So far, the World Cup is going as planned, with lackluster performances by the “strongest” teams who get outshined the entire game and invariably score the winning goal at the very last second. Case in point: Argentina and Italy. I went into the Mexico-Argentina match thinking Mexico was going to get thrashed. Instead, they played their best game of the World Cup and dominated Argentina the entire game and into overtime, only to lose with 10 minutes left. This is arguably the best, most exciting game of the cup so far, and I am proud of my team. If we must go, at least we left with our chin up and the knowledge that we could – and should – have beaten Argentina. Germany is going to kill them. Australia dominated the entire game versus Italy, even when they still had 11 men on both sides. And with 30 seconds left before the game went into overtime, Fabio Grosso did the classic “Italian penalty flop,” and the referee bit the hook. The commentators on Univision argue that la camiseta pesa, literally meaning “the jersey weighs.” Teams deemed to be the strongest or the favorite always get the calls in their favor. This World Cup has been a classic example.
I was so nervous during the Mexico game that I could hardly eat, and I almost missed out on Fernando’s enchiladas, which were all but gone by the end of the game. But Martine Pelegrin amazed me again with the best sangrita I have ever had. And I thought I could make sangrita. Of course, like with many traditional recipes, everyone has their own. For those who have never had the pleasure, sangrita is a traditional Mexican tequila chaser that is slightly sweet, savory, and spicy. It is made with sour orange juice, grenadine, lime juice, and some form of chile. Some people use tomato juice, clamato, and a variety of spices and seasonings like Worcestershire sauce. I like mine with clamato, and puréed onion and jalapeños. I have tried many sangritas in my time, but Martine’s was astonishing. I am trying to convince her to add it to their line of products (check out www.bistrolemarseillais.com to order). She was supposed to bring her award-winning cocktail L’Alhambra, but thanks to an archaic law that clearly violates my civil and religious rights, she wasn’t able to buy sherry on Sunday (it has 3% more alcohol than you are allowed to drink on Sundays, like good churchgoing folk do.)
The Ecuadorian ceviche was a big hit as well, and it will become part of my summer repertoire. It was easy to make and refreshing. And the assortment of Dutch cheeses paired with ice cold beer was pure delight and a great ending to an exciting meal. This weekend’s matches bring us to the quarterfinals. The World Cup is almost over. We can expect intense matchups and hopefully interesting dishes.
Friday, June 30
Germany–Argentina, 10 am After having beef for the last two Argentina games, this time I am making an Argentinean omelet called tortilla de papa, made with potatoes, canned tuna, and fresh chiles. This light, brunchy dish will offset the richness of the German smoked and cured meats and the strong, creamy bierkäse that I will also be serving. Clericó, the white wine sangria I made for Paraguay, is also very popular in Argentina, so we’ll have some of that along with German beer.
Italy-Ukraine, 2pm
From what I’ve seen from both teams, this match is destined to end in penalty kicks. So, I need to make something tasty and substantial to last us. On Week 2, I made maiale tonnato, my own version of the popular Italian summer dish traditionally made with veal. Because it is very expensive, I use pork tenderloin instead, with very good results. I season, roast, and cool the pork, slice it and top it with a sauce made with tuna in olive oil, fresh lemon juice, anchovies, capers, and fresh mayonnaise. It was a huge hit. I think this time I’ll add steamed baby vegetables, served cold.
For a dish from the Ukraine, I turned to my friend Tatyana Lyutova for a recipe.
“I tried to remember the easiest thing I cooked longtime ago in my Ukrainian life. Usually our recipes take a while to prepare, so I thought of something we call a lazy way to make vereniky (pierogi). It is the real deal, and is called Lazy dish in Russian/Ukrainian.” Here’s Tatyana’s recipe:
Lazy Vareniky (pierogi)
1 lb. cottage cheese
3 eggs
1/5 lb. flour
2 tablespoons butter
Salt to taste
Squeeze the liquid out of the cottage cheese to make sure it is fairly dry (can use cheese cloth). Separate whites from yolks in a bowl. Mix butter and egg yolks gradually in a separate bowl. Add cottage cheese and flour to the egg yolks, stir well. Whip the egg whites in a separate bowl, add them to the flour mixture, stir well and add salt to taste. Take the dough and place it on the floured surface. Roll dough to about 3 cm. in diameter. Cut the roll diagonally into discs of about 2 cm. in width.
Boil a pot of water and start adding the discs into the boiling water. Boil until these are cooked thoroughly. Once done, take off the stove and drain the water. You can add a bit of butter so that they do not stick together. Serve with sour cream.
Saturday, July 1
England–Portugal, 10 am Since last week I was a wreck after the Mexico loss, I didn’t wake up in the cheeriest mood to make shepherd’s pie, so I’ll do it this time. For Portugal, I will make a cold soupa verde, a traditional style of Portuguese gazpacho made with green vegetables and herbs. The recipe calls for spinach, but the chard in my garden is plentiful, and I’ll use that instead. There will be English beer; Rosie Lees made with Earl Grey, and vinho verde, of course.
Brazil–France, 2pm
I’ve been waiting for a chance to make some of the food I learned to love and cook during my visit to the state of Bahia. One of the signature dishes of the region is moqueca de peixe, a fish stew with definite roots in African cuisine, flavored with palm oil and coconut milk. When made with olive oil instead of palm oil it becomes ensopado de peixe. Both styles are served with a fresh salad of lettuce, tomato, onion, green peas, and palmitos (hearts of palm) with fresh lime juice and a generous pour of olive oil. I learned to cook these dishes in the tiny seaside town of Jauá, just north of Salvador, Bahia. Márcia, co-owner of Hotel Lagoa e Mar, welcomed me to her kitchen and showed me the steps to a perfect moqueca. I will seek to find the best cachaça in town and make my awesome caipirinhas.
This time, Martine Pelegrin has promised her L’Alhambra cocktail, and I am excited. She was planning to match it to a Spain win, but, to her husband’s delight, it will be France. We will make him cook something delicious from his homeland. Most likely, we’ll have some of his homemade pâté and savory black and green tapenades, but whatever he feels like making will be just fine with me. Stay tuned for next week’s third-place match, as well as, of course, the final.
This article appears in June 30 • 2006.
