Global Table Adventure

About the Food of Serbia

January 15, 2013 By Sasha Martin 3 Comments

In the Balkan nation of Serbia you'll find sleeping giants. They lounge under thick forested coverings, along murmuring streams and shimmering lakes, with nothing but winding roads and wildflowers upon them. In flatter areas, carefully stacked stone walls, forgotten castles, and sagging huts live happily shackled to sunflower fields and lush grasses. Places like this will find a permanent home in your dreams... In this cool, sometimes foggy land - this is where you'll find hearty … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Serbia, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: San Marino

December 17, 2012 By Sasha Martin 1 Comment

Neighbors. I'd already planned on talking about neighbors last week, but when the grief of Newtown, Connecticut struck, I realized how much more urgently this message needs to be said. Abe Lincoln called the people of San Marino his "Great and Good Friends," despite being separated by an entire continent. There was such tenderness in his words, but this particular weekend they struck me hard. Why? Because so few of us know anything about the people who live in our very neighborhoods, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Monday Meal Review, San Marino

Recipe: Pork braised in Milk & Fresh Herbs | Maiale al Latte

December 16, 2012 By Sasha Martin 14 Comments

It's fun to let a recipe go "wrong" on purpose. Maiale al Latte is one of those dishes: pork braised in milk for hours, until the milk gives way to tender, nutty, herb flavored curds. Some will tell you this "curdled milk" is a mistake. I'm here to tell you what everyone in San Marino and Italy already know - this is homemade cheese ripe for the snacking, an epic byproduct of an already amazingly tender roast, soaked with sage and rosemary, garlic and bay leaves, milk and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Christmas, Europe, International Recipes, Meat, Potluck Friendly, San Marino

Recipe: Fig & Honey Apple Polenta Cake | Bustrengo

December 14, 2012 By Sasha Martin 10 Comments

Sometimes life calls for a little something extra-ordinary. A toothy smile on a cloudy day can be enough. A favorite pair of fuzzy, polka-dotted socks can even do the trick. But on other days I want something a smidge bit ... well... gourmet. I want something that says this day - this meal - this time - is more special than you know. That you're more special than you know. And so, it's not without a little irony that Bustrengo fits the bill. You see, this Fig and Honey Apple … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fruit, Fun Friday, International Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, San Marino, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Vegetarian

Recipe: Swallow’s Nests | Nidi di Rondine

December 13, 2012 By Sasha Martin 26 Comments

What being a grown up has taught me: There's no way to turn couch surfing into exercise. I cannot be a mermaid for a day, no matter how hard I will myself to grow a tail. Superman isn't going to swoop down out of the sky and carry me away with him. Heck, he can't even find a phone booth these days. That being said, there are lots of good things I've learned as a grownup. Making my daughter guffaw makes my heart happy Eating around the table with loved ones is worth a pile of … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, Mr. Picky's Favorite Recipes, Pasta, Potluck Friendly, San Marino, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday

Menu: San Marino (with Giveaway)

December 12, 2012 By Sasha Martin 31 Comments

Here's something you might not have known: Abraham Lincoln was made an honorary citizen of San Marino in 1861. This made him happy, as he believed that San Marino demonstrated how a "government founded on republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring." (Read the whole letter) What he doesn't mention in his letter to his "Great and Good Friends" is their food, likely because he never had the opportunity to sample it. Personally I believe that any "secure … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Menu Wednesday, San Marino

About the food of San Marino

December 11, 2012 By Sasha Martin 4 Comments

Guaita fortress and part of the city (view from above Monte Titano). Photo by Ricardo André Frantz.

Let's dive into Italy, right over the mountains, into the tiny 24 square mile country of San Marino. In this small enclave, there is no level ground. Indeed, every sunny vista is filled with the jawdropping scenery of a life "away from it all." In this land, tenacity is the name of the game. Whenever San Marino comes up in conversation people like to ask how they managed to stay independent within Italy all these years. Why aren't they just a part of Italy, they ask. For one, I think … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, San Marino, Travel Tuesday

Monday Meal Review: Russia

November 5, 2012 By Sasha Martin 11 Comments

This week we took the Russian Potato Salad to a potluck event in downtown Tulsa called "Open Tables" where individuals of different religions and belief systems gather to share food and company. It was my first time. While the discussion would have been fascinating (we were encouraged to talk about our differences), my table - through a series of prior commitments, baby bedtimes, and no shows - had completely vacated by the time discussion started. And so it came to be that, while the room … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Monday Meal Review, Russia