East Timor - A Fight for Freedom

In 2002 East Timor became a new nation. But independence has not been easy. Indonesia occupied the country for twenty-five years and it resulted in the deaths of about 100,000 Timorese people. But even after independence the atrocities against the Timorese people didn’t stop.

In 1975 Portugal withdrew and Indonesia invaded. World powers turned a blind eye during some of the worst atrocities of modern times. Some world powers supported the occupation by supplying weapons to Indonesia. When the East Timorese voted for independence, loyalists to the Indonesian militia murdered hundreds and burned down villages. An international peacekeeping force stepped in to stop the mayhem and the United Nations helped rebuild East Timor. But security has been volatile and it’s been a bumpy road. East Timor is one of Asia’s poorest nations and it relies heavily on foreign aid.

The tourism industry is practically non-existent, but that doesn’t mean you can’t travel there. There are still plenty of things to do: dive, snorkel and enjoy the beaches. You may find some decent accommodations but there are still many unpaved roads. Perhaps, for the more adventurous traveler, that’s part of the charm.

Even though the cuisine from East Timor is influenced by Indonesia and Portugal they eat lots of seafood and tropical fruits. Our meal was simple. It consisted of grilled fish, papaya, and boiled cassava.

A simple dish for a country with a disturbing and complicated past.

Djibouti - Harira

I’ve been cooking meals around the world since late August and I haven’t attempted to figure up how much I’ve spent on food or how many hours I’ve spent in the kitchen. Each month has blurred into the next and I’m consciously aware that I have way over a hundred countries left to go. Every day I’m obsessively searching for recipes and running to the grocery store. Our dinners begin with my kids asking what country we’re eating and then patiently posing for the camera as I snap away at them eating. They smile in almost every picture even if they don’t like what we’re eating. John, who is very competitive, pushes me to continue so that I finish this project in a year.

My life is centered around food and though I’m not paying much attention to the news anymore I can’t help but be sucked into the same media hype as everyone else, like the Jon and Kate break-up, the mistresses of Tiger Woods and the Swine flu.

Kevin, the kids and I ran out to get our H1N1 shots as soon as we were able, and the night I cooked the Djibouti meal, Kevin called me from work to remind me that it was the last night, until January, for us to get our seasonal flu shots. It was snowing and I considered the inconvenience of going out to the clinic to stand in line with the kids, for God knows how long.

I decided to go but I had already begun cooking. I was making Harira, a beef stew with lentils, chickpeas, tomatoes, spices and pasta. I told Kevin that he would have to finish making it since I had no idea how long it would take us to get the flu shot. He had already gotten his shot at work.

Djibouti is a small country located in the Horn of Africa. It borders Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. There is nothing in the media about this country. It gained independence from France in 1977 - after a hundred years of occupation - and it may be considered just a transit point on the road to Eritrea and Ethiopia but it’s stable with a well organized infrastructure, unlike some of its larger neighbors.

Djibouti is ninety percent desert with the hottest and driest climate on earth. However, it has one of the best harbors on Africa’s eastern coast making its location its main economic asset. Much of Ethiopia’s foreign trade passes through the port, providing Djibouti with its primary source of income. Plus, in an effort to counter terrorism, France and the U.S. have stationed troops in Djibouti. This provides the country with additional income. It’s the only place in Africa where the U.S. has a base.

It ended up taking us well over an hour to get our flu shots and when we got home I saw our Harira. It was a massive conglomerate of food in one big pot, and even though Kevin and the kids didn’t seem to mind it, I didn’t like it at all. There was too much stuff mixed in together and I didn’t like the idea of lentils and pasta together. There was so much of it that we ended up throwing most of it away.

I wasted food for a country that is poor and relying heavily on foreign aid. It made me wonder how I can help feed those who don’t have enough to eat. From now on I’m going to regularly supply the food bank with food – canned food, not my Eat Planet leftovers.

Harira

1 onion, chopped
A pound and a half of steak, cut up into bite-size pieces
1 cup of lentils
1 can chickpeas
1 28 oz. can of chopped tomatoes
1 small can tomato paste
3 lemons, quartered
1 cup chopped celery
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 pinch saffron
3/4 cup sifted flour
2 cups water
1 large handful of angel-hair pasta
Salt and pepper to taste
2 litters of sparkling water

Add oil to a large pot with meat, cumin, saffron, cilantro, parsley, onion, celery, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes then add the sparkling water and cook for a further 10 minutes. (I’m not sure what the sparkling water is suppose to do) Add lentils and chickpeas and cook for 50 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and cook for another 20 minutes. Mix the flour with 2 cups of cold water and mix well with a whisk to get out any lumps. Pour this mixture into the pot stirring all the time. Add pasta and cook for 10 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with lemon.

Denmark - Anchovy Paste

I was in a contest. I competed in the Canadian Blog Awards under the category of crafts, cooking and other activities. I came in second place and I was very pleasantly surprised. It’s funny. A year ago I never would have thought I would be in a blog competition. I don’t know if Denmark has been in any contests per se but it sure has “won” a lot of recognition.

It ranks as having the world’s highest level of income equality.
It has the best business climate in the world, according to Forbes Magazine.
It’s one of the happiest places in the world based on standards of health, welfare and education.
It’s the second most peaceful nation in the world, after New Zealand.
It’s ranked as the least corrupt country in the world in 2008 Corruption Perception Index.
It’s ranked 10th for the greenest countries to live in the world.
It was the first country in the world to implement an environmental law in 1973.

You notice how the greenest and most peaceful countries rank the highest on the Happiest Country Index? Maybe pollution, greed and war isn’t the way to go – at least if you want to be happy.

The UN summit in Copenhagen seemed a failure this year. While countries debated the news programs like CNN were bringing in “experts” that don’t think we need to be making such a fuss over the environment. Here’s my question: Even if these so-called experts are 1% wrong where does it leave the planet and all of us? Wouldn’t it make sense to err of the side of caution? I know, environmental laws costs money for industry. That’s why I wonder if these “experts” are getting paid to play devil’s advocate.

Maybe we should look to countries that are the happiest. Follow their example. Just a thought.

The night I made our Danish meal I was not in the mood to cook. I wanted something easy. I was delighted when I saw that open-faced sandwiches are very popular in Denmark. It was a snap to make but turned out to be a disaster.

I found a recipe for an open-faced sandwich that was easy peezy. All I had to do was spread butter and anchovy paste on slices of bread (I was supposed to use rye but I used multi-grain) and top them with slices of hard-boiled eggs. To go along with the sandwiches I bought Danish pastries at the bakery. Of course the kids loved the Danishes but absolutely hated the sandwiches. It was the anchovy paste they detested and, I was surprised, because I honestly thought they liked anchovies. After dinner I gave our cat, Lewis, some anchovy paste, thinking he’d go nuts over it, and he wouldn’t touch it. He eats bananas for God’s sake!

A few days later I met a woman from Denmark who told me they don’t eat anchovy paste. My God! Does anyone like anchovy paste!

So I decided to do a redo. I decided to make Frikadeller, Denmark’s national dish. On the day before Christmas I fought the crowds at the grocery store, after finally finding a parking space and almost getting run-over. Frikadeller are pan-fried meat dumplings often served in soups. There are different variations, minced pork, veal or beef. I mixed the pork and beef, which was a suggstion from the woman from Denmark. I served the meatballs with boiled white potatoes, gravy and cooked red cabbage. Everyone loved the meatballs.

Denmark may be one of the happiest countries but I wasn’t too happy to have cooked two meals for one country. But, in the end, I learned a lot about Danish food and anchovy paste.


Anchovy Paste Open-Faced Sandwiches

1 1/2 cups soft butter
1 1/2 ounces anchovy paste
4 hard-boiled eggs

Spread a slice of rye bread with softened butter, then with anchovy paste. Cut strips of the hard-boiled egg whites to arrange in petal shapes. Filled center with sieved yolks.


Frikadeller

Mix ground pork and beef together with chopped onions, an egg, milk, breadcrumbs and salt and pepper. Form into balls and flatten as you pan-fry them in oil.

Serve with boiled white potatoes, gravy and cooked red cabbage.

Cyprus - Mousaka

Cyprus is called ‘the island of Aphrodite, according to many travel brochures, maybe because, like Aphrodite, it rose out of the sea about 20 million years ago.

It’s a popular tourist destination. You can lounge on one of its gorgeous beaches or explore the Karpas Peinsula, medieval castles or visit the Byzantine frescoed churches of the Troodos Mountains and much more.

For now, you may want to stay away from cemeteries. The body of the former president, Tassos Papadopoulos, is missing from his grave. Thieves stole the remains on the eve of the first anniversary of his death.

The bizarre incident is messing with the peace efforts aimed at reuniting the Turkish and Greek parts of the island. Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded the island after a coup to stop the plans to form a union with Greece. The tensions between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot have been high since independence from Britain in 1960. Papadopoulos was president from 2003 to 2008. In 2004 he denounced the UN plan to reunite the island.

I decided to make mousaka for our Cyprus meal. I had many recipes to choose from since Cypriot food is a delicious fusion of Greek and Turkish cuisines. I had a selection of seafood, fresh fruits and vegetables, grilled lamb, potatoes and souvlaki,. One of the things I found most interesting was the Hallounni cheese that originated in Cyprus in the Medieval Byzantine period. It’s often garnished with mint and served fresh or grilled.

Every year for my birthday, when I was a kid, my mother would make me mousaka. I believe I had it for the first time in Greece when I was about seven and I instantly fell in-love with the cheesy meat and eggplant dish.

I consider mousaka labor intensive and it takes me several hours to make. But it’s always well worth it. I’ve cooked mousaka plenty of times before but each time it brings back fond memories and I always enjoy it immensely.

Cyprus gave me the excuse to tackle the recipe once again.


Mousaka

1 large eggplant, sliced
Vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 lb ground beef or lamb
1 glass of white wine
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, drained of some of their juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground allspice
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
Grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese (I used both and I grated the cheese over the dish and put on as much as a wanted)
A bit of chopped parsley

Bechamel Sauce

6 TBSP butter
1/3 cup flour
4 1/2 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
75g grated Parmesan
pinch of nutmeg

Topping

Grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese
Toasted bread crumbs (I used plain coutons and crushed them)


Immerse the eggplant slices into salt water for 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Fry them in hot vegetable oil until they become golden (they absorb a lot of oil). Drain on a paper towel.

Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion. Add the meat and sauté until the meat turns brown. Pour in wine, tomatoes, spices, salt and pepper and oregano. Cover and cook for twenty minutes, stirring occasionally. Then mix in grated cheese and parsley.

To make the béchamel sauce, melt butter in medium saucepan until melted. Add flour. Cook, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Return to heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Remove from heat. Stir in parmesan, salt and nutmeg.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


In a rectangular baking dish place half of the eggplant slices on the bottom, then spread half the meat mixture evenly on top and then cover the meat with the remaining eggplant. Spread the remaining meat on and then pour some bechamel sauce over the meat and. Sprinkle with grated cheese.and breadcrumbs.

Bake for 1 hour, until a golden crust is formed on the top. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Croatia - Under the Croation Sun

It’s rare to find a place these days that has a timeless quality about it, especially one that has cruise ships pulling into its coastal isles. As the country tries to preserve its authenticity tourists scramble in to see Croatia’s cozy rustic villages, Roman ruins, medieval cities and gorgeous beaches. One can island hop to one of the 1185 islands and then stroll through art galleries in the capital of Zagreb where the architecture speaks volumes about its socialist and Yugoslavian past.

Despite the fact that it’s had a rough history I think it would be the perfect setting for the next chick flick. It could be called “Under the Croatian Sun.” Of course it’s a spin-off from the movie “Under the Tuscan Sun” but, I swear, from my perspective, it looks like Croatia has all the beauty and romance of Tuscany. Maybe. I’ll have to go there to make sure.

Croatia night was also Kevin’s birthday. Normally I would have cooked Kevin’s favorite meal of – do I dare say it? – Sloppy Joes and French fries. Well, not this time, not when I have a deadline! It could have been worse. It could have been Botswana night! Actually, what I made wasn’t a far stretch from what he likes. I made a sausage and potato casserole. I cooked the sausage and potatoes with bacon, garlic, parsley and other seasonings. I topped it with sour cream.

Croatian cuisine varies from region to region but there is something for everyone. While it still holds firm to its Eastern European roots its reminiscent of the many cultures that have influenced the country throughout history. On the coast you will feast on Italian-style dishes and on the mainland you’ll experience the flavors of Hungary, Austria and Turkey. But whatever the region they love fresh seasonal ingredients.

There are days when I wish that I could hop on a plane, without a care in the world, and travel to somewhere like Croatia. The day of the Croatian meal I went to parent/teacher conferences, picked up Kevin’s birthday cake, hung up decorations, cooked dinner and tended to John and Julia and their friends who were running through my house. When Kevin got home from work I made a big effort to make him feel special. I placed his presents on the dinning table next to his dinner plate while the kids and I lit the candles on his cake and sang Happy Birthday.

After dinner we went to see the movie “The Blind Side.” It was a good family movie about hope, perseverance and working hard to achieve your dream. I liked the movie but I think I would rather have seen “Under the Croatian Sun.”

In the theater I sat back and relaxed for a couple hours. When we got home I was on the computer again deciding what to cook next. I won’t be seeing Dalmatia’s coastal isles anytime soon or any signs of timelessness.


Sausage and Potato Casserole

4 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
250 g spicy sausage, sliced
2 oz smoked bacon, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 TBSP vegetable seasoning (I used Italian seasoning)
Bay leaf
Parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
Paprika
Flour
4 cups water
Sour ream (optional)


Heat vegetable oil in a pan and sauté the bacon, onion and sausage. Sprinkle with paprika add potatoes, vegetable seasoning, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Dust with four, stir well and add water. Boil gently until the potatoes have softened. Add chopped parsley and garlic. Bring to a boil then serve. Top it with a little sour cream.