TURKEY Turkish delight
Ingredients
Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking Time- 1 hour, 10 minutes
4 cups of granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups of corn flour 1 teaspoon of cream of tartar 4 1/4 cups of water 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater 1 cup of icing sugar Vegetable oil or shortening Instructions: In a 9 inch baking pan, grease the sides and bottom with vegetable oil or shortening. Line with wax paper and grease the wax paper.
In a saucepan, combine lemon juice, sugar and 1 1/2 cups of water on medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Allow mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low and allow to simmer, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Combine cream of tartar, 1 cup corn flour and remaining water in sauce pan over medium heat. Stir until all lumps are gone and the mixture begins to boil. Stop stirring when the mixture has a glue like consistency.
Add the lemon juice, water and sugar mixture. Using a hand whisk gently stir constantly for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and allow to simmer for 1 hour, stirring frequently with hand whisk.
Once the mixture has become a golden colour, stir in rosewater. Pour mixture into wax paper lined pan. Spread evenly and allow to cool overnight.
Once it has cooled overnight, sift together icing sugar and remaining corn flour.
Turn over baking pan containing Turkish delight onto clean counter or table and cut with oiled knife into one inch pieces.
Coat with icing sugar mixture. Serve or store in airtight container in layers separated with wax or parchment paper
NORTHERN IRELAND Irish Stew
Ingredients
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking Time-2 hours, 20 minutes
2 table spoons of vegetable oil 1 lb/500g mutton or lamb cutlets (bone removed) cut into 2”/5cm chunks 2 lb/1kg potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters 1 cup/115g onion, roughly chopped 1 cup/100g leeks, cleaned and finely sliced 1 cup/170g carrots, roughly chopped 1 ½ pints/ 750 ml dark beef stock 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced (optional) Salt and pepper
Instructions:
Heat the oven to 350F/180C/ Gas 4
In a large frying pan heat half the oil to hot but not smoking. Add half the lamb pieces and brown all over. Remove the lamb and place in a casserole, cover with a half of the potatoes, onions, leeks and carrots. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan, heat again then add the remaining lamb and brown all over. Add to the casserole and cover with the remaining vegetables. Add the stock, cover with a tight fitting lid, cook in the oven for 1 hour. Add the cabbage (if using) replace the lid and cook for another hour. Check from time to time to make sure the stock isn't reducing too much, if it is add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered by liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, cook a little longer with the lid removed. Season with salt and pepper. Serve piping hot.
SPAIN Almond Cheese Queso De Almendras
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10minutes Cooking Time- 30 minutes
500g of blanched almonds. 7 eggs (7 yolks and one egg white.) 500g of sugar A little cinnamon One small grated lemon 1 cup of water.
Instructions: Crush almonds using a pestle mortar (neither very fine nor very coarse) until they are small granules. Add the eggs and the grated lemon to the crushed almonds and form a paste. Prepare a syrup by mixing the water with the sugar in a heavy bottom saucepan and heat constantly until the all the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Add the syrup to the almond paste slowly and mix well. Put the pan back on a low heat stirring constantly until the paste thickens (approximately 30 minutes) Spoon mixture into the moulds which have previously been smeared with a little butter and sprinkled with a little cinnamon. Let it cool. Enjoy!
ITALY Biscuits ‘Bad But Good’
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10 minutes Temperature: 180˚C degrees Cooking Time- 30 minutes
1 Kg flour 350 g extra virgin olive oil 350g sweet wine (vin santo) 250g sugar 150g pine nuts 150g raisins 1 packet of yeast
Instructions: Mix all ingredients until a dough is formed. Put a tablespoon of the mixture onto a well greased baking tray covered with parchment paper. Place in a pre-heated oven for about half an hour. Switch off the oven and leave to cool. Enjoy!
PORTUGAL Codfish with corn bread Instructions: Soak the cod in cold water for 24 hours. After soaking, dry the cod with kitchen paper. Preparation time: 24 hours Peel the onions and some garlic clovesTemperature: and slice them into half-moon 180˚C degrees shapes. Cooking Time- 40 minutes Put the onions and some olive oil in a frying pan and heat the pan on the stove. Cook the onions until they begin to turn brown and soft, 400g of salt cod and then add the garlic. Season with salt (just a little bit). Set aside. 75ml Olive Heat someoil olive oil and sauté the cod on both sides. Set aside. 500g Onion Mince the rest of the garlic cloves. 10g Ingarlic a stainless bowl, crumble the crumb of the bread then pour in the minced and(not some olive oil. Stir well until it becomes a paste like 750g Corngarlic bread fresh) consistency.leaf 2 Bay/laurel Put the cooked onions in a baking tray and spread the cod over them. Salt and ground white pepper Then cover with the bread dough. Sprinkle with the rest of the olive (tooil. taste) Bake in a preheated oven.
Ingredients
CROATIA Corn Cake Kukuruzna Zlevanka
Ingredients
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking Time- 30 minutes
4 large eggs 200g caster sugar 200g self raising flour 400g corn flour 20 ml oil 1 baking powder 20 ml milk Filling 200-300 ground walnuts 2-3 tablespoons sugar 2-3 tablespoons water 20 ml sour cream INSTRUCTIONS: Beat eggs, add sugar, flour, corn flour, baking powder, oil and milk. Mix it all together, until it forms a smooth mixture. Put half of the dough in a square cake tin Sprinkle it with filling mixture of ground walnuts and sugar and 23 tsp of water to add moisture. Top with remaining dough. Sprinkle it with sour cream. Bake for about 30 min at 200°C. Serve it sprinkled with powdered sugar. DOBAR TEK! BON APPETITE!
Northern Ireland Brown Soda Bread
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking Time- 3 minutes
250 grams of Plain Flour 250 grams of Wholemeal Flour 1 Level teaspoon of Salt 1 Level teaspoon of Baking Powder
Instructions Pre heat the oven to 200 ° C Put all the dry ingredients into a bowl Mix well Add the Buttermilk and mix well With floured hands shape into a ball Put on a floured baking tray Bake in the oven for 30 minutes Top Tip! Smother with butter while hot and enjoy!
FINLAND Finnish Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking Time- 15 minutes
250 g butter 120ml golden syrup 200g caster sugar 2 tsp ground cinnamon 2 tsp ground ginger 2 tsp ground cloves 2 tsp orange peel 2 eggs (large) ½ tsp salt 400g plain flour 2 tsp baking soda INSTRUCTIONS:
Preparation time: 24 hours Preheat oven to 200C. Add butter, syrup, sugar and spices into a saucepan. Cooking TimeBring it to boil, Stir gently while heating. When it reaches boiling point, remove from the heat. Cool until it is lukewarm and add the eggs to the mixture one at a time. Add sieved flour, baking soda and salt. Store in a cool place until the next day. Line baking trays with greaseproof paper. Place one portion of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Sprinkle flour over dough and rolling pin. Roll the dough into a thin sheet. Cut cookies with a desired cutter. Bake in the oven for about five to seven minutes.
ROMANIA Romanian Traditional Cheese Pie
Ingredients
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking Time- 1 hour
700g flour 300ml lukewarm milk 1 cube of dry yeast 150ml vegetable oil 50g melted butter 2 eggs 100g sugar 1 lemon zest Cheese Filling 500g ricotta/ sweet cheese 2 large eggs 100g sugar Few drops of vanilla extract Zest of 1 lemon 100g raisins
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preparation time: 24 hours
First of all work on the dough: Put the flour in a large bowl and make a small well in the middle for the crumbled yeast and the glass of warmish milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir gently to Cooking Timedissolve the yeast. Then add the oil, sugar, half of the lemon zest, the melted butter and two eggs. Slowly incorporate the flour into this mix until obtaining an elastic, non-sticky dough (if it is necessary add more flour). Knead well for a couple of minutes, then cover and let it rest in a warm place until it doubles in volume. After that, put some flour on the table or the work area and roll into a finger-thick layer using the rolling pin. Cut this into 2 pieces. Line a pie dish with 1 piece of the pastry and bake in oven for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare the filing. Mix the cheese with the raisins, one egg, 100 grams of sugar vanilla and the rest of the lemon zest. Gently spoon the cheese filling in the middle of the pastry case and spread right into the edge. With the reserved dough, make long, pencil-thin ropes and place them on the cheese stuffing from one corner to the other to create a lattice pattern. Brush the pie with beaten egg. Then leave them for ten more minutes. After this, put them in the oven for an hour or until pastry is golden brown. Let cool completely. Slice and enjoy!
FRANCE Twelfth Night Pancakes Galette Comtoise des Rois
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking Time- 20 minutes
250 ml Milk 100g Caster sugar 70g Butter 130g Self raising flour 4 eggs (3 whole eggs & an extra white) reserve yolk to brush pancakes before putting in oven. 3 Table spoons of Orange blossom water 1 Broad bean
Instructions Warm milk, sugar and butter in a pan on the hob. Add the flour and move around the pan (shake briskly) Return to the heat to form a ball of dough. Remove from heat and add eggs, one at a time ( add 1 extra egg white) Add orange blossom water. Spread the dough onto the baking tray. Score with a knife into a grid and hide a broad bean in one section. Brush over with the reserved yolk. Bake in the oven at 180˚C for approximately 20 minutes. Enjoy! The one who finds the broad bean becomes the King/Queen.
POLAND Pumpkin Cake Dyniowe Ciasto
Ingredients
Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking Time- 50 minutes
250 ml of raw, blended pumpkin, 1.500ml flour, 500ml sugar, 500ml oil, 6 big eggs, 16gms of vanilla sugar, 4-5 table spoons of cinnamon or gingerbread spice 2 table spoons of baking soda
Beat the eggs with sugar until it is smooth. Add flour, oil, vanilla sugar, baking soda, spices. Mix everything. Add the pumpkin and gently mix with a table spoon. Put to the baking tray, use baking paper. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes in a temperature of 180˚C. Decorate with melted chocolate. Enjoy!