Oh my goodness do I need a vacation. I knew it had been a while when Keith told me he still had 8 days to use up this year. Whoops. Bottom line, it’s just too hard to get away right now. So, instead of packing my bags, I read about Kuwait. I looked at the photos, flipped through recipes and began to daydream myself to the other side of the world. Kuwait: on this tiny, sandy country by the sea you’ll find a bouquet of influences. While now rather urban and glimmering, the area was settled after 1700 by nomadic tribes who shifted from a desert lifestyle to a life dominated by the nearby water. Thanks certainly to this history the food reflects traditional Middle Eastern and Persian food, but there are also a few spin offs from their days as a British colony as well as influences from Africa and India. I don’t know about you, but that sounds all good to me. (If you take a look at our world map, you can explore …
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THE SCENE: Just Getting There. Friendship is funny. Good friends don’t need much of a reason to get together. On this particular day we decided to celebrate the simple fact that I had a giant wheel of brie. Good enough. Friends gathered, wine poured, and a six person, 3 kid potluck was born (I told you I was making an effort with friends). For two entire days preceding the potluck I worked and reworked the Flija (this week’s traditional Kosovo campfire cake). The better part of 6 hours had been spent hunched over the broiler, browning dozens of layers of batter. My shoulders, my back, my thighs – everything ached. At 5:03, minutes before the first guest arrived, I pulled the flija from the broiler for the final time. It was warm, soft and smelled of tangy kefir, the yogurt-like drink so popular in eastern Europe. My mouth watered but before I could cut into the large layered cake, the doorbell rang. I quickly deposited the hot treat on a trivet and ran to the door. Exactly …
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I love presents. Surprises. Happy faces. So does my daughter. Imagine her ecstatic two-year old delight, then, when her dinner was a lidded present filled with a bounty of rice, sausage and beef? But the real surprise wasn’t her reaction – it was Keith’s. My very own Mr. Picky has been asking for stuffed peppers ever since I made them last week.Who knew this man would fall so hard for a simple stuffed pepper. Who knew he’d be so easy to please. He’s right, though. And, for the record, so is Kosovo – the lovely country that inspired this dish. So pull up a chair. Today we’re feasting on chilly autumnal food. Festival fall food. PS. This recipe is beloved in Kosovo where peppers, tomatoes and eggplants are all stuffed. Feel free to add your favorite herbs. Once you try it, you’ll be hooked. Makes 8-10 small stuffed peppers, or 6 large Ingredients: 1/2 lb ground sausage (pork or chicken) 1/2 lb ground beef 2 large cloves garlic, crushed 1 onion, chopped 1 cup rice, cooked (about …
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Flija, flija, flija… Have you ever loved someone so impossible that they made you want to tear your hair out? Have you ever known someone who seemed really complicated at the time, but when you really, really think back, you realize they were about simple as it gets – that just maybe you were the complicated one? Have you known someone whose company turns minutes into hours, until you forget hunger in a the wake of good conversation? Do you like to whittle? How about the opposite – slowly adding bits and bits to something until a whole forms? You’ll experience all of the above with Flija. It’s a total workout – mind, body, and soul. I’ll guide you through it. Here’s the deal. Once in a while I make recipes on this blog that take a extra effort, like the twenty layer German Tree Cake (a family favorite). Other times, I make recipes that are incredibly simple but are designed to be as much an activity as they are a meal, like Hungarian Bacon on Sticks (genius). Today I bring …
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I found a new favorite quote. It’s about peace, but it isn’t cheesy (something amazingly difficult to come by). In fact, I think this quote really gets at the heart of the matter – at what I’m trying to accomplish here. I’m sharing it today in honor of Wednesday, “hump day” – the day that is neither the beginning of the week, the end of the week or the weekend. It’s the time of the week when everything drags just a little. I’m also sharing it in honor of neither being at the beginning, middle, or end of this Adventure… but steadily plodding on course to finish eating the world for peace in exactly 2 years and 2 weeks. As you’ll read, perhaps steadily plodding away is the only way. Perhaps that’s the way it should be. Here’s the quote: “Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.” JFK And here’s a bit of food from Kosovo, shared in the hopes that it’ll …
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Kosovo boldly proclaimed independence in 2008. Apparently the deal was highly contentious, but as you know… I’m not here for the politics. I’m here for the food. What does this mean? It means I’ll take any chance I can get to cook food from around the world. So, with that being said – welcome to Kosovo week at the Global Table. Let’s eat! If you weren’t paying close attention when you sat down, you might think you were in America during Thanksgiving. You’ll find a spread of pumpkin pie, meat and potatoes, and – speaking of meat – there’ll be meat, meat, and more meat. Even their traditional beef and rice stuffed peppers [recipe] show up in American cookbooks as “traditionally American.” Did I mention they like meat in Kosovo? While more than one country can certainly have similar traditional food, I find it fascinating that nearly all of southeast Europe shares the affinity for the stuffed pepper with America. (They also stuff eggplants and tomatoes). Then there’s the shopska salad which we made for Bosnia [recipe], …
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THE SCENE: My Happily Broken Heart A broken heart occurs when two hearts joined in love tear apart. It could happen slowly or quickly, but like a wishbone, something has to give. If it’s a clean break, it wasn’t love. At least, not for a long time. Sometimes both hearts have a tear, other times just one. Lots of times it feels like a piece was left behind, permanently affixed to the heart of the other. Keith has never broken my heart. Sure, we’ve had our disagreements but I’ve never once felt like he has pulled away enough to tear me up, to break my heart. Ava, however, broke my heart the day she was born. There she was, perfect, tiny and so wonderful. And there I was, completely awash with love. Overwhelming love. I wept as her tiny body struggled to take those first breaths of air. And then,there it was – she relaxed – her eyes darted around, taking in the light – she was with the world. That’s when the tears came full …
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While I don’t typically dive into steaming hot bowls of sweet pumpkin soup, I just might make an exception today. And, if I did, I just might use one of those rice balls as a floaty. No judgments, please. I just like pumpkin a whole lot. The unusual thing about this soup is not how sweet it is, or even the fact that there’s rice balls in it (that’s not much different than a dumpling) – it’s that there’s a scoop of sweet red beans lurking at the bottom of the bowl, waiting for the unsuspecting diner to slurp and nibble and glump. Glump? Sure. That’s exactly what sweet red beans are like. In the best possible way, of course. So, let’s take ourselves deep into the heart of Korea. Perhaps on the first snowfall, when freezing freckles of snow just barely stick to the ground. It’s the best time to saddle up to a bowl of sweet pumpkin soup. Recipe inspired by Aeri’s Kitchen. Serves 6 Ingredients: 5 cups of steamed pumpkin (from a 3-5 lb pumpkin) 5 …
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On chilly fall mornings I like to roll up in my thick downy comforter, cozy and warm. I know that the second I stick my nose out it’ll turn into an icicle, so I don’t. I keep it tucked and cozy. I would lay there for hours, if Ava would let me. I’m like a human burrito. Or … ahem… a human… omelet. You see, I like to think of this rolled omelet as an egg comforter. Even better? A heart-shaped egg comforter. Welcome to Cozy Town. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, I think everyone should have at least one heart-shaped egg comforter in life. So today I’m making yours. You can season the omelet with anything you like, but today we’re going totally Korean and making it with kimchi. Think of it as a spicy blast of embroidery for your omelet comforter. (This totally makes sense in my world.) Makes 1 Rolled omelet Ingredients: 6 eggs 2 Tbsp finely chopped kimchi sesame oil Method: Hitch a ride to the nearest farmer … … …
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Yesterday, during Ava’s nap, I planted 16 plants (15 of which were mums), cleaned out my bathroom cabinet, and painted my toenails. I worked up such an appetite, I finished off the rest of our Korean Sweet Pumpkin Porridge. By the end of it, the yard, my feet, and my belly were sparkling with happy color. I also got a couple of entries to our Gingerbread for Peace contest (check out the gallery and vote for your favorites). All in all, a pretty great day. Bottom line – some days just bloom. What sounds good to you? Rolled Egg Omelet with Kimchi (Gyeran mali) [recipe] This is not just any omelet. Nope. This is the mac daddy – a rolled omelet. Once you learn the technique you’ll be wondering why you didn’t think of it first. P.S. This particular rolled omelet is salty and shrimpy thanks to a spoonful of chopped kimchi. Sweet Pumpkin porridge with rice balls & red beans [recipe] Bite cold weather back with this sweet, warming porridge. The pumpkin is the …
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While I’m not a huge meat eater, I never met a burger I didn’t like. Especially if it has cheese on top. Case in point: I loved the Aussie Burger we made for our Australian Global Table. This bad boy was loaded up with a fried egg, pickled beets, and a large slice of ooey gooey cheddar. It was all good. Still… the very Shakespearean question is whether or not I would still like a burger if it was called something else… if a burger, like a rose, is just as sweet by any other name. Turns out, in North Korea, it is. In this chilly, isolated country lives a burger chain called “Samtaesong” where the burgers are not called burgers but instead dubbed “minced beef and bread.” (Thanks to reader Brian for pointing this New York Times article out, as well as his list of other North Korean restaurants – dog meat, anyone?). Customers line up to enjoy the minced beef and bread just as heartily as anyone else, despite the rather technical, straight-forward name. Would you? Of course, while …
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THE SCENE: My Wake Up Call I almost didn’t have anyone over for our South Korean Global Table. I was living in funk town and not sure I’d be great company. I tried to climb out of my shell – I went for a sunshiny walk and even put a smile on my face. “Fake it til you make it” says Joy the Baker. Sage advice. Still – I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again: I’m a pretty shy gal. I like people and people like me, but I’m not very good at cultivating friendships – at making best friends. The last time I did it with any lasting success was in college. Something about being thrown into a stressful environment together practically guarantees lifelong friendship. To be honest, I don’t usually worry about it. I hang out with people now and then. We laugh. But at the end of the day, I spend most of my time with my wonderful husband and daughter. I go to bed happy. Last year, though, I had …
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