Fr Alex Eurovision Menu 2024

Fr Alex's Eurovision Menu

Are you planning on watching the Eurovision Song contest on Saturday 11th May?

Fr Alex has prepared a wonderful international Eurovision Menu to go along with it.

Prepare a range of international food and adult drink to accompany the show.

We're giving it "douze points" already!


Some food & drink ideas if you are either hosting or going to a Eurovision party.

Zapiekanki (Poland) 

Enjoy these Polish pizzas, with a mushroom base instead of tomato sauce.

Ingredients

  • 2 part-baked baguettes (150g each)
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, 1/2 finely chopped, 1/2 thinly sliced
  • 300g mushrooms, cut into small pieces
  • 1 small garlic clove, chopped
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 50g grated cheddar
  • 75g ham or smoked pork loin, chopped
  • 75g Polish kabanos, sliced, or pepperoni
  • 50g grated mozzarella

To serve

  • 2 dill pickles, finely sliced (optional)
  • 1 tbsp chives, sliced
  • ketchup

METHOD

  • STEP 1

Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Bake the baguettes on a baking tray for 8-10 mins, then leave to cool.

  • STEP 2

Heat 2 tsp of the butter and 1 tsp of the oil in a pan over a low heat and cook the chopped onion for 5 mins until soft. Stir in the mushrooms, turn the heat to medium and cook for 5-10 mins more until the veg is soft and the mushroom liquid has evaporated. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1-2 mins until soft. Season, then stir in the mayonnaise and remove from the heat.

  • STEP 3

Halve the baguettes lengthways, then return to the baking tray, cut-side up and spread over the mushroom mixture, then sprinkle over the cheddar, ham, kabanos and mozzarella. Bake for 8-10 mins, or until the cheese has melted and turned golden.

  • STEP 4

Meanwhile, heat the remaining butter and oil in a pan over a medium heat and fry the sliced onions for 5 mins until golden and soft. Remove from the heat and set aside. Once the pizzas are cooked, top with the caramelised onions, dill pickles (if using), the chives and a zig-zag drizzle of ketchup.

You can use Fair Trade products for ingredients highlighted in green 

(from Fairtrade shops e.g. Hadeel or One World Shop)

Brown Butter Boxty Blinis 

(Sweden)

Transform Boxty (Irish pancakes) into Blinis topped with smoked trout. Ireland meets Eastern Europe by way of Scandinavia – a perfect mash-up for Eurovision!

Ingredients

  • 1 medium baking potato (about 300g)
  • 50g butter, plus 2 tbsp
  • 1 small, starchy potato (about 75g), such as King Edward, coarsely grated
  • 75g plain flour
  • ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • ¼ tsp ground white pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 100ml buttermilk or whole milk
  • handful of parsley, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp finely sliced chives, plus extra to serve
  • 2 tsp rapeseed oil
  • 150g soured cream
  • 100g smoked trout
  • dill fronds, to serve (optional)

Method

  • STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Wrap the baking potato tightly in foil and bake for 1 hr 15 mins, or for 40-50 mins at 160C in an air-fryer until tender when pierced with a knife (or microwave, without foil, for 8-10 mins). Leave to cool slightly, then halve and scoop the flesh out into a large bowl. Mash slightly.  

  • STEP 2

Melt the 50g butter in a small frying pan over a low heat and continue to cook until it has browned and smells nutty. Leave to cool.

  • STEP 3

Put the coarsely grated potato in a clean tea towel and squeeze out the excess liquid. Mix the grated potato into the mash, then sift in the flour, bicarb, 1/4 tsp salt and the white pepper. Stir to combine, then stir in the browned butter, egg and buttermilk to make a batter. Mix in the parsley and chives.

  • STEP 4

Heat the 2 tbsp butter and rapeseed oil in a frying pan over a medium heat until foaming. Reduce the heat to medium-low and spoon in tablespoons of the Boxty mixture, frying for 3 mins on each side until just turned pale golden (you’ll need to do this in batches). Remove to a plate and cool.

  • STEP 5

Top each with the soured cream and large flakes of smoked trout, then garnish with the dill fronds and a pinch of sliced chives.

German Apple Cake

(Germany) 

Use your favourite eating apples to bake this traditional German Apple Cake. Enjoy it with afternoon tea or take to a Eurovision Party!                             

Ingredients

Method

  • STEP 1

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 23cm springform cake tin and dust with flour. Beat the softened butter with 115g of the sugar and a pinch of salt for 3-5 mins until pale and creamy. Add the vanilla extract, lemon zest and juice and mix until combined.

  • STEP 2

Separate the eggs, putting the egg whites in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric hand mixer to beat the whites with the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form. Mix the egg yolks into the butter and sugar mixture.

  • STEP 3

Mix the flour with the baking powder and cornflour, then tip into the butter, sugar and yolk mixture. Mix to combine, then stir in the milk followed by a spoonful of the egg whites. Once that is fully incorporated, gently fold the remaining egg whites into the batter.

  • STEP 4

Spoon the batter into the springform pan. Press the apples into the batter cut side down and bake for 45-50 mins until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for a while, then transfer to a cooling rack. Dust with icing sugar. Will keep in an airtight container for up to three days.

Asparagus wraps with lemon mayo (Italy) 

A quick and classic spring canapé of tender green stems wrapped in Parma ham with a light citrus dip.  

Ingredients

Method

Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, tip in the asparagus and cook for 2 mins until just tender.

Drain well.

Quarter each slice of ham, into 4 shorter strips, then wrap one around the middle of each asparagus spear. Mix the mayo with the lemon zest and juice and a little pepper and put in a small bowl.

Serve with the asparagus, warm or cold, for dipping.

Rhubarb and Custard cocktail (UK) 

An elegant vodka-based drink that'll wow your guests - it's made with creamy advocaat liqueur and homemade fruit syrup.

Ingredients

For the rhubarb syrup


For the cocktail

Method

  • STEP 1

To make the rhubarb syrup, put the caster sugar in a saucepan with 75ml water. Heat very gently, so the sugar disappears but the water doesn’t bubble. Tip in the chopped rhubarb, cover with a tight-fitting lid and increase the heat a little so it begins to boil. Simmer, covered, for about 5 mins until the rhubarb is very tender but not disintegrating.

  • STEP 2

Turn off the heat, and tip the pan’s contents into a fine sieve over a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to gently squeeze the rhubarb so that you get all the juices, but no pulp. Tip back into the pan and boil rapidly for a few mins until just syrupy. Pour into a jug – you should have about 125ml. Leave to cool completely. Any leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.

  • STEP 3

Chill 4 cocktail glasses with ice or in your freezer. Shake the vodka and 100ml of the rhubarb syrup together with ice until mixed and chilled down. Make small shreds of rhubarb using a vegetable peeler and place into iced water – this will make them curl up.

  • STEP 4

In a separate jug, whisk together the advocaat and lemonade with more ice to lighten. Divide the vodka and rhubarb mixture between the glasses, straining through a small sieve to catch the ice.

  • STEP 5

Carefully pour 25ml of your advocaat mixture into each glass over an upside-down spoon (the mixture should float on the surface of the vodka syrup mixture). Drain the rhubarb shreds well and use to garnish your cocktails.

Courgette Martini (Greece) 

How to taste a courgette (shaken not stirred) while listening to Europe's finest music coming out of Malmo.

What's not to like??

Ingredients

Method

  • STEP 1

Mix the courgette with the lemon juice and sugar and leave to steep for 1 hr. In the meantime, place a Martini glass in the fridge to chill.

  • STEP 2

Strain the courgette mixture through a sieve into a jug. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice then add 25ml of the courgette syrup followed by the vermouth and gin. Stir gently a few times then strain into your chilled glass. Garnish with a mint leaf and serve.


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