hoosier foodie

Saint Kitts

2011-04-07T08:46:00.003-05:00

Isn't it great that there are so many islands in the Caribbean that claim their own nationality? I certainly think so, and our house guests don't seem to mind it much either. Saint Kitts is another of those wonderful cultural mash-ups that make up the many nations of the Caribbean. I could give you a full history lesson of the place, but I'll just go ahead and recommend looking at the Wikipedia page or suggest you talk to that one relative you have whose cruise scheduled a stop there. Nice beaches, lots of fruit, sunny skies, bars on the beach blah blah blah... I'm really just jealous I haven't been to a tropical place in a good while.

The important thing here is we've gotten lazy and haven't posted meals in a while so I'm going to be streamlining these next several posts to catch the blog up. This post is dedicated to my good friend Hudson Kingston, one of our most faithful readers whose life has been shattered by the lack of posts on this site. Enjoy, Hudson, your long dark winter is over.

Pumpkin Fritters with Chili Cinnamon Mayonnaise

Some people think we must spend a fortune on frying oil when they see the amount of fried things we serve at every meal. Well that's just silly! I've learned to do as the rest of the world does. After every large batch of deep fried food, allow the oil to settle while you eat dinner and then funnel the cleared oil from your wok (or whatever you fry with) into a large mason jar. Be sure to leave the burnt crispy stuff in the pan as you do this. You can continue to do this until the oil looks dark and gross. Here is one of the many things you can do with the frying oil.

2 pumpkins deseeded, peeled, and grated
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt or more to taste
Oil for frying

For the Mayonnaise:
1 egg and 1 egg yolk
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tsp ground red pepper
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup olive oil

1. First make the mayonnaise by combining everything but the olive oil in a food processor. Grind it all down to a smooth consistency and slowly add the olive oil in a thin and steady stream until a thick mayonnaise is rendered. Set aside covered in your refrigerator.
2. Combine the grated pumpkin with all the ingredients and form into small balls in your palms. Heat the oil in a wok or fryer and fry at high heat until nicely browned on the outside.

Plantain Salad

Think of this dish as a more tropical potato salad without the potatoes. Perfect for bringing to a family picnic. Unless your family hates plantains. Then you might want to bring a standard potato salad and avoid ruining what was supposed to be a lovely day.

1 cucumber skinned and diced
3 stalks celery chopped
2 avocados chopped
1 red pepper seeded and sliced
1/2 red onion chopped and rinsed under cold water for 3 minutes then drained
1/3 cup lime juice
1 serrano chili
1 mango skinned and chopped
1/2 cup cilantro
1/2 cup olive oil
3 green plantains peeled and chopped into half inch pieces
Oil for frying
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a wok or fryer, deep fry the plantain pieces in hot oil until they are crisp and lightly browned (about five minutes). Set aside on paper towels and allow to cool.
2. Once cool combine everything in a huge bowl. Adjust seasoning and dressing to your taste. Serve at room temp.

Goat Stew

I did a lot of the shopping for this meal at Amy's least favorite grocery. It's a little place in uptown called the Old World Market that specializes in West African and Caribbean foods. I love the place because it has a great selection of foods that I've never heard of, and some of the best deals on meat in the city. Amy hates it because it's constantly jammed with uptown locals that have no concept of personal space. But goat meat is something we're both willing to get shoved about for; especially when its as cheap as this place sells it.

3 lbs goat meat (preferably leg) cut into 1 inch chunks. You should have a butcher do this for you since the meat tends to be in bony chunks
3 tbsp flour
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb tomatoes chopped
1 tsp gravy browning solution (optional but can be included for authenticity
2 medium yellow onions chopped
1 habanero de-seeded, run under cold water for 1 minute, then chopped
1 liter water
1.5 lbs green papaya grated
2 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 tsp baking powder
Salt to taste

1. Toss goat meat with flour and a bit of salt. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed pot over medium heat and brown the goat pieces.
2. Add the onions and gently cook another five minutes until they soften. Then add the tomatoes, browning, habanero and water. Raise to a boil and cook covered at a simmer for 2 hours.
3. Add the grated papaya continue cooking another 30 minutes.
4. While you wait make a thick batter of flour, milk, baking powder and salt. After the time has elapsed, drop spoonfuls of batter into the boiling stew and cook the stew down until it has reached the proper thickness.

Conkies

I would call these things dessert Tamales. They taste almost like a rice pudding, but with many more flavors involved. They take a very long time to make, but are well worth the effort. The texture might be a bit too odd for some to enjoy, but the good news is these keep in the fridge for at least a week.

2 cups corn meal

1/2 cup flour
2 cups grated pumpkin
1 stick butter softened
3 cups grated unsweetened coconut
1 tsp salt
3 cups brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup raisins
Banana Leaves thawed if frozen
Condensed milk and chocolate for garnish

1. Combine everything into a thick batter.
2. Steam banana leaves for 40 minutes and allow to cool.
3. Wrap 1/2 cup portions of the mixture into banana leaves. Tie them as little packages and steam them for 1 hour. Allow to cool in the refrigerator and serve covered in condensed milk and chocolate. They can be eaten right off the unwrapped leaves.

Rum Punch

This is exactly what it sounds like. The standard boozy sugary concoction that gets served at every resort and weird Chinatown cocktail bar. The sweetness is a bit much for me, but they must be popular for some sort of reason. It might have tasted better if it had been warm outside, but as you can see by the photo below, we pretty much killed the jug.

1 pint grenadine
1 cup lime juice
3 cups rum
2 cups pineapple juice
2 cups orange juice
Orange and Pineapple Chunks for garnish

In a huge punch bowl combine everything. Serve with a ladle into cups of ice. Or if you plan on drinking it quickly, fill the jug of booze with that ice.

In Conclusion

This was one of our more simple meals that involved very little effort in the kitchen. The food processor did a great deal of the work for many of the dishes. Everyone seemed to agree that the pumpkin fritters were most excellent while mixed opinions were held on the goat stew. Personally I love the strong flavors and smells that come from stewed goat, others don't find it as pleasant. And everyone agreed the punch was way too sweet, but proceeded to drink too much of it anyway. As usual a good time was had by all.

Malaysia

2011-02-02T11:10:00.002-06:00

Malaysia is one of the most fascinating places I've had the honor to travel through. Just like Singapore, it is an amazing mix of Indian, Malay, and Chinese culture brought together by a long and complicated history. Malaysia is also the site of my worst round of food related illness. Although the food is incredibly delicious, I didn't take enough caution when sampling the street food and ended up needing a trip to a hospital. Fortunately, I got better immediately after a quick emergency room visit and a bag of pills which altogether cost me eleven dollars. It took me a good while to fall in love with Malaysian food again, but the food is too good to let a single case of food poisoning ruin it. It's full of rich and strong spices as well as strange and savory sauces filled with shrimp paste, tamarind, and lots of chillies. This can all be a bit overwhelming for many first-timers, but once you develop a taste for it, you realize how exciting a cuisine it can be!

Fried Dried Anchovies and Peanuts

Certainly not the most popular item of the meal, but I truly enjoy this odd appetizer. For most of our guests the flavor of anchovies, peanuts, and tamarind sauce was just too strange to enjoy. The bones of hundreds of tiny fish can be off-putting for some. But for those of you who have adventurous tastes I recommend giving it a try.

1/2 cup dried baby anchovies

Oil for frying

4 peeled shallots

4 peeled cloves of garlic

1/2 inch piece of ginger

1/2 tsp shrimp paste

1/2 tsp sugar

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1 cup roasted peanuts

1. Heat oil in the wok and fry the fish over medium heat until they are crisp and brown. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel.

2. In a blender grind the shallots, garlic, ginger, shrimp paste, sugar, and tamarind paste to a rough sauce.

3. Drain most of the oil from the wok and stir fry the smelly sauce for about a minute over high heat. Add the anchovies and peanuts and stir fry another minute.

4. Remove them from the heat, set them in a bowl, serve at room temperature.

Chicken Gulai

This is essentially a rich and hearty curry dish that combines Indian and Southeast Asian flavors. Amy thought it tasted like a very intense version of chicken stew, which is not too far from reality. There are many different ways this dish can be prepared so feel free to improvise as much as you like with the recipe.

10 candlenuts or macadamia nuts roasted and finely ground

1 large onion sliced

5 cloves garlic peeled

2 inch piece of ginger

4 red chillies tops removed

1 can coconut milk

2 stalks of lemongrass slit down the middle

2 kaffir lime leaves (I keep mine in my freezer)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp tamarind paste

1/2 cup water

3.5 lbs chicken cut into serving pieces

1. Clean off that blender one more time and grind the candlenuts, onion, ginger, and chillies with a half cup of coconut milk into a smooth paste.

2. Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a pot and fry the paste for a few minutes until it becomes fragrant. Add the lemon grass, lime leaves, turmeric, tamarind paste, water and the rest of the coconut milk. Raise this to a simmer and boil it down for five minutes.

3. Add the chicken and mix everything together, cover the pot, and simmer over a low flame for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and reduce the sauce to a thickened consistency and serve. (Make sure you make a lot of rice with all this food.)

Vegetable Fritters with Peanut Dip

Ok, for some reason people who live in hot countries love to eat fried food. I believe this is because fried food is delicious and can be made quickly. So once again we've included fritters with this meal. These take about ten minutes to put together so make the sauce well in advance.

For the batter

1/2 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 cup besan (chickpea flour)

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp pepper

Mix all the ingredients together and set aside for a half hour.

For the Vegetables

1/2 lb chopped green beans

1/2 thinly sliced red onion

2 carrots julienned

Or any veggies you might have on hand

Also lots of oil for deep frying

Heat the oil in a wok set over a high flame. Combine the vegetables with the batter. Drop the batter into the oil by spoonfuls working in small batches. Once the balls are fried, remove them from the oil with a strainer and serve with peanut sauce.

For the Peanut Sauce

1.5 cups roasted shelled and skinned peanuts

3 shallots

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground pepper

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tbsp honey

1 or 2 serrano chillies

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1. In a food processor grind the peanuts, shallots, spices, chillies, soy sauce and honey to a rough paste. Or be a complete Luddite and do it the old fashioned way in a huge mortar and pestle for 15 minutes.

2. In a 2 quart saucepan combine all the ingredients and boil down to thick sauce. Salt to taste (although I think the soy sauce adds plenty of salt) and serve at room temperature with the fritters.

Water Spinach and Shrimp Paste

Amy took charge of making this dish and immediately regretted it when she was blending the shrimp paste sauce. For the uninitiated, please remember to not directly breathe in the fumes when this stuff is freshly ground up. It is not good, but when it's given enough time to cook it mellows out into a deliciously savory taste that goes perfectly with the greens.

1. In a blender, grind the shallots, chillies, garlic, shrimp, and shrimp paste to a smooth paste using a few tablespoons of water to loosen the mixture.

2. In a large saucepan or wok heat the oil over high heat and add the paste. Fry this for two minutes until it smells less horrible. Now add the spinach and sugar and fry another two minutes. Add a few tbsp of water to the pan and fry another two minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Serve immediately.

Catfish Curry

This was one of the easiest dishes of the night. Just a few ingredients and about thirty minutes is all this recipe involves. Add as many chillies as you can handle, this simple curry is supposed to be extremely spicy. If you feel fancy, other firm flesh fish steaks work well with this sauce. I'm sure tuna or marlin would be incredible. But catfish is cheap and feeds a crowd, also it's really good.

2 lbs catfish fillets cut into 1 inch cubes

2 cans coconut milk

1 tbsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground fennel

1 large onion sliced

7 red chillies with tops removed

1.5 inch piece of galangal or ginger if you can't get it

1. In a blender combine the chillies, onion, spices, and galangal with a half cup coconut milk until you render a smooth paste.

2. In a pot bring the rest of the coconut milk to a boil and add the spice paste. Simmer this uncovered for 15 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

3. Add the catfish and cook a further 10 minutes adding water if the sauce thickens too much. Salt to taste and serve immediately.

Conclusion

Making a full Malaysian meal for a crowd involves an absurd amount of dishes. I must have washed the blender about 3 or 4 times over the course of prepping all of this food. I spent my hangover doing these dishes. The picture below captures just one of three large batches I went through. But it was all worth it. Although Malaysian food was the cause of the the worst round of food sickness I've ever suffered, the food is so good I'd go back and do it all over again. Up next is St. Kitt's!

Thailand

2010-12-29T10:20:00.000-06:00

Most people in this country are at least somewhat familiar with the notion of Thai food. In the 1980's Thai restaurants began to pop up in nearly every urban area. Here in Chicago pretty much every neighborhood has at least one Thai BYOB restaurant. Our friend Nick, who recently moved to New Zealand, is the son of a Thai restaurant owner in Indianapolis. His mom's Thai Cafe in Broadripple was one of the first places I ate a Thai meal. I strongly recommend checking them out next time you find yourself debating what to eat in Indianapolis. Given the popularity of the food, I knew this meal would have to be a pretty large one.

Fortunately, I've been cooking (or attempting to cook) Thai food since my time in college. It took a lot of failures to make my first decent pad thai. Also I've been lucky enough to have had the chance to visit Bangkok for a few weeks about five years ago. I made sure to eat as much food as I possibly could. That trip is still one of my fondest food memories and I'm sure I'll make the trip again. The variety of the cuisine is astounding and no single meal could ever begin to encompass the complete glory of Thai food. For this meal we decided to go for simplicity on a grand scale. Most of the dishes can be made well ahead of time and served family style. This allowed us more time to schmooze. Most of the ingredients are easy to find at an Asian grocery, and some supermarkets are now selling the staple ingredients. Just be sure to buy plenty of rice.

Mussel Fritter

The first time I had this was actually quite recently at a little place in Chicago called Sticky Rice at Irving Park and Western. Amy and I both decided it was one of the most delicious things we'd ever had and were happy to discover that it was very simple to make after perusing a few cookbooks. It may sound wretched, but we actually bought a large bag of frozen shelled mussel meat from a Vietnamese market for this dish. The bag was so cheap we had to find out if the mussels were actually edible. Naturally, the best way to do this is to cook a lot of them, feed them to your friends, and see what happens next. So we prepared a large batch of the following recipe and were happy to see that nobody got ill or spat their food out in disgust. Quite the opposite happened and the entire platter was quickly consumed.

1.5 cups mussel meat

5 tbsp rice flour

1.5 tbsp corn starch

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup water

2 eggs

1 cup chopped scallions

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1/4 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Combine the rice flour, starch, salt, water and eggs to form a thick and smooth batter adding more water if necessary Then fold in the remaining ingredients.

2. In a large skillet heat 1/2 cup oil or just enough to shallow fry over high heat.

3. Drop the batter into the skillet in ladle sized quantities one at a time and fry for until the bottom crust begins to brown and gently flip the fritter and fry the other side.

4. Repeat until all the batter is used storing the freshly made fritters in a warm oven until ready to serve. Accompany with dipping sauce.

Dipping Sauce

1/3 cup fish sauce

3 tbsp sugar

1 clove garlic chopped

Juice of 1 lemon

1 red chili thinly sliced

1/3 cup water

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and serve with fritters.

Cabbage and Peanut Salad

Cabbage is one of my favorite vegetables to cook with. It's cheap, flavorful, and is great raw and cooked. The Thai understand cabbage is awesome as well. Here it is prepared much like a cole slaw but with other savory elements of peanuts and fish sauce. We overdid it a bit with the chillies and some people couldn't eat it, but generally this serves as a very spicy side dish with most Thai meals.

1/2 head or 1 lb green cabbage with outer leaves and core removed

2 carrots grated

1 red onion thinly sliced

1 bunch cilantro chopped

1/4 cup chopped mint

1 serrano chilli finely chopped

2 tbsp sugar or to taste

3 tbsp fish sauce or to taste

1/4 cup vinegar or to taste

1/2 cup chopped peanuts

1. Using a knife or mandolin, thinly slice the cabbage into even strips. Place these into a large bowl.

2. Combine all the remaining ingredients and taste for sweetness and salt.

Laap or Seasoned Ground Beef

Our good friend Chris Allen prepared this dish for us when we visited him in beautiful Muncie, IN. He came to know of the dish through his days in the Peace Corps where he served in a small Thai village. He made it much better than I did. I'm guessing the cut of meat I had was a bit too lean. In the future I'll grind down a fattier cut of beef.

1.5 tbsp rice

4 dried red chillies

1 lb chuck steak ground

1/4 cup lime juice

3 stalks lemon grass minced

1 red onion finely chopped

1 green bell pepper finely chopped

1/4 cup mint leaves

2 tbsp fish sauce

1. Cook the rice and chillies over medium heat in a dry pan until the rice has begun to brown.

2. Grind the rice and chillies in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.

3. Boil the ground beef for one minute or until it just changes color.

4. Combine everything together and serve at room temperature.

Sweet Pork

It really doesn't get any simpler than this. This dish's sauce of fish sauce and sugar is the base sauce of many Thai dishes. Here the sauce is presented in its simplest form without any additional chillies or herbs. With the fresh pork loin the dish tastes almost like a good sweet ham. It tastes great for up to two weeks in the fridge. Make sure to eat it with lots of rice.

3 pounds pork loin cut into 1 inch cubes

1.5 cups palm sugar

1.5 cups fish sauce

4 cups water

Crispy shallot flakes for garnish.

1. Place everything but the shallot flakes into a deep heavy pot and bring to a simmer stirring frequently to incorporate the palm sugar. Lower the heat and cook for 30 minutes covered.

2. Skim off any fat that has risen to the surface and continue cooking another 45 minutes to an hour until the meat is very tender and the sauce is thick and syrupy. Serve with rice feel free to add chili sauce.

Green Curry With Chicken

Thai curries may sound like a challenge to cook, but the hardest part of them is not so much making the curry but gathering the giant list of ingredients needed for the curry paste. This is next to impossible if you don't live near a Southeast Asian grocer. I'm lucky enough to be near one and most large to medium sized cities will have one tucked away somewhere . Once you do have the ingredients, this curry is a simple process of grinding a paste and boiling everything together in a thick sauce of coconut milk and fish sauce.

For the paste:

1 inch of fresh galangal or 1 tsp dried powder

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground caraway

1 tsp ground pepper

4 cloves ground

1 whole nutmeg ground

2 stalks lemon grass minced

4 cloves garlic

3 shallots

5 kaffir lime leaves

2 serrano chillies

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tsp salt

4 tbsp vegetable oil

Grind everything to a uniform paste in a blender adding a bit of water at a time. Set this aside or freeze for up to 6 months.

For the Curry

4 lbs chicken thighs chopped into 1 inch pieces

2 cans coconut milk plus one cup water

Fish sauce to taste

Green curry paste recipe

1/2 cup thai basil

5 kaffir lime leaves

1. In a large saucepan, dutch oven or wok, cook the chicken with one can of coconut milk and 2 tbsp fish sauce until the meat is tender (10-15 minutes).

2. Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and set aside. Boil the coconut milk down to a thicker consistency.

3. Add the curry paste and cook for 3 minutes stirring frequently until the paste gives off a strong fragrance.

4. Once again add the chicken to the pan and cook 5-10 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Then add the remaining can of coconut milk. Simmer this another five minutes and serve garnished with basil and kaffir lime leaves. Serve with rice.

In Conclusion

This meal was a real pleasure to cook. The literature on Thai food is so vast and expansive that there is no need to desperately search for recipes from obscure sources. I should probably mention my personal favorite Thai cookbooks here since there are so many out there that aren't that great. Jennifer Brennan's Original Thai Cookbook is my favorite reference point for most family sized recipes. It has been a standard since it came out in the 80's and can be found used on Amazon for dirt cheap. Her recipe for pad thai is still the best one I've found in a Thai cookbook. David Thompson's Thai Food is a great encyclopedic look at Thai cooking and recipes, though many of the ingredients are a bit obscure even with access to a decent Southeast Asian grocer. But it is a damn good cookbook.

The meal was a great success for the most part. Once again all the leaves were used in the dining room table and nobody appeared hungry when they left. I was a bit saddened by the lack of any noodle dishes, but it's hard to fry noodles for a large crowd. The next day I made some pad thai to satisfy my craving, just writing this post has me thinking of busting out the wok tomorrow.

Up next: Malaysia!

New Zealand

2010-12-21T21:08:00.011-06:00

Tom and I collectively have had many friends who have visited and worked in New Zealand through the years. However, this meal celebrated the departure of two of our friends, Stacy and Nick, going off to this picturesque country to see what seeds they could sow. Luckily, they are both doing well there today and we were happy to send them off with a taste of what was to come.

New Zealand today is full of sheep and Lord of the Rings tourism. Of course there is much more to this prosperous land than hobbits, but seriously, it's hard not to think of Elijah Wood when looking at the landscape. Much like our Australian meal, we had to kind of make up vegetable dishes that we thought Kiwis might eat. It's not that they don't eat vegetables, but either they eat ingredients we cannot get in the U.S. or they do not have a concrete recipe for a dish without meat. We hope we did it justice.

iSnack 2.0 and New Zealand Cheddar with Rye Bread

Okay, you are probably wondering first of all about the name of iSnack 2.0. Well, my friend, Jodie (she's from Australia), gave me this gift the last time she visited the states and apparently, the iSnack 2.0 name caused quite a stir down under, mainly because it's silly. It is now called Cheesybite and it's like Vegemite except Americans are supposed to like it more. The thing that a lot of people can't get over about Vegemite and the like is that you are supposed to spread it super thin on bread, but we tend to lather it on too thickly. Like Australians, Kiwis also enjoy their yeasty spreads. Like most Americans, I am not totally sold, but I do think the iSnack tastes better than original Vegemite. We put this out with some lovely New Zealand cheddar and bread for an amuse bouche.

Broccoli and New Zealand Cheddar Salad

Alright, on with the sort of bullshit vegetable dish! It did turn out quite tasty and a nice, lighter side to go with all of the other heavy food. We also used the New Zealand cheddar again, because it is just so pleasant with everything. I would be proud to bring this along to any Midwestern picnic.

2lbs broccoli cut into bite sized florets

1 cup shredded new zealand cheddar or other white cheddar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup shaved almonds

1/4 cup golden raisins

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Blanche the broccoli for two minutes drain and allow to cool to room temperature.

2. In a large bowl mix everything together and serve.

Turnip and Rutabaga Gratin

Tom and I both love our root vegetables and rutabaga is one of those special winter treats that if you have not tried you should really get with it. Both rutabaga and turnips are super cheap, delicious and feed a lot of people, plus you can dress them up or down. It doesn't matter, they will still be enjoyable.

By the way, about 5 minutes after we took this picture, our lovely blue baking dish cracked off and there was gratin all over the place. Just one of those mishaps that seem to happen to us when a lot of people are over. Dinners aren't the same without some sort of crisis or broken cookware!

For the Bechamel:

2 cups milk

1 onion thinly sliced

1 tsp chopped sage

1 tsp chopped thyme

1 clove of garlic chopped

1/2 stick of butter

3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Salt to taste

1. In a saucepan heat the milk until it reaches a boil and then set it aside.

2. In another small saucepan melt the butter over low heat and stir in the flour. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture browns.

3. Pour in the heated milk slowly in batches and use a whisk to stir it together.

4. Add the herbs and cook until thickened. Season with salt and nutmeg.

For the vegetables:

1.5 lbs rutabaga cut into thin strips

1.5 lbs turnips also cut into thin strips

1 onion finely chopped

1 cup bread crumbs

Butter

Salt and pepper to taste.

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and butter a 2 quart casserole dish.

2. Boil the rutabagas in a large pot for two minutes and drain.

3. Saute the onion in a tablespoon of butter for five minutes and combine with all of the vegetables in a large bowl.

4. Season these with salt and pepper and pour them into the casserole.

5. Pour bechamel over the vegetables and cover everything with the breadcrumbs.

6. Bake 45 minutes or until the top is browned.

Mint Jelly for Lamb

When I was a kid, we were at a jelly store in Tennessee somewhere and I saw an apple mint jelly. I begged my parents to get in and proceeded to eat it on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Little did I know that this type of jelly had a higher purpose--meat sauce. I still hold to the fact that it is fabulous with peanut butter, but I guess it goes well with lamb, too.

1 cup mint leaves chopped

1/4 cup malt vinegar

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp corn starch

In a small pan, heat the vinegar and sugar over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Add the mint leaves, salt, and corn starch. Continue heating until slightly thickened. Allow to cool in the fridge for several hours and serve with the lamb.

Lamb Roast

We couldn't very well make a New Zealand meal without making a lamb roast. Much to my chagrin and disappointment, the lamb was made and enjoyed by all, well, everyone but Stacy and I. I wish I could enjoy lamb and I think it tastes just fine. It's just that for some reason when it hits my throat it makes me gag inexplicably. Stacy had a better excuse, she tried the lamb because she knew more was in her future when she moved, but she was in fact a vegetarian. I was still secretly happy that her reaction was the same as mine.

Now, please don't listen to me and my opinions on lamb, like I said, I wish I could enjoy it. This is a lovely lamb recipe and goes wonderful with the mint jelly. This picture seriously doesn't do it justice, but I think you can look at the runoff meat juices and decide for yourself.

Pavlova

At first when I saw the recipe for this back when we did Australia, I thought to myself "there is absolutely no way I am making that!". It looked hard, it looked time consuming...it looked amazing when it was done! New Zealand and Australia fight over this dessert and who came up with it first. Supposedly, it was named after a Russian dancer after she toured in both countries. Pavlova is meringue-like and is covered with whipped cream and fruit. It is somehow light and rich at the same time and it was absolutely devoured. I'm pretty happy with the results and I'm glad I had a second opportunity to make this. I hadn't made meringue since a high school cooking class and was surprised it actually set. Whew!

1/2 cup egg whites, at room temperature (about 4 eggs)
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
strawberries, green parts trimmed off, sliced
kiwis, skinned and sliced
Whatever other fruit you enjoy

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Whip the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a clean, dry bowl until it gets frothy. Next, add the sugar, cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla until it gets stiff, smooth and glossy (Note-if you have a stand mixer, this is easy and requires just patience, if it's a hand mixer-it may take awhile).
Take a piece of parchment paper and draw a 9 inch circle and place it pencil side down on a sheet pan.
Spoon the mixture into the middle of the circle you drew and place in the center of the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat of the oven to 300 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes or so until it is light brown in color. Don't worry if it cracks a bit, it is supposed to do that.
Turn the oven off, but keep the pavlova in. Open the oven door and let the pavlova cool with the over to room temp (about 30 minutes of so).

Whip the cream and brown sugar together and put it on top of the pavlova. Decorate and finish with any fruit of your choosing.

Conclusion

I think this was the perfect way to send off our friends to the land of the Kiwis. Although we miss them so, we are happy to know that they are doing quite well and are enjoying their lives there now. Again, sorry for the delay on the post updating. Our New Year's resolution should obviously be keeping up with our dinners a little more diligently on this blog.

Next up, Thailand!

Cuba

2010-11-14T19:50:00.018-06:00

Cuba is a beautiful country filled with decadent food, and we Americans can never directly go there. Oh sure, we can legally go to Canada and then to Cuba, but still it's so spatially close but in reality, so far out of our reach. I don't really feel the need to go into Cuba's history too thoroughly, because everyone is aware of Fidel Castro and the embargo. All I will say is that they are doing amazing things with pork down there, and it's a shame that we cannot fully join in.

Cuba's cuisine is a mix of Spanish and Caribbean flavors. There is a lot of filling and savory food floating around and of course, some refreshing drinks filled with booze and fresh fruit juice. Like most Caribbean countries, they do not eat many vegetable dishes, but when they do it is usually fried, covered in olive oil or thrown in as an afterthought (ex. in a pilaf). I feel like what we came up with as a full dinner turned out to be sort of like a Cuban picnic.

Plantain Chips

This is a quick simple snack that fries up very quickly. The result is a sweet, crisp chip that is definitely more filling than your average potato chip.

Plantains

Canola or corn oil for frying

Salt

Peal the plantains and slice them into rounds as thinly as you can with either a knife or a mandolin (way easier with the mandolin). Heat enough oil over high heat for submerging large batches of the slices. When the oil is hot fry them in batches and set them aside on paper towels to dry. Salt to taste.

Moros y Cristianos

This dish literally translates to Muslims and Christians. Although the name of this dish has its origins in Spanish history, the dish itself is completely Cuban. The white rice and the black beans are supposed to represent the Christians and the Muslims, which yes, does seem a little racist, but it happens to be a delicious pilaf made with chicken stock.

1.5 cups dried blackbeans, or for the big spenders: 32oz canned black beans

1/4 cup olive oil

1 large red onion diced

2 large green bell peppers seeded and chopped

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp ground pepper

3 tbsp vinegar

2 tbsp tomato paste

3 cups long grain rice

6 cups chicken stock

Salt to taste

1. Soak the dried beans at least 8 hours and drain them. Place them in a deep pot and cover them with 6 cups of water. Raise this to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook them for 1 to 1.5 hours or until the beans are tender. Drain the beans again and set them aside. Or just be a lazy bourgeois cook and open a can.

2. Rinse the rice in a colander under running water for two minutes. In a large pot (perhaps the same one you used for the beans) heat the olive oil over medium heat then add the onions, garlic, and peppers.

3. Sauté these for about two minutes, then add the tomato paste, beans, vinegar, and spices. Stir these together for about five minutes or until a lovely sauce begins to form.

4. Add the rice and the stock. Taste the broth for salt. Raise the whole mess to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes over a low flame.

5. Taste the rice to be sure it's fully cooked. If not don't panic just add a bit more water and continue cooking until it is tender.

6. Serve it hot with lots of pork.

Pork Roast

We made this pork roast in order to make some Cuban sandwiches. The pork that we used was from a very happy pig raised in Indiana that we purchased from one of my college friend's family owned butcher. If you are ever around Fort Wayne, Indiana, you should definitely drive a few miles out to Columbia City and visit Krider's Meat Processing. I promise it is worth the trip and they only use local pigs that are killed on site and Grampa Bob will be happy to tell you anything you would want to know about the shop.

Pictured below is some of the things we put on our Cubanos including some of our homemade pickles. There is also a cilantro mayonnaise and some olive oil and garlic mixture. Of course you don't have to make your own pickles or mayonnaise to make a Cubano, but it's not as hard as you may think and it does taste a bit better.

5 lb pork shoulder in one piece

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp whole peppercorns

4 cloves garlic minced

2 tsp salt

1 tbsp dried oregano

1/3 cup orange juice

1/3 cup sherry

1/3 cup lime juice

4 tbsp olive oil

1. Toast the cumin and peppercorns on a skillet until they are fragrant. Pound them in a mortar and pestle with the garlic and salt until you have a gooey paste. In a bowl large enough to hold the pork, mix this paste with the rest of the ingredients (except the pork).

2. Cut hexagonal slits into the fatty side of the pork shoulder, place the pork into the bowl with the prepared marinade, and gently work the marinade into all the crevices with your hands.

3. Refrigerate the pork 24 hours flipping it once or twice during the process.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 f and roast the pork with all the marinade for about 3 hours in a large roasting pan making sure to baste the meat every 20 minutes or so. When an internal temp of 150 is attained the roast is ready to be removed.

5. Allow the roast 15 minutes of rest on a cutting board before carving into it.

Here is the Cuban all put together with the side dishes. I apologize for the poor form of using a paper plate for the plating picture.

Polvorones con Canela

These cookies were oddly the lightest part of the meal. The lack of flour in them make them very light and crisp. A little tasty treat that I think would go really well with some coffee or hot chocolate.

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
1-1/2 cups sifted powdered sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract or brandy
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp sea salt
2/3 cup finely ground pecans or walnuts
1 tsp ground cinnamon (cassia)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat the butter in a bowl with an electric beater until creamy. Add the 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and vanilla, and continue beating until light and fluffy. Mix in the flour and salt very gradually, a tablespoon at a time, until thoroughly incorporated. Add the nuts with the last of the flour. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly. Using your hands, form the dough into 3/4" balls. Place on an ungreased baking pan about 1 inch apart.

Bake in a moderate oven about 15 minutes, or until the edges turn pale gold. Place the remaining cup of sugar in a shallow bowl or plate with the cinnamon.
Remove the cookies from the oven and, while still hot, carefully roll each in the powdered sugar mixture. Set aside until cooled completely and roll them again in the sugar, shaking off any excess.

Mojitos (made by the pitcher)

No Caribbean country meal would be complete without a little boozy refreshment on the side. I'd like to thank our friend Ben for bringing us rum and mixing up some lovely mojitos. I would also like to thank our landlords for growing mint in our backyard, it has really benefited us.

1 cup mint leaves

1 cup lime juice (freshly squeezed is important for this)

1.5 cups rum

2/3 cup simple syrup

3 cups club soda

Ice

Take one 64oz pitcher and place all the mint leaves in it. Crush the mint leaves together with a muddler or an empty beer bottle to release their oils. Pour on everything else and stir. Fill glasses with ice and serve. Obviously you can add more booze to this recipe if you're trying to have that kind of evening with your friends.

Conclusion

The Cuba meal was one of our bigger success stories, as far as Caribbean countries are concerned. Tom was very happy that he got to make a pork roast and everything turned out right. The issue we seem to always have with Caribbean countries are the lack of recipes or that the recipes we find do not always turn out because of unavailability of certain ingredients or missing steps. Cuba was our exception thus far and it was apparent that Cubans take great pride in preparing their meat.

Next is a very special New Zealand dinner. Until then, Salud!

Kuwait

2010-10-08T08:55:00.001-05:00

I first heard about Kuwait when I was a wee lad during the first war with Iraq after Saddam's invasion and annexation of the country. George H.W. Bush was president, I was learning my shapes and colors, and I vaguely remember seeing Desert Storm trading cards on sale at some point. It was a strange time for me. That was the first war I got the chance to watch on T.V.

That war (much like the current one) was primarily fought over oil. Kuwait has a lot of it, their economy is based on it, and the whole world wants it. This has been the case since oil was discovered there in the 1930's. But if you look at the food of Kuwait, you can see that it's history has certainly not always been about oil. Long before oil was discovered, Kuwait served as an important port of trade located along the Indian ocean. The most important commodities of this trade were spices. And the food is absolutely filled with strong flavors and scents from these spices.

Kuwaiti food is a great mix of Persian, Indian, and Arabic influences. I imagine Kuwait City constantly smells like pepper, rosewater, and hookah. My apartment smelled like this meal for about a week. It was great!

Stuffed Dates

There's a beautiful simplicity to this method of preparing dates. A lot of people in my life apparently hate eating dates, but when served these stuffed ones they happily consume them. I generally just buy a tub of dates and eat them plain over the course of two weeks. Amy seems disgusted by this, but I'm glad to see she'll eat these.

1 lb large pitted dates.

1/2 lb blanched almonds

1/2 cup confectioners sugar

1 tbsp rosewater

1. In a food processor combine the almonds, sugar, rosewater, and just enough water to make a thick and smooth paste.

2. Cut a slit into each date to expose the cavity where the pit once resided. Fill this cavity with the almond paste.

3. Serve slightly chilled.

Fattoush

Pitas are great, but they go stale really fast. But stale pitas can taste great, too. With some random vegetables and a sauce they can become this salad. We actually didn't have pita on hand, but that's ok because any good quality stale bread works great as well. We used some day old white rye from our local Ukrainian bakery. Just make sure to pour on a lot of dressing because the stale bread soaks it up quite efficiently.

For the salad

4 large romaine leaves chopped

3 stale toasted pitas cut into bite sized pieces

4 roma tomatoes chopped

1 red bell pepper sedded and thinly sliced

1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1 cucumber peeled and chopped

1 bunch of parsley finely chopped

1/4 cup mint chopped

1 cup crumbled feta

For the dressing

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tsp ground pepper

2 cloves garlic chopped

Salt to taste

1. First combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a small bowl and whisk them together.

2. Toast the bread in the oven for ten minutes at 400 degrees or until slightly browned. Set aside to cool

3. Prep and chop all the ingredients for the salad and combine them in a large bowl.

4. When ready to serve pour on the dressing and taste for seasoning.

Chicken Machboos (Chicken and Rice)

Every country has some version of chicken and rice. In Kuwait it happens to be considered the national dish. This dish has a lot in common with the pilau and biryani dishes of Persia and India with it's use of large amounts of spices and chilis. The yogurt sauce helps cool down any overly spicy bites of the dish.

1 chicken cut into serving portions

2 tbsp olive oil

2 cups basmati rice

1 large red onion minced

2 whole green chiles

1 garlic clove minced

1 large tomato roughly chopped

1 large pinch of saffron soaked in a tbsp of water

2 tbsp rosewater

1 tsp cinnamon

1.5 tsp turmeric

2 tsp cumin

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp lime juice

4 cups stock

Salt to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 375. Grind the spices (except the saffron) and rub them into the chicken. Set the chicken aside to marinate in the fridge at least two hours.

2. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven and brown the chicken in two batches over medium heat for about five minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.

3. In the same pot saute the onion, garlic, and tomato for five minutes. Add the rice and saute another minute stirring frequently for one minute. Add the stock and bring to a boil.

4. Cut the heat, add the lime, saffron, rosewater and reserved chicken to the pot. Cover the pot and place it into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

5. Remove the top and continue cooking another 15 minutes until the chicken is browned and the rice is fully cooked. You may have to add a bit more water if the rice is too dry. When everything is cooked serve with the yogurt sauce.

Chickpea and Eggplant Stew

It may be time consuming to make, but very little effort is involved with this dish. Chop some vegetables, combine everything, and wait 3 hours while it bakes. It was so easy I nearly forgot I made it and pulled it out of the oven just before serving. For many guests this was their favorite part of the meal.

2 cloves garlic minced

3 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion minced

1.5 cups dried chickpeas soaked overnight

2 green bell peppers seeded and chopped

1 eggplant cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 tsp cayenne

3 cups water

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 325 f. Heat the olive oil in a deep heavy three quart pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for several minutes.

2. Now add the eggplant and brown the pieces on all side for about 8 minutes.

3. Add everything else but the parsley and bring to a boil.

4. Cut the heat and put the pan into the oven and cook for 2.5-3 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. If you only have canned chickpeas throw them in for the last half hour.

5. Taste for salt, garnish with parsley, and serve.

In Conclusion

This was our first feast in the new apartment (sorry for the delay). Judging by the photos of this post we have some work to do with the light in the dining room. All the pictures look like bad food shots of the 60's. It may finally be time to break down and buy a real camera. But what a joy it was to actually have a meal in our home on a huge dining room table! It was a great feeling to be able to sit down with all the food and people at the same table. As usual we made way too much food and nobody left with an empty belly. Cuba is next!

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

2010-09-02T09:20:00.002-05:00

At first glance, St. Vincent and the Grenadines sounds like it would be an obscure reggae group from the mid seventies. Instead, it is yet another Caribbean island nation with a wonderfully turbulent history that is the byproduct of the waves of colonization that swept the region during the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally peopled by native Caribs, the island became a refuge for runaway slaves during the 17th and early 18th centuries until it was brought under French control and later ceded to the British. The island did not declare independence from Britain until 1979; though it still retains commonwealth status.

The food is quite similar to many other Caribbean islands involving a mix of African, British, Indian, and native cuisines. You might think all of these islands would start getting a bit redundant to us, but the wealth of Caribbean recipes out there seems pretty endless. This meal was a bit smaller than our others, mainly because we needed a break after the giant food orgy that was our Malta dinner (see previous post).

Black Eyed Pea and Mustard Green Salad

While most of what we consider to be beans are indigenous crops of the Americas, the black eyed pea is an old world legume native to West Africa. The great thing about old world legumes is they cook so much faster than their American counterparts. We were in a bit of a hurry to get this dish out so we used the pressure cooker and were pleased to find the peas came out nice and tender without any broken skin. The resulting dish is a classic blend of West African and Caribbean flavors, and was a big hit at the dinner.

1 lb black eyed peas soaked overnight

2 cups sautéed corn kernels (frozen is fine)

1 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1 lb mustard greens blanched and choppped

2 red peppers seeded and chopped

1 large red onion cut in half and finely sliced

1 bunch cilantro chopped

1 serrano chili minced

1.5 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste.

1. Combine the soaked beans with a pot of water and simmer covered for 30-40 minutes or until they are just tender. Or skip the soaking altogether and pressure cook them for 30 minutes with three times their dry volume in water.

2. Run the beans under cold water in a colander until they are cool to the touch. Set the beans aside in a sink to drain for five minutes.

3. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and and gently toss together. Salt the salad and serve chilled or at room temp.

Stuffed Cucumbers

This makes a great picnic dish. It takes minimal prep, few ingredients, and tastes great at room temperature or chilled.

4 medium cucumbers peeled.

1 cup cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup chopped red onion

1/2 serrano minced (optional for those who like heat)

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 cup minced cilantro

1 cup grated parmesan

1. Cut the cucumbers in half lengthwise and, using a spoon, scrape out the middle section of seeds and pulp. You should end up with eight canoe shaped objects.

2. Now mash together the remaining ingredients for the filling, which is everything but the parmesan and cilantro.

3. Spoon ample amounts of the filling into each of the cucumber halves, cover and chill until you are ready to serve.

4. Cut the chilled pieces into serving portions and garnish with parmesan and cilantro.

Chicken and Porter Stew With Dumplings

Anyone familiar with Southern U.S. cooking knows about chicken and dumplings. This is a nice variation on the same concept. The porter gravy most likely comes from British influence, but the spicing is similar to most Caribbean sauces and shouldn't taste too strange to anybody who loves the standard southern version.

For the Stew

2 lbs thigh or breast meat (boned) cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

5 tbsp canola oil

12 oz bottle of porter or other dark beer

1 cup chicken broth

1 red onion chopped

2 cloves garlic chopped

1.5 cups chopped red bell pepper

1 tbsp tomato paste

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 cup chopped parsley

For the Dough

2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp butter softened
3/4 cup milk

1. First mix all the dry ingredients for the dough. Then mix in the butter gently with a wooden spoon. Gradually add the milk until the dough forms a firm paste. Set the dough aside in the fridge and begin to make the stew..
2. Cover the chicken pieces in flour and salt. Heat the oil in a large heavy sauce pan over medium heat. Add the coated chicken pieces and cook them for five minutes or until all sides are crisp and browned. Remove the chicken and set aside on paper towels.
3. Add the onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook for five minutes or until softened.
4. Add the tomato paste, thyme, pepper, cayenne, and beer. Raise to a boil. Add the chicken pieces and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile raise a pot of water to a boil and drop tablespoon sized portions of the reserved dough into the water and boil for two minutes or until they float at the top.
6. Raise the heat on the chicken until the sauce becomes a thick gravy. Cut the heat and salt it to taste. Serve the chicken and sauce over prepared dumplings and garnish with chopped parlsey.

Doughboy Failure

We tried to make a sweet pastry dessert called doughboy. Aside from being made out of dough, I'm not sure why it is named that. We only found one recipe and despite several attempts at varying the ratios, nothing seemed to make it work. It kept turning into a large overly dense monster that tasted like a bad cookie. Here's a picture of Amy looking sad about our failure. To accentuate her sadness she chose to wear a wet towel on her head. We were so disappointed in our failure that we could not to include a recipe. Sorry but we were out of ideas on how to save this one. We hope you liked the dinner portion of the meal.

Conclusion

Despite the doughboy failure, I still have to say the meal was a reasonable success. True it was much more casual than some of our giant feasts, but I think we deserved a casual cheap dinner. I was excited to again cook food that I'm mostly familiar with. It made the prep work a great deal less stressful and the meal that much smoother. This was the last meal in our former apartment, from now on all meals will be photographed with a large dining room table in a proper dining room.

Malta

2010-08-13T11:11:00.005-05:00

For anybody who doesn't know, Malta is an island nation of the Mediterranean located between Sicily and North Africa. Historically speaking, this location has made Malta an island of strategic importance throughout history. And like most islands of strategic importance, a lot of people have fought over it. In the past several thousand years Malta has been claimed by just about every Mediterranean power including the Greeks, Romans, Muslims, Crusaders, French, and lastly the British. It wasn't until 1964 that Malta became independent of the British Empire. But enough about the history! Like most contested island nations, Malta's food is a great mix of cooking styles that contains elements of all the cultures it has hosted throughout the years.

We did not pull Malta from our pig. Instead my good friend Paul and his lovely girlfriend Kristen were in town from D.C. Kristen happens to be the only person I know with a bunch of Maltese people in her family tree. She also happens to be quite proud of this fact. So naturally we had to cook a large Maltese feast in honor of her visit to Chicago. While I knew absolutely nothing about Maltese food or culture going into this meal, I was lucky to have a lot of help from Kristen with menu planning and recipes that had been handed down through the generations of her family. The result of all these efforts was our most attended meal. But more on that after the recipes.

Pastizzi Stuffed With Cheese and Greens

These stuffed pastries were a big hit at the dinner and are truly delicious. And I think it's safe to say I will never make them again, at least not from scratch. The process of making pastizzi dough is one of the more labor intensive activities I've performed in my kitchen, and I'm too lazy to clean up that much shortening ever again. We were fortunate enough to have the Mizzi family recipe as a guide to help us through this strange process. We also managed to find a visual aid of somebody's youtube clip of their family's old Maltese grandmother making this stuff on a dining room table. The looks of joy on everyone's faces made these little pockets of fat worth all the effort.

Dough

5 cups flour

2 cups iced cold water

salt (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 tub of crisco (Personally, I'm more of a lard man.)

Filling

3 lbs. ricotta cheese

1 lb mustard greens blanched, drained, and chopped
2 eggs

salt and pepper to taste

grated cheese to taste (I use approx. 3/4 cup) **Use whatever cheese you prefer~I use romano cheese

1. Mix together the dough ingredients either by hand or by mixer fitted with dough hook for about 15 minutes or until the dough forms a smooth ball..

2. Cut dough into thirds and pull/stretch/roll out as thin as possible. Lay on a table and continue pulling until paper thin. Spread Crisco all over dough. Be very liberal with the Crisco. Start rolling from one end. Pulling and stretching the entire time. When that piece is done, (it should look like a long, layered sausage), pull the next piece, repeat the process, pulling thin and crisco. Before you start rolling, lay the rolled piece on one end, and roll onto it. Continue again with the third piece. When the dough has been rolled, it should be one, thick, layered piece. Place in fridge overnight to sit.

3. Next day, let sit on counter to get to room temperature. When filling is ready, start cutting very small slices and stretch out in the palm of your hand. Fold around filling, and place on cookie sheet to flash freeze. When ready to bake. No need to thaw, just place on a baking pan with sides. Bake at 375* for 25-30 minutes until golden brown.

Kapunata

It was an extremely hot day when we prepped this meal. So it was great to take a break from the kitchen after beating piles of dough into submission and stand next to a grill on full blast. Despite the heat of the grill, the final product is a cool and refreshing salad that goes perfectly with a hot day (which I assume they have many of in Malta.)

3 medium size zucchini cut into thirds lengthwise

1 lb carrots peeled

3 red peppers cut in half and seeded

2 red onions peeled and cut in half

3 roma tomatoes left whole

1 bunch cilantro

1/2 tsp cayenne or to taste

2 tbsp capers

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup raisins

1/2 lb feta

1 tsp sugar

2/3 cup olive oil

1/4 lemon juice

Salt to taste

1. Grill the zucchini, carrots, onions, peppers, and tomatoes until they are soft and nicely browned on the outsides. Set them aside to cool.

2. When the vegetables are cool chop the zucchini, carrots, and tomatoes into bite sized pieces. Cut the onions and peppers into thin strips.

3. In a very large bowl combine the vegetables with the remaining ingredients and serve garnished with extra cilantro and feta.

Pasta Salad

Ok, we were cheating a bit here. We've made plenty of pasta salads in our day, and this isn't all that different from the standard concoction. But we were feeding an absurd amount of people and needed something else cheap to fill people up that required minimal effort...which I'm pretty sure is how pasta salad came about in the first place. Also we have it on good authority that this stuff gets eaten in Malta.

1 lb dried farfalle pasta cooked in salted water

2 grilled red peppers

1 cup olive oil

1/3 cup vinegar

2 tbsp capers

1/2 cup sliced olives

1 bunch of parsley

1 tsp ground pepper

Combine everything in a large bowl, mix well, and serve!

Mashed Fava Salad

Funny thing about fava beans is everybody thinks you're serving them fancy food when you feed them favas. While it is true that fresh favas are kinda pricey and can be super tedious to prepare, dried skinned favas are quite cheap and readily available at most Mexican grocery stores. Also, they go quite nicely with the classic Mediterranean dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs.

1 lb dried skinned fava beans soaked overnight

1 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup chopped parsley

2 tbsp chopped mint

1 clove chopped garlic

1/2 tsp hot paprika or cayenne

Salt to taste

1. Drain the favas and then cook them in a large saucepan with enough water to cover them over medium heat for 45 minutes or until tender.

2. Drain the cooked favas and run them under cold water in the sink until they are cool enough to handle.

3. In a large bowl combine the favas with the garlic, pepper, oil, lemon juice, and parsley and mash them with a potato masher (I used a wine bottle.) At this time salt it to your taste.

4. Garnish the dish with extra olive oil, mint, and paprika. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Octopus Stew

Buying a whole octopus is not something I often do, although now I wonder why I don't make it more of a routine. You might think that being a Chicago resident impairs my ability to buy a decent octopus. Fortunately, we have a wholesale seafood market located in the west loop about two miles from my home. Here, I experienced the joy of digging through piles of octopus to find just the right one. When selecting an octopus make sure there's enough of it to feed your guests and also make sure it doesn't smell like it's rotting. And be prepared to either serve it 24 hours or immediately store it in the freezer. I'm sure the Maltese have a much easier time finding decent octopus, and if you live near a seafood market it's definitely worth considering as a good crowd food.

5lb whole octopus cut into 1 inch chunks

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 lb peas

2 carrots finely chopped

2 large red onions finely chopped

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

1 tsp dried thyme

5 tomatoes coarsely chopped

2 potatoes cut into 1 inch cubes

1 bottle of red wine

2 tbsp capers

1/2 cup chopped olives

3 tbsp flour mixed with an equal amount of water

Salt and pepper taste

Chopped parsley for garnish

1. Simmer the cut pieces of octopus in a large sauce pan for 1 hour to 1.5 hours or until the pieces are tender.

2. In a large sauce pan heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, and carrots. Cook these over medium low for 5-8 minutes or until they are tender.

3. Add the tomatoes, potatoes, octopus, and thyme to the pot and stir together for another two minutes.

4. Pour on the bottle of wine and raise to a simmer. Cook covered for 45 minutes.

5. Add the capers, olives, peas, and flour paste to the pot, stir well, and cook on high heat for ten minutes or until the stew has thickened. Garnish the pot with parsley and serve.

Baked Pasta

I went to a lot of weddings last year. A good number of these weddings were in Northwest Indiana (The Region). At each of these weddings I was served some sort of a rendition of this dish. At first I was surprised when Kristen sent me her family recipe, but I probably shouldn't have been. Baked pastas dishes are delicious and popular all around the Mediterranean. It should come as no surprise to anybody that they remain popular with the descendants of immigrants in the Midwest. And they go great with weddings because they make great crowd food. We ended up tripling this recipe and made way too much. Kristen's brother Mike left with a giant sack of leftovers and a big smile on his face.

2 lbs ground beef
1 lb ground pork
2 cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed in a couple tablespoons of olive
oil.
1 16 oz can of tomato paste
2 lbs mostacciolli noodles, boiled
6 lg. eggs, lightly beaten together
2.5 cups grated Romano cheese
Salt and pepper, to taste

1 lb fresh mozzarella cut into 1 cm thick slices.

1. Add the meat to the sauteed garlic/olive oil mixture and brown it over
medium heat. Drain the fat. Add the tomato paste, plus one can of water.
Salt and pepper to taste and stir and simmer for 30 minutes or so.
2. Mix cooked noodles with the sauce, add the beaten eggs and stir the whole
mess up.
3. Stir the cheese (saving some for the top) into the mixture. Dump into
greased baking pan and sprinkle with more grated cheese and
maybe a little more salt and pepper. Top with mozzarella.
4. Bake for one hour at 400 degrees until the top is nicely browned and crispy.

Conclusion

Many pots, pans, bowls, plates etc. later, we discovered that we had 27 people in attendance at this meal. For space concerns, the meal was relocated to my former apartment (now Carl's), which seemed proper in many ways because Paul also used to reside there. Cooking for 27 involved a lot of logistical challenges in terms of portioning recipes and ensuring enough seats were available. I'm proud to say with a lot of help we pulled it off and more than enough food was present to gluttonously feed everyone in attendance. The intense heat and lack of A/C forced the meal to the back patio where we set up three folding tables in a row, giving the meal a truly feast like setting. While I have no desire to cook for such a large crowd again for a good while, I really enjoyed myself and feel a great sense of accomplishment when looking at all these photos.

Now I should apologize for the extreme delay this post has had. We moved a block away about a month ago and were too lazy to write the post as we were packing and moving shipments of things between apartments. Unfortunately, once we moved into our place a month long struggle to get AT&T to connect our internet ensued. I'm pretty sure I logged 8 hours on the phone trying to schedule and reschedule a service rep to come over. Anyways, we finally have internet again and sincerely apologize for the wait. St. Vincent and the Grenadines is next!

Egypt

2010-06-29T19:33:00.012-05:00

Egyptian food is a combination of Eastern Mediterranean and North African cuisines. There's a bit of spice, a bit of sweet and a little bit of savory notes in most dishes. Staple ingredients that you will need for any good Egyptian meal include lemons, olive oil and dried fruit.

As you look through our recipes, please note that we tried to grill as much as possible because this particular day it was about 90 degrees. This, of course, is not necessary, but it does make things go a little faster and your home that much cooler. Also note, that grape leaves are amazing and if you take nothing else away from Egypt, please, roll a grape leaf.

Stuffed Grape Leaves with Rice and Nut Filling

Tom and I recently found out how easy it is to stuff grape leaves and how often they are a complete rip off in restaurants. Usually if you order these little bundles of awesome, you will pay about a dollar or so for just one grape leaf. If you buy a entire jar of about 50 grape leaves, it costs no more than $4. It also behooves you to make them yourself just to have a say of what goes in them. I've definitely ordered these before to find nothing more than rice inside.

So go ahead and wow your guests, it will cost you very little and impress many. If you need any further instructions, just let us know. We would be more than happy to help.

For the filling:

2/3 cup short grain or medium rice
1 large red onion minced

1/3 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/3 cup chopped mint

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp cayenne or hot paprika

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tbsp lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Simply throw all of this into a bowl, mix together, and taste for salt.

For cooking:

1 jar of preserved grape leaves stems removed

1/4 cup olive oil

1.25 cups water or just enough to cover the leaves

Juice of 1 lemon

1. Pack about 1 tbsp of the filling onto the center of each grape leaf. Fold the bottom of the grape leaf over the center, and then fold the sides over to enclose it and roll the leaf into small cylinder.

2. Place the filled leaves in a heavy 3 quart casserole lined with at least ten grape leaves (this is to prevent the stuffed leaves sticking.

3. Pack the stuffed leaves into the casserole dish as tightly as possible to prevent them from unrolling.

4. Pour water, olive oil, and lemon juice over the leaves. Place a small plate over them to pack them down. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour or until the leaves and filling are fully cooked and tender. Serve these either chilled or at room temperature.

Baba Ghanouj

Oh, the eggplant. In my experience, people either love it, absolutely hate it or won't even try it. Luckily, chances are if you make baba ghanouj you will trick people into eating it. I mean, it's dip and who can resist dip and crackers put out on a table?

1 large eggplant about 1.5 pounds.

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/3 cup tahini

2 cloves garlic2 tsp olive oil

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)

1 tbsp chopped parsley

Salt to taste

1. Pierce the eggplant on all sides with a fork and broil in the oven or on the grill for about 25 minutes turning it over halfway. (If you don't prick the eggplant, I can say from experience that it may explode in your face when you open the oven.)

2. When fully cooked and soft all the way through, you may remove it from the oven and set aside until it is cool enough to handle.

3. Cut the eggplant in half and scoop the flesh out with your hands or with a fork. Place the flesh on a sieve and press out some of the bitter juices. Discard the skin.

4. Combine the eggplant flesh with the remaining ingredients and grind to a creamy and smooth consistency. 5. Serve chilled or at room temp alongside the hummus.

Garlic Hummus

Hummus is one of Tom's staple "we need to take something to a party" foods. He's gotten damn good at making it through the years and we just had to include it for Egypt. Of course, if you own a pressure cooker, it takes no time at all. If you don't, you can still make it with a little time and forethought. Always a crowd pleaser, I give you, hummus.

4-5 cloves garlic peeled

2/3 cup tahini

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 lbs cooked chickpeas

Salt to taste
Hot paprika or cayenne

Combine everything except for the olive oil in a food processor and begin to grind. With the blade running, pour in the olive oil slowly. Add a bit of water if the hummus is too thick. Grind to a very smooth paste. I like to give it about five minutes just to be sure that no chickpea escapes the blades. Taste for salt, allow to sit for at least two hours for the flavors to develop, and serve garnished with olive oil and paprika.

*Traditional hummus is made by first removing the shells from soaked chickpeas to give the dip a much more uniform and smooth texture. This is unnecessary, takes forever, and is best done with a lot of people working together. I've recently found a quicker and less tedious method of getting a perfectly smooth hummus. I soak dried chickpeas overnight in plenty of water with a few teaspoons of baking soda. Then I pressure cook them for 30-40 minutes. This causes the skins to soften considerably, and allows me to grind everything to a beautiful paste.

Tabouleh

It seemed appropriate to make tabouleh as it is already warm outside and we needed a refreshing side dish. The key to fantastic tabouleh is taking advantage of all the fresh herbs that the summer provides. It's easy to throw together on a hot day when the oven just seems like the worst idea in the world and it's also excellent at filling your belly.

1 cup bulgur soaked for 1 hour and drained thoroughly

3 cups chopped parsley

1/2 cupped chopped mint

1 large red onion minced
3 large tomatoes chopped

2 cucumbers peeled and chopped

1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine everything in a large bowl. Stir and serve!

Pita

We have tried many a pita recipe over the last year. It seems that we are still having an issue getting pita bread with a good pocket. This recipe worked out okay though, because it was another thing we could throw on the grill and not heat up our tiny apartment with the oven cranked all the way up.

They turned out okay though and we just cut them open instead of them pocketing on their own. They didn't fall apart either, so I dub this pita recipe the best one we've had, so far. Someday, someday.

1.5 cups warm water

1.25 tsp dried yeast

1.5 tsp sugar

4.5 cups flour
1.5 tsp salt

1.5 tsp olive oil

1. Pour 1/2 cup water into a small bowl and mix in the yeast and sugar. Allow to stand for ten minutes to activate the yeast culture.

2. Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and add the water, yeast mixture, and oil. Stir until a dough is formed and then knead either by hand or machine until the dough is smooth and elastic.

3. Form the dough into a ten inch log, and cut it into 10 inch thick slices. Knead each slice of dough into a smooth ball.

4. Set these aside covered with a kitchen towel in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until the balls have doubled in size.

5. Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness and six inches in diameter. Arrange these on a large flat surface and cover with kitchen towels. Let these rise for another hour.

6. Fire up a gas grill to the highest setting or use your oven's broiler. Gently place the pitas on the grill or in the oven two at a time for 30 seconds to 1 minute each or until fully cooked.

7. Allow the pitas to cool on a wrack and serve with everything.

Falafel

Falafel is one of the better things to cook if you are looking for a cheap, delicious filling meal for a lot of people. They are quick to fry up on the stove top and they are so flavorful. They are also great to eat cold the next day. This is another item that if you pay more than $6 for at a restaurant is completely ridiculous.

1 pound dried chickpeas soaked overnight

1 large red onion chopped

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

2 tsp ground cumin

1.5 tbsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cayenne

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying

1. Combine everything but the cooking oil in a processor and grind to a fine coarse meal. Set aside for 40 minutes and heat the oil in wok or large pot.

2. Roll the ground chickpea meal into golf ball sized pieces and deep fry over high heat in batches. Set aside on paper towels and serve immediately.

Grilled Fish with Yogurt Tahini Sauce

Finally, we come to the only item in our Egypt meal that is not vegan (unless you count the yeast in the pita, depending on which vegan you ask). Of course, we grilled this as well and topped it with a yogurt tahini sauce that is also amazing on falafel or any other white fish that is available to you. We felt we had to include fish since Egypt is nestled in-between the Mediterranean and Red Seas.

1 tilapia fillet for every two people

Simply grill the fish in a basket and flake the meat onto a serving platter.

For the sauce:

2 cups yogurt

1/2 cup dill chopped

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup tahini

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and serve with flatbread and flaked fish.

Conclusions

Okay, okay...you caught us. All the dishes we made for this meal we have made before in our everyday lives, but we defend our decision to not make anything new (to us) simply by declaring our absolute love of Egyptian food. The sweet/savory combination just bursts through and it is all extremely healthy and good for digestion.

The command decision we made to grill most of this food also saved us from our horrible sweatbox of an apartment. I know this summer has been terrible for everyone, but when you add an unairconditioned apartment with an oven in 90+degree heat you just agitate the situation even further and add misery to your guests. Still, we managed to cram 16 guests into our tiny abode and enjoy some lovely Egyptian fare.

Singapore

2010-06-08T17:16:00.010-05:00

I once spent a night walking across Singapore to catch a bus to Malaysia. The five or so hours I spent taking a bus from the airport into the city's downtown area and walking toward the bridge to Malaysia were the only moments I spent there. I did manage to sneak one meal into my quick journey across the tiny country, and it was a delicious meal of fried noodles with just about everything thrown into it. The sauce tasted like a delicious curry and I counted at least five different meats and twice as many vegetables present along with the thick starchy noodles. It was a tasty mix of different cooking styles, and that pretty much sums up of what should be expected of food in Singapore.

Oddly enough our good friend Hudson left for Singapore the week we picked it as our next country. He's over there doing law things and living like a hermit now in a tiny room with his few possessions. But he was kind enough to act as our food correspondent while we planned out this meal. Our first thought was to make the national dish of chicken rice, but Hudson had some and decided it tasted just like the name implied and was quite boring. Then we thought fried noodles would be great, but quickly realized it's a meal unto itself and doesn't really pair with a spread of various dishes. In the end we decided that whatever we made would have to reflect the cultural mess that makes Singaporean food so exciting. With each dish we tried to include as many international influences as we could. The resulting meal has some strange combinations of flavors that work together perfectly.

Jicama, Peanut, and Pomelo Salad: Rojak

This type of salad can be made with many different combinations of vegetables. I happen to have loved jicama since I first had it in Vietnam. The important element to this dish is the combination of peanut, citrus, and fresh herbs. Supposedly the dish originated in Indonesia, but variations on this theme can be found all over Southeast Asia. It's perfect for eating on a hot day.

1 jicama peeled and thinly sliced into bite sized portions

1 cucumber finely sliced

1 bunch of scallions chopped

1 pomelo or grapefruit peeled and separated into serving portions

1/2 cup chopped mint leaves

1.5 cups fresh beansprouts

2 cups roasted peanuts

4 garlic cloves

2 chillies

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tbsp tamarind paste

2 tbsp sugar

Salt to taste

1. In a food processor grind the peanuts, garlic, chillies, shrimp paste, tamarind paste, sugar, and enough water to form a thick sauce. Salt the sauce to your taste.

2. Next arrange all the chopped fruits and vegetables into a large bowl. Pour half the sauce in and mix everything well with your hands. Then pour the rest of the sauce over the salad and serve.

Napa Cabbage and Tofu in a Thick Coconut Sauce

This dish is a great mix of Chinese and Malay ingredients. The sauce can be made days ahead of cooking and the cabbage and tofu cook within minutes. Basically, it's great crowd food.

1lb napa cabbage chopped into thick strips

1 lb firm tofu cut into 1 inch cubes

4 shallots

2 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger peeled and roughly chopped

1 stalk of lemon grass trimmed and roughly chopped

2 serrano or other hot chillies seeded

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

1 can coconut milk

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a blender grind the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemon grass, serranos, shrimp paste, turmeric, sugar, and a bit of coconut milk into a very smooth paste.

2. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy saucepan over medium heat and pour in the blended paste.

3. Cook the paste for 2-3 minutes stirring frequently until it smells pungent and begins to change color.

4. Pour in the rest of the coconut milk and reduce the mixture into a thick sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Add the cabbage and tofu and cook gently for several minutes until the cabbage has wilted and becomes soft enough to eat. Take care not to break up the tofu too much as you cook this. This can be served immediately or gently reheated before serving. This of course goes well with rice.

Cuttlefish in a Dark Sauce

I wouldn't have felt right if I didn't include any seafood in this meal. Ideally, I would have loved to make chili crab, but there's no way I can afford to feed a lot of guests that much crab. Cuttlefish on the other hand can be found frozen for less than the price of chicken at the Vietnamese and Chinese markets in Chicago. It's quite a bit larger than squid and tastes great after being boiled for a about 40 minutes to an hour. The Vietnamese markets also sell the kecap manis which is a very thick and sweet soy sauce that makes a great base to many of the sauces in Malay and Indonesian cooking. It's also very cheap and worth having around.

1 tbsp vegetable oil

3 chopped shallots

1 cup bean sprouts

1 scallion

1 inch piece of ginger peeled and finely chopped

2 dried red chillies

1 stalk of lemongrass peeled and cut into two large pieces

1 lb cuttlefish meat cleaned, chopped into bite sized pieces, and simmered in boiling water for 30-40 minutes or until tender.

2 tbsp kecap manis or 1.5 tbsp soy sauce with 2 tsp sugar

1 tsp vinegar

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp chopped mint

1. Heat the oil in a wok or heavy pan over medium and add the shallots, scallion, ginger, chillies, and lemongrass. Cook for two minutes or until the shallots are soft and fragrant.

2. Add the prepared cuttlefish meat with the bean sprouts, salt, vinegar, and lemon juice and cook over high heat for several minutes until the sauce thickens. Garnish with mint and serve with rice.

Beef Rendang

Our friend Adam was angered by the lack of beef on the original menu we planned, so we attempted to appease him with this dish that originates in the neighboring Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Sumatran version is a bit simpler than this one and omits most of the dry spices. This version shows a good deal of Indian influence with the addition of a simple masala of cumin, turmeric, coriander, and pepper. Adam seemed pleased with the dish and we are still good friends.

8 shallots pealed and thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves

1 inch piece of ginger

1/4 cup chopped hot chillies (or to taste)

6 cups coconut milk

2 lbs boneless beef chuck cut into 1 inch cubes

zest of 2 limes

4 stalks of lemongrass

2 tsp cumin ground

1 tsp black pepper ground

1 tsp coriander ground

1/2 tsp turmeric ground

1. In a blender combine the shallots, garlic, chillies, ginger, and a 1/2 cup of the coconut milk. Blend them into a smooth paste and pour this over the beef.

2. In a heavy pot bring the remaining coconut milk to a boil with the lemongrass and lime zest. Simmer this for about 15 minutes.

3. Add the beef and ground spices to the pot and bring to a simmer. Cook the pot over low heat uncovered for 2-3 hours or until the beef is tender and nearly all the liquid has evaporated. Add water if the it becomes too thick to avoid burning stew. This can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and should be reheated before serving (although many seem to have no problem eating this at room temperature.)

Singapore Sling

I was pleased to find that this popular old-timey cocktail is actually Singaporean in origin. Apparently it was developed in the Raffles Hotel around 1915 and has since gone on to be a favorite amongst grandmothers everywhere. In Chicago, it has become a popular cocktail at the California Clipper (a great bar everybody should check out)

2 parts gin
1 part brandy
Club soda
Pineapple Juice
Splash of Grenadine
Ice

This one is all about ratio and taste. Simply combine the proper ratios of gin and brandy and dilute with club soda and pineapple juice to taste. Splash with grenadine and shake with ice. Strain into serving glasses and celebrate! If you have cherry brandy, omit the grenadine. Feel free to garnish with cherries and pineapple chunks.

In Conclusion

Singapore is an amazing culinary destination that draws its influences from every corner of Asia. I am eternally jealous of my good friend Hudson getting to spend the next year out there, because I'm sure that every day he is eating something much better than whatever I am having. The dinner itself turned out great and everybody ate their fill and drank way too much as usual. We would like to apologize for the delay we've had in posting this one. Our internet was out all of last week and I wasn't able to post any photos. Egypt and Malta should be up shortly. Cheers!

Democratic Republic of Congo

2010-05-24T22:02:00.008-05:00

The Democratic Republic of Congo may be the most devastated country on the planet right now. In a long list of 'worsts', Congo takes quite a few titles. Its long history of colonialism, political turmoil, and civil war makes Congo the site of the most violent conflict since the second World War. Over five million are said to have died in the fighting since 1998. Human rights groups have consistently named it as the worst place in the world to be a woman. Until Zimbabwe overtook it recently, Congo had the lowest GDP per capita in the world at just under 300 dollars. In short, Congo is pretty close to the bottom of my list of places I need to visit (although I'll still put it above Florida).

With its crippling economic and political realities, Congo has not had the chance to create a distinct cuisine for itself. Like much of Central Africa, the food of Congo is more about necessity than taste. Most of the food tends to be cheaply made and quickly prepared with minimal adornment. We tried to stick to this tradition as best we could and cooked the entire meal (except the dessert; which is in no ways authentic) over the open flame of our cheap gas grill. Nothing involved much cooking time, and all the seasonings were from raw ingredients that involved no cooking of their own. Even with these limitations it's still possible to turn out a great meal from a semi-functional grill. We're happy to say that Congo was nowhere close to being our worst meal.

Grilled Okra Salad

It just wouldn't feel right to not include okra in a fully grilled meal. Luckily okra is also amongst the most popular vegetables in the D.R. Congo. It also happens to be one of my favorite vegetables to grill whole. The skin crisps up beautifully and the slimy inside of the okra doesn't cover the rest of the food in goo. I'm really not sure why chopped okra is so popular. It was only recently I discovered that frozen okra is way cheaper than the fresh stuff, and I've been happily buying it in large bags for the past several months.

1 lb whole okra (frozen is fine and often cheaper)

2 medium white onions peeled and cut in half

2 red peppers seeded and cut in half

Olive oil

Vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Toss the vegetables with a bit of olive oil and salt and set aside in a bowl.

2. Heat your grill to about 450-500 degrees and grill the vegetables until they are nicely crisped and browned on all sides.

3. Scrape any burnt bits off the peppers and cut them into long slices. Thinly chop the grilled onion. Combine everything in a large bowl dressing with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Mustard Chicken

While researching Congolese food, I was happy to find that mustard became quite popular throughout Central and West Africa during the colonial era due to the heavy French and Belgian presence in the region. Here it makes a great marinade for the simplest of grilled chicken dishes.

1 whole chicken cut in half with spine removed.

1 cup whole grain prepared mustard

Salt to taste

1. Marinate the chicken halves in mustard for at least two hours or overnight. Be sure to rub it in well with your hands!

2. Sear the halves over high heat on the grill to crisp the skin. Reduce the heat to medium low. Cover and cook for 30 minutes flipping halfway through.

3. When chicken is fully cooked remove and cut them into serving portions. Salt to taste. Our guests also loved the ginger, coconut sauce on them.

Grilled Fufu (corn mush)

As we have demonstrated in other posts, corn mush is popular in pretty much every corner of the globe. And it is especially popular in Central Africa. We decided to go with the whole grilling theme of the meal and cooked these over the open flame as well. They tasted fine, but began to break apart when left over the flame for too long. Perhaps if we use some eggs in the mixture in the future this might hold together better during the actual grilling.

1 cup corn meal
2.5 cups water
1 tsp salt

1. Boil the corn meal, water and salt over a medium low flame for about twenty minutes; adding more water if it begins to stick.
2. Allow the mixture to cool for at least two hours. Form the corn mush into golf ball sized balls, press them somewhat flat to the thickness of about 1 cm, and lay them aside on a greased tray.
3. Grill over a medium flame about five minutes per side. Serve.

Grilled Trout

In many areas of Congo, rivers are still the only means of transporting goods long distances. It should then come as no surprise that river fish are quite popular with the Congolese. We found trout was the cheapest freshwater fish we could find whole at the time we made this dinner. But really, this method of cooking should work with just about any freshwater fish. Just be sure to adjust your cooking times for larger or smaller fish.

Trout: gutted and cleaned (we grilled one for every two people)
Lemon sliced
Salt and pepper

1. Place slices of lemon into the stomach cavities of the fish.
2. Using a fish basket, bake the fish over a high flame for about five minutes per side and remove them.
3. Cut into serving portions and serve with generous portions of parsley, coconut, ginger sauce.

Parsley, coconut, and ginger sauce

I pulled this sauce out of thin air and made it up out of items in my pantry. It's certainly not an authentic recipe, but the spiciness and creaminess of the sauce go well with this style of cooking. No cooking is involved, and nothing here would be too hard find in a Central African market.

1 handful of parsley or cilantro or both
1 can coconut milk
2 inches fresh ginger roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 serrano chili or more to taste

Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt

Just grind everything together in a blender or processor and set aside until ready to use.

Congo Bars

Despite the name, these cookie bars have absolutely nothing to do with Congo. I'm pretty sure there's some old-timey racism behind the name since they originated in the American South at least a century ago. By the time we realized this, they were halfway made. So we'll include them anyways. We Northerners have always known these as blondies. I'm sorry, Congo. On the plus side they were delicious.

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick butter cut into squares and brought to room temp

2 and 1/4 cups brown sugar

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips

3 eggs

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 tsp vanilla extract

1. Mix the butter, eggs, and brown sugar together in a large bowl.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir into a thick batter.

3. Grease a large cake pan and pour in the batter smoothing it out with a spatula.

4. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until a toothpick may be inserted into the center and be removed cleanly.

5. Allow to cool for one hour and serve.

Conclusion

This meal fell on one of the warmest days of the year. So we were happy to celebrate a return of decent weather and a chance to grill outside without looking like crazy people. This was also one of the easier dinners we've thrown together. In short it was a perfect start to a long session of summer cooking. You can expect to see the grill in more of our shots for the next several months. And in other news, we signed the lease for a new apartment starting July 1! Soon we'll actually have a dining room in which we can feed our many guests without making them sit on one another! Up next is Singapore, until then: santé!

Turkey

2010-05-04T20:00:00.016-05:00

Turkey is the country I chose for my birthday dinner, so yet again, we did not stick by the rules of the random picking. Sorry about that, but in my defense, I think I made the right birthday choice. Turkish food is, in my opinion, some of the best flavors to ever hit your palate. It's just the right amount of savory, sweet and dishes that sound very elegant without breaking the bank.

Taramasalata: Caviar Dip

Here, as you can see and read, is a perfect example of something that sounds really expensive but isn't at all! Tom and I noticed jars of taramasalata popping up all over at our neighborhood grocers about 2 months ago and our curiosity got the best of us. We bought 2 or 3 jars until we realized how easy it was to make. The caviar used in this dip is that of a carp, which may sound a bit iffy and awful, but it is quite tasty and addictive. Most importantly it is cheap. We definitely made way too much of this and ate it throughout the next week.

3 heaping tablespoons of carp roe (may be found at greek and middle eastern grocers for cheap)

1.5 cups of white rye bread with crusts removed

2 cloves garlic

Juice of 1 lemon

1 cup olive oil

1 cup vegetable oil

3 tbsp. water if needed.

(There is no need to add any salt to this recipe since the caviar contains more than enough.)

1. Soak the bread in a bit of water and squeeze as dry as you can.

2. Add the soaked bread, roe, garlic, and lemon juice to a food processor. Pulse several times to distribute them evenly.

3. Combine both oils and slowly drizzle them into the mixture with the motor running. If the mixture get's too thick simply pour in a few tablespoons of water.

4. Continue adding the oil until a thick mayonnaise-like substance forms. Chill until ready to serve. This stuff kept well in our fridge for two weeks.

Feta and Walnut Dip

It seems that this was the favorite of the two dips. Our guests really gobbled this one up. I barely ate 2 pieces of matza with it before it was all gone. I wasn't mad about this fact, just happy everyone enjoyed it so much. Here's our good friend Marco enjoying it:

2/3 cup walnuts

1/2 pound feta

1/4 cup yogurt

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1. Simply combine all the ingredients in a food processor and blend into a rough paste.

Red Pepper and Chickpea Soup

Let me just say, I love this soup! Tom found and made this recipe about 2-3 weeks before the Turkey dinner and we automatically knew we had to make it again. It is flavorful and includes two of the best soup ingredients: bulgur and chickpeas. Just read through the recipe and tell me that isn't the most Turkish dish ever.

1 cup dried chickpeas soaked overnight

1/3 cup olive oil

1 medium onion finely chopped

2 bell peppers seeded and finely cut

2 tsp dried mint

1 tbsp pomegranate molasses

2 cups chopped canned tomatoes

1.5 quarts water

1/2 cup bulgur

1/3 cup chopped mint

1/2 tsp hot paprika or cayenne

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large heavy pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat and add the onion and pepper. Cook for five minutes stirring frequently until the vegetables soften. Add the pomegranate molasses and dried mint. Cook for another minute.

2. Drain the chickpeas and add them along with the tomatoes and stock to the pan. Simmer this mixture covered for an hour or until the chickpeas are tender.

3. Add the bulgur to the pot, and simmer a further ten minutes adding more water if necessary.

4. Before serving, stir in the lemon juice and paprika. Salt and pepper to taste. And distribute the soup into individual bowls. Garnish each bowl with some chopped mint and serve immediately. Steps 1-2 can be done up to a day in advance.

Spinach and Feta Pies: Pide

Tom and I enjoyed these wonderful little pies for the first time while we were in New York City this year. Of course the ones we had were filled with pastrami and mozzarella in true Manhattan fashion. We decided to go with a more traditional and not to mention, less filling version of feta and spinach. The dough was so perfect that the next day, we made another batch with sausage, tomato and mozzarella for dinner.

1 quantity of pide dough (recipe follows)

2/3 cup yellow raisins soaked 15 minutes

1 lb spinach washed

2 garlic cloves chopped

2 tsp salt

1/2 red onion finely sliced

1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp ground pepper

Zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup olive oil

2/3 pound feta

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1. Divide the dough into twelve even portions by cutting it in half and dividing each half until you have 12 even portions. Cover and set aside.

2. Prepare the filing by blanching and cooling the spinach in batches. Then chop the spinach and mix it with everything else except for the egg and milk.

3. Preheat your oven to it's highest setting. On a floured surface roll out each piece of dough into a long and thin oval of about 13 by 4 inches. Place several tablespoons of the filling in the middle of the dough and fold the sides over without allowing them to touch. Twist the ends securely. The final result should look a bit like a canoe.

4. Mix the egg and milk in a bowl and brush the pides with a bit of the mixture.

5. Bake the pide two at a time in the oven on a large baking sheet for 7-8 minutes a batch. Remove when the crust is a golden brown. (I find it's easiest to prep the next batch of pide while the other batch is baking.) Serve immediately or warm later in a 320 f oven.

Dough

2 tsp dried yeast

1 tsp sugar

2 cups flour

4 tbsp oil

1/2 cup warm water

2 tsp salt

1. Soak the yeast in warm water and let rest for ten minutes to activate the culture.

2. Combine everything else either in a food processor or mixer and knead until smooth (about five minutes in the mixer)

3. Place in an oiled bowl and leave covered in a warm place for 1 hour.

4. Follow the assembly instructions in the above recipe.

Pistachio and Spinach Pilaf

The best part of this dish is the use of all the fresh herbs. Pilafs always seem to act as a perfect side to meals, but I think this one could stand alone. It just was a good combination of nutty and fresh flavors and got me a little excited about the upcoming farmer's markets for even better herbs.

1 cup basmati rice

1.5 cups water

1/2 stick butter

1 medium onion finely chopped

1.5 lbs spinach washed and roughly chopped

4 tbsps shelled pistachios

1/2 cup chopped mint

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped dill

1. Melt 2 tbsps butter in a medium sized heavy saucepan. Cook the onions in the butter over low heat until they soften.

2. Add the spinach and stir until it has wilted and reduced.

3. Add the rice and stock and bring to a simmer. Season the liquid with salt and pepper to your taste and cover and cook for 12 minutes over very low heat.

4. Cook the pistachios in a small pan with the remaining butter until they brown. Open the lid to the rice and put the pistachios and chopped herbs on top. Cut the heat and leave covered for 15 minutes allowing the pilaf to steam.

5. Fluff the grains and stir the pilaf to distribute everything. Serve on a a large platter.

Circassian Chicken

This is Turkey's national cold buffet dish. This is what you would you would bring to a picnic and is much like a chicken salad we would make, you know, without the mayo. Personally, I did not enjoy this. I think it would be good actually on some bread maybe with some sprouts and stone ground mustard, but on it's own it is a bit boring. This is probably my American taste buds talking but I think it was just lacking some pizazz. You can see it below with the fork in it.

4 chicken breasts

2 stalks of celery

1/2 tsp cayenne

1 large red onion chopped

1 bay leaf

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1/2 cup parsley

1 sprig thyme

1 tsp peppercorns

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 cup toasted walnuts

2 slices white bread

2 cloves garlic

1 tbsp paprika

1. Combine the chicken, celery, carrot, onion, thyme, pepper, and coriander with a liter of water and bring to a simmer. Let cook for 25 minutes and remove the chicken to cool and continue cooking the leftover stock for 25 more minutes.

2. When the chicken is cool shred it with your hands and remove any bones and set aside in a bowl.

3. In a food processor combine the walnut, garlic, cayenne, and paprika. Grind all this and gradually add enough of the prepared stock to make a thick sauce. Salt it to taste.

4. Mix half the sauce with the chicken thoroughly, and top all of this with the rest of the sauce and several dustings of paprika. Serve cold or at room temp.

Conclusions

There are so many interesting tidbits and facts I could share with you about Turkey. The Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, the trade of the Silk Road, the Orient Express, and complicated issues with European and Middle Eastern identities are just the tip of the iceberg. I still think what fascinates me most about Turkey is their road to EEC status and their still pending EU status. I remember having a geography professor my sophomore year telling us that he was betting on 2010 for the year that they finally gain membership. Alas, he was wrong, but it seems to be this struggle that Turkey has with Europe despite having just about equal trade with each other at this point. Someday, Turkey, someday.

As far as the food goes, it is the perfect mixture of Middle Eastern, Balkan and Mediterranean. With this meal, we tried to find the perfect balance of all of these cuisines and produce something that would satisfy and surprise our guests. I think everyone has an idea of what Turkish food is and should taste like, and we'd like to think we exceeded some expectations.

So remember, if you want to see Greek or Roman ruins...go to Turkey.

Up next is the Democratic Republic of Congo. Until then, Sagligina!

St Lucia

2010-05-03T20:38:00.006-05:00

Here we are with yet another Caribbean island. Don't worry there's still plenty more of them coming up. St. Lucia's history is very similar to many other East Caribbean islands and involves a succession of French and British colonial rule from the 17th to 20th century eventually leading to autonomy in 1979. This messy colonial history brought a great deal of distant people and cultures to the island (of course not all did this by choice). Today St. Lucia is a popular cruise ship stop and a strong exporter of bananas. The island's food is pretty much what you'd expect from that region of the Caribbean. Fruit, fish, and beans play a dominant role in the dishes whose influences come from just about every corner of the globe.

Cucumber and Avocado Salad

In today's busy world, people seem to forget that cucumbers are actually subtly sweet melons. This salad is centered around the cucumber's sweetness. When eaten without the standard accompaniment of lots of lettuce the cucumber provides a refreshing side to any meal.

2 lbs cucumber peeled and thinly sliced
1 lb avocado roughly chopped
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/3 cup lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/3 cup cilantro
1/3 cup pistachios chopped
1 orange pepper cut into strips
1/2 red onion thinly sliced and soaked for 10 minutes
1 clove garlic minced

Soak the onion and drain it after it loses its bite. Then simply mix everything together in a large bowl, allow to rest for ten minutes, give another stir and serve.

Lentil and Cheese Soup

Simplicity is key to this dish. Beans and cheese are always a crowd pleaser. But it's also quite easy to make way too much of this stuff, but that's ok. It keeps well in the fridge the provided me with a lunch at work for the rest of the week.

2 cups lentils
2 quarts water
4 sprigs thyme
Salt to taste
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp chives chipped
1/2 cup sour cream
Handful of chopped parsley
Whited cheddar cheese grated

1. In a large pot combine the lentils, thyme, and water. Raise to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and cook for 45 minutes or until the lentils have become tender.
2. Blend the lentil mixture or pass it through a food mill adding more water to thin the mixture if needed.
3. Stir in the butter, chives, and sour cream. Ladle the soup into individual serving bowls and garnish each bowl with your desired quantity of cheese and parsley. Serve.

Fried Biscuits

I was shocked by the simplicity of these biscuits. No yeast or waiting is involved, instead baking powder provides them with a fluffy texture and frying them in oil ensures they'll be delicious.

1lb flour
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
2 oz lard or butter chilled and cut into thin squares
1 tbsp sugar mixed with 1/4 cup water
Oil for frying

1. Combine everything in a food processor and blend into a gooey ball adding more flour or water if neccessary.
2. Pinch off about a golf ball sized piece of the dough and pat it into a 3 inch diameter round.
3. In a large cast iron frying pan, pour 1/4 inch of cooking oil and heat it over a medium flame.
4. Fry the biscuit rounds in batches about 3 minutes aside or until each side is golden brown. Allow ten minutes to cool and serve.

Green Fig (Banana) and Fish Pie

I guess the big surprise with this dish was that it wasn't disgusting. Still I wouldn't exactly call it tasty. Bananas, fish, and cheese tasted exactly as I thought they would. I guess it's best to say that I'll never make it again. Nevertheless here's the recipe, and you can try for yourself. The green bananas are more starchy than sweet and taste somewhat like mashed potatoes. I'd imagine plantains would make a better substitute. After eating this, you may find yourself wondering why anybody would make this their national dish.

2 lbs green bananas
1 lb tilapia
1/2 lb mozzarella or other melting white cheese
1/2 cup milk
Juice of 1/2 lime
2 red peppers
2 tomatoes thinly sliced
1 medium red onion thinly sliced
1/2 cup bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the bananas in their skins for 20 minutes and set aside to cool.
2. When cool, peel the bananas and mash them in a bowl. Sprinkle the lime juice onto them to prevent them from darkening.
3. Heat another pot of water until it boils, and poach the fish for two minutes. Remove the fish and shred it.
4. Butter a deep pan and smash half the mashed banana on the bottom. Sprinkle half the onion, cheese, tomatoes, and pepper on the banana. Place another layer of banana over this and sprinkle with the remaining toppings putting the cheese on top.
5. Top the pie with breadcrumbs soaked in milk and bake for 40 minutes in a 375 oven or until the surface has evenly browned. Serve.

In Conclusion

When all was said and done and everybody had eaten their fill, there was a lot of untouched green fig pie. I made the mistake of putting cheap swiss cheese on it which I'm sure didn't help this poor dish. I'm sure if a skilled hand made it I might change my mind. Maybe it just needed bacon. Everything else, however, went down quite well and the beans tasted even better throughout the week. Amy actually just requested I make another pot of lentils to get us through the current work week. Up next is the mighty nation of Turkey! Until then, cheers!

Ireland

2010-04-15T18:06:00.010-05:00

Before rambling about Irish food and this dinner, I must confess that the Emerald Isle is a country that is near and dear to my heart. Both Amy and I have a fair amount of Irish blood running through our families. We were both raised to have great pride in our Irish heritage. During college I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to study abroad in Ireland for a term. And when it came time for me to write my senior thesis for a history degree; I chose to devote it to a study of the Irish Potato Famine of the 1840's. I have another confession to make as well. We did not randomly pull Ireland, but held the dinner in honor of a visit from my good friend Hudson, who also studied abroad with me in Ireland. I could go on for pages and pages about how much drunken hooliganery we had in Ireland and say all kinds of neat things about Irish history, but then we'd never get to the food.

Ireland is more famous for its booze and history than its food. But this is not to say that Irish food is dull. They offer quite a bit more than baked potatoes. Which is a good thing because Amy hates potatoes (don't worry we still made potatoes). Also much to Amy's benefit: the Irish have never been big on adding lots of spice to their food. English food appears spicy in comparison. Instead Irish food places an emphasis on hearty, rich, buttery food that remains strong in flavor despite the lack of spicing. Essentially, most of the food goes well with a dark stout and damp weather.

Colcannon: Mashed Potatoes With Braised Cabbage

Colcannon is a great combination of the two most famous standards: cabbage and potatoes. The only trick to it is making sure that the cabbage is well browned before mixing it with the potatoes. The final baking of the mixture is optional, but I find it best to have a crispy crust on top of it.

1 head green cabbage

3 lbs russet potatoes peeled and quartered

2 onions sliced thinly

Butter

Salt and pepper to taste

Grated white cheddar (optional)

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain and mash the potatoes tossing in butter and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

2. In a large skillet melt 1/4 stick of butter over medium heat and add the sliced onion. Cook the onion stirring occasionally until the onion begins to brown.

3. Add the cabbage and sauté for another five minutes then add a cup of water and reduce the heat to low. Cover and continue cooking the cabbage for a further 20 minutes or until it is completely wilted and beginning to brown.

4. Combine the cabbage and onions with the mashed potato and place the mixture into a greased baking dish.

5. Preheat the oven to 450. Arrange grated cheese on top of the colcannon and bake until the cheese or the top of the potatoes are nicely browned. Serve at once or reheat later.

Soda Bread

Our friend Hudson made this bread while we were all at work. I've actually never made soda bread. Some year I'll get around to it, but I still haven't felt compelled. My mom makes large quantities of the stuff every year for St. Patrick's day and delivers loaves to all the friends and neighbors. For the past several years Hudson has performed this duty in my apartment when he's visited. Thanks, Hudson!

Six cups all purpose flour

1.5 tsp baking soda

3 teaspoons salt

2.5 cups buttermilk

1.5 cups golden raisins

1. Preheat the oven to 375 and using a mixer or a large bowl and your hands combine everything except the buttermilk.

2. Gradually pour in all of the buttermilk while stirring and a big doughy ball should form.

3. Knead the dough for about two minutes on a floured surface or in the mixer.

4 Divide the dough into two loaves and place them on a large baking sheet.

5. Cut a shallow cross onto the very top of each loaf but take care to not cut too deep or else your bread will look like ours did.

6. Bake for 45 minutes or until the outside is a golden brown. Be sure to check the temperature of your oven to ensure that you don't burn the raisins like we did.

7. Let cool several hours before serving and enjoy.

Mashed Carrot and Parsnip

We had a huge pile parsnips lying about and decided to whip these up to provide a bit more vegetable matter to the food. The roasting of the vegetables gives the dish a sweet and smoky finish.

1/2 pound carrots peeled and quartered

1.5 pounds parsnips peeled and quartered

Butter to taste

1 cup milk

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

1. Preheat the broiler and arrange the carrots and parsnips on the broiling tray. Pour a bit of melted butter over all the pieces before putting them onto the tray. And broil them for 15 minutes or until the vegetables are caramelized and tender.

2. Combine the vegetables with the milk and butter and grind them in a food processor into a thick mashed paste.

3. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Red Cabbage and Apples

Cabbage is too important in Irish food to only serve once during the meal. But to avoid too much repetition we used red cabbage. The sweetness of it goes great apples and butter.

1 small head of red cabbage cored and thinly sliced

1 medium onion thinly sliced

2 tbsp butter

2 yellow baking apples peeled and thinly sliced

1 tablespoon of currant jam (optional)

2 tbsp cider vinegar

1/4 tsp allspice

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat and add the onions and cook until they begin to wilt.

2. Add everything else to the pan and raise to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the cabbage has cooked down and is very tender. Serve.

Beef and Guinness Stew

When I originally planned out what I would make for an Irish meal, I immediately decided I would serve corned beef and cabbage. A good Irish friend of mine, however, said that wouldn't do and demanded I make beef stew. I suppose corned beef and cabbage has always been more popular with the American Irish. Well she was right this stew filled out the meal perfectly.

4 lbs stew beef (we used chuck) cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup flour

4 tbsp butter

1/2 lb carrots cut into circles

4 large onions roughly chopped

6 stalks celery roughly chopped

1 pint Guinness or other stout

1 pint beef stock

2 tbsp tomato paste

1 tbsp mustard

5 sprigs thyme

1/2 lb sliced mushrooms sautéed in butter.

1/2 lb shelled peas (frozen are fine)

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Dredge the cubed beef in the flour and in a large heavy pot cook with the 4 tbsp butter until well browned on all sides. Cut the heat and remove the meat with a slotted spoon and set aside reserving the juices for the vegetables.

2. Add the onions, carrot, and celery to the pot and gently cook until they begin to wilt about ten minutes.

3. Deglaze the pot with a bit of the stock making sure to get up any burnt bits and add the beef, stout, stock, mustard, tomato paste, and thyme. Bring this mixture to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 2-3 hours or until the beef is tender. Or if the oven is free braise the stew at 325 for the same amount of time and be sure to give it a stir every so often.

4. Add the peas and mushrooms to the beef and cook for a further 10 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste and serve garnished with fresh parsley.

Irish Cream

By the time we got around to making this I'm pretty sure we were a bit too far gone because neither of us managed to snag a picture of it. Just imagine a cool glass of Bailey's and you'll get the picture. Also once you make it, you'll wonder why you'd ever buy Bailey's. This took about 1 minute to make and tasted much better. I had no idea Irish Cream was just eggnog made with whiskey.

3 eggs

1 can condensed milk

1 cup whiskey

1 tbsp chocolate syrup

1 tbsp vanilla

Combine everything in a blender. Chill in the fridge and serve in small glasses. Enjoy.

Conclusion

This meal was a heavy pile of tasty food. Also it resulted in a huge mess because a lot of people came over; several of whom had also been to Ireland with Hudson and myself. It was a great time with lots of Irish music played and Guinness and whiskey consumed. This was tough on Amy because she had to work the next day. But I'm sure she feels it was all well worth it. We've been running a bit behind in our posting, but we're now nearly caught up! St. Lucia is next! Until then, Slainte!

Comoros

2010-04-13T17:46:00.007-05:00

If you didn't have to look at a map to find out where Comoros is located, give yourself a pat on the back. For those of you who would rather not look it up, the Comoros is situated just east of the mainland of Africa, but before Madagascar. It is an archipelago made up of four islands and since attaining independence from France in 1975, it has had more than 20 attempted coups.

Like many other tiny island nations, Comoros is a product of the nations that is was ruled by and those that it has traded with. Over the years, it has been ruled by native tribes originally from East Africa, spice trading Arab colonists, and of course the French. And just like all the other tiny islands with complicated histories that we have come across, the food is a fantastic and unique combination of all these past cultures.

Sweet Pea Soup

The combination of peas and ginger is something that can be found in Indian curries and Chinese stir fried dishes. Here, we put this pairing into a soup and added some coconut milk for a richer body. I thought there was too much ginger in it, but Tom happily ate up his portion. Feel free to put in what you think is a tolerable amount of ginger.

1 lb frozen peas (thawed)
4 cloves garlic smashed
1/2 tsp pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
1/2 pound tomatoes chopped
2 tbsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 can coconut milk
1.5 liters water
salt to taste

1. In a 4 quart saucepan heat the olive oil over medium and add the onion and garlic. Gently cook for 5 minutes stirring often.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients except the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Simmer for 25 minutes.
3. Add the coconut milk, raise to a simmer, cut the heat and serve.

Avocado and Smoked Fish Salad

This is our second showing of smoked herring in a salad (Norway). I am started to really be convinced that smoked fish in any salad is awesome. It is definitely an unsung ingredient that adds so much. The smokiness really comes through and compliments the avocado beautifully.

1/2 lb smoked herring meat chopped
3 avocados pitted and cut into thin slices
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1 bunch scallions chopped
2 red peppers chopped
4 hard boiled eggs cut into rings
Juice of 2 limes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste

45 minutes before serving prep all the ingredients and gently mix everything being careful not to smash the avocado. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Chicken in Coconut Milk

This is essentially a very simple chicken curry dish that can be thrown together from a few ingredients. This is the one dish from the Comoros that we could actually find a full recipe on, and it is listed by many to be the national dish. We served this chicken dish on a bed of rice with pineapple and okra.

1 chicken cut into serving pieces
1/2 stick butter
2 medium onions thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic minced
1.5 tbsp curry powder
1 can coconut milk
5 sprigs fresh thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1 bunch parsley chopped

1. Brown the chicken in the butter on medium heat on all sides in a deep pot. This should take about ten minutes and you might have to do this in several batches depending on the size of the pot.
2. Add the onions, garlic, and curry powder to the browned chicken and cook for another five minutes spreading the spice evenly over everything in the pot.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a simmer, and cook covered for twenty minutes.
4. Turn the heat to high and reduce the sauce to a thick gravy. Salt to taste and serve with rice.

Fruit Salad

Of course, a Comorian dinner (or many an island meal) would not be complete without some fruit on the table. This dish is different from a standard fruit salad, because it has cardamom and vanilla. We thought we should present this dish as a dessert for our guests; giving them a refreshing end to their island eating experience.

3 bananas cut into 1 inch rounds

1 pineapple peeled, cored, and cut into bite sized pieces

1 apple peeled and cored cut into 1 inch segments

1 orange cut into segments

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup sugar

Whipped Cream for garnish

Simply combine everything but the whipped cream in a bowl. Serve on individual plates topped with whipped cream. That's it.

Conclusions

This was the most obscure country we have picked so far. When we picked it, everyone in the room was struck with a perplexed "Where's that?" look upon their faces. We apologize to anyone in Comoros reading this now for not knowing where you were located initially. Once we pulled up a map and started cooking, Comoros set itself apart from the other island nations we have done. All of the different influences of lands far and near that have set foot here have left their culinary mark on this island's unique cuisine.

Up next is Ireland. Until then, shucram!

Bangladesh

2010-03-29T17:08:00.007-05:00

At last we have arrived at our first South Asian country. I was very excited about this because not much curry gets served in this apartment due to Amy's tender palate. So this was quite the occasion for me. Much like its neighbors, Bangladesh is well known for a cuisine of rich and hearty curries that are heavy on spices. The curries of Bangladesh are unique with their blend of native Bengali cooking styles and savory meaty Mughal fare. I could go on and on with a modern history lesson of the country, but I'll do my best to keep this simple and stick to the food. A few paragraphs wouldn't give this country's diverse history any justice.

The first thing that I noticed when serving our Bangladeshi meal was that everything on the plate was a perfect shade of yellow. I'm not sure if this is because of the cookbooks I used, but every recipe had a very large amount of turmeric. Maybe I just planned my menu poorly. Fortunately nobody seemed to mind that all of their food was big bird yellow. I'm sure, however, that there must be plenty of non-yellow Bangladeshi food. Despite the monochromatic color scheme, the food turned out pretty great!

Mashed Dal

Not much to making a good pot of lentil goo. The real trick to this dish is finding the Nigella seeds which I've only had luck finding at large Indian markets in Chicago. They're sometimes labeled as black cumin and are well worth seeking out. They provide a smoky herbal flavor to the beans that I cannot find any substitution for.

1 cup red lentils
2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp sugar
2 bay leaves
1 tsp nigella seeds (black cumin)
2 tbsp butter
5 cups water

1. Wash the lentils in water and drain thoroughly.
2. Put the lentils in a 3 quart pot, add the five cups of water and bring the mixture to the boil. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to low and add the turmeric and cayenne. Cover and cook for 1 hour. After all that cooking the lentils should be a goopy puree.
3. In a small frying pan melt the butter and add the sugar, bay leaves, and nigella. Fry these for a minute or until the spices are browned and fragrant.
4. Add the mixture to the lentils, stir and set aside for ten minutes to thicken. Serve at once.

Cauliflower Curry

I love this recipe because aside from the ginger and the cauliflower, most of the ingredients are basic pantry items that never go bad and are always on hand. Also it's a great way to feed vegetarian friends when the meal has a lot of meat.

1 head cauliflower
2 russet potatoes peeled and quartered
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp ground red pepper
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
1.5 cups water
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp corn oil
1/2 tsp corn starch
2 tbsp water
Salt to taste

1. Heat the corn oil in a large heavy pot and add the potatoes and cauliflower along with the spices. Fry this for about five minutes or until the vegetables begin to brown. Stir this frequently to ensure that nothing burns.
2. Add the water, sugar, and bay leaves. Raise to a simmer and cook covered for 15 minutes or until the vegetable are fully cooked.
3. Before serving, stir the starch with the 2 tbsp water and add to the cauliflower raise to a high heat and reduce the sauce to a thick gravy. Salt to taste and serve.

Chicken Korma

Their are thousands of ways to make this dish and most of them are delicious. The dish has it's roots in Central Asian Mughal cooking and can be found anywhere from Afghanistan to Malaysia. I recommend giving it a try and seeing why it's so popular.

1 tsp saffron threads
1 tbsp rosewater
2 tbsp tap water
2 small white onions halved
1 inch ginger peeled and chopped roughly
4 cloves garlic
2 large onions thinly sliced
2 russet potatoes peeled and quartered
1 liter corn oil for frying.
1 tbsp butter
4 tbsp corn oil
1 stick cinnamon
5 whole green cardamom pods crushed
1 chicken cut into serving pieces
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
1/2 cup yogurt
3/4 cup milk
Salt to taste

1. Soak the saffron in the tap water and rosewater and set aside.
2. Heat pot of oil and add the sliced large onion and fry until browned and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to dry on a paper towel or wire rack.
3. Add the potatoes to the frying oil and fry until lightly browned about 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside with the onions. Strain the oil after it cools and set it aside for your next deep frying adventure.
4. In a blender combine the small onions with the ginger, garlic, and 4 tbsp water. Blend to a smooth paste.
5. Heat the 4 tbsp of oil and 1 tbsp of butter in a deep pot over medium heat and add the crushed cardamom and cinnamon. Heat until the spices are fragrant.
6. Add the blended paste and fry this for five minutes until it is browned.
7. Add the chicken to the pot and fry for another minute. Now begin adding the yogurt a tablespoon at a time stirring often to prevent it from curdling. Reduce the heat if the yogurt begins to burn. After all the yogurt has been added add the milk, nutmeg, mace, fried onions, and potatoes. Raise to a simmer, and cover and cook for 25 minutes over low heat.
8. Before serving add the rosewater and saffron mixture. Gently heat the mixture for a further five minutes and serve with rice or flatbread.

Beef Tehari

I sent out a message to a Bangladeshi friend of mine from college and asked what he thought I should make for this meal. His answer was this dish. It's very similar to many Indian biryani rice and meat dishes, but it's even heavier on the spices and sauciness much like a Jambalaya or Paella. I loved it. Thanks, Kazi!

2 lbs stew beef cut into 1 inch cubes

1/2 cup onion

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp turmeric

1 inch piece of ginger chopped roughly

1 tsp cumin seed powdered

1 tsp coriander seed powdered

2 yellow onions thinly sliced

2 sticks cinnamon

8 cloves

4 cardamom pods

2 bay leaves

2 jalapenos seeded

1/2 cup butter

2.5 cups basmati rice

Salt to taste

1. Combine the onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, cumin, and coriander in a food processor with a cup of water and grind until all ingredients are more or less liquefied.

2. Simmer the beef gently in this liquid for the next hour or so stirring the mix every so often to prevent burning. A cast iron enamel pot is ideal for this dish.

3. In a large frying pan melt the butter and fry the onions over medium low heat until they are nearly browned. Add the remaining spices and cook for about 3 minutes or until they give off a strong smell.

4. Add the basmati to the mix and cook for another five minutes stirring constantly until the rice begins to turn translucent.

and cinnamon. Fry until fragrant.
5. Add five cups of water, salt to taste, raise to a simmer, cover and cook for 25 minutes.
6. Serve.

Conclusion

For me, this meal was a plate of yellow tastiness. It felt great being able to throw on the spices more liberally than I generally get a chance to attempt in my home. Unfortunately It had been a while since I had last dumped this many spice in my food, and I ended up with an upset tummy. Still, it was well worth it for me. Up next is the Comoros! Good luck finding out where that is!

Rwanda

2010-03-15T18:57:00.011-05:00

Most of what I know about Rwanda I have learned from either NPR or Don Cheadle. Genocide aside, Rwanda these days is becoming quite the success story. The average income has just about tripled in the last ten years and it is now considered a much safer country with a model government. Among African nations, Rwanda's government is seen as one of the most honest and efficient. They are also making a pretty penny from tourism, mainly due to their rare primate populations. Mountain gorillas are actually the number one attraction. Not too shabby, Rwanda.

For this meal, we decided to do some dishes that didn't make it into Uganda. These countries are very similar in their eating habits due to proximity and shared cultures.

Samosas

This was our time consuming item of the meal. It seems as though we always have one thing we make per country that we debate on making or not because of time constraints. They always are worth it in the end though, and this was no exception. Samosas make a perfect appetizer and a crowd pleaser.

For the dough:

2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1.5 cups flour
2 tsp salt
2 tablespoons corn oil
1 cup water
1/2 cup lemon juice

1. Put all the ingredients into a mixer, processor, or bowl and and knead the ingredients together until a smooth ball is formed.
2. Set aside for 30 minutes in a large covered bowl.
3. Cut the dough into 12 equal sized balls.
4. Roll each ball into a 1/4 inch thick circle about 6 inches across.
5. Place a generous amount of filling inside each circle. Place a bit of water around the edges and fold over to seal.
6. Deep fry the samosas and serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.

For the filling:

1 russet potato boiled and chopped
1 onion minced
1 carrot peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
1 cup peas
1/2 cup coconut milk
2 tbsp lime juice
Salt to taste

1. Saute the vegetables in a small saucepan in a bit of corn oil for ten minutes over medium.
2. Add the coconut milk and simmer for five minutes.
3. Top with the lime juice and taste for salt.

Fruit and Rice Salad

This dish is the food pyramid's dream. Fruit, grain, vegetables, and lentils combined sounds like an odd concoction but it proves to be filling and delightful. Plus, as you will see below, it's really simple to throw together.

3 cups long grain rice cooked, rinsed, and dried

1/2 pineapple cut into small pieces

1 red onion roughly chopped

2 tomatoes roughly chopped

1 cup cooked red lentils

3 cups tangerine slices

1 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lime juice

2 serrano chiles chopped seeds removed according to taste

Salt to taste

Make sure the rice has drained thoroughly and then simply combine everything in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning and serve.

Isombe: Greens and vegetables cooked in a peanut sauce

A great many posts ago, I mentioned that we could not seem to find cassava leaves in the city. Well, we found them due north of us and it was a wonderful thing. This city never ceases to amaze us when our food needs seem somewhat unreasonable. Thank you, Chicago.

1 lb cassava leaves cooked and pureed

1 lb collared greens ribs removed and chopped into manageable pieces

2 serrano chiles chopped (I removed the seeds from one)

1 cup ground peanuts

1/2 cup palm oil

Salt to taste

1. In a pot combine the greens with all the ingredients and just enough water to cover.

2. Bring to a boil and add the remaining ingredients.

3. Boil the mixture down to a thick sauce that covers the wilted greens and serve.

Meat and Eggplant Skewers with a yogurt turmeric sauce

We found some cheap ground turkey at the African market and although it's not the most authentic way, it was a little healthier and our guests were none the wiser.

For the Meatballs:

2 lbs ground beef

2 lbs ground turkey

2 eggs

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbsp salt

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Roll a test meatball and fry in a skillet. Taste for seasoning and then proceed to pack the rest of the meat into meatballs.

For the eggplant:

1 large round globe eggplant

Salt

Cut the eggplant into 1 inch chunks. Salt the eggplant and set aside in a colander for 20 minutes to tenderize. Rinse the salt from the eggplant pieces of salt and dry thoroughly.

Now combine everything on bamboo or metal skewers. If you use bamboo soak them a day ahead so they don't burn. Then grill or bake on a greased pan at about 350 for twenty minutes to a half hour making sure to turn the skewers halfway through the cooking process. Serve with yogurt sauce.

For the Yogurt Sauce

2 cups yogurt

2 cloves garlic chopped

Juice of 1 lime

1/2 tsp pepper

1 serrano chile

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp salt

Combine the following ingredients in a bowl and serve alongside the skewers.

Baked Plantains

One of the easier desserts to make, baked plantains are all about making sure your plantains are aged and sweet. The blacker the peel, the sweeter the plantain. In the future, I may use rum instead of brandy, but that was all we had on hand.

6 plantains
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Cut ends off plantains, peel and cut lengthwise.
2. Melt butter and stir in brandy, brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Put in a casserole dish and roll plantains in mixture until all sides are covered. Place cut side of plantain down in the dish.
4. Bake covered with foil for 45 minutes at 375 degrees. You should probably take them out and turn them a few times while baking.
5. Add salt if desired and serve.

Conclusions

Turmeric, turmeric and more turmeric. We definitely used all the turmeric from our spice rack vile, plus some more. Besides the danger of staining all the clothes you are wearing permanently, the turmeric added nothing but positive flavors to our Rwandan meal.

Rwanda is much more than meets the eye. It seems as though modern day Rwanda is breaking away from their unfortunate past and making a new name for itself. If their food culture is any indication of this rebranding, I think they will do just fine.

Next up, Bangladesh. Until then, dusangire karyohe!

Uruguay

2010-03-08T21:59:00.010-06:00

The history of Uruguay began with the 500 day Argentina-Brazil War in the 1820's for control of their border region. The war ended in a stalemate and a compromise. The border region that had been fought over was transformed, thanks to the coercion of the British, into the independent state of Uruguay. Despite being the second smallest nation on the continent, Uruguay is one of the most affluent countries in South America. Much like Argentina, Uruguay remains very old world in it's culture. The overwhelming majority of Uruguayans are descendants of past waves of European immigrants. Much like it's population, the food of Uruguay is also an offspring of European culture.

To be honest, we did not find many differences between the foods of Uruguay and Argentina. Both countries claim many of the same foods as their national dishes. Fortunately, there were a lot of foods I wished I had the chance to make when we did Argentina. Uruguay provided the perfect opportunity to cook what we didn't get the chance to make last time around.

Burnt Carrot Salad

Uruguay isn't well known for any vegetable dishes, so we just made this one up to compliment all the roasted food we were eating. I find roasted carrots to have a sweet and savory flavor that goes great with any meaty meal.

1 head red leaf lettuce washed and chopped

2 pounds carrots peeled and cut into fairly thick 2 inc spears

4 tbsp olive oil

1 red onion thinly sliced

1/2 cup shelled pumpkin seeds (I have no idea how to shell these things effectively with my hands, but many latino markets sell them preshelled)

1 bell pepper seeded and sliced

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup sherry vinegar (or red wine vinegar)

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Fire up the broiler or the grill and rub the chopped carrots with five tablespoons of olive oil and cook until they are nicely browned and soft. Set aside to cool.

2. Shortly before serving combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and taste for seasoning. Feel free to add more olive oil or vinegar.

Polenta Gratin

This recipe was probably made popular by the many Italians who immigrated to Uruguay. It's absurdly simple to make, and involves very few ingredients; making it a great cheap way to feed a large crowd guests.

2 cups coarsely cut corn meal

6 cups water

1 tbsp salt

Butter

1.5 cups cotija or other crumbly cheese

1. Combine corn meal, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer.

2. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

3. Grease a fairly shallow casserole dish with the butter and add the corn mush to the pan. Allow 15 minutes to set in the dish.

4. Top the mush with the cheese and bake under a broiler until the cheese browns about ten minutes.

5. Serve.

Bacon Empanadas

No picture for these this time, but they looked exactly like the empanadas we made for Argentina. The filling in these empanadas make them quite different from what we served for that meal. Although bacon and raisins might sound like a horrible mistake to some, let me assure you that bacon is a sweet meat that tastes great when paired with other sweet things.

For the dough

4 cups all purpose flour

1 egg

1 cup lard chilled

1 tsp salt

1 beaten egg for coating

For the filling combine the following:

1/2 pound bacon thinly sliced and roughly chopped and cooked in a skillet until crisp

3 medium onions thinly sliced and and sautéed until golden brown

4 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup golden raisins soaked 30 minutes

Flesh of two avocados roughly chopped

1 cup crumbly cheese such as cotija or feta

3 tbsp capers

1. Combine all the dough ingredients but the beaten egg in a food processor and process until a smooth ball forms. If it remains a goopy mess add more flour until a ball is rendered.

2. On a lightly floured surface kneed the ball of dough until it is no longer sticky.

3. Set aside for a half hour in a lightly oiled bowl covered.

4. Cut the dough into golf ball sized spheres and roll each sphere into flat circle.

5. Fill each circle with about 2 tablespoons of the filling.

6. Brush the edges of the circle with the beaten egg mixture and seal them into half moon shapes pressing the edges to make sure they are closed.

7. Brush the tops of the pastry with the egg mixture and bake in a 400 degree oven for twenty minutes. Serve.

Matambre: Roast of Stuffed Skirt Steak Braised in Red Wine

For me, this was the real star of the meal. It's difficult finding good quality beef around my neighborhood for a reasonable price, but fortunately skirt steak sells fairly cheaply here because of the large Latino population. Unfortunately, the meat is cheap for a reason and tends to be very tough. The slow braising in this recipe breaks that toughness down and makes the cheap beef a pleasure to eat, and a great way to feed a group of friends a roast while staying on a tight budget. Also, the final product looks lovely on a plate.

4 lbs skirt steak trimmed of excess fat

2 red onions thinly sliced

5 cloves garlic finely chopped

1/2 cup green olives stoned and chopped

4 carrots cut into small spears

1.5 cups cotija or other crumbly cheese

4 hard boiled eggs cut into rings

5 oz fresh spinach washed

Bottle of red (dry)

1. Divide the skirt steak into two equal sized 2lb portions. With a meat mallet pound the skirt steak until it is about 1/2 inch thick taking care not to shred the meat. I recommend wearing an apron as you do this because it can get messy. I for some reason did it shirtless like a caveman.

2. Salt and pepper both sides of the steak and layer all the filling ingredients over the surface.

3. Roll both flattened steaks as tightly as you can taking care to keep the ingredients from spilling outside of the meat.

4. Tie the rolls up well with butcher's twine and place them side by side in a large cast iron pot. Fill the pot with the red wine and bake in the oven at 325 for 2 hours covered. Flipping the roasts once after one hour of cooking.

5. Remove the roasts from the pot, cut and remove the twine, carve into individual rounds and serve topped with juices from the pot.

In Conclusion

I was very pleased with this meal. Not only was it easy to make, but the food looked and tasted wonderful. The meal was made even better by the surprise visit of two of our good friends from Cleveland who came into town that night. Much like our other meals, everybody had a great time and drank way too much over the course of the evening! Up next is Rwanda! Salud!

Germany

2010-03-03T20:40:00.019-06:00

A feast among feasts, Germany was our most labor intensive meal so far. I will not bore you with the history of Germany (I'm sure we all have our thoughts), but I will provide insight on why it was very important for Tom and I to make such a stellar show for Deutschland. It is one of only two countries that we share ancestors from and our last names are very indicative of this. Also, German food is so commonly consumed in the United States that it was difficult to narrow down exactly what we wanted to make. In the end, we ended up with a few favorites and some things that we would love to make again....if we have a week to prepare.

Sauerkraut Soup

A simple soup with big flavor. We are lucky enough to have a store in the neighborhood that has buckets of freshly prepared kraut we can just scoop to our heart's desire. If you are not so fortunate, any sauerkraut will do.

2 pounds sauerkraut

1/2 pound bacon diced

2 onions diced

1/3 cup flour

2 liters beef stock

2 apples grated

2 tbsp caraway seeds

Salt to taste

Sour cream for garnish

1. In a large pot gently fry the bacon to until fat is rendered and bacon is browned.

2. Add the onion and sauerkraut Continue cooking until they begin to brown.

3. Sprinkle with flour and stir well.

4. Gradually add the stock while stirring the mixture with a whisk. Add apple and caraway and simmer 30 minutes. Check for seasoning and serve with a bit of sour cream in each bowl.

Beet Salad

Watch where you put this because it will stain everything! It makes a nice mess in the food processor and a pretty pink hand when you wash the dishes. Aren't raw beets fun? Despite all this, I promise it is enjoyable.

2 pounds beets grated

3 tbsp vinegar

1/2 cup chopped parsley and dill

2 tbsp mustard

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tsp sugar

Salt to taste

Combine everything in a bowl and allow two hours to marinate. Serve cold or at room temperature.

German Potato Salad

There was no way to avoid this dish for this meal, just as you cannot avoid it at any Midwestern family picnic. Like my mom says though, always serve this at room temperature. It is the German way!

3-4 pounds red waxy potatoes

1 red onion minced

1.25 cups beef stock

6 tbsp white vinegar

6 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp mustard

1/2 cup chopped dill pickle

2 tbsp chopped parsley

2 scallions chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil potatoes in their jackets until they are tender. I test this by piercing them with a fork.

2. Allow the potatoes to cool and then cut them into 1 inch cubes. Set in a large bowl.

3. Heat the vinegar and stock and pour the mixture over the potatoes. Pour this mixture over the potatoes and allow one hour to soak in as much of the juices as possible.

4. Drain off excess fluid and dress with remaining ingredients.

5. Serve the salad at room temp.

Coleslaw

This is my absolute favorite way to eat coleslaw. I often request this from Tom when he asks what we should bring to parties. It sure beats a bunch of Hellman's on your cabbage.

1 head green cabbage

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tbsp caraway seeds.

1. Cut the head of cabbage into quarters. Remove the tough white core from each piece and thinly slice the cabbage and place into a large serving bowl.

2. Sprinkle the cabbage with salt and pound the cabbage with your hands for about a minute until the cabbage becomes a bit more tender. Then let it rest for 15 minutes to continue softening.

3. Add the remaining ingredients, taste for vinegar, sugar, and salt and serve.

Bratwurst

Our second showing of homemade sausage on this blog! We had to go with the traditional bratwurst for Germany. It's something everyone is familiar with and goes well with mustard and a baseball game.

3 pounds pork shoulder (or mix of 1/2 pork shoulder and 1/2 veal chuck)

2 pounds pork belly meat

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp mace

1 tsp pepper

2 tbsp salt

1 cup milk

Sausage casings

1. Grind meat twice into a chilled bowl. This keeps the fat from getting goopy.

2. Add seasonings and milk mixing well with your hands. This can get messy so don't wear a shirt you're attached to, or better yet wear an apron.

3. Roll a piece into a ball and fry in a skillet. Taste the meat for seasoning and adjust as you see fit.

4. Using a sausage stuffing attachment runt the meat through the grinder again into the sausage casings. For more info on the actual sausage stuffing process see our Austrian dinner: http://hoosierfoodie.blogspot.com/2009/10/austria.html.

5. Grill the sausages as you see fit preferably at 350 degrees or poach and fry them in butter and onions.

6. Serve.

Sauerbraten

It's like corned beef on overdrive...seriously. If you have about a week and some brisket you've been wondering what to do with, here lies your answer. A bit labor heavy, but soooo worth the wait.

5-6 pounds brisket or round

For the five day marinade

3 cups white vinegar

3 cups water

1/4 cup salt

2 tsp curing salt

1 large onion sliced

3 bay leaves

8 cloves

1 tsp peppercorns

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp mace

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp allspice

1 large carrot chopped

For the final braising

5 tbsp lard

2 large red onions

2 bay leaves

6 cloves

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2 tbsp sugar

1/4 cup sour cream

1. Combine the marinade ingredients in a sauce pan and simmer for five minutes. Allow 30 minutes to cool and pour the mixture over the beef in a large container making sure that the beef is completely submerged. If more marinade is needed simply add equal amounts of water and vinegar. Allow to marinate for five days in the refrigerator. Flip the meat each day to equally distribute the marinade.

2. On the day you plan to serve the meat, start in the early afternoon and remove the brisket from the marinade, dry thoroughly with a paper towel, and set aside. Strain the marinade into a large bowl and set that aside as well.

3. Heat the lard in a large cast iron pot over medium heat. Carefully brown the beef on all sides and remove (about 3-5 minutes per side).

4. Brown the onions in the lard and set the beef on top them. Pour on enough of the reserved marinade to come halfway up the sides of the beef. Add the bay leaves, cloves. Raise to a simmer. Lower the heat and cover and cook for 3-4 hours or until the beef is tender.

5. Remove the beef to a large heated plate keeping the juices in the pot. Add the flour and sugar whisking constantly and reduce the juices to a smooth gravy. Add the sour cream and heat through.

6. Carve the meat into 1 centimeter thick serving portions and cover liberally with the rendered gravy.

7. Serve.

Black Forest Cake

When I told Tom I wanted to make this for the dinner, he told me I was insane. I wanted a personal challenge. After many years of being a vocal cake hater, I thought I would make one from scratch and avoid things I don't like about it. For example, I hate the super heavy frosting that comes in the can and often in the bakery, as well. I also hate the fake chocolate taste of the mixes. So, for the cake itself, I went with the traditional Mark Bittman recipe, mainly because he uses blocks of chocolate. The buttercream filling and the whipped cream topping were both a creation from Mimi Sheraton.

Chocolate Cake Layers:

8 Tbsps. unsalted butter
2 cups of flour
3 ounces of unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, separated
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsps. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cup milk

1. Melt chocolate on low heat in a saucepan. Remove from heat.
2. Use mixer to cream butter until smooth, then add the sugar gradually. Beat about 4 minutes until mixture is fluffy.
3. Beat in the yolks, one at a time and then add the vanilla and chocolate.
4. Mix dry ingredients together and add them to the chocolate mixture a little at a time, while alternating dry mix and milk. Mix until smooth.
5. Beat the egg whites until they hold peaks and gently fold them into the batter.
6. Pour half the batter into a cake pan that has been buttered and had a circle of parchment paper at the bottom. You may want to also sprinkle the paper with a little bit of flour.
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes and repeat for the other layer.

Chocolate Buttercream filling:

1 package of chocolate pudding
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 milk
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup butter at room temperature
cherries, stoned

1. Combine pudding and sugar and blend in 1/2 cup milk.
2. Boil the other 1 1/2 cups milk, then turn down the heat and add the pudding mixture. Bring that to a boil again and remember to stir constantly.
3. Cool the mixture and keep stirring it while it cools so it does not form skin.
4. Beat the butter and cooled pudding.
5. Use the buttercream to put between your two chocolate cake layers and then place some stoned cherries on top of the buttercream.

Whipped Cream thickened with Gelatin:

1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 scan tsp unflavored gelatin
1 tbsp. cold water
a bit of sugar

1. Mix water and gelatin together and dissolve gelatin over hot water.
2. Mix gelatin with whipping cream and sugar until it thickens.
3. Smooth over the top of the cake when it is chilled.

In Conclusion:

As you can see, we had a wee bit of a crowd for this one and had to relocate to Carl and Marco's apartment in order to serve everyone comfortably. Amazingly enough, only 3 of us attending came from a German background. Everyone seemed to be shocked by the shear amount of dishes that we had prepared, but hey, you have to do your ancestors right.

Although we took on some time consuming items, it was all well worth it in the end and everyone dined until they could dine no more and not a leftover was in sight. Sadly, we do not own a Scorpions vinyl, which would have made this dinner a little more rich and well-rounded, no doubt. Even in spite of that, I must say we did a pretty damn good job trying to capture Germany into a solitary meal.

Uraguay is next. Until then, prost!

Equatorial Guinea

2010-02-20T16:58:00.012-06:00

I hope I don't shock or offend anyone by saying this, but this was the first country we pulled that left me scratching my head and running for a map. I knew it was somewhere on the west coast of Africa, but I honestly could not have pointed it out on a blank map. Fortunately this meal provided the perfect opportunity for a much needed geography lesson.

It turns out that Equatorial Guinea is located just beneath the top bulge of Africa and consists of several large offshore islands and a mainland territory about the size of Rhode Island. Also it is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa. Aside from a few areas of Morocco, Guinea was Spain's only African colony. Historically it was a Portuguese trading port that was active in the slave trade and used as a stopover point for European cargo passing to and from Asia. Spain took over control in the 18th century and retained power over the colony until the declining years of the Franco regime in the late 1960's.

The unique colonial past of this tiny country is apparent in the cuisine which is quite similar to other West African nations, but has also incorporated many elements of Spanish cooking. As I researched recipes I found many to be familiar in concept yet new in ingredients and method. The final product is something that anybody who loves Latino and African cuisines must try.

Papaya Gazpacho

Fresh fruits are often a large part of many West African meals. In this recipe I used papaya instead of tomatoes for a different take on the standard Gazpacho recipe. The slight sweetness of the papaya allowed for a lot of strong flavors to be added to the mix. Feel free to use more habanero if you want a much spicier soup. I toned it down for pleasing the crowd at my table.

1.5 lbs papaya flesh (1/2 big one) cut into 1 inch cubes

1 cup cucumber skinned and cubed

1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 habanero chile seeded

Salt to tasted

Garnish:

1 avocado thinly sliced

Cilantro chopped

Cucumber sliced

1. Combine everything but the garnish in a blender and process to a smooth consistency with a pint of water.

2. Pour the mix into a bowl and add another liter of water or just enough to give the mixture a soupy consistency. Sitr well and refrigerate for at least one hour.

3. Serve garnished with avocado, cucumber and cilantro.

Creamed Spinach

Traditionally this recipe calls for collared greens, but it snowed a lot that week and I couldn't get to a market that sold collareds for a reasonable price. So we had spinach instead. But that's fine because this recipe could work with any number of greens. I'd love to see how it would work with mustard greens in the future.

2 tbsp corn oil
1 lb spinach washed and chopped
1 large red onion thinly sliced
1 tsp dried ginger
1/2 tsp dried turmeric
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup water
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 tsp salt

1. In a large cast iron skillet heat the oil and cook the onions over medium heat and cook until tender about five minutes.
2. Add the cream, turmeric, and ginger and simmer another 3 minutes.
3. Add the spinach salt and water. Raise to a simmer and cover and continue cooking for five more minutes.
4. Reduce liquid to a thick sauce and serve.

Corn and Avocado Pap

I'd use less water with this in the future. The final product was a bit too runny for my liking. Still it was tasty and the avocado and cooked vegetables give it a more substantial taste than regular corn mush. Still I would definitely be more careful with the water in the future.

2 cups fine ground corn meal

2 liters water
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 jalapeno seeds removed
1 red onion minced
2 cups corn kernels
2 ripe tomatoes
2 avocados chopped
2 scallions chopped
Salt to taste

1. Combine corn meal and water in a saucepan and simmer 40 minutes covered stirring every five minutes. Set aside and allow 30 minutes to cool.
2. In a skillet heat the olive oil and saute the all the vegetables except the avocadoes and scallions for five minutes.
3. Stir in the avocadoes and scallions and remove from the heat.
4. Fold the vegetables into the corn mush and serve.

Peanut Bread

This is some very dense bread. I'd recommend cutting it into small portions when serving with the food so you don't overwhelm anybody.

1 cup coconut milk
3 tbsp honey
3 tsp dried yeast
1.5 tsp chili powder
1.5 cups ground peanuts
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2.5 cups white flour
2.5 cups wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup melted butter

1. Heat coconut milk and honey in small saucepan until well mixed. Allow to cool and stir in the yeast. Let sit for ten minutes.
2. Now combine everything in a large bowl or electric mixer and stir well until everything is mixed. Kneed for ten minutes adjusting for flour and water ratios until the dough is smooth and elastic. Allow to sit covered in a warm place for 1.5 hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
3. Gently push dough down and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover again and let rise for another 40 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 350 and bake dough for 40 minutes. Invert the bread from the pan and allow another 30 minutes to cool. Serve alongside everything.

Chicken and White Bean Paella

This could be served as a one pot meal with maybe a salad to accompany it. We jazzed it up a little bit with the white wine, but for the most part this is a delicious and utilitarian way to feed a large crowd of people. Also it's a brilliant fusion of peasant food styles.

1 chicken cut into serving portions

4 tbsp oil

2 cups medium grain rice

4 cloves garlic minced

1 large red onion thinly sliced

2 tsp oregano

2 tbsp paprika

1/2 habanero seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp pepper

4 roma tomatoes chopped

1 red pepper thinly sliced

2 cups cooked white beans

1 cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock

1. In a large dutch oven or casserole brown the chickent pieces in the oil in batches and set aside.

2. Add the onion and gently cook over medium heat until browned.

3. Add the garlic and rice and gently cook until the rice becomes translucent

4. Add the tomatoes and saute for five minutes.

5. Add the wine, stock, spices, and pepper, and chicken. Raise to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 minutes (add more water and stir if the liquid burns off to quickly)

6. Add the beans, stir well, check for water, cover and cook a further 15 minutes.

7. When rice is tender the paella should be ready.

In Conclusion

It's always a pleasure to cook something new, and yet feel somewhat familiar with it while cooking it. That was the feeling I had while preparing this meal. It's definitely a cuisine that deserves more research and attention because of it's unique mix of very distinct cultural influences. Also it was nice to not have too large a crowd for a change. The meal was small, simple, and fairly quick. The next post will be Germany. That took about a week to prepare and was anything but simple and quick. Until then: salud!

Norway

2010-02-18T16:45:00.011-06:00

Oh, Norway. Looks like a picture you would see on a puzzle, doesn't it? With it's fjords and mountains, this Scandinavian country seems like an idyllic dreamland. It is quite the progressive country, as well. Not only was Norway second to recognize same-sex civil unions, but it was also the sixth country to give gay couples full marital rights. It is not a member of the EU, in fact, it has rejected EU status twice.

For our purposes, Norway meant one very important thing: fish. The Norwegians typically enjoy all types of fish including salmon, herring, codfish and trout. Luckily, our neighborhood is chock full of different canned, salted, smoked, dried, and fresh fish. We chose to go with salmon and herring for the first course. Below is a picture of our fish paste platter that greeted our guests:

Herring Spread

Our first fish based dish of the evening was this lovely spread that we ended up eating for days after. We paired it with some dill and garlic baby pickles, crackers and some homemade rye bread. While some may have been hesitant to eat our "fish paste", everyone eventually opened their minds and their palates and enjoyed.

1/2 pound canned salmon bones removed if any
1/2 pound smoked herring meat
1/2 pound farmers cheese
1/2 cup chopped dill
1/2 cup chopped red onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 cup cream
1 tbsp paprika
Cold water for thinning

1. Combine everything except the water in a food processor and begin processing.

2. With the motor running, pour in enough water slowly to thin the mixture to a smooth yet thick consistency.

3. Serve in a bowl with crackers, rye, and pickles.

Pickle Rye Bread

This was the first time we have ever attempted to make a rye bread, and not to toot my own horn, but it came out fantastic! You may be wondering about the word "pickle" in the name, well, there is pickle brine mixed in the dough. It adds a subtle sour note to the bread and pairs wonderfully with the fresh dill and caraway seed.

3.5 cups all purpose flour

1.5 cups rye flour

1.5 tbsp dry yeast

3/4 cup hot water

1 cup pickle brine

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

1 egg room temperature

1/2 cup chopped fresh dill or 2 tbsp dried

1 tbsp caraway seed

1 beaten egg mixed with 1 tbsp milk

1. Mix 2 cups all purpose flour with yeast, pickle brine, and hot water. Stir well until a batter is formed. (I'd recommend a mixer with a flat beater for the initial mixing, but with a lot of work all this mixing can be done with your hands and a wooden spoon.)

2. Add the butter, sugar, 1 egg, salt, dill, and caraway. Mix either 4 minutes by flat beater or 6 minutes by hand.

3. Add the rye flour to the mixture and mix to incorporate and add the white flour to the mixture gradually 1/2 cup at a time. This makes a crumbly dough so don't be too worried at this point.

4. Kneed the dough by hand or mixer for 10 minutes making sure to add a bit more water if it is to dry or a bit more flour if it is too sticky. The dough should be a fairly smooth and non-sticky ball at the end of this.

5. Roll the dough into a ball and let rest in the mixing bowl near a warm place for 30 minutes.

6. Gently press air from the dough and divide the mixture into two equal portions. Shape these portions into balls. Cover and let rest for a further hour in a warm place.

7. Preheat the oven to 375. Score the top of the dough with a sharp knife to give it an x shape on top. Brush the dough with the bread and milk mixture. Sprinkle extra caraway seeds onto the dough.

8. Cook for 35-40 minutes or until nicely browned. The bottom of the loaf should make a hollow sound when tapped to let you know it's done.

9. Let rest at least 30 minutes before serving.

Cauliflower Soup

This plain and simple soup is one of the better things you can do with an old head of cauliflower, in my opinion. However, if you do not like cauliflower you should probably avoid this dish, for obvious reasons.

1 large head cauliflower cut into florets.

2 quarts stock

1.5 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil the cauliflower in the stock for 40 minutes or until completely mushy. Remove and drain reserving the stock. Mash the cauliflower into a clumply consistency.

2. Melt the butter and flour in the sauce pan to make a smooth paste. Add the stock a little at a time and whisk to make a smooth sauce. When all stock is incorporated simmer this mixture for 15 minutes.

3. Allow the soup to cool for 20 minutes and mix in the egg and cream. Gently reheat being careful not to boil. Adjust the seasoning and serve.

Herring Salad

I've got to be honest about this dish, I didn't care for it. I could not wrap my brain around biting into an apple, beet and piece of herring at the same time. It is something to try though, because if you end up liking this combination, it does end up being quite surprising. If I do recall, this was the dish that became the debate of the table. Some enjoyed it enough to have seconds and others were just as confused by all the different textures as I was.

5 fillets salt herring

2 cups diced pickled beets

2 cups boiled potatoes cubed

1 cup chopped apple

1 cup chopped red onion

1 tbsp mustard

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp white vinegar

1 cup sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

Chopped parsley for garnish.

1. Soak the herring fillets in water for 48 hours changing the water at least 3 times. Do this in a fridge (or in our case a very cold guest room)

2. Combine the herring with all the other ingredients making sure to drain everything thoroughly before mixing.

3. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Brine Cured Pork Loin

****DRUMROLL PLEASE*******

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you the first time we've had the pleasure of curing ham for this blog. This has long been a passion of Tom's and we are pleased to finally share this with you. I know this picture does not do it justice, but it was quite the tasty piggy.

5 lbs pork loin in one piece

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup sea salt

2 tsp cardamon seeds

2 tsp carraway seeds

2 tsp pepper

Handful of fresh sage leaves or

2 tbsp pink salt (curing salt)

1 gallon water

1. Mix the water with everything but the pork and place over medium heat. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated. Allow to cool.

2. In a large non-metallic container add the brine and submerge the pork. Place in the fridge or other cool place for two days.

3. Soak the pork in fresh water for 30 minutes to remove excess salt and dry thoroughly.

4. Cook with a bit of beer for braising at 350 for 1 hour or until the meat is 150 degrees. Raise heat to 450 at the end with fatty side up to crisp the fat.
5. Serve with lingonberry sauce.

Lingonberry Sauce

1 lb lingonberries (we used frozen ones)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup brandy

1/2 tsp salt

1. Allow the berries to thaw and combine with everything in a small saucepan over medium heat.

2. Reduce the mixture to a thick syrup and taste for sugar.

3. Serve on top of the ham.

FAIL: Almond Cookies

Okay, I know that they don't look like it, but thanks to some crappy directions on how to make almond paste for these cookies, they did not turn out quite right. After having added cup after cup of flour and anything else that would bind this watery goo I had created, I neglected to put in the one thing that would actually make these cookies taste good: butter. I've told Tom this before but I feel like I need a tattoo on my arm to remind me that butter exists. The times that I've forgotten to grease a pan or put butter out to soften or add it for taste is immeasurable at this point. If you look back at this blog alone, you will see all my fails are due to lack of butter. Therefore, I refuse to even dignify my mistake this time with a recipe. I'm sorry for the failure.

Conclusions:

During the dinner, we listened to some Norwegian hip-hop and country music that added to our herring and pickle eating experience. Despite my cookie blunder and the interesting flavor mix of the herring salad, I would say Norway was a success. I had the enjoyment of making my first rye bread and Tom, to his immense pleasure, got to prepare a ham for the meal.

Things we may have done differently:
-added butter to cookies
-made herring salad less sweet
-listened to the band Europe during the dinner (turns out 2 members were from Norway, not 1 like we thought--something to save for Sweden I suppose)

Next up is Equatorial Guinea! Until then, skal!

Guyana

2010-02-01T07:23:00.018-06:00

Guyana is a country that many people mistakenly think is located in Africa. If you happen to be one of those people, let me assure you it is not an African country. It just so happens that it's geographic location is at the northern end of South America. Culturally speaking, however, Guyana is a Caribbean nation composed of a wonderful mess of world cultures that has resulted from a very complicated colonial past involving multiple European powers; the most recent being the British Empire. Today Guyana's population is split between East Indians and Black Africans with significant native Arawak, White European, and East Asian minorities. The food is a perfect fusion of these cultures. Strong flavors and lots of spices are the dominant characteristics of the cuisine.

Today Guyana is not well known for very much. That shouldn't be too surprising. After all, their national population is smaller than the total population of Indianapolis. But I did manage to uncover a few fascinating tidbits from Wikipedia. Apparently British actor, Michael Caine, has been happily married for nearly forty years to Shakira Caine: the former runner up for Miss Guyana 1967. She continues to be a foxy old lady. And Eddy Grant (better known as that guy who did the song 'Electric Avenue' in 1983) is a native of Guyana although he was raised in England. We played a whole album of his during the meal.

Fortunately for us, Northwestern University (the place I work at) has an obscure Guyanese cookbook in their library that I have used off and on for the past few years. Also, the Guyanese take great pride in their food and have peppered the internet with many of their favorite recipes. The most thorough listing I came across was at this web forum. Amy and I were pleasantly shocked to find there was such a wealth of recipes for this tiny nation.

Roti Guyana

Roti is among the more famous flat breads of India, although it's still not as popular here in the states as na'an. In Guyana it reigns supreme due to the large East Indian population and is apparently served with just about everything. It is super easy to make and involves the most basic of pantry ingredients. Even my sister could make this from what she keeps around the house! It's similar in texture to a flour tortilla and is great for wrapping up whatever it's served with. For this meal we served the roti with garlic pork.

4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp lard or butter brought to room temperature
1.75 cups water

1. Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together and add enough water to form a stiff dough.
2. Knead the mixture on a floured surface or in a mixer for about 8 minutes or until the dough forms a very smooth and elastic ball. Make sure it is not sticky at the end of this.
3. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes in a warm spot of the kitchen.
4. Roll the dough out into a 9-10 inch circle less than a centimeter thick and smear the top with lard.
5. Make a cut from the edge of the circle to the center and starting from this point tightly roll the dough into a cone shape.
6. Punch the top of the cone into the center of the dough and form into a smooth ball and flatten.
7. Divide this ball into twelve separate portions. Roll each portion into a ball with your hands and set aside another 10 minutes.
8. With a rolling pin roll each ball of dough into an extremely thin circle and cook on a hot cast iron skillet or griddle less than a minute each side.
9. The final product should look similar to a flour tortilla. Serve immediately or gently reheat in the oven before serving.

Cilantro Chutney

I've loved this green and spicy sauce ever since my first trip to an Indian restaurant as a child. Sour, spicy, and savory notes make it go great with anything starchy or fried. I used it with the roti and fritters. Feel free to use mint and yogurt in the recipe as well. I'm sure this will turn up in some other form on the blog later on.

1 bunch cilantro
1 chile serrano
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup lime juice
1 clove garlic
1/2 medium onion
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper ground
1/2 cup water or more for thinning sauce

1. Combine everything except the water in a food processor or blender and grind to a smooth paste.
2. Add enough water to thin the mixture into a pourable but still somewhat thick sauce.
3. Serve with roti and pork.

Curry Mayonnaise

1 egg plus one egg yolk
1 cup corn oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 tsp salt
2 tsp curry powder

1. In a food processor mix everything except the oil.
2. With the motor running slowly pour in the cup of oil in a thin stream until the mixture thickens into a stiff consistency.
3. Serve with roti and pork or whatever you like.

Spinach Fritters

In case you haven't noticed, we use spinach a lot. Fortunately a lot of countries love Popeye's source of strength. This method of frying spinach is very similar to the Indian fried vegetable dish pakora. Serve it with a chutney alongside everything else.

1 10 oz bag fresh spinach blanched
1/2 onion sliced thinly
1 roma tomato diced
1 tbsp butter1 cup flour
1 tsp salt or more taste
1 tbsp baking powder
1 egg
Oil for frying

1. In a skillet melt the butter and cook the onion and tomato for five minutes over medium heat.
2. Add the blanched spinach and salt and cook over low heat for a further five minutes. Set aside to cool and drain well.
3. When the mixture is room temperature add the egg, flour, and baking powder and mix well.
4. Shortly before serving heat the oil in a wok over high heat and drop 1 tbsp portions of the mixture into the oil and fry them until browned on each side. I found it best to cook in batches of four fritters.
5. Drain fritters on wire racks and serve.

West African Rice

I'm pretty sure they don't cook rice this way in West Africa, but the influence seems clear especially with all the okra that is incorporated into the dish. The top layer of cheese should make it a favorite at any Mid Western table in the states.

2 cups long grain rice (we used Jasmine)
1/2 stick butter
4 cups chicken stock
2 tsp salt
2 large red onions chopped
1 serrano chile minced
1 bunch scallions thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic
1 lb okra cut into 1 cm rings
1 red pepper cut into strips
3 large tomatoes thinly sliced
1 cup grated white cheddar

1. In a large pot melt butter and add onions, garlic, and rice and gently cook for five minutes.
2. Add the stock and salt and simmer covered for 30 minutes over low flame.
3. Add the serrano, okra, soy sauce, and pepper and cook a further ten minutes over medium heat. Add extra liquid to the pot if the mixture begins sticking.
4. Pour the rice mixture into a casserole dish large enough to hold it. Arrange tomato slices over the top and cover it all with grated cheese.
5. Bake under the oven broiler from 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has browned.
6. Serve.

Garlic Pork

Supposedly this dish has its roots in the Portuguese population of Guyana. Generally its served during the Christmas season. The original recipe I read called for 1 lb of mashed garlic but I scaled it back for the more tender palates at my table to something less overwhelming. Still this pork is really garlicky. Don't eat this before going to work.

3 pounds pork shoulder cut into 1 inch cubes
1.5 cups vinegar
1 cup water
Cloves from 2 heads of garlic pealed
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tbsp salt
Oil for frying

1. 3 days before cooking grind the garlic, vinegar, water, and pepper into a smooth mixture. Cover the pork with the mixture and let it pickle in the fridge for the next three days.
2. Take the pork and 1 cup of the pickling fluid and simmer in a deep pot for 40 minutes covered. Set aside until 10 minutes before serving.
3. When you are nearly ready to serve heat a wok with enough oil for deep frying and fry the pork in batches for about a minute each or just enough to brown the meat.
4. Serve on fresh rotis with lettuce and the two sauces described above.

Pumpkin Pone

These came out completely dry. I'm guessing they needed more eggs, sugar, and butter. Still a good start to something that I'm sure if made right can be delicious. Below I give the original recipe and my theories in parentheses for making it better. Let me know if anybody has any success.

1 lb grated pumpkin flesh
1/2 lb grated coconut flakes
1 cup cornmeal (maybe 1/2 cup all purpose flour and 1/2 cup corn meal)
1/2 stick butter (perhaps 1 stick softened)(2 eggs maybe)
1/4 cup sugar (I'd go for 2/3)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

1. Mix everything and pour into a greased baking pan or make individual muffins in a tin.
2. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until crisp and brown on top.
3. Serve and hopefully yours won't be dry.

Conclusion:

Despite being a small country, Guyana was a big hit. The garlic pork was a bit strong for some, but most of the crowd savored the meaty goodness. We intended the meal to be small, but it snowballed into a larger feast as Friday approached. Amy's favorite part of the meal was the spinach fritters, and I tend to agree for ease and tastiness. All around the meal went very well. Norway is next! Cheers!

El Salvador

2010-01-19T18:02:00.012-06:00

El Salvador, located on the Pacific coast of Central America, has a cuisine very similar to that of Guatemala. Both countries are influenced by Mayan culture and use indigenous foods such as corn, tomatoes, and beans in their cooking. With that knowledge and the help of our friend Sarah, who has had Salvadoran food firsthand during her travels in Central America, we concocted this meal with confidence and great ease. This was truly one of our greatest accomplishments as far as efficiency and getting food from concept to the table.

Curtido: Pickled Cabbage Salad

This was not our first foray into the world of pickling. We have been trying to master the art of pickling over the last year. Unfortunately, not all of our attempts have been successful, but we have done very well with recipes that call for quick pickling. When we came across this wonderful item, we knew we would be okay. Not only can you put this on virtually everything you eat, but it is made with our favorite underrated vegetable: the cabbage. It also ferments in about a day, so it looked promising from the get-go. The final product received a lot of praise and produced many, many days worth of leftovers that Sarah is still enjoying.

1/2 head cabbage cored and sliced very thin

1 red onion thinly sliced

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1.5 tbsp brown sugar

2 cloves garlic minced

3 carrots grated

5 dried red chiles de arbol

3 tsp salt or more to taste

1.5 cups white vinegar

1 cup water

1. In a small sauce pan bring vinegar, water, salt, garlic, chiles, sugar, and spices to a simmer on the stove. Cook for ten minutes.

2. In a large bowl or huge jar add all the chopped vegetables.

3. Pour the vinegar mixture over everything and cover with a cloth. Allow 24 hours for the vegetables to ferment at room temperature and then cover with either a lid or plastic wrap and store in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

4. Use it like you would sauerkraut!

Salsa Roja: Red Sauce

This salsa, much like the curtido, went on everything in the meal. It's a simple, quick sauce to make and adds a lot of flavor to starchy food.

4 tomatoes chopped

1 cup water

1/2 cup corn oil

1 small onion chopped

1 clove garlic minced

1.Combine everything in a small saucepan.
2. Bring to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes.
3. Blend into a smooth sauce.
4. Salt to taste.

Avocado Soup

This soup is not for everyone's palate since most people aren't used to eating cooked avocado. Generally in America we eat it raw, sliced or blended into a guacamole. When it's prepared this way, however, it comes off as sweet and thinned out. Much different than I expected.

4 liters stock

4 avocados sliced (edible bits only)

1 large onion roughly chopped

2 limes

1 chile serrano

Salt to taste

1. In a large pot combine the avocado, onions, stock, and serrano. Bring this to a boil and simmer over medium low heat covered for 30 minutes.

2. Cut the heat and puree the soup in a blender and return to the pot.

3. Zest the limes and add the zest and squeezed lime juice to the pot. Salt the soup to taste and serve.

Casamiento

We had 13 guests come over for this meal and nothing feeds a last minute crowd like a big ol' pot of rice and beans.

Cooked rice

Cooked black beans

2 onions chopped

1/2 cup corn oil

salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine the rice, beans, and onions in a larger pot. Pour on 1.5 cups water and 1/2 cup corn oil and heat over medium stirring often until the water has been absorbed and the mixture has heated up.

2. Salt and pepper to taste and serve with red sauce (recipe above) and crumbly fresh cheese such as feta or cotija.

Pupusas

Pupusas are the national dish of El Salvodor. I couldn't even begin to explain them to you, but they are quite the tasty treat.

Masa Harina (Extra starchy corn meal generally used for tamales that can be found at a Latino grocery)

Water

Grated white cheese

Corn Oil

1. Mix corn masa with salt and water bit by bit until a firm and non crumbly dough is made. This could be anwhere from a 1/6 or a 1/4 ratio of water to masa it really depends on how dense the meal is. So use your eyes and hands to judge it. The final product should be firm and gooey but should not stick to your hands.

2. Let this rest for 20 minutes covered with a damp cloth.

3. To form the pupusas roll each mixture into a 3 inch ball in the palm of your hand and punch a deep pocket into the middle of the ball.

4. Fill this pocket with cheese (we used Queso Chihuahua) and close off the sides and pat it flat into a cake slightly less than a centimeter thick. Beans, meat, and just about anything else can be used for filling as well!

5. Fry the pupusas in batches in a large well greased frying pan over medium heat until both sides are well browned.

6. Store finished pupusas in the oven on low heat until all are finished and you are ready to serve.

7. Serve topped with curtido, red sauce, and cotija or feta.

Tilapia Ceviche

Sorry we did not get an individual picture of this. We were having some particularly strange camera problems this night. You can see it pictured on the plate on the left.

To Marinate:

3 lbs tilapia fillets cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1 cup coconut milk

1 red onion thinly sliced

1 red pepper thinly sliced

1 chile serrano minced with seeds

Add 30 minutes before Serving:

2 tomatoes diced

1/2 cup cilantro finely chopped

2 tbsp chives

2 scallions thinly sliced into circles

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup lime juice

salt to taste

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and allow at least six hours and no more than 24 for the tilapia pieces to marinate. The fish should be white and not too flaky at the end of the marinade.

2. Drain the juices from the marinade and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Serve!

Atole de Elote: Corn Drink

We messed up with the picture for this one, too. We do have a suggestion for this drink though. No matter how well you think brandy would go with this drink, it is a big mistake. Don't do it. Carl thought it would be great, the rest of us followed suit and we ended up with a kitchen full of foul, curdled mugs of elote and a lot less brandy in our bottle. Fortunately, we made a lot of it and those who were still willing got a taste of what this drink is supposed to be.

Kernels freshly removed from 4 ears of corn

1 liter milk

1.5 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 sticks cinnamon

1 tbsp starch

Ground cinnamon for garnish

1. Combine the corn with half the milk in a blender into a very smooth paste and add to a large pot.

2. Add the rest of the milk, sugar, and cinnamon sticks and simmer covered for 30 minutes.

3. Stir in the starch with a bit of the corn drink and add it all to the pot to thicken.

4. Serve in mugs garnished with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

In Conclusion

Tom and I strongly disagree on the outcome of this meal. For me, it was a lot of hit and misses, but I think I could eat pupusas every day. Tom liked everything except for the brandy elote disaster. Our guests were also split on some of the dishes, namely the avocado soup. Fortunately Sarah, the only guest in attendance who has gone to El Salvador, was very content with the outcome. This to us validated the authenticity of this meal.

Next is Guyana. Until then, salud!

Uganda

2010-01-14T09:11:00.012-06:00

At last we have arrived at our very first East African Country! And fortunately for all of us, I know somebody who lived there! Before I continue, I must admit that we did not randomly pull Uganda. My good friend Jon Moler was visiting Chicago for the New Year. These days he lives in Minneapolis where he does law school things, but for a couple years after college he served in the Peace Corps and was stationed in Uganda. So in honor of him being a guest in our home, we decided to throw a Ugandan feast. We apologize for our brief departure from randomness, but we figure it made sense for the occasion.

There would have been a lot of guesswork with Uganda, had Moler not been around to help with the planning and cooking. Aside from the one time I got sick a couple years ago and watched The Last King of Scotland, I can't say I've ever known much about Uganda let alone its food. With Moler's help, I've found its cuisine is, for the most part, a delightful blend of Africa's many styles of food. Chapatis and curry can be served alongside plantains and beans. And like many of Africa's cuisines, most of the food is quite simple to prepare. That's not to say all of the food went well with our guests. But most of it turned out great.

By the way, everything may be eaten with your fingers, but feel free to use forks if you need to retain your Western ways (we did).

Millet Bread

Let's start with the absolute worst food of the evening. I need to be clear before giving this recipe. Nobody liked this stuff and all of us who have never been to Uganda cannot imagine why anyone would voluntarily ingest this glop! The preparation was similar to assembling a bread dough, but the baking part never occurs. You simply make a doughy paste and eat it. This confused my poor stomach and caused me to lay awake until 4 am with a bottle of Tums. Also it seems to be a very strong adhesive material similar to cement that was hell to clean off the plates. I don't recommend making it, but for diehards this is apparently essential for an authentic Ugandan meal. I suppose it's an acquired taste.

1.5 cups cassava flour

1.5 cups millet flour

4.5 cups boiling water

1. In a large pot, bring the water to a boil. Gradually add both flours to the pot stirring constantly while turning the heat down low. Stir everything until the mixture forms a doughy ball.

2. Allow five minutes to solidify and serve with peanut sauce.

Matooke: Mashed Plantain

While it sounds like a simple enough concept, this dish turned out to be the most challenging part of the meal. My first thought was to go easy on myself and try to mash everything in our brand new stand mixer, but that resulted in a large mess when the machine simply knocked the plantains out of the bowl and failed to mash anything. So we went with the food processor next, but the motor was powerless against the starchy denseness of the plantain and nearly died in the process. The best method I found for mashing the plantains was to sit down on the floor and place them in a large bowl between my legs and then pummel them with my fists for about 15 minutes. Apparently Ugandans will put them between several layers of banana leaves and jump up and down on them. Sadly I didn't have that many banana leaves lying about my kitchen. The final result after cooking is similar in texture to a very dense and bland tamale, but it tastes incredible when served covered in peanut sauce.

Plantains

Salt

Banana Leaves

Muscles

1. Remove the plantains from their peels and steam them for 1.5 hours. I used my bamboo steamer and a wok for this.

2. Cut the plantains into small pieces and place these pieces in a very large bowl.

3. Allow the plantain to cool and spend at least ten minutes mashing the plantains as best you can with your fists. And add a bit of salt.

4. Form the mashed plantain into a large round wheel and wrap this in several layers of banana leaves and tightly tie it up with a string.

5. Steam this package for 2.5 hours. Allow 15 minutes to cool and serve with the peanut sauce we made.

Groundnut (Peanut) Sauce

Africa is well known for its love of peanuts and Uganda is no exception. The tomatoes and spinach make this sauce pretty special, though.

2 large onions finely chopped

4 tomatoes finely chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp curry powder

1/2 tsp dried ginger

1/2 cup corn oil

2 cups peanuts

1 liter water

5 oz chopped spinach

Salt to taste

1. In a deep sauce pan heat the oil over medium heat and add the onion, tomato, and garlic. Cook for five minutes or until the onions have turned translucent.

2. In a processor (or for authenticity: a huge mortar and pestle) grind the peanuts with the spices as finely as you can.

3. Add the ground peanuts to the onions and tomato and cook for another two minutes.

4. Add all the water and raise the mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and allow the mixture to cook down to a hearty thick sauce about 30-40 minutes.

5. Add the spinach at the end and cook for a further five minutes.

6. Serve with everything.

Sauteed Cabbage and Eggplant

Since it was New Year's Day I had to throw cabbage into this meal somewhere. It's an old tradition with me that I eat cabbage on New Year's. Fortunately it complimented the little bitter eggplants perfectly. These tiny eggplants are available at most Asian and African grocers. Large eggplants do not work as a substitute with this dish, so don't attempt it unless you can find the real thing.

15 small round Thai eggplants

1/2 head cabbage thinly sliced

1 serrano chile seeded and chopped

3 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Cut the tops off each eggplant and cut them in half. Salt the eggplant halves and set aside in a colander for 20 minutes.

2. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the eggplant. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes or until softened.

3. Add the garlic and chile and cook for a further five minutes. Add the cabbage and 1/2 cup water and raise heat to a simmer and cook for 10 more minutes and serve.

Okra and Greens Cooked in Goat Fat

Carl and I cooked a goat shoulder a couple weeks back and saved the fat that was rendered from it. If you're like most people, and don't have any goat fat sitting around, feel free to use lard or ghee. The savory animal fat pairs perfectly with the slightly bitter greens.

1 lb frozen whole okra

2 lbs collared greens

3 cloves garlic minced

1/2 cup rendered goat fat

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Let the okra thaw for several days in the fridge or for a couple hours on in the sink. Then remove the stem ends of the pods and cut them into small circles about a centimeter thick.

2. Pull the greens' leaves from the ribs and wash to remove any grit.

3. Boil the greens in batches for seven minutes each and drain.

4. Chop the greens roughly on a cutting board.

5. In a large skillet or wok over medium heat melt the goat fat and add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.

6. Add the okra and cook for two minutes and then add the greens and 1/2 cup water.

7. Raise the heat to high and cook for five more minutes. Season and serve.

Stewed Chicken

I'm pretty sure that all nations of the world could get together and agree that chicken is pretty great. Uganda's spin on chicken tastes remarkably similar to the old Cajun standard of chicken creole.

4 sets of chicken thighs and legs cut at the joints

1/2 cup lard or corn oil

2 green bell peppers thinly sliced

1 serrano chile minced with seeds

3 medium onions thinly sliced

2 tbsp fresh ginger minced

4 cloves garlic minced

5 medium tomatoes (I used roma) chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Water

1. In a deep heavy pot or dutch oven heat the lard or oil over medium heat and add the onions, garlic, chile, and peppers and cook for five minutes or until the onions have wilted.

2. Add the chicken and cook a further five minutes flipping the pieces to brown them as best you can.

3. Add the tomatoes, ginger and curry powder and cook a further five minutes.

4. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Raise to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Cook covered for 45 minutes.

5. Remove the chicken pieces from the stew and set aside and continue simmering the sauce for another hour and a half covered.

6. 20 minutes before serving return the chicken to the pot and boil the sauce down to a medium thick consistency. Salt to taste and serve.

Goat Skewers

This is the second time we've had goat on the blog, and I'm sure it won't be the last. I was pretty excited to find cheap and meaty goat meat for sale at "The Old World Market" near Argyle and Broadway. This city never ceases to amaze me! It's important to get the spice rub on the meat a day in advance to ensure that the goat pieces will be properly tender after a quick cooking on the grill. Also it's important to use a grill for proper charring of the meat, even if it means standing outside in the cold cold snow.

3 lbs goat meat cut into 1 inch cube (preferably from the upper leg)

3 tbsp ginger chopped

5 cloves garlic chopped

2 tbsp chili powder

1 serrano chile chopped

2 tbsp brown sugar

1 red onion chopped

1/2 cup corn oil

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and refrigerate for at least 24 hours.

2. Slip the chunks of meat onto grilling skewers and grill over very high heat for about 3 minutes on each side.

3. Serve on a large platter.

In Conclusion

This was the largest dinner we've had in our apartment thus far (both in terms of food and people), and despite the simplicity of most of the food, I'd say it was the most difficult. The reason I say this is because the only day that worked for anybody was New Year's Day: a day I generally spend laying on my couch while clutching my poor hungover head. Instead I prepared food while clutching my head, but It all turned out to be worth it in the end. Amy was almost too incapacitated to deal with this dinner but managed to pull herself out of her coma just as guests were arriving.

We were lucky to have quite a few friends in town for the holiday. We even had a few of Moler's friends from the peace Corps who had been with him in Uganda come to our meal. Their approval of the food vindicated our labors. Also I learned its quite the compliment in Uganda to compliment your friends for being very fat even if they are not. This shows that you have noticed how successful their life must be. By the end of the meal all of us were feeling very fat and had no desire for any more food.

Namibia

2010-01-06T11:03:00.015-06:00

After Mongolia, Namibia has the world's second lowest population density. Most of the country is composed of some of the world's oldest deserts. Aside from large scale mining operations and safari tours, Namibia is not known for a whole lot. I asked a good friend of mine who had traveled a bit in Africa for advice on Namibian cooking. He had no idea and asked another friend who incredulously exclaimed that Namibia was probably the last place a foodie would ever want to go! Fortunately I did still receive advice from them on what to prepare, and none of our dinner guests seemed too disappointed. Although I doubt I'll see a Namibian themed restaurant scene sweeping the world anytime soon.

Like many poor countries surrounded by desert, Namibia's food is based more upon acquiring nutrients and not on culinary grace. But it still does have its culinary influences gained from its history. Raw vegetables, fruits, and roasted game meats have always been a staple among the country's indigenous population which still contains a fairly large number of hunter gatherers. Being a former German colony, cabbage and sausage are still popular here to this day. After the Germans were pushed out, Namibia was occupied by South Africa and a good deal of curry powders and spicy sauces have made their way into the food. Out of all these influences a food focused on simple preparation, cheap and easy to find ingredients, and very strong flavors has become the country's cuisine.

Cabbage and Sardine Salad

Although this might sound disgusting to many at first, it is in fact not disgusting. The sardines and peanuts add a wonderfully savory element to the whole salad that anybody can appreciate once they get past the whole eating tiny fish with oranges and cabbage. Think of it as a super flavorful cole slaw.

1/2 large head of cabbage cored and thinly sliced

1 red onion thinly sliced

2 oranges peeled, separated into individual pieces and halved

2 cans sardines in oil drained

3/4 cup olive oil

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 inch piece of ginger minced

2/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

1 serrano chile seeded and chopped

3 tbsp sesame oil

1/3 cup vinegar

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a bowl combine everything but the cabbage and stir together with a spoon.

2. In a much larger bowl put all the cabbage with a bit of salt. Allow it ten minutes to soften and pour the contents of the other bowl over the cabbage.

3. Toss together and serve.

Fried Yucca Root

The prep work for this is pretty similar to making fried potatoes, but the taste is wonderfully different. The main difference is that the yucca is much tougher and needs to be boiled to make it edible before frying. Also it takes a lot longer to fry, but it doesn't need a second frying!

Yucca

Corn oil for frying

1. Trim the bark from the yucca and cut the flesh into small french fry shapes.

2. In a sauce pan filled with water, simmer the yucca for 30 minutes or until it is tender. Set aside in a colander to dry for 15 minutes.

3. In a wok or fryer heat a large amount of corn oil and add the yucca in batches. Fry until golden or about 15 minutes per batch.

4. Serve with peanut sauce. Recipe follows.

Peanut Sauce

This peanut sauce is remarkably similar to peanut sauces of Southeast Asia with its use of coconut milk and dry spices. It can go great with just about anything you serve. I love it on grilled meats.

1.5 cups peanuts

1 medium sized onion quartered

1 clove garlic

3 tbsp soy sauce

1.5 tbsp vinegar

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp ground fenugreek

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 cup coconut milk

1. Combine everything in a food processor and grind to a smooth paste.

2. In a small sauce pan over medium heat reduce the mixture to a thickened sauce. Serve hot or at room temp.

Roast Chicken

Game meat is a bit pricey round these parts, and I didn't feel like dropping a large amount of money on this dinner. So we went the cheap route and used chicken, which I can confidently say is well loved in Namibia as well. The roasting is the simple part. The real authenticity for this item comes from the Chakalaka sauce we paired with it.

4 sets of chicken thigh and leg quarters cut at the joints

3 tbsp corn oil

salt and pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 375

2. Rub chicken with oil, salt, and pepper.

3. Bake the chicken in a roasting pan for 40 minutes.

4. Serve with chakalaka sauce. Recipe follows.

Chakalaka Sauce

Aside from being a word which often follows 'boom', Chakalaka is also a delicious sauce native to South Africa and popular throughout the surrounding region. It tastes like a spicy vegetarian chili and goes great by itself as well.

1 can vegetarian baked beans

2 carrots chopped

2 bell peppers diced

1 large onion diced

1 tsp cayenne

1 32 oz can tomatoes drained and chopped

2 tbsp curry powder

1/2 cup corn oil

salt to taste

1. Fry the onions, peppers, and carrots together in the oil for five minutes.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and cook covered over low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Serve alone or on top of meat.

Guava Bars

Essentially this is just chocolate chip cookie dough with guava in the place of chocolate. Guava paste can be found at most Mexican grocers in large round cans. The bars come out tasting like giant fruit newtons!

1 lb guava paste cut into small squares
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 stick butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs

1. Preheat the oven to 350 f. In a large bowl combine flour baking powder and salt.
2. In a small saucepan gently melt the butter. Once the butter is melted add the sugar and vanilla extract. Then whisk in the eggs. Pour mixture into the flour and stir until it gains a cookie dough consistency. Then fold in the cut squares of guava paste.
3. Grease a deep rectangular casserole and spoon the dough into the pan patting the mixture to form a 1/2 thick sheet covering the bottom of the dish.
4. Bake the dough for 30 minutes and remove when the top begins to brown. Take care to rotate the dish halfway through cooking.
5. Allow 30 minutes to cool and cut into squares for serving.

Conclusion

This was a much smaller meal than many others because we had to pull this off in the middle of the week to make way for the holidays. December was a rough month of constant cooking for our little home which left us with little time for our beloved blog. We apologize for the small amount of dinners that got posted during the season. Fortunately we've got plenty of freedom ahead for our meal planning and we're sure it will be plentiful. Namibia proved to not be a wasteland of boring food, and everybody was happy with what they ate. I especially loved the guava bars and salad and will certainly tweak around with those for future gatherings. More Africa is next with Uganda (actually it already happened and I'm still eating the food) until then Cheers!

Oman

2010-01-04T17:25:00.008-06:00

In our little realm, it just would not be the holiday season if we didn't have to travel near and far for various events and gatherings of kith and kin. Thus, this celebration of the food of Oman was actually done before the holidays, we apologize for the delay and hope you had many wondrous celebrations of your own.

Oman, despite having a lot of dependence on British political and military systems, was never actually a British colony. They have also been a loyal US ally apparently since the end of our Revolutionary War. Oman was one of only 3 Arab League states that stood behind Egypt after the signing of the Egypt-Israeli Peace Treaty in 1979 (the other two were Somalia and Sudan, if you were wondering). In other words, Oman is a good friend to have and this friend just happens to have some wonderfully exciting dishes.

Dill Hummus

What some of you may not know is that Tom is quite the hummus maker. He actually used to make it for a sandwich shop he worked at in college. It has since been his signature staple dish at parties. I mean, who doesn't enjoy a giant bowl of mashed beans and tahini? For Oman, we decided to jazz it up slightly by adding some fresh dill.

1/2 pound dried chickpeas soaked at least 8 hours (or use 32 oz canned, or better yet pressure cook the dried beans)

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic

3/4 cup chopped dill

Salt to taste

1. In a large pot cover the chickpeas with lots of water and bring to a boil on the stove. Simmer the beans for 1.5 hours or until tender

2. Drain the beans in a colander and run under cold water until cool.

3. In a processor combine the dill, lemon juice, and garlic and process them into a paste.

4. Add the chickpeas, tahini, and salt. Process for five minutes. While the motor is running pour the olive oil into the mixture slowly.

5. Taste for salt and refrigerate for at least two hours to let the flavors mature.

6. Serve with any flat bread or crackers.

Shuwa: Spiced Lamb Braised in Banana Leaves

It's hard to imagine a Middle Eastern feast without a lamb dish. Our humble attempt at Shuwa gave us a wonderful opportunity to again use banana leaves. If you are wondering where to purchase banana leaves, we usually get ours from this lovely Mexican grocery in Wicker Park, however, if you do not have a Mexican grocery, Asian groceries usually carry them. It should also be mentioned that this dish would normally use palm leaves, but these are not available to us. If you can find them, go for it. If you live near Chicago and know where to get them, please do not hesitate to leave the location in the comments.

Traditionally this would be a whole lamb cooked for two days under the ground. Right now the ground is frozen, and I'm pretty sure it's not very safe to cook food in Chicago's dirt. We did our best to replicate the recipe on a smaller scale in our oven. Feel free to use other large cuts of lamb.

Shoulder of lamb (5-7 lbs) cut into several large pieces

1 tbsp cumin

6 cardamon pods

1 tsp coriander

1.5 tsp red pepper

1 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp salt

3 tbsp vinegar

4 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons ginger

Banana leaves soaked in warm water for two hours

1. Bring meat to room temp and rub with ground spices.

2. In a large cast iron pot, layer the bottom with several pieces of banana leaf. Put the lamb on top of this layer of leaves and rest another layer of leaves on top and cover everything with a lid.

3. Set the oven at 250. Put the pot in the oven and walk away for the day. Allow the meat at least 7 hours to cook. Don't worry about drying it out it will only taste better with time.

4. When the time is finally up and you've finished doing whatever it is you did during all this time (we had lunch in Chinatown and cooked the rest of this meal), take the meat from the oven, uncover and let cool for a good while.

5. When the meat is cool enough to handle separate the stringy meat from the bones with your hands. Discard the bones and pour off most of the fat. The fat can be reserved for other things, but make sure to leave enough to keep the meat juicy.

6. Reheat the meat gently in the oven at 320 before serving. Serve with flat bread and tahini sauce.

Tahini Sauce

1/2 cup tahini
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup lemon juice
salt and pepper
1/4 cup chopped mint
water

Combine everything in a food processer adding just enough water to form a thin paste of a sauce. Serve drizzled over lamb.

Red Lentil Salad

Being winter and all, and being honest, we threw this dish together using what we already had in our pantry. Lucky for us, Omanis like bean dishes and our pantry is always fulls of them.

2 cups red lentils

4 cups stock

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground pepper

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar

1 red bell pepper sliced into strips

1 large red onion diced

1/2 cup chopped parsley

1/2 cup chopped dill

1/4 cup chopped mint

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt to taste

1. Combine lentils with stock, cumin, and pepper in a saucepan set over medium high. Raise to a simmer, cover, and cook over low heat for 25 minutes or until lentils are tender.

2. In a large strainer, drain and rinse the lentils under cold water until they are cooled. Set aside over the sink for five minutes to drain.

3. Combine the cooled and drained lentils in a large bowl with the remaining ingredients and serve.

Eggplant with Date Sauce

I almost feel like we need to defend ourselves here, because if you are a regular reader then you know we often make a dish of eggplant. This one is way different though, I promise. It has dates. And if you've never experienced the combination of eggplant and dried fruit, you are in for quite a treat.

1 large eggplant peeled and chopped into 1 inch cubes

3 onions sliced thinly

4 tbsp vegetable oil

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cumin

salt and pepper to taste

stock to cover

1/4 pound dates

2 cloves garlic

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1. Salt the eggplant cubes and set aside for 20 minutes.

2. In the meantime, heat the sliced onions gently with the oil until they are browned (about 15 minutes)

3. Add the eggplant pieces and cook gently for another 20 minutes until they are browned and tender on all sides.

4. Add the spices and enough stock to barely cover the vegetables. Cover and cook over medium low heat for another 20 minutes.

5. In a blender combine the dates and garlic with enough water to make a smooth paste.

6. Uncover the saucepan and add the date sauce to the eggplant. Raise the heat to high and reduce the sauce to a thick consistency.

7. Garnish with cilantro and lemon. Serve.

Za'atar Bread

Za'atar is the name for a spice mix of thyme, sage, sesame and other various things that we're not quite sure about. You actually buy it mixed together at your local Middle Eastern grocery. If you can't find it, just grind up these and other spices to make your own.

1 tbp. dried yeast
1 tsp. sugar
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup olive oil
2 tbsp. za'tar
2 tsp. sea salt

1.Mix yeast, sugar and 1/4 cup warm water together until it is dissolved and let it stand for 10 minutes. The mix should appear frothy, if it doesn't, you have bad yeast. Throw it away and try again.
2. Mixer with kneading attachment: Place flour, 1/2 tsp of salt and yeast mixture in the mixer and add 1 1/4 cups warm water. Turn on a lower setting and "knead" for about 5 minutes. Gradually add the olive oil during this time. Cover and set aside for about an hour

Without a mixer: Combine the same as about but knead by hand for about 15 minutes.

3. Punch down the dough and either throw it back in the mixer, or knead by hand for a little longer. Let it stand again for about a half an hour.
4. Knead again shortly and divide dough into about 10 pieces. Roll out each piece into a circle.
5. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and put the dough onto greased cookie sheets. Press your finger into the dough to make little dimples. Brush each piece with the remaining oil and sprinkle the za'atar and sea salt on top. Bake for about 12-15 minutes and serve them right out of the oven.

Oman: Conclusions

Oman was a success for many reasons. First off, it was the first Middle Eastern country we have had the pleasure of cooking for this blog. In our everyday lives and meals, we have been trying to cook more Middle Eastern food and I have a hunch that a few of these dishes will be repeated again.

Second, we had a lot of rotating guests throughout the night and had more than enough to feed them all. I think in the end we had about 8 dinner guest and we finished all but a fist full of lamb. This made for a long exquisite feasting experience and a few empty wine bottles.

Last but not least, we found a few great Omani radio stations. The first of which played a lot of Supertramp, which neither Tom nor myself minded at all. The second was a more traditional station that we did not have the knowledge to translate, but we do know they wished us a Happy Channukah (which just gives away how long ago we actually did Oman).

The Namibia post should be up in the next few days. Until next time, shucram!!!

Bolivia

2009-12-15T11:16:00.013-06:00

I've always had a strong desire to get to Bolivia. Perhaps this is due to my deep love of potatoes, or it might be the joy I get whenever I see a photo of llamas and snowy mountains. Maybe its my love of pan flute music. For whatever reason, Bolivia is at the top of my list of countries I regretfully have never visited. Our dear friend, Carl, however, had the fortune to study and travel in Bolivia during his wilder years. While I am eternally jealous that he has had this opportunity, I do my best to hide my inner rage whenever he dines with us. Also he has been our main source of knowledge for any South American cooking we have attempted.

The food of Bolivia receives little attention from the foodie community. The country does not have the extensive food culture of nearby countries like Chile, Brazil, or Argentina. Undoubtedly, this is a result of Bolivia's impoverished economy and geographic reality of being for the most part an extremely mountainous country where few crops successfully grow. Also, historically speaking, Bolivians have been on the losing end of just about every power struggle since the arrival of the Spanish in the 16th century. Consider them as the Ireland of South America. Meat and potatoes are the country's staple foods. Judging by the recipes I've come across, the food and its preparation are extremely simple and are more concerned with providing sustenance than gourmet flourishes.

But don't get me wrong! The food is quite good. There's a lot to be said for a country that can stick to the basics and do it well. Bolivia has a cuisine that any Midwesterner can connect with that is rooted in the simplest of home cooking.

Sopa De Mani: Hominy Soup

Disaster nearly occurred with this recipe. I was going through internet sites and piecing together a recipe from a myriad of different ones and mistranslated 'mani' as 'peanut'. In Bolivia it translates to hominy instead of peanuts, and Carl was able to alert me to this moments before I was about to throw a bunch of peanuts in a blender. So catastrophe was averted and a delicious soup was the result.

32 oz can hominy drained and rinsed to remove excess salt.

2.5 quarts water

4 tbsp corn oil

1.5 pounds stew beef (I used round) cut into 1 inch cubes

2 potatoes chopped into 1 inch cubes

3 onions chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 tbsp dried oregano

3 carrots

3 eggs

2 poblano peppers (seeded if you want less heat) cut into thin strips

1 red bell pepper seeded and cut into thin strips

handful of parsley for garnish

salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot brown the beef over medium heat for five minutes in the corn oil. Add the chopped onions and continue cooking for another five minutes.

2. Add the water to the pot, raise to a simmer, reduce heat and cook covered for 1.5-2 hours or until the beef is tender.

3. While that's boiling away put the drained hominy, oregano, and garlic in a blender or processor and blend to a smooth paste pouring in a cup of water while it's grinding.

4. Once the meat is tender add the hominy paste, and remaining vegetables (except the parsley) and simmer covered for an additional 25 minutes or until the carrots and potatoes are cooked.

5. Allow the soup to cool for 20 minutes.

6. Whisk the three eggs in a bowl. Add a ladleful of the warm soup to the eggs and stir. Add the bowl to the pot and gently heat until the soup is hot but not boiling. You do this to avoid cooking the eggs.

7. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Quinoa Salad

Quinoa is the protein rich super grain of the Andes. It can be found in just about any U.S. supermarket for way too much money and it tastes a bit like couscous. If you fall in love with the grain and don't want to buy it in small pricey quantities, I'd recommend looking for it at bulk stores like Costco or ordering online. You cook it in exactly the same manner as rice or other grains.

2 cups quinoa rinsed well

4 cups water

1 chile poblano seeded and chopped

1 red onion diced

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup vinegar

salt and pepper

Juice of 1 lime

A handful of chopped cilantro

1. Put the quinoa and water in a saucepan over medium heat. Raise to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes. Cut the heat and let sit for ten minutes. Remove the lid and rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold water and until chilled. Drain this thoroughly and put it into a large serving bowl.

2. Add the remaining ingredients and toss with the quinoa. Serve.

Papas Fritas: Fried Potatoes

There's an old controversy about who came up with french fries. I've heard it said it was the Belgians and not the French. Bolivians would find this line of argument to be strange. The people of the Andes have been enjoying fried potatoes for thousands of years, and the French and Belgians only came to know the glory of the spud well after its introduction to Europe in the 16th century. There's also a strange argument about the best way to fry potatoes. Some insist upon soaking them in salted water for two periods of 24 hours before cooking. The best way I've found is a bit more intuitive and is explained below.

Potatoes (I do about 1 big potato per person)

Corn oil for frying (about a quart).

Salt and pepper for garnish

1. Cut the potatoes into small sticks by using a fry cutter or do it by hand by cutting it in half, thinly slicing the halves horizontally leaving them in a stack and then cutting the stack lengthwise into long sticks. Amy prefers hers to be extra crispy so I cut them fairly thin. Feel free to cut them into whatever size you prefer.

2. In a wok or deep fryer heat the oil over high for ten minutes. Add the potatoes in small batches to the oil and cook for ten minutes each batch or until the potatoes turn a golden brown.

3. When browned remove the potatoes with a metal strainer and set them aside to dry on paper towels.

4. After all your batches have been fried and drained lay them aside in a large bowl to cool for at least 45 minutes. You could even freeze them for future cooking at this point.

5. Shortly before serving make them extra crispy by frying them yet again for about 3 minutes a batch being careful not to burn them.

6. Drain them again and serve.

Pique Macho

I have no idea what pique translates to but the name of this dish sure sounds manly. This dish resembles a sort of hash. The ingredients, though, are a bit different from what we generally throw into the standard hash.

1 lb cecina (semi-cured beef from the Mexican grocery) or just use thinly sliced skirt steak
4 tbsp olive oil
1 lb sausage sliced into 1/2 inch thick rounds (I used kielbasa, but traditionally this is made with low grade franks.)
1 large red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
4 eggs hard boiled and cut into fourths
12 large large black olives pitted and left whole
Juice of 1 lime
salsa golf for topping (recipe follows)

1. Set two skillets on the stove alongside one another. In the first skillet pour half the oil and begin frying the sausage.
2. In the other skillet pour the rest of the oil and add the vegetables.
3. Once the sausage is browned add the beef and brown for about 4 minutes.
4. Now add the vegetables to the meats. Pour on the spices, soy sauce, and about 1/4 cup water.
5. Reduce sauce til it is thick and remove from heat. Garnish with eggs, olives, lime and salsa golf. Serve on a bed of fried potatoes.

Salsa Golf :

It seems like a lot of countries have concluded that mayonnaise and ketchup go great together. Bolivia is no exception to the rule. We were feeling classy and had no mayo lying around so we made a garlicky mayonnaise from scratch to go with the sauce, but you can use store bought as well.

Simply mix 2/3 cup mayo with 1/3 cup ketchup and serve on top of the fries and pique macho.

Helado de Canela: Cinnamon Sorbet

We have no ice cream maker, but that didn't stop us from finishing this meal off with homemade sorbet. All you need is a metal bowl, a wooden spoon, and some basic pantry items.

5 cups water
1.5 cups sugar
2 short sticks cinnamon
1 tbsp starch
1 tbsp lemon juice

1. Boil the water with the cinnamon for 12 minutes.
2. Add the sugar and continue to boil for another five minutes.
3. Mix the starch with a small amount of water and pour it into the boiling mixture.
4. Boil another 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and toss into a metal bowl and put it into the freezer.
5. Every 30 minutes give the mixture a good stir. Continue doing this until it freezes and attains an ice cream gelato like texture (this took me about 3 hours).

In Conclusion

While many may turn their nose at the concept of piling beefy hash on top of fries and covering it all in mayonnaise ketchup sauce, I'm certainly not too proud to admit it's delicious. Thankfully, all of my guests were in complete agreement and a great feast was had by all. To top it off Carl managed to find a pan flute heavy Bolivian radio station streaming on the internet which we played throughout the whole meal.

While the food probably won't be scoring many Michelin stars anytime soon, there's a lot to be said for a big pile of comfort food. It all left me wanting to bust out my passport and again look for cheap flights to the Southern hemisphere. But it'll be a while before I can take that much time off. Ah well. Up next is Oman. Until then: salud!

Senegal

2009-12-01T17:33:00.012-06:00

Let me just start out by saying that I hope everyone reading this that celebrates Thanksgiving had a wondrous meal! Ours was complete with two turkeys, some Milwaukee's Best and Tom catching his face on fire. Don't worry, he's alright. Just lost a few eyelashes while smoking the turkey on the grill.

Speaking of which, I apologize for the tardiness of the Senegal post. Thanksgiving took over our cooking interests for the week. But we are back at full force to bring you Senegal.

Senegal hails from western Africa. It was a former French possession, then it formed with Gambia to make up Senegambia for a whole seven years before it was it's own nation. A whopping 90%+ of the population practices Islam. During the 19th century, following Islamic practices was seen as a way to resist French colonialism.

The food of Senegal is similar to that of many other west African and Caribbean dishes. It is also apparent that this region had an impact on Cajun cuisine. What we prepared was very similar to the classic dish we all know as Jambalaya.

Thieboudienn

This meal was for a much smaller crowd, but that didn't stop us from making way too much. We could have easily fed a house of ten with this one pot meal. And much like our Guatemalan feast, this meal was absurdly cheap. This made us very happy because we really appreciate when food manages to be excellent and cheap Any type of white and firm flesh fish will do in this recipe and the vegetables can be changed according to your preferences. The only part of the meal that cannot be changed is the rice and the sauce. You absolutely need to use a medium grained rice to give the meal the right amount of gooey starchiness. And the sauce is the dominant flavor in each part of the meal. So don't be too intimidated by the length of the ingredients, because a lot of it can be substituted with whatever you have on hand. That seems to keep in the spirit of this giant pot of a meal.

4 tbsp corn oil
2 large onions chopped
1/4 pound some sort of smoked fish (we used herring)
6 tbsp tomato paste
2.5 liters of water set aside in a large bowl
1 bunch parsley stems trimmed off
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch scallions
1 small red chile
1 habanero left whole
3 pounds catfish steaks
1/2 pound pumpkin diced
1/2 pound yuca or cassava root cubed
2 parsley roots peeled and cubed
1/2 head green cabbage trimmed and cut into wedges
1/2 pound eggplant cubed
5 carrots peeled and cut into thin strips
2 lbs medium grain rice
Salt to taste

1. In a large and deep pot heat the oil over medium and add the chopped onion. Cook until browned. Add the smoked fish, tomato paste and 1/4 cup of the water. Simmer this for ten minutes.
2. While thats simmering puree the parsley, garlic, chile, and scallions into a thick paste with either a blender or processor. Our blender died so I used the processor. Cover the fish with this paste and let sit for at least five minutes.
3. Place the fish in the pot with simmering sauce and cook for five minutes. Add the rest of the water, salt it, and bring it to a boil and cook for a further ten minutes. Remove the fish steaks and set on a platter with 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid. This renders a simple stock from the fish that the rest of the food will be cooked in. Cover the fish and set in the oven to keep warm while everything else cooks.
5. Add the vegetables to the boiling broth. Before adding the habanero cut a small opening into the top of the chile and add it to the vegetables. Allow the vegetables to boil for about 40 minutes to make sure everything cooks through. Taste the sauce as it boils and remove the habanero and set aside when the you feel the sauce is spicy enough. For Amy this had to be done after about ten minutes. But for the true taste give it about 20 minutes.
6. When the vegetables are cooked remove them from the broth with slotted spoon and put them on yet another platter. Cover these with a bit of the sauce and put into the oven to keep warm.
7. Reserve two cups of the broth and distribute this into two bowls. In one bowl pulverize the habanero and use this as a hot sauce for the meal. The other bowl you can hand to the weaker palates as a mild sauce.
8. Add the rice to the broth. Raise to boil, cover, and reduce the heat. Continue cooking until the rice is done (30 minutes). Check on the rice as it cooks stirring occasionally and add more water if it needs it.
9. When the rice is done remove it to a very large platter. Remove the fish and vegetable from the oven and set everything on the table. You're now ready to eat.

Traditionally this meal would be eaten off of one enormous platter with the fish in the middle of the rice and the vegetables around the sides. This is optimal if everybody plans to be extra traditional and eat everything with their hands. But nobody seemed up for that and we didn't have any plates with a 3 foot diameter, so we dished everything onto plates and used forks. This didn't stop the meal from being delicious.

Sesame Cookies

The most important part of this recipe, as silly is it sounds, is to remember to grease the wax paper. I failed to do so, and it ended up with us clawing bits of cookie with our hands off the pan. Although this provides something to laugh at, I think we can all agree that cookies are best enjoyed when you can actually hold one in your hands. They were, however, delightful. So do yourself a favor and grease up that wax paper. The other important part is the sesame seeds. None of the supermarkets around us seem to understand that sesame seeds are best when sold cheaply and in large quantities. I'm not sure who thought a tiny vile of seed should cost six bucks, but in Senegal I'm sure you'd be legally killed for such a transgression. I would recommend visiting an Asian grocer for procuring large amounts of the seeds. We bought a five pound bag a while back and are already halfway through it.

1/2 cup plus two tablespoons of all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 stick butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup toasted sesame seeds

1. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
2. Cream the butter and and sugar with a hand mixer until it is light and fluffy.
3. Add the egg vanilla and lemon and continue mixing for another minute.
4. Add the flour and sesame seeds. Mix gently and allow the mixture 1 hour to sit.
5. Preheat the oven to 350. Place greased wax paper on two large baking sheets. Add heaping tablespoons of the sesame dough leaving enough space between cookies for expanding.
6. Bake them for 7 minutes making sure to turn the baking sheets halfway through.
7. Remove the cookies allow to cool and set aside on a wire rack for whenever you're ready to eat them.

Conclusions

The simplicity of this meal was wonderful. The cost was perfect. And the flavors were strong and tasty. The crowd this time was much smaller. We only had one friend over for the feasting and two stragglers arrived to eat leftovers. All agreed the food was good and mourned the fact that they couldn't actually hold the cookies. Amy and I are both pleased to find that we are enjoying all of the african dishes we've eaten. Which is a great attitude to have because there's a greater than 25 percent chance that whatever country we draw will be an African one. Thats not to say that its all gonna be the same food. Not surprisingly, Africa has just as much diversity of of food as Europe or Asia it just takes a bit more research for the lesser known cuisines. We look forward to pulling our next African country. Up next Bolivia! Until then, à la vôtre!

Guatemala

2009-11-15T16:08:00.017-06:00

I've been looking forward to Guatemala since the blog began. It is the first of the countries we've covered that I've actually been to. My love for this country began when I was in college. Two friends of mine and myself were planning to make a winter break trip outside the country, but we hadn't pinned down exactly where we wanted to go. Being college students, we didn't have much cash to blow. So, we decided to take a flight to the cheapest destination. That turned out to be a flight from Indianapolis to Cancun, Mexico. None of us wanted to stay in Cancun, so we took a bus south through Belize and into Guatemala. Despite the stress of figuring out the country's complicated chicken bus routes,, and the difficulties we would have in changing so many kinds of currencies at borders, I had such a great time that I made the exact same trip the next year with another friend. I could go on about my good times in that country all day.

But enough about that, this is a food blog after all. And Guatemala has a lot of great food. The majority of Guatemala's cooking is influenced by the country's rich Mayan heritage. Much like Mexico, the Pre-Columbian staple foods of beans, corn, and tomatoes tend to work their way into just about every meal. Unlike their Mexican neighbors and much to Amy's relief, the Guatemalans don't use nearly as many hot chilies in their cooking. This came as a shock to me as I crossed borders and immediately noticed that the salsas no longer burned my mouth. Although they cut back on the heat, the food does maintain a lot of flavor.

For this meal we decided to have more people than usual over for the dinner and relocated it to my larger former Apartment where our good friend Carl still lives. As a theme we settled on making it a Pre-Columbian thanksgiving of mostly indigenous ingredients in enormous quantities. What follows is one of the largest feasts that can be thrown together with about twenty dollars.

Refried Black Beans

Quite possibly the greatest food to feed a large group of people at little cost to yourself. Two pounds of black beans make a mighty six pounds of goodness. Nearly every market stall I ate at in Guatemala served me some rendition of this very basic dish. To truly save money make sure to use dried beans, but if you are pressed for time or just feel lazy, canned beans work fine as well.

2 lbs dried black beans
Thyme and rosemary
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp salt
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Soak the beans in plenty of water over night.
2. Drain the water and rinse the beans thoroughly. Sometimes I find rocks in mine.
3. In a large pot cover the beans with plenty of water again. Add the herbs. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cover for 1.5 to 2 hours or until the beans have become nice and tender.
4. In a food processor grind batches of the beans with a bit of water to loosen them into a smooth mixture.
5. Add the ground bean mixture to the pot and mix in the olive oil with a wooden spoon.
6. Bake the beans in the oven uncovered at 375 for 45 minutes and serve garnished with queso fresco or any other crumbly cheese.

Carrot and Radish Salad

Most vegetables I was served in Guatemala tended to be very simple preparations. This recipe took about 3 minutes to prepare. It provided a nice relief from the large amount of heavy food in the meal.

2 medium onions thinly sliced
1 lb carrots skinned and julienned with either a processor or box grater
1 lb radishes julienned in the same manner
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 tsp salt

Combine everything, taste for seasoning, and serve.

Stuffed tortillas

I first had these at a street cart. They work just as well in my oven. And they were a great way to feed vegetarians.

For the tortillas:
24 fresh corn tortillas
1/2 pound queso fresco
1/2 pound queso chihauhua
1 red bell pepper finely chopped
1 medium onion finely chopped
salt and pepper
4 eggs
1 tbsp flour
1/2 cup oil

For the sauce:
3 tomatoes finely chopped
3/4 cup water
1 0nion
1 red bell pepper

1. Warm the tortillas in a 300 f oven for five minutes.
2. Shred the cheeses and combine with onion, bell pepper, salt and pepper.
3. Whisk the eggs with the flour.
4. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Stuff the tortillas with 2tbsps of the cheese mixture into half moon shapes, dip them in the egg mixture and fry them quickly in the skillet until lightly browned. You'll do this in a lot of batches. Add oil as the pan dries out.
5. Combine the sauce ingredients in a sauce pan and gently bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Mash the tomatoes into a smooth sauce or run through a blender.
6. In a deep oven proof baking pan, layer the stuffed tortillas with the tomato mixtures poured between layers.
7. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Serve.

Squash and Cheese Tamale

No recipe for this as of yet, but Carl was compelled to cook as well since the dinner was at his home. I'll have the recipe for this delicious banana leaf tamale soon!

Pulled Turkey in a Rich Pumpkin Seed and Sesame Sauce

Mayan food is not all simple tastes. No Pre-Columbian meal would be complete without the great indigenous bird that we are all familiar with. This old Mayan recipe provides a great departure from the standard roast turkey we're usually served at this time of year.

1 12 lb turkey
10 cups water
1.5 cups sesame seeds
1 cup squash seeds
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups tomatoes
1 cup tomatillos
1 tbsp arbol chiles ground
5 ancho chiles seeds removed
6 guajillo chiles seeds removed
1 red bell pepper
1 tbsp achiote paste
1 cup bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Rice and tortillas for serving.

1. Break down the turkey into breasts, wings, legs, and thighs. When cutting through the joints I found a pounding the back of my chef knife with a mallet helped me cut through the dense joints. Set aside the skin and back portions for making stock or discard if you're feeling wasteful.
2. In a very large pot bring the water to a boil and add the turkey. Bring to a simmer and reduce heat and cover. Cook over low for an hour and a half.
3. Strain out the turkey parts and set aside to cool.
4. Toast the sesame and pumpkin seeds at 375 in the oven for ten minutes, and soak the guajillo and ancho in warm water as the seeds cook.
5. Grind the seeds in a spice grinder to a fine powder. Drain the chiles and put into a blender. Add the tomatoes, tomatillos, pepper, tomatillo, achiote, arbol, and powdered seeds.
6. Process the mixture into a smooth paste adding a bit of water until a smooth paste is achieved.
7. Once the turkey cools pull the meat from the bones and toss the meat back into the pot with the water it cooked in.
8. Add the paste, bread crumbs, and cinnamon. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered over low heat for another hour or until the sauce is thick and rich. Salt to taste and serve with rice and tortillas. This could probably feed 30 people!

Rompope: Guatemala's Spiked Egg Nog

Once again we drank our dessert. It was very heavy and was probably unnecessary given the size of the dinner. But since winter is around the corner I thought it would be nice to start the season off with it.

5 eggs...mmmm
1 12 oz can of condensed milk
1 coffee mug of dark rum
7 ice cubes

Combine everything in the blender and chill before serving. As you can see by the ingredients, this stuff is not healthy. Drink sparingly or you'll ruin your night.

Conclusion:

This was both our largest and cheapest meal! I think that makes it quite a success. What really counts is the food was great and nobody was lacking. Amy and I just finished up the leftover turkey this evening. In fact, the meal proved to be way too much for most of us. About thirteen were in attendance and we could easily have fed another ten. Most of us ate way too much and went into the classic thanksgiving hibernation mode after the dinner. The next meal will be much lighter, and our stomachs will thank us. Senegal will be next! Until then salud!

Dominica

2009-11-10T17:31:00.011-06:00

Dominica, aka "Nature Isle of the Caribbean", was named by Christopher Columbus after he spotted the island on a Sunday (dominica in Latin, domingo in Spanish...you get the idea). This lush island contains volcanoes, which are still forming the land, the second largest boiling lake and rain forests. Like most other Caribbean nations, Dominica's history includes a long spell of European rule that they became independent of in 1978.

In 1981, a particularly interesting event occurred in Dominica wherein an American named Perdue and a Canadian called Droege, attempted a coup. Now, it failed miserably and was stopped by the FBI before the ship even left American soil, but the plan involved overthrowing the government, misleading many mercenaries into going to Dominica, and, oh yeah, it was initiated by members of the KKK. It was called Operation Red Dog formally, but the media called it the "Bayou of Pigs" after the most notorious fail at the time, the "Bay of Pigs".

Now, the cuisine of Dominica is very similar to many other Caribbean nations we'll be covering. They do have a national dish known as mountain chicken, which is actually made of a giant toad indigenous to the island. Sadly we weren't able to legally purchase any large toads in the Chicago area. We did, however, have access to a goat butcher which provided us with the centerpiece of our meal.

Pigeon Pea Pumpkin Soup

This soup is easy to make and gave us probably one of our last tastes of fall (*sniff).

2 small onions, chopped
1 clove garlic
8 oz. can of tomato puree
1 medium size green pepper, chopped
1 lb. of pumpkin, cubed
2 pints water
1 1/2 pints of chicken stock
1 lb. can of green pigeon pea (with their liquid)
salt
pepper

1. Throw a bit of butter in a large, heavy soup pan.
2. Add onions and garlic over moderate heat for 5 minutes to make them transparent, but not browned.
3. Add the tomato and green pepper and simmer for 5 minutes
4. Drop in the pumpkin, pigeon peas, chicken stock, and water.
5. Bring to a boil at a high heat, then reduce heat and cover for 20 minutes, or until pumpkin gets soft.
6. Puree the soup and season to taste.
7. Serve!

Shrimp Salad
We could not make an island country complete if we did not do some sort of seafood dish. This dish is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also has a wonderful blend of tangy, fresh and a little bit of spice in flavor.

1 lb medium shrimp shelled (reserve the shells for stock)
3 cloves garlic crushed and chopped
2 tbsps butter
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 lb fresh spinach (washed and dried)
8 radishes thinly sliced
1/2 red onion thinly sliced

1 mango cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1 green bell pepper cut into strips
1/2 cup cilantro chopped
2 avocados
1 habanero seeded and thinly sliced (you may even want to run cold water over this for a bit to cut down the spice level)
1 tsp cumin
1/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
3 tbsp soy sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Salt the shrimp and set aside for five minutes. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute for two minutes being careful not to burn it. Toss in the shrimp and cook for 2-3 more minutes until the shrimp are firm and pink. Remove and dust shrimp with the paprika.
2. Make a dressing by whisking the olive oil, cumin, vingegar and soy sauce together. Salt and pepper it to taste. In a bowl combine the shrimp with everything but the avocado and spinach. Pour the dressing over the shrimp and vegetables and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes or until you are ready to serve.
3. When you are finally ready to serve. Slice the avocado thinly and gently toss with the marinated shrimp and vegetables.
4. On a large platter arrange the spinach in a ring and scoop the shrimp and vegetables in the center. Serve.

Goat Curry

Dominica is really into their lamb, goat and chicken dishes. Since we have not had a meal with goat yet during this project, we thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a dish with one of our favorite unsung meats.

3lbs cubed goat shoulder (easiest to have a butcher do this with a mechanical bone saw)
1/4 cup corn oil
2 medium yellow onions thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 can coconut milk
1/2 pint water
2 tbsp curry powder or make your own for less heat: 1.5 tsp turmeric, 1.5 tsp cumin, 1 tsp peppercorn, 1 tsp ground ginger, 1/2 tsp cayenne, 1 tsp garlic powder
1.5 tsp allspice ground
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a deep pot, gently fry the onions in the oil until they are translucent
2. Add the goat and saute for five minutes.
3. Add the spices and saute for yet another five minutes.
4. Add the water and coconut milk and cook over low heat covered for 3 hours.
5. Squeeze lime juice in at end. Serve curry in small individual bowls garnished with the cilantro.

Yellow Rice and Pigeon Pea Risotto

I think the best part of this dish was the utilization of our shrimp shells from the salad to make the stock. It added a nice note to the risotto and tied the meal together perfectly.

1.5 cups short grain rice
1 can pigeon peas drained
5 cups shrimp stock
2 tsp turmeric
salt and pepper to taste
3 tbsp butter

1. Make a stock by boiling the leftover shrimp shells in a large pot of water with a few carrots and an onion. Boil 30 minutes. Strain and reserve.
2. Melt half the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the rice and cook stirring frequently until the grains become translucent.
3. Add the turmeric and stir for another minute. Begin to add the stock 1/2 cup at a time maintaining a very low heat. Allow each half cup of stock to be absorbed by the rice before adding more. Stir frequently as you do this. This takes about 30-40 minutes so grab a beer and get comfortable by the rice. This can get very boring if you are by yourself so try and keep company around you as you tediously stir.
4. 2/3 of the way through this process add the pigeon peas.
5. When the rice is creamy and cooked to your preference (I like to have a bit of a bite to the center) add the rest of the butter and serve.

Ginger Beer

I must admit that when Tom mentioned he wanted to make ginger beer for this meal, I cringed a bit. The only exposure I've had to it in the past has been in commercially packaged 2 liters, which I have never enjoyed. Just remember this is a taste you cannot buy in the store, put the bias away and add rum if you like.

1 lb ginger chopped into 1/2 inch thick discs
1 stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1.5 cups sugar
1 gallon water
Juice of 4 limes

1. Boil everything except the lime for 30 minutes covered.
2. Pour into a large jug
3. Squeeze in the lime juice and refrigerate overnight or until ready (it gets stronger the longer you leave it)
4. Strain the brew and server chilled over ice.
5. We decided at the last second to make cocktails out of these and our good friend Carl ran to grab rum from the grocery. Pour in a couple shots of dark rum into each glass to make everyone a dark and stormy.

This being our first randomly picked country was in a way a cruel irony. Had we gone in alphabetical order, the Bahamas would have been next and we would have eaten Caribbean cuisine anyhow.

Either way, we enjoyed having a taste of the tropics, as we lose our sunlight around 4:30 these days. This meal also provided us with our very first ceremonial end of meal drawing of a random country. Tom is very excited that it will be Guatemala: the first country we'll have done that he's actually been to! We've already bought the turkey! Until then...uh...cheers!