Country: Samoa

Samoa! When I drew this I was so excited because my good friend Kiley married into a wonderful Samoan family and I knew she would have some good recommendations for me and she did not disappoint. So thank you Kiley for the killer suggestions!
This week felt like comfort foods and that does not make me mad! Especially after taking a week off due to a busy weekend. 

Appetizer: Paifala
Main Course: Oka I'a
Dessert: Panipopo
Drink: Samoan Grog

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These remind me of empanadas and I LOVE EMPANADAS. Although, these were a little different. They are basically pineapple moon pies. I made extra because I knew I would fall in love. 

Paifala

Ingredients:
2 C crushed pineapple, drained (save the juice)
1 C sugar
1/2 C milk
1/3 C cornstarch
1/3 C pineapple juice
3 C flour
2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1/3 C unsalted butter, chilled and chopped up
1 C coconut milk

Directions:
For Filling:
1. Heat a medium sauce pan over medium heat and whisk together pineapple, sugar and milk, stirring until it comes to a simmer
2. In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and pineapple juice and stir initial saucepan mixture, reducing heat to low. Stir constantly until mixture has thickened and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature
For Crust:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper
2. Combined flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add in cutter using your hands to mix it in until texture becomes coarse and crumbly. Mix in the coconut milk just enough to bring the dough together. Do not knead or overwork. If the mix is too crumbly add in more coconut milk, if too sticky add a little more flour. 
3. Divide dough into equal pieces and on a floured surface roll the dough into a think 8" circle. Fill the center with the cooled pineapple mixture leaving a border around the edges, do not overfill. lightly wet the edges of the circle with a finger and fold the circle over the filling to make a half circle, pressing the edges together to seal. Use a fork to press down the edges and to make a couple of vents on the top. Repeat with the rest of the dough
4. Arrange on your backing sheets, leaving space in between. Bake until golden, about 35 minutes. Remove and cool before serving (they are molten inside), sprinkle with powdered sugar. 

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I was nervous to make this. Living in Idaho you never know about fish and I love ceviche, but adding coconut cream? So unsure. The flavors complimented each other SO well and the veggies gave it such a fresh, amazing flavor. You can also serve it with hot sauce to mix it up!

Oka I'a

​Ingredients:
2 large fresh white fish fillets
1 medium English cucumber, chopped finely
2 tomatos, chopped 
1 bell pepper, chopped finely
1/2 red onion, chopped finely
3 green onion stalks, diced finely
1/2 jalapeno, chopped finely
6-8 limes
1 can coconut cream, do not shake and pour off milky water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Cut fish into small tub sized chunks and cover with lime juice in a bowl. Mix well and set aside. The longer you leave the fish in the juice the more it will "cook"
2. Chop all other ingredients and put in large bowl. Drain off most of the lime juice from the fish, leaving a little and add to the bowl with the chopped veggies. Add in the coconut cream and mix well and let sit in the fridge for an hour to let the flavors mix together

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Panipopo! These were like little syrupy rolls and I loved it. It was like eating a waffle and I love breakfast so it was a win for me! They are super simple as well and you can even use frozen rolls if you want to to save time and energy!

Panipopo

​Ingredients:
package of frozen dinner rolls, or make your favorite rolls for this
10 oz coconut milk
1 C sugar

Directions:
1. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish and arrange rolls evenly. Cover with plastic wrap, greased to keep it from sticking to the rolls. Allow to rise for about 4 hours. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
3. In a bowl combine coconut milk and sugar and whisk until dissolved. Pour about 2/3 of the mixture over the rolls and bake for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown
4. Remove from oven and pour remaining coconut mixture evenly over the top of the rolls. Serve warm

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There were a handful of drinks I really wanted to try. Living in Boise I couldn't find any of them and since I plan a week out I didn't have time to get anything here either. Like Kava. A sacred drink, normally consumed during ceremonies and raised to the gods to give thanks to the lands. Samoa believes in living off of the land. Kava makes your mouth go numb from what I was told and sounds like a trip! Samoan Grog does not do this, but it was still refreshing!

​Samoan Grog

Ingredients:
1 oz rum
3/4 oz lime juice
1/2 oz orange juice - I used triple sec
1/2 oz honey mix (2:1 honey water)
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
1/2 C crushed ice

Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a blender and Pulse blend for no more than 5 seconds. 
2. Pour into a chilled cocktail glass and add more crushed ice to fill