I’ll be in and around Cologne later this year and would like to cook for our hosts while there. Ideally something they’re less likely to experience at home but that I can either get ingredients for in the local grocery or pack without running afoul of customs.
It wouldn’t need to be a uniquely US dish. I made fajitas from a flap steak when they visited us last, which seemed well received (although I cut way down on the capsaicin.) And next time they’re here I’d like to cook a simpler version of a Thanksgiving turkey dinner. But I prefer to use my immersion circulator for both of these and I’m not bringing that.
The meal will need to be gluten-free.
Any ideas? I suppose I could go the fajita route again (sans water bath) but it would be nice to try something different. My repertoire is not large but I have plenty of time to practice.
Beer Butt Chicken. Truly an American experience and conversation starter. Or deep fried turkey if up the butt sounds too offensive. Both are unique and delicious.
I might go with something like gumbo or another Cajun/Creole dish like jambalaya. They’re distinctly American, and are good. And relatively easy. Okra or file powder are the only things that would possibly be difficult to source, I think. The rest is everyday produce, staples and spices, like bell peppers, thyme, rice, shrimp, flour, chicken, smoked sausage, etc…
I wounder how easy it is to find andouille in Germany, although given the German’s love of sausage it probably wouldn’t be hard to find a reasonable substitute. I like the Cajun/Creole idea, though.
My first thought was barbecue, like smoked pork ribs or something, but I’m not sure if they’d have the equipment required for smoking.
Something Mediterranean: Moussaka. Souvlakis. Kebabs. Goat or lamb stew seasoned with a North African spice blend. Giant lamb dumplings served in deep bowls with lots of spicy broth.
If I were going American, I’d make Cincinnati chili with a selection of toppings. Let the diners decide which way they want it (cheese, beans, pasta, crackers).
Given andouille is a French, as well as Cajun, sausage, it should be easy to find something similar in German. Mediterranean dishes will be well-known to many Germans, given the large Turkish and Greek populations, and given many Germans vacation on the Mediterranean, including North Africa. Tex-Mex, or some chili, as Terenti suggests, would be different
I would do something Creole as well. Don’t worry about okra/filé. I almost never use either in the New Orleans cooking I do. It’s not hard to avoid if you don’t have it. As for andouille, just substitute any decent smoked sausage. It’s not exactly the same, but it works. I just use a peppery and garlicky smoked Polish sausage from the Polish deli.
Every recipe that I’ve run across says you can substitute German or Polish style smoked sausage (kielbasa) for the andouille. As best I can tell, bockwurst might work as well.
I should think you would be able to buy fresh Okra in German supermarkets. It will be a bit pricey for a fairly small pack if it’s anything like the UK - here, I can get it, but it costs the equivalent of about $3 for a small pack containing maybe a dozen okra pods
Here. This recipe for chicken piquant from Donald Link’s Real Cajun is always a crowd-pleaser and should be easy to make with available ingredients*:
It’s a pretty simple, straightforward recipe, doesn’t have ingredients some people may not like (like okra), and it’s one of the recipes I’ve been asked for by guests after serving it to them.
Oh, and serve with a Louisiana-style hot sauce like Tabasco, Crystal, Louisiana. etc.
For the poblano, you can sub a regular green pepper. Donald Link in his recipes like to use poblano instead of or in addition to green bell peppers–it’s one of his refinements. Typically, only green bell pepper is used.
Actual Texas chili is another option, and probably more in the vein of American chili than Cincinnati chili. All you’d need would be the seasonings (chili powder mostly), and you can order that here and take it with you.
May I suggest my dentist’s recipe? It’s not hot unless you add the “hot stuff”.
What pulykamell and Maserschmit said about any spicy sausage sub working.
For thickening, no need for okra or file powder, just make a nice brown roux out of equal parts butter and flour.
The ironic thing is, Cajun / Creole cooking is a hybrid of European cooking techniques (the roux, for example) and American innovations with local ingredients. So if you choose to do something Cajun / Creole, you’d be sort of making a hybrid of a hybrid, and coming full circle.
Deep dish pizza? I know it’s a Chicago thing, but it’s also something most Europeans have never seen, tasted or even heard of. And you can get all the stuff locally.
In a bowl combine shrimp, chicken and Creole seasoning, and work in seasoning well. In a large saucepan heat oil over high heat with onion, pepper and celery, 3 minutes. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaves, Worcestershire and hot sauces. Stir in rice and slowly add broth. Reduce heat to medium and cook until rice absorbs liquid and becomes tender, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. When rice is just tender add shrimp and chicken mixture and sausage. Cook until meat is done, about 10 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning.
Like the saying or whatever about how all Cajun recipes start: First, you make a roux!
But like I said, very few Cajun/Creole recipes I make involve okra or filé. I would guess maybe 95% of the recipes in the several regional cookbooks I have use it. Onions, peppers, celery (the so-called “Cajun trinity”), along with roux, to me is the foundation of those styles.
This recipe is delicious and the name is a conversation starter. Man-Pleasing Chicken | Witty in the City It’s good served with a long grain and wild rice blend. Then, just add a salad or a green vegetable. The maple syrup and wild rice give it an American influence. I’m hoping it’s permissible to travel with maple syrup packed in your checked luggage.