UEFA Euro 2024 Special - Slovenia

Next stop on my Euros adventure is Slovenia...

Sauerkraut and Bean Soup (Kraška jota)

I used the following recipe and made a quicker vegan version.

https://www.slovenian-kitchen.com/blog-1/kraska-jota

Ingredients

• 150 g of beans (can used borlotti; I used a white bean)

• 1 onion

• 1 cloves of garlic

• 250 g sauerkraut

• 500 ml veg stock or as needed

• 200 g potatoes

• 1 tbsp smoked paprika

• 2 bay leaves

• salt, pepper to taste

Instructions

1. If using dried beans soak the dried beans in cold water overnight. Drain the beans and rinse them. Add to a pot  and add enough water to cover them by several centimeters. Add two bay leaves, and a teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes. Drain the beans. (If you are using beans from a can simply move to step 2. I bought these white beans that looked like cannellini beans from the local Romanian shop ).
   
   
   
2. Dice the onion and mince the garlic cloves. Peel and dice the potatoes into small cubes.
3. In a large pan or a pot gently heat olive oil.
4. Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes until the onion turns translucent.
5. Add garlic and sauté for another 30 seconds.
6. Stir in stock, 2 bay leaves, potatoes, beans, and sauerkraut.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes or until potatoes and the sauerkraut are cooked.
   
   
   
   
7. Add about 2 tsp of smoked paprika and salt and pepper to taste.  
8. The Jota is ready! It can be enjoyed with a slice of bread, or with mashed potatoes.  

 I served with a beautiful tomato salad with pumpkin seed oil which I was pleased to know is one of the key Slovenian ingredients; pumpkins being grown in the eastern Slovenia in Štajerska and Prekmurje with production dating back to early in the 18th century....

"With a glow that suggests liquid amethysts"
Mimi Sheraton - 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die

 

Tomato Salad with Pumpkin Seed Oil

 I used the following receipe and simply veganised it. 

 https://www.slovenian-kitchen.com/blog-1/tomato-salad

Ingredients

    1/2 a large tomato

    1 spring onion

    150 g vegan feta cheese (I used the excellent Marks and Spencer product)

    pumpkin seed oil

    pumpkin seeds

    coarse salt

Instructions

1. Core the tomatoes and slice them into half-moons. Slice the white cheese. Slice the spring onion.
2. Place everything in a large bowl. Add the pumpkin seed oil, coarse salt to taste. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds and serve.

Score: Denmark 1  Slovenia 1

Football Score : 3 (Christian Eriksen's brilliant first-half goal was not enough to secure Denmark victory as Slovenia drew with a sweet little goal. ) 

Food: 4 (The tomato salad was a real revelation.... beautifully flavoured by the 'inky sheen'¹ of the pumpkin seed oil - sadly not Slovenian. The bean and sauerkraut soup was not quite as successful, but still a great substantial comfort food... especially if you drizzle some pumpkin seed oil over the top.)

 1 - Mimi Sheraton from 1,000 Foods to Eat Before You Die

 

UEFA Euro 2024 Special - Albania

 

From top clockwise - Sallatë Jeshile (Green Salad)
Lakror me Pras (Leek Pie)
Homemade flatbreads
Fried aubergine and courgettes with parsley
Ajvar (roasted red peppers and aubergine dip)
Tarator (yoghurt and cucumber)

My first feast for the 2024 Euros is from Albania; the cuisine being influenced by the countries around (Italy, Greece, Montenegro) and from slightly further afield like Türkiye (courtesy of the Ottomans). Whilst researching the recipes I was going to use I discovered the stunning countryside of the country and the ancient histories that bled through the landscape; definately a country to visit in the future.

Albanian Mountains - From Flickr - Marsel Minga

Lakror me Pras (Leek Pie)

 

 Normally the recipe for Lakror me Pras is with flour and eggs so in an attempt to veganise it I used chickpea flour instead.... I was not disappointed.

Ingredients

1 large leek sliced

2 tbsp chopped parsley

1 - 2 tbsp olive oil

110g gram flour

220 ml water

Instructions

1. To make the leek filling put a little olive oil in a pan and saute the leeks for 5 minutes until softened, then add in the salt, pepper and parsley, and stir well. Take off the heat and leave to cool while making the batter.
2. To make the batter sift the gram flour into a mixing bowl and add the water gradually to form a thin batter.  Add extra gram flour or water to get the correct consistency.
3. To make the lakror use a deep baking dish and add a drop of olive oil and rub it over the dish so the base has a coating. Add 3/4 of the batter on top of the oil.
4. Next, sprinkle the leek mixture equally over the batter.
5. With the remaining batter add over the top of the leek and parsley mixture.
6. Place the leek pie at the bottom of the oven for 30 minutes on 180 degrees, moving it up to the middle for the final 15 minutes. Remove from the oven when golden brown.

 

Ajvar (roasted red peppers and aubergine dip)

 

 I used the following recipe for Ajvar... an unctious dip of roasted red peppers and aubergine.. simple and delicious.

 

 

 

 

I turned this recipe for tarator, a yoghurt and cucumber soup with flavours of dill into a thicker dip.  Simply combine cubed cucumber, yoghurt (I used oat yoghurt to keep it vegan), chopped dill, 1 garlic clove crushed and smashed walnuts (crushed in a pestle and mortar); and do not add the water.

 

Plating up the Sallatë Jeshile, fried aubergine and courgettes, Tarator, Ajvar and Lakror me Pras

Lakror me Pras (leek pie) and Sallatë Jeshile (green salad)

The Sallatë Jeshile (green salad) proved to be a great addition to the feast.... just a simple salad of chopped romaine lettuce, a gorgeous beef tomato (deseeded), quarter of a red onion (sliced), kalamata olives and a dressing of olive oil and white wine vinegar.

Score: Italy 2 Albania1

Football Score : 4 (Very exciting first half with Albania scoring within the first 30 seconds - astounding.  Albania were not strong enough to quell the Italian onslaught though and so lost out to the past champions.... )

Food: 4 (Great food for the summer; the ajvar which was a very new dish to me was fresh, and my version of Lakror me Pras (leek pie) was super tasty. Loved it!)

Socca

Socca is a fabulous chickpea flour pancake that originated in Nice, France.  It's origins are obscured in legend.... either a creation by the Romans who cooked the pancakes on their shields or the result of the Turkish siege of Nice in 1543 (when the Nicois ran out of ammunition they mixed hot oil and chickpea flour and poured it off the top of the walls onto the Turks who were stopped in their tracks by how great the food was!).

What we do know is true is that by the early 20th century the socca was being produced for the fishermen and labourers, sold from portable cookers; the Nicois version of fast food. 

Here is my version... a great supper dish when you do not want to cook too much.

Socca

Ingredients

1 cup chickpea flour
1 cup water
1¾ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl or jug, combine the chickpea flour, water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and salt and whisk until smooth. Cover and set aside to soak for 30 minutes.

2. In a frying pan heat a glug of olive oil.

3. Pour the batter into the pan and cook for about 5 minutes a or until the socca is well-browned and crisp around the edges. Treat like a pancake and cook in batches if you have too much batter for your pan.

4. Serve with olive tapenade, globe artichokes and a little fried kale....

Socca with black olive tapenade, globe artichokes and some fried kale

Vegan Sushi

 

Vegan sushi from Wasabi Sushi & Bento

Vegan sushi has invariably been a bit boring; a bit of cucumber or red pepper in a roll, if you were lucky some tofu skin nigiri.... yawn.  The chain Wasabi Sushi and Bento have raised the game by selling this vegan salmon nigiri.... I was so excited.

I can only think that Wasabi was using Vegan Zeastar's Zalmon Sashimi... or something similar. It looked so real.  Taste wise... well not as "fishy" as I would like but definately passable. The texture was great and very similar to salmon.  

This has made me think about making my own sashimi... Sauce Stache has always been my source for experimental dishes by producing plant-based versions of meat, fish and cheese.

Thought this was a very doable recipe using apple:

https://saucestache.com/no-one-would-know-the-fish-is-an-apple/

Or this with tofu:

https://saucestache.com/making-vegan-salmon-out-of-tofu-and-its-actually-good/

Food Hall in Design District, Greenwich, London

 

Food Hall and Bar in Design District, Greenwich, London

Busy trying to catch up with all the posts that I have sadly neglected.  Thought it was worth highlightly this great food hall in Greenwich near Millenium Dome full of loads of food stalls from all over the world; my kind of place. Check out here - https://www.greenwichpeninsula.co.uk/canteen-food-hall .  The area is well worth visiting for the contemporary architecture and the great food.

First stop with Arepas - Gausa (Venezuelan) with an arepa filled with black beans and salsa. Gorgeous.  Looks like this place is no longer there from checking out the website above....

Black Bean Arepa with Salsa

Next stop was the food stall Raastawala for Spicy Water Bombs which was semolina puffs with spice potatoes and tamarind water.... delicious... loved them.   Loved this article about the founder of Raastawala Rinku Dutt about setting up the food business - https://www.streetfeast.com/news-events/founders-rinku-dutt-raastawala

Spicy Water Bombs (Semolina puffs with spiced potatoes and tamarind water)

World Travels - Senegal

 

Vegan Yassa

I used the excellent recipe from The Canadian African who has expertly taken the idea of the sweet/sour preparation for chicken and amended to tofu to veganise it. Find the recipe here: https://thecanadianafrican.com/vegan-yassa-tofu-senegalese-inspired/

I served with some wilted spinach and some simple plain rice.  This is a great store cupboard essential.

World Travels - France

 

Ratatouille and Puy Lentils with Baked Camembert

The one plant-based food that I associate with France is Ratatouille... Created with the glut of plentiful summer vegetables in mind.... probably not the best to be cooking in the cold British winter.  Apparently the dish originated in Nice, France or thereabouts and was considered "peasant food"; though some culinary historians believe that similar recipes were already present in the Basque Country and Catalonia, making their way over time to the south of France.

Well, whatever the origins it formed a basis for this French vegan feast.

Next was puy lentils with baked camembert.  I found a great vegan camembert like replacement in the form of Nurishh Camembert Flavour Vegan Cheese Alternative; you can see that it baked similar to a dairy camembert and tasted great with the puy lentils...

A rather funky French red from our amazing local wine shop Wine & Dandy

Ratatouille cooked

Ratatouille

 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 yellow onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
4-5 medium tomatoes, sliced or tin of plum tomatoes
4 small to medium courgettes
2 medium aubergines
4-5 medium tomatoes
2 red bell peppers, diced
1 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, chopped 

Olive oil
 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 200C/400F degrees.
2. Fry your onions off in some olive oil on a low heat, then add the peppers and garlic.  Cook through for about 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes or the tin of plum tomatoes, the thyme and oregano leaves and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Once cooked through liquidise; this will form the base for a sauce for the ratatouille.
5. Take the courgettes, aubergine and tomatoes and slice thinly.  Attempt to slice the aubergine thinner than the courgettes as it takes a little longer to cook.  You are aiming for roughly similar rounds of vegetables.
6. In you baking dish place about half of the sauce over the base.
7. Then layer the vegetables in a ring alternating between the aubergine, courgette and tomatoes.

   

   Ratatouille before going in the oven

8. Sprinkle seasoning and salt and freshly ground pepper over the vegetables and drizzle with the olive oil.
9. Add the rest of the tomato and pepper sauce over the top and sprinkle with more thyme and oregano.
10. Cover tightly with foil and bake for an hour, or until the veggies are bubbling and the aubergine is soft.
11. Remove from the oven; sprinkle with basil and serve immediately.

 

 

 

Baked Camembert

Ingredients

250g camembert or brie, or other similar cheese
1 tbsp vermouth, or dry white wine, or kirsch
2 thyme sprigs
pinch of dried chilli flakes
crackers or toasted bread, to serve

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan
2. Unwrap 250g camembert, brie or similar from its packaging, then place back into its box. Tie string around the box to secure.

   

   Camembert (smaller one is vegan) before going in the oven

3. Slash the cheese a few times and top with 1 tbsp vermouth, dry white wine or kirsch, 2 thyme sprigs and a pinch of dried chilli flakes.
4. Bake on a baking tray for 20 mins until gooey.

Puy Lentils with Thyme

Ingredients

3 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2¼cups French lentils
1 tsp dried or fresh thyme
3 bay leaves
2 tsp of vegetable stock powder
2 tsp salt if the vegetable stock has no salt    

 Instructions

1. Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add chopped vegetables and sauté until softened; about 5 to 10 minutes.
2. With about 6 cups of water add the vegetable stock powder and mix.
3. To the large saucepan add the vegetable stock, lentils, thyme and bay leaves.  Add 6 cups water, lentils, thyme, bay leaves and salt if the stock is unsalted.. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a fast simmer.
4. Simmer lentils until they are tender and have absorbed most of the water; about 20 to 25 minutes. If necessary, drain any excess water after lentils have cooked. Serve immediately, or allow them to cool and reheat later.

Baked Camembert and Puy Lentils

Place you baked cheese on a bed of puy lentils and surround with watercress.