Continental cuisine refers mainly to the cuisine of the continent of Europe. A continental platter consists of the Mediterranean and French foods. Countries like France, Spain, Italy, all do the continental dishes. Continental is not a specific cuisine, it is derived from other cuisines which had a substantial influence on the continental settlers who resided in those countries or regions. Continental cuisine as a whole can also be referred to as international cuisine.
Continental dishes are made by grilling, roasting, and stewing. This cuisine mostly consists of wine, garlic, olive oil, cheese, and various herbs & spices. If you want to try a new cuisine among your friends and family, continental would be a perfect choice. And don’t worry about the mess in your kitchen, you can always hire professional kitchen cleaning services afterwards, to take care of your dirty work.
Here are some of the Most Popular Continental Dishes You Can Make at Home:
Chicken and Spinach Mac & Cheese
To make this cheesy delight, follow this procedure:
- Cook the macaroni in salted water and set it aside
- Deep fry chicken in olive oil
- Cook the spinach in a pad, in 1 tablespoon of butter for 1 min
- Add 2 more tablespoons of butter, cooked macaroni and herbs, and sauté it
- Add the cooked chicken and cheese
- Bake well before serving
Garlic White Wine Chicken
This dish is for all the wine lovers out there:
- Heat the pan with olive oil and add the chicken pieces. Cook until the pieces are golden brown and then take them out
- Add garlic into the same pan and sauté it
- Add wine and thyme. Bring them to a boil
- Add chicken pieces and cover & cook for 20 – 25 minutes
- Transfer the dish onto a plate and season it with salt & paper
Lasagna
This cheesy Italian favourite is a treat for all ages. This is a food high in calcium due to cheese and milk:
- In a pan, cook all the veggies such as carrot, celery, onion, garlic until soft
- Add tomato puree, oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and basil. Bring it to boil
- Add chicken chunks to it and cook until the chicken softens
- In another pan, melt the butter, add flour to it and gradually stir in milk until its smooth
- Add salt, paper, and nutmeg to it and set it aside
- Assemble the lasagna layer by layer
- 1st the chicken veggie sauce, pasta sheets, cheese sauce, and repeat
- Add mozzarella cheese on top and bake it well
- Serve with oregano seasoning
Mutton Stew
This tasty mutton dish will open all your taste buds at once:
- Finely chop onions, carrots, beans, and potatoes
- Fry the onions in butter until they are semi-transparent
- Add mutton pieces to it and stir fry it for 2 – 3 minutes
- Add flour to it and keep stirring until the meat chunks are evenly coated
- Add water to the mixture and allow it to boil
- When the meat is half done, add carrots, potatoes, beans, turmeric powder, and nutmeg. Stir it properly and then add salt & red chilli powder for seasoning
- Allow the stew to simmer for another 5 – 10 minutes
- Your mutton stew is ready to be served
Crispy Calamari Rings
These deliciously crispy continental snacks will definitely appetize your tummy:
- Mix the thickly cut calamari in lemon juice and let it sit for 30 minutes
- In one bowl mix flour, paprika, salt, and oregano, and keep it aside. In another bowl keep the milk
- Take your calamari, mix it into the herb mixture, dip it into the milk, and again cover it in the herb mixture
- Deep fry the calamari until golden brown
- Serve it with marinara sauce or mayonnaise
Crème Brulee
This French dessert is for all the sweet tooth out there:
- Take a saucepan, combine cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Cook until hot and then set it aside
- Beat egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until it is light. Add about a quarter of crème into this mixture
- Pour the sugar and egg mixture into the crème and stir. Pour this mixture into ramekins and place it into a baking dish
- Fill the baking dish with boiling water until half of the ramekins
- Bake until the centre is barely set. Then cool it completely in the refrigerator
- When cooled, add one tablespoon of sugar on top of it. Take a blow torch (or if you have a broiler, you can use it) and cook the sugar top until it browns or blackens
- Serve within two hours of preparation