2012 January

About the food of Madagascar

January 31, 2012 by Sasha Martin 6 Comments

A lake at Sambava, Madagascar. Photo by WRI Staff.

Watching Andrew Zimmern's Bizzare Foods episode on Madagascar, I was amazed by some of the shocking foods he ate. On this island nation roughly the size of Texas, you can find everything on the dinner platter from bugs to - get ready for it - circumcision ceremony remnants. Ahem. I'm not going to clarify that one. (Remember, I'm here to bring us together over simple foods, not shocking foods, so we won't be going down any of those roads. I will say, however, if you get a chance and are … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Madagascar, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Macedonia

January 30, 2012 by Sasha Martin 11 Comments

THE SCENE It took four batches of dough. Eight pizzas... I think. Honestly, I can't be sure. I lost count. There were many casualties. First, my fingers, from impatiently grabbing hot crust. Then the tip of my tongue, from greedily tasting the pizza too soon. And, of course, my clothes, the counters, and even the cat all groaned under a thick coating of flour. Even Ava was out of sorts on our first tasting, throwing an all out temper tantrum on the floor before begrudgingly sampling … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Macedonia, Monday Meal Review

Recipe: Rice Pudding (Sutlijash)

January 29, 2012 by Sasha Martin 6 Comments

Looking back, I'm not sure how I resisted for so long. Honestly. We're more that halfway done eating the world and, yet, I haven't made regular ol', plain Jane, rice pudding (something altogether different than the exotic sticky rice coconut pudding I made for Laos). I find this fact is so surprising because, whenever I crack open my cookbooks to research the food of another country, I run into rice pudding. Rice pudding iseverywhere, on every continent, in all forms. Since globalization … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, International Recipes, Macedonia, Rice, Sweets, Vegetarian

Recipe: Cozy Roasted Pepper & Eggplant Salad

January 27, 2012 by Sasha Martin 9 Comments

While I've always loved a good ratatouille, there's something so ... soft about it. While that's fine for a cloudy sort of day, on bright, cheery days, I'm in the mood for definition. Clear edges. Decisiveness. Which brings us to today's roasted salad, from the Macedonian Global Table. She's all of those things while still being easy-breezy. The reason she's so defined? The eggplant and peppers are pre-cut and roasted, which gives good browning and clean edges. Once tossed with fresh … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Macedonia, Potluck Friendly, Salads, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Vegan, Vegetables/Pulses, Vegetarian

Recipe: Pizza. Love, from Macedonia (Pastrmajlija)

January 26, 2012 by Sasha Martin 13 Comments

The air buzzes with excitement. Ava pats the dough and we're on our way to Macedonian pizza (Pastrmajlija), an addicting combination of diced pork, olive oil, and cracked eggs. Together, her little hands next to my big hands, we shape the pizza two ways -first in a traditional full-moon circle and then in a Valentine's-inspired heart. While some might say the shapes taste the same, I beg to differ. Anything heart-shaped tastes infinitely better than that same … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Breads, Europe, International Recipes, Macedonia, Meat, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday

Menu: Macedonia

January 25, 2012 by Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Global Table Adventure has a weird way of knitting bits and pieces of my life together. For example, today my best friend from my college years, upon seeing we were cooking Macedonia, wrote to inform me that her first marriage proposal was from a Macedonian man. This would be altogether unremarkable, except for the fact that, despite keeping in touch here and there over the years, I knew nothing of any marriage proposals, let alone a "first." Had I never cooked Macedonia, I might never have … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Macedonia, Menu Wednesday

About the food of Macedonia

January 24, 2012 by Sasha Martin 17 Comments

Lake Ohrid, in the Republic of Macedonia. Photo by Markus Bernet.

Mmmm... M! We're finally here. Yesterday, when I told my husband Keith (a.k.a. Mr Picky) that we were about to launch into the M's with this week's Macedonian Global Table, he was surprised. I'm pretty sure he never thought we'd make it. And to be honest, I'm not sure I did either. Every letter until now has seemed like the beginning of the alphabet - the beginning of the Adventure. The thing about M is how much it sounds like progress - like we're going places. Then Keith calculated that … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Macedonia, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Luxembourg

January 23, 2012 by Sasha Martin 11 Comments

THE SCENE I slowly make my way to the table, balancing the heavy, ceramic tureen as I go. For twenty dollars at the local flea market my soup plays dress up, looking quite fancy as she swims in the tureen's old-fashioned angles. I feel like Martha Stewart for a moment, as I lift off the creamy white lid with a flourish. Still... Luxembourg's famous Green Bean Soup, now steaming and beckoning, barely makes an impression on me. Sure - it's good. I know that because I snuck a taste five … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Luxembourg, Monday Meal Review