World Cup Roundup

Sixty6 Magazine Editor in Chief, Mal Robinson looks back at the World Cup in Brazil here

http://sixty6magazine.co.uk/index.php/blog/41-world-cup-roundup

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The World Cup Final Cook Off Blog Special Germany v Argentina

Time flies when your having fun and this summer's International feast of football comes to an end today with the World Cup Final between Germany and Argentina.

With this in mind then today's final cook off blog has an extra special element taken straight from the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook - the alternative hypothetical football recipes.

For those not in the know, the cook off blogs take a look at the game of the day in the World Cup and analysed through the eyes of the culinary world and we see how the two countries would look on the pitch, if the game was played in the style of the national dishes. Today that means it is Germany's Currywurst against Argentina's Asado.

Both recipes and one from each of the 32 nations involved in the summer's tournament feature inside The Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook, produced by Sixty6 Magazine's Editor in Chief, Mal Robinson. The cookbook is digital only and available in a number of formats including PDF and Kindle editions. Links to purchase the publication can be found below.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sixty6-Unofficial-World-Cup-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00LEZRIEQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405165385&sr=1-1&keywords=sixty6+unofficial+world+cup+cookbook

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448943

PDF direct from the site: http://www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk/apps/webstore/products/show/4984730 

COOK OFF NO.10 CURRYWURST V ASADO

The Line Ups - Germany

A favourite street food for the Germans and popular with many Brits, Currywurst is simple yet so effective, many would argue just like the German side this World Cup. Perhaps the only side to play as a team effectively throughout the tournament. Currywurst is Bratwurst sausage sliced up and covered with curry and ketchup sauce, a sprinkling of curry powder to finish on top and served with a crusty bun. Best accompanied by frites mit mayo (chips and mayonnaise to you and I) and a large stein of German beer.

The Line Ups - Argentina

Another cultural favourite this time of the Argentinian population, Asado is more of an occasion than one single dish, so then quite apt it appears in the World Cup final cook off - an occasion in itself! An article featured in the Boston Globe stated: "Asado is more than a meal. When several generations of large families or groups of friends get together, greeting one another with hearty embraces and multiple kisses, the meat may be the centerpiece of the meal, but the camaraderie is the most important event. Mendoza resident Betiana Antonietti says, "Asado not only refers to the beef . . . it is also the company." The Argentinian camaraderie was evident in the semi final against Holland, Messrs Messi and Mascherano the main instigators.

The World Cup Final Cook Off

The crowd are drooling at the prospect of the battle of the tasty meat feast, as the Germans pit their wits against the rearguard of Argentinian carvery such as Chorizo and Morcilla - a blood sausage no less. It has to be said there is more sausage on display than the Chippendales appearing in a Wall's meat production line, refereed by former sausage factory worker himself, Chris Waddle.
The links of sausages form a stand off, with Germany adding the fries and mayo to their attacking ranks, the South Americans roll out the big guns of organ meats and large cuts of steak and brisket beef, topped off by a selection of pickles such as olives, salami and cheeses, it is simply too much for the Germans.

Verdict: Germany 1 Argentina 3

Headlines: "Argentina turn up the heat on the meat"

Alternative Football Recipes (taken from the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook written before the start of the tournament)

Germany 

Thomas Muller Rice Pudding

Ingredients 

500 grams of pudding rice

Cream

Sugar

1 x lanky German versatility

With only two nominated strikers in Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, Bayern Munich’s Thomas Muller will be expected to help out in the goal department and judging on his last outing in the 2010 World Cup, this should present no significant problem to the towering midfielder.

We always say the Germans are not as strong as previous squads they have enjoyed, yet always seem to pull it out of the bag and coast through to the latter stages.

Argentina 

Eton Messi

Ingredients

2 x Meringue bases

10 ounces of pouring cream

4 tablespoons of custard

1 x small Argentinian greatest player elect

Now is the time for the sensational Lionel Messi to perform on the World stage. Having blown away everything in front of him for Barcelona in recent memory, Messi will be hoping to put on a show not far from his native homeland.

Will it all go messy or Messi? I would bank on the latter.

All recipes can be found in the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook with a foreword from ex-England International and "Come Dine With Me" winner - Carlton Palmer. Also features illustrations from Andrew Booth.

 

Cook Off Brazil v Holland

Well it is time for arguably the most pointless match in football, the 3rd/4th place play off in the World Cup finals, a battle for the bronze medal if you like, a strange concept, like an International version of the Simod or Zenith Data Systems Cup - remember them?

Anyhow, I digress. It is Brazil versus Holland in the cook off blog series, where we take a look at how the two nations would do battle, if the game of football was played through the eyes of the humble national dish. That means it Feijoada of Brazil against Hutspot of Holland.

Both recipes and one from each of the 32 nations involved in the summer's tournament feature inside The Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook, produced by Sixty6 Magazine's Editor in Chief, Mal Robinson. The cookbook is digital only and available in a number of formats including PDF and Kindle editions. Links to purchase the publication can be found below.

Amazon Kindle: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sixty6-Unofficial-World-Cup-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00LEZRIEQ/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1405165385&sr=1-1&keywords=sixty6+unofficial+world+cup+cookbook

Smashwords: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448943

PDF direct from the site: http://www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk/apps/webstore/products/show/4984730

COOK OFF NO.10 FEIJOADA V HUTSPOT

THE LINE UPS - BRAZIL

Feijoada sounds like a bar snack you would expect to find in the bar from Star Wars, you know the one with Han Solo and Greedo (aptly named for a cook off blog) and the vast array of dodgy characters. However, it is a very respectable bean stew, complete with trimmings of pork, ham shank and smoked sausage.

THE LINE UPS - HOLLAND

Hutspot is a dish consisting of carrots, turnip and potatoes all mashed together and usually served with other such Dutch delights like meatballs. It is very much a Dutch dish though - random and orange, but will that be in enough in the cook off?

THE COOK OFF

The Dutch implement a triangle formation before kick off,  the potatoes sitting in the hole behind the carrots on the left and the turnip on the right flanks in a bid to nullify the threat of the Brazilian's assortment of ingredients from the tasty bean stew.
The formation does not work though, the combination of the meats, bay leaves and garlic from the South Americans, simply out tasting the mundane veggie mash up. Some pride is regained then for the home nation.

Verdict: Brazil 2 Holland 0

Headlines: "Hotspot for Hutspot as Brazilians get bean"

Recipes taken from The Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook complete with a foreword from Carlton Palmer and illustrations by Andrew Booth.

 

Cook Off Argentina v Holland

The second semi final of the 2014 World Cup arrives in the form of Argentina versus Holland today and surely it can not be as exciting as Germany's 7-1 thrashing of Brazil last night?

The Germans also won the cook off blog yesterday, where we look at how the two teams competing would face up if it were a battle of national culinary dishes on the football pitch instead of tactics and formations.

Today then in culinary terms it is the Asado against the Hutspot.

All dishes featured in the blogs can be found in The Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook available on Amazon for Kindle at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sixty6-Unofficial-World-Cup-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00LEZRIEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404910820&sr=8-1&keywords=sixty6+unofficial+World+Cup+cookbook or as a PDF from http://www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk/apps/webstore/products/show/4984730 or the Smashwords store at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448943

COOK OFF NO.9 THE ASADO V HUTSPOT

The Line Ups - Argentina

The South Americans' first appearance in the cook off blogs and what a time to do so at the semi final stage. The Argentinian dish is something of a special nature in the book as The Asado is more of an occasion than a single dish and it is the Argentinian version of a barbecue. 

It is more than that though, it is a gathering of friends and family to slowly enjoy a range of meats (which can include beef brisket and black pudding) cooked over a wood fire and washed down with red wine. 

The Line Ups - Holland

The Netherlands have featured before with the Hutspot, not a mispelling from Michael Barrymore's Strike it Lucky! TV show (the hotspot) but a dish of carrots and turnips in a flamboyant bubble and squeak. Not quite as appealing as the Dutch team then. 

The Cook Off 

The Dutch struggle to find their way against the plethora of meat firepower the Argentinians boast. The mashed up turnips and carrots can not cut the mustard, the sizzling beef seeing out the 90 minutes with ease. Add to the mix a bottle or two of Temperillo wine, a good crowd and a link or two of chorizo sausages and Argentina coast their way to an easy cook off victory. 

Verdict: Argentina 3 Holland 0 

Headlines: "Messi Meat Mauling for Dutch Veg" 

For the full range of recipes for the World Cup see the cookbook from Sixty6 Magazine.

The Sixty6 World Cup review

A whole plethora of football publications for Brazil 2014 found at http://sixty6magazine.co.uk/index.php/blog/40-world-cup-review 

Cook Off Brazil v Germany

The semi finals are here and first up it is Brazil taking on Germany. Today's game then also sees the first installment of the cook off blogs for the semi final stage. The cook off blogs look at how the two nations would fare if the match was played on the basis of the strengths of the national dishes for each country.

So then that means its the Germans' well known Currywurst recipe against the Brazilian's Feijoada bean stew. Both recipes and more feature in the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook available from Amazon for Kindle at http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sixty6-Unofficial-World-Cup-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00LEZRIEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404809914&sr=8-1&keywords=Sixty6+Unofficial+World+Cup+Cookbook

It can also be downloaded as a PDF file from www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk or from https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/448943

COOK OFF NO. 8 FEIJOADA V CURRYWURST 

The Line Ups - Brazil

Feijoada is a bean stew featuring a mix of beans and is as dependable as the Brazilian team itself, even if they have stuttered to the semi finals. Not as eye catching as David Luiz's hair, the bowl of bean broth does have its standout moments, not least dried chillies, an abundance of garlic and corned beef!

The Line Ups - Germany

Currywurst is a classic German street food delight with its own spicy kick, the German sausage topped with tomato ketchup and curry powder, nearly as delightful as Thomas Muller's rolled down sock image, akin to a holidaymaker strolling in the park.

The Cook Off

Despite having home advantage, the Brazilian bean stew struggles from the kick off, the simplicity of the German dish holding the edge. It is a tense stand off in the first half however, the Currywurst moving into second and third gear with the addition of some chips and mayo! The bean stew now crying into its own stodge, dreads the sight of a stein of beer waiting to come on as a substitute to wash it all down and its an easy win for ze Germans.

Verdict: Brazil 0 Germany 3

Headlines: "The Brazilian Bean Bubble is finally Vurst"

To see how to make the Currywurst visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ix57l6EcZ-4

For more on the cookbook featuring a foreword from Carlton Palmer and illustrations from Andrew Booth see www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk 

Published by Sixty6 Magazine www.sixty6magazine.co.uk

 

Cook Off Belgium v USA

Well we are firmly immersed into the second round of matches for the 2014 World Cup with 2 ties remaining today, one of them, Belgium against the USA is our focus for today's cook off.

Here we see how the two nations competing would fare if they were on the pitch playing under the credentials of their national dishes. The recipes feature in the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook which is available from Amazon for Kindle from http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sixty6-Unofficial-World-Cup-Cookbook-ebook/dp/B00LEZRIEQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404225159&sr=8-1&keywords=Sixty6+Unofficial+World+Cup+Cookbook

It can also be found in PDF form from www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk

Today then sees Belgium take on the USA, which in turn means the Moules Frites against the Hamburger.

COOK OFF NO. 8 MOULES FRITES V THE HAMBURGER 

The Line Ups - Belgium

Moules Frites have already featured in an earlier cook off and the snazzy combination of mussels and chips is back to try and win through again. Also included a glass of white wine and a sprig of thyme, this dish is not to be messed with.

The Lines Ups - USA

Another veteran of the cook off blogs, the hamburger is back with a vengeance ready to take on the world just as the US team feel at this moment in time. A world renowned dish, it is of course a football favourite for match day food.

The Cook Off

Both dishes fancy their chances as the referee gets us under way, the Belgians embracing the white wine sauce in the sunshine of Brazil, the mighty hamburger has a game on his hands, or should we say buns.
It is a tough one to call though, both recipes with plenty to offer in taste and variety, not to mention reputation. The cook off goes to extra time and penalties before this tasty encounter can be decided, the Americans just having the edge on their meat wedge this time.

Verdict: USA win on pens

Headlines: "The meat is mightier than the mussel"

For more info and sample chapters of the book see www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk

Brought to you by Sixty6 Magazine.