World Cup Special - Serbia

 

Sopska Salata, Pasulj and some extremely high proof Serbian vodka (phew... certainly cleaned out the airways)

This World Cup we are certainly getting through the countries....   this white bean stew, normally served with meat and/or sausage, seemed to be a perfect recipe to investigate Serbian cuisine.  It was easy to replace the meat with TVP and the feta cheese in the salad with vegan feta cheese.  All topped off with a high proof vodka that kind of complemented the soup. 

Šopska Salata

I found this easy salad that appears to be very common salad for the Balkan region.  Typically you would not be able to see anything underneath the cheese when this Serbian salad is served; so maybe it should be called cheese salad?

Sopska Salata

Ingredients

• 1 large cucumber sliced
• 2 large tomatoes diced
• 1 bell pepper sliced
• 2 scallions or spring onions sliced
• 8 Tablespoons Serbian white cheese or feta crumbled
• Chives for garnish

For the Dressing:

• 2 Tablespoons sunflower oil
• 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Combine all the prepared vegetables into a salad bowl
2. Prepare the dressing by whisking the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper together.
3. Dress the vegetables by tossing lightly with the dressing
4. Top the salad with the cheese (plenty of cheese)

Vegan Serbian White Bean Soup (Pasulj)

When looking for vegan dishes from different countries it is amazing how you come across wonderful stories around various dishes.  I was particularly interested in this story around Pasulj from immigrants to Canada sharing this dish which encapsulated the longing for their home country and the disbelief of their adopted country's liking of sweet and savory together... peanut butter and jam being the prime suspect.  Anyway hear about this tale at https://immigrantstable.com/pasulj/ from Ksenia Prints. 

Pasulj (White Bean Soup)

Ingredients

• 4 onions, finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 leeks
• 2 carrots
• 3 slices celery root/ celeriac (about finger thick)
• 2 cans white beans
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 8 cups (2 liters) vegetable stock
• 200 g freekeh, cracked or tvp
• 2 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 teaspoon marjoram
• 2 teaspoon oregano
• 2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 2 teaspoon onion powder
• 4 teaspoon paprika powder, sweet
• 1 teaspoon smoked salt (optional)

Instructions

1. When using TVP, submerge this in enough vegetable broth to cover it.We did this about an 1/2 before preparation of the rest of the ingredients.
2. Finely dice the onions, and the garlic.
3. Saute in a fairly large pot.
4. Chop leeks, carrots, and celery root finely.
5. Add the vegetables to the onions and let them sautee briefly.
6. Now you can add all the other ingredients and let the soup simmer for about 20 min on medium heat.
7. Season the soup and garnish the soup with some freshly chopped parsley or other herbs.

Score: Serbia 2 Switzerland 3

Football Score : 5 (Very exciting game with loads of goals... Serbia unlucky not to win as seemed a more impassioned team but could not hold off the strong Switzerland team )

Food: 3 (super delicious; could have done with a whole lot more spice... maybe some more paprika but still a wonderful dish.)

World Cup Special - Morocco

 

So glad I made this dish; just the perfect mix of vegetables and herbs and spices.   Plus so easy to cook in the tajine.

Served with some fluffy cous cous and some moroccan  mint tea (green tea and spearmint).

Berber Tajine (Vegan)

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Pepper
• 1.5 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Coriander
• 2 tsp Turmeric
• 1.5 tsp Ginger
• 100 ml Water
• 3 cloves Garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped Parsley
• 2 tbsp chopped Cilantro
•  200 g Tomato Puree
• 1 Onion
• 2 Small Potatoes
• 1 Turnip
• 2 Cauliflower Florets 
• 1 Red Bell Pepper
• 1 Courgette
• 1 Carrot
• Chickpeas (can drained)
• Olives (8 to 10 olives)

Instructions

1. Grate the onion and garlic (or cut into small pieces.)
2. Add some olive oil to the tajine dish and add the onion and garlic.
3. Half of the herbs, salt, pepper, turmeric, paprika, coriander and ginger.
4. Cook for 7 minutes
5. Add tomato puree
6. Cook on low heat whilst preparing the vegetables.
7. Cut vegetables into chunks.
8. Add vegetables to the cooking pot.. You can arrange nicely.
9. Lower heat to low and cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes.
10. Prepare marinade with 2 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp paprika, 1 tsp coriander, ½ tsp ginger, 1 tsp turmeric, and the rest of the herbs.
11. Add 100 ml of water, and mix well.
12. Cover the outside layer of the vegetables with this marinade.
13. Cover the pan and cook for another 40 minutes.
14. Once 40 minutes is over add the chickpeas and olives and cook for another 10 minutes.
15. Season and add some chopped parsley

Score: Canada 1 Morocco 2

Football Score : 3 (Morocco could have scored a whole lot more goals but did well to get to the top of their group)

Food: 4 (super delicious; could have done with a whole lot more spice... maybe some more paprika but still a wonderful dish.)

Soundtrack: Maalem Mahmoud Gania - Colours of the Night

World Cup Special - Canada

 There was really only one dish that I could do for Canada: Poutine.  That comfort food mix of chips, gravy and cheese curds that could easily be veganised.

Ingredients

Chips

• 800 g russet potatoes or potatoes good for chips
• 45-60 ml avocado or melted coconut oil
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Gravy

• 45 g avocado or melted coconut oil
• 50 g shallots finely chopped
• 105 g diced button mushrooms
• 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
• 15 ml balsamic vinegar
• 21 g cornstarch (or arrowroot or if not gf plain flour)
• 120 ml vegetable stock
• 240 ml almond milk
• 1-2 tsp vegan worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup of vegan mozzerella cheese or vegan chedder cheese

Instructions

• For the chips preheat oven to 232 degrees C. Peel the potatoes and chop into thin slices and then into strips to have thin chips.  
• Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Add fries, oil , and salt and toss to coat. Then arrange fries in a single layer, making sure they do not overlap too much. 
• Bake for a total of 25-35 minutes, tossing/flipping at least once to ensure even baking. When the fries are finished, remove from oven and set aside.
• While chip are baking, prepare the gravy by heating a deep frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add oil and shallots. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
• Stir and increase heat to medium high to brown the mushrooms. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until they are slightly caramelized. Then add the cornstarch and stir to coat. It should look dry at this point. 
• Lower heat to low and slowly add the broth and almond milk while whisking. It should resemble gravy pretty quickly and should bubble and thicken as it cooks.
• Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until you’ve reached the desired consistency. Add broth or almond milk to thin if it becomes too thick.
• Transfer to a blender and blend until smooth . Taste and adjust flavor as needed, adding more salt and pepper to taste or more Worcestershire for more depth of flavor. 
• Return gravy to stovetop and heat on lowest heat to keep warm.
• To serve add all of the baked fries to one baking sheet. Add the vegan cheese over the fries.  Then place fries back in oven on the top rack so the cheese can melt and get slightly browned. This should take about 3-5 minutes.
• Pour the gravy over top and dig in!

Score: Canada 1 Morocco 2

Football Score : 3 (Canada really went down fighting in this match. Lots of energy and passion from the team and bodes well for the next World Cup in 2026 (in which they automatically qualify for by being joint hosts))

Food: 4 (So a real surprise dish.... it just reeks comfort food....this was satisfying, moreish and super umami )