My dish from Guinea Bissau

Caldo de Mancarra

http://oquefazerprojantar.blogspot.com/2009/11/caldo-de-mancara-da-guine-bissau.html

You have to check out the website for the handwritten recipe! It's a dish with chicken and peanuts. I will make a vegetarian option with quiabos (AKA okra)

Moldovan Cuisine

Forget about the fact I didn't know Moldova existed until two weeks ago, let's focus on the fact that it's cuisine has Greek influences...proving the point that everything does in fact, originate from the Greeks! I am making Placinte, which are Moldovan fried apple pies. See you all soon!
Eleni

Chilean food

Thinking about making appetizer-size empanada (both carnivor and vegeterian).

See here for example.

With a good bottle of chilean wine... yum! ;-)

Main dish(es) from Malta

Dan and I will be making two main dishes, one with meat and one without!

ALJOTTA (Fish soup)

BIGILLA (Spicy Beans)

Guine Bissau

I've found a whole book online on Guine Bissau's cuisine!! It's in Portuguese, but not a problem! I'm excited! Here's the link, you can look at the pictures http://www.didinho.org/ABIODIVERSIDADEAOSERVICODACULINARIAGUINEENSE.htm

Mimi's Fruit Salad

Better late than never! This is my mom's famous fruit salad.

1 can of pineapple chunks or tidbits
1 can of mandarin oranges
1 box of Jello cook-and-serve vanilla pudding (instant will not work)
And whatever other fruit you want to throw into the salad - I recommend strawberries, blueberries, grapes, cherries, apples, and/or cantaloupe

Drain pineapple juice into a sauce pan, add the pudding mix, add water or juice if pineapple juice in can is not enough for pudding mix, and bring to a boil. Cool and add to assorted fruits.

- Margot

Steak au Poivre

This is the full recipe from the William Sonoma cookbook. For the appetizer, John cooked one steak and made the sauce. He cut up a baguette into 3/4" pieces and toasted the pieces, then placed thin strips of the steak and a little sauce on top of the bread.

½ cup black peppercorns
4 New York strip steaks, about 1 lb each and 1.5” thick
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, plus extra as needed
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, minced
3 Tbsp cognac or high quality brandy
½ cup full-bodied red wine
1 cup beef stock or prepared low-sodium broth
½ cup heavy cream
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Fresh flat-leaf parsley springs for garnish

Using a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, or the coarsest setting on a pepper mill, crush the peppercorns until coarsely cracked. Sprinkle the pepper evenly on both sides of the steaks and press it into the meat, using your hands or the flat side of a cleaver blade. Cover and let stand for 30 minutes.

Select one large frying pan or two smaller frying pans big enough to fit the steaks without crowding. Melt the butter with the oil over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 1 minute. Add the steaks and sear on one side until browned, about 4 minutes. Turn the steaks and sear on the other side until browned and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers 125°F for rare or 135°F for medium rare, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer the steaks to a warmed platter and cover the platter loosely with aluminum foil.

Add the shallots to the pan and sauté, adding more butter if needed to prevent sticking, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat, add the Cognac/Brandy, and flambé. When the flames disappear, add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook until lightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, return to a boil, and cook until reduced by half and thickened to a saucelike consistency, about 5 minutes longer. Whisk in the cream and mustard and simmer for 1 minute longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer the steaks to warmed individual plates and spoon some of the sauce over each serving. Garnish with the parsley and serve at once.