Global Table Adventure

About the food of Mauritius

March 27, 2012 By Sasha Martin 8 Comments

Just when you feel isolated, remote, and alone - like no one can possibly understand the way you are feeling, geography comes to the rescue. Way out in the Indian ocean lives Mauritius - an African country even more remote than Madagascar and totally teeny, tiny. If you study this "dot" amidst the crashing waves, you'll find crags and cliffs, turquoise water and rusty rainbow soil. For all her solitude, she is so beautiful. So intricate. How can we feel alone when this exists? It's like … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritius, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Mauritania

March 26, 2012 By Sasha Martin 17 Comments

I was talking with someone the other day about what this Adventure is all about. She wanted to know if I really thought I could change the world by cooking a meal from every country. "It just doesn't seem realistic" she said. I considered my answer, gazing at the puffy clouds dotted throughout the blue sky. I immediately thought of our latest Global Table meal - Mauritania, in northern Africa. The week was all about food cooked more than once: Stuffing simmered before … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritania, Monday Meal Review

Recipe: Mechoui (Leg of Lamb with Dried Fruit Stuffing)

March 25, 2012 By Sasha Martin 3 Comments

I think I've easily quadrupled my lamb intake (for my entire life) during this Global Table Adventure ... and we're only halfway through). Wowzers. As for Keith, a.k.a. Mr Picky, he claims to have never even had lamb until this Adventure. Today we're tackling the lambiest of all lamb dishes - Mechoui, a dish enjoyed in Mauritania and nearby Morocco. Think "epic stuffed leg of lamb." This Mauritanian version includes a sweet filling made with dried fruit and rice - a perfectly addicting way to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritania, Meat, Recipes

Recipe: Traditional North African Green Mint Tea

March 23, 2012 By Sasha Martin 15 Comments

Do you have a steady hand? Can you pour tea from several feet up without shaking, spilling, or missing entirely? If so, give me a call. We're going to need you. We've got some frothy tea to make. It's going to be fun. In fact, quite possibly the most fun I've had on this Adventure to eat the world is when we try new teas. The effort is minimal, yet the flavor impact is huge. Today is no exception. Not only did we buckle up to try the super sweet "Morroccan-style" green mint tea … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Alcohol-Free, Hot, Mauritania, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Recipes, Sasha's Favorite Recipes

Recipe: Rainy Day Couscous

March 22, 2012 By Sasha Martin 18 Comments

I've been putting off making couscous. I don't mean the boxed, nearly instant kind - I make that fairly often. What I'm tackling today is delicate, fluffy steamed couscous. The kind you buy in the bulk bin. The kind that fluffs up like a dream. According to Clifford A. Wright, steaming the tiny pearls twice, sometimes three times, is the "only" way to make proper couscous. Color me intrigued. While we've cooked many countries that enjoy couscous (Libya and Algeria for example), I put off … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritania, Pasta, Random Carbs & Grains, Recipes, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday, Vegan, Vegetarian

Menu: Mauritania

March 21, 2012 By Sasha Martin 6 Comments

Welcome to comfort food, Mauritania-style. Apparently this is exactly what my spirit needs. Remember yesterday, when I told you it had been raining for 24 hours? Well, the rain continued to fall all day and most of the night (and even this morning). This "popcorn in the sky," as Ava calls it, is greening up the grass, feeding our trees, and preparing seeds to shoot up in time for spring. These are all good things. But, I'm feeling a little sleepy, a little bluesy, and, if you don't mind, I … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritania, Menu Wednesday

About the food of Mauritania

March 20, 2012 By Sasha Martin 10 Comments

Oasis of Varesse (Adrar, Mauritania). Photo by Ji-Elle

It's been raining in Tulsa for the last 24 hours. I am surrounded by a constant drip drop, dreaming of dryness. How often I find myself pulled away from the beauty of what I have to what I wish I had. It is in this state of insatiable hunger that I begin the week's work. It is in this mood that Mauritania enters my line of vision. Ah, Mauritania - how little I knew about you until this moment. This imposing hunk of land flanks northwest Africa and stretches from barmy ocean to windswept … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mauritania, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Mali

March 5, 2012 By Sasha Martin 20 Comments

THE SCENE I drop the Maasa batter into the hot pan, wiping the tears from my cheeks. I want to be somewhere else, away from this terrible, no good day. It's been one of those days I sigh to the cat, Malky. Now, as the batter puffs up into a crispy, golden disc, my focus slowly shifts from my frustrations to the smells and sights in front of me. My mouth waters. My stomach does a summersault. I flip the Maasa and realize these pancake-donut treats were going to be … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Africa, Mali, Monday Meal Review