Day 123! Netherlands - Knolselderijstamppot (Celeriac Root Mash) Up Next,New Zealand

Recently, I got some very generous advice from Jeff kauck, internationally acclaimed food photographer whose work I discovered after reading an article in Popular Photography. After exchanging a few emails and looking at my photographs, Jeff encouraged me to work using only existing light. Now I haven't used a flash  for a long time, but I do have my kitchen lights on when I photograph the meals I make. By turning them off, putting my camera on a tripod and shooting with just the existing light from the north facing window over my counter, I could achieve the true colors and beauty of the food without the orange glow caused by tungsten lights.  So, these pictures are shot that way (except for one). The hardest part was getting used to using my trip-pod, since I'm used to contorting myself to get different angles. Practice, practice and more practice. It's so exciting to try new things and see where they take me. Which tonight, is to the Netherlands.

A constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, known in it's entirety as Holland,  the country is located in north-west Europe, with parts in the Caribbean. The country borders the North Sea, Belgium and Germany. Both the people and their language are referred to as Dutch. In 2010, the the BES Islands, Caribbean Netherlands became part of the the Netherlands after the dissolution of Netherlands Antilles.

Much Dutch cuisine is closely related to French culinary traditions, but also has it's own unique culture. Fishing, farming, agriculture and raising domesticated animals are all common to the culture. Depending on the region, the food varies somewhat. To the north-east, meat and game, sausages, cheese and pastry are common. Coastal regions rely on seafood as their source of protein, while to the west and south, dairy, cheese, rich pastry, butter and cream can all be found.

Stampoot is a traditional Dutch dish that is usually made of potatoes and any other vegetable that happens to be available. I used celeriac root because I love the taste and don't often cook with it (although I think I will now). I served it with roasted lamb and steamed spinach.

Knolselderijstamppot (Celeriac Root Mash) - (Adapted from dutchfood.com)

6 large mealy potatoes, like Idaho or russet potatoes
1 large celeriac
1 cup chopped celery leaves
3 Tbsp butter (or to taste)
2 Tbsp. coarse brown mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

Peel the potatoes. Peel the celeriac using a knife to cut the thick skin away until you are left with only creamy white flesh. Cut the potatoes and celeriac into similarly sized pieces for even cooking. In a large pot, boil the potatoes and the celeriac for 20 minutes in salted water until tender. Drain thoroughly and mash with a potato masher or ricer. Add the butter and mustard and season to taste. Stir through the celery leaves just before serving.
Serve as side dish, or top with smoked pork sausage and gravy as the main course.

Day 122.5 - Tim's Homemade WTF Chicken Nuggets

Text from my son Tim last night:

Tim: mom wts 4 supper?
Me: Nepalese - eggplant thingie
Tim: WTF?? Y cnt u mk sumfin gd!
Me: such as?
Tim: chkin ngts

So there you have it. I am not making this up. Seriously, my kids could request almost any dish from any country and I would try to make it. But nooooooo, Tim wanted chicken nuggets. Not only that, he didn't want the ready-made frozen "chicken" from our freezer. No, he wanted me to make them.

But, before I get into the recipe, a shout out to my friends Lucy and  Richard for their academic input (via a lively Facebook discussion) as to the actual origin of chicken nuggets. They tell me that chicken nuggets were first discovered in the little country of Whathefucovia. Unique to this country, chicken nugget plants are grown and their nuggets exported by the Chicken Nugget Exporting Council (CNEC) which is administered by the U.N. Food Security Council. So, now you know where that bag of chicken nuggets in your freezer comes from. By the way, a quick ingredient count on the bag (whose brand shall remain nameless for fear of nugget lawyers slapping me with a defamation lawsuit) yielded 36 ingredients, many of which I cannot pronounce.

Now for the actual production of homemade chicken nuggets. There were several recipes online, but none of them had all the ingredients I taste when I swipe one off my kid's plate, hot 'n fresh from the microwave. The best one I found is from the awesome blog Soupbelly, from which mine is adapted. And, yes, they are fried, but, you know, WTF, sometimes you just HAVE to have something fried and these are just the ticket.

Homemade Chicken Nuggets (aka, Tim's WTF Chicken Nuggets - Adapted from Soupbelly)

2 lbs. chicken (1 lb. white meat and 1 lb. dark meat)
1 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped parley
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup flour, seasoned with 1 tsp. salt
2 cups canola oil for frying

Heat oil in a heavy skillet on medium high heat as you're preparing the chicken nuggets. The oil should be very hot, but not smoking.

Cube chicken and place in the food processor along with all the spices. Run the processor until the meat and spices are completely blended and a paste is formed.

Combine 1 tsp. salt and flour on plate. Next, beat eggs in another bowl.

Scoop about a tablespoon full of chicken paste up and form it into a ball about the size of a ping pong ball. Next, roll in the flour, then dip into the egg then in the flour again, shaking off any excess flour.
Press the ball down to form a nugget shape. Set aside and continue until all are done. You should have about 35-40 when you're done.

Place nuggets in oil, taking care not to overcrowd the pan. Fry until the bottoms are golden, then flip to continue cooking until the nuggets are golden brown. This will take about 4-5 minutes per side.
Drain on a cookie sheet lined with paper towels.

Final Assessment: Oh, wow. Tasty, crispy, full of  flavor and fried deliciousness. Dip 'em in catsup Once you make these, you'll never go back. 

Day 122! Nepal Eggplant Bhutuwa with Roasted Tomato Achar (Vegetarian) - Up Next, Netherlands

Yikes! My hands are on fire from seeding and chopping copious amounts of flaming hot red chili peppers for this Nepalese Eggplant Bhutuwa and Roasted Tomato Achar meal. If I hadn't been multi-tasking to the max, I might have thought to wear gloves but it's way too late now. Note to self:  wash hands really, really, really well before removing contacts tonight.

Located in the Himalayas of south Asia, Nepal is a landlocked country bordered by China and India. The country's rich geography boasts 8 of the world's 10 tallest mountains, including the highest point on earth, Mount Everest (or Sagarmatha in Nepali). In the southern regions of the country, the climate is humid and the soil fertile, drawing people to it's more urban environment. More than any other country in the world, Hinduism is practiced in Nepal. Buddhism, although a minority faith in Nepal, is intrinsic to the country's culture and belief system. Historically ruled by a monarchy, Nepal established a democratic republic in 2005 after a decade long civil war.

Just as the climate, geography and cultures are diverse in Nepal, so too is the cuisine, but Dal-bhat-tarkari (cooked or steamed rice and lentil soup) is eaten through-out the country. In higher elevations where rice doesn't grow as well, maize, buckwheat, barley, millet, roti or chapati are eaten. Finally, condiments in the form of small amounts of very spicy chutney or achar, lemons, limes and chili peppers accompany most meals. Vegetables eaten include: spinach, daikon radish, potatoes, tomatoes and cauliflower. Goat, chicken, water buffalo and fish are eaten, but beef is forbidden.

Eggplant Bhutuwa (Adapted from Explore Nepal)

5 cups eggplant, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups potatoes, sliced
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 cup green onion, cut into 1-inch pieces
5 dried whole chilies
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. red chillies, minced
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
1 cup broth or water
1/4 cup cooking oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. chopped cilantro for garnish

In a large pot of salted boiling water, blanch eggplant for a couple of minutes and transfer to ice bath.
In non-stick saute pan or wok, heat oil and ry dried whole chilies and cumin until dark.
Add potato slices, turmeric, salt, and pepper and stir-fry until potatoes are well browned and cooked half way.
Add garlic, ginger and chilies. Mix well to incorporate into the potatoes. Add blanched eggplant, broth and salt and pepper.; stir fry for 5-7 mintues over medium-low heat until potatoes and eggplant are tender.
Add diced tomtoes and green onions just before removing from heat.
Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve hot with basmati rice topped with Tomato Achar


Roasted Tomato Achar (Adapted from 43things.com)

4 large ripe tomatoes
5 fresh hot red chilies, minced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 Tbsp. ginger, minced
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1 Tbsp. mint leaves, chopped (optional)
1 Tbsp. cooking oil
Salt to taste

Garnish
1 Tbsp. oil
1 tsp. fenugreek
10 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. chopped green onions

Preheat oven to 425 F
Cut tomatoes in half and place cut side down on cookie sheet. Brush lightly with olive oil.
Roast in oven for 30 minutes, or until skin is charred.
Remove charred skin and reserve flesh in a bowl.
In a sauce pan, heat oil. Add cumin and mustard seeds; fry for 30 seconds.
Add chilies, garlic, ginger, coriander, lime juice and salt; stir for a minute.
In a blender, combine roasted tomatoes, chopped cilantro and mint and spice mixture; process to for a smooth mixture - or, leave slightly chunkier texture if desired.

For garnish, in a non-stick pan, heat one tablespoon of oil and saute fenugreek until it turns dark. Add slices of garlic and fry till light brown. Pour the garlic-oil mixture and chopped green onion over tomato mixture.
Mix well and refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.

Final Assessment: This was a delicious, beautifully scented and colorful meal. It's very hot, so if you can't take the heat of tons of garlic, ginger and red hot chili peppers, you may want scale back the proportions to make a milder version. Regardless, this dish is both satisfying and filling. Served along side basmati rice and roti, this Nepalese meal will not disappoint even the most die hard meatatarians.

Day 121! South Africa - Medallions of Ostrich with Port and Caramelized Black Current Sauce - Up Next, Nepal

Tonight's dinner was made entirely possible by the kindness and generosity of the folks at Savenor's Market who donated the meat for this South African meal: Medallions of Ostrich with Port and Caramelized Black Currant Sauce. After a fairly extensive search, I decided on this ostrich recipe, accompanied by butternut squash (a staple in the country) and a salad of mixed greens, from my local organic farm, Hopestill Farm. I hope I've captured the country's rich culinary traditions, but if you're of South African descent and have other suggestions, I'd love to hear from you!

Savenor's  Smokin' Band of Butchers
 Mark, Ed, John and Brian

Now, for an appreciative word and big shout out to my friends Julianna (the GM), and the awesome Butchers at Savenor's. First, if you haven't been to Savenor's Market in Cambridge or Boston, you're missing a true culinary experience. This little market is packed with every possible kind of exotic meat, interesting cheese, wild mushrooms, produce, hard to find spices and so much more. The staff is both knowledgeable and helpful, and if I hadn't had to go back to work this afternoon, I would have stayed the whole day. Bummer how work's always messing with my personal agenda.

Honorable mention goes out to Leo, the "Wine Guy" at Trader Joe's in Framingham, who hooked me up with a lovely, very reasonably priced bottle of 2009 Goats Do Roam South African red for the sauce and a little sippin'. Thanks so much for your expertise and interest!

Slightly less than twice the size of Texas, South Africa is located on the southern tip of the African continent. This beautiful country sits on the coastline of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It's neighbors include Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Swaziland, and Lesotho, an enclave surrounded by South African territory. This culturally diverse is both ethnically and historically complex and country boasts 11 officially recognized languages. Slightly less than 80% of the country's population is of Black ancestry and the largest community of European, Asian and racially mixed citizens make up the balance.

Cuisine in South Africa has many cultural influences. Tortoise, crayfish, mussels, dried and salted meat, bush meat, ostrich, coconuts, squash and dried fruit and fruit paste are all locally produced and eaten.  Thanks to the the country's mild climate, potatoes, cabbage, corn, sunflower, peppers and green beans are available. On the northern tip that generally gets more rain, bananas, pineapples and mangoes grow in abundance. In addition to indigenous cooking, Dutch and British traditions can also be found in the form of meat and chicken pies.

Medalions of Ostrich with Port and Caramelized Black Currants Sauce (Adapted from Cooks United)

1-3/4 cups red wine
2/3 cup port
2-3 Tbsp. black currant jam (or cranberry sauce if you can't find currant jam)
4 Tbsp. whole green pepper corns
1/2 cup fresh cream
2 large or 4 small ostrich steaks
1 Tbsp. crush black pepper corns
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

Pour the wine into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir in the cranberry jelly. reduce heat and simmer until caramelized. Add the port, reduce again until the sauce is quite thick. Add green peppercorns and cream and let it reduce for a few minutes.

Cut streaks into two portions and coat them with black peppercorns, then brush with oil on one side. Heat the oil in a pan over medium to high heat, when hot, place steaks, oil side down, into pan. Brush the top of the steaks with oil and cook steaks quickly for 2 minutes per side.

Serve with butternut squash garnished with roasted pumpkin seeds and a green salad.

Final Assessment: Well, my husband stated that ostrich would forever be his "birthday" meal of choice. The meat is lean, tender and has the texture of  a really good cut of beef, without all the fat. We all agreed that ostrich has a milder flavor than beef. I seared it in a very hot pan for about 2 minutes on each side because we like out meat rare. The peppercorn crust and currant sauce was both sweet and spicy in the best possible way. I'm forever a fan.