In each country there are dishes and products that are like a calling card of local cuisine. It is impossible to visit, say, in France and not to try Provencal ratatouille, or not to taste hummus when visiting Turkey. Along with meat and fish recipes, in each country there are those that are made from the most beloved and popular vegetables. Below is a selection of recipes for your favorite vegetable dishes from different countries that you can cook in your kitchen. They are tasty, simple, sometimes unusual, and yet they can be eaten by those who observe the fast.
England: Cauliflower with Chickpeas and Curry
The British love curry - this love has its roots in centuries. The first mention of this spice is found in a British cookbook related to 1747. Among the reasons that prompted the British to conquer India, of course, was the desire to gain access to Indian spices, among which curry was given an honorable place.
Nowadays, curry has grown in popularity, the word curry has become synonymous with healthy wholesome food. But, regardless of the history or meanings, this is one of the British favorite spices, and curry recipes are an integral part of British cuisine.
To cook cauliflower with chickpeas, you will need to soak the chickens for at least 12 hours, and then boil until ready (at least one hour). A lighter option is to use a can of chickpeas.
In a large frying pan, heat 3-4 tablespoons of vegetable oil and fry the finely chopped onion until golden brown. Then add 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic, a small piece of ginger, grated on a grater, finely chopped hot peppers, 1 teaspoon of curry mixture and garam masala. Fry for another minute, add 2 finely chopped medium tomatoes (2 tablespoons of tomato paste with water or half a glass of tomato sauce), a teaspoon of sugar, salt and black pepper to taste.
Stir, cook for another minute, after which cauliflower (700 g), disassembled into inflorescences, is sent to the pan, stirring from time to time, another 5-10 minutes. The last to add to the pan is ready chickpeas and stew all together under the lid for another 10 minutes. Served with boiled rice, sprinkled with chopped parsley.
Germany: Braised Cabbage
Cabbage in Germany - a kind of fetish. Germans' favorite vegetables are also carrots, potatoes, beans, spinach, and other greens. But cabbage takes a special place of honor. The Germans grow all possible varieties of this vegetable and, of course, prepare it in all forms. And if in Russia the Germans jokingly call the Fritz (on behalf of Fritz), in Europe the Germans are jokingly called krauts - cabbage lovers.
Braised cabbage with sausages is served in almost any catering establishment - this dish has become a kind of calling card of German cuisine. Well, and in “lean” times, sausages are replaced with boiled or baked potatoes - it turns out to be fast, low-calorie and unimaginably tasty.
To cook cabbage stew in German, cut about 1 kg of white cabbage into large strips. In a large frying pan, heat 4-5 tablespoons of oil and fry 1 teaspoon of cumin seeds (1 minute), then add cabbage to the frying pan, salt and fry, often turning over, about 10 minutes.
Cabbage spread in a saucepan, add some more oil to the pan and fry a large onion, cut into cubes, until golden brown. Then add chopped tomato and 1-2 tablespoons of tomato paste, diluted in a glass of water with a teaspoon of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper powder.
Tomato sauce is poured onto cabbage, if necessary, add water, cover and simmer at low temperature on the stove or in the oven for another 45 minutes. Serve sprinkled with chopped greens and adding boiled or baked potatoes.
France: ratatouille
Ratatouille is a bright and nourishing vegetable stew, rich in olive oil, fragrant garlic and greens. The dish comes from Provence, a region in the south of France, not far from the Mediterranean Sea, which is famous for the richness and bounty of vegetables ripened in the southern sun. Ratatouille is cooked in many versions - on the stove and in the oven, with and without a tomato, from small or coarsely chopped vegetables. The dish is very popular with tourists and is served in restaurants and cafes throughout the country.
To cook classic ratatouille in the oven, vegetables of different color are selected, for example, yellow and green zucchini, blue eggplant, red and green bell pepper, 2-3 tomatoes. All vegetables are cut into thin slices. At the bottom of the form pour a glass of sweet tomato sauce, mixed with finely chopped onions and grated carrots. Circles spread in a form vertically, alternating different vegetables. In a separate bowl, mix 4-5 tablespoons of olive oil, 3 chopped cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of chopped thyme and basil.
Vegetables are sprinkled with salt and black pepper, poured over the olive mixture, covered with foil and baked in an oven at 190 ° C for 35-40 minutes until the vegetables release juice and a gentle spicy sauce is formed at the bottom. Before serving, the dish is decorated with fresh basil.
Hungary: Savoy Cabbage Rolls
Cabbage rolls (sarma, dolma) - a dish common to many countries of Eastern Europe, the Balkan Peninsula, as well as some Arab countries. There are many variants of this dish: the stuffing is prepared both with meat and without it, they additionally use rice, buckwheat, millet, which are wrapped both in cabbage and grape leaves. Varieties of cabbage (white, Savoy, Peking, red) and types of sauces vary: tomato, sour cream, creamy ...
To cook lenten cabbage from savoy cabbage, millet is washed and boiled in salted water (1 cup of millet for 2 glasses of water, salt, cook for 20 minutes, then leave for 20 minutes under the lid). Finely chopped onion is fried in vegetable oil until golden brown (5 minutes), carrots grated on a coarse grater, sliced paprika are added and the same time is fried.
Forks of savoy cabbage are taken down into leaves and scalded with boiling water, cut off the rough stem of the leaf. Fry mixed with boiled millet, add paprika, chopped greens and stuffed cabbage rolls from cabbage leaves with such stuffing.
Spicy sweet tomato sauce is diluted with water in half, black pepper is added, bay leaf, salt to taste, and stuffed cabbage rolls are poured into the cauldron so that the sauce covers them completely. Cook on low heat for about 15 minutes. Serve hot.
Turkey: hummus
Hummus - a dish from ancient times common in the countries of Asia Minor, primarily in Egypt and Turkey. Hummus is prepared from chick peas (lamb peas), about the benefits of which wrote even Hypocrates. Legends say that in ancient times shepherds and warriors fed on hummus, for it "gives strength and wisdom."
Europeans have turned their attention to chickpeas lately, when the ideas of healthy eating have become increasingly popular. Many have tried hummus in oriental restaurants or hotels while on holiday in the East. This is a great appetizer, which is served as a sauce for croutons, chips, raw and boiled vegetables: cucumbers, carrots, baked potatoes.
Before cooking, it is necessary to soak chickpeas in water for 10-12 hours, replacing water several times during this time. Then chickpeas are boiled for 1-1.5 hours (depending on the variety). Peas should be soft, but not boiled.
The hummus itself is prepared as follows: over a medium heat, heat a dry frying pan, then quickly (until a light aroma appears) fry half a teaspoon of zira (cumin) seasoning. If you do not like the smell of cumin, you can replace it with cumin. Fried spice is poured on a plate, and 60 g of sesame seeds are fried in a frying pan (can be replaced with walnuts).
Toasted sesame and cumin grind in a coffee grinder into flour. In a blender, boiled chickpea is mixed to a puree state, adding as necessary a decoction to make a puree of medium-thick consistency. Sesame, cumin, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and black pepper are added to chickpea to taste.
It turns out a creamy mixture, which is served on the table, additionally watered with vegetable oil, sprinkled with red pepper and garnished with whole peas of boiled chickpea.
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