Everywhere you turn these days, everyone’s talking about the World Cup. In every house, you’ll find family members squished together on the couch in front of a screen, cheering for their favorite team. The only big question of the day is, what should we serve friends and family while they’re watching the game? One option is to open up a few bags of junk food, but you could spend a couple of minutes preparing something easy and fun that will make you the star of the game.Below, you’ll find five short recipes for dishes that are perfect to serve during the World Cup season. The first is cheese and pepper muffins. You can easily swap different vegetables or cheeses of varying fat content. The second is roast potatoes seasoned with oregano, rosemary or thyme, that are just as fun to eat as French fries. The third recipe is a fantastic cooked bell-pepper dish that uses different colored peppers. It looks amazing and is also very tasty. The fourth recipe includes cut-up raw vegetables that are seasoned with olive oil, lemon and black pepper. The last recipe is for people who don’t feel like going to all the effort to make a salad. All you need to do is cut a few slices and prepare a tasty yogurt dip.If you add to these cold drinks and fruit, you’ll be declared the winner for sure.ROASTED POTATOESMakes four to six servings.6 medium potatoes¼ cup olive oil¼ cup canola oilSalt and pepper to taste1 Tbsp. sweet or spicy paprika (or ½ tsp. chilipepper)2 to 3 sprigs of oregano¼ cup chopped parsleyScrub and rinse potatoes. Dry well. (Alternatively, potatoes can also be peeled.) Preheat oven to 250°. Cut the potatoes into quarters or eighths lengthwise. Arrange pieces on baking tray with skin facing down.Pour the olive and canola oils on top of the potatoes and then sprinkle with salt, pepper and paprika. Push the oregano pieces between the potato pieces and then mix.Cover with baking paper and then on top of that aluminum foil. Roast for 40 minutes. Remove paper and foil and roast another 20 minutes until potatoes turn golden brown.CHEESE AND PEPPER MUFFINSMakes 12 muffins.70 gr. butter, melted100 gr. 5% cottage cheese1 container sour cream2 cups self-rising flour, sifted (if using spelt flour, add1 tsp. baking powder)Pinch of salt1 Tbsp. sugar¼ tsp. baking soda2 bell peppers, roasted and chopped finely1 spicy green pepper, chopped2 dried tomatoes, chopped (optional)3 to 4 sprigs of basil, chopped2 Tbsp. black olives, pitted and chopped2 medium eggsSalt and pepper to tastePlace all of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add paper muffin liners to a silicone muffin tray and spray with oil.Pour batter into a plastic pastry bag and cut off end. Squeeze batter into muffin liners until they are ¾ full. Alternatively, you can spoon batter into muffin liners.Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in an oven that has been preheated to 180° or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool and then carefully remove from tray.PEPPER AND SQUASH IN HONEYMakes 6 to 8 servings.½ cup olive oil2 large red onions, sliced thinly6 bell peppers (red, green, yellowand orange), cut into strips2 squashes, cut into strips8 cloves of garlic, chopped3 heaping Tbsp. honey½ cup dry white wine3 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar½ tsp. fresh ginger, gratedSalt and pepper, to tasteYou should try to use a number of different colored peppers to make this dish more impressive looking. Also, if you prepare it the day before, the flavor is enhanced.Pour olive oil into a large pan and let it get very hot. Add the onion and fry until golden. Add the peppers, squash and garlic. Stir for two to three minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Bring to a boil and then lower flame and continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning.VEGETABLE SLICES AND YOGURT DIPMakes six to eight servings.Vegetable sticks:3 peppers of varying color: red, green, and yellow,cut into 1-cm. thick strips2 cucumbers, cut into 1-cm. thick slices3 carrots, cut into slices2 kohlrabi, cut into strips1 cup cherry tomatoes1 cup radishes, halvedYogurt dip:2 containers of yoghurt¼ cup sour creamJuice and zest from ½ a lemon1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar4 mint leaves, chopped1½ Tbsp. garlic, crushedSalt and pepper, to tasteDecoration:1 Tbsp. fresh dill, choppedIf you don’t feel like going to all the effort required to prepare a salad, you can spend just a couple of minutes cutting large slices of veggies for dipping.Add all of the ingredients of the dip to a bowl and mix well. Pour into a serving dish and adorn with dill. Place next to plate of vegetable sticks.CELERY, PEPPER AND ONION SALADMakes six to eight servings.Leaves from 8 stalks of celery, cut into large strips1 large tomato, cut into eighths or cubes1 turnip, cut into eighths or 4½-cm. large strips1 carrot, cut into 4½-cm. large strips1 red onion, cut into medium or thin strips1 green pepper, cut into medium or thin strips2 cups mesclun lettuce2 baladi pickled lemons, cut into quarters or eighthsJuice from 1 lemonSalt and pepper, to tastePrepare all the cut vegetables ahead of time in separate bowls. Just before serving, add all the vegetables to a large bowl and mix well. Add the lemons and mesclun lettuce and mix.Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.Translated by Hannah Hochner.
