Elimination Round

On to the Round of 16! Stepping into the elimination stage, we take a look at the foods of those countries that have made the cut:


Uruguay found its way on the menu several times since opening day, twice fused with France in Dulce de Leche Crème Brulée and Duck Confi Ravioli. They'll face South Korea on Saturday, a country we've seen in spicy and distinctly Asian short ribs.

Later on Saturday, the US faces Ghana in an unexpected match. Ghana may compete on the pitch, but in the World Cup of Food, USA is a clear winner with Bacon Brownie Cupcakes and Texas Peach Pie over Ghana's Jollof rice. However, a Ghanian spin on German Black Forest Cake may be one of the 2010 WCFC's crowning achievements.

Later on in the weekend, England will face a formidable opponent in Germany in what is sure to be a violent match between the two rivals. While it may be World War on the pitch, Käsespätzle, or German mac 'n cheese, made a great addition to our English Ploughman's Lunch, albeit with an Algerian twist.
Earl Grey Ice Cream, however, would be an unlikely topping for our bananas Ghana take on German Black Forest Cake.

Argentina versus Mexico presents a great opportunity for exploring two complimentary, but unique and exciting cuisines. While Argentina will always hold a special place in our hearts for blessing us with Chimichurri and Malbec, we'd find it tough to live without tacos, margaritas and Arroz Mexicana. They both win when filled with Duck confit in the form of empanadas and tamales, and while, sure, its all fun and games when we're all beat France, but only one will walk off the pitch a winner after Sunday's game.

Come Monday, The Netherlands will play Slovakia to remind us just how tired we are of Gouda and dishes that end in "-sky." Nevertheless, we did enjoy both naming and eating the Danish/Dutch Stampot of Burning Love along with Slovak goulash and bryndzové halušky. The clear winner here is Slovakia's Bublanina, though we doubt they'll prove so successful in the game as opposed to the kitchen.

Brazil has dominated our menus when compared to Chile, as it will likely dominate during Monday's game. It would be difficult for anything to stand up to Feijoada and Caipirinhas
although the Chilean seafood included in our Paella provides ample competition.

Regardless of what happens during Japan v Paraguay, the game and cuisine are sure to take backstage to the Iberian feast we have planned for Spain v Portugal. You're likely to have noticed by now through my single inclusion of Japan in a dipping sauce that this is a cuisine that has never quite been able to interest me. Paraguay, on the other hand, with its hearty reflections of Argentina and indigenous cultures, I find enticing. Dishes such as Sopa Paragauay, with the slight deviation of adding my homegrown green chile, and the fried deliciousness of the Milanesa make this landlocked Latin American country the clear winner in this match. My bets are on them for the game as well.

Portugal, the land of my beloved porto; the country that gave birth to Feijoada and spiced up Mediterranean dishes with Piri Piri has much to be proud of, but will forever take backstage to its larger neighbor to the east. Spain, more beloved to me even than porto for its Rioja, brings Manchego and Chorizo as well as Peras al Vino to the table. While they may win on the basis of these dishes alone, traditional Paella clearly puts them on top, so much so that we devoted an entire post to discussing their cuisine.

6/22: France v S. Africa, Mexico v Uruguay, Greece v Argentina

Twelve days into the World Cup Food Challenge and we've addressed the cuisine of all 32 competing countries. As we move into the elimination rounds we become more selective in the kitchen as well as on the pitch. The menu for today begin evolving last Thursday during the Mexico v France game. Upon all the jokes regarding French surrender, I thought, wouldn't it be brilliant if I took something ubiquitously French and wrapped it in a tamale? My first thoughts were of foie gras, but a few price checks cut that out from the budget. After briefly considering a simple pâté but dismissing its integration with Mexico, I arrived at the idea of duck confit - a dish I've always wanted to prepare. The famous confit de canard, a salt-cured preparation of duck leg slowly poached in it's own fat, is a source of great pride and joy for the French; ensconcing it in traditional Latin street foods brings the sweet irony of the games into our kitchen.


Also playing today are Uruguay and Argentina, two countries similar in backgrounds and tastes known globally for their elegant baked empanadas. Uruguay, with its unusually heavy Italian influence, brings all the traditional pastas to the table. To represent these countries, and also because its genuinely never a good idea to have too many tamales around, we're including our duck confit in empanadas and ravioli!

A classic confit is prepared with a fattened bird, as for fois gras, using the wings and breasts in addition to the legs. If you are lucky enough to possess a source for a fattened duck or goose and an ample supply of their fat, by all means, you are far luckier than I am! Those of us impoverished and sans fattened ducks shall settle for a few cheaply procured birds from the neighborhood Korean grocer and a quality Spanish olive oil. While the type of fat used greatly effects the flavor, use of any fat accomplishes the essence of confit - slow poaching in fat keeps the flavors and juices from escaping as the gentle heat breaks down the meat into delicate, moist flesh.
You can order a 2 lb bucket of duck fat or even Hudson Valley Duck Leg Confit. As duck fat rendering and confit are such slow processes, this is a great resource in case of duck fat emergencies.
Us Houstonians, blessed with the glorious grocery of Central Market, can purchase duck fat at our local butcher's counter or about $6/lb.
Photo: Flickr cinnachick

France: Confit de Canard
4 duck legs, with thighs
~1 Qt Duck, goose or pork fat or even olive oil
Rub ~1/2 tsp per leg of salt into the flesh and skin of each leg. You can also add an equal amount of fresh herbs to the mixture. We went with a mixture of thyme and rosemary. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
After the legs have been cured, remove excess salt and lay, skin-side-up, on a baking tray. Sear in oven at ~400 F until browned (~15 min). Remove and turn the heat down to 225 F. Cover the legs with fat and roast ~2 hrs until tender. Crisp the legs at 420 F until the skin is golden.
Once the confit has cooked, it is best to let it rest in the refrigerator for a few days before eating in order to allow the flavors to develop. The duck will keep, submerged in fat, for months in the refrigerator. We recommend you revisit your confit weeks down the line and watch its flavors develop. Make sure to save some for the World Cup Finals!
Since we're using the excess fat for our dough, we'll prepare the tamales, empanadas and ravioli immediately and then reserve most of them for a few days before eating. Today, however, is game day, so we're "forced" to try one of each. Such are our terribly challenging lives.

Mexico: Tamales
Masa para tamales is possibly the first thing I ever learned to make. As a toddler, I never thought I would grow up to substitute rendered duck fat for our homemade lard and post it for the world to see. Alas, traditionally we prepare the masa by combining harina, creamed lard, water, a pinch of chile powder and salt by hand until a thick, sticky consistency. All ingredients are added by taste and feel, with a heavy dependence on the exact ingredients used, as homemade lard and brands of harina will vary, and perfection is a simple but glorious art achieved after years of masa making.
1 1/2 C Masa Harina
1/2 C fat
~2/4 C water
~ 1/2 tsp salt
Today we replace the traditional lard with rendered fat from our confit preparation. If your duck has not yielded enough fat, use the extra fat your purchased to prepare the duck. We also leave out the chile powder to let the duck's subtle flavors shine.
To prepare the tamales, spread each husk with ~2 T of masa. 
The masa should cover the husk enough to form a cohesive enclosure but not so much that it is thick and dominating. Then spread each tamal with ~1 T of confit. 
Fold sides together, sealing with a bit of masa, and fold the ends of the corn husk down to hold them together. You may prefer to tie the ends with strings from the corn husks as folding technique comes with time and many a tamal with ooze out of its husk and drown in a tragic death of dough.
Once assembled, steam the tamales for 40 min. You should have about 2 dozen medium-sized tamales depending on the size of your corn husks.

Argentina: Empanadas
Variations on an empanada take forms of small, large, baked, fried, yeast dough, fatty dough, and on and on through Spain and the countries of its former empire. Argentinean empanadas are baked, rather than fried, in a small, crescent shape. Their dough is heavy and crisped on the outside with the golden sheen of an egg wash.
Prepare the dough:
1 package or 1 T baker's yeast
1 1/2 C water or milk
3 T of remaining fat from confit
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 T sugar
~4 C AP Flour
Oven: 400F
Soak the yeast in 1/2 C warm water (105-115 F).
Bring remaining water or milk to a simmer, then remove from heat. Add fat, salt and sugar. Cool to lukewarm.
Add flour until it forms a cohesive dough. Do not let the dough rise.
Roll out to 1/8 in thick and cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter. Place ~1 T of confit in center of the round, fold and pinch together, sealing the edges by pinching them between your thumb and forefinger, creating tiny ridges. Let stand for 10 min. then brush with egg wash and bake until golden, ~10 min.
You can make as many confit empanadas as you like, but will have excess dough. You can save the pre-cut rounds of dough in the freezer for months, or simply fill them with any mixture of minced meat.

Uruguay: Ravioli
2 C AP Flour
1 tsp salt
3 eggs
2 T olive oil
Cornmeal, for dusting
Either by hand or using your mixers dough hook, combine flour and salt, then add eggs one at a time. Drizzle in 1 T oil and incorporate until dough forms a cohesive ball. You should knead for ~10 min before it is smooth. Brush the dough with remaining oil, cover and rest 30 min.
If you have a ravioli press, flour a work surface and roll out the dough until 1/8 in thick, then press into the ravioli cutter. Alternatively, you can roll out the dough and cut each square by hand similar to making the empanadas.
Fill each pillow with confit and fold to seal the ravioli, gently pressing to seal. Dust the ravioli with cornmeal to prevent sticking. Cook in boiling salted water for ~4 min. or until they float to the top.

HEY! We've seen that cuisine before! Cook the foods of today's competing countries using other recipes: try South African-Mexican Bobotie Tacos and Uruguayan-French Crème Brûlée, Korean ribs with a side of Greek Salad and Nigerian Zobo, or pair Nigerian Suya with Argentinean chimichurri. As we get deeper into the tournament, it's time to bring out the leftovers, mix & match and let the fusion menus run wild like a frenzied North Korean defense.

Prefer to eat out instead? Our Dining Guide tells you where and why.

Rougié Duck Confit 2 duck legs 575grams (20.3 oz) Rougie

Rendered Duck Fat - 1 gallon

Rougie Duck Fat - Imported from France - pack of 2

Maseca Corn Flour, 4.4 lbs

Thursday 6/17: Argentina v Korea, Greece v Nigeria and a break from dessert

Since I am, to say the least, unfamiliar with Korean cooking, we've taken today's dish from an awesome and cleverly named blog: MyEpikorean. Epikorean! How can you not love that? Even better, their recipe for Korean short ribs goes smashingly well with the deep, intense flavors of Argentina's national wine.

You may also notice today's menu is a bit short. You can thank Spain for that. Upset about the loss, we drank away our sorrows yesterday.

We've opted to skip out on the sweets today and finish our dinner with something healthy. Our kitchen is already filled beyond capacity with desserts, which I've begin to actually ship off to friends at this point (want some pie, pavlova, povitca, tres leches? come on over!)

Argentina vs. Korea: Korean Short Ribs and Argentinean Malbec 

Kalbi Jim (Korean Short Ribs)

3 lbs short beef ribs, thickly cut

6 cloves garlic, chopped

1 onion, chopped

6 T soy sauce

1 C Pineapple juice

1 C rice wine

1/4 C Maesli Ju, Green Plum Wine or Grand Marnier

1/2 C water

1 T fresh ginger, minced

1 T sesame seeds

2 Korean sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

10 ginko nuts, shelled

2 T sil kochu red pepper pieces

Score and butterfly the ribs. Toss all ingredients into a large pot, clay if you have one. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Add the nuts and simmer for another 20 min. Remove the lid and turn the heat up to high, cooking for another 20 min. while stirring frequently, until meat is shiny and liquids reduced. If you prepare this overnight, you can scrape the congealed fat off the top once it cools.

Recipe adapted from original by MyEpikorean.com.

Greece v Nigeria: The Real Greek Salad and a Nigerian Zobo drink

Nigerian Zobo is a tea or soda made from roselle, an old world species of Hibiscus native to Africa. The dried flowers for Zobo can be found at every market as can the sugary tea, but those of us outside Africa will make do with the Western version of dried hibiscus, commonly found at Mexican markets and labeled as "para Jamaica" - the Mexican version of Zobo. Luckily, I have some authentic roselle tea flowers that my friend brought me back on a recent trip to Thailand.

Zobo

2 C dried hibiscus flowers

a few sprigs of fresh mint

1 C of sugar

1 C fresh squeezed orange juice

5 C water

Bring water to boil in a large pot. As soon as it reaches a boil, take the pot off of the heat, add the dried hibiscus and mint sprigs and cover. Let steep for at least one hour, then strain, pressing liquid out of the flowers. Stir in the sugar and juice.

Stir in 4 C cold water to drink as a tea or top with a splash of ginger ale to serve as a soda.

If you prefer salad in the more American style, before your meal, then go ahead and have this first. However, by no means are you allowed to put lettuce in it. It's not the "Greek-American" team that is playing today, it's the Greek national team, so do them the honor of making their amazing national dish the right way - not lettuce, no weird sweet creamy dressings.

The Real Greek Salad 

4 large, ripe tomatoes (in season now!)

1 red onion

1 cucumber

1/4 lb fresh Greek feta

1 clove garlic

1 lemon

Greek oregano

Greek olive oil

Greek olives

Simply chop the tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Whisk the a couple of tablespoons olive oil together with the garlic, a splash of lemon juice and oregano together. Then toss with the salad, adding more oil and lemon to taste. Top with feta and olives.

Prefer to eat out instead? Our Houston Dining Guide tells you where and why.