Bon appétit!

I love food - not only to eat it but also to read about it and to drewl over recipes (now that's a pretty picture) for inspiration and ideas, so to receive a food box every month from Kitchen Nomad focusing on different countries with recipes and ingredients representative of that country is an absolute dream. For a while now I've had a longing to go to Paris so imagine how happy I was to discover that this month's theme was French food - oh yum. If I can't explore the arrondissements for fabulous little bistros, then at least I can try and bring a bit of France to our dining table.

Ingredients

Sardine Fillets in Sunflower Oil

Traditional Sea Salt
Clear Honey
Puy Lentils
Mediterranean Salad Croutons
Dijon Original Mustard
Walnut Pieces

So what French delicacies can we cook up with these ingredients?

Starter:

Tomate Slices & Sardine Paté -  sardine paté made with cream cheese, parsley, capers and lemon, served on slices of tomato 
Carrot Tarte Tatin -  tarte tatin with carrots, honey and thyme

Mains:

Chunky Savoie Salad - rustic salad with radishes, apple, cucumber, bacon, cheese and croutons with a walnut vinaigrette

Beer-Doused Ham Hock - beer and lemon infused ham hock, roasted in the oven with honey, mustard, onions, carrots and celery and served on a bed of puy lentils

Dessert:

Walnut & Caramel Tarte - walnuts and salty caramel on bed of puff pastry

I love the Kitchen Nomad concept and always look forward to opening the new box every month, however I have to say that I am a bit disappointed in both the recipes and the ingredients of this month's box. France has such a rich and fantastic food tradition but the recipes included are very middle of the road, they could be from any European country with basic ingredients that I can pick up from any corner shop in the UK. With the exception of the Tarte Tatin I don't get the sense that the ingredients or dishes are very typically French and I guess that for me the element of the new, different and exciting is missing. Oh well, one disappointment out of the five boxes that I've received isn't too bad, but fingers crossed that next month's content is more up my street.  

S(e)oul Food from November's Kitchen Nomad

It's food time again! Last month we went to Mexico for some lovely spicy dishes, courtesy of the amazing products from Kitchen Nomad and this month we're going in the opposite direction to the Land of the Morning Calm - Korea. Korean cuisine is very natural and healthy and largely based on rice, vegetables and meat but of course the main ingredients vary between different regions. Traditionally a basic meal is a bowl of rice and a bowl of soup per person, and then there are lots of different side dishes that are shared between everyone. You may have heard the old saying that "you first eat with your eyes", i.e. that the whole eating experience is influenced not only by the taste but also by how good the food looks, and an interesting fact is that in Korean cuisine the balance of colors is considered very important. It's not just to make it look pretty though, it's also linked to the theory of the Yin and Yang and the five elements that represent different materials, emotions, body organs and flavors and the ideal state is a balance between them all. So let's see what was in the box to prepare a well balanced delicious meal.

Ingredients

Sesame oil - lovely golden nutty tasting oil used for cooking or as a dressing

Soy sauce

Ginseng drink

 

Ingredients

Korean chilli powder - smokey, fruity sweet hot chilli

Kimchi - traditional Korean side dish of fermented cabbage and other vegetables with garlic, ginger and other spice

Dried shiitake mushrooms

Sesame seed

Sweet potato noodles - traditional Korean noodles for Japchae (stir fried noodles) 

What are we going to make with all of these fabulous ingredients?

Starter:

Sauteed eggplant -  eggplant with chilli, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil and sesame seeds

Mains:

Sweet potato noodles - noodles with garlic, shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, sesame oil, onion, beef

Seasoned Tofu - stir fried tofu with sesame oil and sesame seeds, garlic, onions, chilli and soy sauce 

Skewered beef - grilled beef marinated in garlic, sugar, soy sauce, sesame oil

Since I don't eat meat I'll swap the meat for either mushrooms or prawns and all we need now is a big bowl of rice, some kimchi and the ginseng drink and we're sorted for a traditional Korean meal.

I'm so excited about this month's ingredients since the only Korean food I have tried previously is Kimchi, and I'll do my very best to cook up an interesting, balanced feast of flavors, scents and the all important colors. What do you think about this month's ingredients and recipes? 

Fiesta time with the October box from Kitchen Nomad

One of the places in the world I had always wanted to visit is Mexico. I'm fascinated by its history and culture, and earlier this year I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks in Mexico on Yucatán. We had an amazing time exploring the mayan temples of Chichén Itzá and Tulum, taking in the sun, doing some latin dancing, and of course enjoying the fantastic food. So when I opened the October box from Kitchen Nomad and discovered that the theme was Mexico I was absolutely thrilled.

At the beginning of the month I shared with you the first box I received from Kitchen Nomad, which focused on Pakistan It was a slightly delayed review since the box arrived when I was in Sweden but if you haven't read that post, I'll just remind you of the fabulous concept of getting a selection of ingredients from a different country each month, together with a suggestion for a menu and you also get some interesting facts about the culture and food from the particular country. So vámonos, let's see what Mexican delicacies Kitchen Nomad has in store for me this month:

 Ingredients

Chilli de Árbol - deep rep chilli fruits used for chilli sauce

Chipotle Sauce - medium hot chilli sauce with smoked paprika, garlic and cocoa

Anchos Chillies - mild, dried chilli with a slightly smokey fruity flavor

Jalapenos Chillies - pickled snacks

 Ingredients 

 Masa Harina - maize flour used for making soft corn tortilla

Mexican Oregano - aromatic but spicier and stronger than your usual oregano

Bay leaves

Black Beans - as a dip with tortilla chips or to put in tacos

Pumpkin Seeds

Chilli Honey - honey with a smokey chilli flavor

 

 

With all these wonderful ingredients, this is the feast you can make:

Starters:

Soft-baked feta - feta cheesed backed in the oven with garlic, chillies de árbol, thyme, and lime. Eaten with soft tortilla

Stuffed Chillies - Chillies stuffed with cream cheese, parmesan, chives and fried. Served in soft tortillas and sour cream, but since none of us like sour cream we'll swap this for a cooling tomato salsa.

 

Mains:

Rajas tacos - soft tortillas filled with a sauce made from ancho chillies, garlic, creme fresh, cheese, onions and since I don't eat meat, we'll make this a prawn taco

Black bean soup - soup with black beans, chillies, chipotle sauce, oregano, bay leaves, tomato, garlic, onion, stock and lime. Served with crumbled feta cheese and coriander

Autumn stew with pipián - vegetarian stew with pumpkin, apples, cinnamon, cumin, ancho chillies, pumpkin seeds, chiles de árbol, garlic, onion, coriander and basil

 

Dessert:

Chilli honey crumble - made from apples and blueberries

I don't know about you, but after this I'm already ravenous! So I have a cunning plan for this weekend; we'll turn up the heat in the living room, we'll post pictures from our holiday all over the walls, play some mariachi music, have a big jug of frozen strawberry daquiri, eat this amazing food, and it'll be just like being back in Mexico - well not quite, but we can dream...

What's in the box - Kitchen Nomad

I must admit that like a good monthly subscription box - I really do! There's nothing like these boxes of surprises, you're full of enthusiasm and excitement to see what has arrived and in a way it really is a little bit like Christmas every month, or as Him Indoors calls it - Big Box Day. I have tried a few different ones with varying success and joy, and we all know that there are lots of different monthly beauty goody boxes that you can get, but a few months ago I was inspired by the absolutely wonderful and lovely Amelia (xAmeliax.com) to subscribe to a slightly different kind of box - a food box! Before we talk more about the box I just have to mention that Amelia makes the most amazing videos on You Tube and if you don't already subscribe, go and sign up straight away for lots of fun and informative videos!

So back to the food - this particular box comes from a company called Kitchen Nomad and the whole concept behind it is that every month you'll receive interesting food products from a different country. Since I love to cook and I love to try different kinds of cuisine - this box is simply made for me. Together with the 7-10 ingredients every month, you'll also get a menu suggestion, i.e. recipes of what you can make with the products - and you also learn a little bit about the food and culture from that particular country.

The first box I received actually arrived while I was visiting my parents in Sweden, but as soon as I saw it I ripped it open and discovered that this month the food was from Pakistan - and here you can see all the ingredients that were included..... wow, not bad is it?

Here's a list of all the ingredients included in the box:

Red chili powder

Chaat masala

Coriander seed

Green cardamom

Basmati rice

Cloves

Chana daal

Gram chickpea flour

Cinnamon sticks

Cumin seeds

Pistachios

Desiccated coconut

All you need to do is to add the protein of your choice to make the following delicious menu of Pakistani food:

Starters:

Spiced aubergine and okra pakoras

Mains:

Channa dall with brown onions, red chili and cumin tempering

Chicken Yakhni Pullao rice (we'll probably make this veggie since I don't eat meat)

Crunchy tomato and cucumber raita

Desserts:

Carrot, coconut and pistachio halva (Ooh there's nothing like home made halva)

How brilliant is that?! So I'm definitely not stuck for ideas what to cook this weekend and I'll let you know how it turned out. This is such a great idea either for yourself or as a present for someone - remember Christmas is coming awfully fast... I've only had one box so far but I'm really impressed with the content, the quality of the recipes and the information included. I'm already excited to see what other exotic foods will land on my doorstep - we'll be eating our way around the world for the next 12 months!