Andorra

Welcome to Andorra, a tiny country nestled in the Pyrenese mountains between Spain and France. If you were in Andorra you would hear people speaking in 3 different languages. The local being Catalan as well as Spanish and French. You would most likely be coming for a ski trip or to do what a lot of Spanish, French and British visitors do, shop til you drop. Andorra is not part of the EU and they do not have sales tax! If you have ever been to Europe you would have noticed prices are high on everything and that would be because of tax. Cigarettes and Alcohol being high on the list of things people come to buy. Its a peaceful place mostly except for a wee bit of smuggling going on in the mountains.

The traditional Andorran has a quiet more secluded lifestyle in the mountains and they use what they had and it is apparent in the meals that they cooked. There are some ingredients I would have a hard time gathering unless I set off with my rifle or lived on a farm.
Here is an example of a common dish. If I had some wild boar handy I would have gave it a shot.

Wild Boar Stew

32oz (2000gr) wild boar
1 liter red wine2 cl gin
10 allspice berries
10 peppercorns
10 juniper berries
2 crushed garlic cloves
3 bay leaves
1 tbs olive oil
4 tbs flour

Cut the boar into chunks (done during butchering). Crush allspice berries and peppercorns. Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and marinate 4 - 24 hours.
Drain the boar, reserving marinade. Heat olive oil in a large dutch oven. Add boar and brown well on all sides. Add flour and stir. Add reserved marinade and spices to boar, stirring well.

Add:
500ml wild boar stock
4 carrots
4 parsnips
1 celeriac

Cut vegetables into large chunks and add to boar. Cover and bake in a medium oven 2 - 3 hours.

Here is what I cooked for you last night.

Brocoli Rice Gratin
1 bag frozen brocoli or 1 bunch fresh chopped
1 cup rice, prepare
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 chopped onion
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 cup shredded cheese

This is simple, cook 1 cup of rice as directed.

 



Put all other ingredients into bowl except cheese.



Mix into casserole dish when rice is ready and cover with foil. Bake 375F until bubbly, 35-40 min.

Baked Cod Provencal
1 pound cod filet in a backing dish. Drizzle cod with 2 tsp EVO and Lemon juice. Bake until flakey, 20 min 375F.



Meanwhile prepare topping for fish.
1 cup chopped tomato
12 halved olives
1/2 chopped onion
1 clove garlic minced
1 tsp Herbs d' provence
1 T EVO for pan
saute for 5 min

 

 

Pesto Stuffed Tomato

 

Vine ripened tomatoes

Homemade pesto (or store bought)

parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top

Cut your tomato in half and cut a v at the stem and core.

spoon fresh pesto into tomato and sprinkle with parmesan.

Bake 375 15-20 min until parm is slightly golden.

 

I make my own Pesto because I grow basil every summertime and its the perfect way to use up the plant at the end of the season and retain that fresh basil flavor. Mine is technically a Pisou which is french. The only difference is no nuts. My husband found out he was allergic to peanuts so I just avoid nuts as much as possible just in case. I use this in my homemade pasta sauce so it tastes summertime fresh all year. Dried basil and fresh basil have no comparison in my opinion.

 

To make fresh Pisou:

 

In your blender toss in fresh basil and sprinkle parmesan cheese, drizzle enough EVO that it will blend into a paste. I freeze mine in mini muffin tins and pop them into a freezer bag. If I am making a huge pot of pasta I use a whole one, I can cut off what I need if making smaller amounts. I used one to make my stuffed tomatoes. Michael said these were his favorite. I will definately be making this again when I can use my homegrown heirlooms.

 

 

My son Brandon is coming home this weekend and he said "Mom, are you making weiner schnitzel for Austria?" so I will doing Austria before Armenia so he can be here for one his favorite meals. I love cooking for my family, bringing good food to the table and having my family together. What could be better?

Austria is the most special place in this journey of cooking and I plan to make multiple posts as I cook my way through it. I couldn't dream of making this a one meal stop. There is so much I want to share with you, so stay tuned for a very special week as I take you to my husbands hometown Vienna, Austria.

 

Thank you,

 

Karen







Recipe sources: Cookeatshare.com