We’re all friends here, right? I need to tell you something important. I’m learning to step out of my comfort zone. Not just once in a while. Once a day. It’s scary but also rewarding. Sometimes, though, you can take too big a step. I’m learning that baby steps are better. Let me put this into context for you. Deciding whether or not to make this recipe caused quite the dilemma. You see, the last time I made lobster was traumatic. Have you ever made live lobster? It’s stressful. It makes me sad just thinking about it. Here’s the reality: I put on a brave face and went for it, but stepped too far out of my comfort zone. The result? I secretly vowed to never make lobster again. Then Kiribati skips into my life and, like a breath of fresh air, Kiribati tells me lobster is normal. That lobster is a way of life. And Kiribati tempts me with a 1 step coconut curry for dipping. <deep breath> Time to step out of my …
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Makes 1/4 cup seasoned salt for lots of corn goodness. Can you squeeze a lime? Can you smash chili peppers into a mini mound of salt? Can you grill corn? This is one of those recipes that you make on a day, much like today, when you want to prepare something impressive, but you can’t be bothered to do very much. We owe it to the lovely people of Kenya: take a walk down their bustling streets and you’ll likely find vendors selling roasted corn rolled in a spicy blend of chili, fresh lime juice and salt. The corn is cooked until deeply roasted. It’s for real good. Ingredients: corn on the cob 1/4 cup rock salt 2 small chilies, sliced or more to taste lime juice (about 1/2 lime juiced, or to taste) Method: Let’s head to Nairobi, where – certainly – inspiration will strike. The beautiful thing about this recipe? Everything is to taste. I ground 2 sliced chili peppers into 1/4 cup rock salt… Then squeezed in the juice of half a …
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Serves 2-4 When I look at this photo, my tummy literally rumbles. My mouth opens a little in expectation. I actually find it as appealing as my Guinness Chocolate Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream that I made for Ireland. Weird, but true. What can I say? Mom taught me to eat my veggies. I’ve been trying to convince Mr. Picky. I’ve been working on Ava. My enthusiasm hasn’t started a wildfire. Yet. Still, I’m here to tell you what every Kenyan knows – the simple truth – green food does a body good. Especially when stewed with juicy tomatoes, rich broth and sweet onion. It’s also a fantastic way to stretch resources throughout the entire week – something built into the Kenyan name “Sukuma Wiki,” which literally means “stretch the week.” I’m into it. Simple, affordable, and delicious. What’s not to love? Ingredients: vegetable oil 1 large onion 1 very large tomato (or 2 small) 1 bunch kale (about a dozen stalks) 1 cup broth salt Method: Let’s get started. First, fly to Kenya and pick up …
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Serves 4 There was a time when I wasn’t a very good cook, but I sure liked to try. Every night I rifled through my spice collection, eventually sprinkling a little of this and a little of that on top of whatever I was making. And when I say a little I mean a little. A speck. A drop. A dusting. My food never had much flavor because I was scared to overdo it. I’ve since learned (mostly thanks to my time at the Culinary Institute of America) that you need to be brave – bold – generous – when seasoning food. In every culture there’s a collection of common spices used in dishes. If you pull them together just right you can make anything taste great. And the happy side effect? Instant teleportation via stove top travel. This recipe is inspired by the Jordanian chicken in Steven Raichlen’s book Planet Barbecue! which is loaded up with the earthy and intoxicating flavors of cumin, coriander, paprika and more, marinated on a bed of sliced onions. I’ve made the recipe a …
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Serves 4 There’s no way around it. Jerk chicken is supposed to be blacker than a starry night – and more sizzlin’ than that smokin’ hot hotty you wake up to every morning (Hi, Keith!). Typically cooked in a barrel smoker, Jerk gets it’s distinctive flavor and color from low, slow cooking over smouldering all spice wood. The long cooking time gets the jerk seasoning extremely caramelized. Now, for those of you who want to go all out, you can easily get your meat much darker than mine (and spicier), by basting the chicken with extra jerk seasoning as it cooks. I had a toddler to feed, so I kept it a little lighter. Ingredients: 1/2-1 recipe Jerk Seasoning 4 lbs chicken legs and wings, or other dark meat For smoking: 1/2 cup whole allspice hickory wood chips, as needed OR Allspice wood chips, as needed Method: So exactly how black is Jerk chicken supposed to be? Blacker than Jamaica’s Black River. (and tastier, too) To get the most flavor, marinate the chicken pieces for …
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Makes about 3 cups Are you in need of a lil’ pep in your step? Do you want to go beyond your comfort zone? Would you like to make your taste buds burn with the fire of Jamaican delight? I am. I do. I would. Also, a friend’s birthday is coming up, and she loves spicy food. In a pretty bottle, with a cute recipe card, jerk seasoning makes quite the fabulous gift. So, join me friends. Let’s go on a stovetop journey to the clear waters of Jamaica, where we can heat things up for ourselves and a friend or two. Ingredients: Liquid: 1/4 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup orange juice Produce: 3 habenerno (scotch bonnet) peppers 1 green bell pepper 4 green onions 1 onion 4 cloves garlic 1 hunk ginger – about 1 inch, peeled and cut 5 sprigs fresh thyme – leaves stripped from the stem 3 fresh basil leaves 3 sprigs parsley leaves Spices: 1 Tbsp whole allspice 1 Tbsp cinnamon 1 Tbsp nutmeg 1 Tbsp black pepper 1 Tbsp salt Method: …
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Dilutes up to 1 gallon Have you ever sipped on the sun? First you have to chill it, so it doesn’t taste as much like a “ball of fire.” The compression of all the heat particles actually makes it sour. Like lemon sunshine. Then you squeeze it and sweeten it. I’ve read somewhere that limes are actually cooled moonbeams. They go well with the sunshine, especially with a handful of mint. That’s what’s happening with Israeli juice – summer sunshine in a glass, with a hint of funky nighttime. Ingredients 3/4 cup lemon juice (3 large lemons) 1/4 cup lime juice (1-2 limes) 1 cup (tart)- 1 1/2 cups (sweeter) sugar 1/4 cup water 3-5 sprigs of mint ice and water, as needed (for diluting) Method: Hello summer. Let me cover up my paper cuts, so we can become acquainted. First, squeeze enough lemons and limes to make 1 cup of strained juice. Do it while overlooking a sun-shiny, water-lapped town. Next, make simple syrup. Over low heat, gently simmer as much sugar as you’d like …
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Say “camel” and the first word that comes to mind is hump. Please tell me I’m not alone in this. I don’t even have to be in the desert – I could be standing in a pool with a large, cold drink in my hand – but just thinking about camels makes me incredibly thirsty. And jealous. A camel doesn’t need to hold their drink. They don’t even need to use their mouth to hydrate. They just stand there, continually refreshed by their built-in portable hydration hump. Camel humps are huge (weighing up to 80 pounds) and can keep a camel hydrated for up to seven months in the winter. Seven months without a sip of water! Sigh. Now. Don’t become discouraged. Even though we’ll still need to pick up our glasses to drink from them, there is another clever way to hydrate. And Israel is loaded up with it… we might as well call it the human portable hydration hump. Otherwise known as citrus. Oranges. Grapefruits. Juicy, juicy. So, to combat the thirst-inducing effects of a camel ride (or …
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Serves 2-4 Ava’s my little alarm clock. Most days we get up about 8 am (bless her). On the mornings that I wake up before Ava, I like to sit in the drowsy quiet, by the window. I’m not really asleep. I’m not really awake. I’m just glad for a few minutes to stare into the stillness and daydream. Often my thoughts turn to people in other countries. Slowly, I sip my tea and wonder … what are they doing, right now? Are they sleeping? Awake? Are they happy? Sad? Do they Tweet? Are they obsessively checking their Facebook? Are they sitting by a window wondering about me? Hello? Is any body out there? And then Ava wakes up and the excitement of the day begins. I can tell you one thing for sure – right now, somewhere in Israel, someone is eating Shakshouka, breaking their bread and dipping it in the rich sauce. This simple one-pot dish was once considered the working man’s food and is balanced – loaded up with protein, veggies, and …
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Serves 2-4 Do you get hungry late, late, late – in the dark corners of the night? Does your stomach growl? Your mind race? Do you ever feel like you need a big bite of goodness before you can roll over and snooze? Me, too. Indonesian Beef Satay is just the ticket. Believe me when I say I would turn on my grill at midnight to eat this satay. Here’s the truth: I’ve never simply sat and eaten a half pound of meat in my entire life. I’m just not that into meat. Until today. Completely, and without remorse, I ate an entire half pound and would have continued on to eat more skewers, if I could have weaseled some away from Keith and Ava. The Satay are rich and sweet from the kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), wonderfully fragrant, and incredibly addictive. Apparently I’m not alone because many Indonesians are known to eat up to 6 skewers in one sitting. Ingredients: 1 small onion, chopped 4 cloves garlic, chopped 1 1/2 tsp minced ginger …
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Nope. That would be weird. No, this is peanut sauce, the perfect complement to Gado Gado. And what is Gado Gado, you ask? The coolest way to stay cool in Indonesia. Made from an assortment of tofu, tempeh, young jack fruit, cooled boiled potatoes, eggs, and green beans, Gado Gado is a dream-come-true for those of us who like to use leftovers. Of course, to keep things fresh and crunchy, most Gado Gado salads also add a blast of cabbage and sprouts. If that sounds too healthy, no worries. While I went light on the peanut sauce, I’ve read that many salads are swimming in the stuff. I got the same effect by dipping each bite until totally coated in peanut sauce. It was brilliant. What are we waiting for? Let’s hit up a floating market and make some Gado Gado. Ingredients for 2-4 2 handfuls green beans, steamed and cooled 4 small red potatoes, boiled, cooled, and quartered 4 eggs, hard-boiled, cooled, and halved 1/2 package tempeh, pan fried in oil 8 oz tofu, pan …
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So you feel like something unsual for lunch… but you just don’t feel like you’re up to Iceland’s famed putrefied shark flesh called Hákarl? You know… the dish made up of poisonous shark flesh that’s been fermented and hung to dry so that it’s no longer poisonous? The one that was traditionally buried and exposed to several freeze/thaw cycles until naturally fermented? The one that tastes like cheesy ammonia? Yeah. Let’s try something simpler. A little more tame. Perhaps something you could bake with? How about rhubarb “raisins”? This is one of those ingenious, resourceful Icelandic dishes that anyone can make at home. All you need is a very hot day (95-100F), or a barely warm oven (150F). Chop up a pile of rhubarb and set it out in the sun (or in the oven), until dried up and shriveled. If you leave it outside, you might cover it lightly with a thin cloth to keep dust and gunk away. Once the rhubarb dries up, pack it in sugar until needed. They get really small, so …
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