Four mouth-watering dishes well worth a try

WARNING, THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS CONTENT THAT MAY MAKE YOU SALIVATE!

Travel and food go hand-in-hand. One of the most satisfying aspects of travel is sampling the wonderful, unusual and tasty culinary delights other countries are famous for. It’s always an interesting and delicious experience to try local cuisine when visiting different countries and cultures. It was difficult to narrow down a sampling from all the deliciousness out there; however here are four delectable dishes worth trying from a few of our upcoming destinations!

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4.

In a large mixing bowl, place the ground almonds, caster sugar, cinnamon and lemon zest and pour the eggs in, mix with a fork or whisk. Using butter, grease a non-stick spring form cake tin of around 28cm in diameter.

Pour the almond mix into the cake tin and bake for 35 minutes or until the top of the cake is lightly brown and the cake is firm when pressed with the finger.

Whilst the cake is baking, you could print and cut a drawing of the Santiago cross which you will use to decorate the cake.
Once the cake has cooled down, place the cross on the centre of the cake and dust all over with icing sugar. Carefully, remove the cross and the cake is ready to serve!

Recipe Source: https://www.bascofinefoods.com/spanish-recipes/tarta-de-santiago-recipe/

FRANCE

La Soupe au Pistou
Makes about 5 quarts (5l) of soup

For the soup

• 1 cup (200g) dried beans
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 medium onions, peeled and diced, or 3 leeks, cleaned and sliced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 2 medium carrots (6 ounces, 170g) carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 medium zucchini (1 pound, 450g) diced
• 8 ounces (260g) green beans, tips removed and cut crosswise into quarters
• 6 cloves of garlic peeled and minced or thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 cup (250g) fresh or frozen peas
• 1 cup (100g) dried pasta; any small variety will do such as orzo, vermicelli, elbows, or shells

For the pistou

• 1 large clove of garlic, peeled
• pinch of salt
• 2 cups (40g) gently packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 small tomato; peeled, seeded, and diced
• 1 1/2 ounces (45g) Parmesan cheese, grated

1. Rinse and sort the beans. Soak the beans overnight covered in cold water.
2. The next day, drain the beans and put them in a large saucepan with the bay leaves and enough water to cover the beans with about 1 1/2 quarts (1.5l) of water.
   Cook the beans for about an hour, or until tender, adding more water if necessary to keep them immersed. Once cooked, remove the beans from the heat and set aside.
3. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil.
4. Add the onions or leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
5. Add the thyme, diced carrots, zucchini, green beans, garlic, and salt. Season with pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely cooked. Add the cooked beans and their liquid, then the peas and pasta, plus 2 quarts (2l) water. Bring the soup to a boil, and simmer a few minutes until the pasta is cooked.
6. While the soup is cooking, make the pistou.
7. Pound the garlic to a paste in a mortar and pestle (or use a food processor) with a generous pinch of salt.
8. Coarsely chop the basil leaves and pound them into the garlic until the mixture is relatively smooth.
9. Drizzle in the olive oil slowly, while pounding, then pound in the tomato and cheese. Taste, and season with more salt if desired.

To serve: Ladle hot soup into bowls and add a generous spoonful of pistou to the center and swirl gently. Keep extra pistou within reach because you’ll likely want to add more to the soup as you go.
Notes: If the soup is too thick, thin it with additional water. If not planning on serving all the soup right away, keep the cooked pasta separate and add only what’s needed for each serving. If left in the soup for a long period, it will continue to swell up and become overly soft.

Recipe Source: https://www.davidlebovitz.com/soupe-au-pistou-french-vegetable-soup-recipe/

Method:

Scrub the potatoes and bake them whole in the skins in the oven at 180 degrees until cooked. Remove from the oven and scoop out the flesh of the potatoes and pass through a fine sieve or potato ricer. Add in the cream and butter and mix.

At the same time, peel and dice the turnip and cook in salted water then pass through a fine sieve or potato ricer. Follow the butcher’s instructions for the haggis based on size. Use a round metal ring and layer with one third of haggis layer followed by a third of mashed turnip before adding the mashed potatoes to fill the ring.

To heat put in a medium oven until warm. Make a stock from the port, red wine, sugar, garlic, thyme and salt. Simmer in a pan together with the shallots until tender. Remove the tough outside layer when cooked. Make a whisky sauce with the brown chicken stock and cream before adding the whisky at the end to taste.

Serve the timbale of haggis with 2 shallots and the whisky sauce.

Recipe Source: https://www.scotland.org/about-scotland/food-and-drink/scottish-recipes/traditional-haggis-neeps-and-tatties

Not a cook; but still want to try some of the cuisine the locals eat in these destinations? Join us when we visit these Divine Destinations! Contact us today for more information on any of these destinations.