Ghana vs USA

The Ghanan Plate
Palava Chicken with boiled potatoes

Score

Big M

The peanut based sauce was really moreish.

little m

Another peanut dish, but this one was more complex with garlic, onion, tomato, stock, thyme and spinach. Served with boiled potatoes, or alternatively rice, ground rice or boiled yams.

Comments

The recipe came from The Taste of Africa cookbook by Rosamond Grant.

A big game tonight, since England is the only one of our teams that were not eliminated during the group stages.

We will in win in any weather. Come on, England.

Spain vs Chile

The Spanish Plate
Fish in pine nut sauce

Score

Big M

The dish ended up looking different to how I expected. It was a good creamy sauce without any cream. We used almonds instead of the pine nuts. I also used English marrow fat peas which I liked. Perhaps a little too much garlic.

little m

I liked the idea of the creamy sauce. Although you can’t see them we ate the fish with roasted vegetables to use them up. Unfortunately the roasted beetroot didn’t go.

Comments

The recipe was from a tapas book, so it might be better to serve it with a few other small dishes.

Cameroon vs Netherlands

The Cameroon Plate
Cameroon suya with rice

Score

Big M

The peanut butter kept the steak nice and tender, even though I should have used crushed peanuts instead.

little m

Big M used less spices then recommended so the dish is dominated by peanuts. Simple.

Comments

The recipe for Suya came from The Taste of Africa cookbook by Rosamond Grant. The steak is marnated in a mix of sugar, garlic, ginger, paprika, chilli powder and onions. (We left out the chilli).

Australia vs Serbia

The Australian Cup
Matilda Bay Bohemian Pilsner and Big Helga

The Australian Plate
Aussie prawns (shrimp) with orange ginger

Score

Big M
cup
plate

I usually think that prawns are a lot of effort for little reward. I still think this. However I rarely cook prawns fresh and enjoyed them. I didn’t follow the recipe at all.

little m

I’ll never eat prawns again. The one star is for the rice.

Comments

My brother sent us an empty packet of football stickers. How cheeky! Big M christened our new lushish Le Creuset frying pan.

Say g’day to Paul Hogan and where the tradition of throwing a shrimp on the barbie originated. Aussies call them prawns.

Let’s hope the socceroos disappointing run ends soon.

Uruguay vs Mexico

The Uruguay Plate
Rice Uruguayan

Score

Big M

There is no photo as it turned to mush. The flavour was good, although if you attempt the recipe cook the potato separately and then add it to the mixture at the end to heat through. Cook only until the rice is done.

little m

This dish tastes similar to mince chow mein. I’d have it again even though it didn’t look the best.

Comments

SBS is currently running The Culinary World Cup, which we think is suspiciously like our blog idea, except that they have entries from countries that aren’t even playing in the FIFA World Cup! Go figure. The kangaroo and coppers pie looks tempting to try.

Portugal vs North Korea

The Portuguese Cup
Quinta Das Setencostas Alenquer

The Portuguese Plate
Portuguese Chicken baked with potatoes and garlic

Score

Big M

A simple healthy recipe. Legs of chicken cooked with potato, onion, rosemary and garlic. Another one you might not need a recipe for.

little m

The chicken didn’t absorb much flavour, but then again I didn’t eat the skin. However it was so good and flavoursome because it was organic.  I’d like to try it with sweet potato and some other roasting vegetables.

Comments

A glass shattered and we blamed it on tiredness. A number of teams have had unexpected results. I stayed up and watched two disappointing games on the weekend, and now I’m having doubts that Australia will get through. How is your team going?

Japan vs Netherlands

The Japanese Cup
Sapporo

The Japanese Plate
Ginger Pork – Buta no Shoga Yaki with steamed rice

Score

Big M

The pork strips are  briefly marinated in soy sauce, mirin, ginger and garlic. The dish is too dry and needs a sauce. The rice is mushy (but that was my fault).

little m

The dish is tasty but needs some stir fried vegetables to make it a more complete meal.

Comments

The ginger pork recipe came from Harumi’s Japanese Home Cooking cookbook, who is very popular in her home country. She recommends you serve the dish with rice and green peas. Cook the rice in chicken stock with a tablespoon of sake and a teaspoon of light soy sauce.

USA vs Slovenia

The USA Cup
Cherry and root beer Jones Sugar Cane Soda

The USA Plate
Jambalaya with cornbread

Score

Big M

Very sweet cornbread, although still good. It was “just chicken and rice”.

little m

A fresh and clean dish. The cornbread was very moorish, but too sweet in large doses.

The root beer reminds us of sarsaparilla. The sugar cane soda comes in lots of lurid coloured varieties (and we admit we got sucked in).

Comments
We used homemade chicken stock and fresh organic tomatoes from our backyard, which made the meal a little more special. Both recipes were from the new Food Safari book, written by our favourite queen of multicultural cooking, Maeve O’Meara. The SBS television show is also called Food Safari, and we are both envious of Maeve’s day job!

Mexico vs France

The Mexico Cup
Dos Equis Ambar

The Mexico Plate
Tortilla stack

Score

Big M

cup
plate

Nice although I’d add some chilli next time to spice it up. I liked the combination of guacamole, cheese and tomatoey mince. The corn tortillas were rubbish.

The beer was a malty dark lager, but dirty.

little m

The gluten free tortillas were too dry and cracked. Tortillas may be healthier with less fat, but I prefer the tacos with flat bottoms. I didn’t miss the cheese with creamy guacamole made simply with an avocado and extra virgin olive oil.

Comments
This is a bit of tried and true recipe that we ad lib as we go. We discovered that the packet taco mixes are usually just cumin and gunk, so we stopped using them. Here’s the basic recipe. Heat some minced garlic and a diced onion and capsicum in a frying pan. Brown the mince, then add water, stock, 3 large tomatoes and one tin of rinsed kidney beans. Season to taste with parsley, salt and lots of cumin! Ainsley Harriott uses coffee in his mix – which sounds intriguing but not so good for getting to sleep later.

Switzerland vs Spain

The Swiss Plate
Zuppa di verdura della evi – Eve’s Vegetable Soup

Score

Big M

I used lamb shanks instead of veal but would like to try them next time. The combination of ingredients worked well with the lamb. I thought it might be too fatty, but it wasn’t in the end. The turnip makes any soup great as it sweetens the mix up.

little m

A fantastic filling soup. It’s a shame shanks are so trendy and expensive these day. I would like to try the soup with osso bucco.

Comments

The recipe for the soup has been adapted from the Swiss Winter in the Alps cookbook by Manuela Darling-Gansser.