Sean and Katrina vs. The World!!

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Chapter 9 : India - Kashmir

Half a century ago, India won its long-fought "peaceful" war of independence against Great Britain, onlyto split into two countries, India and Pakistan. One part of India, Kashmir, is precariously cut between the two, with India controlling a larger portion of this land.

Kashmiri food is similarly divided, between the vegetarian and non-vegetarian. The Kashmiri cuisine of the Muslims uses meat, lamb being the most popular, while the Hindus survive on a variety of vegetables, and both using India's amazing array of spices.

Butter Ghee

Butter Ghee is common across India for its rich flavor.

Mustard Oil

Mustard Oil mis common for flavoring and deep frying in Kashmiri cuisine. It's pungent aroma might seem daunting but it adds a wonderful flavor to recipes.

Asafoetida

Asafoetida is a spice whose aroma is so powerful, one can smell it sealed and frozen through plastic wrap. It smellls of rotten onions and garlic, and a pinch can flavor a dish.

And it tastes... wonderful. Sure, it might stink up your spice cabinet so badly it's all you smell when you open it, but once fried up in some oil the miasma of rotten onions vanishes and the flavor comes out.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Odyssey

I can't rave enough about how fantastic this soup is.

Lemon Chicken Soup

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves: 8-12

Ingredients:

8 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1 chopped onion

2 stalks celery, chopped

6 tbsp chicken base

1/4 tsp ground white pepper

1/2 stick butter

1/4 cup white flour

1 cup cooked rice

1 cup diced, cooked chicken meat

16 slices lemon

8 egg yolks (you don't need to white for this, go make some meringue or something)

Cooking:

In a large pot, combine the chicken stock, lemon juice, carrots, onion, celery, and chicken base, and bring to a boil, then lower and simmer for twenty minutes.

Produce a Roux:

Melt the butter in a pan over very low heat, and mix in the flour. Cook very slowly, stirring constantly. There's an art to this, and it takes patience. If you burn it, throw it out and try again. In about five minutes the mixture will be peanut butter colored. This mix, known as a Roux (pronounced "roo") will thicken your lemon chicken soup.

Add it Together:

Gradually mix the roux into the soup, and simmer it for 10 minutes more. Then beat the egg yolks seperately, and slowly pour a few spoonfuls of soup into the mixture, stirring constantly. Slowly bring the yolks up to temperature this way, and then mix them into the lemon chicken soup. Add the rice and the chicken.

Garnish with lemon slices.

Monday, December 6, 2010

300

Fava, you might think, would be made out of fava beans. On occasion, it is, but also lentils. I'd be lying if I claimed I knew the origins of the dish, but it is a delicious, blended yellow lentil soup.

I must admit, this recipe comes out not entirely unlike hummus, but it is thoroughly enjoyable.

Fava

Prep Time: 30 minutes (soaking the lentils)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4-6

Ingredients:

3 cups yellow lentils

5 cups water

2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking:

Soak the lentils for 30 minutes, then rinse. (This step is not strictly necessary with lentils, but will improve the flavor a bit)

Cover the lentils with 5 cups water, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Skim the foam off with a spoon, and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, and put the mixture through a blender, mixcing in the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Serve either hot or cold. You can garnish it with chopped onion or capers.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

The Legendary Journeys

Let's be honest about this- Gyros are street food, and normally I try to put up recipes that they might actually make at the country I'm covering. But this recipe, modified to use pork (like they do in Greece) is certainly delicious.

Of course, real gyros are formed into a cylinder of meat on a spit, turning slowly near a heat source, and then shaved. But you know what? This will still taste good.

Cucumber sauce, sour cream, or even Greek Salad are great condiments for this.

Gyros

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

1 lb ground pork

1/4 cup minced onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp lemon juice

pita bread

Preparation:

Combine pork, onion, garlic, salt, black pepper, cumin, nutmeg, oregano, and lemon juice in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Shape into oblong patties.

Cooking:

Grill patties until thoroughly cooked, around 8 minutes turning once.

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Clash of the Titans

Now, a "Greek salad" in the US is an iceberg lettuce salad with a little romaine, topped with green peppers, tomatoes, feta cheese, and kalamata olives.

By contrast, an actual Greek salad is just those ingredients, with olive oil, and lemon juiced mixed in. By itself it's delicious, or you can use it to top sandwiches, like gyros, but I'll post those up later.

Greek Salad

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Serves: 3-4

Ingredients:

3 tbsp olive oil

1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 red onion, sliced into rings

1/2 cucumber, seeded and sliced into chunks

1/2 green pepper, julienned

4 oz feta cheese

16 kalamata olives

Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, sea salt, and black pepper into a dressing. Seperately, toss the tomato wedges, onion, cucumber, green pepper, and feta cheese. Pour the dressing over the top and add the kalamata olives.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Chapter 8 : Greece

Greek cuisine is easily mistaken for Egyptian and Levantine, but is not entirely the same. It does rely, as you might predict, on large amounts of olives and olive oil, and uses a large amount of lemon.

Ouzo

Ouzo is a form of distilled liquor from Greece, infused with the flavors of anise, mastic, and badiane. Traditionally, one might pour it over ice in a glass, producing a milky white appearance not altogether unlike the infamous absinthe, but it's easily enjoyed mixed with Coke if you can ignore the strong anise (licorice-like) flavor.