Congratulations to Spain!



We went to the theater to see the game with 500 of our closest friends.



We made paella de Valencia.



I prepared the beans, boned the chicken and rabbit. I browned the meat, and cooked the beans and tomatoes





I added the stock, saffron and rice.





Wine:



Finished product:



Results- Viva la Furia roja!!!! The paella was great, congrats to Spain on adding their names to the World Cup!

Today: Netherlands



Sarah made pannekoeken with blueberries and cream cheese with brunch.



First she melted butter in a skillet, then whisked eggs and salt in a bowl, then added milk, then flour.



She poured the batter into the pan added the blueberries and put it in the oven.



While the pancake was baking, she made a honey whipped cream cheese topping with cinnamon.



Out of the oven.



Finished product.



Results: Not bad - maybe a couple minutes too long in the oven. I'm guessing that a proper pannekoeken pan would have probably helped with aesthetic appeal. My sister suggested this dish, remembering it fondly from a pannekoeken restaurant in Amsterdam. The kids ate it too.

Last night: Germany



We made a Bavarian hot pork sausage and a Frankfurter style sausage.

First, I prepared the casings by rinsing off the salt, soaking, checking for leaks, then softening with in water with vinegar.



Bavarian hot pork sausage:



I ground pork shoulder and fat and seasoned with sage, salt, pepper, marjoram, crushed red peppers, savory, cayenne, nutmeg and allspice.



Stuffed the casings



Then cooked the sausage in a beer bath with sauerkraut.



Frankfurter style sausage.



I ground and mixed beef, pork, and fat, then mixed with onion, garlic, coriander, marjoram, mace, mustard seed, paprika, white pepper, egg white, sugar, salt and milk.





I stuffed the casings and cooked the sausages in a water bath.





Finished product:





Results: The Bavarian hot sausage is almost too hot. The Frankfurter is good, although one of the casings burst in the water bath making quite a mess. (Also, I've now typed Frankenfurter instead of Frankfurter three times, sigh). Last night was a comedy of error and the sausages weren't ready until after midnight hence waiting to post until this morning.

Tonight: Argentina



We made spice rubbed flank steak with salsa criolla.



We first made a dry rub with garlic paste, thyme, black pepper, chili powder, brown sugar and salt. We rubbed the steaks, covered and refrigerated overnight.





Also the night before, we made the criolla. we combined onion, tomato, red pepper, olive oil, vinegar, water, garlic paste, thyme, salt and black pepper, mixed well and chilled overnight.



Today, I grilled the steaks over lump charcoal, cut and served.







With wine:





Finished product:



Results: We eat flank steak about once a month, and this is the best flank steak I've ever made. I like the criolla even more than the chimichurri. The wine paired very nicely as well. I'll be making this one again.

Tonight: Paraguay





The flag of Paraguay has different images on the obverse and reverse sides. Who knew?

We made empanadas de carne.



I boiled the eggs.



Then I cooked the meat filling with garlic, onion and green pepper.



Then I added the egg to the meat mix.



Next I made the dough with salt, flour. baking powder, lard, and water.



Then I filled the dough with the filling.





Then I fried one in oil. LOL fail, no picture though.

I baked the rest after brushing with a beaten egg, then served with hot sauce.



Finished product:



Results: These were pretty meh. I wouldn't call it a complete failure, but it ranks with the South Africa dish as my least favorite. I can't help but think I did something wrong, but I don't know what that might be. I think cheese would have been an improvement.