Fills about 2 mason jars – 1 for you & 1 for a friend Have you seen the papayas at the market lately? They’re gorgeous. Sweet. Giant. Exotic. Plus they’re fun to pronounce: pa-pa-ya. Gotta love anything that ends with an affirmative. Since papayas are beloved in Guinea and Guinea Bissau, I really wanted to make papaya jam for you today. Unfortunately, jam making all but requires a chemistry major. I’m too footloose for that, so I made chutney. The cool thing about chutney is that it’s made the same way as jam, with the same ingredients… minus the powdered pectin and careful measuring. In other words, minus the headache. And, honestly, it’s quite a bit more authentic for West Africa. To give the chutney a bit of body I used the natural pectin found in orange peel. The result? A sweet, tropical chutney laced with the slightest hint of bitter orange peel (don’t be scared – it really is just a hint – nothing like bitter orange marmalade). NOTE: You may want to adjust …
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Makes 3 cups Is your blender lonely? Do you want to blast away from boredom? Try pepian, a thick mole-like sauce from Central America and beloved in Guatemala. With a quick whizz-whirr in the blender, this vegan sauce (a.k.a. recado) blends the smoky flavor of roasted, toasted seeds and other goodness with a half stick of cinnamon and dried chili peppers. If that sounds like a lot of different ingredients, don’t worry, pepian is so balanced that even the pickiest eaters in your house won’t realize what they’re eating. The smooth, complex flavor makes me happy – especially when I’m in a cooking rut. Serve over vegetables or stew with chicken. Our recipe is adapted from our friends over at Uncornered Market (where you can watch a great video of Pepian preparation in Guatemala). They used guaque and pasa chilis; we could not obtain these so we substituted the closest we could find. The result was a completely mild pepian. Enjoy! Ingredients: 2 ounces sesame seeds, toasted 2 ounces pumpkin seeds, toasted 5 large roma tomatoes, …
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Makes 16 small or 8 medium tortillas This week’s Guatemalan Global Table starts off with a popular treat – the corn tortilla. Store-bought corn tortillas can be so … stale, dry and yucky. But, take five minutes to throw together a simple dough and you can smoosh out the best corn tortillas in the world – certainly as good as any you can find in Guatemala. Make them thick or thin, big or small – any way you shape them you’ll be glad you did. And if you have kids, watch out. You just might need to double the recipe (but don’t worry, they’ll be doing most of the work). Ingredients: 2 cups masa harina 1 1/4 cups water 1/4 tsp salt one giant helping of super secret ingredient (see below) Method: My recipe is not too different from the back of the masa harina bag. There’s one major difference though. I add… … and I think you’ll notice a real difference. With that being said, combine a healthy portion of love with masa harina, …
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Serves 6 Stressed out? Time for a Caribbean Oil Down – and I don’t mean massage. This heavy duty dish is made by stewing cassava or bread fruit in coconut milk and curry. The result is a thick, indulgent stew worthy of any party. Our version is vegan, but pork bits are typical. With such rich ingredients, Oil Down seems more suited to a ski slope than a beach party, but, still, Grenadians eat this dish in their bathing suits. Brave, brave people. Oil Down is so rich that you may be able to stretch this one pot dish a lot further than six people. Especially if said people are teeny weeny or even tall, yet thin. The stew gains its richness thanks to the coconut milk which is a defining feature of this popular Caribbean meal. Serve with rice. Ingredients: 3-4 yucca/cassava, about 2 lbs 3 carrots 2 stalks celery 1 onion vegetable oil 1 Tbsp curry powder 1 whole hot pepper, optional 2 cans coconut milk (about 31/2 cups) 2 cups water salt …
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Makes about 10 Perhaps you’ve had a rough week. Perhaps you need a little comfort. The time is right… come over my friends; let’s make a batch of Spinners & Sinkers. I thought I knew what a dumpling was until I met a batch of Caribbean Spinners and Sinkers. They don’t look like any dumpling I’ve ever had. They are long and gently tapered, which causes them to sink and spin and dance while they cook in simmering water. Traditional dumplings just bob and float. Spinners and Sinkers are also incredibly easy to make – an ideal activity for children – and, in my opinion, quicker to throw together than a traditional dumpling. They are dense and substantial – add them to soups and stews, such as Oil Down and your belly will be quite pleased with you. Recipe adapted from The World Cookbook for Students. Ingredients: 1 cup flour 1/4 cornmeal 1/2 tsp salt warm water, as needed Method: To make a fresh batch of comfort, start by mixing together the flour and cornmeal …
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Serves 4-6 Have you always wanted to dye your hair red, but have never had the courage? Do the next best thing – cozy up to a bowl of west-African “Red Red.” Ginger people look dull in comparison to this electric one pot wonder. The bright red color comes from the addition of shockingly excessive amounts of red palm oil – up to one cup for three cups of beans in some recipes. Traditional recipes include so much oil that a red ring forms around the base of the beans. I’ve been fairly modest with my addition for health reasons and because I find the flavor of red palm oil quite strong. Play around with it – start with 1/8 cup, and add more at the end of cooking until you like the taste. Ingredients: 1/4 cup red palm oil (or more to taste) 1 small onion, chopped 1 poblano, chopped (or your favorite hot pepper) 5 cloves garlic, sliced or crushed 1 tsp curry powder 2 15 oz cans black eyed peas , drained 1 …
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Makes 1.5 quarts Gulp, gulp, slurp. A quart and half of homemade Watermelon Lemonade lasts 13.3 minutes in this house. When served out of half a melon? It’s gone quicker than a cat’s meow. As the pitcher empties, our bellies swell – Mr. Picky’s most of all. He loves the stuff. He’s been known to drink an entire cup in one long draw, his eyes grinning over the rim. Today’s recipe is inspired by the flavors of Ghana, where heavy watermelons pile up in the markets all summer long. This sweet/tart drink uses up the juicy fruit up quickly – perfect if there’s a lack of refrigeration (or – ahem – if there’s no room in the refrigerator for a half-eaten watermelon). So, scoop up your leftover watermelon for a pitcher of this rosy drink – you’ll be sitting pretty when the mid-summer sun tries to beat you down. Ingredients: 1 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 large lemons) 6 cups scooped watermelon, blended (3.5 cups after blending) 1/2 cup sugar (or to taste) 1/4 cup …
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Serves 6 There’s one thing I know for sure. This recipe is served all over Germany and other eastern European countries. You almost don’t have to look at a menu before ordering it (unless, of course, you’re eating at a Chinese restaurant in Germany). Red cabbage is super simple to make -the hardest part is cutting the cabbage. And that’s not very hard. Unless you don’t have a knife. Ingredients: 1 head red cabbage, cored and sliced thinly (about 3 lbs) 1 small onion, thinly sliced 1 cup water 1/2 cup vinegar 1/4 cup sugar 1 bay leaf Salt pepper Method: Today is the day you get to take out your anxiety on a small purple cabbage. It’s loads of fun. First, core and slice it. Next, add it to a large pot with sliced onions, sugar, vinegar, and a bay leaf. A little water, salt and pepper balance things out. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until the cabbage is as tender as you’d like, tossing occasionally. I found tongs the best way to …
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Makes 4 cups This bold tasting spread/sauce from Georgia will have your mouth asking “What is in this!” I couldn’t decide what it reminded me of, which I find exciting (trying new flavors is the purpose of eating the world, A-Z!). The bold flavor of cilantro and walnut are the main body of flavor, with an earthy, almost bitter note from the spices. You can knock the bitter profile back a bit if you use less fenugreek seeds. Adapted from The Silk Road Gourmet: Volume One: Western and Southern Asia. Ingredients: 1 bunch cilantro, including stems 4 cloves garlic 2 cups walnuts, chopped 2 cups stock (chicken is traditional, but vegetable is fine for a vegan recipe) 1/4 cup lemon juice 1 1/2 tsp ground coriander 1 1/2- 1 Tbsp fenugreek seeds (add to taste) 1 tsp ground turmeric salt pepper Method: Welcome to Georgia – this picture shows so many of the characteristic flavors of this beautiful country. First, blend together the washed cilantro (stems and all) with walnuts, garlic, lemon juice, and stock. …
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Makes about 3 Tbsp Ever take a bite of food and know exactly what country the food is from? Ever wonder why? Usually it’s because the food is loaded with typical, regional herbs and spices. The food of Georgia (the country) is no different. This Georgian five spice can be used in almost any dish thanks to it’s agreeable combination of grassy herbs like coriander, savory, bay leaf and dill – along with a hit from subtly bitter fenugreek seeds (whose flavor you’ll recognize from curry powder). Side note – Before Khmeli-suneli I had never tried savory. I rather like it – the flavor is a little like thyme with a hit of mint. This happy herb would be lovely in a salad dressing. Adapted from The Silk Road Gourmet: Volume One: Western and Southern Asia Ingredients: 2 tsp fenugreek seeds 2 dried bay leaves 1 Tbsp ground coriander 1 Tbsp dried savory 1 1/2 tsp dried dill 1/2 tsp pepper Method: Add fenugreek seeds and bay leaves to spice grinder. Blend until powdered. This …
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Makes 1 string, as pictured Meet our adaptation of Churchkhela, the dangly natural candy from the Caucasus. Audrey, from Uncornered Market, informs me that this typically sausage shaped treat is nicknamed the “Georgian Snickers.” Nice! Unlike a Snickers bar, however, we use only three ingredients, none of which are sugar. Long strands of Churchkhela can be found all over the caucasus, generally with extra thick outer layers of dried grape syrup (they call this tatara). Our version is simplified for the home cook. First, it has significantly fewer layers. Second, we loop our strand so it is easier to dip in a small amount of liquid. Finally, we didn’t age our Churchkhela as long as they do in Georgia. Our ingredients and technique vary somewhat, so this recipe is designed to be eaten within a few days. You’ll need to plan for 1 day’s drying time for every time you dip the strand into the grape syrup (although drying times could be longer depending on humidity and temperature). Plus you’ll need one night to drain …
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Serves 4 I’m not sure why this idea seemed so strange to me. West Africans love greens with peanut butter (they call them groundnuts), and I should have never doubted them. The earthy peanuts stand up to the mighty bitter spinach. It balances out nicely with the sweet peppers, but spicy would work wonderfully as well. If you can pick up the spinach and onions from your farmer’s market, I highly recommend it. The fresh flavors will crunch and zip and smile inside your mouth. Ingredients: peanut oil (or regular) 3 green onions, sliced 1 lb fresh spinach 1 red bell pepper 1/4 cup natural peanut butter 1/2 cup water salt pepper or cayenne Method: I was just so happy the farmer’s market opened up for business the same day we cooked The Gambia. Look at these green onions and the healthy, sultry spinach. That’s right. I said sultry. Cook the pepper in hot peanut oil (or vegetable oil if you don’t have any) Add in peanut butter and water. Stir to combine into a …
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