Left: A homemade pavlova decorated with pomegranate seeds and chantilly cream.   Right: Antiguan Pepperpot with Dumplings and Fungee. - Contributed photos

Daviot Kelly, Staff Reporter

Today our World Cup voyage takes us to Antigua and Barbuda and New Zealand.The national dish of Antigua and Barbuda is Fungee and Pepperpot.

Pepperpot was first used by the Amerindians as a means of preserving food. Today it is a stew typically containing squash, spinach, eggplant, peas, pumpkin, okras, salted meats and dumplings. Fungee is a paste-like ball of cornmeal and okras.

In New Zealand, Pavlova is a meringue dessert named for the ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. It is crispy on the outside but light and fluffy inside. Some sources claim the recipe originated in New Zealand, while others claim it was invented in Australia.

Keith Money, a biographer of Anna Pavlova, wrote that a chef at a hotel in Wellington, New Zealand, created the dish when Pavlova visited there in 1926 on her world tour.

/www.antiguanet.net and http://en.wikipedia.

Pepperpot

Ingredients

4 eddo leaves (cut up)

1lb salt beef (or 1lb other fresh meat optional)

4 eggplants (diced)

2 teaspoons of margarine

4 okras (diced)

Salt and pepper to taste

Bunch of chive and thyme (pounded)

2 onions (chopped)

2 cups of green peas (cooked)

1 lb spinach chopped

2 tomatoes sliced

1 cup diced pumpkin

1 cup diced squash

2 teaspoons of oil

1lb. salt pork, pig snout or 2 teaspoons of ketchup;

pigs feet (cut in pieces)

Method 1. Cook the meats and add the vegetables except the green peas. 2. Add the seasoning. Cook the peas in a small amount of salt water and remove the vegetables. 3. Chop well and return to fire. When cooked, serve hot with fungee/fungi.

Fungee

2 cups corn meal

3 cups water; salt to taste

3 okras (cut into pieces)

2 tablespoons of butter.

Method

1. Bring water to boil with the okras until they are cooked.

2. Remove 2 cups of water to a pan, add the cornmeal to the remaining boiling water.

3. Using a wooden spoon, mix the corn meal and crush to the side of the pan to remove lumps. Add water when necessary.

3. When the mixture leaves the bottom of the pan, remove from the fire.

3. Place butter in a small bowl, place a large spoonful of fungee in the bowl and roll to a ball. Serve hot.

Pavlova

3 large egg whites

One third cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar

1 tablespoon boiling water

2 cups whipping cream

2 cups fresh fruit (such as strawberries and blueberries, kiwi and raspberries, nectarines and bananas, etc.)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Quarter cup powdered sugar

Method 1. Preheat oven to 475°F (245°C). Cover a baking sheet with foil, and spray lightly with cooking spray.

2. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites to form stiff peaks. Add sugar slowly, and continue beating. 3. When egg whites are very stiff, add vinegar and boiling water. Continue beating until glossy surface begins to fade, and mixture is very stiff.

4. Spoon meringue onto prepared baking sheet. Shape into a circle one and a half inches thick.

5. Form a slight indention in the centre, making the sides slightly higher.

6. Place meringue in the oven, shut the door, and turn the heat off. Leave in the oven for one hour.

7. Check the texture of the meringue; it should be hard with no soft spots. If soft in the centre, heat oven to 250°F (120°C) and leave meringue in until completely dry, checking often.

8. Whip the cream until stiff peaks form. Beat in vanilla and powdered sugar. 9. Spoon the whipped cream onto the meringue. Arrange the fruit on top of the whipped cream, and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings

www.caribbeanwoman.co.uk and www.cooksrecipes.com