Makes 2 quarts There’s an old Icelandic saying: “Even though you are small, you can still be clever.” Teeny weenie blueberries, fresh from the bush may be small, but they make the most adorable and extraordinary purple ice cream. And, as you drown in bite after bite of cold, sweet, glorious goodness, you also consume a quarter ton of antioxidants. Clever, indeed. So, churn up a batch. Stick around to watch as it freezes in the belly of your ice cream maker – you’ll be all smiles as the violet blue blends with the rich cream and sweetened by a light touch of sugar and cardamom. Make ice cream. Let joy overwhelm you – become a child, yet again. I’m honored that this recipe was featured in Penzy’s Spices’ 2012 early summer catalog. Ingredients: 2 cups blueberries 1 Tbsp water 1/2 tsp fresh, crushed cardamom (the seeds of about 15-20 pods) 2/3 cup sugar 2 cups heavy cream 1 cup milk Method: Ah, blueberries. There’s no quicker way to revive the inner child. Especially when the winter …
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Stars poke holes in the black sky. Crickets chirp. A campfire crackles. A few dear friends sit in a circle, chattering. They laugh until they cry and cry until they laugh. And, since they’re Hungarian, they’re holding bacon. Giant cubes of bacon. On sticks. Welcome to Hungarian summer. Campfire bacon kabobs, a.k.a. Gypsy Bacon (Cigany Szalonna) are an integral part of any Hungarian barbecue. In Planet Barbecue Steven Raichlen states: There once was a time – perhaps it’s true still – when Hungary had the highest per capita calorie intake of any country in Europe. Lard and Goose fat undoubtedly helped Hungary achieve this distinction, but the real culprit was […] grilled bacon. Now I know why mom and brother, Damien, always loved to “chew the fat” – literally. Our Hungarian roots all but require it. Here’s how it works: 1. Buy the biggest piece of rind-on slab bacon you can find. Unsliced. I had to call about 5 butchers before I found it at Perry’s in Tulsa. Even then, they tried to slice it up …
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Makes 5 cups I like to float around in easy, breezy sundresses all summer long. I also like to wear my hair short and laugh really loud at silly jokes. Finally, I like to eat ice cream by the gallon while squeezing my eyes really tight and imagining I’m on a Caribbean island. This is best done while nibbling on a cold spoonful of creamy coconut ice cream, made even sweeter by the fact that I didn’t have to turn on the stove – not even for one second – to make it. Call me a glutton for punishment, but I think this ice cream should be served with warm Baked Brown Sugar Bananas, another wonderful Caribbean treat. Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups half and half 1 1/4 cups sweetened condensed milk 1 1/4 cups coconut milk Garnish: Toasted, shredded coconut Method: Before we get started, let’s give a nod to how coconut ice cream is traditionally made in the Caribbean. First, a beautiful coconut would be hacked open and shredded for deeply rich coconut ice …
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Serves 4 Guyanese love a good curry. Since we’re in the middle of intense summer, I’ve adapted a traditional curry recipe for the grill. Instead of stewing the chicken with the curried Green Seasoning, I simply marinated the chicken in it and threw it on the grill. An easy way to get the heat out of the kitchen, although you’ll still feel it in your mouth. Big time. P.S. To eat this like you’re in Guyana, serve with Chow Mein. Seriously. Ingredients: 4 chicken breasts, sliced into strips 1 cup Caribbean Green Seasoning 1 heaping Tbsp homemade curry powder salt & pepper to taste Method: Ask your butcher for four chicken breasts. The friendship between a woman and her butcher is a thing of beauty. Make friends with your butcher and they’ll give you all the good cuts. I promise. Slice the chicken into strips and place on skewers. The best way to do this is to cut the breast diagonally. If you don’t feel like messing with it, feel free to just marinate the …
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Serves 2-4 I’ll be honest. I don’t have great luck with grilled chicken. Usually it’s bland, overdone and, as much as I hate to admit it, I’m usually to blame. Naturally, I was delighted when I found this foolproof Georgian recipe in Laura Kelley’s The Silk Road Gourmet: Volume One: Western and Southern Asia – it’s a giant bright bite of lemony goodness. The crazy strong flavor comes from an extra long marination – 24 hours. If you’d rather a milder flavor, try just a few hours instead. Adapted from The Silk Road Gourmet: Volume One: Western and Southern Asia Ingredients: 2 lbs chicken leg 1 cup lemon juice 3 Tbsp Georgian Five Spice 1/3 cup peanut oil salt Method: Hello sunshine! Time to juice some lemons. Beware paper cuts… this won’t be pleasant for you. Add in the Georgian Five Spice. And peanut oil… Pour the mixture over the chicken. Cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. To quote Emeril, these chicken are “getting happy.” Grill on each side over medium-low heat, turning once. …
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Serves 4 Barbecue, called coupé coupé, is all over Africa. This sandwich is inspired by Gabonese love for smoked meats piled into crusty baguettes. I posted this recipe in diary format because, well, it was a little bit of an Adventure. Ingredients: 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp powdered chicken bouillon 1/4 tsp cayenne salt pepper 1 1/2 lbs flank steak grilled poblano peppers, skinned and cut into strips 1 onion, sliced and grilled (I grilled in foil with olive oil) 1 baguette 2 cups hickory wood chips Method: 8:00 am Woke up to a perfect day. Methinks one should always smoke meat under a blue sky and budding trees. 8:01 am Realize we don’t have any wood chips. Keith runs off to get some. I go back to sleep, ignoring blue skies and budding trees. 8:30 am I wake up to my hero, sneaking in with arms full of hickory wood chips, aluminum trays, and cat food. Nice. (Cat food for cats, not for sandwiches. Double nice). Soak wood chips for about …
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Serves 4 (as an appetizer) Until Kokada entered my life, ceviche was uncharted territory for me. Raw fish dishes are definitely not native to my hometowns – Boston, Atlanta, Paris, or Luxembourg – they’re really more of a tropical item. (Is it weird to say I have more than one hometown? It’s all I know…) I had my reservations about consuming raw fish in landlocked Tulsa, Oklahoma – but, after taking a big sniff, the fishmonger assured me the mahi-mahi was fresh. What a flavor sensation it is – mild fish swimming in a blast of tart lime juice and cloaked in creamy coconut milk. I added a bit of hot pepper to give even more dimension, but you can use regular green peppers if you’d prefer. TIP: Ask your fishmonger to skin the fish and remove its bloodline. TIP 2: If you have leftover coconut milk from a can, use it to make some Grilled Corn with Coconut Milk. Ingredients: 1/2 lb fresh mahi mahi (skinned & bloodline removed) 2 limes, juiced 1/4 tsp …
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Makes 1 giant bowl. Vinegar lovers unite! With very little effort you can have this Salvadoran slaw at your next barbecue or gathering. To be authentic, serve slightly “pickled” – about 1-3 days after making it. This should be vinegary and with the slightest hint of heat. Serve with pupusas. Ingredients: 1 cabbage, cored and sliced thinly 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly 2 carrots, grated 1 tsp dried oregano 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 1/4 cup white wine vinegar 1/8 cup olive oil salt and pepper, to taste (I put in 2/3 tsp salt) Method: Time to get out all your aggression on some red onion, cabbage, and carrot. Chop, chop, chop like there’s no tomorrow. Well really… slice thinly. Chopping is a bit too coarse for this recipe. When you’re done, mix the vinegar with olive oil, red pepper flakes and oregano. Add a little water if desired (maybe 1/8 cup) and season with salt and pepper. Pour over the veggies. Toss and refrigerate for 1-3 days. It gets better and better and … …
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Makes about a quart On the streets of Cairo, Egypt, people on their way to work stop by a street vendor to grab a few bites of Ful Medames. They hover around, scooping the dip up with Egyptian flatbread – a sight as common as an American dunking a donut into their coffee. This breakfast of champions is full of protein and… thanks to all the goodies drizzled on top?…. totally, utterly addictive. Ingredients: 1 onion, chopped 2 tomatoes, chopped 2 15 oz cans fava beans, drained and rinsed *these should be small, round fava beans not the giant ones we see in the dried foods section. salt Garnish: Fresh chopped parsley 1 lemon, juiced 2 hard boiled eggs, chopped (optional) olive oil Serve with pita bread wedges Method: In a medium pot add onions… … tomatoes … and fava beans Splash in some water… enough to almost cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 45 minutes or until the flavors meld nicely. Puree or mash the beans. …
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Makes 8 legs – Serves 2 What you are about to see is really, really strange. Some of you might be bothered by it. But, I promise, if you stay by my side, we’ll get past all the strangeness and enter the amazing world of deep fried food. And, let’s be honest, it’s hard to go wrong with deep fried food. Ingredients: 8 frog legs (4 pair) For the coating: milk 1/2 cup flour 1 tsp ground thyme 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper Method: First, fill a pot half way with vegetable oil and bring to 335F. Then, set out a shallow bowl of milk. In a second shallow bowl, mix together the flour, ground thyme, salt, and pepper. Oh, and put on some sunglasses. I forgot to put a censor over these froggy legs. They make me blush. Thankfully, rolling them around in flour helps with the awkwardness. I feel much better. Don’t you? Deep fry at 335F until golden brown. Even better – no need for a censor here… Drain on a …
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