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Ginger Peach Barbecue Sauce

Way out in the Pacific ocean sits a bumpy, bumbling little island country called Palau. From what I hear, the fine people (20,000 strong) slather barbecue sauce on just about anything. Fish. Chicken. Even mussels. Some say it’s the American influence on their cuisine, but I detect a nod to the rich gingery-garlic barbecue sauces of Asia as well.

I immediately knew that I had to make homemade barbecue sauce to experience our Palauan Global Table to the fullest.

BBQ in Palau. Photo by Yuri Krasov, Art and Entertain me

And if I was going to take inspiration from anywhere for the sauce, it would have to be from one of my favorite food blogs, Joy the Baker. Joy recently made Bourbon Orange Coriander BBQ Sauce.

Hello, there’ s bourbon in her sauce.

As I went along, however, I realized I needed to make a few changes …. of the whimsical, I-can’t-leave-well-enough-alone variety.  For starters, I wanted to add peaches since I had a bunch to use up from the late summer’s harvest (oh… an Oklahoma peach is a divine thing indeed). Once there were peaches in the sauce, I knew there had to be ginger. And once there was ginger and peaches, I knew I couldn’t stop without adding honey and a ruddy scoop of chili powder.

So that’s exactly what I did.

But I owe it all to Joy and her fingerlickin’ Bourbon sauce for getting me started.

One other thing – since there’s no public drinking allowed in Palau, I decided (with much regret) to omit the Bourbon.

But I won’t tell if you splash a little in.

After all – just because I’m a sit-in-the-front-row-follow-the-rules-don’t-pass-me-notes-while-the-teacher-is-talking kind of gal, doesn’t mean that’s the right choice for you.

At the end of the day, this recipe is about as much like Joy’s recipe as my hair cut ends up looking like the pretty one I point at in the magazine. But goodness knows, no matter who cuts my hair, I always leave the salon … just… me.

So.

Come on with me.

Let’s head to this in-between, island-breezy place. Here, with a quick pass of a brush, barbecue sauce slides on and soothes – a little sweet heat to savor while enjoying the ocean breeze.

It just might be the blip your endless day needs.

Helen’s Reef – a classic desert island – elevation above sea level about 8 feet. Photo by Dr. James P. McVey, NOAA Sea Grant Program.

NOTE: Depending on the sweetness of your peaches, you may not need the honey at all. Also, for a little less Oklahoma and a little more Pacific, try papaya, mangoes, or pineapple bits in your bbq sauce. Lots of options, depending on the season you’re making your sauce.

Makes 2 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp peeled, grated fresh ginger
2 peaches, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup ketchup
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp chili powder
fresh ground black pepper, to taste

Method:

Pull up a chair by the sea and cook with a couple of friends.

They don’t have to be real.

They could be rocks. That’s cool.

Palauan Stone Face at Ollei. Photo by Abasaa. Face on the right by TTPI(Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) Headquarters

Gather your ingredients. A full palette of condiments makes for a curiously wonderful sauce.

The key to spectacular barbecue sauce is in the spice – I chose a deep, ruddy chili powder. Joy used fresh cracked pepper.

Different, but equally biting.

Equally divine.

To get things rolling, saute the onions until they get a little bit golden and all kinds of soft. Then add the garlic and ginger. Cook a few more moments until fragrant. Finally, slip in the rest of the ingredients and gently simmer (uncovered) for 30-45 minutes.

The nice thing about this sauce is you don’t have to worry about the size and shape of things – when all is said and done, this bubbling vat of sweet heat will be pureed smooth with an immersion blender or regular blender.

While you wait for it to cook, sit at the edge of a pretty little beach, at the foot of several billion pretty little waves.

When you return, the sauce will be a little thicker, smoky from the chili powder, peachy-sweet and a little tingly from the ginger.

And the color of love in August.

Puree and serve with a smile on some Palauan Grilled Mussels (come back tomorrow for that recipe) …

Have a happy day, friends.

Ginger Peach Barbecue Sauce
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Depending on the sweetness of your peaches, you may not need the honey at all. Also, for a little less Oklahoma and a little more Pacific, try papaya, mangoes, or pineapple bits in your bbq sauce. Lots of options, depending on the season you're making your sauce.
Servings
2 1/2 cups
Servings
2 1/2 cups
Ginger Peach Barbecue Sauce
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Depending on the sweetness of your peaches, you may not need the honey at all. Also, for a little less Oklahoma and a little more Pacific, try papaya, mangoes, or pineapple bits in your bbq sauce. Lots of options, depending on the season you're making your sauce.
Servings
2 1/2 cups
Servings
2 1/2 cups
Ingredients
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion , diced
  • 3 large cloves garlic , crushed
  • 1 Tbsp grated ginger , fresh
  • 2 peaches , peeled and chopped
  • 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1/2 cup cider vinegar
  • 1 cup ketchup
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 2 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • cracked black pepper , fresh, to taste
Servings: cups
Units:
Instructions
  1. Saute the onions until they get a little bit golden and soft. Then add the garlic and ginger.
  2. Cook a few more moments until fragrant.
  3. Finally, slip in the rest of the ingredients and gently simmer (uncovered) for 30-45 minutes.
  4. Puree and serve.

Menu: Palau (with $150 Giveaway)

My door handle stopped working the other day. The one in my car that lets me get out. It just snapped off. Around the same time I inhaled a pill into my lungs. Yesterday the doctor told me I have aspiration pneumonia. All this has happened in the week that Keith’s been away on business. It’s a bit much.

I’m hoping that’s it for now. Luckily I cooked all this food before the drama rolled in, so I have plenty of good eats for you… but Panama? Well, I might be in bed for most of that meal. And rather light on recipes. I hope you’ll forgive me.

To make it up to you, this giveaway is extra epic (see after our yummy Palauan menu)

All recipes and meal review will be posted throughout the week

Grilled Mussels Dabbed with Barbecue Sauce [Recipe]
One of the most elegant dishes to serve but so, so simple.  I had no idea. Fire up the grill, friends. We’re eatin’ island style.

 Ginger Peach Barbecue Sauce [Recipe]
A little bit of Oklahoma and a little bit of Palau, all rolled up into one with a nice hit of chili powder. This homemade barbecue sauce is plain, simple, and good enough to wrap up with a bow.

Tandoori Marinade for Fish or Chicken [Recipe]
A nod to the Indian food enjoyed in Palau – yogurt and lemon juice marinade seasoned with garam masala, cumin, coriander, and so much more.

THE GIVEAWAY: 

This week, because I love you and I want to help you create an amazing Global Table spread for you and your family, I’ve partnered with the delicious Saffron Road to give away $150 to Whole Foods (or any grocery retailer that sells Saffron Road Products).

Epic.

Just imagine all the countries you could cook with that much money.

All the spices…. the rices… the cheese… what a dream.

TO ENTER

Follow these 3 easy instructions for creating your dream Global Table Pinboard… that ‘s it!

Note: You must be a member of Pinterest.com to enter, and you must be following Global Table Adventure’s Pinterest pages . If you do not have a Pinterest account, you can sign up for one here .

You must create the Pinboard to be entered, but for bonus entries, comment here how you’d spend the $150, share the contest on Twitter and on Facebook.

Easy peasy!

This contest launches August 22, 2012 and ends November 18, 2012 at Midnight.

A special word…

I’m proud to have Saffron Road as a partner, supporting our Adventure to eat the world. I love that we share similar values… just read what they have to say about the food they make:

We know that great food begins at the farm, so we source our ingredients from only the finest producers available. It’s no coincidence that we buy from small sustainably run family farms. All of our livestock are humanely raised with 100% vegetarian feed and are never given antibiotics. Our halal tradition demands their proper care and welfare.

Glorious.

If you want to be a gem, you’ll check out their pinterest pages, too.

About the food of Palau

Jellyfish Lake. Photo by Anaxibia.

Let’s sink into the sea. Let’s swim with the jelly fish. Snorkel with me to Palau. From deep below her waters (where divers will find barrier reefs and wrecks from World War II), to the top of her lush forests, this island nation is a dream.

Aerial view of uplifted limestone islands, so called "Rock Islands" in Palau. Photo by Dr. James P. McVey, NOAA Sea Grant Program.

From overhead she looks less like an island, and more like mossy bumps of land popping up from the ocean. A closer look reveals bridges snaking across these bumps and puffs of island, as well as stones carved out by the sea that, ironically, look like bridges themselves. Trees also overhang the turquoise waters – shading places with names like “Jellyfish lake.”

One of the many Rock Islands, Palau Islands, Micronesia. Photo by Clark Anderson/Aquaimages.

The food is typical of the Pacific islands- you’ll find taro, pandan, and pumpkin. But there’s also an incredible love for Japanese food (especially sushi and sashimi).

American food is everywhere. Barbecue sauce [Recipe] makes it’s way on everything from grilled chicken to mussels [Recipe].

To get a better picture, read these words from Emma Krasov of Art and Entertain Me, who traveled there:

Palau absorbed culinary influences of Japan, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the USA, creating a fusion cuisine of rice and sea food, barbequed chicken and pork, root vegetables, fresh fruit, and spices.
Out of 21 species of spiny, seedy, and sweet-fleshy tropical fruit growing here, I can now easily identify jackfruit, breadfruit, starfruit, dragon fruit, passion fruit, mangosteen, rambutan, and soursop.
I can also brag about having a full serving of stinky tofu (thankfully, the serving was rather small) that smelled like garbage during garbage collectors’ strike, and looked and tasted like fresh asphalt – not that I ever tasted the latter.

Crabs can be purchased right off the boat and prepared to order one door over. Perhaps in a crab salad? Or maybe in a hot pot?

You can also find wonderful Indian food, where even tandoori fish gets an island spin (on the grill)  [Recipe].

For a small place of 21,000 people, there’s more than enough food to sample (if you have time between diving, relaxing on the beach, and sitting in wonder at the beauty of it all).

Maps and flag courtesy of CIA World Factbook.

Monday Meal Review: Pakistan

Keith once told me that he hated cilantro. He despised how green and soapy it felt in his mouth and how the little green bits snaked through his teeth, sticking with him throughout the day like a tag-along little brother.

This was in the days before our Global Table Adventure, a time when he also hated tomatoes, had no idea what eggplant was, and had never had fresh spinach. A time when one salad per year was a major accomplishment.

So, naturally, when I pop the platter of garlic rice on our rough, wooden dining table, I neglect to mention it is tossed with cilantro. After all, cilantro and parsley look remarkably alike.

I heave the extra wide spoon into the rice and scoop him a large serving. Leaning in, I say “this is garlic rice,” purring over the syllables as though they themselves are made of ghee. He leans in, sniffs his plate, and digs in. A few stray bits of cilantro flutter dangerously on the edge of his spoon.

He chews a moment and then says “This is good.” Raising his eyebrows, he looks from me to his mother. They both smile and go in for more. Ava isn’t quite as enthusiastic. She’s overtired thanks to a long, hard afternoon of playing with grandma at the park, but she eventually settles into my lap and lets me scoop her rice.

As I listen to the contented click of spoons on ceramic, I think “Yes, this is good. Very good, indeed.”

I nonchalantly pass Keith the Pakistani Mixed Bean salad, filled with even more cilantro.

I hold my breath, but he eats it without a word.

Time to cross cilantro off the list of things Mr Picky won’t touch.

Our diet is really changing thanks to this Adventure… so many fun, new dishes. I hope yours is, too. 

Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

This salad is so warm and inviting – it would go well with any food from any culture – especially roasted meats or veggies. The soft onion and garlic float through the rice, while the pine nuts and cilantro making the entire dish really special. Keith did not put down his spoon on this one, and Grandma Martin insisted she ate more than her fair share. Considering I doubled this recipe for 3 and a toddler, and it was all gone by the end of the meal, well… I’d say that certainly speaks volumes on what we thought.

What I loved least about this dish:

Nothing. This is going into the regular rotation, cilantro and all!

Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

This bean salad is fresh and bright thanks to the lemon juice, as well as slightly exotic thanks to the garam masala, a popular spice in Pakistan. The lemon juice can be replaced with white vinegar, depending on your preferences, but I enjoyed the citrus shine in August – it just seemed like the right thing to do. I think this would be great for picnics and potlucks alike.

What I loved least about this dish:

Not much. Initially, I put too much lemon juice (2 lemons worth), but I think with just one lemon or maybe 1 1/2 this salad would be perfect. Poor Mr Picky – we were loaded up with cilantro this week. Thankfully, he didn’t really notice.

Pakistani Coffee with cinnamon & cardamom [Recipe]

What I loved most about this drink:

Everything from the sweet cardamom kiss to the cinnamon hug… this Pakistani coffee made me want to put coffee back in my regular rotation. I brewed mine with decaf and enjoyed it enough that I probably will. As an aside, I love that I don’t need a coffee maker for this recipe.

What I loved least about this drink:

I was the only one to really enjoy the it (not that that stopped me from finishing the entire pot!). Keith just took one sip. Ava couldn’t have any. Grandma drank it, although I don’t think she’s a coffee drinker so she was probably just being polite.

Ava’s Corner

GIVEAWAY WINNER

*Winner from this week’s Pakistani Menu Giveaway was selected at random by random.org. There were lots of great ideas for how to fill the potluck baker.  Congratulations to Christina, who said:

“If a genie in a bottle gave me 1 wish, I would put Peruvian pollo a la brasa & lomo saltado in it & have a picnic lunch at Machu Picchu or anywhere in the Andes in Peru or Ecuador. A big chunk of my heart got left in Peru & I really, really want to go back. Plus, the food is amazing.”

Please email me to claim your prize.

Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad

Next time you go to a potluck,  spice up everyone’s life with pakistani mixed bean salad. Each bite has bits of chickpea, northern white beans, tomato, onion, and peppers. The salad can be spicy or mild, tart or savory. It all depends on how you mix it. Either way, it’s fresh, healthy, and – thanks to being seasoned with lemon juice, cilantro, and garam masala –  just on the other side of unusual.

Be sure to make this salad at least a few hours before you need it, to give time for the flavors to meld. Overnight is best.

Recipe adapted from Laura Kelley at Silk Road Gourmet.

Ingredients:

1 (15 oz) can northern white beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
green chili pepper, minced (to taste)*
1- 1 1/2 lemons juiced (to taste)
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (vegetable oil may be substituted)
1 tsp garam masala **
pepper
salt

1/2 bunch cilantro, stemmed & torn roughly

*I used part of a hatch chili pepper, but in traditional Pakistani cooking you would use a long, skinny, hot pepper – something like a thai bird but longer. My grocery store was out. Real life.

** Garam Masala is made with black cardamom in Pakistan, although I found our house blend to be a nice addition.

Method:

Drain and rinse the beans and add to your mixing bowl.

Chop everything up (except the cilantro)… until you have a bowl of colorful confetti. I was able to use a lot of a mild hatch chili (no spice); you’ll want to be careful if you use a real, spicy chili pepper – a little goes a long way.

 

Now, time for this salad to get dressed.

Lemon juice…

… and oil. Grapeseed oil or vegetable oil is fine.

Add garam masala, salt and pepper, to taste.

Toss the salad and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, mix with a happy helping of torn cilantro leaves.

Enjoy with smiling faces and a bright spirit.

Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad
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Next time you go to a potluck, spice up everyone’s life with pakistani mixed bean salad. Each bite has bits of chickpea, northern white beans, tomato, onion, and peppers. The salad can be spicy or mild, tart or savory. It all depends on how you mix it. Either way, it’s fresh, healthy, and – thanks to being seasoned with lemon juice, cilantro, and garam masala – just on the other side of unusual. Be sure to make this salad at least a few hours before you need it, to give time for the flavors to meld. Overnight is best.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Passive Time
3-8 hours
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Passive Time
3-8 hours
Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Next time you go to a potluck, spice up everyone’s life with pakistani mixed bean salad. Each bite has bits of chickpea, northern white beans, tomato, onion, and peppers. The salad can be spicy or mild, tart or savory. It all depends on how you mix it. Either way, it’s fresh, healthy, and – thanks to being seasoned with lemon juice, cilantro, and garam masala – just on the other side of unusual. Be sure to make this salad at least a few hours before you need it, to give time for the flavors to meld. Overnight is best.
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Passive Time
3-8 hours
Servings Prep Time
6 people 15 minutes
Passive Time
3-8 hours
Ingredients
  • 15 oz canned great northern beans , drained
  • 15 oz canned chickpeas , drained
  • 2 tomatoes , chopped
  • 1/2 large onions , chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper , chopped
  • green chili peppers , minced (to taste)
  • 1 - 1.5 lemon , juiced (to taste)
  • 1/4 cup grapeseed oil - OR -
  • vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 1/2 bunch fresh cilantro , stemmed and torn roughly
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Toss everything together and refrigerate a few hours or overnight. Right before serving, taste and adjust seasonings. Mix with a happy helping of torn cilantro leaves.
Recipe Notes

*I used part of a hatch chili pepper, but in traditional Pakistani cooking you would use a long, skinny, hot pepper – something like a thai bird but longer. My grocery store was out. Real life.

** Garam Masala is made with black cardamom in Pakistan, although I found our house blend to be a nice addition.

Pakistani Coffee with Cinnamon & Cardamom

I’m not a sadist by any means, but I will take any chance I can get to make my sweet Mr Picky drink coffee. For years now, he has claimed to hate the stuff. I maintain that coffee simmered gently with milk and spices is not the same as the sludge served at the local gas station.

I’ve tried making him Nauru’s “Recycled” Iced Coffee (no luck), Arabian Cardamom Coffee (no luck), and even an Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony, complete with popcorn (he exhibited mild curiosity but only ate the popcorn).  I’m not disappointed at my lack of success, however. I look at this as a challenge, one of the few hurdles we still have to tackle with his picky ways… I’m determined to find a winning combination that he’ll at least tolerate by the end of this Adventure (and open to any suggestions you might have).

Today’s coffee, inspired by Pakistan, is a milky mixture of sweet cardamom, the most haunting whisps of cinnamon, and a lingering sweetness that is sure to bring out anyone’s smile.

I think I see a smile… or is that anger?

It’s a little like looking at the Mona Lisa.

He’s such a good sport.

For the rest of us, this drink is a real treat. Pakistanis prepare this fragrant coffee in large pots,  constantly stirring and pouring from up high to create a frothy mixture. It’s a sociable activity – one that can be found throughout the local shops – and one that clicks through the rhythms of the day.


Adapted from Laura Kelly at Silk Road Gourmet,  where she’s on a journey through the cuisines, histories and cultures of the more than thirty countries that traded goods along that great lifeline of the ancient world.

Serves 3-6

Ingredients:

3 cups water
3 cups milk
1 cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods, cracked
sugar, to taste
3 Tbsp coffee

Method:

Crack open a few cardamom pods and toss them in a large pot, along with…

… dark roast coffee, a cinnamon stick, milk, and some water.  You can add the sugar now, too (that’s what I did), or you can let your guests add their own.

Simmer for ten minutes. Ladle the liquid as it bubbles and bobs, pouring from up high to aerate the coffee mixture. Do this about twenty times.

Actually do it about a hundred and twelve times. Each time the mixture will get a little frothier. It’s a great thing to do when you have a problem to work out. Someone to think about. A little stress to sort – that’s real life.

The easy, repetitive motion is soothing the way a gentle breeze soothes in the spring.

While the frothy coffee shimmers and bubbles, daydream your way to Pakistan.

Perhaps you’d like to join me for a hike through the Shaksgam Valley while the sun bobs and weaves through the cloudy sky, scattering shadows on the valley floor.

Shaksgam Valley, Pakistan. Photo by И.Жданов.

When your feet are tired and your spirits high… find your way home again. Strain the milky mixture and transfer to a pretty coffee pot.

Pour into cups and serve with a cinnamon stick (to amp up the cute factor).

Here, come a little closer. Sip those bubbles before they pop!

Savor slowly on the edge of the horizon, where the sand meets the sparkle.

Kund Malir beach, Balochistan (Pakistan). Photo by Bilal Mirza.

Enjoy your weekend.

Pakistani Coffee with Cinnamon & Cardamom
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.33
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Pakistanis prepare this fragrant coffee in large pots, constantly stirring and pouring from up high to create a frothy mixture. It’s a sociable activity – one that can be found throughout the local shops – and one that clicks through the rhythms of the day.
Servings Prep Time
3-6 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3-6 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Pakistani Coffee with Cinnamon & Cardamom
Votes: 3
Rating: 4.33
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Pakistanis prepare this fragrant coffee in large pots, constantly stirring and pouring from up high to create a frothy mixture. It’s a sociable activity – one that can be found throughout the local shops – and one that clicks through the rhythms of the day.
Servings Prep Time
3-6 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Servings Prep Time
3-6 people 10 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Ingredients
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 cups milk
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 5 cardamom pods , cracked
  • sugar , to taste
  • 3 Tbsp coffee grounds
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Crack open a few cardamom pods and toss them in a large pot, along with dark roast coffee, a cinnamon stick, milk, and some water. You can add the sugar now, too (that’s what I did), or you can let your guests add their own.
  2. Simmer for ten minutes. Ladle the liquid as it bubbles and bobs, pouring from up high to aerate the coffee mixture. Do this about twenty times. Strain the milky mixture and transfer to a pretty coffee pot. Pour into cups and serve with a cinnamon stick (to amp up the cute factor).

Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts

I’d like the record to state that I’m ready for a big hug.

It’s the end of summer, times are changing, and I’m ready for that love-filled feeling that comes with a smooshable hug. I see people doing it all the time – their bodies smiling as they pull to each other.

My husband still hugs me, which is the best kind of snuggle-hug I can ask for. But I want more. I want the kind of hug that can’t come from him. Or any person.

It’s the kind of hug that comes from taking a giant bite of garlic bread. It’s the cozy feeling I get as I methodically tear apart a tray of buttery garlic knots. But even that kind of hug seems so… ordinary. Today I want the extraordinary. Actually, every day I should want the extraordinary, but that’s something I’ll need to work out with my life coach.

Enter Pakistan and an ambling line of garlic goodness.

This grand garlic is going into a heaping platter of Garlic Basmati Rice sprinkled with Toasted Pine Nuts. Each bite is unabashedly fragrant, completely garlicky, and a tad bit smoky (from those glorious, toasted pine nuts). While this dish can be found all over the southwest Asia, Laura Kelley of Silk Road Gourmet (from whom I’ve adapted this recipe) tells us the addition of cilantro makes this version especially Pakistani.

While I’ve only used a handful of cilantro, you could easily fold in the better part of a bunch for even more authentic flavor.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice
2 tbsp ghee (or butter)
1/2 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, crushed
2 cups stock (chicken or vegetable)
salt
pepper

Garnish
 1/4 cup coarsely chopped cilantro, (about a handful of leaves)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

Method:

Let’s click on the stove and float away to Pakistan. Imagine yourself inside the cool walls of a Punjabi home.

Traditional mud & brick Punjabi home. Photo by Khalid Mahmood.

This is a dish for those crystal clear times when you know exactly what you deserve – and you don’t mind who knows it (or smells it, for that matter).

In a medium pot, fry up your chopped onion in either the ghee or butter until golden and soft.

Add on the crushed garlic and cook through until fragrant and translucent. Don’t skimp or your house won’t smell like the glorious hug that it should!

Stir in the rice and cook a few minutes to heat through. Then, splash on the stock and bring to a bubble over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 16 minutes, or until tender and fluffy.

Remove from heat, uncover, and let the rice steam dry for about 5 minutes.

Feel free to stick your face in that garlic steam. I did and I’m not ashamed to admit it.

Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown, shaking or stirring frequently to avoid burning.

Scoop the rice on a platter and garnish with the pine nuts and as much cilantro as you’d like…

Good, glorious, soft, buttery, garlic delight!

Even grandma Martin went back for more.

Ava was too busy digging in to give us a smile.

Enjoy with a bright, shining spirit and a window into the sky.

Faiz Mahal Palace, Khairpur, Pakistan. Photo by Arsalan R. Kazi.

Thanks, Pakistan!

P.S. Have you entered our weekly giveaway? This garlic rice would look great in the potluck baker!

Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts
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Each bite is unabashedly fragrant, completely garlicky, and a tad bit smoky (from those glorious, toasted pine nuts). While this dish can be found all over the southwest Asia, Laura Kelley of Silk Road Gourmet (from whom I've adapted this recipe) tells us the addition of cilantro makes this version especially Pakistani.
Servings
2-4
Servings
2-4
Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Each bite is unabashedly fragrant, completely garlicky, and a tad bit smoky (from those glorious, toasted pine nuts). While this dish can be found all over the southwest Asia, Laura Kelley of Silk Road Gourmet (from whom I've adapted this recipe) tells us the addition of cilantro makes this version especially Pakistani.
Servings
2-4
Servings
2-4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 2 Tbsp ghee -OR-
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1/2 large onions , diced
  • 6 cloves garlic , crushed
  • 2 cups stock , chicken or vegetable
  • salt
  • pepper
Garnish
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (coarsely chopped)
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts , toasted
Servings:
Units:
Instructions
  1. In a medium pot, fry up your chopped onion in either the ghee or butter until golden and soft.
  2. Add on the crushed garlic and cook through until fragrant and translucent.
  3. Stir in the rice and cook a few minutes to heat through.
  4. Then, splash on the stock and bring to a bubble over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 16 minutes, or until tender and fluffy.
  5. Remove from heat, uncover, and let the rice steam dry for about 5 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat until golden brown, shaking or stirring frequently to avoid burning.
  7. Scoop the rice on a platter and garnish with the pine nuts and as much cilantro as you'd like.

Menu: Pakistan (& Giveaway)

Whenever I cooked our Pakistani Global Table, our little family was swimming in sweat. Each day soared well over 100F (at times over 110F) and my air conditioner had all but decided to go the way of the puffin. So please forgive me if the menu feels a bit summery – a bit light on, well, cooking. While simmering curries for hours are a wonderful hobby for the bone-cold winters of Pakistan, I still managed to eek out a beautiful Pakistani menu for summer livin’ here in Oklahoma (with the exception being the coffee, if only because it whips up in a flash).

Interestingly, the island nation of Palau (up next week on our Global Table Adventure) eats very similar food, so stay tuned for more options (I’m thinkin’ there’ll be a tandoori dish… and who knows what else!).

All three of this week’s recipes were inspired by Laura Kelley’s Silk Road Gourmet. The recipes and the meal review will be posted throughout the week.

Garlic Basmati Rice with Pine Nuts  [Recipe]
Take everything you love about garlic knots and put it in rice. You’ll get a real garlic kick with this rice dish popular all over southwest Asia…  our variation, cooked with ghee and sprinkled liberally with cilantro, gives it a distinct Pakistani edge.

Pakistani Mixed Bean Salad [Recipe]
You can thank Pakistan for this great potluck dish. Forget the tired three bean salad of canned food fame. This one is bright and just a little spicy – made with chickpeas, northern white beans, chili pepper, onion and cilantro. Finished with bright lemon juice and a dusting of garam masala.

Pakistani Coffee with Cinnamon & Cardamom [Recipe]
Escape to milky coffee bliss, made dreamy with the addition of sugar, cinnamon stick, and fresh cardamom pods. Pakistani coffee involves some frothing, smiling and sipping. (All of those at the mouth, except the first one. Of course.)

WEEKLY GIVEAWAY

Let’s go potluck crazy. It’s that time of year – back to school, back to the grind, back to whatever it is you like to do when summer slides out of sight.

Hopefully among those things you like to do is potluck.

This week, because I love, love, love the color red, I am giving away this beautiful red stoneware Potluck Baker. This rustic lidded vessel with wooden spoon makes it easy to share your favorite Global Table recipes with friends and family. It’s ideal for cooking and taking food to go in rustic style!

Personally, I think our Pakistani bean salad would be just lovely in this red beauty (and,as a bonus, the thick walls would help keep the salad cool).

TO ENTER

Simply leave a comment answering the following question:

What international dish would you like to put in this baker and where in the world would you like to eat it?

Perhaps Käsknöpfle (triple cheesy spaetzel), which you could eat in the Alps?

Or maybe our Dhal Baht, which you could enjoy with a few dear friends at the park near your house?

Have fun! There’s no right or wrong answers.

As always, *bonus entries* will be provided for those that tweet this giveaway with hashtag #globalgiveaway and/or share it on Pinterest and Facebook. 

UPDATE:

*Winner from this week’s Pakistani Menu Giveaway was selected at random by random.org. There were lots of great ideas for how to fill the potluck baker.  Congratulations to Christina, who said:

“If a genie in a bottle gave me 1 wish, I would put Peruvian pollo a la brasa & lomo saltado in it & have a picnic lunch at Machu Picchu or anywhere in the Andes in Peru or Ecuador. A big chunk of my heart got left in Peru & I really, really want to go back. Plus, the food is amazing.”

Please email me to claim your prize.

TO WIN

One comment will be selected at random. Winner will be announced in the Monday Meal Review.  Contest closes Monday morning 8/20/12. Must claim prize by 8/25/12, at midnight. There are no sponsors for this giveaway. I just wanted to share some potluck love, from me to you. Enjoy!

About the food of Pakistan

Makra Pahari (a.k.a. Spider Mountain) in Siri-Paye-Shogran situated in The Valley of Kaghan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, northern Pakistan. Photo by Mughees Ahmed.

Pakistan is said to be the birthplace of the tandoori oven, where white-hot walls glow and crackle with spit-fire. These incendiary cylinders char-roast kebabs and breads alike. Although it is only the exceptional hostess that has a tandoori oven in her private home, if I had one, I would use it to cook our cumin seed naan (the one we made back in Afghanistan. P.S. This bread which would also work for a Pakistani meal. P.P.S. Oh, how far our recipes have come haha).

Even though I swoon for naan day and night, there’s debate from the Pakistani highlands to the plateaus, as to whether a traditional meal goes best with bread or rice – there are local devotees to each. For those who choose flatbreads (typically naan or roti), the meal is easily enjoyed with the fingers.

Ruins of the Sharada Peeth (Temple of the goddess Sarasvatī once considered the center of learning in the region). Photo by Irfan Ahmed.

For those who choose rice, a lovely assortment of biriyani are available. Basmati rice can be seasoned simply with saffron (as we did with Rosewater & Saffron Rice for Bahrain or the Azerbajani Saffron Rice with crusty potatoes) or perhaps with garlic, cilantro, and ghee [Recipe]. There are also elaborate meat and rice dishes, where layers alternate until a towering mountain feast awaits.

Children in Pakistan near the Boarder to Iran. Photo by Graef.

Meals include lots of meat (in fact a diet rich in meat is said to be one of the main distinguishing characteristics between Indian and Pakistani food). There’s tandoori chicken, curried goat, and even a dish called Haleem (or King of Curry), a mixture of several kinds of daal, spices, and beef which is slow cooked for up to six hours. Many of these dishes can be quite spicy, creating an altogether different kind of “tandoori oven” in the mouth.

Maps and flag courtesy of CIA World Factbook. Shahi Qila, Baadshahi Qila, Lahore Fort, Photo by M. Umair.

But it’s not all fire and rice – there’s a general love for the delicate dance between sweet and sour, and meals can be laced up with sour plums, pomegranates, limes or lemons. In contrast, garaham masala weaves warmth and comfort through many meals.

Sides might include chutneys, or beans (like chickpeas and lentils), yogurt, and salads with fresh tomatoes  [Recipe].

Drinks include green tea or even coffee laced with cardamom, cinnamon, and the occasional sprinkle of golden saffron [Recipe]. Surely these warm sippers are most welcome during Pakistan’s monsoon season, where water becomes a creature that must be keenly watched, lest it flood too much ground.

Winter in Lahore. Photo by Jugni.

Monday Meal Review: Oman

Curls of frankincense billow towards me. I breathe in slowly through my nose. The house submits to the sweet, deep darkness and I feel the urge to sleep. My body is ready to sink down anywhere – the couch, the bed, the kitchen floor – but, as Robert Frost would say “I have miles to go before I sleep.”

I drag the tip of my spoon along the soft white scoop and put the cold ice cream to my lips. I slip into a dream lit by exotic pine, orange, sandlewood and cream. There’s ginger in there, too.

This is Frankincense Ice Cream.

I look around the empty kitchen. I feel the empty house. There is silence. I shut my eyes and I am in Oman, sitting under a tree feeling nothing but absolutely… pure. When I open my eyes, the house is still empty.

“It doesn’t taste like it’s going to kill me,” I whisper to a photo of Ava on the wall. Her 11-day old head is cradled in two hands: mine and Keith’s. My fingers brush across my stomach and I say a silent prayer that cramps won’t pop up hours later.

As I stand there, stiff and awkward in the face of the most gloriously strange ice cream I’ve ever tried, I suddenly realize I haven’t been relaxed for a long time. It’s not really about the blog. Sure – week in and week out, there’s lots to do. At just 2/3 through cooking the world, our routine is now fairly well-orchestrated. That being said, there is a grind to the routine – a “this is now my job” feeling that both makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world, as well as a girl with a serious responsibility – a girl who must properly and fairly celebrate each country to the best of my ability.

It’s like being a mom. I want to take care of everyone, just like I want to take care of Ava. So I go on caring, even when I’m tired.  Even when the house is empty and I could really use a nap. Even when I’m a little scared.

That’s motherhood.

Mothers always try the risky food first – just in case. After all, my child is still my child… she still crawls in our bed during thunderstorms… she still need affirmation and attention and love, like any three year-old. And I want nothing more than the best for her.

I look back at the Frankincense Ice Cream and, after one more bite (during which I try hard to push the fear away – telling myself if an entire country eats it, how sick could it make me?), I pop the container back into the freezer.

Indeed, there are no ill effects. In fact, the only thing I feel is the joy of having eaten ice cream and my own shameful nerves. Three days later I try the ice cream again. This time Keith joins me. We eat a few more bites than the first time.

Neither of us are sick.

I wait another few days to offer the treat to Ava and Grandma Martin just to be sure there are no latent side effects simmering below the surface.

Smiling behind giant cones, they eat and enjoy. As we sit in the golden afternoon sunshine, I can’t help but wonder if everything will be okay in the biggest sense of the word. In the biggest sense of the world.

I want our world to be okay. I want us to try, even when we’re scared. I want us to be curious about each other. I want us to take risks in love and life. And I worry when we become too tired and jaded and worried to try.

This is what is so exhausting. This is what I felt that day in the deep, frankincense dream. Why I’m not relaxed: I never. stop. worrying.

The irony is that Frankincense Ice Cream is an ordinary treat in Oman. I know there is no fear in Oman for this delightfully strange ice cream.

But I worry anyway. Why?

Why can’t I just trust?

Are you a worrier in life, or do you dive in without fear? What is your experience with getting out of your comfort zone? I’ll take all the tips I can get.

THE FOOD

Grilled Kofta with Zucchini Sauce [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

We all loved these juicy kofta. The fact that the sauce is loaded with zucchini? That’s perfection from a mother’s point of view. So healthy and the flavor –  rolled up in cinnamon, coriander, and more – is just on the joyful edge of exotic. It’s also a plus that the sauce only needs to be cooked for ten minutes (although you can certainly stew it longer for a more wintery dish).

What I loved least about this dish:

I wasn’t sure the kofta in zucchini sauce was going to taste “global” enough, but I’m not sure why. It was a great global treat. Ava and Mr Picky gobbled this one up without hesitation (Ava also went crazy for the basmati rice I served it with). This will make a nice treat for many summers to come.

Rosewater Lemonade [Recipe]

What I loved most about this drink:

who wouldn’t want to drink a valley of roses in every sip? This is so easy if you use store-bought lemonade laced with the irreplacable flavor of fresh sliced lemons. Keith, Ava, and I enjoyed this – Ava without any questions at all. Keith said “huh” and continued to drink. To me, it seemed like a drink for a festive occasion, like a travel-themed wedding or baby shower.

What I loved least about this drink:

Nothing, although some might want to moderate how much rose water they add until they aquire a taste for it. Most people who try it for the first time have the distinct sensation they are consuming perfume.

Frankincense Ice Cream [Recipe]

What I loved most about this dish:

This is exotic, wild, and makes the hair stand up on my arms. Everything about this dessert says wow, amazing, and give me more. One friend, after eating it remarked “Who lit the incense?” That’s exactly what happens inside your mouth, in the most wonderful way.

What I loved least about this dish:

My biggest fear – of a “reaction”  – never happened. I’m happy to report everyone enjoyed their ice cream with no side effects.

Ava’s Corner

WEEKLY GIVEAWAY WINNER:

*Winner from this week’s Omani Menu Giveaway was selected at random by random.org. There were lots of great guesses as to how many binders my mom filled with printoffs of every single post on this blog. We had several who guessed the correct number, which I find amazing! There were 15 binders … from those who guessed correctly, we selected a random winner.  Congratulations to Mary who said:

“My aunt did this for a blog I kept while traveling, though she chose only a selection of entries and pictures and created a scrapbook for me. It was one of the best surprise gifts I’ve ever received.

My guess: 15 binders.”

Yay, Mary! Please email me (sasha@ globaltableadventure.com) to claim your ice cream maker. Thank you all for playing along. See you at the next giveaway.

Rose Water Lemonade

For some, the season of flip flops is over, now replaced by the steady clickety-clack of school shoes on polished linoleum. For others, school is nothing more than a faint memory, farther yet than the setting sun’s shimmering rays upon which our dreams cling.

Either way, Rosewater Lemonade will put a smile where you need it most.

For the back-to-schoolers, this drink represents everything easy-breezy; a way to go global, even in the midst of lost backpacks, homework, and forgotten lunches. Each sip will take you to the middle east and Oman, where Rosewater Lemonade is a cherished treat. For those who cling to the distant memory of schoolyard days, this is your ticket to the lost joys of youth.

Each sip tastes like a thousand roses bathing in fresh squeezed sunlight.

Literally.

Now, here’s the deal. This time of year I have too many paper cuts to squeeze my own lemonade.

If you find yourself in the same position, I have a sneaky trick for you.

Add several slices of fresh lemon to each cup of store-bought lemonade and the drink will transform from dull to bright. The result will taste so much like fresh squeezed, you won’t regret the shortcut.

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

4 cups fresh lemonade
1/4 cup rose water
1 lemon, sliced in thin half moons

Method:

Find a quiet little spot in Oman to enjoy your drink. Perhaps while perched in the shade of a million stones.

Jabrin Wall (World Heritage Site in Oman). Photo by F igy.

Splash a bit of rose water (found at Indian and Middle Eastern markets) on your wrists and another bunch …

… in your lemonade.


Watch the romance sweet over whoever you give the drink to.

I’m not sure when he put the rose behind the ear, but I wasn’t going to let the moment pass by without a photo.

Hey there, blue eyes! I’m into you.

The end.

P.S. This has to be the quickest way to stovetop travel in the history of Global Table. I do hope you give it a go.

P.P.S. If you shut your eyes really tight, each sip will transport you to the heart of your greatest longings. When my eyes shut I went, of course, to my sweetest dream: a home on the sea.

Sawadi, Oman. Photo by Andries Oudshoorn.

Where did you go?

Rosewater Lemonade
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Add several slices of fresh lemon to each cup of store-bought lemonade and the drink will transform from dull to bright. The result will taste so much like fresh squeezed, you won't regret the shortcut.
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Rosewater Lemonade
Votes: 2
Rating: 5
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
Add several slices of fresh lemon to each cup of store-bought lemonade and the drink will transform from dull to bright. The result will taste so much like fresh squeezed, you won't regret the shortcut.
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Servings Prep Time
2-4 people 5 minutes
Ingredients
  • 4 cups lemonade , fresh
  • 1/4 cup rose water
  • 1 lemon , sliced into half moons
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Mix all ingredients together and pour over ice.

Grilled Kofta with Zucchini Sauce

This week we dove into a summery garden spread from Oman. Kofta are grilled hand-formed sausages enjoyed in Oman and neighboring countries. In fact, versions of kofta are enjoyed as far east as India (although these are typically served in meatball form). These Omani kofta sizzle with earthy cumin, warm flutterings of cinnamon, and are rounded out by coriander seed, fresh parsley and cilantro.

The sauce – entirely vegan, by the way – is loaded up with fresh zucchini, garlic, parlsey and such a little sprinkle of mint, noone will know what your secret ingredient is. You can make it as spicy as you’d like with red pepper flakes (or go wild with cayenne, if you must).

P.S. This sauce would be great for a variation on our vegetarian Shakshouka that we made back with Israel. Shakshouka is also enjoyed in Oman.

Recipe adapted from Laura Kelley at Silk Road Gourmet, where she journies through the cuisines, histories and cultures of the more than thirty countries that traded goods along that great lifeline of the ancient world.

Ingredients:

For the Kofta:

1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped (about a handful)
1 Tbsp cilantro, finely chopped
1 tiny red onion, minced
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt/pepper to taste

For the Zucchini Sauce:

3 medium zucchinis
6 cloves garlic, crushed
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large can diced tomatoes
crushed red chili, to taste
handful fresh parsley, chopped (2 Tbsp)
handful fresh mint, chopped (2 Tbsp)
1 tbs of balsamic vinegar
Salt & pepper

Method:

Head to the garden and salvage any fresh herbs you might find there. These, along with a few spices, are your ticket to Oman.

Mix the beef with the parsley, cilantro, red onion, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Knead for a few minutes, until the meat clears the sides of the bowl and the ingredients are evenly distributed.

Roll the meat into 8 finger shaped Kofta. Dipping your clean fingers in a little water will help keep the meat from sticking. Cover and refrigerate until needed (at least 30 minutes for the flavors to mellow).

Meanwhile, prepare the chunky, bright zucchini sauce – an entire garden in every bite.

Fry the zucchini and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Add on the chili flakes, herbs, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper.  A splash of vinegar brightens up the flavor. Simmer uncovered for just ten minutes. This is a quick sauce, perfect for August. It’s lit from within.

In the winter you could cook this at a low, slow bubble while watching the snow fall.

Grill the kofta over medium high heat…

Fill a large platter with the zucchini sauce and pile on the kofta. Garnish with more parsley and serve with rice and flatbread.

Dig in!

Enjoy the fresh flavors.

Here, Ava saved you a bite!

Enjoy by the Omani shore…

Vista of Sur, Oman. Reconstructed 16th century Portuguese forts dot the landscape. Photo by Dan Soley.

…. where the sun is bright and the smiles are easy.

Grilled Kofta with Zucchini Sauce
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
This week we dove into a summery garden spread from Oman. Kofta are grilled hand-formed sausages enjoyed in Oman and neighboring countries. In fact, versions of kofta are enjoyed as far east as India (although these are typically served in meatball form). These Omani kofta sizzle with earthy cumin, warm flutterings of cinnamon, and are rounded out by coriander seed, fresh parsley and cilantro. The sauce – entirely vegan, by the way – is loaded up with fresh zucchini, garlic, parlsey and such a little sprinkle of mint, noone will know what your secret ingredient is. You can make it as spicy as you’d like with red pepper flakes (or go wild with cayenne, if you must). P.S. This sauce would be great for a variation on our vegetarian Shakshouka that we made back with Israel. Shakshouka is also enjoyed in Oman.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 30 minutes
Grilled Kofta with Zucchini Sauce
Votes: 0
Rating: 0
You:
Rate this recipe!
Print Recipe
This week we dove into a summery garden spread from Oman. Kofta are grilled hand-formed sausages enjoyed in Oman and neighboring countries. In fact, versions of kofta are enjoyed as far east as India (although these are typically served in meatball form). These Omani kofta sizzle with earthy cumin, warm flutterings of cinnamon, and are rounded out by coriander seed, fresh parsley and cilantro. The sauce – entirely vegan, by the way – is loaded up with fresh zucchini, garlic, parlsey and such a little sprinkle of mint, noone will know what your secret ingredient is. You can make it as spicy as you’d like with red pepper flakes (or go wild with cayenne, if you must). P.S. This sauce would be great for a variation on our vegetarian Shakshouka that we made back with Israel. Shakshouka is also enjoyed in Oman.
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 30 minutes
Servings Prep Time
4 people 15 minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
20 minutes 30 minutes
Ingredients
For the kofta:
  • 1 lb ground beef - OR -
  • ground lamb
  • 1 Tbsp parsley , finely chopped (about a handful)
  • 1 Tbsp fresh cilantro , finely chopped
  • 1 tiny red onions , minced
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • salt
  • pepper
For the Zucchini Sauce:
  • 3 medium zucchini
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes (diced)
  • red pepper flakes , to taste
  • handful parsley , freshly chopped (2 Tbsp)
  • handful mint , freshly chopped (2 Tbsp)
  • 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • salt
  • pepper
Servings: people
Units:
Instructions
  1. Mix the beef with the parsley, cilantro, red onion, cinnamon, coriander, cumin, salt and pepper. Knead for a few minutes, until the meat clears the sides of the bowl and the ingredients are evenly distributed.
  2. Roll the meat into 8 finger shaped Kofta. Dipping your clean fingers in a little water will help keep the meat from sticking. Cover and refrigerate until needed (at least 30 minutes for the flavors to mellow).
  3. Meanwhile, prepare the chunky, bright zucchini sauce – an entire garden in every bite.
  4. Fry the zucchini and garlic in olive oil until slightly browned. Add on the chili flakes, herbs, diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. A splash of vinegar brightens up the flavor. Simmer uncovered for just ten minutes.
  5. Grill the kofta over medium high heat until cooked through.
  6. Fill a large platter with the zucchini sauce and pile on the kofta. Garnish with more parsley and serve with rice and flatbread.