Posts | Global Table Adventure

Menu: Myanmar

Look carefully. In this photo Ava seems to be giving me the thumbs up. This is not, in fact, what is happening. Instead, she’s showing me how she holds her chopsticks. I made these kid-friendly chopsticks by folding up a piece of paper, placing it between regular chopsticks and wrapping all around it with an elastic band. Ava’s been using them since she could pick up a spoon. So why am I feeding her? Because she wasn’t so sure about the Burmese salad. Not yet. Our greatest role as parents is to provide the warm encouragement our children need to experience the world as fully as possible – to help open their minds. So, while it seems like I simply picked up the chopsticks to feed her, I’m actually working on world peace. True story. This week I have two summery treats, as well as one that’ll comfort you any time of year. Of these three recipes, 2 recipes have chickpea flour, 2 have coconut milk, and two have lime juice. There’s quite a bit …

About the food of Myanmar (Burma)

Get your imagination primed; this week’s Global Table is laid between ancient statues dripping with gold, miles of muddy coastlines, and blue skies held up by lush, green tropics. We’re spending a week in Myanmar, a.k.a. Burma. Wander with me through the rhythms of daily life in this southeast Asian country, where flat, circular baskets whomp, whomp, whomp to thresh grain; pestles thump, thump, thump to grind ginger, garlic, and lemongrass to a paste; and mallets clang, clang, clang to make knives. Amid this bustling, concentrated routine, the scents and flavors of Burmese cooking shine bright. Salads are everywhere. If you’re thinking this means lettuce, think again. For the most part, these salads are flavor firecrackers layered with napa cabbage, lentils, chickpeas, fish sauce, and chilies. Variables include fermented tea leaf, pickled ginger [Recipe], and chickpea flour and more. Speaking of chickpeas, there’s a notable Indian influence in Myanmar. Not only are spicy curries, tamarind juice, and flatbreads common (nan pya), but food is typically enjoyed layered with steamed rice. Unless, that is, noodles show up. And, boy do …

Monday Meal Review: Mozambique

THE SCENE: Recently Tulsa was blown over by some pretty mighty winds. Trees scattered their branches – the old, the cracked, and the decrepit littered the neighborhood streets. The next day I walked with Ava while she rode her tricycle. Every few minutes I stooped over to the pavement, gathering small twigs and branches until my hands were full. I would use the firewood in our chimnea. While I hate to see something good go to waste, I still felt a twinge of shame when the occasional car passed us by. I was that lady. Picking up sticks for no apparent reason at all. The weird lady. Ava pedaled happily along, occasionally pointing out another stick for me. Her simple, unquestioning willingness to help me, her mother, moved me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of the jaded years to come. I silently looked to the sky and said a few words of thanks for the child. Thank you for not judging me with jaded eyes. Thank you for helping me with eager hands. Thank …

Menu: Mozambique

This is childhood: an overzealous hug and a kitty who has lost the will to struggle. This is also childhood: faces small enough to fit behind the glass. Both of these photos come from this week’s lovely Global Table. I themed the menu around all-things-barbecue because steamy Mozambique has all sorts of BBQ goodness going on. The Piri Piri sauce can go on just about anything – rice, meat, soup, stew, so be brave and whip it up on your next whim. Even better, carry a little to your next potluck in a cute bottle and make the hostess happy. Bring the chicken, too, if you have time. Then there’s the drink. Seriously. It’s like… creamy buttercups in your mouth. But ginger-hot. Oh goodness. None of this makes sense. Let’s just say it’s grand. What sounds good to you? Chicken Mozambique [Recipe] Whole chicken legs marinated overnight in coconut milk and lemon piri piri. This grilled chicken has tropical flair good enough for, say, Memorial Day weekend. Lemon Piri Piri [Recipe] A quick mix of garlic, …

About the food of Mozambique

I love a little eye candy in the morning. This week I searched Pinterest for Mozambique and found the most beautiful photos; sparkling clear waters, titanic mountain rainges, lovely ladies and adorable children. Page after page filled with the beautiful and the rugged, the charming and, yes, the unexpeted bits of the Southeast African country. Welcome to my new favorite hobby – looking up countries I know next-to-nothing about on Pinterest. In fact, the less I know about a country, the more fun it is. Have you tried this? The obsession means I now have pinboards for every continent, global themed parties, changing the world, and more. Hello, fun! Once I settled into the photos of Mozambique, I realized that, while there is an over proportion of beautiful resort scenery, there are also plenty of photos of daily life. Women carrying water on their heads, children lounging in the hot, hot shade, food at the market. And speaking of food… the food of Mozambique is as beautiful as her landscape. You might find anything from chicken [Recipe] in a coconut milk & piri …

Monday Meal Review: Morocco

As I set our Moroccan Global Table I know something is wrong. I know because I’m doing it on purpose. The table sits outside, under a tree, covered by dappled shade and a soft cotton cloth. I tuck the benches right up to the table, so Ava can eat without a giant void between her and the table. I look at the clock; Ava’s friend Isabel, her sister Emma, and her parents will be here any minute. After a moment of hesitation, I make my decision and quickly place seven dinner plates on the tablecloth. This is where I go wrong. This is what I should not be doing. To make matters worse, I continue by placing seven sets of silverware on the table and seven cups. The table is loaded to the brim. If I were living the traditional Moroccan way I would not be using all these dishes. We would tear off pieces of bread and use it to scoop up the lamb from the communal tagine, straight into our mouths. In fact, Moroccan …

Menu: Morocco

This week we’re trying three completely different recipes which all use one magical Moroccan ingredient: orange blossom water. Have you ever used it? The perfume-like water lends a dreamy flavor to ordinary ingredients. While almost impossible to describe, I’d say that each splash of orange blossom water makes the food taste “prettier” which, of course, inspired me to splash a little behind my ears. Whether or not this is normal, I was happy as can be, walking around, smelling like Morocco. What sounds good to you?* Lamb Tagine with Sweet Honey Figs [Recipe] Tender pieces of lamb slow-cooked in saffron, cinnamon and ginger, then topped with figs and chestnuts which have simmered in a honey and orange blossom water sauce. Carrot & Juicy Orange Salad [Recipe] Mountains of carrots grated and mixed with the juice of fresh squeezed oranges, cinnamon, sugar, and fragrant orange blossom water. Semolina “Crater” Pancakes (Behgrir) [Recipe] This lovely yeast-risen batter is cooked on one side only, creating thousands of tiny craters – perfect for filling with a yummy blend of …

About the food of Morocco

Ohh, ok. Here we are. This is Morocco week at the Global Table (and the crowd goes wild!). To be honest I was pretty nervous about this week. As far as I’m concerned, Morocco is a culinary giant. This comes from growing up in France, where delectable Moroccan dishes make regular appearances on Parisian menus. As I got to reading, however, I quickly realized that the food – although filled with intensely fragrant, glorious spices like cinnamon, cumin, saffron, and ginger – can be wonderfully straightforward in preparation. Three cheers for that! Perhaps this has to do with living in a hot, mountainous country – energy is better preserved than squandered, even in the kitchen. Case in point: the other day I watched Anthony Bourdain enjoy a whole roasted lamb in the desert during one of his early shows. This epic feast amounted to no more than a hot fire, a good piece of meat, and time enough to cook it. Sometimes that’s all we need. Simple, simple, simple. And then there’s the national dish – …

Monday Meal Review: Montenegro

I’m at the grocery store, eyeing shelf upon shelf of neatly stacked packages of noodles. There are about 25 brands – each boasting some variation of regular, whole wheat, gluten-free, or loaded-with-spinach pasta. Three feet over there’s another 5 brands sitting pretty in the chiller. These are the fresh pastas. The ones that taste like you made them yourself. The ones that cost $10 for two servings. Hello. I feel my anxiety mounting. Deep breath. It’s just pasta. It’s just pasta. How difficult can it be? But it is difficult. So. many. choices. And yet, between these 30 brands of pasta, I cannot find anything labeled buckwheat – the noodles I need for my Montenegrin Global Table. I inquire and a kind grocery clerk leads me over to the international aisle, where I find another 15 brands of pasta. Rice noodles and squiggly ramen fill most of the shelves. The clerk gestures on the bottom row, just by my ankle. There it is – three brands of buckwheat noodles. The clerk casually adds that there …

Menu: Montenegro

I might be a little ahead of myself this week. I can’t help it. People have been asking me when the pools open. Women are wearing sun dresses and sunglasses. On Sunday Ava said “my head is crying,” with a look of astonishment, as beads of sweat dripped down her head after a good play session. You see, way back in April the weather spiked straight up, into the 80s and 90s. It might be May, but we might as well be in the heart of summer. I’m ready to kick off my shoes, run through the sprinkler, and eat a summery meal outside, in the sunshine. Good news. This week’s menu can make that happen. The great thing about being at the Montenegrin Global Table during this heat wave is how much of the food can be made on the grill. How much can be enjoyed in the great outdoors. In fact, two of our dishes are grilled and the other is happily served chilled. That’s summer eatin’ if you ask me. So slide up your chair …

About the food of Montenegro

This week we’re eating Montenegro – where the mountains reach right up, into the clouds, like giant forks. By all appearances, they hold up the very sky herself. And then there are Montenegro’s lakes which sparkle like eternal springtime. With beauty that has even captured National Geographic’s attention for their coveted magazine cover photo, Montenegro is at once rugged and disarmingly serene. Funny that the country means “Black Mountain,” a name which sounds straight out of Lord of the Rings, because as far as I can tell, there’s nothing even a little sinister about her beauty. This eastern European country is home to an array of comforting dishes which will seem Yugoslavian (thanks to being part of Yugoslavia), as well as a little Italian, somewhat Hungarian, a tad Turkish, a bit Asian, and – of course – very, very Montenegrin. One dish that I didn’t expect to see on the list of specialties was Buckwheat pasta (a.k.a. soba noodles in Japan) tossed with feta and olive oil [Recipe]. In fact, I had never realized buckwheat noodles were …

Monday Meal Review: Mongolia

THE SCENE This week my brain is stuck on Mongolian nomads. I am obsessed. While I sip my hot, salty tea I think of their fierce loyalty in brutal winters. While I nibble the tangy carrot slaw, I imagine how hard it must be to move five times a year – so often that you cannot keep a veggie patch. So often that even a basic carrot salad would be a major treat, normally reserved for city folk. I take so much for granted. But what really hit home is how these nomads (who live so many places) are never homeless. Never alone. When something (good or bad) happens in their lives, nomads from other Gers (the portable homes they live in) show up to help. They come out of nowhere, from miles away. From over the hills. Through the vast emptiness. And they chip in to help however they can. While it can seem like each family unit is isolated in nothing but a giant expanse of blue sky and crusty grass, nothing could be farther than …