Ojja

One Of simple Tunisian Dish, in some Tunisian city can be called (Shakshouka, Mshakshek…)
Ojja is a dish of eggs poached in a sauce of tomatoes, chili peppers, and Garlic with Olive Oil.
You can make Ojja with Spicy sausages (Tunisian merguez), sea food, chicken or just the eggs.

Ingredients:

• Salt
• Pepper
• Coriander powder
• Olive Oil (100 ML)
• Tomato Paste (100 GR)
• Harrissa (Optional)
• Garlic (1)
• Tomato (4)
• Hot Chili Pepper (3)
• Eggs (4)
• Water (500 ML)
• French Bread (2)

Description:

1. Heat a large quantity of olive oil (so that the bottom of the pan is covered).
   Brown everything over medium heat with the coriander, salt, pepper, harissa and tomato paste.
   Once a warm and coating smell emerges, Add the peppers and tomatoes cut fairly roughly (not too much) and water (everything should be half covered).
   Leave to simmer for around twenty minutes over low heat then, increasing the heat, break the eggs into the pan, but be careful! Don’t mix! Leave to cook for about 10 more minutes.
   Serve hot with bread.

Submitted by: Mehdi Khammassi

Charleston Red Rice

Gullah

We call it ‘Red Rice’ and no family gathering or get together would be complete without this simple dish. Nobody can make it like my Nanny, my grandmother. She was raised in Charleston, South Carolina in a large blue collar family. I’m guessing rice was a regular dish on the dinner table. One of the best things about this dish is that it’s even better on the second day.

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
• 1 cup of plain white rice
• 1 cup of water
• 1 Tablespoon of bacon grease. (You can add a bit more to taste but not too much)
• 1/4 teaspoon of pepper ( this can be to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt ( not less but you can do more to taste)
• 1/8 cup finely chopped onions ( again that’s a minimum you can add more)

Description:

1. Put ALL of the ingredients into the proper size saucepan.
   Bring it to a boil then take it down to a simmer.
2. Stir it. Cover it. After the 5 minutes give it a good stir.
3. Cover it and let it cook untouched for 15 minutes.
4. Take it off the heat. Stir it. Cover it. Let sit for 5 more minutes unbothered.
5. Should be ready to go.

Some recipes call for celery and peppers. That’s up to you. The key is moisture content so remember the cooking time could change if you add or subtract moisture.

Submitted by:

Thomas Family

Banana Bread from Turrialba, Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Some of my memories of Costa Rica are not only the rainforest and happy time with friends and family, but also the delicious banana bread that my mom took out of the oven especially on rainy days.

It is moist and nutty with an aroma of home to me!
I hope everybody can enjoy it because I made it all the time at my house and my friends are really fans of it 🙂

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of flour
• 1 cup of walnuts, chopped  you can also add raisins
• ¾ cups of brown sugar
• 3 bananas (ripe, peeled)
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• ½ teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 2 large eggs (beaten)
• 1 stick of butter
• ½ cup of sour cream

Description:

1. Mixed the eggs, sugar, butter well
2. Add and mix  the bananas, spices, and sour cream
3. Add the dry ingredients and mixed very well until all ingredients are fully blended
4. Add the nuts and raisins and fold in with the mixture
5. Bake in a previously greased and floured pan(s)  at 350F for 1 hour.
6. Cool and enjoy

Submitted by:

Magally Martin

Black Pear Chutney

Culture: India

This is a recipe newly adapted, taking flavor profiles I’ve used in the past bartending and incorporating them into a versatile preserve, that can be used with savory dishes or eaten by itself with a simple biscuit or cracker.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Apple Cider Vinegar
• 3.5 cups Granulated Sugar
• 16oz Fresh Blackberries
• 32oz Fresh Pear diced (your choice)
• 16oz Black Plums diced
• 1 cup Golden Raisins
• 1/4 cup diced fresh mint
• Pinch each of: nutmeg, clove, all spice
• 1/4 cup finely minced ginger
• 2 cloves of garlic finely minced

Description:

In a large pot (I use a steel cauldron with a non-stick lining) bring sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic/ginger to a simmer on medium heat. Usually takes about 10 minutes, once it’s lightly bubbling, add all of your fruit and spices. Over medium to medium low heat, bring all ingredients to a healthy simmer (refrain from boiling).

Over the course of an hour to an hour and a half: maintain the simmer (adjust the heat slightly either way to keep it from stand still or boiling) while stirring occasionally to keep the bottom from burning. Add mint to the chutney with about 30 minutes left in the cook.

For best results: blend with an immersion blender and strain through a fine mesh sieve to remove all seeds/chunks. Let reach room temp then refrigerate. Best served after one day rest.

Submitted by:

Stacy’s Team Teal Kitchen – www.Facebook.com/stacysttk

Rossi’s Schweinegeschnetzeltes

Germany

This dish is a version of Züricher Geschnetzeltes that Erika Roßmannek prepared for my husband as a child and was his favorite dish. Sadly, Rossi, (as we called her) has passed away, but when I first came to Germany 25 years ago, she would come each month to give me a cooking lessen and then stay to enjoy the meal with us. This dish has become a family favorite and we think of Rossi every time that we eat it. I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Ingredients:

• 500 grams pork Schnitzel, 1/2 inch strips
• vegetable oil
• flour
• 1 finely chopped onion
• sugar
• 250 grams sliced mushrooms
• butter
• 1/2 cup sherry
• 250 grams creme fraiche
• 5-6 leaves of finely minced, fresh sage
• 1 cup chicken broth

Description:

Cut the pork into fine strips, about 1/2 inch in thickness, if not already done. Wash and thoroughly dry the meat. Put the strips of pork into a bowl big enough to lightly dust the meat with flour. Do not salt or pepper the meat at this point in time. Add a few tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large skillet and heat at a high setting, waiting until it starts to show “waves” in the oil and just starts to smoke a bit. Add a small portion of the meat to the skillet, making sure not to over crowd the pan. Brown the meat (approximately 2 minutes) and set aside in a bowl. Add the next batch of meat and repeat the process, adding oil if necessary and allowing it to heat before adding the next portion of pork. Once the pork is browned, place the chopped onions into a bowl and sprinkle a tablespoon or two of sugar over them and stir to coat them. Add butter to the same skillet you browned the pork in and caramelize the onions over medium low heat (this takes about 10-15 minutes) Once the onions have caramelized, add the sliced mushrooms, chopped sage and butter. Saute the mushrooms and onions just until the mushrooms start to get soft and glisten. At this point in time, turn the heat up to medium high and add the sherry. Let the sherry cook down until just a few tablespoons are left in the pan. Turn down the heat to medium, adding the chicken broth and let it cook a few minutes, reducing it by less than a third. Lower the heat a notch and add the pork and creme fraiche. Only cook the mixture until the meat has warmed through or you risk over cooking the pork.

Serve with homemade Spätzle and red cabbage.

Submitted by:

Erika Roßmannek

Spätzle

Germany

Spätzle is a traditional German dish (although originally Austrian) and a real crowd-pleaser. Katharina is originally from Bavaria and a wonderful cook who is always happy to invite her friends over for a scrumptious meal. Kathi, Emil and Fanny are part of a large family (there are 3 brothers and sisters as well as their papa, who do not appear in the video), so she is accustomed to cooking! In our video, she was kind enough to demonstrate how her mother taught her to make Spätzle as a child. I (Nikki) have been living in Germany for 28 years now and am proud to be Fanny’s godmother and great friends with the entire family. Spätzle is a side pasta, meant to be served with a main course such as Geschnetzeltes, which can also be found in the BG Festival recipe box. It can, however be served as a meal in and of itself when cheese and onions are added, as shown in the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 400 grams flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 25 grams butter
• 1/2 chopped onion
• Eventually: 200 g grated Swiss cheese and Nutmeg

Description:

1.  In a large bowl, beat eggs with mixer. Add salt.
2.  Sift and slowly add flour, adjusting the thickness with water as needed. The batter should be rather thick, yet smooth, forming a solid ribbon of dough that slowly drips down from the wooden spoon when pulled out of the bowl.
3.  Bring a large pot to a boil and add salt. Reduce heat to a simmer. Pour the batter into the Spätzle grater and slide back and forth until it is empty and the Spätzle drops into the water. Allow the Spätzle to cook for 1-2 minutes, waiting for them to float to the surface, removing them with a slotted spoon and placing them into a colander. Quickly run cold water over the top and allow to drain. Repeat until all the Spätzle is cooked.
4. Finely chop the onion and saute in butter. When you are ready to serve the Spätzle, place into the pan with the onions and butter, slowly warming them, without browning.For Käsespätzle, just mix in grated cheese (about 200g of a aromatic Swiss cheese like Emmentaler or Gruyere) when you add the Spätzle to the sauteed onions and bake in oven at 200°F for approximately 5 minutes, until melted.Alternatively, cut the onions into rings and saute in butter until crispy. Take the onions out of the skillet, add butter and mix in the cheese and Spätzle. Serve with the crispy onions on top.If desired, for additional flavor, add nutmeg to the dough.

Submitted by:

Katharina, Emil und Fanny Preuß-Neudorf

Fruit Dumplings (Svestkove Knedliky)

Czechoslovakia

My family would drive to Upstate New York during the 1960s and 1970s to visit my first generation Czech-American maternal grandparents.  At least one meal during our summer vacation would include these wonderful dumplings as the main course.  My grandma’s small house out in the countryside would smell very fragrant while the peaches were boiling on her stove top.  The moist, elastic dough holds the fresh peaches together.  They are served with melted butter and a side of cottage cheese, which had a sugar and cinnamon mixture sprinkled on top.  The dinnertime beverage was always cold milk served in her colorful aluminum tumblers, which would frost up as soon as the milk was poured.

Ingredients:

Serves 6 – One dumpling per serving

• 6 large peaches, washed and dried off (Do not peel off the skin.  It will hold the fruit together while boiling.)
• 2 cups flour
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional condiments:  Cottage cheese, half cup of melted butter, sugar/cinnamon mixture, poppy seeds

Description:

Mix egg with butter and milk.  Add salt.  Sift flour on a board and add first mixture, kneading until smooth.  Cut dough into small pieces and wrap one piece evenly around each peach.  It is not necessary to remove the pit, but my grandma always mentioned that the pit was still there.  Seal well all around.  Drop dumplings in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for about 8 minutes.  Do not overcook.  Remove from water immediately, sprinkle with melted butter and keep in a colander over hot water until ready to serve.  Arrange on a platter, sprinkle with some more melted butter and sugar.  Crumbled pot cheese (cottage cheese), cinnamon and sugar mixed together, or ground poppy seeds fried in butter can be used for toppings.

Photo © Illinois Country Living – Date Added: 7/15/2020   Source: icl.coop

Submitted by:

Lesley Montgomery