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Cosa-Cosa Camarão (Hot-Hot Prawns)

May 29, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Hot hot prawns are a  traditional Angolan recipe is super easy and perfect for any barbecue. I used a pre-made peri-peri spice mixture with olive oil, however I would highly recommend you make the sauce from scratch. You just need to make it a few days ahead to get the proper flavor. (peri-peri is a hot chile that was brought to Africa from the Portuguese, the sauce can be used on any kind or poultry, pork ribs and of course shrimp. )

Angola Shrimp

 

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5 from 1 vote

Cosa-Cosa Camarão (Hot-Hot Prawns)

Course Main Dish
Cuisine Angola
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 1 -2 lbs. About 36 large prawns or shrimp peeled and deveined
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 limes juiced
  • 6 Tablespoons Peri-Peri Sauce
  • 12 Wooden skewers
  • For the Sauce
  • 4 to 8 fresh hot chilies. Please note that you will likely not find Peri-Peri chilies in the states other than dried. You can substitute Thai bird red jalapeno, arbol, cayenne or tabasco.
  • 2 garlic cloves minced
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ cup to 1 cup olive oil depending on how thick or thin you want the sauce.

Instructions

  • For the Sauce: Coarsely chop the peppers and discard stems, taking care to use gloves when handling the very hot peppers.
  • Place the chilies, their seeds, the garlic, lemon juice and salt plus the desired amount of oil into a food processor. Puree the mixture and place into a glass jar and let flavors meld for several days.
  • The sauce should keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
  • For the prawns/shrimp:
  • Toss the peeled and deveined prawns/shrimp into a bowl with the sea salt and set aside for 45 minutes.
  • Put the wooden skewers to soak in water. (So they will not burn on the grill).
  • When the prawns/shrimp are done marinating, toss them with the lime juice.
  • Put 3-4 prawns/shrimp on the skewer
  • Brush the prawns/shrimp with the peri-peri sauce, reserving some for dipping.
  • Grill the prawns/shrimp on a medium high heat for just a couple of minutes per side until they turn pink. Do not overcook.
  • Serve immediately with the reserved peri-peri sauce for dipping.

 

 

 

Filed Under: Angola, Main Dish, Recipes

Arroz Integral com Mantiega de Amendoim e Bananas ( Brown Rice with Peanut Butter and Fried Bananas)

May 29, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

 

An absolutely delicious side dish from Angola that has a clear Portuguese influence. I would have never thought to pair these flavors together however it is a hit. I will make this one often. Sometimes trying new things brings happiness and this one is sure to do just that. Really, try it!

Angola Brown Rice

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5 from 1 vote

Arroz Integral com Mantiega de Amendoim e Bananas ( Brown Rice with Peanut Butter and Fried Bananas)

Course Side Dish
Cuisine Angola
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown rice
  • 1 cup tomato juice
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 medium green and red pepper
  • 1/4 cup peanut oil
  • 1/2 tablespoon curry powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 medium tomatoes
  • 1/4 cup peanut butter
  • 1 medium banana you can use regular bananas ripe but still firm or plantains-ripe and black

Instructions

  • Pour the brown rice, tomato juice and 1 cup of water in a 2-quart pot over high heat.
  • When mixture comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until rice is done (45-50 minutes)
  • Meanwhile, slice onions and green and red peppers and sauté in ¼ cup peanut oil until onions are soft.
  • Add curry powder, salt and pepper, mix well, heat for 1 minute
  • Add ¼ cup water, tomatoes and peanut butter.
  • Simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Peel banana and cut into ½ inch slices.
  • In another fry pan saute the sliced banana in a little peanut oil until lightly golden on both sides.
  • To serve, place the rice in a serving platter, pour the onion sauce over the rice and top with fried bananas.

 

 

Filed Under: Angola, Recipes, Side Dish, Vegetarian

Pé-de-Moleque (Peanut and Caramel Candy)

May 29, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

 

If you like peanut brittle you will love this dessert. It has more peanuts than your average brittle. It is quick and pretty easy to make. Angola ranks 21st in the world for peanut production and used quite a bit in their cuisine.

Angola Dessert

 

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2.8 from 10 votes

Pé-de-Moleque (Peanut and Caramel Candy)

Course Dessert
Cuisine Angola
Prep Time 1 minute
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 11 minutes
Servings 4
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup peanuts unsalted and de-shelled
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup sugar

Instructions

  • In a saucepan bring the sugar and water to a boil.
  • Once the syrup begins to caramelize, add in the peanuts, stirring constantly until the sugar reaches a smooth and even consistency with a brownish caramel color.
  • Remove from heat and spread mixture evenly on a greased pan about 4x8.
  • Allow to cool in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  • When chilled, slice into small squares and serve.

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Angola, Dessert, Recipes, Vegetarian

Our Journey to Angola

May 29, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Angola Cover

Angola is located in south, central Africa. It borders Namibia on the south, Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, Zambia on the east and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. Angola only gained her independence from the Portuguese in 1975. Angola is a large country, rich with vast mineral and petroleum reserves, and strikingly beautiful. These qualities may in part explain why she was embroiled in a 27 year old bloody, civil war once she gained independence. (1975-2002).

Angola’s economy has seen double digit growth since the civil war ended but don’t let the statistics fool you. Everything had been destroyed. So everything had to be rebuilt from the ground up. I suppose you can call that growth. Despite Angola’s many assets, there are only a handful of elite that enjoy the wealth, while the rest of her people struggle in poverty. Too often this is the norm in war torn countries.

Recently International Cuisine visited Andorra, a country that boasts the longest life expectancy in the world. Yet here, Angolans have among the world’s worst life expectancy, with a staggeringly high infant mortality rate. You may remember Princess Diana making the news with a trip to Angola about six months before her tragic death. She wanted to bring attention to Angola’s deadly land mine issue. She choose the town of Cuito Cuanavale, considered to be most dangerous area for land mines in all of Africa. More recently, in 2013, Prince Harry made the same visit in his mother’s footsteps, supporting the Halo Trust to carry on her mission. We must ask, how can Angolans cope with daily life when with every step they live in fear of death or injury by land mines? It is unimaginable to most of us. While they have some signs and rocks painted red to indicate where known mines are located, it is clearly the location of the unknown mines that fill each day with torment.

Still, despite all of the tragedy, past and present, Angolans find comfort in their special meals shared with family and friends. The influence on the cuisine is Portuguese, as they ruled there from the 16th to the 19th century. The official language is also Portuguese however Bantu and other African languages are also spoken. Angolan staples include flour, beans, rice, fish, chicken, okra, sweet potato, tomatoes, peppers, onions and peanuts. In fact, Angola is the 21st largest producer of peanuts in the world.

While Angolan staples make for some fine dishes, many poor households, on a daily basis, consume what is called funge or funje. This is a paste or porridge made from cassava flour. It is very common in the north. In south Angola they call a similar dish Pirão, which is made from corn flour. Many times this is the only available meal. Even so, Angolan recipes prevail which reflect the days of more plentiful abundance.

As I researched this country for the menu, I felt an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the riches we enjoy in our country. I plan to donate to the Halo Trust, as they continue their valuable work in Angola. In the meantime, I cook this meal with love and hope in my heart that Angolans will see much brighter days ahead.

The Menu

Appetizer
Papaya Com Vinho do Porto (Papaya and Port Wine)

Angola Appetizer

Salad
Limão e Salada de Funcho (Lemon Fennel Salad)

Angola Lemon Fennel Salad

Main Course
Cosa-Cosa Camarão (Hot-Hot Prawns)

Angola Shrimp

Served with
Arroz Integral com Mantiega de Amendoim e Bananas
( Brown Rice with Peanut Butter and Fried Bananas)

Angola Brown Rice

Dessert
Pé-de-Moleque (Peanut and Caramel Candy)

Angola Dessert

There is something to be said for cooking with love in your heart. This was one of my favorite meals on the journey so far. The papaya appetizer with port wine and a squeeze of lime, was over the top.

The rest of the meal was served in family style. The spicy shrimp was unbelievably delicious coupled with the side of brown rice with peanut butter and fried bananas. It worked beautifully. Then, there was the refreshing fennel salad. I love this salad; so simple, healthful and just sumptuous. All three dishes complimented each other and made for an amazing meal. To be honest, when I saw the recipe for the brown rice dish, I was a bit skeptical. These are not ingredients I would have normally paired, but just do it. You will love it!

Oh and then there was dessert. The peanut and caramel candy was very similar to what I know as peanut brittle. It was delightful and with a cup of coffee and time to reflect on this country called Angola; it was a perfect end to an incredible journey.

Warmest regards,
Darlene

 

Filed Under: Featured

Escargot Bolets Fordices (Escargot stuffed mushrooms)

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

I really wanted to make the coal roasted cargols that are found all over Andorra, in fact, some may say it should be the national dish as they are loved there. I could not find live snails to make the dish but did find a recipe that is made from canned escargot and with mushrooms another very commonly found item in the Andorran diet. The result…. a lovely appetizer!

Andorran escargot

Craving even more?  Be sure to join the culinary and cultural journey around the world so you don’t miss a thing,  it’s free,  You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook ,  Pinterest and youtube to follow along our journey.

Please note that this page contains affiliate links in which I will earn a small commission however, it will in no way affect the price you pay. I thank you for your support!

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5 from 2 votes

Escargot Bolets Fordices (Escargot stuffed mushrooms)

Course Appetiizer
Cuisine Andorra
Servings 4
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 1 -7 ounce can of escargot drained and rinsed thoroughly in hot water.
  • 8 stuffing mushrooms cleaned and stems removed
  • 6 tablespoons of butter
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/3 cup white wine
  • 1/3 cup cream
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon tarragon dried
  • ¼ cup parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Take your cleaned and drained escargot and place onto a paper towel and pat dry.
  • Melt the butter in a large skillet with the garlic over medium heat.
  • Add in the escargot and mushroom caps.
  • Cook until tender about 15 minutes.
  • Whisk together the wine, cream, flour and tarragon in a small bowl.
  • Pour into the skillet slowly and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens about 5-10 minutes.
  • Remove from the skillet and place the mushroom caps in a baking dish upside down.
  • Spoon the escargots into the caps.
  • Pour the remaining sauce over the mushroom caps and into the baking dish.
  • Sprinkle parmesan cheese over the top.
  • Bake until the cheese turns golden brown about 15 minutes.
  • Serve hot.

 

Filed Under: Andorra, Appetizer

Trucha a la piedra – Grilled Trout on slate seasoned with parsley, oregano, savory & lemon

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Trucha a la peidra is what this amazing dish is called.  Grilled trout is fun to make and cooking it on slate makes for a wonderful presentation. The spices and lemon, flavor the trout beautifully, and you can never go wrong adding a bit of bacon. I used a salt cured bacon and it was delicious!

Andorra Trout

We served with trucha a la piedra alongside espinaca and trinxat for a glorious Andorran meal.  Trout is found in the crystal clear rivers in the tiny nation of Andorra.  The fishing season in the high mountains is between mid-March to mid-November.   You can find the native brown trout, as well as rainbow and brook trout.  Andorrans also love to catch them on a fly.  I would love to go fishing in Andorra, how about you?

Craving even more?  Be sure to join the culinary and cultural journey around the world so you don’t miss a thing,  it’s free,  You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook ,  Pinterest and youtube to follow along our journey.

Please note that this page contains affiliate links in which I will earn a small commission however, it will in no way affect the price you pay. I thank you for your support!

 

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5 from 3 votes

Trucha a la piedra - Grilled Trout on slate seasoned with parsley, oregano, savory & lemon

A simple and fun main course from Andorra
Course Main Dish
Cuisine Andorra
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 32kcal
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 4 fresh rainbow trout cleaned
  • 2 lemons one sliced in rounds the other in wedges.
  • 8 sprigs of fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 4 sprigs of fresh savory
  • 4 few sprigs of fresh oregano
  • 4 pieces of salt cured bacon
  • Lemon pepper to taste
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Olive oil
  • 2 12 x12 pieces of slate…. Optional You can find them at your local hardware store, that carries flooring material.

Instructions

  • Sprinkle the interior of the cleaned trout with sea salt and lemon pepper.
  • Stuff each trout with a spring of parsley, savory and oregano. (If you can’t find savory try tarragon instead)
  • Stuff each trout with 2 or 3 slices of lemon
  • Rub the exterior of the fish with olive oil
  • Place a piece of bacon and then fish on top onto the slate. You should be able to cook two trout per slate.
  • Heat the grill to a medium high heat.
  • Place the slate with the fish on the hot grill.
  • Cook until nicely charred and then flip…. Take care not to overcook the fish, and leave the bacon on the bottom to flavor the other side of the fish.
  • Carefully remove the slate from the grill, placing the slate on hot pads.
  • Garnish with the left over parsley springs and lemon wedges.
  • The slate stays nice and warm for quite some time.
  • Dig in…. squeeze a little extra lemon and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 32kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 114mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 249IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 55mg | Iron: 1mg

 

 

Filed Under: Andorra, Main Dish, Recipes

Trinxat ( Andorran Potato, Cabbage and Bacon Hash)

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Trinxat is a staple Andorran side dish.  Trinxat is both delicious and pretty. You can make these as individual servings or as one big hash pancake. The cabbage adds a really nice sweetness to the dish. Typically served in the cold winters, you really can’t go wrong anytime!

Andorran TrinxatI just loved how these came out pressed with a flower cookie cutter and decorated with the bacon and parsley.  They were the perfect side dish along side the trout cooked on slate.  Andorra is such a tiny country that many people surprisingly have never even heard of.  That is what I love about this culinary journey.  If you would like to learn more be sure to check out “Our Journey to Andorra”.

Craving more?  Be sure to join the culinary and cultural journey around the world at, Internationalcuisine.com,  so you don’t miss a thing.  It’s free.  You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook ,  Pinterest and Youtube, to follow along on our incredible journey.

 

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5 from 2 votes

Trinxat ( A Potato, Cabbage and Bacon Hash)

A beautiful and scrumptious side dish from Andorra
Course Side Dish
Cuisine Andorra
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 207kcal
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • ½ green cabbage cored and quartered
  • 2 medium size russet potatoes peeled and quartered
  • 4 strips bacon diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped finely
  • Salt and black pepper to taste.

Instructions

  • Bring salted water to boil in a large pot.
  • Add in the cabbage and potatoes, cook until tender about 30-40 minutes
  • When tender, drain, very well.
  • Return the vegetables to the pot and turn on the burner to low. Let steam
  • Meanwhile cook up the bacon, reserving the fat for frying the hash.
  • Chop up the bacon, into small pieces.
  • Mash the potatoes and cabbage with a potato masher and add in the minced garlic.
  • Add in salt and pepper to taste.
  • Using a form for individual servings, press the hash mixture into the form with bacon on top, fry in the reserved bacon fat until golden brown, flip over and repeat on the other side.
  • Remove form and garnish with chopped parsley.
  • If you want to make one big hash, just use a skillet, pressing the hash into the skillet with the bacon pieces and reserved fat, then flip over once golden brown. Cut into servings.
  • Garnish with chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Calories: 207kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 172mg | Potassium: 692mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 64mg | Iron: 2mg

 

 

Filed Under: Andorra, Recipes, Side Dish

Espinaca a La Catalan (Andorran style Spinach)

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Espinaca a la Catalan is and Andorran style spinach that is a delicious side dish for any occasion.  The Espinaca went perfectly with the trout cooked on slate that we enjoyed as our main dish.

A bowl of Espinaca a la Catalan

This barely wilted spinach cooks up in just a couple minutes. The cooked apples and raisins adds a really nice sweetness to this dish and the pine nuts a wonderful texture. We absolutely loved it and I hope you do too.  Do you like your spinach cooked, fresh or both?  Let me know in the comments below.

Did you know that there are no airports in Andorra?  Nearly 2/3rds of the population are not Andorran, they are minority in their own country. If  you would like to learn more about this tiny country, be sure to check out “Our Journey to Andorra.”

Craving more?  Be sure to join the culinary and cultural journey around the world at, Internationalcuisine.com,  so you don’t miss a thing.  It’s free.  You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook ,  Pinterest and Youtube, to follow along on our incredible journey.

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5 from 2 votes

Espinaca a La Catalan (Andorran style Spinach)

A simply wilted spinach that makes a lovely side dish for just about anything.
Course Salad or Side dish
Cuisine Andorra
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 185kcal
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 1 sweet apple like a Golden Delicious or Fuji peeled, cored and diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 10 ounces baby spinach washed and dried
  • Salt to taste

Instructions

  • Heat up the olive oil in a large skillet to medium high.
  • Add in the apples and cook until they are lightly browned.
  • Add in the pine nuts stirring constantly so they don’t burn just about 30 seconds or so.
  • Add in the raisins and stir all together.
  • Add in the spinach and give a quick stir, remove from heat.
  • You want the spinach to just begin to wilt, do not overcook.
  • Add in salt to taste and serve warm.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 59mg | Potassium: 569mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6673IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg

 

Filed Under: Andorra, Recipes, Salad, Side Dish

Crema de Catalan- Andorran Custard

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

Crema de Catalan is known as the Catalan Crème brulee, this custard version has a citrus twist. It is pretty easy to make you just need to watch it closely. Crema de Catalan is believed to be Europe’s oldest custard dessert.  When it says stir constantly, you really need to. You can Brulee the top with either a torch or in the broiler.

Crema de Catalan

This citrusy, custard Andorran treat was the perfect ending to our International Cuisine meal.

Did you know that Andorra is the only country in the world in which Catalan is the official language? Be sure to join the culinary journey around the world and if you would like to learn more about this tiny country of Andorra be sure to check out “Our Journey to Andorra“.

Craving even more? You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook ,  Pinterest and Youtube, to follow along on our incredible journey.

 

Bruleed crema de catalan
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5 from 5 votes

Spanish Crema de Catalan

A delicious creamy custard with a citrusy twist similar to creme brulee
Course Dessert
Cuisine Spanish
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
cooling time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 235kcal
Author International Cuisine

Ingredients

  • 3 Eggs Separated using only the yolks
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/2 lemon zest
  • ½ cinnamon stick

Instructions

  • In a sauce pan, Mix the egg yolks with the sugar to a creamy consistency.
  • Add in just 1 ½ cups of milk and stir to thoroughly combine.
  • Add in the lemon zest and cinnamon stick.
  • Heat the mixture over medium high heat, stirring occasionally
  • Meanwhile, dissolve the cornstarch in the remaining ½ cup of milk.
  • Start slowly adding in the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly
  • Bring to a slow boil while stirring and right when the first bubble appears, set it aside.
  • Ladle the custard into individual ramekins and let cool.
  • Sprinkle the top with sugar and Brulee the top with either a blow torch or put in the broiler until the top is scorched.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 135mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 31g | Vitamin A: 376IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 1mg

 

Filed Under: Andorra, Dessert, Recipes

Our Journey to Andorra

May 22, 2014 By Darlene at International Cuisine

About food and culture of AndorraCrystal waters stream down from the high mountains of the Great Pyrenees and wind through the bucolic country side of this small nation. Andorra is only 188 square miles and is nestled between France and Spain. This uniquely positioned country was granted independence from Charlemagne in 1278. Its government is the world’s only dual principality, also called a diarchy, with two heads of state; the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell. Andorra is also the only country in the world whose official language is Catalan, with Castilian Spanish and French also spoken. Its close to 80,000 residents are largely Roman Catholic. Andorra has no airport, military or currency of its own. It is a tax haven and very popular as a tourist destination with its duty free status. The male citizens of Andorra, between the ages of 18 and 60, would be called upon to take up arms and defend her if there were a crisis, but that has not occurred in over 1000 years.

As you can imagine, the cuisine is heavily influenced by its neighbors, France and Spain. Yet Andorra has some unique flavors of its own. Due to the mountainous terrain, it has a surprisingly low amount of arable land so Andorra imports many food items from her neighbors. The main crops harvested there are tobacco, wheat, rye, barley, oats and vegetables.

The people of Andorra love to celebrate and have many festivals and holidays. The national dish of Andorra is a stew called Escudella. This very hearty stew has numerous ingredients such as beans, ham, chicken, pork sausage, cabbage, potatoes, rice and pasta. What I love about this dish, is when there is a celebration, a giant vat of Escudella is served for the whole community to partake. Everyone is welcome to have a bowl. What a wonderful tradition of community. How nice it would be for other cultures around the world to embrace such camaraderie.

Andorran’s love to hike up into the mountains and forage for mushrooms, wild herbs and berries. Andorrans have long been referred to as mycophilics, or mushroom lovers. In fact, traditional restaurants in Andorra will serve three course meals featuring nothing but wild mushrooms during times when they are most abundant, from September to November.

Andorrans have the honor of having the longest life expectancy on the planet. The average Andorran can expect to live at least 85 years. I am not sure if it is the altitude, the foraging and hiking in the mountainous terrain, the good natural food, crystal clear water, or just the stress free living. Perhaps it is the unusual sense of community and closeness to friends and family. Whatever it is, I am certain there are excellent lessons to be learned.

You will find a lot of bread plates served in Andorra. Instead of serving bread with butter, they rub garlic and mash fresh tomato on warm slices of grilled country bread. They call it Pa Amb Tomaquet. There are so many incredible choices to represent Andorra, finding something delicious is a cinch. I hope you will enjoy my picks as much as we did!

The Menu

Escargot Bolets Fordices
(Escargot stuffed mushrooms)

Andorran escargot
Trucha a la piedra
(Grilled Trout on slate seasoned with parsley, oregano, savory & lemon)

Andorra Trout
Trinxat an Andorran Specialty
(Potatoes, cabbage and bacon fried together to make a hash pancake)

Andorran Trinxat
Espinaca a La Catalan
(Andorran style wilted spinach)

Andorran Espinacas
Desert
Crema de Catalan (a citrus custard cousin to the crème brulee)

Androrran Custard

 The colors of the Andorran flag were used in the table setting; red and yellow from Spain and blue and red from France.
We began the meal with the escargot and mushroom appetizer. I really wanted to make cargols, which are small live snails charred in wood or coal ovens and are found everywhere in Andorra. However, I could not find any live ones in my vicinity. The canned version still worked really well. They were stuffed into the mushrooms then covered in the traditional minced garlic and melted butter. They were spectacular.
Next on the menu was the whole trout, cooked on a piece of slate over the grill. Andorrans cook many meals on stone and using the slate made for an incredible presentation for the main course. Fresh herbs and lemon flavored the flesh. The fish was cooked perfectly so that tender pieces of trout just fell off the bone.
The side dishes of the Trinxat (cabbage and potato)and Espinaca (wilted spinach) were wonderful accompaniments to the trout. I had never mashed cabbage with potato before and it added a lovely sweetness to the potato. The quickly cooked apples in the wilted spinach (Espinaca dish) also added sweetness along with the raisins and the pine nuts provided interesting texture.
For dessert, we savored the rich custard augmented with a citrus flavor. I garnished the dessert with an edible yucca flower I foraged from my yard. The yucca flower reminded me of the Andorran national flower, the Grandalla Narcissus Poeticus.
We drank a lovely French, white burgundy Montrachet with our meal and dined Continental style, with the fork in the left hand, knife in the right, as is their tradition.
I am intrigued with this little country called Andorra and hope one day to make a visit during one of their many festivals. I look forward to being offered a bowl of Escudella and to experience the sense of community they so graciously provide.
Warmest regards,

Darlene

 

 

 

Filed Under: Featured

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Welcome to International Cuisine

Hello my name is Darlene and thank you for stopping by!

I am cooking a meal from every country in the world. I do extensive research and choose a menu that I feel best represents the country and their cuisine. Of course that also includes the authentic, delicious recipes. Simply click on the link or the photo in the journey by country posts to get them. I also share important information about the country as well.

I love to cook, photograph, and especially travel. I hope you enjoy this culinary and cultural adventure around the world. Be sure to join the journey so you don't miss a thing. It's free!

Our Mission

To promote cultural appreciation by cooking our way across the world, one nation at a time. To discover the struggles and joys that have influenced the people, to gain an appreciation of their land and traditions and to feel the hospitality that only sharing a meal can convey.

Come join the journey, explore a new country each week and embark on a fantastic culinary adventure.

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