International Recipes Celebrate UN Day

Oct. 19, 2011 - PRLog -- UN Day was started 63 years ago this Monday to highlight the goals and achievements of the United Nations. Part of those goals includes encouraging education of foreign cultures and fostering communication between member states, and one of the best ways to experience a culture is through its cuisine, so Red Rock Press would like to offer two dishes from afar in the hopes of encouraging readers to try something out of the ordinary to expand their horizons.

In 1947, only two years after the UN came into being, the organization announced that October 24th, which marked the anniversary of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, “shall be devoted to making known to the peoples of the world the aims and achievements of the United Nations and to gaining their support.” Today, to further that goal, we celebrate the first and the latest Secretaries-General with recipes common to each of their home countries.

Norwegian Trygve Lie was the first to lead the organization as Secretary-General, from 1946 to 1952, so we’re including a recipe for Cucumber-Dill Salad, a dish common to the northern European countries. To honor South Korean Ban Ki-moon, who has been the incumbent Secretary-General since 2007, we’re including a recipe for Puffed Rice Cookies. Both recipes come from James Beard cookbook award winner Judith Choate’s “A Reader’s Cookbook,” which features cuisines from 17+ regions around the world. You can check it out at http://www.RedRockPress.com/delicious.html#readersCookbook.

To take another culinary whirlwind tour around the world, check out “Around the World in Eighty Meals” by Nan Lyons. It follows the route of the famous Jules Verne character Phileas Fogg from “Around the World in Eighty Days.” You can learn more about it at http://www.RedRockPress.com/delicious.html#aroundTheWorld

--

Cucumber-Dill Salad
Serves 6 to 8

3 hothouse cucumbers
½ cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt to taste
Dash hot pepper sauce
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Wash the cucumbers well and pat dry. Using a kitchen fork, drag the fork tines down the entire outside of each cucumber, leaving indented lines. Cut the cucumbers crosswise into thin slices and place the slices in a bowl. Combine the vinegar, oil, sugar, salt and hot pepper sauce, whisking until the sugar and salt dissolve. Pour the dressing over the cucumbers. Add the dill and toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

--

Puffed Rice Cookies
Makes about 2 dozen

1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon water
1 cup puffed rice cereal
½ cup toasted sesame seeds
2 tablespoons pine nuts
2 tablespoons currants

Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Lightly coat the parchment paper with sesame oil. Set aside. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and water in a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the mixture has caramelized. Stir in the puffed rice, sesame seeds, pine nuts and currants, stirring to combine well. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, spreading it out in an even layer with a rubber spatula. Work quickly, as it hardens very fast. Using a small, sharp knife, cut the hardened mixture into bars about 4 inches long and 1 inch wide. Store airtight for up to one week.

--

For any inquiries, please contact Red Rock Press through the info below.

--

Daniel Kleinman
Red Rock Press
Daniel@RedRockPress.com
212-362-8304