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.

Cook Off Holland V Mexico

The cook off blogs heat up into the second day of the knockout stages and today we look at Holland against Mexico in the battle of the cook off blogs, where we see how the two national dishes of these countries would compare on a football pitch. That means its the Mexican mole sauce against the crazy Dutch's Hutspot.

The recipes for both dishes along with 32 other nation's recipes can be found in the Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook from http://www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk/apps/webstore/

COOK OFF NO.6 HUTSPOT V MOLE SAUCE 

The Line Ups - Holland

Hutspot is the Dutch equivalent of "bubble and squeak" with the use of plenty of carrots, so literally supporting the orange cause in colour effect. Not the most glitzy of dishes for a national cuisine, however the vegetable based dish does the job in terms of comfort food.

The Line Ups - Mexico

We opted for Mole Sauce for Mexico in the book as this dish was the most widespread in the country and can go with most things. If you thought the Dutch were crazy, then the Mexicans add peanut butter and chocolate chips to this sauce, which also contains tomatoes and garlic...literally nuts! 

The Cook Off

Its one side affair for taste this match, as the Mexicans' mole sauce pours itself over the mashed veg, as spice overrules the mundane. Inadvertently though by doing this, the combination produced is a heavenly hive of Sunday afternoon smoothness, just as we expect it to be on the pitch. 

This cook off it a tough one to call as a result and therefore if this was a game of football it would go to penalties. 

Verdict: Penalty shoot out that could go either way! 

Headlines: "Crazy Dutch matched by crazy Mexican sauce"

For more recipes see The Sixty6 Unofficial World Cup Cookbook with a foreword from Carlton Palmer and illustrations by Andrew Booth.

To see how to make Hutspot see http://www.worldcupcookbook.co.uk/sample-of-book

To see how to make Mole Sauce check out the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1jcZ735VtU

www.sixty6magazine.co.uk