Montenegrin Brav u Mlijeku/Lamb In Milk#EatThe World

Montenegrin lamb in milk is a wonderful and traditional one pot meal dish. It is easy to make and the meat comes out perfectly tender. I have enjoyed this dish when I visited the Balkan countries. The meat & veggies are cooked in milk and that gives this dish a unique taste. I really love the flavor of the fennel in this dish.

Recipe adapted from here
Serves 3 as a complete meal
Ingredients
4 Cloves Garlic - minced
½ Cup Finely Chopped Flat Leaf Parsley - see notes
1 Teaspoon Fennel Seeds/Saunf
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
500 Grams Lamb/Mutton - cut into bite size pieces
1 Cube Veg Seasoning
½ Teaspoon Salt or to taste
1 Teaspoon Whole Black Peppercorns
2 Small Whole Potatoes -
1 Large Carrot - cut into large pieces
1½ Cups Milk
2 Rosemary Sprigs
Method

Using a mortar and pestle place the garlic, flat leaf parsley, half of the black pepper corns and fennel seeds, crush to form a coarse paste.
In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil and add in the garlic paste, remaining whole peppercorns cook until fragrant a minute.
Raise the heat and add in the lamb pieces, and brown the meat all over. Remove the lamb and season with salt and pepper.
Add about ½ cup of the milk to the pot and scrape up any browned bits, deglazing the pot for about 2 minutes.

Add the remaining milk, rosemary, seared lamb and its juices as well as the seasoning cube and vegetables. Bring to a simmer and then cover and cook until tender about an hour and more or until the meat is tender.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lamb and veggies to a bowl and discard the rosemary sprigs.

Boil the milk over high heat until reduced by half.
Puree the milk sauce in the pot with an immersion blender or in a regular blender. Put the sauce back in the pot and add the lamb  and veggies back in, simmer until everything is warm.
Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley or coriander leaves.

Serve warm with some bread or steamed rice for a delicious Montenegrin meal. This was so delicious, do try this recipe
My Notes
Did not have Flat Leaf Parsley so substituted coriander leaves in this dish. I have added whole peppercorns to give this dish a fresh pepper taste.

Labels: Main Dish , Stew, Montenegro, Eat the World, Lamb, Mutton, International Cuisine, Milk

Check out all the wonderful Montenegro recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Montenegro.

• Sneha of Sneha's Recipe made Montenegrin Brav u Mlijeku / Lamb in Milk
• Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures brings us Pečena Piletine Sa Rižom (Baked Chicken & Rice)
• Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm grilled up Ražnjići (Montenegrin Meat Skewers)
• Cam of Culinary Cam served up Scampi Buzara 

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The Pope’s Fettuccine /Fettuccine alla Papalina With Homemade Fettuccine Pasta#EatTheWorld

Papalina-style noodles" typically refers to Fettuccine alla Papalina, a Roman pasta dish. It's a creamy, cheesy pasta similar to Carbonara, but the difference it that its richer version of carbonara and in this dish cream Parmesan, and prosciutto instead of the pancetta is used. The dish is named after Pope Pius XII, who was said to have inspired its creation. I have made it without any meat and the fettuccine is homemade.

My hubby enjoyed this peppery rich pasta dish. It makes a fancy but easy dinner meal. This brought back memories of our 2014 visit to the Vatican city.
Ingredients
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 Small Onion, finely chopped
100 Grams Prosciutto / Ham, diced - I did not add
2 Eggs
2 Tablespoons Heavy Cream
½ Cup Parmesan Cheese
200 Grams Fettuccine Pasta - boiled
Freshly Cracked Black Pepper
Method

Whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. Set the mixture aside.
Boil the pasta in well salted water, ( since I used fresh pasta boiled it for just 3 -4 minutes) as it it cooking, let's heat a skillet, add the butter and fry the onion in until soft and translucent. Be sure to adjust the heat lower so that the onion doesn’t take on color as it cooks. If you are using the proscuitto the add it at this stage.( I did not add since I made this vegetarian) and heat it for a few moments until fragrant. Toss hot, fettuccine noodles into the skillet and stir it well . Switch off the flame. Pour the egg mixture onto the hot noodles and toss thoroughly with fresh cracked pepper.

As you stir the ingredients together, the eggs will thicken and the cheese will melt, all thanks to the residual heat of the pasta. Add a good sprinkle of freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of Parmesan cheese. 

Serve hot because as this cools down the sauce will thicken, Enjoy!!

Homemade Fettuccine Pasta

Ingredients
1 Cup Fine Semolina
½ to ¾ Cup All Purpose Flour
¼ Cup Warm Water
Additional Warm Water as required - I used 2 Tablespooons
Method

In a small mixer jar add the warm water and the semolina, mix well keep it aside for minimum 2 hours or more. Then grind to fine paste.

Simply mix the flour together and then begin knead to make a stiff dough, if needed add warm water ( I used 2 tablespoons water)if required, mixing until you obtain a stiff dough. Once you obtain a workable dough, knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is very smooth and stiff. Wrap in plastic wrap and let is rest for 30 to an hour minutes.

If you are using a pasta roller, take your flattened tennis ball-sized piece of dough (remember to keep the rest of your dough covered with the cling film so it doesn't go dry and crusty). and push it through the pasta roller on the widest setting. Fold it, then repeat 3 times. Once you have a rough square shape, start working it through the machine, taking it down one setting at a time, until the second last setting. If your pasta is too sticky, it won’t go through smoothly, so add a little flour to each side before you put it through the roller.

Place your sheet of pasta on a floured surface and let it dry for a few minutes. 

Then roll each sheet as shown above

Cut it into fettuccine pasta size cusing a knife.

Lightly dust a tray with all purpose flour to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Place the pasta onto the trays and repeat the process until you have used all the remaining dough. Leave to dry for overnight or for a day.

Store in a airtight and use whenever required. This will remain outside for a month.
My Notes
If you do not have a pasta machine then, take tennis ball-sized amounts of the dough and flatten it with your fingers (remember to keep the rest of your dough covered with the cling film so it doesn't go dry and crusty). Place on a floured work surface and using a rolling pin roll into a rough square sheet of pasta which is about ⅛ inch thick. Then cut it as mentioned above.

Labels: Rome ,Italy, Eat the World, Pasta, Homemade

Check out all the wonderful Vatican City recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Vatican City.

Let's take a look at the recipes being shared from Vatican City this month......

Sneha of Sneha's Recipe served up The Pope's Fettuccine (Fettuccine alla Papalina)
Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm enjoyed Giradole
Amy of Amy's Cooking Adventures made Gnocchi al Vaticano  

Czech Lívance -Eggless Yeasted Pancakes#EatTheWorld

In Czech, these yeasted pancakes are called Lívance, and they represent a favorite sweet dessert. They are addictive! 
Traditional Czech pancakes are round small sized patties made of semi-liquid batter, leavened with yeast. The pancakes are fried in a pan with little butter, finally garnished with fruit, a scoop of sour cream, or just rolled in powdered sugar. They are served as a dessert/sweet dish. 

I have made this eggless and they are so soft fluffy, spongy and delicious. These are too good, my hubby enjoyed the pancakes with Mango Cream Dip. 

Makes : 16 Mini Pancakes
Ingredients
1½+ - Cup Lukewarm Milk
1 Teaspoon Instant Yeast
1½ Cups All Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
2 Eggs - optional - I did not add - See Notes
¼ Teaspoon Salt
Butter or Desi Ghee/ Oil) - for frying

For The Mango Cream Dip
1 Mango - Alphonso or Kesar
2 Cubes Cream Cheese
½ Cup Non Diary Whipping Cream
Method
For The Mango Cream Dip

Remove the skin and chop the mango. In a small blender jar add the cream cheese, mango and whipping cream. Blend till smooth. Remove in a bowl.

Refrigerate to chill till we are ready to serve with the pancakes.

For The Pancakes

In a small saucepan, heat a cup of milk until it is  just lukewarm. Add sugar and yeast, then stir. Leave the mixture in a warm place until the yeast activates and foam with bubbles appears on the surface.

Pour the remaining lukewarm milk into a large bowl and add granulated sugar, flour and salt. Now add the activated yeast mixture. Using a mixer with a whisk attachment, briefly whisk until everything is well combined. The result should be a thin, semi-liquid batter. Place the bowl with the batter in a warm area to rise until it doubles in volume. 

Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium low flame and brush the pan with  butter or desi ghee. Take ¼ cup of the risen batter and pour it into the pan.  Cook the Lívance for about a minute on one side and then 30 seconds on the other. Once cooked, transfer them to a plate.
Carefully wipe the pan with a paper towel after each batch to remove any blackened bits of butter/desi ghee.

Coat the pancakes in cinnamon sugar. Prepare coating mixture by combining icing sugar and cinnamon powder in a large bowl. Thoroughly coat the warm pancakes with the cinnamon sugar.

I served them with Mango Cream Dip and this was  perfect combo with the Livance. Do try these!! 
My Notes 
If you are using eggs then use ½ cup less milk.  

Labels: Eat the World , Pancakes,International Cuisine, Czech Republic, Yeasted, Eggless, Breakfast, Dessert, Mango, Dip

Check out all the wonderful Czech Republic recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!
For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Czech Republic.

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Bohemian Beef Noodle Soup 
• Culinary Cam: Zelňačka (Czech Sauerkraut Soup)
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Česnečka (Czech Garlic & Potato Soup) 
• Sneha's Recipe: Czech Lívance -Eggless Yeasted Pancakes 
• Palatable Pastime: Summery Czech Cucumber Salad 

Honduran Salpicón- Keto#EatTheWorld

Beef Salpicón is a traditional Honduran dish that is both delicious and very easy to make. It's actually a meat salad served over steamed rice or veggies, totillas or lettuce leaves. What I like about this recipe that doesn’t require any additional fats or oils, the dish is low in fat. It's a perfect keto meal recipe. This Honduran recipe is prepared with culantro, which is a variety of culantro with large leaves that grow from the root. Since I did not have this, used coriander leaves, which I, read in google can be subsituted for it.

Ingredients
To Stew The Beef
1 Kg Boneless Beef
2 Medium Tomatoes - diced
1 Medium Onion - cut in fourths
4 Clove Garlic
1 Red Pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Culantro Sprigs - I used Coriander Sprigs
To prepare The Salpicón
1 Red Pepper - finely diced
1 Small White Onion - finely diced
½ Bell Pepper - cut into fine strips
½ cup Bitter Orange Juice (or substitute with lemon juice or vinegar)
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 Tablespoons Chopped Coriander Leaves
To Serve
Tomato, Onion & Avocado
Method

Put the beef in a pot together with the tomato, onion cut into fourths, garlic and red pepper. Cover the ingredients with water and cook over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for 2 hours being careful to remove, from time to time, any foam that might form on the surface of the water. You will have to stew the beef until it’s very tender, about 2 hours, adding water if it gets too dry.

Once the beef is tender, season with salt and pepper and add the sprigs of coriander. Turn off burner and let the stew cool completely. Strain the stock and serve it as a consommé or use it as a stock for another soup or in a different recipe.

Shred the stewed with a fork. Put the beef in a bowl along with the diced red pepper, white onion, bell pepper, vinegar and more salt and pepper to taste. Add the chopped coriander leaves.

Serve with salad, rice, steamed vegetables instead of rice and tortillas, or in use salpicón as the filling in lettuce wraps. It's a light dish that will fill you for hours and give you energy. Enjoy!! Refrigerate to serve the salad cold, although it's best when served at room temperature.

Labels: Keto, Honduran, Beef, Salad, Low Carb, International Cuisine, Side Dish, Eat the World

Check out all the wonderful Samoa recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Honduras.

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Honduran Baleadas 
• Sneha's Recipe: Honduran Salpicón-Keto 
• Amy's Cooking Adventures: Honduran Style Refried Beans 
• Culinary Cam: Tastes of the Tropical Coastal Lowlands of Honduras

Moa Fa'Asaina- Samoan Chicken#EatTheWorld

Samoan chicken also known as Moa Fa’asaina, Moa means chicken in the Samoan language. This is such a easy & delicious dish to have; this is another quick and easy recipe that you can enjoy with the family or with friends.

Recipe source International Cuisine, I liked this recipe. Did some variations, halved the recipe, and since I did not have dark soy sauce used the light soy sauce. This recipe tasted good. This is usually had with coconut rice, since I have already posted different recipes of coconut rice on my blog you can check the recipes for it below.
Ingredients 
For The Chicken

500 Grams Chicken with bones- used drumsticks & thighs
½ Cup Dark Soy Sauce
¼ Cup apple cider vinegar
1 Medium Onion - sliced
2 Big Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
½ Tablespoon Ginger - finely chopped
Salt & Black Pepper to taste
½ Tablespoons Tapioca Starch
1 Scallion/Spring Onion Greens - chopped to garnish
1 Tablespoon Sesame Seeds - roasted to garnish - I did not add

Method 
For The Chicken

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper
Brown the chicken on all sides in a large Dutch oven.
Remove the chicken to a plate and drain all but a tablespoon or so of grease from the Dutch oven.
Sauté the onions and garlic and ginger in the Dutch oven, scraping up any bits from the chicken.
Return the chicken to the pan and add the soy sauce and vinegar, then add enough water to cover the chicken.
Continue to cook for another 20 minutes or so or until the chicken is cooked through.
Remove the chicken from the pan.
To Thicken The Sauce

Take 2 Tablespoons of tapioca starch in a bowl with just a touch of cold water to form a thick paste, Whisk this into the sauce.
Reduce the heat as the sauce begins to thicken and return the chicken to the sauce.

Enjoy this dish with coconut rice, This is a tender juicy chicken and you will definitely want to try this again. 

Coconut Rice Recipes 
Jamaican Coconut & Beans Rice 
Belizean Rice and Beans
Nasi Lemak  

Labels: International Cuisine, Samoa, Chicken, Soy Sauce, Apple Cider Vinegar, Main course, Eat the World

Check out all the wonderful Samoa recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Samoa. 

Combating 'Blankness' with Moa Fa'Asaina by Culinary Cam

Keke Pua’a (Samoan Steamed Pork Buns) by Amy's Cooking Adventures

Moa Fa'Asaina- Samoan Chicken by Sneha's Recipe

Oka a'i A Day in the Life on the Farm

Plachinda (Moldovan Breads With Cheese & Leafy Greens)#EatTheWorld

Plachinda is a round flat bread that is commonly stuffed with cheese. This flatbread is a stuffed bread what we call here in India a paratha. In this flatbread no yeast is used instead it is leavened with baking soda or baking powder. I have seen so many recipes on the internet some make it round and some make like a turnover. I have watched YouTube video's and decide to adapt one with which I can get ingredients readily available here. Most of the recipes use sorrel leaves as one of the ingredients and kefir to make this stuffed flatbread. But I couldn't find it in market as this is not the season for this leafy green here instead went with spinach and used buttermilk instead of kefir to make the dough.

Also subbed the all purpose flour with little freshly milled whole wheat flour to make it healthy.
Makes 4
Ingredients
For The Dough
1 Cup Kefir / Buttermilk
½ Tablespoon Olive oil
½ Tablespoon Caster Sugar
½ Teaspoon Pink Himalayan Salt
250 Grams All Purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
100 Grams Whole Wheat Flour
½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
½ Teaspoon Baking powder
For The Filling
200 Grams Feta cheese - crumbled
200 Grams Homemade Cottage Cheese / Paneer - crumbled
50 Grams Sorrel or Spinach leaves - finely chopped
4 Spring Onions / Scallions - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Dill Leaves - finely chopped
½ Teaspoon Black pepper powder
¼ Cup Olive Oil - for frying
To Fry
¼ Cup Olive Oil
Method
For The Dough 

In a large kneading bowl add in ¾ cup buttermilk, oil, sugar and salt in a large bowl and mix together well with a fork.

Sift the flour with the baking powder & baking soda, then sift again into the buttermilk mixture and mix in start to incorporating to make a soft and smooth. If it’s still slightly sticky, incorporating more flour into it & if it is stiff then add the remaining buttermilk a little at a time to make a nice soft smooth dough. Take this on to lightly floured work surface and start to knead the dough till it should stop sticking to your hands and forms a soft smooth dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 20 minutes.
In the meantime Let's Make The Filling

Mix the feta, cottage cheese spinach, spring onions and dill together, making sure that the feta is finely crumbled. Divide this into 4 parts.

Divide the dough into 4 part. Flour the work surface really well and roll out each piece of dough, one by one, into a 20 cm (8 inch) diameter circle.

Moisten the surface of one dough circle with your finger tips with a little bit of oil and place one part of the filling on the center of the circle.

Next, take edges of the circle and fold it into the middle ( like a moneybag) pinching them to the top well. 

Then flatten it in the center. The dough should resemble a flattened moneybag.
Now flour the top lightly and gently flatten it with the rolling pin flouring the work surface till it form a thick circle 6" - 8" circle. The filling will be breaking at the edges but no worries this flatbread does taste so good.
Repeat the process with the remaining dough and filling.

Heat the a tablespoon of oil in a frying pan on medium low flame until hot and gently lower in each flatbread, one at a time. Fry for 2–2½ minutes on each side.

Enjoy these with ketchup!

Labels: Feta Cheese, Eat the World, Paratha, Scallions, Pan Fried, International Cuisine, Dill, Cottage Cheese, Moldova, Spinach, Stuffed Flatbreads, Breads

Check out all the wonderful Moldova recipes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

• For Eat The World we are sharing recipes of Moldova

• A Day in the Life on the Farm: Moldovan Roasted Eggplant Salad 
• Sneha's Recipe: Plachinda (Moldovan Breads With Cheese & Leafy Greens) 
•  Culinary Cam: Sarmale (Moldovan Cabbage Rolls) 
•  Amy's Cooking Adventures: Zeama (Moldovan Chicken Soup)