Daria Kharchenko: Sushi

Djamel Keret: What's Cooking?

I believe very strongly that cooking is a cure for stress, and it has been scientifically proven. When I am stressed or worried, I cook, and it helps me to think of something else, and feeling better, especially during quarantine.

Personally, I'm not a great cook, but according to my friends, I do very well in cooking.

Today, I would like to talk about two dishes that I really like. The first is “the crêpes” (known worldwide), the second dish is called “El Mhajeb” (in Algerian Arabic).

Crêpes 
Let's start with the first recipe. Crêpes as a form of fast food, it is a type of very thin pancake of French origin, but we cook them all over the world.
I chosed crêpes, because it is a very easy dish to make, even if we know nothing in cooking, we can prepare it easily and quickly.
Indeed, to prepare a delicious crêpes, we just need to put, about 250 grams of flour, in a small container, then add three eggs, and mix everything with milk. Then we have to add melted butter, and salt. After that, we mix everything with a whisk, if the dough is too thick, it means we must add more milk. Because to prepare crêpes, we need a liquid dough.
What to do next? After obtaining a liquid dough, heat a large pan, and put inside a little bit of butter, then take a small quantity of the prepared dough and pour it into the pan. A few seconds later, a crêpe will take form.
I prefer to eat crêpes hot, when I was young, I took the crêpes directly from the pan, and suddenly!. My mother laughed everytime I do that. The good thing about crêpes, is that you can eat them, as they are, and you can also eat them sweet or savory. I like them sweet. I add chocolate and strawberries and I eat them (as shown in the pictures attached).
Common fillings include Nutella spread, it depend on you actually, you can add fruits or cheese...etc. Common savory fillings for crêpes served for lunch or dinner are cheese, and eggs, ratatouille, mushrooms, artichoke (in certain regions), and various meat products.
Another interesting thing about crêpes, is that they can also be eaten at any time, during breakfast, or lunch or dinner. When sweet, they can be eaten as part of breakfast or as a dessert.

El Mhadjeb
Let’s move to the second dish, I would like to talk about El Mhadjeb, wich is a traditional dish from Algeria. El Mhadjeb are similar to crepes in someways.
El Mhadjeb means "covered" or "veiled" in Algerian Arabic, I don't know why this name, but perhaps because there are vegetables inside, which are covered.
El Mhadjeb look like pancakes but they are square. In Algeria, it is a very well-known dish (even in Morocco, Tunisia). It is almost a symbol of Algerian gastronomy, loved by everyone, there is no one who does like them.
In Algeria, this dish is both a traditional and fast food dish, that can be eaten quickly like a pizza. They are made from a dough that is prepared with a mixture of semolina and flour. After preparing the dough (similar to the bread dough) we cut it into small balls, that we will open to put the stuffing (onions + fresh tomato sauce). we can add, if suitable, eggs and cheese
Then, we need to fold the dough with the stuffing in it, as an envelope, and leave it leather on a flat pan on medium heat, on both sides.
El Mhadjeb are very delicious, and as for crêpes, it is better to eat them hot.
Their preparation is a little difficult, because you have to open the ball of dough, as if you are going to make a pizza, then you have to put the stuffing in the middle, and finally, cover the stuffing with the dough forming a square.
When I started cooking El Mhajeb, they had strange shapes, really horrible, and it was funny, but now I succeeded in their cooking.

The dishes across the world, are very different and very varied, and it is good to try as many dishes as possible, even if we will not like them all.

Bon appétit!

Elena Apkhadze: Georgia

​At first I’d like to represent one of the most ancient countries all over the world - Georgia. It is more than 30 centuries old, but for 26 centuries there lived a Jewish diaspora. The historical path full of heroism…  Georgia is mentioned in ancient annals & in the 12th century (under the Queen Tamar) it reached the heights in many spheres (economic, literature, poem & so on). The 12th century middle age had been the heyday for this country. As we know, one of the greatest poems Shota Rustaveli (12th century) where he colorfully & figuratively describes that period in the “The Knight in tiger skin”...
By the way, the words “wine” & “vine” have Georgian roots, because the subtropical climate contributes to this. Georgian with its own of the letters language does not show nobody all the world. We know all the twelve. 
Since ancient times it is famous for its hospitality. Georgia is the country of grapes & churchkhela (stringed with walnuts & wine). Also we know that in west Georgia just growing light varieties, but in the east, dark.
Really, the most national baked goods are Khachapuri - with special cheese & egg. Such a delicious thing that “fingers lick”. Also in Georgia very popular Khinkali; red bean in pot; eggplant with walnuts; trout; broiled salmon; fried potato with mushrooms; sturgeon fish kebab; chicken kebab; and many others. 
The same with a lot of sweets, starting with great art made cakes & pastries. 
Very welcome to Georgia!

Estalin Gomez: Homemade Soup!!

Esther Ravilla: What's Cooking?

When I want to eat something delicious, I make my special soup.
I put some water inside the container onto the stove, then I add vegetables like onion, garlic, culantro, spices, potato, and pork sausage. When vegetables are inside hot water, I put some noodles but not too much. I add lemon juice after fifteen minutes when all the vegetables and noodles are cooked. That’s my favorite food made by me!!

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I like many different kinds of food, but I don’t really like to cook. I really admire the people who cook because they take the time to prepare everything and the effort that they do to prepare food. For me, it is not easy, and I don’t have experience cooking, but when I need to cook I try to do my best. Also, I'm not cooking because my sister usually cooks for everyone, but she doesn't like to make the hot sauce. I usually prepared the hot sauce. I think I am so lucky because I have my sister with me, and she is the one who cooks for everyone.

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Jhordin Mejía: Dominican Oxtail (Rabo de Vaca Guisado)

Hey everyone, my name is Jhordin, and I’ll be letting you know about Rabo de Vaca Guisado, which it is also well known as; Stewed Oxtail. Oxtail Stew or Rabo Guisado is a popular Caribbean dish, that is super delicious. This and others culinary traditions were brought from various countries to the Caribbean region by immigrants. Following this, a unique and diverse style was created in the region. In addition, the population has created styles that are unique to the region.

Oxtail is a highly international demanding dish according to searches /reviews; I could find in different sources on the internet. I will tell you; “do not make the mistake to start cooking this dish when you are already hungry”, because this dish implies time and patience; if a pressure cooker is not used, this is not one of those dishes that you would want to rush; in fact, to be patient, is highly rewarded because “good things take time” and  when it comes to this dish, you will end up with  a really juicy, exquisite fall-off-the-bone meat that is absolutely  to die for; plus all you really will need to do, is to find your favorite side dish to eat it and voila!          Enjoy yourself!

For the rookie cooks, I will say:” don’t feel intimidated of making this dish I know oxtail could be a little challenging, but if you take your time, and again, have patient; this might be the cornerstone to make it easier to cook this dish. you will also be highly rewarded, so you will not regret all of your efforts towards this meal.
The main characteristic of this culinary technique (Stew) is to cook a food in a closed environment in order to avoid the loss of liquids by evaporation. This technique causes the vaporous medium to reflux in such a way that the flavors are transmitted by diffusing it.

Look, what food does mean to me? It means more than materials consumed to provide nutritional support to the body, for us, Dominicans, cooking is a lifestyle and many people feel identified by our food: Thus, I must say that foods is also a cultural stereotype.

Rabo de Vaca Guisado: Recipe

​Ingredients:
3 lbs. Oxtails
1 tbs Tomato Paste
1 Lime
1sp salt
1 tsp Adobo
1 tbs Sazón
2 tsp Olive Oil
1 Onion minced and Sliced
½ Cubanelle Pepper minced and sliced
3 Garlic Cloves pounded
½ Cilantro minced (or more, to taste)
1 ½ tsp Chicken Bouillon Cube (Sopita)
1 tsp Dominican Oregano
½ tsp Black Pepper (or more, to taste)
3 tsp oil (olive, corns, vegetables)
1 Potato Diced (optional)
½ Carrot Diced (optional)

Step by step preparation:
1. Season the tail with oregano, a pinch of pepper, lemon juice and a teaspoon of salt.

2. Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat.

3. Add the tail and brown.

4. Add enough water to cover it and cover the pot.

5. Cook the meat until it is soft, adding water when necessary.

6. When the meat is tender add the carrot, chickpeas, olives, onion, chili peppers, thyme, tomato sauce, tomatoes, celery, garlic and habanero.

7. Cook until vegetables are cooked. Add the parsley.
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8. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Joyce (Dandan) Cai: Cooking with Family

Juan Carlos Rodriguez: Food Story

Spending time with my family, I have realized, is one of the most important things. The people I grew up with, share their stories when we eat. Now that I have my own family, I miss those days. We gather around the table waiting for my mother and father to finish cooking the dishes of the meal. Some might include fish, meat, vegetables. My favorite is anything with okra. Lucky for me, my mother never forgets. They say the sense of smell is attached to memory. I think it is very true. Every time I smell okra dishes nowadays it reminds me of my mother. 
​Whenever I travel back to my mother’s home, I get to eat her gourmet dishes. However, there’s a change, my daughter. Surprisingly, she also loves okra, which not a lot of people do due to its slimy texture. As a result, I decided to learn the recipe from my mother. The learning process was so fun as it was a time for me to share  with her. After, I went back home since my daughter is going to start school. Every so often, I would cook the dishes when I miss my mother and add twists to it to surprise her next time.

I remember a trip that I made to MIami in 2019. I met a couple of people from Spain. In one of those days they prepared a delicious dish for us called “Paella”. That dish is amazing. I remember that we ate it all.
I could never forget that moment. They mixed ingredients like clams, mussels, calamaries, rice and other spices that I do not remember. I haven’t eaten Paella like that again.

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Marcela Sosa: Food Story

​Misoi Mon: New Year Food

I don’t have favorite dishes, but I like all kinds of food. Usually, I enjoy the food with vegetables. Today at lunch time, I cooked meat, rice and vegetables. I prepared sirloin steak with onion and red pepper, zucchini in slices with tomato, onions and orange pepper and basmati rice with olive oil. I don’t like to cook but I have responsibility. Mostly, I eat at home because my family considers the best food is at home. Sometime we eat outside when the weather is nice.

​My name is Misoi. I am from Myanmar. I want to introduce my new year's food. My new year month is in April at that time the tree leaves fall down on the street, usually there is not enough water. My new year food is rice and dry shrimp with mango. In the cooked rice we add cold water when we eat that. I think that this food helps to clean us from the past stress or unlucky things. After we eat food which is good work for all times and the whole year.

Ruben Aviles: A Story About An Interesting Food

​Last week, I was searching to eat something new and amazing, a food that I never had tasted before, and then I found a recipe about something called “Ratatouille.” It is a famous plate in Italy and very interesting because it only has vegetables. I was seeing this plate in movies or magazines but never thought about cooking something like that. If you wish to make this plate you only need vegetables like tomato, peppers, onions, and herbs. You can combine this plate with anything that you desire, For example meat, bread, pasta, rice. I ate this plate with rice. It was wonderful because I am crazy about rice but I would like to taste it with spaghetti or a great piece of meat. I really liked its flavor because it is like a stew and little fryed. Well this is my experience with “Ratatouille.”

Sami Mohsson: My Favorite Food

Sebastian Gonzalez: Food Story

​There are a lot of different kinds of foods all over this world. Food is any nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.
I like to try new types of foods from different countries. I have eaten a lot of different dishes from different places since I came to the United States. My favorite food is seafood. I like seafood because it is healthy, may reduce risk of autoimmune diseases, protects your vision in old age, and it is delicious and easy to prepare. 

​Well, in the first place the kitchen and me aren't the best friends, I know that this could sound a little lazy, but I am trying my best. However, living in New York City I have learned to appreciate a large number of dishes from different countries. Now I can say that I have a little taste of different nationalities in me, finally this is one of the best things that I enjoy about living here learning something new from everyone around us.

Valentina Pineda: My Food Story

Yunhong Yu: Learning to Cook

​I can say that the best food I have ever tasted is whatever my family cooks. Family food is always something that makes you feel comfortable, happy, safe, loved and every good thing you can imagine because for me it is like home in the palate. 
I never like to cook something or prepare just for me. I hate to eat or cook alone. If it is just for me, I’m going to order or buy something. But if somebody I love asks me to cook, I’ll probably do it.
The food unites people, that’s what I learned and makes me happy. 

​Anytime I come home the first thing I think is what food is for tonight? I don’t like to cook. I like to eat delicious food. Actually, I’m so lazy. That is why I always keep on fixating on this. So recently I’ve begun to study cooks. There’s a restaurant around my home where I love to eat a kind of pasta. It is very delicious. When I tried it the first time, I boiled it and it was no good. And cooked sauces but didn’t like that. I tried to add some meat into it. But you know at the end I’ve done it successfully. I’m so happy. Since this time, I’ve begun to cook everything, whatever I want to try. This is my secret. Now I can cook the meal for myself.

Zhao Yan (Inna Zhavaeva): My First Thanksgiving in New York

Hello everyone, my name is Zhao Yan and I am from Taiwan.
I want to share with you my poem about my very first Thanksgiving in New york.
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​I’m thankful for bread that I have for today,
I’m thankful for kids who laugh everyday,
I’m thankful to know a lot of new folk,
I’m thankful to be a part of New York.