Europe – Notes From a Messy Kitchen

Man, it’s been a hot minute since I’ve made any progress on my mission to cook a recipe from every country in the world. But this week we changed that. Our international working group hosted a potluck where everyone brought a dish from a country that means something to them:...

Johanna

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Spain: Paella

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Europe

Spain

If I were on death row and given the opportunity to request one last meal, it would be paella. My dad’s paella, to be precise. So you can imagine the pressure to try to recreate it just so. In fact, the pressure was such that I waited until he was...

Johanna

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Romania: Sarmale with Mamaliga

Europe

Romania

There are many varieties of cabbage rolls popular across Eastern Europe, varying primarily by filling and sauce. You may remember, for instance, the balandeliai I made from Lithuania. Romanian sarmale aren’t all that different, although the pickled sauerkraut, bacon and dill makes it slightly more tangy and savory. This time I used...

Johanna

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Russia: Pashka

Cooking Time: 30 minutes + at least 8 hours to chill

Asia
Europe

Russia

So, I was trying to decide what to make for Easter, and I started seeing all sorts of Facebook ads persuading me to make Paskha – a Russian Easter dessert typical across many Eastern Orthodox countries. It’s traditionally made during Holy Week using foods forbidden during Lent (dairy, eggs), and then brought to...

Johanna

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Hungary: Chicken Paprikash

Cooking Time: 1 hour

Europe

Hungary

Some of my favorite gifts from abroad are those I can use in my kitchen. Cookbooks, herbs, spices – they allow me to experience a part of your trip by recreating the meals you enjoyed during your travels right at home. When a wonderful colleague brought me this Hungarian paprika...

Johanna

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Finland: Porkkanalaatikko

Europe

Finland

How appropriate that Finland is where we’re Finnishing the year (see what I did there?). If I counted correctly, this was the 83rd country I’ve cooked from in 2017, which while far short of the 195 I set out to visit, is still nothing to sneeze at. Porkkanalaatikko translates roughly...

Johanna

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Iceland: Christmas Grouse with Berry Sauce and Spiced Cabbage with Blueberries

Cooking Time: 2.5 hours

Europe

Iceland

I had two options in mind when I volunteered to make Christmas dinner this year. The safe, easy option was to make my tried and true salmon pot pie. The other was to venture into unknown territory and visit a couple more countries before the year is up. While the...

Johanna

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Switzerland: Rösti

Cooking Time: 60 minutes + 2 hours to chill

Europe

Switzerland

Essentially a giant Swiss hash brown.

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A Taste of Portugal

Way back in January, I saw $300 non-stop tickets to Lisbon over Thanksgiving and jumped on them. It didn’t take much convincing to get Dad and Kippy to join us. It seemed like a lifetime away at the time, but before I knew it we were boarding a plane for...

Johanna

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Germany: Kaese Spätzle

Cooking Time: 30 + 30 for the dough to sit

Europe

Germany

I have somewhat predictably been saving my German recipe for Oktoberfest, which has long since come and gone. In fact, most of the festival – which is definitely on my bucket list – actually takes place in September. While I wasn’t able to make it to Munich this year, the...

Johanna

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