Frog legs recipe with quinoa: French fusion dish (Hostel Cooking series)

Asian, Cajun or French — I really don’t know. But when I got home last Monday, the delicious, buttery aroma coming out of the kitchen called my name. I ate (ok, almost licked) everything that was put on my plate by my roommate. Amused, Josh said that he was glad I liked his frog legs recipe (scroll down to the bottom to see it).

WHAT?

French frog legs recipe

Mmmm!

Frog legs. I ate frog legs. I was the guinea pig for my roommate’s frog legs recipe. I’ve had my fair share of quirky travel food, but never in a million years did I ever think I could ever possibly eat frog anything. Yes, as much of a hyperbole as the former sentence was — those were my feelings towards frogs. But oh, how things can change!

Don’t look at me like that.

If anything, you can always try this frog legs recipe, a French fusion dish according to Josh, on your friends and see what they think. But I kid you not, as you are cooking, you’ll be tempted to try the sauce. THEN, you’ll be hooked 😉

Plus, once cooked on a plate, they don’t look so much like little human legs

Be adventurous for once. YOLO!

(Gosh, I did not just say that)

fried frog legs recipe

Another simple frog legs recipe: Cover them in batter and deep fry them, just like chicken wings! (sorta). Photo: JaulaDeArdilla, Flickr

A bit of history: Frog legs in French cuisine

Frog legs have been eaten by the southern Chinese (since first century AD) and even the Aztecs. However, you will never guess how they became a well-known French delicacy (source: The Guardian UK)?

Hint: Monks and the Catholic Church. I see you laughing — just keep reading.

Apparently, monks were getting a little chubby back in 12th-century France. For this reason, the Catholic Church decided to put them on a diet — no meat for you! (Except for a few select days of the year).

Brilliantly (or not so much?), the monks could get away with classifying frogs as fish, so they could eat as many of their meaty legs as they wished. Whether they could still lose the weight or not, we don’t know (wouldn’t that be a brilliant fad diet though?!). What we do know is that religious, starving French peasants followed suit and the rest is history.

Now, let’s get you cookin’ mesdemoiselles and messieurs!

Hostel Cooking series: Amphibian recipe

Citrus-honey frog legs with quinoa

Directions

What you need:
Step 1
3 tablespoons honey

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup orange juice

2 habanero peppers, chopped (don't forget to wear gloves!)

1 pound frog legs

Salt and pepper

2 tablespoon olive oil

4 tablespoons thinly sliced onion

3 tablespoons of butter

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon chopped parsley
Get cookin
Step 2
Stir together the first 8 ingredients. Toss frog legs in marinade to coat evenly, then set aside. Marinate for about 1 hour.
Step 3
Drain the frog legs well, reserving marinade, and toss with cornstarch to coat.
Step 4
Heat the butter in a large iron skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the legs until golden brown and crispy, about 2 minutes per side.
Step 5
While the frog legs are cooking, bring the marinade to a simmer in a small saucepan. Simmer for 3 minutes.
Step 6
Cook quinoa (as directed in package). Serve hot frog legs over warm quinoa, pouring marinade over. Garnish with parsley.

French frog legs recipe with quinoa

VoilĂ !

Would you try this frog legs recipe?

Surprisingly easy to find and make!

French superstitions: Part 3 of World’s Superstitions series

So we already know what the Puerto Ricans and Indians fear and/or even wish for. Today, we travel to Europe and learn about French superstitions!

* Want some good ol’ luck? Then step on poop with your left foot. Another thing you could do for good omen is hang a horseshoe upside down over a doorway. I’m not quite sure whether I want to try the former…

* Want to avoid the bad luck? Then, instead of fearing Friday the 13th, fear the guest count 13. Yes, that means no 13 people around your table at any given time.  According to French superstitions, you should never invite 13 people, or any number close to it, because you might still end up with 13 guests anyway (and some bad luck as a result)

* As in Puerto Rico, India and possibly many other countries, it is part of French superstitions that a black cat walking by you is bad omen.

French superstitions, polka dot dress

Polka dot dress = French superstitions!? Keep reading

* Always use a lighter or a match when lighting your prayer candle at church. Never use another candle to do so, as you would be “transferring” the “strength” of your prayer to that other candle, weakening your petition to God!

* Housewives: According to French superstitions, you should never iron your hubby’s pants with a belt on or else he will have sore kidneys (1. I’m not sure why someone would iron pants with a belt on anyway  2. Do the French men really suffer of sore kidneys so much that they want to blame it on their wives or something!?)

* Are your ears buzzing? Then someone is talking to you, maybe even from far away.

* Housewarming? Then make sure your movers (or strong friends) move in your table first. It will bring good fortune to your new place 🙂

* Ouch, elbow bump! Don’t worry, as French superstitions say this means good news for you! In form of a present 😉

* Wear a polka dot dress on New Year’s Day (January 1st) for prosperity for the rest of the year.

* Saw a spider in the evening? Might have brought a good scream, but also good luck at least!

Ok, that’s it for French superstitions! Stay tuned as Saturday we are discovering the superstitions of a whole new country! By the by, if there is a particular country you would like me to research, tell me in your response so I take it into consideration! (Hint: I will probably write about every country I am provided *wink*)

Previous featured countries:
Puerto Rico
India

Know more French superstitions? Share them in a comment below!