Global Table Adventure

About the food of Mozambique

May 22, 2012 By Sasha Martin 2 Comments

Traditional Shangaan Dancing. Photo by JJ van Zyl.

I love a little eye candy in the morning. This week I searched Pinterest for Mozambique and found the most beautiful photos; sparkling clear waters, titanic mountain rainges, lovely ladies and adorable children. Page after page filled with the beautiful and the rugged, the charming and, yes, the unexpeted bits of the Southeast African country. Welcome to my new favorite hobby - looking up countries I know next-to-nothing about on Pinterest. In fact, the less I know about a country, the more … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mozambique, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Morocco

May 21, 2012 By Sasha Martin 26 Comments

As I set our Moroccan Global Table I know something is wrong. I know because I'm doing it on purpose. The table sits outside, under a tree, covered by dappled shade and a soft cotton cloth. I tuck the benches right up to the table, so Ava can eat without a giant void between her and the table. I look at the clock; Ava's friend Isabel, her sister Emma, and her parents will be here any minute. After a moment of hesitation, I make my decision and quickly place seven dinner plates on … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Monday Meal Review, Morocco

Recipe: Moroccan Carrot & Juicy Orange Salad

May 20, 2012 By Sasha Martin 7 Comments

Pretty, pretty, pretty. Say hello to the juiciest carrot salad in the world. Inspired by the cuisine of Morocco, the salad blends shredded carrots with fresh squeezed orange juice (loads of pulp!), cinnamon, sugar, and orange blossom water. It's all kinds of crazy and... it works. I felt that, hot on the heels of our Mongolian Carrot salad, it'd be fun to make a variation from Morocco. And I'm so glad I took the risk. This is one wild salad. So take a deep breath, and breathe in the … [Read more...]

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

Recipe: Moroccan Honey Buttered Semolina “Crater” Pancakes | Beghrir

May 18, 2012 By Sasha Martin 7 Comments

Oh, goodness. Where do I even begin? Do you see that honey dripping off the edge of the crater cakes? Each drop is perfumed with the haunting aroma of orange blossom water and butter. Hello. I mean, really. I'm pretty sure I can just pack up and go home now. My job is done. Talk about good-glorious-eats! But, for those few who aren't yet sure if this Moroccan treat - officially called Beghrir - is right for their breakfast table, let me continue. These semolina pancakes aren't … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Breakfast, Fun Friday, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Morocco, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Random Carbs & Grains, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Vegetarian

Recipe: Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Sweet Honey Figs

May 17, 2012 By Sasha Martin 15 Comments

Today I'm taking you to a special place where family and friends gather around the dinner table with happy hearts. Silverware is optional, but bread is not. Settle into this sacred space, where tagine of lamb meets chestnuts, figs, cinnamon, honey, and orange blossom water. Pause for a moment to celebrate this crazy wonderful combination, to feel the hot air blow through your hair, then dig in and scoop up the glory with a handful of bread. When you're done, cozy up to an evening of conversation … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Gluten Free Adaptable, International Recipes, Meat, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Morocco, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday

Menu: Morocco

May 16, 2012 By Sasha Martin 21 Comments

This week we're trying three completely different recipes which all use one magical Moroccan ingredient: orange blossom water. Have you ever used it? The perfume-like water lends a dreamy flavor to ordinary ingredients. While almost impossible to describe, I'd say that each splash of orange blossom water makes the food taste "prettier" which, of course, inspired me to splash a little behind my ears. Whether or not this is normal, I was happy as can be, walking around, smelling like … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Menu Wednesday, Morocco

About the food of Morocco

May 15, 2012 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

Ziz River, Morocco. Photo by Jerzy Strzelecki.

Ohh, ok. Here we are. This is Morocco week at the Global Table (and the crowd goes wild!). To be honest I was pretty nervous about this week. As far as I'm concerned, Morocco is a culinary giant. This comes from growing up in France, where delectable Moroccan dishes make regular appearances on Parisian menus. As I got to reading, however, I quickly realized that the food - although filled with intensely fragrant, glorious spices like cinnamon, cumin, saffron, and ginger - can be wonderfully … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Morocco, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Montenegro

May 14, 2012 By Sasha Martin 11 Comments

I'm at the grocery store, eyeing shelf upon shelf of neatly stacked packages of noodles. There are about 25 brands - each boasting some variation of regular, whole wheat, gluten-free, or loaded-with-spinach pasta. Three feet over there's another 5 brands sitting pretty in the chiller. These are the fresh pastas. The ones that taste like you made them yourself. The ones that cost $10 for two servings. Hello. I feel my anxiety mounting. Deep breath. It's just pasta. It's just pasta. How … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Monday Meal Review, Montenegro