Recipe(s) of the Month

We are delighted to present the Rotary Radio UK Recipe of the Month feature in conjunction with the Rotary eClub of Innovation. Two members, Caroline and Jack have collected these recipes over three years by and from Rotarians and their friends, these recipes represent the 223 countries in the Rotary family. There are“ national” dishes, family heirlooms and new creations.

Each recipe reflects the style of its author, including professional recipe writers and others who had never described their favourite meal before. Most can be made from internationally available ingredients, whilst some are decidedly different.

Each month we will feature a new recipe and you can hear Caroline talking about it at 11:30 on the Steve Wood's Mid Morning Mix on Steve's first show of each month and will be repeated throughout the month. We will be very interested to find out how the dish turned out when you tried it; please email us [rotaryradiouk@gmail.com] with the results.

Food the World Over - Recipe(s) of the Month

Our recipes were donated by individuals who had been asked for their family favourite recipes and are reproduced in their own words. You can find out more about the charities we support at www.foodtheworldover.org

All the recipes in the collection can be obtained in a pdf download from the website above for a suggested donation of £5.00.

May 2025

Manx Bonagh - Isle of Man

Beer Bread - Lithuania

Four Cheese Roulade - New Zealand

Manx Bonagh

Bonagh (or Bonnag) is a traditional Manx bread which, it is believed, has been around for hundreds of years. Originally it was a flat unleavened loaf cooked on the griddle, but today, it is either baked plain, as in the recipe below, or has dried fruit added to make it a richer cake-like fruit bread. 

 Ingredients: 

• 1 lb of flour 

• 1 teaspoonful of soda 

• 1 teaspoonful of baking powder 

• Pinch of salt 

• 1 teacup of sour milk 

Method

Make into dough and put into a small cake tin. Bake about 30 minutes at 175°C. Bread should have a hollow sound when the bottom is thumped. This recipe comes from a handwritten cookbook dated 1948 which belonged to the mother of a Past President of the Rotary Club of Douglas in the Isle of Man. 

Beer bread

Ingredients

• 650 ml flour

• 2 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp salt

• 2 tsp sugar

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

• 330 ml of beer

• Oil for the baking tray

NB: It is possible to put in your favorite seeds, even garlic, dried tomatoes, dried fruits or greens such as basil, rosemary, parsley.

Method

Preheat the oven to 210 °C. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a bowl. Add lemon juice and other desired ingredients to the beer, pour everything into the flour mixture and stir until well combined. The batter looks pretty moist/wet, but it is OK. Pour everything into an oiled baking tray and cover with a lid or foil. Bake at 210 °C for about 15 minutes and another 40 minutes at 190 °C uncovered until golden brown or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the loaf.

NB: Preparing, baking and cleaning everything takes around 1 hour 10 minutes.

Four Cheese Roulade 

Bread Dough Ingredients

• 4 cups of flour  

• 1/2 cup of oil 

• 1/2 cup of yogurt  

• Salt 

• 1 tablespoon sugar 

• 1 tablespoon dry active yeast 

• 1 cup of warm water 

Method

Mix all dry ingredients then add oil, yogurt and enough warm water to knead the dough. Proof for an hour or so. 

Filling Ingredients  

• 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese  

• 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese  

• 1/2 cup of Roquefort cheese 

• 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese  

• Parsley and Thyme to taste 

Method

Mix all together. Roll the dough simply by hand. Spread with the combined filling  Roll up, slice and let it proof again for about 30 minutes then sprinkle with sesame seeds bake in a hot oven for 30-40 minutes 

NB: A hot oven is 425°F/ 220 °C

April 2025

Dark Chocolate Hot Cross Bun Bread & Butter Pudding - South Africa

Ingredients

• 80 ml cream

• 250 ml milk

• 6 hot cross buns

• 100 g dark chocolate

• 2 free-range eggs

• 125 ml caster sugar

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Method

Halve the hot cross buns and fill with chopped chocolate. Sandwich them together with the chocolate filling and place in a greased baking dish. In a small saucepan, combine the milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Stir on a low heat until warmed through. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and sugar together until the sugar has dissolved. Add the milk and cream mixture to the sugar and egg mixture and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture over the hot cross buns in the dish and let them soak for about 20 minutes before placing them in a 180C oven for about 20 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Serve immediately with cream or custard, and try to share, otherwise you’ll find yourself gobbling the lot. It is Easter though, so it’s time for a bit of hot cross bun/chocolate indulgence!

Homemade Ice Cream

Ingredients

• 1 tin condensed milk

• 1 big yogurt (any flavour)

• 1 small carton cream

Method

Beat cream and add other ingredients together and freeze.

Chocolate Fudge Muffins (Gluten Free) - Dominican Republic

Serves: 12 Preparation time: 15 minutes or less Allergy or not, if you love fudge chocolate muffins you will be pleasantly surprised!!

Ingredients

• 125 g dark chocolate, chopped

• 50 g butter, chopped

• 4 eggs, separated

• 1/2 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence

• 200 g almond meal

• 1 tablespoon cocoa

• 1 teaspoon gluten free baking powder

• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup choc bits

Method

Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a 12 hole muffin pan with paper cases. Melt chocolate and butter in the microwave on medium heat, stirring after every minute. Cool. Stir in the egg yolks, then gradually add the milk and vanilla essence. Combine almond meal, sifted cocoa and baking powder, sugar and choc bits ina large bowl. Stir in the chocolate mixture. Beat the egg whites in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. With a large metal spoon, fold one third of the egg whites into the choc almond mixture, then add the remaining egg whites. Spoon mixture evenly into cases. Bake for about 20 minutes. Remove muffins and stand for 5 minutes before placing onto a wire rack to cool. Just before serving dust with extra sifted cocoa or pure icing sugar. These muffins are suitable to freeze. Can be made 2 days ahead. 

Other Easter Recipes in Food the World Over

Spanish Torrijas- sweet bread. Keralan Vatyppam- steamed rice cake. Neapolitian Pastiera- a rich cake. Mama’s Torta Acelga- spinach tart from Gibraltar Romanian Samales- a stuffed cabbage dish.

To obtain these and 345 other recipes from the 223 countries where Rotary serves go to www.foodtheworldover.org

March 2025

Red Grout Dessert - US Virgin Islands

"Red Grout" is the signature dessert from the US Virgin Islands. It is a tapioca and guava mix traditionally served on March 31st, a holiday in the US Virgin Islands, known as Transfer Day. Make it in the morning, or even the night before you plan to eat it.

Traditionally this dish is prepared with the seeds and skins of guava fruit, but as many of us may struggle to find guava fruit I have used Guava nectar in this recipe. Note colour may be pink rather than red if can only find pink guava nectar.

Ingredients 

For the Red Grout

• 600 ml guava nectar

• 50 g sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

• 60 g tapioca (quick cooking)

• 125 ml water

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Vanilla Cream

• 125 ml milk

• 125 ml whipping cream

• 1 vanilla bean

• 3 large egg yolks

• 3 tablespoons sugar

NB:Consider halving all sugar quantities, you will feel good about the decision and the dessert will still be sweet enough for most people!

Method

Red Grout

In a medium saucepan, bring guava and sugar to the boil. Stir in salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a small bowl, combine the tapioca with the water. Slowly add the tapioca mixture into the guava saucepan and stir to combine. Bring to the boil once more, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat when the tapioca grains are clear. This should take 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in vanilla extract. Leave to cool and then cool completely in a fridge for several hours.

Vanilla Cream

While the red grout is cooling, prepare the vanilla cream. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cream. Split the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds into the milk mixture. Drop the split vanilla bean into the milk as well. Bring the milk mixture to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Remove vanilla bean pod. In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks and sugar to combine. Gradually whisk the hot milk mixture into the yolk mixture.Return the mixture to the saucepan and stir over a low heat, until the custard thickens. Be careful to not let it boil, it will take about 5 minutes to thicken. Strain the sauce into a container, cover, and chill until ready to use.  

February 2025

Jack’s Best Ever Desert Crepes

Ingredients

• 3 Whole Eggs 1¼ cup of milk

• 3 egg yolks ¼ cup of water

• 2/3 cups sifted flour 2 Tbsp Butter (melted)

• 2 Tbsp sugar 

• ½ Tsp salt

• 2 Tbsp Brandy

Method

In a medium bowl beat eggs and egg yolks. Sift dry ingredients together. Use a fine strainer if you don't have a sifter.Mix milk, water, butter and Brandy together in a separate bowl. Add flour mixture and milk alternately into eggs, beating well after each addition. Cover bowl and let stand at room temperature forone hour. I normally stir the batter from time to time as I cook them.

Get the pan (a Crepe pan or light weight medium skillet) fairly hot. Pour ¼ cup batter onto the center of the pan. Get the wrist action of tilting the pan and making a circular motion going as you pour. You want the batter to cover the entire bottom. Watch the batter and you will see it go from shiny to dull. The edge of the crepe should now be getting dry and begin to brown. Run a corner of your spatula under the lacy part and quickly loosen it most of the way around. Again, using the spatula corner, lift the edge of the crepe so you can get it with the tips of your thumb and finger. Lift the crepe with your fingers and slide the spatula under the crepe in one fluid motion. Lift gently and the crepe should come free. Turn it and watch for it to change from translucent to opaque. This should only take a short time.

Don't be concerned with the look of the first Crepe, it is a taste sample for the cook. The first one is always ugly. The others will look like a light golden brown doily.

To serve add a lightly spread filling of fruit or jams (recipes from Belarus and the Faeroe Isles are available in Food the World Over) and roll up, or roll and top with powdered sugar, whipped cream, or Ice cream. The serving size is three Crepes per person Treat your guests some time. They freeze well and microwave back to temperature.

January 2025

Chicken, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew - Sudan

Mabawa: Chicken Wings - Mayotte

Bougna - Vanuatu

Chicken, Chorizo and Chickpea Stew

Serves 4 to 5, preparation time 10 minutes, cooking time 2 hours 10 minutes.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon favourite cooking fat

• 1 large onion

• 80 g chorizo skinned and diced

• 3 chicken breasts diced into bite size pieces

• 350 g fresh tomatoes or 1 can of tomatoes chopped

• 200 g of chickpeas or half a can, drained or the equivalent of pre-soaked and cooked dried chickpeas

• 250 ml red wine

• 2 teaspoon dried oregano

• Salt and pepper to serve

Method

Preheat the oven to 170/325/gas 3. Heat the oil and sweat the onions until soft and translucent. Add in the chorizo, chicken, tomatoes, chickpeas, wine and oregano and put on a tight-fitting lid. Pop in the oven and mostly ignore it for the next two hours (you may want to check it hasn’t dried out every now and then if your lid isn’t tight fitting).

Season with salt and pepper as necessary and serve with whatever comfort food you fancy – we had freshly baked baguettes, but mashed potato would have been equally scrummy.

 Donated to Shine for Shelterbox by Janie, food writer, photographer, real food recipe creator and founder of The Hedgecombers, reproduced here by kind permission of Shelterbox. You can find more recipes like this one on Jane’s website   https://hedgecombers.com/. 

Shelterbox Facts: Shelterbox first worked in Sudan in 2014, distributing School Boxes after the White Nile flooded. In 2020, during the pandemic, ShelterBox aid was again distributed after the worst flooding in decades. Instead of sending a team to the affected countries, they used in – country partners with local resources and knowledge. In addition to the tarpaulins and the household aid items, families also received washbasins and soap to help with hygiene. Find out more about Shelterbox at www.shelterbox.org

Mabawa: Chicken Wings

According to Azusa, author of ndish.com, a national delicacy in Mayotte is Mabawa or chicken wings. If you need a recipe for chicken wings we suggest you choose from the many available on Cookpad. https://cookpad.com/ke/search/mabawa%20ya%20kuku

 Bougna

Ingredients

For the chicken
-5 tbsp oil
-2 chicken breasts in cubes
-1 cassava root in small cubes
-1 green pepper
-1 red diced onion
-1 carrot sliced
-1 small tin of coconut cream/milk
-2 chilies
-half tin of chickpeas
-salt
For the salad 

-2 carrots cut anyway you wish
-3 limes
-3 tbsp olive oil
-salt

Method

Fry diced onion, when soft add chicken and chilies, add carrots and cassava and cook for 10 mins or until vegetables feel soft but not crumbly. Then add the green peppers and salt and peas. Lastly add the coconut milk and keep tasting for seasoning. Cook for 5 more minutes. For the salad, simply add the lime juice, oil and salt to taste to the carrot.

PLEASE NOTE cassava can be poisonous, if attempting this recipe please ensure your cassava is correctly prepared and cooked to remove toxins.

October 2024

Dorset Apple Cake - England

Rosolje - Estonia

Dorset Apple Cake

Ingredients

• 225 g self-rising flour

• 115 g butter

• 115g caster sugar

• 450 g peeled and cored cooking apples

• 60 g sultanas

• 1 egg

• 1 pinch of mixed spice or cinnamon

• Some lemon zest

Method

Rub the butter into the flour to make fine breadcrumbs. Mix the sugar and spice and add lemon zest. Cut the apples into small rough chunky bits add apples, sugar and spice to the flour mixture. Mix well together, then add sultanas. Beat the egg with a little milk and add to the mixture

Line the base of a round 20 cm cake tin with grease proof paper. Spoon the mixture in, then sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake at 200 °C for 30 to 40 minutes.Leave in the tin for 5- 10 minutes before turning out.

Rosolje

Ingredients

• 4-6 medium potatoes, peeled, boiled, cooled and cut into half inch cubes

• About equal amount of roasted beets, cooled, peeled and cut into half inch cubes

• 1 large or 2 smaller tart apples, peeled and diced

• 1 onion, diced

• 1 cup diced dill pickles

• 1 cup salted, marinated herring

• Dressing –

• 2/3 cup mayonnaise

• 2/3 cup sour cream

• 1tbs mustard

• 1 tbs horseradish

• Salt, pepper to taste

Method

Mix all ingredients together and pour over dressing. Refrigerate. Keeps well for 2-3 days Optional - garnish with hard boiled eggs and/or fresh parsley.

September

Pumpkin Pancakes with Curacao Liqueur Sauce - Curacao

Pumpkin Soup - Latvia

Pumpkin Pancakes with Curacao Liqueur Sauce (Serves 8)

Ingredients

500 g pumpkin

1 stick of cinnamon

4 cups of water

A dash of salt

1 cup of flour

½ cup of milk

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 egg

½ cup of sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

½ cup of raisins

1 tablespoon butter

Juice of 2 oranges

3 tablespoons of Curacao Liqueur, the colourless one.

Ice cream to serve

Method

Peel and seed the pumpkin. Dice it coarsely. In a pan add the water and cook the diced pumpkin with the cinnamon stick and the salt until tender. Take the cooked pumpkin out of the water. In a food processor add the pumpkin, the milk, the sugar and the vanilla and mix to a smooth consistency. Add the egg and mix. Add the baking powder and the flour and mix well. Add the raisins. In a frying pan heat half, the butter and add 2 tablespoons of pumpkin mixture to form a pancake of about 10 cm. Fry the pancake on both sides to golden brown. Make 2 pancakes per person. Mix the juice of the oranges with the Curacao Liqueur. Put 2 pancakes on a plate and pour a little bit of the sauce over the pancakes. Serve with a scoop of ice cream.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients 

1 pumpkin (peeled and seeded) 

2-3 carrots 

2-3 onions 

1 leek 

20-300 ml broth 

200 g cream cheese 

200 ml sweet cream 

salt 

cayenne pepper 

ground ginger 

ground nutmeg 

Method  

Cut pumpkin, onions, carrots and leek into pieces and bake in the oven for 20-30 min at 200°C. Carrots can be baked sooner than other ingredients as it cooks longer. When ready put ingredients into the pot where is 200-300 ml broth, stew until ready and soft. Start to blend and add cream cheese and sweet cream. At the very end add the spices as much as you like. Serve with seeds and toasted bread. 

August 2024

Quindim Dessert - Brazil

Traditional Rice Pudding - Romania

Quindim Dessert

The Quindim is a popular Brazilian baked dessert, made chiefly from sugar, egg yolks and ground coconut. It is a custard and usually presented as an upturned cup with a glistening surface and intensely yellow colour. This recipe was inherited from the Portuguese in part, and then probably adapted by the African slaves in the Salvador of Bahia region. Around the 1600's, the coconuts were so abundant in that region, that many desserts used coconut in different forms. The use of many egg yolks is typical of the Portuguese dishes.

Ingredients

• 250 g fresh coconut

• 500 g of sugar

• 65 g of butter

• 15 to 20 egg yolks about 400 g

• 1 cup of coconut milk

For the upper side of the Quindim:

• Dissolve in the fire and use still hot 2 drops yellow dye

• 25 g water

• 5 egg whites

• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

Mix Number 1

Mix the coconut and sugar and add the melted butter mixing well. Put in the fridge for 12 hours if at all possible.

Mix Number 2

On a separate bowl mix the ingredients shown for the upper side of the Quindim and add the yellow dye and place on the fire until hot. The 5 egg whites are to be beaten separately and added gently to the mix. This preparation will go first onto your bowl when ready to cook. Select a bowl of enough capacity, place mix number 2 first, and then add mix number 1 until filling the bowl. Heat the oven for approximately 50 minutes at 160 C degrees, you will have to use a bigger mould or baking dish to do a bain-marie (water bath), filling the mould at 50% of capacity with the water. Place in oven and cook at medium oven heat, until the top is brownish. It should form a soft crust. Once the Quindim is done, and almost cool, gently turn it upside down in a serving dish, and there you have a lovely presented dessert. Serve it very cold.

Traditional Romanian Rice Pudding

Ingredients

• 1 litre milk 3.5 % fat

• 1 cup (200 g) round grain rice or milk rice

• 3 tbsp honey

• 1/2 tsp cardamom

• 1/2 tsp dried lemon zest

• 1 tsp cinnamon to sprinkle on top

Method

Pour the milk from the container into a larger pot and bring to a boil on low medium heat. Watch the milk as when it starts to boil, has the tendency to puff up and will spill over the pot. Once the milk is boiling, add the rice. Continue stirring to avoid scorching. Cook for about 20-25 minutes or until the rice is cooked and the pudding thickens. The milk should have been reduced 1/3 by now. Add the honey, cardamom and the lemon zest. Stir well and let it rest with the lid on for 1-2 minutes. Serve warm with cinnamon on top.

We have 93 pages of wonderful sweet things for all weather and all occasions. Just donate and download at www.foodtheworldover.org

July 2024

Sweet Potatoes and Garlic - Kuchen - United States of America

Sweet Potatoes and Garlic

Ingredients (serves 4)

• 4 medium size Sweet Potatoes

• 8 cloves garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon Virgin Olive Oil

• 4 sprigs of fresh Rosemary

• Black Pepper

Method

1. Peel sweet potatoes and cut lengthwise wedges about a 1/2” thick, with a strong sharp knife taking care not to cut yourself.

2. Rinse Rosemary and keep sprigs whole and intact.

3. Peel garlic by removing the root end with a knife first, then gently pressing down on cloves until the skin easily releases, keeping cloves whole.

4. Tear off a large sheet of tinfoil about 24-36 inches and lay it flat on your counter.

5. In a large bowl toss the potatoes, garlic cloves and olive oil to coat thoroughly.

6. Arrange potatoes and Rosemary in a stack layering the herb between to mix in as it cooks. Add the cloves of garlic to fill holes in the stack.

7. Fold half the foil over the stack, fold a thin edge all around and crimp the three edges tightly with fingers to seal.

8. Place on medium heat grill and turn a few times as it starts to cook to prevent sticking. Foil will expand create a sealed pouch steaming ingredients and          keeping the flavors in, without getting dry.

I do hope this recipe is tried and enjoyed by others and their friends. It has become a standard dish in our family because they taste sooooo good :)

Editor’s Note: no time is given but we believe 30 minutes should suffice.

Kuchen

I used to make this with my grandma on the farm every year after picking the first batch of raspberries. Wonderful memories!

1 cup of fresh fruit. Cherries, Raspberries, Blackberries or Blueberries are best.

Ingredients

Topping

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup flour

• Lump of butter

Method

Mix until fine crumbs form.

Ingredients

Cake:

• 1/3 cup. butter

• 1 cup milk

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 1/4 cup flour

• 1 egg

• 3 tsp baking powder

• 1 tsp vanilla

• 1 tsp salt

Method

Mix cake and spread in greased 8 x 8 pan. Sprinkle with topping and place fruit on top. Bake at 350* for 25-30 min.

Ingredients

Sauce

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/4 cup flour

• 3/4 tsp salt.

• 2 cups boiling water

• 2 tablespoons butter

• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

Mix together sugar, flour and salt. Add water while stirring constantly. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Add butter and vanilla. Cut cake and serve with sauce over the top.

Editor’s Note: American cups are not quite the same size as British measures. The collection contains a useful and interesting section on International differences in measures and cooking terms. To donate and download go to www.foodtheworldover.org

June 2024

Island Style Drunk Grilled Chicken - St Kitts and Nevis

Succotash - Equatorial Guinea 

Island Style Drunk Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

 Chicken

 2 scallions or 4 spring onions

 2 tablespoon soy sauce

 15g chopped parsley

 10 sprigs thyme

 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

 1/4 teaspoon allspice

 1 lime

 1 orange (or 2 small oranges)

 330ml beer (any will do)

 70ml rum (dark or ‘island spiced golden’ rum is best)

 1 heaped tablespoon brown sugar

 1 teaspoon grated ginger

 1 hot chili pepper

Method

I use a medium spatchcock prepared chicken cut into quarter portions, you can use whole small chickens. The above ingredients are sufficient to marinade some chicken pieces at the same time to create some kebabs that cook much faster than the quarters and can be used to feed people if they get impatient – do not serve under cooked chickens.

Chop the scallions, parsley and scotch bonnet into smallish pieces. I first cut out the seeds from the pepper and throw them away because my wife does not do “hot”, but I would leave them in if the choice was mine. Wash your hands immediately after chopping the pepper with soap and water. Grate the ginger, juice the orange and lime. Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Trim the excess fat and skin (as well as the wing tips) off the chicken. Some people wash the chicken and pat it dry but given all the scare stories I have seen about washing uncooked chicken I just use it from the tray. As I am using a spatchcock chicken I use a deep dish, covered with plastic wrap, to marinate the chicken. You can use a strong zipper bag if doing wholechicken. Pour the marinade over the chicken/s and massage. Allow to marinate in the fridge overnight. If you are in a hurry, it should be allowed to marinate for at least a couple of hours. Feel free to make deep cuts in the thickest parts of the chicken to allow the marinade to seep into the chicken.

Grill on a low heat to cook all the way through, basting with the marinade frequently and turning the chicken every 20 to 25 minutes.  I have a Patio Gas (Propane) barbecue and for a spatchcock chicken it takes about 75 minutes at the lowest heat setting. A small chicken will take about 2 hours. Chicken on a barbecue should be cooked slowly and at low heat away from flames, so I prefer to use a gas grill as the temperature remains consistent and you can start grilling soon after lighting the grill. One “cheat” to consider, especially on a charcoal grill, is to start cooking the chicken in foil trays on the barbecue to avoid scorching the pieces and spread the heat, switching to turning the chicken every few minutes directly on the grill. Whatever grill you use it is important to keep basting the chicken with the marinade.

Serve immediately it is ready with a green salad and other items to preference.

Editor’s note: To spatchcock a chicken, or butterfly it, is to remove the backbone, thus allowing it to be completely opened out and flattened. Doing this reduces the cooking time significantly and allows the whole bird to be cooked in different, speedier ways, such as grilling or pan frying.

Succotash

Ingredients

2 tbs vegetable oil

1 large green and/or red pepper, chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 cups fresh or frozen sweet corn

2 cups freshly cooked or frozen lima beans

1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes.

1 clove garlic, minced 2 tbs fresh lime juice

3 - 4 tbs fresh herbs, chopped (one or two of your choice - dill, parsley, cilantro, chives, etc.)

2 Tbs. butter

Salt and pepper

Method

Lightly saute peppers and onions in oil - do not overcook. Add corn and lima beans, stirring to heat through. Add tomatoes & garlic, again stirring to heat through. Add lime juice, herbs, butter, salt and pepper and heat through again.

Serve warm as a side dish or alone as a light lunch. Reheat leftovers and add to burritos, omelettes, etc.

Teatime Treats

“Daddies”

Daddies are simple crunchy crackers commonly packed for children in boarding schools for having as tea escorts. They are also commonly eaten in taxis by passengers during late evening traffic jams.

Ingredients

• 500 g of wheat flour

• 2 eggs

• I tablespoon margarine

• 1 teaspoon baking flour (powder)

• 4 tablespoons milk

• 150 g sugar

• 100 g soya flour

• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence.

• Oil for Frying

Method

Put all flours in a bowel at once and mix them. Mix the milk, with the vanilla essence and dissolve in the sugar. Beat the eggs in the solution. Add the margarine in the mixture of flour and marble them.Put everything together to make dough. You can add some water to a desired consistency, that can be rolled and cut into small pieces or balls. Deep fry in boiling oil.They are ready when they are golden brown.

Kabslagala (Pancakes)

Ingredients

• 500 g ripe sweet bananas,

• 750 g Cassava flour,

• Ginger or red pepper

• Water.

• Boiling oil

Method

Get two clean kneading bowls or a saucepan 500 g of ripe sweet bananas and peel them, Smash them until they are porridge like smooth. Get 750 g of cassava flour and mix with the banana soft paste. Knead until the flour and bananas have evenly mixed and blended well. Get the water spiced with ginger or red pepper, mild of course, at times use lemongrass or cinnamon instead of ginger and pepper so as not to exclude children from the delicacy. Knead until the dough no longer sticks on your hands.Cut the dough into sizable pieces.Get one, roll it flat to a reasonable thickness, you keep sprinkling cassava flour on the rolling pin and board as to avoid the dough sticking on them. Get a round cutter or even plastic tin or cup and cut out the pancakes. Then you drop them in boiling oil (vegetable). They take 4 to 5 minutes to cook when they turn mahogany brown. Taste better when they have cooled.

April 2024 - Plov - Tajikistan 

Ingredients

• 1 kg moderately fat lamb, shoulder or ribs

• 1 kg medium grain rice (paella type)

• 200-250 ml vegetable frying oil

• 1 kg carrot (preferably not young)

• 2-3 medium size onions

• 1-1.5 tbsp cumin

• 2-3 whole heads of garlic, the younger the better (optional)

• 1-2 long hot chilies (optional)

• salt to taste.

Method

You will need a 5-liter heavy cast-iron kettle (Dutch oven) or bigger, preferably round-bottomed pan.

Wash the rice under the tap until clear, cover with cold water and let it soaks for a while. Cut the meat with bones into match-box pieces. Cut the carrots into 0.5 x 0.5 cm thick sticks. Slice onions into thin rings or half-rings. Clean heads of garlic from the remains of roots and dirt. Heat oil in the kettle or Dutch oven on a very high flame, deep-fry meat until golden brown, in 3-4 batches. Fry the onions until golden, add meat to the kettle, stir well to prevent onion from burning. Add carrot, stir from time to time, until it starts to wilt and browns a little (15-20 min). Add 2/3 of the cumin - rub it in your palms a little to release flavour, stir gently to keep carrot from breaking.Lower gas to moderate, pour hot water just to cover all the goods, add salt and let it simmer for 40 min to 1.5 hours until almost all water evaporates, and meat became tender and juicy. Do not stir. Turn gas to max. Drain rice well, place it on top the meat and vegetables in one layer, stick the garlic and whole chilies in it, and carefully pour boiling water over it (place a spoon or ladle on top of the rice to keep the rice layer from wash away). Cover the rice with about 2 cm of water, let it boil. Add salt to make the water a bit over-salted. When water will go down the rice, reduce the gas a bit, keeping it boiling rapidly. Check when it will evaporate and absorb into rice completely - rice should remain rather al dente. Make a hole in the rice to the bottom of the pan to check the water level. Reduce gas to absolute minimum, cover tightly with the lid and let it steam 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, remove the garlic and chilies on the separate plate. Carefully mix rice with meat and carrots, if the rice tastes a bit bland add some salt*, mix and let it stand for 5 minutes. Pile the Plov on a big warmed plate and serve with garlic, chilies and plain thinly sliced tomato, sweet onions, chili, salt and salad.

This dish is also common with Uzbekistan.

*Editor’s Note: This is the recipe as we received it. The sharp eyed will notice that a third of the suggested cumin is unused. We presume it is added at this point of the rice is bland.

March 2024 - Greenland - Suaasat, - Aland Islands - Rice Pancake Pudding, - Antarctica - Sledging Biscuit

Greenland - Suaasat - Meat and Barley Stew

Ingredients

 1 Kg meat (elk, bison, seal, whale, beef – whatever kind you like)

 1 medium onion, sliced

 1 large potato

 1 medium carrot

 1 small turnip

 1 cup barley (or rice)

 2 cups fresh mushrooms, sliced

 1 cup dried cherries or berries

 Thyme – 2 fresh sprigs (or 1 tsp dried)

 3 Bilberry leaves (use bay leaves if you can’t find Bilberry)

 Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Cut up meat into chunks (we used beef) and put into large pot. Cover with 2 litres of water and bring to a boil. Add sliced onions, bay leaf and thyme. Boil for 1 hour. Add barley and keep adding water as needed as barley soaks up the water. Cut carrot, onion & turnip into chunks. Once the barley is cooked, add the potato, carrot, turnip, mushrooms, dried cherries, salt and pepper. Continue cooking until vegetables are cooked. Most of the water will be absorbed into the veggies and meat.

Aland Islands - Rice Pancake Pudding

Ingredients

 600 g pudding rice or flaked pudding rice or semolina

 200 ml milk

 300 g sugar

 1/2 tsp salt

 1 small egg

 Butter

 Cardamon, if desired

Method

Heat milk and rice to simmer point, add sugar, salt and egg. If desired, add cardamon. Grease an oven dish with melted butter and pour in the mixture. Pour melted butter over the top. Bake in medium oven 30 - 45 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream (or crème fraiche) and plum jam.

Antarctica - Sledging Biscuit

Ingredients

 1 ¼ cup flour

 2 tbsp butter

 ½ tsp baking soda

 ½ tsp salt

 4 tbsp water

Method

With a fork, mix flour, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Next add the butter and mix until it forms a crumb texture. Add water in small amounts until a dry ball of dough forms. Roll out dough on a well- floured surface until it is ¼ inch thick. Cut the dough into 3 inch squares. Place squares gently on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick each square in 3 vertical rows with a fork to prevent air bubbles from forming while baking.Place in oven preheated to 374 degrees f for 20 minutes. There will only be a minimum browning of the surface. Baking longer will only make the biscuits more brittle.

Note: Searching for the history of the cuisine of Antarctica it was found that Antarctica has no native peoples so does not have a native or national dish. Research found Sledging Biscuit were used by the first explorers up to modern times. We, therefore, felt this to be the only dish common to everyone and, as one of the first things cooked there, could be considered a national dish.

February 2024 - Falafel - Middle East

Falafel (Ta’meya)

Ingredients

500g Split fava beans (soaked overnight)

1 medium onion

1 cup of chopped parsley

1/2 cup of chopped dill

1/2 cup of chopped coriander

1 cup of green onions sliced

 Method

Place all the above ingredients in a food processor or mincer and process until smooth and light green. Add salt and then a teaspoon each of: Cumin, Ground coriander, Chili powder, Baking Soda.

Mix and deep fry into balls or patties until golden brown. Sesame seeds for topping while still warm. PS. Add a little flour or soft breadcrumbs if your mixture is too runny.

Note: Falafel is made all over the Middle East. Some recipes use chickpeas not fava beans. The use of chickpeas is predominant in most Middle Eastern countries, including Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine. Chickpeas are usually the main ingredient in Falafel cooked in the West. When chickpeas are used, they are not cooked prior to use (cooking the chickpeas will cause the falafel to fall apart, requiring adding some flour to use as a binder), instead they are soaked (sometimes with baking soda) overnight, then ground together with various ingredients such as parsley, spring onions and garlic. When not served alone, falafel is often served with flat or unleavened bread. Tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and pickles can be added. Falafel is often served with Tahini.

In National Dishes of the World Shahid Khan gives Falafel as the National Dish of Comoros. That version uses the following ingredients 350g chickpeas (soaked overnight) 2 tsp coriander seeds and 2 tsp cumin seeds ground together in a pestle, 2 onions finely chopped and 2 green chilies, de-seeded and finely chopped, and 2 handfuls of finely chopped coriander and parsley leaves (not stems).

January 2024 - USA - Black Beans and Rice - Belize - Rice and Beans

Black Beans and Rice

Ingredients

5 minced garlic cloves or 1.4 cup

¼ cup minced onion

2 T. margarine

2 15oz. cans Black Beans

Black pepper

6 servings of rice

Method

Melt the margarine in 2 quart saucepan. Sauté garlic and onion on medium heat. Add black beans and about 5 shakes of black pepper. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to low, cover pot with lid and simmer for about one hour.

Cook 6 servings of rice.

Serve beans over rice and save leftovers in a tightly covered container. It is even better the second day. May reheat in microwave for 1 minute per serving.

Rice and Beans

Ingredients

1 lb dry kidney beans

3 cups rice

5 cloves garlic

1 large onion, minced

1 large green pepper, seeded & diced

1.5 cups celery, chopped

1 bay leaf

1 Tbsp parsley, minced

2 cans coconut milk (400 ml each)

4 Tbsp coconut oil

Salt & Pepper

Water

Method

Soak the beans overnight in water and cover. Drain beans and place them in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the beans. Add 4 of the whole cloves of garlic to the pot of beans. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil. Cook the beans for about one hour or until soft. Crush the remaining garlic clove. In a separate pan, add the crushed garlic, onions, celery, bay leaf and green pepper. Sauté mixture in a tablespoon of coconut oil, then add this to the pot of beans. Add the chopped parsley to the beans, then season with salt and black pepper to taste – more pepper if you like it spicy. Rinse and drain the rice, then add to the pot of beans. Add the 2 cans of coconut milk and the remaining coconut oil. Stir well, adjust the salt & pepper and cover the pot with a lid. Cook over medium low heat for 45 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Serve the Beans and Rice with any choice of meat or seafood, along with fried plantains and potato salad. So tasty! Great dish to make for a crowd.

December 2023 - Croatia - Fritule

Optional: orange and lemon zest, raisins, grated apple... (you can be creative).

Method

Mix all the ingredients for dough to get a smooth mixture (although it will still be sticky). If the mixture is too liquid (like for the pancakes), add a little bit more flour.

Put the generous amount of oil in the frying pan and preheat it – but don’t overheat. Take a little bit of dough with a tablespoon and put it in hot oil – this is your first

fritula! Continue with the rest of the dough. Try to make little oval shapes. Don’t put too many fritule in the pan at the same time. Each fritula needs just a few moments, so you can do it gradually. If they have enough place, they will turn around on their own, getting the nice gold color on both sides. When the fritula looks ready, take it out and put it on the piece of kitchen paper to absorb the excess oil. Cover them with powdered sugar.

Serve warm! They are also tasty the next day, but they mostly don’t survive that long!