Around the World in the Hetzel Kitchen

Last time, we learned that I don't really like things cooked in red wine, especially dry red wine.  That was worrying.  I had already bought all of the ingredients for my other experiment in French cooking.  And that attempt was Coq au Vin.  Chicken.  In red wine.  Gulp. This recipe came from the same cookbook that the delicious crepes did last time, so that was a bonus.  I had made Coq au Vin from another cookbook once, a long time ago.  That was soon after Kevin and I got married, and I know that I have grown a lot in my cooking since then.  It was a adventure I was excited to take on, but I was a bit wary after the beef burgundy.  This is all about trying things and learning though, right?  Right! Like before, we start with bacon. However, much of the rest is different.  This calls for a whole chicken, as well as thyme, parsley, garlic...  There are a good number of spices that get thrown in there.  We a...

Photo courtesy of user Bernard Blanc on flickr. Location : Main part is in Western Europe.  However, five former overseas territories were made part of France proper, and they are in South America, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and Southern Africa. Area : Over 550,000 sq km (main part); 43rd largest in the world          Slightly less than the size of Texas Population : Over 65.5 million; 21st highest in the world Capital : Paris Nuclear Electricity : 53% of total install capacity; 1st in the world Kevin's favorite link about France:  The Complete Military History of France (not for the easily offended) Sources: CIA Factbook This was still while we were in Virginia, so it has been a while.  I apologize for any lack of detail...my memory may have gotten a little fried during all of this travel. I knew that France would be big and important in my cooking travels.  It, unfortunately, also corresponded with the craziness of get...

Brief history : Croatia was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire until the close of WWI.  Later it was part of Yugoslavia until they declared independence in 1991.  It took four more years to clear out most of the Serb armies. Location : Southeasten Europe, between Bosnia and Slovenia Area : Over 56,500 sq km; 127th largest in the world          Slightly smaller than West Virginia Natural Hazards : Destructive earthquakes Language : Croatian Biggest ethnic group : Croats Population : Almost 4.5 million; 124th most in the world Capital : Zagreb Source: CIA Factbook Croatian cuisine seems to be pretty varied throughout this relatively small country.  There were a lot of dishes to choose from, which was rather exciting.  Goulash was listed, but I have traditionally associated that with Hungary.  Rather than just looking at information about their cuisine, I decided to make my choice based on the recipes themselves. Pasticada ...

(Original post here. ) Andorra History: From 1278 to 1993 Andorra was co-ruled by leaders from Spain and France.  In 1993 it switched to parliamentary rule but retains the Spanish and French rulers. Economy : 80% tourism Size : 468 sq miles, 2.5 times the size of DC Population : 84,500 Literacy rate : 100% They do not have a military, and defense is the responsibility of France and Spain. Andorra was...difficult.  They are so small that their recipes don't proliferate very much.  I looked for quite a while.  In fact, in my looking, I found other people complaining about the same thing.  Apparently this is not untreaded territory.  I was a little sad not to be unique.  But oh well.  This is about experiencing it, right? Eventually, I found my way to the Andorran website.  The one ran by at least 1/84,500th of their population.  And there were recipes.  Perfect, right? Not really.  A lot of them were veal.  W...