sprouts, grated cucumber & red chilli.

It is deliciously light and can be assembled quite quickly. When marinating the salmon try to leave it for at least 2-3 hours for best results.

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 17: Fish & Chips

Day 17
Germany 4 England 1
Argentina 3 Mexico 1

So England are out, but not without giving us one of their true classic dishes. Fish and Chips are enjoyed the length and breath of the country but as always whenever I take over a traditional dish I have a habit of tweaking it with other cuisines and using ingredients that you would not use traditionally.

Here I use a Beer batter that uses a Belgian dark beer (Trap Trip Dubbel). Also when making the batter I separate the egg and whisk up the egg white and fold this in just before you use the batter. This process makes the batter light and fluffy. 

Also when I am making my chips I do them the Belgian way, very simply half way thru the cooking process you want to remove the chips from the oil and dry them completely. You then place them back in to cook, the end result gives you the perfectly cooked chip that is crispy on the outside and perfectly cooked in the inside.

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 15: Tortilla de Patatas

Day 15
Portugal 0 Brazil 0
Ivory Coast 3 North Korea 0
Spain 2 Chile 1
Swizerland 0 Hondoras 0

Yet another one of my Tapas recipes for you to enjoy, this Spanish Tortilla recipe is very simple but the most important element to it is having a non-stick frying pan. As you are cooking the egg for long period on a low heat you want to be 100% sure that it will not stick to the pan otherwise you have a disaster on your hands.

This recipe is a perfect lunch/brunch on a weekend or serve with other accompanying tapas recipes.

Day 14: Pepper & Pesto Pasta

Day 14
Slovakia 3 Italy 2
Paraguay 0 New Zealand 0
Netherlands 2 Cameroon 1
Japan 3 Denmark 1

Disaster for the blog.......Italy are out of the World Cup. I was so confident they would get thru that tonight I prepared something Italian that is quick and easy, not one of my more complex meals that I could of done. Ah well, at least Japan are thru....food wise that is.

Day 13: West African Chicken Stew

Day 13

England 1 Slovenia 0
USA 1 Algeria 0
Germany 1 Ghana 0
Australia 2 Serbia 1 

Since I started this World Cup Kitchen idea I have wanted to try and cook something authentic from Africa….I had penciled in either an Ivory Coast or Ghana game for this recipe. From my reading and understanding of it, it sounds very authentic but also open for improvisation in its ingredients and will work well in a Western Kitchen as all of the main ingredients are readily available.

Day 12: Souvlaki

Day 12 
South Africa 2 France 1
Uruguay 1 Mexico 0
Argentina 2 Greece 0
South Korea 2 Nigeria 2

World Cup Kitchen for today is Greek Souvlaki.

Today was the last game for 4 teams at this World Cup. I had a choice of Greek or South African so I decided on the Greek option....in one of the off days later on in the tournament I will cook something from South Afica in homage to hosts of this World Cup.

Souvlaki can be eaten a number of ways….as a main course meal with accompanying salads or like I had it tonight in a fast food style wrap with chips, tzatziki and salad. 

When marinating your meat for best results leave it overnight to enhance the best flavour from the meat. Also when cooking over a BBQ wait until the coals have been burnt right through and the temperature is not searing hot so the chicken will cook slowly and will remain moist and tender

Day 11: Korean Bulgogi

Day 11
Portugal 7 North Korea 0
Chile 1 Switzerland 0
Spain 2 Honduras 0

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, today I used ribeye. 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 scallions, onions, carrots, peppers & sugar snaps. (you can use of course mushrooms and other vegetables to your own taste)

When serving it can be served with either rice or noodles. For todays meal I served it with some sticky Asian rice and full heads of iceberg lettuce so that I could make lettuce/rice wraps with the bulgogi in the middle

Pavlova

Day 10
Paraguay 2 Slovakia 0
New Zealand 1 Italy 1
Brazil 3 Ivory Coast 0

World Cup Kitchen is New Zealand’s favourite: Pavlova
 

I absolutely love Pavlova, the crisp sweet meringue with sweetened cream and fresh fruit with a drizzle of warm caramel on top – it is absolutely delicious and is actually not as hard to make as you might think.

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.

Day 7: Irish Stew

Day 7 

Argentina 4 South Korea 1
Greece 2 Nigeria 1
Mexico France 0 

With the French playing their second game of the World Cup the choice of World Cup Kitchen today was an easy one. I decided on Irish Stew! 

My Irish stew is a bit of a labour of love so I would set aside some time for it. The process of cooking it is not difficult but the flavours need time and low simmering heat to come to the fore. Also when using stewing meat the more time the better is normally the thought process when cooking with it. 

Day 6: Muslitos de Pollo

Day 6
Chile 1 Honduras 0
Switzerland 1 Spain 0
Uruguay 3 South Africa 0

As Spain are my favourites for the World Cup I thought it would be a nice idea to do one of my favourite Spanish recipes. Normally this recipe would be accompanied by other Spanish Tapas but it stands up as a meal by itself and unlike the Spanish performance today it will not disappoint.

Very simply it is Chicken Drumsticks cooked in red wine…..you cook the chicken until it is falling off the bone and you can serve it with rice or mashed potato. 

Day 5: African Devil Chicken (Piri Piri)

Day 5

New Zealand 1 Slovakia 1
Ivory Coast 0 Portugal 0
Brazil 2 North Korea 1

For tonights meal it was a very easy choice with the Portuguese influence and also with the World Cup being in Africa I decided to go for Chicken in a fiery Piri Piri marinade.