Egypt… You put the ‘E’ in delicious!

Sorry everyone for taking so long to get this up. Lots has been happening and usually when I find 5 mins to sit down I end up falling asleep, but my Egypt write is done so I hope you enjoy J

The trip to Egypt was wonderful.

Every dish I made was enjoyed by all - almost everyone had seconds. It is definitely a place country that loves to eats their carbs –lots of rice and pasta. However mixed with the lentils, tomato sauce, crispy onion and spices I didn’t mind one bit J

Definitely recipes I would use again and again and again - Thank you Egypt.

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)

Kushari – 10 minutes tops – once you have all the ingredients it’s a simple case of cook, layer  and serve.

Macaroni Bechamel – 10 mins. Open a bag of pasta, pull the mince out of the fridge and put the jar of béchamel sauce on the bench and you are ready.

Mehalabeya – 5 mins then about 40 mins to cook –worth it though J

Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)
Kushari – really easy to do. Cook the rice, pasta, lentils, onion and tomato sauce. Layer them or you can mix them together and it’s done.

Macaroni Bechamel – if you can cook mince and pasta, use a spoon and a turn on an oven you’ll be fine. Not hard at all to layer everything before putting it in the oven to cook

Mehalabeya – Little time consuming as you have to stand over it to ensure it thickens and doesn’t burn.  

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)

Rather than boring you with my opinion, this time I thought I’d let the boys share their overall scores and thoughts.

Kushari  - 5 empty bowls – this dish was tasty and filling – the combination of the onion and spicy tomato sauce is wonderful. You possibly could leave out the pasta and just have the rice and lentils, but all in all a great, meat free meal.

Macaroni Bechamel – 5 empty bowls – I love lasagne and this in my opinion is a variant on that. Not as creamy as the lasagne mum would make, but it was delicious. I never would have thought to use the pasta in this way. I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe up my sleeve. Really ease to prepare, cook and tastes great along with a salad.

Mehalabeya - 3 empty bowls – was nice, but it didn’t do it for me. I had to add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream.  It may have been my cooking, but I felt it lacked something. If I ever do make it to Egypt for real then I would love to try another though.  

Hope as always you enjoy the video of all the pictures. I have chosen my next destination – thanks Nat – but you’ll have to wait a few days before I tell the world where I am going next ;-)

Where to next?

Added Brazil to the list

1. Morocco

2. Egypt

3. Canada

4. Iceland

5. Brazil

6. Thailand

and  with the roll of a dice I’m now off to…….

 EGYPT!

Land of the mummies, pyramids and one of the greatest rivers on Earth.

I better start reading up on what should be a wonderful adventure destination.

Let’s start with what Wikipedia has to say J

Egypt is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world. Covering an area of about 1,010,000 square kilometers (390,000 sq mi), Egypt is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.

 Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East. The great majority of its over 82.2 million people[4] live near the banks of the Nile River, in an area of about 40,000 square kilometers (15,000 sq mi), where the only arable land is found. The large areas of the Sahara Desert are sparsely inhabited. About half of Egypt's residents live in urban areas, with most spread across the densely populated centres of greater Cairo, Alexandria and other major cities in the Nile Delta.

 Monuments in Egypt such as the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx were constructed by its ancient civilization. Its ancient ruins, such as those of Memphis, Thebes, and Karnak and the Valley of the Kings outside Luxor, are a significant focus of archaeological study. The tourism industry and the Red Sea Riviera employ about 12% of Egypt's workforce.

 The economy of Egypt is one of the most diversified in the Middle East, with sectors such as tourism, agriculture, industry and service at almost equal production levels.

Austria you were wonderful…My tastebuds could easily enjoy living here for a while!

Well I have thoroughly enjoyed my trip to Austria. The smells and the tastes were well worth the trip and I would happily come back sooner rather than later.

Enjoy the ratings and video J

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)
Wiener schnitzel – 5 minutes – does not take long at all to set up your production line of bread crumbs, flour, and egg whites.
Sachertorte – 10 minutes – takes a little time to measure everything out and separate the eggs, but overall this is nothing compared to how long it takes to put it all together.
Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)

Wiener schnitzel – Very simple –anyone could do this – place in a pan and turn it over. Place on paper towel to drain off excess oil… easy.  I cooked mine of the BBQ plate –just as easy and with a little less oil.

Sachertorte– This is one of those desserts that the end justifies the means. It took me over an hour to put this beast together. First you have to combine of all the ingredients and bake the actual cake – it is not as easy as putting everything in a bowl, stir it together and bake. As the recipe shows there are a few steps you need to follow.  Then there are the glazes to make and finally you have to put it all together to get the final result, but saying all that it is well worth it

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)

Wiener schnitzel –5 empty bowls. Simple and delicious the veal combined with the buttered potatoes and salad it made for a wonderful meal.  Easy to prepare and cook this is definitely something I will be making again.

Sachertorte – 5 empty bowls. This is one for the lovers of chocolate. I found it to be super rich and considering the amount of dark chocolate that what went into it the side of cream provided a nice balance to neutralise the bitterness of the dark chocolate. The apricot glaze added to the flavour. It wasn’t overpowering. More subtle, but you knew it was there. Was a just reward for all the effort that was required to make it happen.

As always it’s all documented through a video slideshow –there’s even a few snaps of my kitchen helper Baz – Enjoy! J.

And the meals are....

To celebrate my time in Austria i'll be attemtping to replicate:

Main

-Wienerschnitzel served with garlic butter baby potatoes and salad.

And for dessert

- Sachertorte

Hopefully it tastes as good as it looks in these pictures :-)

In the meantime here are some Austrian facts:

Capital of Austria

Vienna

Total Area of Austria

total: 83,870 sq km
land: 82,444 sq km
water: 1,426 sq km

Population of Austria

8,184,691 (July 2005 est.)

Languages of Austria

German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland)

English-Deutsch.co.uk

Literacy in Austria

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: NA%
female: NA%

Religions of Austria

Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 3.5%, unspecified 2%, none 12% (2001 census)

Life Expectancy in Austria

total population: 78.92 years
male: 76.03 years
female: 81.96 years (2005 est.)

Government Type in Austria

federal republic

Currency of Austria

euro (EUR)
Austria Flag

What is the flag of Austria?

Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red.

Coat of Arms of Austria

The Coat of Arms of Austria has been used since the end of World War I to symbolize Austria. The double headed eagle, symbolizing the old Austro-Hungarian Empire was replaced with a single headed eagle.

On the chest of the eagle is located the old shield of the Duchy of Austria, this same design forms the basis for the flag of Austria. The eagle's claws hold a golden sickle and a golden hammer. While at first sight this might lead to an association with communist symbols the golden mural crown on the head of the eagle makes it clear, that these three merely represent the unity of the three "classes" (workers, peasants and bourgeoisie) in the republic - not quite class war.

The broken iron chain between the two claws indicates liberation from the occupation of Austria by Nazi Germany (1938-1945) and was added after World War II.

We came, we cooked and we definitely will be back!

Having never been to Russia let alone dined on Russian cuisine I really didn't know what to expect tonight. I had my doubts over how well I could make the dough for the Pelmini and I was very unsure about how the raw mince would cook in the boiling water. I didn't know if the Sharlotka would be more of stewed apple mess or a flat sponge cake, but all in all i have to say it was truly a great experience and the dishes I chose cooked up great.

Beginning with the Pelmeni the dough worked out fine and the filling cooked just as the recipe it said it would in the four to five minutes in the boiling water. With a little BBQ sauce to give it that small touch of Australia they were spot on. Not sure if i would say they were a main meal, but i think they would definitely work as a starter to a dinner party or as something to nibble on during the football.

For those looking for a light dessert to make on a cold night I would clearly recommend having a go at the Sharloka. It doesn't take long. You don't need loads of ingredients and it is grand. As the recipe said it was light and fluffy and served straight from the oven with a scoop of vanilla icecream on the side i think it now will become one of our family favourites. The mix of apple and cinnamon with the bi-carb and vinegar inspired sponge cake mixture melted in your mouth. It is a dessert that completes the meal, but doesn't leave you feeling over indulged. Not too sweet for me it was just right and going by the 5 empty bowls it hit the spot.

Whilst I would rate my trip to Russia as a top place to food visit, the best highlight came from the journey to get there. Many of the Russian recipes I found whilst looking for something to cook spoke of how they were traditionally prepared by the family at dinner time. So with the help of my nephews we took out travel plans to my mum and dad's place to truly capture the family feel. A great idea. Everyone was involved. Be it reading out the recipe, finding the Russian national anthem on Youtube to play in the background to get us in the mood or just making sure I wasn't making a mess everyone played a part and wanted to be in the kitchen.

But enough of the feel good stuff it is time to get down to the business end. As with all cooking adventures i suppose i should use some sort of scale or measure to rate the trip to help you decide whether or not to take the plunge and visit for yourself.

So here what I’ll be using to help share my experience.

Preparation time: (how long does it really take?)

Pelmeni - Allow 30 minutes to prepare. The more hands on deck the quicker. The time killer is preparing the dough and the rolling. Making the filling and then constructing the Pelmini is quick and simple. Kids i think will love the opportunity to get involved and make these.

Sharlotka - 15 minutes to put together tops and 20 minutes to cook. Again a great kid freindly dish and a fantastic way to use up the apples you have lying around.

Ease to cook: (what does it involve?)

Pelmeni - Boil water, drop in and wait 5 minutes. Simple! No mess no fuss.

Sharlotka - Easier than the Pelmeni. Heat the oven, cook for 20 minutes then serve.

Overall: (i'll use a scale of empty bowls - 5 empty bowls is the best - 1 empty bowl not the best J)

Pelmeni – 3 ½ empty bowls - for me it just needed something. Maybe it was my dough, but i just felt needed a bit more of a kick to it. Maybe a few more spices in the filling.

Sharlotka - 5 empty bowls. A great dessert that on a cold night will warm anyone’s tummy. One to add to my cook book.

Enjoy the photos from my adventure J

PS - Russia was fantastic, but the journey must continue -  new destination coming soon!

The menu is...

After much research, and considering my abilities and opportunity to secure the necessary ingredients, I have selected the meals for my Russian menu.

For the main I’ll be embarking on Pelmeni – a sort of dumpling consisting of a beef/pork filling wrapped in thin dough and boiled in salt water.  Here’s the recipe I’ll be using.

For dessert I’m going with a Sharlotka (Apple Charlotte). It’s a take on an apple sponge cake. Looking forward to tackling this one – sounds delicious. Once again, here’s the recipe.

All in all I not only think the meals will be delicious, but I think I can tackle both with reasonable success. The fun part will come in making the dough for the Pelmeni – haven’t made dough in a long while, but hey what is cooking without a little mess, and if worse comes to worse I should be able to make damper with it LOL J

So this weekend I’ll head to the supermarket to stock on the supplies needed. Then next weekend, when my nephews are over, we’ll all pitch in and ‘travel’ to Russia together.

As always feel free to try these out for yourselves and share your experience. Perhaps you might tackle another Traditional Russian dish. I found quite a few out there that made the mouth water.

Until next time - Пребывание хорошо (stay well).