Pork in Sweet Soy Sauce (Be Celeng Base Manis)

Regional/Traditional, , , ,

Name: Silvia Maulini*
Class Year: 1980
Country of Residence: The Netherlands

* Silvia is one of this competition’s judges, so this recipe will not be considered – it’s simply delicious, and needs to be shared!

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

For the past decade I have been spending a month a year on the wonderful island of Bali, in Indonesia.  Local food is absolutely amazing and after following a few cooking classes there and buying several cookbooks I started experimenting at home. The house smells wonderful when I cook Indonesian and I feel I am back in Bali, at least for a few hours. This recipe is easy and very satisfying. I tasted this stew for the first time at “Bumbu Bali”, a fantastic restaurant owned by Swiss chef Heinz van Holzen, who has been living on the island for four decades and who is considered a master of Balinese cuisine. 

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Homemade Dairy-free Banana Ice Cream

Home Cooking, , , , , , ,

Name: Vennie Muenzen
Class Year: 2010
Country of Residence: USA

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Mountain Day has been a favorite Mount Holyoke tradition. I liked the concept of climbing
a mountain and celebrating the accomplishment with a big scoop of ice cream. All
students anticipate the announcement of Mountain Day by the President of the college
with a huge excitement. During my college years I oftentimes studied late into the evening
— either writing politics or economics papers or solving mathematics problem sets.

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Dresdner Weihnachtsstollen (Christmas Stollen/Cake) (German)

Regional/Traditional, , , , ,

Name: Deborah Wild
Class Year: 1997
Country of Residence: Tbilisi, Georgia (German, married to a Dane)

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Christmas is a big deal in our house. Apart from MHC elfing tradition I used to play Christmas elf (or nisse as one would call it in Denmark) for my friends in College, I loved playing Krampus for the German club and shared the German tradition of advent with my friends.

When I met my Danish husband and he told me he was atheist, my reply was, him not believing in God was not an issue, but Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, I’m afraid, were non-negotiable (both not traditions in his family).

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Turkish Eggs or çilbir

Regional/Traditional, , ,

Name: Delia Youssef
Class Year: 2015
Country of Residence: Germany

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

It is super simple, super delicious, and super customisable. This dish was one of a series of many egg dishes I grew up eating when it was a lazy Saturday or Sunday with my family. It reminds me of home and if I have the chance, I make it for anyone staying with me or visiting me. Double and triple the portion for more guests. 🙂

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Watermelon salad

Home Cooking, , , ,

Name: Natasha Naidoo
Class Year: 2012
Country of Residence: Netherlands

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Since graduating from Mount Holyoke I’ve had the great privilege of living all over the world—Kenya, Thailand, the UK, California, and now the Netherlands. One of the things that makes warm weather officially feel like summer is this watermelon salad. No matter where I am on the planet, when I bite into that sweet, tart, watermelon with just a hint of cheese to round it off, I know that summer is here. Perfect for a languishing pick-nick in the sun, a quick evening meal, or a refreshing post-workout treat, this salad gently whispers ‘home is where the heart is, and right now your heart is loving this tricolour delight!’

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Gabrielle’s Harira (Moroccan soup)

Home Cooking, ,

Name: Gabrielle Swinkels
Class Year: 1984
Country of Residence: Netherlands

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

My husband hunts and regularly supplies us with beautiful roe deer. Since I don’t want to waste the leftover parts of the animal I always make stock out of the deer’s bones, for stews and soups like these:

A tasty, warm bowl of comfort food, made of your leftover vegetables and fridge stock and bringing back memories of the beautiful Moroccan landscape and people …

Use for this recipe the ingredients that you have in stock. You can leave out or add greens to your taste. Same goes for spices and herbs: use to your liking.

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Bagels

Home Cooking, , , ,

Name: Deborah Wild
Class Year: 1997
Country of Residence: Georgia

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

I couldn’t afford to splurge on sandwiches from Tailgate while being a student at Mount Holyoke, but cream cheese bagels and orange juice more than once got me through those all nighters during exam time. Bagels ever since have remained a comfort food for me, but I ended up in a part of the world where none could be bought and for many years I did without in the belief that making them was far too complicated. Yet, after marrying a foodie, having learnt to gut fish and chickens, I came across this recipe and thought: “This doesn’t sound so complicated, let me try.” And indeed it wasn’t. I still need to perfect the art of forming them evenly, but they have become a big hit in our house and served as centrepieces for brunches more than once.

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Sub-6-hour Butternut Squash and Spinach Lasagne

Haute Cuisine, , , , , ,

Name: Ralitsa Donkova
Class Year: 2005
Country of Residence: Belgium

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

Erin McCarthy (Class of 2006) and I cooked this lasagne in her tiny Brooklyn kitchen in November 2011 when I was visiting her from Minneapolis. Erin had sent me the torn-out page from Bon Appetit magazine in the mail, and I brought it back to NYC when I visited her so we can make it together.

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Homemade Dark Chocolate

Home Cooking, , , ,

Name: Micha Heilman
Class Year: 2019
Country of Residence: Netherlands

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

This chocolate recipe can be made with few ingredients, yet the taste and
variations make this recipe irresistible for chocolate lovers. It takes very little
time to make so your enjoyment of chocolate can happen soon after starting.
This recipe started with an American friend living in Denmark who was inspired
by chocolate from the company “Honey Mama’s”. Honey Mama’s produces
chocolate in my hometown of Portland, OR so it holds a special place in my
heart.

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Shakshuka (Poached eggs in a tomato sauce)

Home Cooking, , , , ,

Name: Micha Heilman
Class Year: 2019
Country of Residence: Netherlands

Why is this recipe great? What’s its backstory? 

The recipe allows the natural taste from many ingredients to come out so the
dish has a full and rich flavor. I am a fan of hearty breakfasts so I eat this on a
day when I want to be satiated for a long time. I was originally served this by a
boyfriend and was very impressed by the visual presentation and flavor. I have
made it for myself several mornings since and find it irresistible. It is a delicious
and beautiful dish, easy to find ingredients for, and could be made for any meal
of the day!

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