Europe Cuisines

Lesson 2

The cuisines of Eastern Europe possess a complex set of influential factors, because
this region lies in or on the border of the gray area that separates Europe and Asia.
Much of the uniqueness of the cuisines from this area is connected to the diversity that
makes Eastern Europe difficult to define.

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students are expected to perform
the
following task based on required international standards:
Identify the cooking techniques applied in cooking European
dishes.
Prepare
Recognizevariety
someof ofrecipes
the common
Europeantoingredients
Europe. used in the
European dish.

The listed menus are the foods that everyone must eat when visiting Europe. Match the
respective foods to the specific country or place of origin. Write the letter before the
number.

1. Arancini a. Greece
2. Pierogi b. Poland
3. Waffles c. Germany
4. Cheese fondue d. Austria
5. Ć evapi e. Hungary
6. Goulash f. Bosnia and
Herzegovina
7. Palatschinken g. Switzerland
8. Currywurst h. Belgium
9. Potica i. Slovenia
10. Moussaka j. Italy
 Read and Learn!

Europe is a large mass with 44 countries. Don’t be confused because others are
transcontinental meaning, they are part both of Europe and Asia. There are for regions
namely: Southern, Western, Eastern and Northern Europe. The Mediterranean region of
southern Europe includes Spain, southern France and Italy. All three of these countries
have an incredibly rich and varied history that makes up their traditional cuisine. But we
are only going to focus some of the foods found in Italy, France and some other parts of
Europe.
 The cuisine of Italy, perhaps more than any other in the Mediterranean, is recognizable
and eaten throughout the world. Italians have great reverence for quality foods, fresh
ingredients and the act of eating itself. Italy is also home to two large islands with their
own unique culinary traditions, Sicily and Sardinia. Poverty has played a strong hand in
shaping the cuisine of Italy, as it has in many other Mediterranean countries. Until the
beginning of the 20th century, peasants didn’t own their own land and suffered
famines regularly due to agricultural disasters, population pressures, war and plague.
Italian food emerged from the tradition of cocina provera (“poor cuisine”, pronounced
“koh-chee- nah-pro-verr-ah”), which draws on humble seasonal ingredients to create
rich, but simple, flavors. Many dishes in Italy have only four to eight ingredients and
chefs rely on the freshness and quality of ingredients rather than complicated preparation.
In Italy, the ingredients are allowed to shine.
I’m sure when you think of Italian food one of the first things to come to mind is
pasta. Italy’s pasta tradition dates back to at least 1154, but only relatively recently has
pasta become such a component of a main meal. Traditionally, pasta was eaten as a
small simple item, often plain and with the hands. The first written record of tomato sauce
being eaten with pasta is in a 1790 cookbook. Prior to the 14th and 15th centuries,
pasta was almost always prepared fresh and not dried. Dried pasta became popular
due to its easy storage. It was often brought on long, exploratory sea journeys to the
New World, which helps explains its quick spread throughout the world’s cuisines.
Given this rich history, it’s no wonder that Italy has such an incredibly diverse offering
of pastas. Most pasta is made from unleavened dough and formed into sheets or cut into
shapes, then cooked and served either plain, drizzled with oil, or with a sauce and other
ingredients. Some pasta is made with other grains and eggs are sometimes used instead of
water. Each pasta shape has its own special purpose. The long, thin strands like
spaghetti or linguini are ideal for delicate sauces like pesto (a sauce made of garlic,
basil, pine nuts, olive oil and parmesan cheese, “pest-oh”) or simply drizzled with
extra-virgin olive oil. The thicker and sometimes concave or twisted pastas like fusilli
(spiral, “few-see-lee”) or farfalle (bowtie or butterfly, “far-fah-lay”) are great for thicker
sauces like tomato sauce (called marinara, “mer-in-era”, or Neapolitan, “nee-ah-pahl-it-
un” sauce), so that they can stand up to the bold sauces. In addition, chunkier sauces
cling to the holes and grooves of these types of pasta, making it a much better vessel for
the sauce. Another popular type of pasta (particularly in the north) is the filled
varieties, like tortellini (“tortuh-lee-nee”) and ravioli (“rah-vee-oh-lee”), which are little
pockets of pasta dough stuffed with delicious mixtures of cheese and meat and/or
vegetables.
Italy is a complex region with many influences and a rich culinary history;
further exploration is encouraged. The recipes provided below is an introduction to the
cuisines of Eastern Europe.
 INSALATA DI ARANCE (Sicily, Italy) (Orange
and Fennel Salad with Rosemary)

Yield: 10 portions (6 ounces/portion)

Mixing Method: Non-Emulsified Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the Vinaigrette
3 oz White Wine Vinegar
5 oz Olive Oil, pure
4 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 tsp Fresh Rosemary,
minced Zest from 5 oranges
Salt and Black Pepper
For the Salad
3 Fennel Bulbs, peeled
1 Large Onion, peeled
Vinaigrette (see above)
10 Oranges, peeled and sliced in 1/4-inch rounds, or cut into segments Procedure
1. To make the vinaigrette, combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix
thoroughly before seasoning to taste with salt and fresh black pepper.
2. For the salad, both the fennel and onion should be shaved very fine using a
mandolin or slicer, and then combined with the vinaigrette and allowed to sit for at least
1 hour.

3. Once the fennel and onion have marinated, the salad is ready to be assembled by
peeling the oranges and cutting them into desired shapes (rounds or wedges).
4. The oranges can then be arranged on the plate and topped with the
fennel/onion mixture, making sure to coat the oranges with some of the vinaigrette.
 CACCIUCCO
Tuscany,Italy

(FISHERMAN’S SEAFOOD STEW, FROM LIVORNO)

Yield: 8 portions (1.5
cups/portion) Cooking Method:
Stewin

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Black Mussels • 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 1 lb. Hard-Shell Clams • 1 oz Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 lb. Calamari, cleaned and • 1 lb. Onion, sliced thin
cut into rings • 2 cups White Wine, dry
• .5 lb. Shrimp, 26/30 shell- • 1.5 tsp Red Pepper Flakes on • 6 cups
Tomato Purée
• 1 lb. Lean White Fish Fillet • 2 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil (sea bass, cod,
haddock, • Salt and Pepper, to taste
mullet, or other • 16 thick slices of quality appropriate fish) bread

Procedure
1. Clean the shellfish by scrubbing it under cold running water and removing beards of
mussels.
2. Cut the fillets of white fish into 1-inch cubes.

3. In a heavy saucepan that is large enough to hold all of the seafood and vegetables,
heat 1 oz of extra virgin olive oil over a low flame, and then add the sliced onions to
sweat in the oil.

4. Slowly sweat the onions until they become translucent, and then add the garlic and
turn the heat up to a high flame. Cook garlic quickly with fat.
5. As soon as the garlic becomes aromatic and translucent, add the white wine and the
red pepper flakes, and stir to combine well.
6. Allow the wine to reduce by 50%, and then add in the tomato puré e. Turn heat down
to a low simmer, and simmer mixture for 20 minutes.
7. Add the seafood to this mixture, according to the amount of time that each will take
to cook (add the fish first, then the clams, shrimp, calamari, and mussels).
8. Once all of the seafood has cooked, stir in the extra virgin olive oil and season to
taste with salt and pepper.
9. Serve with slices of bread.

RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE

Lombardy, Italy

(STEWED SHORT-GRAIN RICE IN THE STYLE OF MILAN)

Yield: 10 portions (5 ounces/portion) Veal), held hot
Special Cooking Method: Risotto
Method • 1 tsp Saffron
• 4 oz Parmesan, grated
Ingredients
• 2 oz Butter, salted
• 1 oz Butter, unsalted • Salt and White Pepper, to
• 12 oz Yellow taste
Onion, minced
• 1 lb. Rice, Arborio (or other
suitable short-grain rice)
• 5 cups (approximately)
White Stock (Chicken or
Procedure
1. Add the saffron to the hot stock to infuse the stock with the saffron.

2. In a sauté pan or heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the unsalted butter over a

medium flame and add the minced onion. Sweat in the fat until onions are translucent.
3. Add the rice and continue to cook over lower flame for a few minutes, stirring to
coat the rice completely with the fat.
4. Add the saffron-infused stock to the rice in small increments (add a cup for the first
addition, and then reduce the amount added to 1/2 cup after that), stirring the rice all
the while to draw the surface starch from the rice into the stock.
5. Continue with the stock additions and stirring until the rice is cooked al dente.
(More stock may be needed, depending on how high the heat on the stove is.)
6. Once the rice is al dente, remove from heat and stir in the grated Parmesan and
salted butter.

7. Season to taste with salt and ground white pepper.

Steamed Mussels with Fennel, Tomatoes, Ouzo, and Cream

(Greece)

4 Servings • 4 cloves garlic, finely

chopped
Ingredients
• 1 bulb fennel - trimmed,
• 1 tablespoon olive oil cored and thinly sliced
• 2 shallots, finely chopped • 1 large tomato, cubed
 • 1/2 cup white wine • 4 pounds mussels, cleaned
• 1/4 cup ouzo and debearded
• 1/2 cup heavy cream • 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
• salt to taste
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in shallots and
garlic, and cook until tender. Stir in fennel and tomato, and continue cooking about 5
minutes.
2. Mix white wine, ouzo, and heavy cream into the saucepan, and bring to a boil.
Gradually stir in mussels, 1/2 the basil, and salt.
3. Cover saucepan, and continue cooking about 5 minutes, until the mussels have
opened. Garnish with remaining basil to serve.

Coq Au Vin
(France) (Killebrew, 2013)

Ingredients
• 4 medium shallots, halved (or one
• 3 tbs olive oil small yellow onion, quartered and
• 4 chicken thighs and 4 drumsticks, then halved again)
skin intact, sprinkled with salt and • 2 cloves garlic, minced
pepper • 8 oz white button mushrooms,
• 4 oz thick-sliced bacon, diced
quartered
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
 • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 1 tablespoon ground dried
• 2 cups dry red wine (such as porcini mushrooms
Zinfandel) • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1 cup chicken stock • 1 bay leaf

• 2 teaspoons tomato paste • 13 oz dried
• egg noodles, cooked according to package directions

Procedures

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot and sear the chicken on both
sides until nicely browned and then set aside.
2. Add the bacon and cook until done and then add the shallots and cook for
another 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and garlic and sauté
until the mushrooms release their juices and are softened, another 5 minutes. Add a
pinch of salt and pepper and then transfer to a plate.

3. Heat the butter in the pot and whisk in the flour, continually whisking until it
becomes a rich golden-brown color. Whisk in the wine and chicken stock. Bring it to a
boil for about 2 minutes and continue whisking to loosen the browned bits on the bottom
of the pot. Stir in the tomato paste, ground dried porcini mushrooms, thyme, and bay
leaf.

4. Return the chicken to the pot and cover. Return it to a boil then reduce the heat
to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.
Return the bacon/onion/mushroom mixture to the pot and simmer for another 10
minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve the chicken over noodles with the sauce
spooned over it.

Try This!

Identify the cooking techniques or methods applied in the European dish and
recognize the European ingredients used.
Menus Cooking Techniques Imported or Foreign
Ingredient/s
Insalata Di Arance Non-Emulsified Vinaigrette  White Wine Vinegar
  Fresh Rosemary,
minced
 Fennel Bulbs, peeled

Cacciucco Stewin  Hard-Shell Clams

 Calamari, cleaned
and cut into rings
 White Wine, dry
 Red Pepper Flakes
 Tomato Purée

Risotto Alla Milanese Risotto Method  Rice, Arborio

 Saffron
 Parmesan, grated

Steamed Mussels with Combination method  shallots

Fennel, Tomatoes, Ouzo,  white wine
and Cream  ouzo
 bulb fennel
 basil leaves,
Coq Au Vin Combination method  dry red wine
(such as
Zinfandel)
 white button
mushrooms,
 ground dried
porcini mushrooms
 dried thyme

Do this!

Choose a recipe to cook from any country in Europe. Record in a video and upload to
the google classroom or to my email account. The content of the video should
include the following: Name of dish, Ingredients, cooking methods and techniques
then the procedure on cooking the dish.
 How are you
rated!

1. What is the most challenging part of preparing the Europe cuisines?

I think the difficult part in preparing the cuisine of Europe is the ingredients because
it is not easy to find and I don’t know exactly where can I buy this ingredient and
most of all its expensive.

2. What you love the most among the dishes in Europe?

What I love the most among the dishes in Europe is the name of their dishes because
it has a very unique and also, I like the freshness and quality of their ingredients they
use.
3. How do you find the food you cooked?

I think its not that totally hard to cooked the food in the recipe as long as you have the
available ingredients in your home or you can find it in any supermarket store.