STREET FOOD~ PART 2

So I touched on the various street vendors over the world and I would like to discuss further on what  is going around right in your back yard. Also, I will cover my recent project called "taking food to the streets". If I have learned anything about this industry is that sometimes the best way to expand on your skill set is to go out and experieince what life has to offer. So for this particular event I created five special dishes from  Italy, Greece, Africa, Lebanon and Turkey.
I started off by creating a take off from Pizzagaina from Italy using savory Italina cold cuts ( prosciutto, mortadella, pancetta bresaola), farmers cheese. I like a thick creamy texture so I added eggs, mascarpone and goat cheese. I added fresh herbs like basil, parsely, oregano and added scallions with a thick pie crust consisting of  flour, shortening, water and salt.
My favorite quick food is  from Greece. I made Lamb Koftas which consists of mint, spicey herbs, cashews and lamb. The mixture is then rolled into small balls which are placed on skewers and grilled.
Moving onto Lebonon, my pick for a Street Food was a Lebonsese pizza. The topping has tomatoes, garlic, onions pine nuts and lamb which is layered on a light pastry dough ( filo and greek olive oil).
Nothing is more enjoyable than Africa's favorite finger food the infamous Taliapa Taco. It consists of shredded red and green cabbage, black beans, avacados and mangos. This mixture is generously stuffed into a ground meal taco shell.
As far as Turkey is concerned I really felt a Curry Chicken turnover represented a simple and delicous Street Food from that region. Some of the ingredients consisted of chicken, raisens, cardamom, coriander, onions (red, green and white), all tucked away in a homemade pastry crust.
I picked those countries because they are synonymous to open air markets where locals and tourist can go and sample some indigenous foods. These quick meals which are nicknamed "shack foods", are relatively the most common and popular foods from that region.
This was a team event and we had to choose from specific locations culminating a global street fair. Even though, there are so many other places around the globe to add to this list of "shack foods", I was able to at least contribute from regions that provided amazing cuisine!

My next blog will be on evaluating differenent methods of cooking !


Signing off for now!


Chef Sam