This is one of my favorite things to eat, since it has all the stuff I would eat by themselves: chickpeas, tomato sauce, cous cous, eggplants, pomegranate etc. Of course, all slathered in a spicy Middle Eastern spice mix (ras-el-hanout) and fresh chili for a an extra kick.
It's something I like just as much when it's cold or the next day as well. And which I make very often as lunch, I even pack it up in a large plastic glass and take it with me to school. It's even great cold from the fridge too, which I couldn't really say for most foods.
Enjoy. :)
Last year: Mechouia salad (roast vegetables and tuna) (Tunisian).
Two years ago: Zucchini and coconut muffins, Melanzane alla parmigiana (Italian) and Pancetta and artichoke pizza.
A slightly more elaborate dish consisting of braised chicken in a rich and creamy tomato sauce with home-made dumplings tossed with butter and herbs, and some bell pepper wedges. Strongly flavored with Hungarian paprika.
It takes a bit longer to make than your average chicken meal and it includes a few steps, but if you have a couple of hours on a chilly afternoon when you want to push away the gloom and make some magic on the stove, this is the recipe you're looking for.
I don't know what part of the world you're from but back home in Romania this was a pretty well-known dish considering our close neighboring Hungarians :).
This particular recipe is among the most complete and well-balanced I've encountered, and it comes from home-cook Olga Kolozy, via Saveur. (And I was inspired also from how I've encountered the dish prepared by the ethnic Hungarians in our country, so don't be surprised if the recipe is a bit modified).
Last year: Mini Nutella and walnut pies.
Two years ago: Caribbean romance (cocktail), French chocolate mousse and Carrot bread (with walnuts).
"Sfințișori" means "little saints" and they're eight-shaped sweet bread pieces traditionally baked in Romania on the 9th of March (The 40 saints day). It would be ideal to bake 40 of them to stick to the tradition, but the recipe here is for only half (20).
This specific variation is Moldavian, because that is the historical region I grew up in and I follow my mother's recipe. Also sfintisori is the Moldavian name, in the rest of the country people tend to call them "mucenici" more often than "sfințișori". In the south of the country (Muntenia region) they are usually a lot smaller, not very sweet (sometimes they're more like "8"-shaped soup noodles, very small) and very often commercially sold in packages, dried like pasta and needing to be boiled. Almost everyone agrees that those are really bad compared to the home-made "bread" version and that from the different kinds of home versions, the Moldavian "sfințișori" are the best. (Like the Moldavian kitchen in general, actually :) ).
The dough is yeast-based, semi-sweet, and they're served with a sweet syrup, honey and ground walnuts sprinkled on top (at least in Moldova).
As to more on my personal experience with them - I liked to make them with my mom when I was little, though that didn't happen every year (we weren't a very traditional family). There was also a funny saying that the more "saints" one managed to eat on that day the more sins of his/hers would be forgiven. To this day I'm not sure that this was indeed a popular saying which other people knew about or just something my mom made up and used to say only to encourage me to eat more, given the fact that I was an extraordinarily thin child. :)
Last year: Simple coconut brownies.
Two years ago: Italian sunset (cocktail), Amaretto cupcakes and Chicken-avocado salad.
In Mexico you can bet the hot chocolate is spicier and more flavorful than the regular ones in other countries. If everything else is, why would such a staple drink be any different :) ?
So, according to tradition, to label a hot chocolate as "Mexican" you need to make sure it contains a kick of coffee and one of cinnamon (the trademarks), make it pretty light (only with milk and a little water instead of the liquid cream some people use) and to serve it with a little spritz of whipped cream.
And you have yourself a lovely hot chocolate for spring-autumn-winter evenings, to enjoy ideally next to cookies or on its own. :)
Recipe source: many, but foremost here.
Last year: Three cheese pasta with bell peppers and cranberries.
Two years ago: Blue skies cocktail (Blue curacao milk), Fastest home-made crackers (Romanian saratele) and Oeufs Cocotte (French baked eggs).
