Oliebollen: Dutch Doughnuts (The Netherlands)
- 1 (0.6-ounce) cake compressed fresh yeast
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 2-1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup dried currants
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 medium Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
- 1 quart vegetable oil for deep frying
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar for dusting
Break up compressed yeast and stir into warm milk. Let stand for a few minutes to dissolve.
Sift flour and salt into a large bowl. Stir in yeast mixture and egg until smooth. Stir in currants, raisins and apple. Cover the bowl and set in a warm place to rise until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
Heat oil in a deep fryer to 375 F.
Use two metal spoons to shape scoops of dough into 12 balls. Drop them carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes. Remove doughnuts with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
Dust doughnuts with confectioners’ sugar. Transfer to a serving platter and dust with more confectioners’ sugar.
Soft Pretzel Sticks (Germany)
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 cups warm water, plus more for alkaline solution
- 2 envelopes active dry yeast
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 5-3/4 cups flour, divided, plus more for kneading
- Unsalted butter, for greasing
- 3/4 cup baking soda
- 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon of water
- Flaky salt, such as Maldon
- Yellow mustard, for serving
In a large bowl, stir the brown sugar into 2 cups of warm water until dissolved. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the vegetable oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 3 cups flour. Knead in the remaining 2-3/4 cups of flour; the dough will be slightly sticky.
Transfer the dough to a floured work surface and knead until silky, about 3 minutes; if the dough is very sticky, knead in up to 1/4 cup more flour.
Transfer the dough to a large, oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 F and position the oven rack in the center of the oven. Using softened butter or cooking spray, grease four large baking sheets, line them with parchment paper, then grease the paper. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto a floured work surface. Flatten the dough and cut it into 24 pieces.
Roll each piece into a 9-inch stick about 1/2-inch thick. Transfer the sticks to the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 2 inches between them. Let stand uncovered until puffed, about 25 minutes.
Place a rack in a large baking sheet. In a large, high-sided skillet, stir the baking soda into 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate. Using two fish spatulas, carefully transfer six pretzel sticks at a time to the simmering water for 30 seconds, turning once. Add about 1 cup of hot water, if needed, after cooking the second batch of pretzels.
Transfer the pretzel sticks to the rack-lined baking sheet to drain, then return them to the parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing them evenly.
Brush the pretzel sticks with egg wash and sprinkle with flaky salt.
Bake, one sheet at a time, on the center oven rack until richly browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature with mustard.
Homemade Tamales (Mexico)
Filling:
- 1-1/4 pounds pork loin
- 1 large onion, halved
- 1 clove garlic
Chili sauce:
- 4 dried chili peppers
- 2 cups water
- 1-1/2 teaspoons salt
Husks and dough:
- 1 (8-ounce) package dried corn husks
- 2/3 cup lard
- 1 (10.5-ounce) can beef broth, or as needed
- 2 cups masa harina
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup sour cream
To make the filling, place pork, onion and garlic in a Dutch oven. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until pork is cooked through, about 2 hours.
Meanwhile, make chili sauce. Use rubber gloves to remove stems and seeds from chilies. Place chilies in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Transfer chilies and cooking water to a blender and blend until smooth. Strain mixture into a bowl and stir in salt. Set aside.
Shred cooked pork and mix in 1 cup chili sauce. Reserve remaining sauce for serving.
To prepare husks and dough, soak corn husks in a bowl of warm water until softened, about 30 minutes.
While the husks are soaking, beat lard with 1 tablespoon broth until fluffy.
Combine masa harina, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl; stir into the lard mixture, adding more broth as needed to form a spongy dough.
Remove husks from water and pat dry. Spread dough out over husks to 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick.
Place 1 tablespoon pork filling over center of each. Fold the sides, top and bottom of each husk in toward the center to enclose dough.
Arrange tamales in a steamer basket. Place over simmering water and steam for 1 hour.
Remove tamales from husks. Drizzle with remaining chili sauce and top with sour cream, or mix sour cream into chili sauce first for a creamy sauce.
Lentil Soup With Smoked Sausage (Italy)
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, chopped
- 1 pound lentils (about 2-1/3 cups)
- 1-1/2 cups drained canned diced tomatoes (one 15-ounce can)
- 2-1/2 quarts water, more if needed
- 4 teaspoons dried summer savory, or 1/4 cup chopped fresh savory
- 1 bay leaf
- 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
- 1/2 pound kielbasa or other smoked sausage
In a large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the celery, onion and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, 5 to 10 minutes.
Add the lentils, tomatoes, water, dried savory if using, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and cook, partially covered, until the lentils are tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat. Add the sausage and cook, turning, until browned, about 3 minutes in all. Remove. When the sausage is cool enough to handle, cut it crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
Stir the sausage and fresh savory, if using, into the soup and simmer it for 5 minutes longer. Remove the bay leaf. If the soup is too thick for your taste, thin it with additional water.
Vasilopita: New Year’s Cake (Greece)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 cup butter
- 3 cups flour
- 6 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup warm milk (110 F)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup blanched slivered almonds
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Generously grease a 10-inch round cake pan.
Beat sugar and butter together in a medium bowl until lighter in color; stir in flour and mix until the mixture is mealy. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine baking powder and milk; add to egg mixture, mix well. Combine lemon juice and baking soda; stir into the batter. Pour into the prepared cake pan.
Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove and sprinkle the nuts and sugar over the cake, then return it to the oven until cake springs back to the touch, about 20 to 30 additional minutes. Gently cut a small hole in the cake and place a quarter in the hole. Try to cover the hole with sugar. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes before inverting onto a plate.
Serve cake warm.
