Raw-meat dishes can be found in most ethnic and national cuisines — the Vietnamese bo tai chanh , a mix between beef tartare and ceviche with lightly grilled, almost raw beef doused in citrus and served with slices of red onions, fresh herbs, chopped peanuts and crispy rice chips. Ethiopian kifto and gored gored, Lebanese kibbeh … Continue reading
Category Archives: Cuisines of the World
An Ode to a Meat Ball
OK so it isn’t the sexiest food in the world but who doesn’t love a meatball? Or for that matter any kind of ground meat, fish, poultry etc spiced up, flavored, fried, casseroled, stewed or grilled? Satisfyingly delicious and probably one of the most enjoyable things you can eat. Truth be known there are few … Continue reading
Goulash…A winter’s Tale
The autumn has passed and the first heavy rains have arrived. The leaves start to fall and the temperatures begin to drop and the winter chill and shorter days set in. This is when my thoughts turn to slow braised, hearty meat stews and the absolute prince of stews is goulash. I first became familiar … Continue reading
Ground or minced…what’s the beef?
Most every budding chef’s or home cook’s first attempts with meat cooking usually involves some sort of minced or ground beef dish. Whether it’s a first attempt at “spag bog”, chili con carne or meat loaf minced beef is, after chicken, the preferred protein for beginners but strangely enough still seems to get a bad … Continue reading
Inside out – an ode to offal!
Heart, Liver, sweet breads, brains, pig’s ears and tongue, oh and we can’t forget the testicals. Yummy!!! So what is it about the innards of animals that send us foodies flying off into deliriums of culinary ecstasy? I like to write about and cook with offal because I love to eat it but let’s face it … Continue reading
The Holy Trinity – cheese, bread and wine
A Book of Verses underneath the Bough, A Jug of Wine, a Loaf of Bread–and Thou Beside me singing in the Wilderness– Oh, Wilderness were Paradise enow! The Rubaiyat by Omar Khayyam, written 1120 A.C.E. I believe that Omar Khayyam would not have hesitated adding a piece of cheese to his famous verse. I also … Continue reading
Street Eats
I think of it as the antidote to fast food; it’s the clear alternative to the king, the clown and the colonel. It’s faster, and chances are it’s healthier than something at a traditional fast food restaurant. I would much rather give my money to a neighbor or an individual than to a gigantic corporation … Continue reading
Iconic Dishes
What constitutes an iconic dish? Is it that special, only-to-be-found-in-my-neighborhood delicacy, on the tip of a local’s tongue when suggesting what to eat or the best place that prepares it or a dish that is so intertwined with a particular countries national make up that just the mention of it conjures up post card visualizations. … Continue reading
Hummus…a recipe for peace?… maybe!
Hummus the ultimate comfort food is basically a working man’s dish of blended chickpeas, sesame paste, garlic lemon and salt. Heretics and Americans add cumin; and if you want to be fancy maybe a little paprika, chopped parsley and olive oil to finish then scoop up with fresh and fluffy pita bread, add a few … Continue reading
A matter of taste: delicious or distasteful
In 2011 CNN made a survey of what are the 50 most delicious foods in the world. Surprisingly for some and delightfully for us here the first place went to Beef Rendang and second place was our all-time favorite comfort food, Nasi Goreng. http://travel.cnn.com/explorations/eat/readers-choice-worlds-50-most-delicious-foods-012321 But let’s face it this is a very subjective issue. In … Continue reading
