Savoury Fare From My Journeys

Cabbage rolls, Krakow, PL

My Travel Foods

While I could list a lot of foods that I've tried, tasted, conversed over, conversed about, and travelled specifically for, in some cases, I'll only list a few highlights. When I backpacked, I always carried mustard for sandwiches, aluminum foil for cooking potatoes, s&p, and sometimes chili flakes for pastas.



Dutch Chicken Sandwich (eaten at a cafe in West Zaan)

2 slices-freshly sliced bread
1 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast slivered
2 slices of Gouda cheese
5/6 slices of cucumber
3 slices of tomato
lettuce
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Tbsp honey Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

Serve on freshly baked bread. Layer the cheese, then the chicken(can also serve hot), lathering the chicken with honey Dijon mustard, the sliced hard boiled eggs, tomato slices and lettuce. Enjoy.

Can also use a light Havarti cheese in place of Gouda, ranch dressing in place of honey Dijon mustard, or toast the bread.

Hungarian Goulash

5 tablespoons butter (or margarine if you prefer)
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped coarsely
1 medium size green pepper, seeded and diced
3 pounds lean beef, cut into 2" pieces
3 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons Hungarian sweet paprika (regular paprika will do as well)
1/3 cup dry red wine
1 cup water
1 pound egg noodles
4 tablespoons sour cream


Melt the butter or margarine in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, tomato and green pepper. Saute a few minutes, until onions are soft. Add the beef, beef stock, flour, paprika and red wine. Simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the water, cover and simmer for 90 minutes.

When the goulash is almost ready, cook the egg noodles in a large pan of boiling water. Drain well.

Serve the goulash on a bed of noodles, topped with a dollop of sour cream.

Serve with freshly baked bread.


4 Cheese Wild Mushroom Lasagna

Lasagna noodles
2 650 mL jars of spaghetti sauce
2 cups each of Mozzarella, Medium Cheddar, Monterrey,
2 Tbsp Parmigiana cheese
4 large Shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 large Portobello Mushrooms, sliced
Parsley

Place a small palm full of each of the cheeses in a separate bowl. In an 8X10 casserole dish layer 3-4 lasagna noodles. Add a half a jar of spaghetti sauce evenly over the noodles followed by sliced Portobello mushrooms, and Medium cheddar cheese. Add another layer of noodles, another half of a jar of sauce, shiitake mushrooms, and mozzarella cheese. Add another layer of noodles, half a jar of spaghetti sauce, and Monterrey Jack cheese. Add the final layer of noodles, and the remaining half jar of sauce, sprinkle with parmigiana cheese and add two or three slices of portobello and shiitake mushrooms.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and place casserole dish on middle rack for 50 minutes. After 50 minutes, add the bowl of mixed cheeses to the top until melted and a pinch of parsley. Let stand 5 minutes and serve.

Serves approximately 8 people as a main course.

Suggestions: can also add cooked chicken breast or beef to the bottom layer and moving the portobello mushrooms to the layer with Monterrey Jack cheese.
Serve with dry red wine and a fresh Caesar or garden salad.


I got plenty of ideas from all over Europe and Central American for foods to cook when I got back, but I don't think it would do any justice. Baklava in Croatia, or a casado in Costa Rica or Mexico, or a traditional lamb dinner in Turkey, would not be justified in my kitchen. Belgian Waffles, perogies, cabbage rolls, or wiener schnitzel made the short list of foods I may try to cook down the line; and a simple pasta dinner, stir fries, chili, and camping foods will remain the staple of my diet while backpacking around the globe, eating from deli's and Mercado's are a great way to scrimp.