World Cup Glory

As some of you may know, this week marked the start of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa. Over the next month, hundreds of millions of people will be glued to their TV sets in every single country on the planet. It is after all, the most watched sports event globally. Guess what happens when people sit in front of their TV's for hours... yup, that's right - they drink tons of beer and munch gazillions of chips. Well, food doesn't have to be unhealthy. So here is my deal: when the champion country is announced, that week my dishes will feature that country's cuisine... (I'm hoping it will be something familiar, like Spain or England, and not, for example, Nigeria or some other unknown to me country).


This past weekend, as already customary, had its ups and downs for me. Some dishes worked well, and some did not. So let's review...


Dish # 1 - Jello Fun

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 5 min


2 cups all purpose cream
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups fresh milk
1 tbsp. unflavored gelatin
chocolate syrup


Pour milk in a bowl and add gelatin. Set aside to bloom. In a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla powder, sugar and then heat. Remove from heat for 30 min to infuse flavor. Bring the cream mixture back to heat and put in the gelatin mixture. Stir constantly. Chill to set. Top with chocolate syrup.


My experience: There were three attempts in making this dish! The first two just would not set in the fridge. So for the third attempt, I had to add some more gelatin, and then it worked. 
Our verdict: Yummy!


Dish # 2 - Red Kidney Beans Soup

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 10 min Cooking Time 1 hour

8 oz. large red kidney beans

6 cups water

1 large onion, finely chopped

4 green peppers, deseeded and chopped

1 large can plum tomatoes and juice, finely chopped

2 tbsp. fresh garden herbs, finely chopped (basil, parsley)

1 large bay leaf

1 large clove elephant garlic, crushed

1 cup Parmesan cheese

2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper

Bring water to a boil in a deep pan. Add beans, onion, green peppers, plum tomatoes, garden herbs, bay leaf, elephant garlic , salt and black pepper. Boil rapidly for 15 minutes until frothy. Remove froth with a spoon and discard. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours until smooth. Stir in Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve red hot with buttered bagels.

My experience: This is a really easy to make soup, although it takes quite a bit to wait for it.

Our verdict: A very good soup recipe. We loved it.

Dish # 3 - Quick Paella

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 15 min Cooking Time 10 min

1/4 cup corn oil

1 tsp annatto powder

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 cup onions, chopped

1/2 piece red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 piece green bell pepper, sliced

3 pieces chorizo Bilbao, sliced

1 cup chicken breast meat, cubed

1/4 tsp Spanish paprika

2 pieces chicken broth cubes

1 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp ground pepper

3 cups cooked rice

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add annatto powder and garlic, and cook. Add in onions, red and green bell peppers - cook until aromatic. Put in sliced chorizo, chicken, paprika, and chicken cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Add in cooked rice and toss completely until color has blended. 

My experience: A lot of chopping and slicing, but oh so worth it!

Our verdict: Really great recipe. We love paella, and any fried rice combinations. This is awesome.

Dish # 4 - Pineapple Slushy 

Serves 4 Time to Prepare 5 min

1 can pineapple chunks

1 cup of milk

12 oz. pineapple juice drink

ice cubes

Blend all the ingredients.

My experience: This is my comfort drink. When things just don't go too well in the kitchen, recipes like this one are a life saver. Just drop everything in the blender, and you are done.

Our verdict: A refreshing drink, even though we were a bit apprehensive about mixing pineapple and milk... But there were no runs to the bathroom as a result, so I guess it worked ok.