Today let’s stove top travel to Nepal, sit in the afternoon sunshine, and make our own little mountain ranges, good enough to eat. Momos are carefully folded dumplings, each crease like a ridge in the most glorious of mountains, Mount Everest. (Did you know Nepal has 8/1o of the world’s tallest mountains?) This is a recipe for quiet days. Contemplative days. Days when you want to be more, learn more… and find out what you’re made of. With each fold you evolve. Listening becomes easier. Being present is the only option. Today’s recipe is entirely vegetarian, made from a a traditional combination of cabbage and carrot, seasoned with golden turmeric, fresh ginger and sweet onion. You’ll find similar recipes south, towards India and across Tibet, through China. From what I understand you can fold your momos in circles or half moons. The circles are typically used for meat while the half moons are typically reserved for vegetarian. You can also steam or deep fry them, although steaming is the most popular. NOTE: In case you …
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Sometimes life throws us some pretty major “boulders” – huge, overwhelming problems we can’t seem to solve, let alone nudge out of the way. In Namibia, you can find a lot of these boulders, literally. Strangely out of proportion, these massive stones perch atop bald, widswept vistas. I like to think of these formiddable boulders as mangoes. Yes, mangoes. Something that, if given enough time, will soften and sweeten and delight you. Why can’t all problems be this way? Today’s recipe combines three beloved Namibian ingredients: mangoes, ginger, chili pepper flakes. The resulting chutney tastes great with meats, veggies, breads… you name it. It’s quite sweet, vinegary, and mildly spicy. You can add fresh minced chili peppers to increase the heat to sweat-inducing levels, if you’d like. Makes 1 quart Ingredients: 4 cups cubed mango 1/2 cup white wine vinegar 1 cup sugar (less if your mangoes are very sweet) 1 small onion, chopped 1 tsp fresh ginger 1/2 tsp red chili pepper flakes (or more to taste) 1/2 tsp mustard seed (I had …
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You don’t have to know how to pronounce it to enjoy eating it. Pljeskavica. If this long, meandering string of letters makes you stutter, just clap your hands, because that’s what Pljeskavica means – the sound of hands clapping as the “Balkan burger” patties are formed. And this is not just a big word. This is big food. This is the original “super-size.” Not only are the patties large enough to cover a small plate, they contain as many as 6 cuts of meat from three different animals. Everyone has their variation and you’ll typically find beef, lamb, and pork (for non-Muslims) in every bite. The entire animal is fair game. You can’t help but smile as your mouth stretches open with every bite. While each region (country, town, family, person!) has their own variation, most chow down on pljeskavica with a knife and fork. More recently, tucking the patty inside lepina, or thick pita bread with onion and tomato, is gaining popularity. Either way, don’t forget to slather each bite with roasted ajvar spread! For …
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Logistically speaking, peppers make for really great dinners. They’re healthy. They’re big on sweet, juicy flavor. The don’t go bad quickly. And they go with nearly anything. But when you have a veggie garden, figuring out how to use up all your peppers can be a nightmare. Heck, even if you don’t garden it can be a challenge to take advantage of the fresh produce at the market (hello, sale prices!). Today, thanks to Moldova, we’re going to solve that. We’ve already had several great recipes on the blog, including Stuffed Peppers, Ratatouille, and Muhammara (the craziest roasted red pepper dip you’ve ever dipped). With today’s Moldovan Preserved Peppers you can jar your peppers and enjoy them all year round. They taste like sweet pepper sunshine covered in olive oil and a hint of vinegar. Pile it up on the side of your fish or even on top of a sandwich. In Moldova this recipe is typically made with peppers called “gogosari” which, according to Susan, a volunteer in the Peace Corps with an …
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In honor of Moldova, let’s clear out the weeds. Let’s make room for a garden. A springy, happy sort of place where you can go to daydream in the morning sunlight, with a cup of steaming hot tea at the ready. A place where you can feel your connection to the earth and the soil. Where you can think those thoughts you never have time to think. Where you can finally stop being too busy. While you’re there I’d like you to plant a tiny sprout that will one day grow up into one hundred dream boats. One hundred zucchini boats that will set your mind to sail and carry your heart to Moldova. You’ll be able to bring anyone you like along for the ride. Are you ready? Let’s go on a Moldovan boat ride. NOTE: Most authentic recipes call for tomato juice mixed with a spoonful or two of vinegar on the bottom of you casserole pan. Instead I opted for a plain tomato sauce to add textural oomph, but the choice is yours. Also, …
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Listen. Not everything has to look perfect. We don’t always need lipstick and hair straighteners (In fact, I haven’t seen either of those since Ava started crawling). Some days I don’t even look in a mirror until night time. Until it’s too late. Let yourself off the hook once in a while. Let your hair down. Smear your lips with chapstick and call it good. While you’re at it, eat messy food. Because, no matter how it looks, if it tastes good, then all is well in your world. Which brings us to Rajas con Crema… There’s nothing like two weeks of 90 degree weather in March to make me want to fire up the grill. Thankfully, Rajas con Crema gave me good reason to do so. While not exactly a princess on the plate, this messy looking dish is simply strips of roasted poblano cooked with onion, cheese, and Mexican cream. Some people like to add bits of roasted corn as well. Talk about addicting. What to do with Rajas con Crema: Mexicans enjoy this for …
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I’ll be honest. On the onset, learning how to make Mole Poblano sounded a lot like learning how to knit a wedding dress. Outrageously epic, but not entirely something I had the skills for. In case you’ve never heard of it, we’re talking a Mexican recipe from Puebla that has a million, gazillion ingredients (ok, really just about two dozen), many cooking phases, and centuries of history behind it. Yikes. After staring at dozens of recipes, drinking several cups of tea, and more than a little sleep lost, I broke mole poblano down into 5 basic steps. Deep sigh. Smile. This feels better. Five steps are manageable. So, my goal today, is to make you Mole happy. To encourage you to give it a try. Because if you do, you’ll be in Mexico with every bite. NOTE: This Mole Poblano is vegan, although you can serve it on whatever you’d like – veggies, meats, etc. Traditionally it is served with turkey and made with turkey stock. Makes 6-7 cups Ingredients: These ingredients get toasted: 1 Tbsp …
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If there is one recipe that reflects the Mauritian potluck of global flavors, this is it. Rougaille. Let’s take a walk through the flavors of this unusual sauce – I have a feeling you just might make friends. First, imagine a simple, homemade tomato sauce. The deep red goodness smells sweet and fresh. This sauce can be found in homes all across the world. Tomatoes, onion, garlic. Standard fare. Until you take a bite. Then you realize, this is more complex than you could have ever known. This “rougaille” is … unusual. First, there’s a hint of the French influence – a smattering of parsley, thyme, and even the optional splash of white wine. Then there’s the African influence – calling for hot chili peppers – as much as you can stand. Finally, the flavors of India and remote parts of Asia are represented with bold layers of ginger and cilantro. Outrageous and fine. Serves 2-4 Ingredients 1 small onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, crushed or grated 1 tsp fresh, grated ginger hot chili peppers, …
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I think I’ve easily quadrupled my lamb intake (for my entire life) during this Global Table Adventure … and we’re only halfway through). Wowzers. As for Keith, a.k.a. Mr Picky, he claims to have never even had lamb until this Adventure. Today we’re tackling the lambiest of all lamb dishes – Mechoui, a dish enjoyed in Mauritania and nearby Morocco. Think “epic stuffed leg of lamb.” This Mauritanian version includes a sweet filling made with dried fruit and rice – a perfectly addicting way to perk up the intense gaminess of the roast. While I found the dish absolutely delicious, I regret to say that “stuffing the lamb” didn’t work out as I had hoped. If this happens to you, please know that the filling is just as tasty roasted and served on the side of the lamb. No biggie. Adapted from the World Cookbook for Students. Serves 6 Ingredients: 1 leg of lamb – 3.5 -4 pounds 1/4 cup raisins 2 pitted dates, chopped 4 dried figs, chopped 1 onion, diced 1 cup rice, …
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You should have seen my brother’s face when I told him we were going to make whole fish for our Maldivian Global Table. His eyes about popped out of his head. In fact, my entire family – both brothers, my sister, mom, niece and nephew – was wary of the idea. While eating the whole fish is rare in the United States, we knew from experience that our family was in for a treat. We ate this meal in Florida, as part of a celebration of my mom’s surprise 70th birthday, so I had a bounty of fresh, beautiful fish at my fingertips. Nothing had been previously frozen – it was glorious. I chose two large, bright-eyed grouper (almost $40 each) and began the process. I whipped together the marinade in my brother’s blender. Typically, locals mix together a combination of hot chili peppers, spices, and aromatics. In a fit of inspiration, I added the coconut milk as most every recipe in Maldives contains some form of coconut. The end result is a very moist sauce which gives …
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Beef Rendang is an art. And I could eat it every single day of my life. While there are many ways to make this flavorful curry, there are two things for certain – the dish must be slow-cooked until the flavor absorbs completely into the meat, and – secondly – the curry must explode with flavor. In a good way. The flavor part is the easiest. In fact, there are so many amazing ingredients – galangal, ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves to name a few – that you can’t help but make an amazing curry just by throwing them in a pot together. As for the slow cooking? Follow those famous words of wisdom and just “Let it be.” NOTE: If you would like your hot pepper to grind smooth, simply soak it in hot water for half an hour. I like the little hot bits, so I processed it dry. Recipe inspired by the cuisine of Chef Norman Musa. Serves 2-3 Ingredients: For the stirfry paste: 3 stalks lemongrass, chopped 2 inches of thumb-thick …
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Today’s fun recipe is a 5 minute African salsa. You’ll need two accessories to make this snack completely Malawi, however: blue pastic bags and your most favorite potato wedges. Here’s how it works: simply chop up onions, tomatoes, hot peri peri peppers (I used Thai bird chilies). Mix it all around with loads of salt. While I normally go light on the salt, you need to use a heavy hand when making Tsabola … as Brittany (Be-ing Brittany), a Community Health Advisor in Malawi, tells me “Malawians eat a lot of salt to help stay hydrated with little water.” Traditionally Malawians eat Tsabola with Chippies (deep fried potato wedges), but I decided to go healthy and baked my “chippies” (just with a bag of frozen potato wedges). The choice is yours. For extra fun, epic bonus points, be sure to serve the “Chippies” out of blue plastic bags. That’s the tradition, Brittany tells me. A very pretty tradition, if you ask me. Happy Friday! Dipping sauce with Chippies | Tsabola Votes: 0 Rating: 0 You: Rate …
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