Global Table Adventure

Monday Meal Review: Iceland

July 4, 2011 By Sasha Martin 6 Comments

THE SCENE Careful, Sasha. Let's get this right. I quietly dropped the blueberries into the measuring cup, then into the pot. The first time I made the ice cream, I'd accidentally doubled the amount of blueberries required, thinking a "clamshell" container of blueberries equaled two cups. Turns out a clamshell actually holds closer to four cups. The result? Icy, icy ice cream all over the counters. Not pleasant. This time I'd get it right. The scent of cardamom wafted up from the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Iceland, Monday Meal Review

Recipe: Sweet Rye Bread Soup (chilled)

July 4, 2011 By Sasha Martin 4 Comments

Serves 6 This is the strangest soup I've ever sipped, and I owe it all to Iceland. Actually, "sip" isn't really the right word. It's actually somewhere between chew and sip - this soup is thick and hearty. The sugar and raisins give it a sweet, desserty feel, but - since it is meant to be eaten hot, it feels like wintertime comfort food. Add rhubarb "raisins" if desired. Ingredients: 4 slices light rye bread, chopped (5 cups) 3 slices whole/dark rye bread, chopped (3 cups) 1/2 cup … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Iceland, International Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Recipe: Tart Rhubarb Soup (chilled)

July 3, 2011 By Sasha Martin 4 Comments

Serves 2-4 Friends, when rhubarb season calls, you must answer. This cold rhubarb soup from Iceland is like a big sip of sunshine. It tastes like lemonade. It tastes like rhubarb. It tastes like "good." We only have a little more time in rhubarb land until next spring, so hop over to the grocery store and get some! Ingredients: 4 cups chopped rhubarb (cut into 1" pieces) - about 1 bunch 2 cups water 3/4 cup sugar, more as needed 2 tsp lemon juice Method: Rhubarb, rhubarb, … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fruit, Gluten Free Adaptable, Iceland, International Recipes, Potluck Friendly, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian

Instead of putrefied shark’s flesh, let’s make Rhubarb Raisins (poll)

July 1, 2011 By Sasha Martin 4 Comments

So you feel like something unsual for lunch... but you just don't feel like you're up to Iceland's famed putrefied shark flesh called Hákarl? You know... the dish made up of poisonous shark flesh that's been fermented and hung to dry so that it's no longer poisonous? The one that was traditionally buried and exposed to several freeze/thaw cycles until naturally fermented? The one that tastes like cheesy ammonia? Yeah. Let's try something simpler. A little more tame. Perhaps … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fun Friday, Gluten Free Adaptable, Iceland, International Recipes, Seasoning Blends & Pickles, Vegan, Vegetarian

Recipe: Blueberry Cardamom Ice Cream

June 30, 2011 By Sasha Martin 26 Comments

Makes 2 quarts There's an old Icelandic saying: "Even though you are small, you can still be clever." Teeny weenie blueberries, fresh from the bush may be small, but they make the most adorable and extraordinary purple ice cream. And, as you drown in bite after bite of cold, sweet, glorious goodness, you also consume a quarter ton of antioxidants. Clever, indeed. So, churn up a batch. Stick around to watch as it freezes in the belly of your ice cream maker - you'll be all smiles as the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Fruit, Iceland, International Recipes, Miss Ava's Favorite Recipes, New Year's, Sasha's Favorite Recipes, Technique Thursday, Vegetarian

Menu: Iceland

June 29, 2011 By Sasha Martin 5 Comments

Good things are all around me. Yesterday I celebrated my third wedding anniversary with Keith. On Friday my brother Keith is coming to visit us all the way from Florida. (We haven't seen him in a year and a half. We miss him.) But, lest you think it's all about the many Keiths in my life, Monday is Ava's 2nd birthday. That's pretty great, too. Not to mention I'll be sharing Icelandic treats with you all week. Given the heatwave we've been enduring, I've put together a summertime sampler... … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Iceland, Menu Wednesday

About the food of Iceland

June 28, 2011 By Sasha Martin 14 Comments

Do you remember in gradeschool when your teacher told you that Iceland is actually greener than Greenland? That blew my wee, 11 year-old mind. It still does. The simple factoid pops up at the strangest times, like when I'm in line at the grocery store or weeding the garden. Or brushing Ava's hair. It's amazing the lifelong influence our teachers have on us. Iceland is greener than Greenland. Apparently the island was named Iceland to deter people from overpopulating the small country. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Europe, Iceland, Travel Tuesday