Blog

Category: Side

Area: Russian

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Buckwheat
• 2/3 Cup Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Yeast
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 Seperated Egg

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon yeast.

Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup warm milk, whisking until the batter is smooth.

Cover the bowl and let the batter rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Enrich and Rest the Batter
Stir 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 egg yolk into the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg white until stiff, but not dry.

Fold the whisked egg white into the batter.

Cover the bowl and let the batter stand 20 minutes.

Pan-Fry the Blini
Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Drop quarter-sized dollops of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until bubbles form.

Turn and cook for about 30 additional seconds.

Remove the finished blini onto a plate and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Add more butter to the pan and repeat the frying process with the remaining batter.

Category: Beef

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 5 Potatoes
• 12 ounces Carrots
• 1 Scallions
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1 Slice Bread
• 1 Garlic Powder
• 2 Soy Sauce
• 1 Ground Beef
• 1 tsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 2 tbsp Butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry all produce. Dice potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Trim, peel, and cut carrots on a diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens; finely chop whites. Peel and finely chop garlic.

2. In a medium bowl, soak bread with 2 TBSP water (4 TBSP for 4 servings); break up with your hands until pasty. Stir in beef, sriracha, scallion whites, half the garlic, salt (we used 3/4 tsp kosher salt; 11/2 tsp for 4), and pepper. Form into two 1-inch-tall loaves (four loaves for 4). Place on one side of a baking sheet. Toss carrots on empty side of same sheet with a drizzle of oil, salt, and pepper. (For 4, spread meatloaves out across whole sheet and add carrots to a second sheet.) Bake for 20 minutes (we'll glaze the meatloaves then).

3. Meanwhile, place potatoes in a medium pot with enough salted water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until very
tender, 12-15 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup potato cooking liquid, then drain. While potatoes cook, in a small bowl, combine soy sauce, garlic powder, 1/4 cup ketchup (1/2 cup for 4 servings), and 2 tsp sugar (4 tsp for 4).

4. Once meatloaves and carrots have baked 20 minutes, remove from oven. Spoon half the ketchup glaze over meatloaves (save
the rest for serving); return to oven until carrots are browned and tender, meatloaves are cooked through, and glaze is tacky, 4-5 minutes more.

5. Meanwhile, melt 2 TBSP butter (4 TBSP for 4 servings) in pot used for potatoes over medium heat. Add remaining garlic and cook
until fragrant, 30 seconds. Add potatoes and 1/4 tsp wasabi. Mash, adding splashes of reserved potato cooking liquid as necessary until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. (If you like things spicy, stir in more wasabi!)

6. Divide meatloaves, mashed potatoes, and roasted carrots between plates. Sprinkle with scallion greens and serve with remaining ketchup glaze on the side for dipping.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Italian

Ingredients:

• 350g Butternut Squash
• 3 parts Garlic
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 350g Linguine Pasta
• Small bunch Sage

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the squash and garlic on a baking tray and drizzle with the olive oil. Roast for 35-40 mins until soft. Season.
Cook the pasta according to pack instructions. Drain, reserving the water. Use a stick blender to whizz the squash with 400ml cooking water. Heat some oil in a frying pan, fry the sage until crisp, then drain on kitchen paper. Tip the pasta and sauce into the pan and warm through. Scatter with sage.

Category: Vegetarian

Area: Filipino

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Egg Plants
• 2 tbs Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1 whole Garlic
• 3 tbs Olive Oil
• 4 oz Ground Pork
• 3 tbs Rice Vinegar
• 2 tbs Soy Sauce
• 2 Bay Leaf

Instructions:

1. Slice 1 lb. small Japanese or Italian eggplant (about 3) into quarters lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 2"-wide pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add 1 Tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Toss to evenly coat eggplant and let sit at room temperature at least 20 minutes and up to 2 hours.
2. Peel and thinly slice 8 garlic cloves. Add 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil and half of garlic to a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until light golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer garlic chips to a plate; season lightly with salt.
3. Place 4 oz. ground pork in same pot and break up into small pieces with wooden spoon. Season with ¼ tsp. Diamond Crystal or Morton kosher salt and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned underneath, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to another plate, leaving fat behind in the pot.
4. Place eggplant on a clean kitchen towel and blot away any moisture the salt has drawn out.
5. Working in batches and adding more oil if needed, cook eggplant in the same pot until lightly browned, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate with pork.
6. Pour 1½ cups of water into the pot and scrape up browned bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Add remaining garlic, 3 Tbsp. coconut vinegar or unseasoned rice vinegar, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, and remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Bring to a simmer, then return pork and eggplant to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, partially cover, and simmer until eggplant is tender and silky and sauce is reduced by half, 20–25 minutes. Taste and season with more salt and pepper and add a little more sugar if needed.
7. Top with garlic chips and serve with cooked white rice.

Category: Side

Area: Japanese

Ingredients:

• 300g Sushi Rice
• 1 tbs Mirin
• Garnish Pickle Juice
• Garnish Spring Onions

Instructions:

STEP 1
Rinsing and soaking your rice is key to achieving the perfect texture. Measure the rice into a bowl, cover with cold water, then use your fingers to massage the grains of rice – the water will become cloudy. Drain and rinse again with fresh water. Repeat five more times until the water stays clear.

STEP 2
Tip the rinsed rice into a saucepan with 400ml water, or 200ml dashi and 200ml water, bring to the boil, then turn down the heat to a low simmer, cover with a tight-fitting lid with a steam hole and cook for 15 mins. Remove from the heat and leave to sit for another 15 mins, then stir through the mirin. Remove the lid and give it a good stir. Serve with any or all of the optional toppings.

Category: Seafood

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 450g Potatoes
• 2 tblsp Olive Oil
• 4 Eggs
• 1 tbls Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tblsp Capers
• 50g Sunflower Oil
• ½ Red Onions
• 100g Spinach
• 400g Tuna

Instructions:

Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Toss the potatoes with 2 tsp oil and some seasoning. Tip onto a large baking tray, then roast for 20 mins, stirring halfway, until crisp, golden and cooked through.
Meanwhile, put eggs in a small pan of water, bring to the boil, then simmer for 8-10 mins, depending on how you like them cooked. Plunge into a bowl of cold water to cool for a few mins. Peel away the shells, then cut into halves.
In a large salad bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, red wine vinegar, capers and chopped tomatoes. Season, tip in the onion, spinach, tuna and potatoes, then gently toss together. Top with the eggs, then serve straight away.

Category: Beef

Area: Polish

Ingredients:

• 1 Cabbage
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 chopped Onion
• 1 lb Ground Beef
• 1/2 lb Ground Pork
• 1 1/2 cups Rice
• 1 tsp Garlic
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
• 3 cans Tomato Puree

Instructions:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Place cabbage head into water, cover pot, and cook until cabbage leaves are slightly softened enough to remove from head, 3 minutes. Remove cabbage from pot and let cabbage sit until leaves are cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

Remove 18 whole leaves from the cabbage head, cutting out any thick tough center ribs. Set whole leaves aside. Chop the remainder of the cabbage head and spread it in the bottom of a casserole dish.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir onion in hot butter until tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Cool.

Stir onion, beef, pork, rice, garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in a large bowl.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Place about 1/2 cup beef mixture on a cabbage leaf. Roll cabbage around beef mixture, tucking in sides to create an envelope around the meat. Repeat with remaining leaves and meat mixture. Place cabbage rolls in a layer atop the chopped cabbage in the casserole dish; season rolls with salt and black pepper.

Whisk tomato soup, tomato juice, and ketchup together in a bowl. Pour tomato soup mixture over cabbage rolls and cover dish wish aluminum foil.

Bake in the preheated oven until cabbage is tender and meat is cooked through, about 1 hour.

Category: Side

Area: French

Ingredients:

• 225g Potatoes
• 1 small Fennel
• 1 clove finely chopped Garlic
• 75 ml Milk
• 100ml Double Cream
• For Greasing Butter
• to serve Parmesan Cheese

Instructions:

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put potatoes, fennel, and garlic in a medium non-stick pan. Pour in milk and double cream, season well and simmer gently, covered, for 10 mins, stirring halfway through, until potatoes are just tender.
Divide the mixture between 2 small (about 150ml) buttered ramekins and scatter with Parmesan. Bake for 40 mins until the potatoes are golden and tender when pierced with a knife. Snip the reserved fennel fronds over before serving.

Category: Beef

Area: British

Ingredients:

• 1kg Beef
• 2 tbs Plain Flour
• 2 tbs Rapeseed Oil
• 200ml Red Wine
• 400ml Beef Stock
• 1 finely sliced Onion
• 2 chopped Carrots
• 3 sprigs Thyme
• 2 tbs Mustard
• 2 free-range Egg Yolks
• 400g Puff Pastry
• 300g Green Beans
• 25g Butter
• pinch Salt
• pinch Pepper

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
Toss the beef and flour together in a bowl with some salt and black pepper.
Heat a large casserole until hot, add half of the rapeseed oil and enough of the beef to just cover the bottom of the casserole.
Fry until browned on each side, then remove and set aside. Repeat with the remaining oil and beef.
Return the beef to the pan, add the wine and cook until the volume of liquid has reduced by half, then add the stock, onion, carrots, thyme and mustard, and season well with salt and pepper.
Cover with a lid and place in the oven for two hours.
Remove from the oven, check the seasoning and set aside to cool. Remove the thyme.
When the beef is cool and you're ready to assemble the pie, preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
Transfer the beef to a pie dish, brush the rim with the beaten egg yolks and lay the pastry over the top. Brush the top of the pastry with more beaten egg.
Trim the pastry so there is just enough excess to crimp the edges, then place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes, or until the pastry is golden-brown and cooked through.
For the green beans, bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the beans and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until just tender.
Drain and toss with the butter, then season with black pepper.
To serve, place a large spoonful of pie onto each plate with some green beans alongside.

Category: Chicken

Area: American

Ingredients:

• 500g macaroni
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 packet fajita seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 diced chicken breast
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 small finely diced onion
• 2 finely diced red pepper
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1 cup cheddar cheese
• garnish chopped parsley

Instructions:

Fry your onion, peppers and garlic in olive oil until nicely translucent. Make a well in your veg and add your chicken. Add your seasoning and salt. Allow to colour slightly.
Add your cream, stock and macaroni.
Cook on low for 20 minutes. Add your cheeses, stir to combine.
Top with roasted peppers and parsley.