Taking a bite of the world: Featured recipes from Festival of Nations

The sights — and smells — from the Festival of Nations April 6 in the Muenster University Center ballroom featured plates that covered regions all over the globe.

Here are a few cooks and their featured recipes from the University of South Dakota event:

Haiti

Angelica Gabriel, director of Wesley Campus in Vermillion, met her husband in his native country, Haiti, and the two were married last June.

Raphaél Gabriel joined his wife April 6 at the Festival of Nations to serve rice and beans with red sauce. This traditional Haitian dish, Angelica Gabriel said, is one her husband makes at least once a week.

Raphaél Gabriel said he does not know if it is his preferred dish, but he said he especially misses the taste of roasted goat — a favorite food from Haiti.

Rice and Beans Ingredients and Directions

– 1 pkg. of package dry kidney beans

– 1 cup of uncooked long grain white rice

– green onions

– beef bullion

– garlic

– coconut milk

– oil or Raven’s apple butter

1. Place beans in a large pot with about three inches of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Drain, reserve liquid.

2. Heat a skillet with oil over medium heat. Saute garlic, other veggies until fragrant. Stir in cooked beans, cook for about two minutes. Measure reserved liquid, and add water to equal about five cups. Stir into skillet.

3. Stir in uncooked rice. Add in other ingredients until a thick, creamy consistency. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 18 to 20 minutes.

Red Sauce Ingredients and Directions

– tomato paste

– water

– onions

– garlic

– oil

– salt and pepper

– optional: green or red peppers

1. Saute onions and peppers in a pan for a minute.

2. Bring water to a boil and add remaining ingredients.

3. Stir and simmer sauce on low heat.

4. Serve it with the rice and beans.

Pakistan

Graduate student Nida Khokhar stood beside her mother, Sitwat Khokhar, as they served buttered chicken and Gulab Jamun, a milk-based desert in sugar syrup.

Both are Pakistani dishes they made for the festival, but are the same traditional foods they eat around their own family table.

Gulab Jamun Ingredients

1 cup of powdered milk

1 egg

1 tsp. of baking powder

Might need liquid milk on hand

Directions

1. Mix the powdered milk, egg and baking powder well. Add a couple of teaspoons of milk if needed to mix it.

2. Make balls from the mixture and deep fry them until a dark golden color.

3. Make thick sugar syrup and leave fried dark golden balls in it for 30 minutes.

4. Serve the dish warm.

Germany

Economic emeritus professor Benno Wymar knows good soup. For the past several years, this is what he has served at the festival for participants to try. German potato soup is his go-to traditional recipe, and he said its simplicity and taste are its selling points.

Potato Soup Ingredients:

– 1 lb. of meat (Wymar used beef sausage, but you could use bacon, ham bone, etc.)

– four large onions

– 5 lbs. of potatoes, diced

– optional: sliced vegetables like celery, carrots or cabbage

– pot of water

– vegetable oil or butter

– salt and pepper to taste

– parsley to sprinkle as garnish

Directions:

1. Cook the meat if necessary, or if using a ham bone, boil in the pot of water for an hour.

2. Make sure the meat is in chunks and add with onion, extra veggies, potatoes, salt and pepper in broth until potatoes disintegrate and veggies are cooked.

3. Let it cook for about 1 1/2 hours.

4. Scoop it into bowls and garnish with parsley.

Photo: Nida Khokhar serves Festival of Nations participants traditional meals from Pakistan April 6 in the Muenster University Center ballroom.