Sopa di Lima (Chicken Lime Soup)

Posted on February 1, 2012 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Delicious Sopa di Lima

In keeping with my 2012 resolution, this first post for February is a recipe that is extremely easy to prepare. In the interest of keeping it simple, just a bit of a back story and one picture to entice you to try this delicious soup!

After being in Belize for a little over 3 weeks in January, I was a little tired of burritos, chicken rice and beans, and ceviche. I’d been craving something “clean” and healthful, something filling, and not complicated to make for dinner. I was too tired to bike to town for additional ingredients, so this recipe is totally fabricated – based solely on items at hand. I didn’t consult a single recipe or do a Google search, I simply forged ahead with the vegetables I had in my refrigerator. My husband had a bit of a sore throat, so what could be better than a new version of chicken soup???

I’m telling you this was “double oh” good!

Sopa di Lima

Serves 4-6

Stock Ingredients:
  • 4 chicken thighs on the bone, skin removed
  • 2 average sized tomatoes, roughly diced
  • 1 small onion, peeled and roughly diced
  • ½ bay leaf
  • 1 carrot, peeled and chopped into ½ inch coins
  • ½ bunch of cilantro, washed and roughly chopped
  • 2 tsp sea salt and 10 grinds of fresh pepper
Soup Ingredients:
  • 1 large carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 2 small tomatoes, diced
  • ½ green pepper, dice small
  • ½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped stems and all (Cilantro is one of the few herbs where you can use both stems and leaves!)
Additional Ingredients:
  • 2 limes, juice only
  • Tortilla strips
  • Hot sauce (optional)
Instructions:

In a 3 quart sauce pan, cover the chicken with water so it is one inch above the chicken parts. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam and add the rest of the ingredients. Reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 1 hour. Remove chicken thighs and strain the broth. Shred the thigh meat, return to the wiped-out-with-a-paper-towel soup pot with the strained broth. Discard everything else. (Note: when I make stocks for soup, I always strain out the vegetables once cooked, and then start anew with fresh veggies. That way they have a brighter, fresher flavor in the finished soup.)

Add all the “Soup Ingredients” to the stock and shredded chicken. Simmer until veggies are barely cooked (around 15 minutes).

Right before serving, add the juice of 2 limes and some baked corn tortilla strips. (* See note) Add more lime juice, hot sauce or salt to taste.

I also add about ½ cup of previously cooked and reheated quinoa with the soup before serving, but cooked brown rice would be equally tasty and filling.

*Baked tortilla strips: cut fresh (unbaked) corn tortillas into strips about 2 inches long by ¼ inch wide. Put on foil lined tray and bake at 350 for 10 minutes until they are crisp. I do this in my handy dandy toaster oven.

With a simple salad, this hits the spot for hot or cold weather.

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Kasha Varnishkes – Old Style Comfort Food

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Kasha Varnishkes

My great grandmother-in-law Molly was born and reared in the Ukraine. I never had the chance to meet her, but have heard many stories throughout the years about her culinary acumen. She was, reportedly, an excellent baker – turning out crusty rye breads, sweet buckwheat pancakes and many other delicacies.

Molly moved to the Midwest in her twenties and later taught my mother-in-law Rosella to prepare “kasha varnishkes” or whole grain buckwheat groats with noodles. The name “varnishkes” seems to be a Yiddish alteration of the Russian “varenichki” which translates to stuffed dumplings. Also known as “Jewish soul food,” kasha is a staple in Eastern European countries.

When I first met my mother-in-law, she placed a huge, steaming bowl of kasha varnishkes in the center of the table. Not familiar with groats – which have a dark, pearly, grain like appearance – I was at first a bit tentative. But my husband piled a huge portion onto his plate and started eating with such gusto that I felt compelled to follow suit.  I was delighted by the dish after my first bite. Small bits of onion were singed and almost burnt – lending them a deeply caramelized flavor. The combination of chewy grains and succulent noodles was extraordinarily comforting.

Kasha mise en place

Nearly every visit, my mother-in-law would have a huge bowl of this dish ready and it inevitably disappeared within a day.  She taught me how to prepare it and I taught my own kids. Kasha has become a family tradition. Granted, it has changed a bit from the original recipe of the olden days. I tweaked it by substituting olive oil for chicken fat and now I use whole wheat bow tie noodles.  Regardless, every time I taste it I think of Molly Weissman stirring her huge pot of groats and noodles and doling out this soothing delicacy to her own family.


Kasha Varnishkes

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
  • 1 large (or two average) yellow onions, diced into ¼ inch pieces (about 2 cups)
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large egg, slightly beaten
  • 2/3 cup coarse kasha
  • 2 1/3 cups hot water
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 1/4 pound (1 cup) large or small bow tie-or small shell shaped noodles

Instructions

Over medium flame, heat the oil in a large heavy, straight sided sauté pan and turn on the exhaust fan.  Add onions and sauté them with about 4 grinds of pepper and ¼ tsp salt until really deep golden.  Be sure to stir every 3 minutes or so.  This can take a total of 30 minutes. Remove onions to a plate. You don’t need to clean or wipe out the pan!

Beat the egg in a small mixing bowl and stir in the kasha. Mix, making sure all the grains are coated. Put the kasha in the same heated frying pan, set over a medium high heat. Flatten, stir, and break up the egg-coated kasha with a fork or wooden spoon for 5 minutes or until the egg has dried on the kasha and the kernels are very brown, aromatic and not stuck together.

Remove the pan from the burner and add the water, salt, and pepper to the frying pan and bring to a boil. I strongly recommend that you wear oven mitts as it splatters and steams. Add the sautéed onions, cover tightly, and cook over low heat, steaming the kasha for 10-15 minutes or until it is really puffed up. Remove the cover, stir, and quickly check to see if the kernels are tender and the liquid has been absorbed. If more cooking is needed, cover and continue steaming for 3 to 5 minutes. Add more water if it seems too dry.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the bow-tie noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain.

When the kasha is ready, add the noodles to the fry pan and stir together.  Although it’s not tradition, you can garnish this with chopped fresh parsley to add some color.  Serve alone with a salad or with some sliced pot roast, fish or stuffed chicken.  I often have it with oven roasted vegetables on top.

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Posted in North America, Side Dish | Tagged | 2 Comments

Sofado – A Guatemalan Feast With a New Friend

Posted on January 18, 2012 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.


Making Sofado

Click here to view on YouTube

During a recent visit to Northern California, my friend Gloria said, “I just love those coconut cookies you made for Linda…can you show me how to make them?” “Of course I can,” I replied. The next thing I knew I was performing a cooking demonstration for Gloria à la the Food Network, carefully showing her how to mix chocolate and condensed milk and coconut to make the most sumptuous cookies. I even produced a copy of my recipe for her to follow along as I cooked.

“What special foods do you make that originate in Guatemala?” I asked. Gloria replied that she loved Sofado, a beef stewed with a fresh vegetable sauce, traditionally served with white rice, chopped vegetable salad (ensalata rusa) and homemade corn tortillas. She is the middle child in a clan of nine; huge simmering pots of stew were a popular item in their home kitchen. She learned to make this time honored dish from her mother in Quetzaltenago, Guatemala – the “second capital” of the country located in the southwest region. Her family still lives in this beautiful area, 45 minutes outside of the city on a farm with cattle and a huge vegetable garden.

The streets near Lake Atitlan, Guatemala

I have been fortunate to have visited many areas in Guatemala including Tikal as well as Livingstone and Rio Dulce, and I hope to explore more of the country someday soon. So I was immediately intrigued to learn more about Sofado. Gloria told me that, though not every Guatemalan makes this dish, it is a popular tradition in her family, often prepared for special occasions such as birthdays, christenings and anniversaries.

A Guatemalan woman at the market

I decided to barter with her. “I’ll teach you to make my cookies if you teach me to make Sofado,” I offered. Happily, she responded with one word. “Deal!”

She dictated a list of ingredients for me, and off I went to find meat, vegetables and the rest of her list. I had trouble finding the “long, red dried Chilis — not too spicy” and had to visit a second grocery store where I luckily saw them. I also purchased Maseka, instant corn flour, so she could make homemade corn tortillas.

The dish is a two day process. On the first day, the sauce is made and the chunks of beef marinate overnight. On day two, the meat is cooked until very soft. But the time spent is well worth it. This simple dish is rustic and mouth-watering. Perfect for a chilly fall day.

Gloria’s Sofado

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:
  • 1 white onion, peeled and cut into ½ inch slices
  • 2 lbs of roma tomatoes whole (about 12)
  • 6 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 1 dry long red chili
  • 3 -4 lbs of chuck roast
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 Tbsp salt
  • 1 ½ Tbsp vermouth or white wine
Instructions:

DAY 1:

Line a rimmed cookie sheet with foil and place whole tomatoes, cloves of garlic, onion slices and cinnamon stick on the sheet. Broil until slightly brown, then turn the vegetables over and continue to broil until they soften, approximately 7 minutes per side. When finished, discard the cinnamon stick.

Meanwhile, take 1 long red pepper and remove the seeds. Cut it into 2 inch pieces, cover with water in a small saucepan and boil until it is very soft, about 10 -15minutes. Set aside.

Cut beef roast into pieces that are about 3 inches by 1 ½ inches. Wash meat with water, and leave in a bowl.

Remove the tomato skins (they slide off easily) and the garlic and onion skins and place about half of the broiled vegetables in a blender with about ⅓ cup of water. Puree, then strain into a bowl. Repeat with the second half of the vegetables.

Finally, in a separate batch puree the water/chili mixture. Strain about ⅓ of this chili mix into the tomato sauce – taste and season accordingly. We added the entire chili with water and it wasn’t too spicy. I also put in about ½ tsp of sugar which I always add to tomato sauces of any kind.

Place meat chunks into a large glass bowl, add the tomato/chili sauce and add wine and 3 bay leaves. If the meat isn’t covered with sauce, add additional water. Place saran on top of the bowl and store it in the refrigerator overnight.

DAY 2:

Place meat and all liquid in a pressure cooker and bring to full pressure, and cook for 50 minutes Let the pressure come down on its own – which takes about 15 minutes. Alternately you can cook the meat on the stovetop in a large pot at medium high like beef stew. This should take about 2 hours or until the beef is extremely tender.

We served this with brown rice, her vegetable salad, corn tortillas made from Maseka (made exactly like pupusas but not filled with anything).

Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for 5 days. Or you can freeze it for up to two months.

Part of the reason I love cooking and myglobalkitchens is the connection I have with people from other cultures and lands over food; I learn about their families, their traditions, and how their lives and meals differ from mine. Usually, when I ask someone to show me or tell me how to make a particular food, they are puzzled. I think it’s rare these days for people to show such interest in the intricacies of creating a dish. Yet most are happy and honored to do so because they recognize that they are sharing their heritage with me and, by extension, my readers. I always remember where my global recipes originate – where I learned to make them, who taught me, and how our lives intersect. I can’t think of a better way to connect with these amazing people I meet all over the globe!

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Posted in Central America, Meat | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Crazy About Crackers

Posted on January 11, 2012 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Whole Grain Crackers - my new favorite snack

It is 6:45 am here in Seattle, the night is clinging to the city and I have just put three trays of whole grain seeded cracker dough into my oven to bake. Again. It’s my latest obsession, and for the past month I have made these crunchy, sweet yet salty crackers at least every three days. Two of us, TWO ADULT EATERS, have consumed them with breakfast, lunch and dinner…OK, my adult son also has taken a few to his apartment, but that barely counts. I get like this with food I love — I want it all the time and once I no longer crave the item I move on to the next best thing. (Back in college I used to make popcorn balls ad nauseam for months on end and to this day I cannot stand to even look at a popcorn ball.) Fortunately there is not one ingredient in these crackers that is unhealthy.

The original recipe came from pages 294-295 of Peter Reinhar’s amazing book, Whole Grain Breads. My nutritionist friend Mari Rosen Perry introduced me to this book and actually demonstrated how she bakes 100% whole grain loaves. I bought the book, got a kitchen scale and haven’t looked back since. I love the zen of making breads, and I have made many of the recipes in this cookbook. My only frustration is the timing because the 100% whole grain recipes often require leaving part of the mixed ingredients in or out of the refrigerator for several hours, and I am not good at planning to be home 12 hours later to do “part 2.” That’s why I love these crackers. It takes 10 minutes to make the dough and only 15 minutes to roll out and cut them and then, voila – ready to bake. 20 minutes in the oven, and you are done.

Fresh from the oven

In my usual fashion, I have really simplified this recipe and cut out many of the detailed steps. I also do not weigh the ingredients, and have found this cracker recipe to be very forgiving. Lucky for me, the seeds are all available in the bulk food section of my supermarket. As you can imagine, I have huge quantities on hand for my early morning baking sessions!

So here you are:

Whole Grain Crackers

Makes ~8 dozen

Ingredients:
  • 1 ¾ cup 100% whole wheat flour (I use WHITE whole wheat flour for breads – King Arthur brand) plus extra to roll the crackers
  • Heaping ⅓ cup whole white sesame seeds (do not grind them)
  • Heaping ⅓ cup of either sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (OR a combo of both)
  • 3 Tbsp flax seeds
  • ¼ tsp sea salt
  • 5 ounces room temperature water-measure in a liquid measuring cup.
  • 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup or honey (I love the taste of syrup)
  • 2 Tbsp canola oil + a little for the bowl
  • Coarse salt flakes and extra sesame seeds to top the crackers
Instructions:

Combine whole wheat flour, sesame seeds and salt in a medium bowl.

Place sunflower seeds and/or pumpkin seeds and flax seeds In a small coffee grinder (I have a Krups bean grinder from 40 years ago) and pulse 5 times until it is ground finely. Add to the flour mixture.

Combine water, syrup and oil and add into the flour mixture with a spatula, then pour onto the counter. There will be some unincorporated flour that you can work in. Dust the counter with a tiny bit more flour if required and knead about 50 times. The dough will be a little sticky but no worries.

Wash the bowl it was mixed in, oil it and place the dough ball in the bottom. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap for at least ½ hour or up to 12 hours out of the refrigerator. Sometimes I make the dough at night and then continue in the morning, but other times I just can’t wait so long.

When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 large baking sheets with parchment.

I put a little flour on a large wood board or a clean piece of parchment and roll the dough ⅓ at a time directly on there with a lightly floured rolling pin. Make it pretty thin (1/8 inch max – or thinner if you can). At this point, sprinkle another 1 ½ Tbsp plain sesame seeds on top and also lightly shake salt crystals on top too. I run the rolling pin over these so they stay put.

Next, cut into 1 ½ inch squares with a pizza cutter or use a cookie cutter and cut into circles if you are trying to be fancy. Be sure the edges of the dough aren’t too thick. Place on lined cookie sheet using a bench scraper, and being sure the crackers do not touch. Repeat two more times.

Dough Cut Into Squares

Bake carefully 10 minutes, then rotate the sheets and bake another 8-10 minutes until fairly brown. I allow the crackers to totally cool on the cookie sheets, then I store them in a paper bag or open container so they do not become soggy. They keep for at least two weeks if they aren’t gone by then.

Note: After I grind the pumpkin/sunflower/flax seeds, I empty the small coffee grinder then put about 20 kernels of rice inside and grind that. The rice removes the oils and smells. I then wipe everything down with a dry paper towel and it’s ready for the next project.

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Winter Red Lentil Soup

Posted on January 4, 2012 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Winter Red Lentil Soup

Happy 2012! One of my resolutions this year is to post a recipe I’m currently making on the first Wednesday of every month – something I love but more important – a dish that is extremely easy to prepare. There might not be a rhyme or reason to these posts, but I feel like switching it up a bit so here goes #1 for 2012…

I love to make this red lentil soup when it is cold outside and when I don’t feel like going grocery shopping. All the ingredients – ginger, spices, red lentils and broth – are items I always have in my pantry or freezer. And the spicy ginger and inviting orange color make this soup the perfect solution to warm your insides on chilly days. This is easy, a little different and delicious for dinner with some homemade corn bread and a nice salad. Boy, does it ever make your house smell great!

Winter Red Lentil Soup

Serves 7-8

Ingredients:
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ large onion , diced small (around 1 cup)
  • 1 Tbs. ginger root, peeled & grated
  • 2 large cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground curry powder
  • 1 cup red lentils* (see note below)
  • 5 cups of chicken broth or vegetable broth (homemade or canned)
  • 1-14 ½ oz can diced tomatoes with their juice (I like organic Muir Glen fire roasted tomatoes, but any brand will do)

*Red Lentils are high in protein and iron; they are often used in Turkey, India, Afghanistan and Pakistan. They become mushy as they cook so they are easier for you to digest. Red lentils are very small and can be found in the bulk section of many markets or are packaged – the bag might say “masoor.”

Instructions:

Heat oil in a 4 quart soup pot over medium heat and sauté onion, ginger and garlic for 3 minutes. Add spices and stir for 30 more seconds until they become aromatic.

Mise en Place

Add the lentils, broth and tomatoes and bring to a boil over medium high heat, cover and reduce heat to low. Set simmer for 45 minutes.

You can either use a hand blender, a regular blender or food processor to emulsify it until it is smooth. I have an old Braun “stick” immersion blender that I utilize so that I can just stick the wand into the pot of hot soup and blend away.  This contraption comes in handy when making applesauce, smoothies, potatoes, baby food and other “creamy” soups or sauces, and a myriad of other dishes when I want a smooth texture but don’t want to fuss with cleaning a regular blender. All I do when finished is fill a large bowl with a few drops of dish detergent and water, then blend this mixture. Rinse it, dry it and the immersion blender is ready for the next time. (Waring and Cuisinart both make a stick blender for under $50.) If you don’t have an immersion blender, use a regular blender but be sure to cool down the soup a bit and blend in about three batches.

Blending soup in the pot

I serve this with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt, some chopped parsley and a warm loaf of homemade honey oatmeal bread (recipe coming soon!).

Notes:

  • You don’t need to blend this soup – it is equally delicious as is!
  • This soup freezes extremely well for up to 3 months

The final product!

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Posted in Soups | Tagged | 8 Comments

The Unsinkable Minnie

Posted on December 28, 2011 by Marilyn


Video of Minnie Making Tortillas

Click here to view video on YouTube

I vividly remember being exposed to abject poverty when I was 28. During a visit to El Salvador, we naively rented a vehicle to drive through some of the outlying areas. Gorgeous, large stucco homes with carved wood garage doors were perched alongside corrugated aluminum or cardboard huts, and the disparity of those with wealth and those without even plumbing or electricity felt wrong. Sometimes ten or twelve people survived inside the dismal huts. Whenever we traveled with our children during their middle school and high school years, we tried to show them how others in third world countries live and survive. Travel changed my belief system and I maintain that it molded my children’s views as well. All of us are aware that we are fortunate to have an intact, loving family, to have an education and to have life skills.

Fast forward to today. Many of my tales from the beautiful isle of Ambergris Caye in Belize make it sound like the perfect little quaint Caribbean community. For those of us who have enough money to vacation or live down here, it is perfect. Unfortunately, there are countless Belizeans who live from hand to mouth and who barely make ends meet.

Minnie

Earlier this summer we were riding our golf cart from “town” to go back home and prepare food for lunch. A young woman carrying a huge package of toilet paper and paper towels flagged us down and asked for a ride two miles north of my house; I told her we would take her as far as our home and she gladly accepted the ride. Her other choice: to walk barefoot for the 5 miles carrying her paper products. The man who gave her a ride to town loaded up his golf cart to the hilt with her food supplies and there was no room for her to ride with him back home. I was immediately drawn to her and we talked the entire ride. Here is her story as she told it to me.

Minnie is 41 years old; she is now single. She has 9 children ranging from 5 years old to 25 years of age; 5 of them live with her. She has never attended school yet speaks both Spanish and English quite fluently. She was born and reared in Belize near Douglas Village of the Corozol district. Her father died when she was 5; he was hunting with her uncle, and the uncle allegedly handed a gun to her father who was perched high in a tree. The gun, according to Minnie, backfired and killed him. Shortly after her mom “met the next man” and left Minnie with her very poor grandparents. She told me that her grandmother sometimes made dresses from old socks so Minnie would have clothing to wear.

Two of Minnie's Sons Samuel & Phillipe

By the time she was 30, Minnie had 7 children. She parted ways with her husband because he battered her and was verbally abusive; at one point he put a knife to her throat and raped her. She has been alone supporting her family ever since. Minnie’s mother now lives in Cancun and Minnie hasn’t seen her in 7 years; as she put it, this is her greatest sadness. She feels that her mother does not love her, or she would not have left her for the remainder of Minnie’s youth. And yet, she talked about wanting to send money to help her mother. She also talked about her dream of her father caring for her, had he not passed away at such a young age.

Minnie’s 24-year-old daughter is married, has two children and keeps asking Minnie to help her financially which Minnie is not able to do. Her 22-year-old daughter was living in Belize but Minnie does not know where she is now; it was evident from the tone of her voice that she is greatly saddened by this. Her 17-year-old daughter Emily (Chabelly in Spanish) helps her every day with cleaning, taking care of the 5 and 8 year old boys and running the food concession. Emily went to school until age 13; Minnie described her as shy and extremely serious.

With Minnie and her daughter Emily

Minnie works seven days a week. She begins at 5 am every day when she prepares three meals on her open fire for the construction and resort workers. Breakfast means 3 homemade flour tortillas, rice and beans and some type of chicken or eggs for the beans. Lunch is usually rice and beans and chicken (some days shrimp or beef) and dinner is the same as breakfast. Each meal costs $2.50 US. On average she feeds 25 workers each day. Everyone buys lunch with “credit” and at the end of each week she collects from the resort that pays the workers (bartenders, maintenance workers, landscaping help, etc.) Sometimes she collects no money and provides up to $40 US for food for which she is not reimbursed because some of her patrons were fired or don’t really work at the resort. She told me her only profit margin is from selling juice, Coca Cola and bags of chips. Meanwhile, on the day we met her she went to town and spent $600 USD for soda, chicken, rice, beans, eggs and supplies to last the week.

Minnie showed me their simple living space, which was an 8 X 8 foot plywood room. Two ancient refrigerators occupied a lot of space, and they were filled with frozen chicken, soda and cooking supplies for the week. Along the other wall were a double sized bunk bed and a hammock. Minnie sleeps in the hammock, three children sleep on the lower bed and two more sleep on the top bunk alongside toilet paper, food containers and nonperishable supplies. I don’t believe they have running water.

As Minnie finished her story, she told me something that I will hold forever: “It’s not a sin to be poor – it’s a sin to be nasty.”

This woman’s tenacity and endurance were so inspiring. Despite the cycle of poverty that pervades and the circumstances that led to her very difficult life, Minnie is a fighter. And I have seen so many women like her. Women who are not educated and end up with low paying jobs. Women who start having children at age 15 because that’s what their mom did. Absent fathers. Women who send money to their parents and support their children at the same time. Women who go without medical care and are subject to crime, poor nutrition, inadequate diets, high rates of disease. And the cycle continually repeats itself.

I searched for Minnie during our last visit and was unable to find her. I hope to see her when I return. Perhaps she’ll teach me how to cook some of the dishes she makes. I know she’ll continue to inspire me for many years to come.

I hope you’ll watch my video of Minnie and her family – you will see how she makes her flour tortillas on a cast iron plate over the open fire. For those of you who want to make flour tortillas at home, this YouTube video demonstrates exactly how I learned to make flour tortillas – I was taught to use oil instead of shortening. Also, oil the counter as you roll or pat the dough into the round shape before flying (flip the dough over so both sides are oiled) and use a seasoned cast iron skillet or griddle.

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Ponegranate Salad

Posted on December 21, 2011 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Beautiful Dubrovnik

It’s been two years since we travelled to Croatia with our dear friends Mark and Linda – but it feels like yesterday. On most of my adventures I have a pretty good idea of what to expect but I didn’t really know much about this region and was excited to get “off the beaten path.” I certainly wasn’t disappointed. As soon as we landed we were struck by the striking, ancient architecture and the sheer beauty of the land.

The trip was very loosely structured – we only reserved a hotel for the first two and final two nights. Other than that – we decided to wing it! The four of us met in Zagreb, Croatia’s largest city and its capital. After spending a few days in this beautifully preserved, historic city we rented a car and drove down the Dalmatian Coast and took ferries to visit the islands of Split, Korcula, and Hvar, ending in historic Dubrovnek, an old maritime city nestled on the Adriatic Sea. Along the way we stayed in “sobes” (pronounced SO-bay) which were rooms the locals rented out, usually featuring a small kitchenette and attached to a larger home where the owners lived.

Plitivice Lakes National Park

We took the ferry to the Adriatic island of Korcula, perhaps my favorite place. Up and down the hilly streets were red tile roofed houses and medieval sites. The island was amazingly clean, quiet and walkable with interesting beaches, restaurants and vistas everywhere we turned. We found lodging just by strolling up and down the streets and looking for signs that rooms were available. The unit we stumbled upon was actually an apartment with two bedrooms, a shared bathroom, a lovely kitchen and even an outdoor area.

The sweetest grapes

Growing outside were fat, ripe purple grapes that were sweeter than any I’d ever tasted. Mediterranean herbs also grew wildly, making the air distinctly sweet and fragrant. My favorite feature of this sobe was the pomegranate tree. I’d never seen one before and it was exotic and colorful, laden with fruit that we picked ourselves. The owner of this beautiful home gave us a bottle of local herbal brandy that she made along with yeasted coffee cake – typical of Croatian fare.

Pomegranates right outside our window!

I’ve been thinking of this wonderful trip recently because pomegranates are everywhere I look – filling the produce stands and decorating holiday wreathes. And for years I’ve been making the most delicious pomegranate salad dressing so I thought I’d share it. The dressing and the salad I traditionally make alongside it are so fresh and bright-tasting – the perfect accompaniment to the many heavy dishes we eat during these cold months. I made it right after Thanksgiving and have served it at least five times since then!

Salad with Pomegranate Dressing

Pomegranate Dressing

Makes about 1 cup

Ingredients:
  • 3 Tbsp water
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ c pomegranate molasses*
  • 2 Tbsp-4 Tbs  honey (add enough to taste) I use 4 Tbsp or 1/4 cup because I like a sweeter dressing)

* Though pomegranate molasses might sound exotic and difficult to find – I’ve seen it everywhere – even at the grocery stores in Iowa! It’s delicious in all sorts of dressings and sauces so I hope you’ll buy a bottle and try it out.  The brand at my supermarket is “Cortas” and comes from Lebanon

Instructions:

Combine everything  in a small bowl and whisk together to emulsify. Add honey or molasses to taste. The salad dressing can be kept unrefrigerated for up to a week

Serve with seasonal greens or arugula, pomegranate seeds or pear slices, Marcona almonds or toasted nuts of any kind, or feta or goat cheese, or avocado. The salad pictured in this post contains baby romaine, roasted chopped hazelnuts, cubed feta cheese and pomegranate seeds. I like to begin by putting some dressing in the bottom of my wood salad bowl, then add the lettuce and toss until coated. I add the cheese and seeds at the end so they remain colorful.

Pomegranate and delicious seeds

Note: a trick I learned a while back is to cut the thick skinned pomegranate in half, then put both halves into a bowl of cold water. I then break it apart under the water and scoop out the seeds under the water as well. The white pithy stuff that floats to the top can be skimmed away, and I end by straining the seeds and drying them well. Using this method to retrieve the seeds, my hands are not stained red and there aren’t squirts of pomegranate juice all over my kitchen. The drained, dried off seeds stay in a covered container in the refrigerator for 10 days or so. I love pomegranate seeds in salads or used as a topping for hummus or other bean dips, and even on top of my granola with yogurt and honey.

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Posted in Europe, Salads & Dressings | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Hot Fudge Sauce – A Gift From My Kitchen

Posted on December 14, 2011 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

The gift of chocolate!

Every holiday season I create a special surprise for a list of folks who are especially dear to me. Bottles of wine? Gift Certificates? No, I am a believer of gifting food items from My Global Kitchen. One year I made my Spice Rub, put it into fancy jars and distributed it throughout the city. Last year my friends received little bags of biscotti tied with festive ribbons. This year will be the Year of Hot Fudge. While it costs me far less money to make my own special gifts – my main reason for personally crafting these treats is much more important. I cherish my friends and want to take the time and care to make them something truly personal and unique.

This recipe has a funny history. My daughter Rachel’s day care provider, Mikaela, is an amazing woman on many levels. She is young (mid 20’s), smart, and manages to care for 6 youngsters in her home. I have watched this former Montessori teacher in action and she truly loves and appreciates each and every one of her charges. Her home is spotless and organized, and she peruses Craigslist and Goodwill for appropriate toys and does a fantastic job. Everyone’s birthday, Valentine’s Day, and Halloween are cause for serious celebration with the kids. Did I mention that every holiday season she makes a surprise FOR THE DAYCARE PARENTS?? Hot fudge sauce was the gift a couple of years ago, and when I tasted it, I went a little crazy. I am, admittedly, a chocoholic with no desire to come “clean”. I love my chocolate – the darker, the better. So I was in heaven.

Fudge sauce drizzled over ice cream

Last year when I visited Iowa Mikaela shared her recipe. The original instructions call for a double boiler which Rachel doesn’t own, so we rigged one up using a stainless steel bowl that fit over a sauce pan. The fudge sauce came out great, but I wanted mine less sweet so I went home and reworked the recipe. In the middle of my preparations I got a frantic call from Rachel…she tried to make the fudge and two times the sugar crystallized. She searched the internet and found that most recipes utilize corn syrup! “NO NO, NO!” I cried. There had to be a solution. I paid special attention as I made this last batch pictured here and learned that the key is to use a very, very low flame and to be patient.

So here is my 2011 Gift from MY Global Kitchen. I’m dedicating this to Mikaela, and I hope she doesn’t mind that I use more chocolate and less sugar than she does!

Hot Fudge Sauce

Makes 4 half-pint jars

Ingredients
  • 1 stick butter
  • 5 squares of unsweetened chocolate (5 oz)* (Bakers or Hershey’s chocolate are just fine)
  • 1 -12 oz can evaporated milk
  • 1 ⅔ cups granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp of vanilla
Instructions:

Put butter and unsweetened chocolate into a double boiler over very low heat. (I do this on my Wolf Range lowest simmer n a heavy pan. If you don’t have this function on your stovetop, use a double boiler or a rigged up double boiler. Use the smallest burner on a low setting.)

Let them melt together in the double boiler or pan. As soon as the chocolate and butter are barely melted, stir in the entire can of evaporated milk. The mix will be flecked with chocolate and not emulsified at all. Do not worry.

Immediately start adding sugar 1 tablespoon at a time – stirring constantly. This doesn’t take that long, because once the sugar is incorporated you add the next tablespoon.

Once all the sugar is in, be sure it is still on low, low heat and keep cooking, stirring every 5 minutes or so until thickened. My batch took 30 minutes to reach this point and never reached above 150 degrees when I checked the temperature.

Sauce cooking on stovetop

Once thickened, remove from the heat, add the vanilla and cool a bit before pouring into half pint jars. Screw on the lids and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

I usually cover the lid with fabric, write a cute label and gift it along with a pint of vanilla ice cream and a little bag of toasted almonds.

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Marilyn’s Meatloaf

Posted on December 7, 2011 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Truly comforting food!

My neighbors just had a baby on Monday, and my gift to new parents is often a home cooked meal delivered within the first few days of new parenthood. I was thinking about this last night because I made my famous meatloaf, onion mashed potatoes and green beans coated with olive oil and tomato slices. It is nothing exotic or particularly gourmet – just good, old-fashioned comfort food!

I’ve been preparing meatloaf of at least 30 years and don’t even know where I found the initial recipe. My global adventures made me curious about the origin of this kitchen staple so I did a little investigating. Meatloaf, or some derivation thereof, has apparently been around since the 5th century. It is traditionally a German, Belgian or Dutch dish and my Italian friends adopted it to make meatballs. In America, German-Americans made it with scrapple – which was a mixture of ground pork and cornmeal. This doesn’t sound too appealing to me – but it was likely quite a treat back in the day. Meatloaf as we know it today didn’t appear in American cookbooks until the late 19th century and I can only imagine the hundreds of variations that have since been developed.

My own recipe has been tweaked over the years but the one thing I insist on is fresh, high quality meat. The butcher near my home has wonderful fresh ground chuck which I use without fail. Though many recipes call for it, I don’t combine pork or veal or any other meat with the beef. (I do make a delicious turkey meatloaf that is entirely different – I’ll reserve that for another post.) I don’t add any type of cheese or exotic ingredients. Everything that goes into the mix is always in my cupboard and fridge – eggs, bread, ketchup, carrots and so on. During the cold, dark winter nights this hits the spot and is an easy, last minute dinner for me to serve when I am not in a particularly creative cooking mood. (Yes, that happens even to me.)

A beautiful thing about this recipe is that it makes a large loaf and leftovers can be used in endless ways. I like to have meatloaf sandwiches with fancy mustard, greens, tomato, or slice and grill it and serve it as a “slider” or repurpose it open-faced with mashed potatoes and gravy for a slightly different twist. I usually double the recipe, even when I make it for the two of us and I leave one that hasn’t been baked in my freezer for times when I have no time or energy to cook.

Marilyn’s Meatloaf

Serves 6

Meatloaf Ingredients:
  • 1 slice of whole grain bread-cut off the crusts and tear into small pieces
  • ½ c tomato juice or soy milk or regular milk
  • 2 lb ground beef
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ c diced onion
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ½ tsp ground pepper
  • 1 tsp dry basil
  • ½ c shredded carrots
Instructions for meatloaf:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Dump all these ingredients into a large bowl. Put on disposable gloves and gently mix the components together until they are combined. Remove from the bowl (don’t wash the bowl yet) and pat gently into a greased loaf pan. I bake it in my 40 year old 9 x 5 Pyrex meat loaf pan.

Before it goes into the oven

Slide the meatloaf into the preheated oven for 15 minutes, and while it is baking make the topping in the same dirty bowl.

Topping Ingredients:
  • 3 Tbs. brown sugar
  • ½ c ketchup
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • Heaping tsp of dry mustard
Instructions for topping:

Mix the topping ingredients together well. After the meat loaf has baked for 15 minutes without the glaze, remove it from the oven. Gently cover the top with the ketchup-based sauce and bake another 45 minutes or until interior temp hits 160 degrees.

Rest for at least 10 minutes, the cut it into slices and serve.

Note: There is a lot of juice and fat that accumulates around the meatloaf when you bake it in a pan. Generally I pour all of this into a Pyrex measuring cup and remove the fat only, and then return the juice to the meatloaf pan. OR you can eat the meat loaf as is and refrigerate the leftovers. The next morning you will see an orange layer of fat that is easy to lift off with a spoon.

Some of my friends add ½ cup of Parmesan cheese to the meat mixture.

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Elderflower Martini

Posted on November 30, 2011 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

I love Chicago any time other than the cold winter when freezing wind comes off the lake to take my breath away. My son lived and worked in Chicago immediately following his undergraduate years of college. We didn’t get to visit often but when we did, we enjoyed touring the art museum and the waterfront and finding unusual restaurants in the variety of neighborhoods around town.

My Iowa daughter, 7 months pregnant, wanted a four day weekend away from her 2 ½ year old: away from work, household duties, and diapers. Just some relaxation and time for herself before baby #2 was born in June. She tried her best to recruit college friends, high school friends, and local friends to accompany her to Chicago for this weekend. No one could leave work or get out of family obligations – all of those things that make it difficult if not impossible for mid-30’s women to just “get away.” When her in-laws agreed to come to Iowa and help babysit, I promised to fly to Chicago and be the “friend.” I found us a great hotel bargain; we planned restaurant meals, shopping excursions, city tours. I even found a good airfare from Seattle to Chicago, a direct flight.

So imagine my disappointment and dismay when two days prior to this planned trip I woke up with excruciating, debilitating back pain. Herniated disc. I could not even walk to the car let alone navigate an airport or airplane. Flat on my stomach, I could not stand or even roll over without screaming out in pain. The following day I endured an emergency steroid injection. I HAD TO CANCEL MY TRIP. I HAD TO DISAPPOINT MY DAUGHTER. That part made it more awful than the pain.

Rachel & Kay

Enter my savior, Sister Kay. She loves Rachel, Rachel loves her, they both love Chicago. Kay agreed to fly from Maryland to Chicago, and take my place for the four days. Done. Whew! So even though I was in pain I knew Rachel was in great company (maybe even better company than the initial plan?). The two musketeers slept late, shopped together, ate amazing meals, and came home boasting of a cocktail they had than was made with St. Germain Elderflower liquor. I heard about said cocktail a LOT and looked up the restaurant menu, checked out the ingredients listed on the menu and made a very close approximation of this delicious martini. Pears remind me of fall, and this martini is GOOOOD even if you hardly ever drink martinis (I’m talking about Kay).

Rachel and her hubby maintain that I write too much for my posts, so this one is short just for Rachel with only a couple of pictures! No description of the architecture tour, miracle mile, art museums, restaurants, shopping, sleeping. Just the facts, ma’am.

Chicago Elderflower Pear Martini

“She She” Chicago Elderflower Pear Martini

Ingredients for homemade sweet and sour mix:
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/3 c fresh squeezed lime juice
Instructions:

Boil together water and sugar until sugar melts and everything liquefies. Remove from heat, cool and then stir in lemon and lime juices.

This makes a lot more sweet and sour mix than you need, but keep it around for other uses.

Ingredients for the martini
  • 2 oz elderflower liquor (St. Germain brand)
  • 2 oz white grape juice
  • 2 oz sour mix (directions above)
  • 4 oz Grey Goose pear vodka
  • Green grapes for garnish (optional)
Instructions:

Place the martini ingredients in a shaker and fill to the brim with ice, Shake well, strain into a martini glass and garnish w/green grapes threaded onto a wooden skewer (see picture).

This is a very light and sweet cocktail and I like to pair it with something a little savory – perhaps salted nuts or crunchy crackers with goat cheese.

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