Recipe: Sangria

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About five years ago Sangria was my go-to drink. A sweet, chilled glass served as my weekend wind-down and my mid-week pick-me-up. I sipped the ruby red goodness with friends... and it brought us joy, whether we were laughing or crying. Sangria became such a standby, I even served it at our engagement party in 2007. P.S. Look how glamorous (and eerie) our engagement photo was (Thanks to my amazing friend Rebekah Shannon!) ... this feels like a lifetime ago... and I suppose it is, … [Read more...]

Recipe: Weeknight Paella

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Making Paella is quite the trick. Making authentic paella is even harder. My mission this week was to make a simple, yet flavorful paella for our Spanish Global Table. Something easy enough for a Monday, but special enough for a Friday. One that would be rather... well... business in front, party in the back. Or maybe not. Friends, I did my research. In fact, I spent a lot of time reading mediocre online reviews of what should have been amazing paella recipes. These … [Read more...]

Recipe: South Africa’s Yellow Rice | Geelrys

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During the week, I'm always looking for a way to get beyond ordinary b-b-boring boiled rice. Hello. Cue our friends of South Africa... they have the answer with "Geelrys," which literally translates to "yellow rice." Imagine a pot of turmeric and raisin bejeweled rice... a simple side dish as flavorful as it is gorgeous. Geelrys tastes like a sunrise on the most beautiful morning of your life.   Or, like happy a hug from a good friend. Or, maybe it just tastes like … [Read more...]

Recipe: South African Amarula Coffee

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There's nothing like a drunk elephant to get my attention. Whoa, whoa, whoa. It' s a little early for that kind of talk. Let me back up a moment. Amarula Coffee is a South African favorite - a breezy concoction that includes your favorite coffee, some brown sugar (the sweetener of choice in South Africa), a shot or two of Amarula, and whipped cream. It's very much like an Irish Coffee. Why? The Amarula. You can find this creamy concoction at most liquor stores in the … [Read more...]

Recipe: South Africa’s Bobotie

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Are you ready for a big bite of everything, ever? South Africa's Bobotie (ba-boor-tea) reminds me of when I was a little girl, playing in the kitchen next to mom. I'd dump every possible ingredient into my little inventions, hoping they'd come out amazing. While chopped apples and pickles didn't pan out when I was a kid, bobotie most decidedly does. But don't worry - there's no apple or pickle in it. So what is in it? Some people call Bobotie South African Moussaka, but I'm … [Read more...]

Recipe: Coconut Curried Corn | Galey iyo Qumbo

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When I was a little girl, I'd sit on the back porch and shuck long ears of corn, the silk wrapping around my fingers, clinging to my dress, and falling onto my shoes. Similar scenes can be found throughout southern Somalia, where men, women, and children pull together to harvest their corn. To shuck the corn. And, eventually, to grind it in wide, stone bowls, to make porridge. If the kernels don't get ground, the whole cobs might be dressed up in curried coconut milk in a dish called … [Read more...]

Recipe: Beef Suqaar

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Sometimes we need a meal that can fill every corner of our heart, one that can bump out those rough and tumble emotions that bog us down... the ones that keep us from being happy. Carefree. Enter Suqaar, from Somalia. Suqaar (pronounced sooh-car) is one of Somalia's most beloved dishes and can be made with any meat, from lamb, to chicken, to beef. Generally the meat is cut into very small pieces, about 1/2" cube or smaller. The meal is then rounded out with an assortment of veggies … [Read more...]

Recipe: Green PawPaw Curry

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It's just as important to be frugal in times of plenty as it is in times of hardship. As my mom likes to say "Waste not, want not." In the Solomon Islands, when Papaya trees hang heavy with more fruit than locals know what to do with, they don't let it rot and fall to the ground. They don't let the monsoons sweep the fruit away, either. Oh, no. Instead, they make use of the papaya at every stage of growth... ripe or unripe... which is how PawPaw Curry makes its way onto the dinner … [Read more...]