Jamaican

My friend Michelle is coming up to visit me-- I am so excited! Michelle shares my interest in international cuisine, especially Jamaican food. I am going to prepare an entire Jamaican spread to welcome her with. It is going to be delicious and a perfect tropical feast for the end of the summer!

I remember my first time visiting Jamaica. Two things stand out in my mind the most; The first is walking through the waterfalls at Dunn's River near Ocho Rios. The second... rum everywhere! I remember ladies shoving rum shots in my face trying to get me to sample it, which is hilarious because I was, like, 15! My folks grabbed my arm and yanked me away before I could sample any, but I understand why they were so invested in having people try their rum-- it is among the best in the world.

I haven't seen my friend Michelle in a such long time. When we get together, it is usually cosmopolitans, movies, and tons of laughs! This time, I am replacing the cosmos with a fabulous cocktail that I have created incorporating the flavors of Jamaica with their rum. I'm calling it a "Jamaican Mangotini". I am pouring mango juice, Jamaican rum, Grand Marnier, and the squeeze of a lime into a shaker filled with ice and straining it into a chilled martini glass rimmed with sugar that has a hint of cayenne pepper mixed in. It is an AMAZING cocktail that is a little spicy and sweet!

As a snack, I am putting a Jamaican twist on the typical "chips and salsa" by making crunchy plantain chips with mango salsa. Plantains look like bananas but are more similar to a potato. Instead of pan frying them so that they are still soft in the middle, I am making them like you would fry chips-- nice and crunchy! My mango salsa recipe is to die for and can can go with just about anything... she'll love it!

Then I'm firing up the grill to make a Jamaican classic: Jerk chicken and pork. Jerk sauce is a delicious blend of sweet, spicy and savory flavors by combining ingredients like orange juice, brown sugar, chili, cinnamon, ginger, garlic, etc. I am marinating chicken and pork skewers in my homemade Jamaican Jerk marinade overnight for maximum flavor. It is the best jerk marinade EVER-- you have to try it! I will be serving the skewers over the national dish of Jamaica: the "Jamaica Coat of Arms", which is rice cooked with onion in coconut milk and mixed with beans. It sounds simple, but it is uniquely delicious and as authentic of a dish as you can make. It has become one of my favorites.

I can't wait to pop in the Bob Marley CD, fire up the grill and enjoy great Jamaican food and drinks with my friend Michelle! We are going to have a great time!

El Salvador

I have a new food obsession (surprise, surprise!)-- El Salvadorian pupusas! I think these are El Salvador's answer to comfort food, because eating them sure puts me in a happy place! I made these for dinner last night and they turned out great (even my kids LOVED them, which is always a huge plus!). I always thought they would be tricky to make; whenever I order them at the restaurant up the street, they take forever to come out. But they were really quick and easy!

There are many ways to make pupusas. A pupusa is like a thick corn flour pancake filled with either beans, cheese, beans and cheese, or beans, cheese and pork (which is called Pupusas Revueltas). It is served with tomato sauce to pour on top or dip bites into, and curtido on the side. Curtido is a kind of cabbage slaw. Traditionally the cabbage and carrot are boiled down and pickled with vinegar and salt, but there are many variations of curtido these days.

For dinner I decided to go with the bean and cheese pupusas. My curtido turned out fabulous too! I didn't boil it down, but rather kept all of the ingredients fresh. I added green onion, cilantro, serrano and red wine vinegar to my shredded red cabbage and carrot, making an amazingly flavorful curtido with just the right crunch! As for the tomato sauce, it is exactly

that-- sauce out of a can! Buy a good quality brand, warm it and serve it on the side in a ramekin. Easy!

I hope my pupusas put you in a happy place, too. Buen provecho!

Photo credit: Sommer Clary for Global Kitchen, 2010

Recipe links:
Pupusas
Curtido

Mexi- Asian Fusion

Well, I must admit, this blog is meant to showcase different cultures' cuisines and amazing authentic dishes, not to come up with fusions. However, the other night I made this dish that turned out so amazing that I have to share!

My husband is a sucker for seared ahi tuna, so I thought I would treat him to an appetizer of seared ahi sea steak served over a salsa with Mexican and Asian flavors. It was really quick and easy (less than 20 minutes, HELLO!), and was so beyond delicious. I think that he thinks that I slaved over it!!! I took an ahi tuna sea steak that was super fresh and of the highest quality (sushi grade), and marinated it for 10 minutes on each side in a teriyaki marinade. I seared it for a minute or two on each side and thinly sliced it, spreading it across a pico de gallo that I added soy, ginger and chili to (I made this once with a Thai chili and once with a serrano chili-- both were great, so whatever you prefer). The creamy, beautiful taste and texture of the tuna was complimented so well by the heat from the chili and the savory combination of Mexican and Asian flavors-- it was amazing. If you are a fan of ahi tuna, I guarantee that this will be one of your favorite recipes! Serve it with some fresh homemade margaritas... or some chilled sake-- whatever you prefer! Enjoy!

Photo credit: Sommer Clary for Global Kitchen, 2010

Seared Ahi Tuna Sea Steak over Mexi-Asian Salsa

Lebanese Lunch

Often times I hear folks (who are great cooks) complaining about how they can't ever figure out what to make at lunchtime. There are SO many easy and delicious ethnic food options for lunch! One of my favorites is Lebanese food. I shared some chicken shawarma with my husband once and have been hooked ever since!

Shawarma is a very common sandwich served across the Middle East, Europe, the Caucasus, and North Africa. It consists of chicken, lamb, goat, turkey or beef that has been grilled on a spit and wrapped in a pita with vegetables such as lettuce, tomato, pickled turnips and a creamy tahini and garlic sauce.

For lunch today, I am making chicken shawarma sandwiches just like the ones I ate at the Lebanese restaurant. This particular shawarma was made with chicken grilled on a kebab (which is much easier than setting up a shawarma rotisserie in my kitchen!). In Lebanese cooking they use an amazing 7 spice blend, which is equal parts of allspice, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, fenugreek and ground dry ginger. It is beyond delicious, and is the secret weapon in my surprisingly easy chicken shawarma. For dessert, I am making my newest obsession-- baklawa (which is the Lebanese version of baklava). It is so quick and easy-- you won't believe it! Phillo dough is rolled and shaped into rings and then baked, and then the crispy flaky rings are drizzled in a simple syrup and topped with crushed pistachios. They are addicting, and will become your go- to dessert!

I hope you enjoy these recipes and this fabulous lunch-- it sure beats the average ham and cheese sandwich! As they say in Lebanon, "bil-hana wa ash-shifa!"

Photo credit: Sommer Clary for Global Kitchen, 2010

Recipes

Indian

Well, I usually only blog about food from places that I have been. But today I am breaking the rules and blogging about food from a place that I am going... India! My husband is looking forward to visiting the Taj Mahal, my kids are looking forward to the elephant ride included in the travel package, and I am looking forward to the spice markets!!!

Indian food has really grown in popularity in the United States. This is nice, because now some of the staple ingredients in Indian cuisine are easy to find in stores. I think the unique spice blends and seasonings are what makes us Americans love Indian food so much! Many people are hesitant to try Indian food at first because they think it is extremely spicy. While some of it's cuisine can be (like any other cuisine), most of it is just filled with lots of exotic savory flavors and spice blends. Some popular Indian spices are Garam Masala (a blend of cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper and coriander), curry (a blend of many spices including coriander, fenugreek, turmeric, red pepper and onion), tandoori masala (typically a blend of garam masala, garlic, ginger, cumin and cayenne pepper), and whole cardamom seeds (which posess a pungent lemon/ lime/ pine flavor).

I am making my favorite Indian dishes tonight. The main course is Murgh Makhani (otherwise known as "butter chicken"). Butter chicken is cooked in a rich savory sauce, but I am slow cooking it for melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and amazing flavor. I am serving it over steamed Basmati rice and with fresh homemade naan bread for dipping in the extra sauce! I am also making vegetable pakoras, which are savory little vegetable dumplings that are fried and served over a cilantro and mint chutney. To wash it all down, I am making an Indian drink called Lassi. Lassi is a yogurt- based drink that can either be sweet or salty and is most commonly flavored in mint, mango, or banana. It is blended with ice and soda water. I ordered a sweet mint lassi in an Indian restaurant (thinking I wouldn't like it but still wanting to try something authentic), and was blown away! It was so unlike anything I have ever tasted, and was so refreshing and delicious. Even my kids liked it!

I hope you will try this exotic dinner that I am sharing with you-- the butter chicken is surprisingly easy to make. This is crazy delicious-- even the pickiest eaters will enjoy it! As they say in India, Svadist khana!!!

Murgh Makhani (Indian Butter Chicken)
Naan Bread
Vegetable Pakoras with Mint and Cilantro Chutney
Sweet Mint Lassi

Photo: Baby foodie! My youngest trying her first naan!

French Date Night

Whoa! When did it become Wednesday again? Another busy week has passed, and despite all of the ethnic cooking that I did, I did not get one blog in! What a week in my kitchen though-- I tried out some new original recipes and they turned out AMAZING! They will definitely be blogged about in the next week or so, so be on the lookout!

It is Wednesday night date night again tonight, and I have been way to busy to plan anything exotic (although I've had some great ideas...). It is just my husband, Lukas, and I tonight, so I will keep it simple, yet romantic... a French inspired date!

Growing up in Northern California has spoiled me when it comes to my taste in wines. I LOVE the wineries in the region, and I have to admit that I haven't ventured out too much beyond that. Recently, Lukas and I have talked about trying out wines from other countries. Naturally, French wines seem like a good place to start! French wines have always carried a great reputation, so I am going to grab a few to try out.

I need to go pick up my children now, and fortunately there is a Whole Foods Market between my house and my kids' school. I know they have a nice selection of carefully chosen international wines, as well as artisan cheeses. How simple is that? A romantic evening of tasting French wines, and some artisan French cheeses to eat with some baguette. Entertaining with global flair doesn't have to be complicated to be fabulous!

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I just returned from picking up my kids from school and stopping by the market. I was right-- they had such a huge selection of French wines and cheeses that I didn't know where to start! Recently I had some Rhone and Burgundy wine from France, so this time I thought I'd try a new one: Carignan. Brie, French Morbier, Atlantique French Baby Swiss, and Doux de Montagne cheeses will accompany the wine. I have a fabulous French music CD called "Paris" (by Putumayo World Music-- one of my favorites!) which plays the kind of music that I was listening to at a cafe next to the Arc de Triomphe when I was in Paris. It was magnificent. I loved the markets in France, and I love how great French foods are easily accessible here. Last-minute date night dilemma is solved! It couldn't have been easier, and it is going to be fabuleaux! Bon appetit!

Photo: My sister and I in front of the Eiffel Tower

German Happy Hour

Happy Wednesday!

A while back, my husband and I started a tradition to help get through the week: creating a date night on "hump day", (a.k.a. Wednesday). Instead of the traditional happy hour fare, I am replacing cocktails and nuts with snacks and drinks from around the globe! From now on, every Wednesday's happy hour is going to take on the theme of a new country that I've visited. Tonight, I am reliving my visit to Germany.

Germany is truly an amazing country to see. It's history is so complex and the sights are breathtaking-- from the forests and castles in Bavaria to the centuries-old buildings in the cities. Germany was one of my first insights into different cultures' ways of dining; Germans are true "diners" and a meal at a German restaurant lasts for hours (I guess that explains why they can drink from those huge steins full of beer without getting drunk...). I remember the first time I visited a Hofbrau in Munich with my parents as a teenager (pictured above). I was too young to have a stein full of beer, but we started with a German pretzel and were so amused by it's size! We tore away at that pretzel while the German polka band played in the background. It was authentic and awesome!

That is my inspiration for tonight's simple happy hour fare. I am making German soft pretzels (individual servings, though- not like the giant one I had!), with some good German beer. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of German beers in chain stores. If you want an even wider selection, check out an import store's beer section. An interesting tidbit regarding Germans and beer-- sometimes they will mix it with other drinks. The most popular mixers are cola or lemonade. So if you will be with a daring bunch, make sure you have those on hand to suggest trying it out! Also, if you will have some guests who are not as keen on beer, Riesling is one of the best known varietals of wine in Germany that can easily be found here in the states.

So go and get your delicious pretzels baked and salted, and stock up on that beer (and lemonade and cola, maybe)! As they say in Deutschland, Guten Appetit!

*note: recipes uploading soon!

Photo: My father and I in Munich, Germany