Euro 2016 Food Challenge: Slovakia: Oravska Pochutka

I used a recipe from the Hairy Bikers Big Book of Baking as the basis for this. Sausage, potato and sauerkraut casserole, from the Orava region of Northern Slovakia.  Very simple to make and very filling too.  This would be a great winter warmer (or summer warmer with this weather).  

Ingredients

1.5kg potatoes, peeled and cubed

3 large onions, sliced

1 tbsp sweetener

6 juniper berries

1 tsp ground cumin

900g-1kg jar of sauerkraut 

500g pork mince

1 egg

1 tsp mace

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika 

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Half a pint of chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 180C / 160C fan.

Boil the cubed potatoes until tender. Drain and set aside when ready. 

Fry the onions in Frylight until softened. Stir in the sweetener, juniper berries, cumin and sauerkraut and simmer until tender.

Make the "sausage meat" by mixing the pork mince, egg, mace, coriander, smoked paprika, salt and pepper.  I mixed it with my hands then whizzed it in the food processor to bring it all together.

Layer the potatoes in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Pour in the chicken stock.  Break the sausage meat into small pieces to make a layer on top of the potatoes.  Pile the sauerkraut on top to make the final layer.  Season the top, and bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes.

Euro 2016 Food Challenge: Turkey: Tabbouleh

I love tabbouleh. It's really simple and quick to make, and it tastes so lovely and fresh. I first ate it when I went to Syria in 2004 with my friend Hala, so it also brings back memories for me of all amazing food I had over there, not to mention all the wonderful people I met! I've loved Middle Eastern food ever since, and this is no exception.

There are literally hundreds of variations of this recipe, but this is my SW friendly version.

Ingredients 

100g bulgar wheat

3-4 fresh tomatoes

3-4 Spring onions

A quarter of a cucumber

A large bunch of parsley

A small bunch of mint

Juice of half a lemon

Put the bulgar wheat in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to just cover it. Chop the tomatoes finely, and put these on top of the bulgar wheat so the juices soak in. Set aside for 30 minutes.

Finely slice the Spring onions. Finely chop the cucumber and herbs. 

When the bulgar wheat is ready, fluff the grains up with a fork, and stir through the chopped ingredients and the lemon juice. Season with salt to taste.

Serve on a bed of lettuce leaves.  We had ours with roast chicken, and it was lovely.