Gourmet Global

Bonbini!!

I haven’t blogged all week so I am posting an extra long one today - with travel information about a unique destination and a recipe to boot!!

The island of Curacao is the largest of the Netherland Antilles and is a unique Caribbean island. One of the ABC islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao), The Dutch influence remains strong in its architecture, culture, language and cuisine. For a little bit of Europe in the Caribbean, Curacao is the island destination for you.

There is something for everyone on the island of Curacao for relaxation, history and culture:
Beautiful beaches don’t fail on this island, located outside of the hurricane belt
In just an hour and a half, you can go to Caracas for a shopping spree and be back in Curacao for dinner
The oldest synagogue in the Americas, a visit to Mikve Israel-Emanuel is a unique part of Curacao history
The historic port city of Willemstad is a UNESCO World Heritage site
Golf courses
Scuba diving and snorkeling

Hearing the unique language of Papiamentu (a patois language originating from the fusion of English, Spanish, Dutch, French and Portuguese) is a listening experience. If you speak Spanish, you will understand most of it but then there will be other words that will be totally foreign to you - the same if you speak Portuguese or Dutch. These three have the largest influences on the language.

Just take a look at their numbers - Spanish, Dutch, Portugues and French are all represented.

one - un
two - dos
three - tres
four - kuater
five - sinku
six - sies
seven - shete
eight - ocho
nine - nuebe
ten - dies

Here is a delicious recipe for Keshi Yena, the national dish of Curacao. Keshi (a bastardized version of the Spanish queso for cheese) and Yena (a bastardized version of relleno - the word for stuffed in Spanish). It is a stuffed Edam cheese (the Dutch influence on their cuisine).

Ingredients:
Ingredients:

5 eggs
2 sliced onions
1 small garlic clove
1 chopped bell pepper
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup of sliced olives
1 tablespoon of capers
1 tablespoon of parsley
1/2 Scotch Bonnet pepper, minced
3 chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons of ketchup
2 tablespoons of piccalilli
salt and pepper to taste
1 entire Edam cheese ball, about 2 to 2 1/2 lb.
2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Sauce
2 pounds of ground beef (alternatively, you can use chicken or fish)

Directions:

On the upper part of cheese cut a small circle and scoop out the inside, leaving the shell of 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch.

In a pan add oil and saute onions, garlic and peppers. Once onions are translucent, add the ground meat or the fish and saute until cooked thoroughly.

Add tomatoes and all other seasonings. Simmer until the tomatoes are reduced, for
about 20 minutes. Whisk 4 of the eggs together. Add to sauteed mix until the eggs scramble.

Now grease a casserole dish then fill the cheese with sauteed meat and vegetables.

Cover with cheese lid and spread the remaining beaten eggon top of cheese as a sealer.

Now set the casserole in oven at 350 F for 1 1/2 hours.

If you cannot find an entire cheese ball or simply prefer a different method, you can also use slices of Edam cheese. Slice to about 1/4″ thickness. Butter casserole dish and place slices, overlapping eachother on the bottom and sides of the entire casserole dish, leaving extra slices to cover the filling.

Put the sauteed filling inside, the cover with leftover cheese slices. Brush with beaten egg to
seal. Bake in 350 F oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Enjoy and plan a vacation to Curacao for a unique Caribbean island vacation like no other.

Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
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mireille@globaltastesinc.com
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Here is a Korean dessert beverage that is very addictive - It is so delicious - Don’t be alarmed by the amount of ginger in this recipe - It blends wonderful with the other ingredients and does not overpower the drink.
Ingredients

6 dried persimmon
6 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup ginger, sliced
8 cups water
1 1/2 cups ugar
10 pine nuts, garnish

Directions

Place the sliced ginger into a large pot with the cinnamon sticks and the water.  Bring to a boil  over high heat.  Reduce the flame and simmer for 40 minutes.
Strain ginger and cinnamon sticks.
Add sugar to liquid and stir to combine.
Remove center stem from persimmons and place in a large container.  Add sweetened liquid and place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours.
To serve, pour liquid in a glass with ice.  Place one dried persimmon in each glass and garnish with a few pine nuts.

VARIATION - Add some rum for a great cocktail and with St. Patrick’s Day coming around the corner - I don’t see how whiskey would do it any harm.

Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
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mireille@globaltastesinc.com
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Since we are in the throws of planning our Malaysian Culinary Tour ( the itinerary will be posted tomorrow), Malaysian food is on the mind of Global Tastes & Travels.

Here is a delicious Malaysian Fish Curry - with lots of coconut in it, this is a deliciously sweet curry.
1 1/2 lb monkfish
salt, to taste
3 tablespoons freshly grated coconut
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 in galangal, thinly sliced (galangal can be purchased at Bangkok Center Grocery on Mosco Street in NYC Chinatown, but you can substitute ginger if you can’t find it)
2 small red chillies, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon lemongrass powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
14 oz coconut milk
2 1/2 cups fish or chicken stock
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1 tablespoon sugar
juice of 1 lime

1. Cut the fish into large chunks, season with salt and set aside.

2. Dry fry the coconut in a large wok until evenly brown. Add the vegetable oil, galangal, chillies, garlic and fry briefly. Stir in the fish sauce. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock.

3. Add the turmeric, lemongrass powder, sugar, a little salt and the lime juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish and simmer for 6 - 8 minutes. Garnish with coriander and lime slices and serve with rice, if liked.
Serve with coconut sambal (recipe below) and steamed rice. This is a curry with a lot of sauce - roti will also go great with it.

Mix together 2 skinned and chopped tomatoes, 1 finely chopped onion, 1 finely chopped green chilli and 2 tablespoonslime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add 2 tablespoons grated coconut.

Enjoy!!

Corn is natural sweetness. To us Americans, nothing says summer like the smell of fresh roasting corn on a barbecue. You can be creative by using different flavored butters. My favorite is to add about 1 tablespoon of chili paste to 1 stick of butter - Absolutely delicious!!

But Southeast Asia has some different ways of using corn and one of my favorites in Corn Fritters. Here is a recipe for Thai Corn Fritters. To make them Indonesian Corn Fritters, just add some chopped shrimp to the batter.

Ingredients:
3 corn cobs
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 red chili, finely chopped
1 scallion, finely chopped
1 small bunch cilantro (aka coriander), finely chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce

3/4 cup rice flour

1 teaspoon red curry paste
2 eggs
4 tablespoons water
salt and pepper, to taste
oil, for frying
Sweet Chili Sauce

Directions:
Using a sharp knife, slice the kernels from the cob and place in large bowl. Add all the other ingredients, except the oil and Chili Sauce. Stir well to mix thoroughly. The batter will be fairly loose.

In a large skillet, heat oil for shallow frying, about 1/2″ deep. Add spoonfools of corn batter. As you place the batter in the oil, flatten the fritters using the back of a spoon. Cook about 2 minutes on each side until cooked thoroughly and golden brown. If the fritters begin to brown too much before they are cooked, lower the flame.

Serve with Sweet Chili Sauce. If you do not live near a Chinatown or where you have access to International products, it can be purchased online here .

Enjoy!!!

Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
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mireille@globaltastesinc.com
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So I had some ripe bananas and went about creating something different. I realize most of you wont have the variety of international food products located in my pantry, so use substitutions when appropriate, but the variety of flavors produced by the variety of products is one of the things that makes this stand out - I haven’t thought of a name yet for this recipes - Suggestions are welcome - Please post!!!

It is a wonderful low sugar dessert, having fruit and honey provide the sweetness, instead of processed sugar.

1/3 cup plantain flour (Caribbean)
1/3 cup manioc flour (Brazil) - aka as cassava or yuca
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup fig paste (Middle Eastern/Greek)
1/3 cup honey
14 oz. can peaches in pear juice
2 bananas, sliced
1 egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons grated coconut (not the flaked, sweetened stuff but the dessicated freshly grated)
non fat cooking spray

Combine all dry ingredients. Whisk in egg and buttermilk. Add honey and fig paste. Add 1/2 cup pear juice (from can of peaches). Mix well - make sure there are no clumps of fig paste.

Spray a casserole dish with non stick spray. Pour half of the above mixture in casserole. Place the peaches on top and then the sliced bananas. Cover with the rest of the batter. Top with coconut. Bake for 35-45 minutes, until knife inserted comes out clean.

Serve warm!!

Substitutions - Use 1 cup all purpose flour, instead of the variety of flours.
Any flavor preserves can be used as a substitution for the fig paste (strawberry would be wonderful)

Hot Cocoa - one of those comfort drinks that automatically remind you of your childhood - while sometimes my mother served the packaged stuff that comes in the envelopes for speed and convenience, when she served Caribbean Hot Cocoa, that was our special treat!!

This is still something you can’t find in the US , so she used it sparingly because it was only when we went to the Caribbean or when someone we knew went, were we able to get fresh cocoa from the Caribbean. Boiled with evaporated milk and spices - it is Heaven on Earth!!

So the next time you go to the Caribbean, instead of coming back with another T-shirt or keychain you don’t need, go to any grocery store and buy some cocoa. It is sold either in cones or sticks and sometimes comes in a little bag with the cinnamon and bay leaf.

I still had some cocoa and fresh cinnamon bark left from my last trip to Dominica, and so here is my recipes for Caribbean Hot Cocoa. If you can’t get any fresh cocoa from the Caribbean, use a dark chocolate bar - as pure cocoa as you can get.

1/2 cone cocoa, grated, about 2 cups
3 cups evaporated milk
1 cup water
2 pieces cinnamon bark (or cinnamon sticks)
1 bay leaf (if it is fresh, use 2 if it is dried especially the ones sold in the US which tend to be a lot smaller)
2 star anise (optional)
sugar, to taste

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir thoroughly to make sure all cocoa is melted. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes so that the flavors can infuse. Add sugar, to taste. Serve immediately.
As it cools, a skin will form on the surface. Just stir it back in or remove, if desired.

Enjoy!!

Selamat Petang!!

We will be running a Culinary and Cultural tour to Malaysia in August.
14 days and you will have the vacation of a lifetime!

This tour will take you from the cocoa plantations and rice fields of Borneo to the night markets and Orchid Garden of Kuala Lampur to the rolling hills of the Cameron Highlands to the hawker cuisine of Penang and two days of cooking classes for the foodie in you!!

You can view some of the sights you’ll see and the foods you’ll taste on this amazing trip here.
For an introduction to Malaysian cuisine in order to whet your appetite for this amazing trip, try this delicious recipe:
Roast Sugar Cane Chicken
2 teaspoons galangal, chopped (you may substitute ginger, if you can’t find galangal)
2 tablespoons lemon grass, chopped, bottom 6 inches only
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 shallots, chopped
2 fresh red chiles, seeds removed, chopped
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/4 teaspoon fennel powder
3/4 teaspoon cumin
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 cup sugar cane juice
1 2-2 1/2 pound chicken

Pound or process the galangal, lemon grass, garlic, shallots and chiles to a smooth paste. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the paste mixture and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes on moderate heat. Be careful not to allow the mixture to burn.

Add the turmeric, fennel, cumin, bay leaves, lime juice and sugar cane juice. Bring to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes to reduce the sauce by half, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Rub the chicken inside and out with the cooked sauce, reserving any extra sauce.

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place the chicken breast-side down on a rack in a roasting pan. Roast for 10 minutes. Brush the chicken with the sauce and turn the chicken over. Baste the breast with the sauce and roast for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F. Brush the chicken with the sauce. Cook the chicken for 15 minutes. Turn over the chicken and brush with the sauce. Continue cooking the chicken for another 15 minutes or until tender and juices run clear when the chicken is pierced by a fork.

Serve with steamed rice. (Jasmine rice would be ideal)

Practice your Malaysian and join us in August - Selamat Malam!!

Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
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mireille@globaltastesinc.com
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I recently joined my local Food Coop - the Park Slope Food Coop which is the largest in the country, in existence for more than 30 years. 100% member supported - the members work at the coop. With the decrease in paid labor, the coop is able to keep the prices very low - cheaper than your local supermarket and the added bonus of mostly organic products.

With the new year, many of us have made the resolution to eat better and lose weight in 2009. Shopping at the food coop is a great aid in accomplishing this by having a very large selection of organic products and especially fruits and vegetables - things like jicama, celery root, fresh tumeric and curry leaves just to mention a few.

Just because you live alone, that is no excuse not to make yourself wonderful, healthful meals that you enjoy. You do not have to be like the Diane Lane character in Must Love Dogs, eating a single chicken breast, standing up in your kitchen alone, EVERY NIGHT.

Make interesting meals for yourself and you will enjoy eating healthy meals, instead of pizza and Chinese food. This was my dinner tonight - just an idea to get you started to making delicious meals for yourself, even if you are single!!

The perimeter of the place is arranged with slices of fresh buffalo mozarella, then a dollop of fig spread and topped with slices of fresh tomato. A sprinkling of any spice blend you like and then freshly chopped tarragon (you can use any herb you like).
In the middle of the plate is a simple vegetable salad - this is what I used - but you can use any vegetables you like. This recipe serves about 4.:
1 bunch asparagus, boiled until tender but still crisp and then chopped into bite size pieces
1 small can of kernel corn
1 tomatillo, thinly sliced
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
10 grape tomatoes, halved
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoons of unsalted sunflower seeds
2 tablespoon dried currants
Dress the salad simply with about 2 teaspoons of olive oil and the juice of 1 lime

Place a little of this salad in the middle of the plate and top with grilled chicken sausage (I used Applegate Farms organic Fire Roasted Pepper sausages made of chicken and turkey).

If you like, you can eat this with a few water crackers.

This is a wonderful low fat meal to make you enjoy your, healthy dinner!!

All the ingredients were from the Park Slope Food Coop - a coop I highly recommend if you live in the NY area!

Fish is a great way to eat healthier and leaner. Salmon is probably the most over-eaten fish in the world and while I have nothing against salmon, there are such a variety of fish out there and you close yourself off to the variety of flavors available but just sticking to what is safe and familiar.

So here is a wonderful Halibut recipe using tropical flavors and for an unusual kick - some orange blossom water. If you cannot find orange blossom water at your local supermarket, go to any market that carries Middle Eastern products. If you live in NYC, you can find it at Kalustyans on 28th and Lex or 9th Ave. International Foods at 9th ave and 39th Street.

Tropical Halibut
1 lb. Halibut Steak
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 cup rice flour (approximately)
1 tablespoon Adobo with lemon or any spice blend you like (approximately) - Global Tastes & Travels Inc. Caribbean or Middle Eastern blend would both work wonderfully
8 pineapple slices, chopped (canned or fresh)
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon orange blossom water.
6 oz. coconut milk
2 teaspoons dried cilantro

On a flat plate, combine rice flour and spice blend. Lightly coat fish on all sides with flour.
In a skillet, heat peanut oil. Add garlic for 30 seconds and then add coated fish. Brown well on all sides. Add chicken broth and orange blossom water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes.
Add pineapple and coconut milk and cook on high heat for another 5 minutes until fish is cooked through and sauce has thickened. Add cilantro and stir to combine. Add salt, to taste, if desired.
Serve with steamed rice or for a twist, orzo or couscous would be nice as well.

I have never been a fan of cream based soup, but I found a great use for condensed cream soups - they are the perfect base for sauces.
Now I always have my pantry full of them - Cream of Brocolli, Cream of Celery, Cream of Asparagus. I even add a few tablespoons to the water when I am making rice - it is like having one of those boxed rice mixes, without all of the sodium.
Here is a delicious fish recipe using a cream soup based stock. This is a quick dinner I made up on the spot, so I don’t have quantities (use your judgement and preference):
Cod (or any other firm, white fleshed fish
a few garlic cloves, finely chopped
a few scallions, thinly sliced
1 chili pepper, if so desired
about 4 tablespoons of any condensed cream based soup (I use Campbells)
any seasoning blend (I use Global Tastes & Travels Caribbean Spice Blend) but you can use any.
about 1 cup of canned, diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in about 3-4 tablespoons of water
2 tablespoons of fresh cilantro, chopped

Sprinkle seasoning blend on both sides of fish and salt, if so desired.
In a skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add scallions, chili and garlic and cook for about 1-2 minutes until scallions are softened. Add fish to skillet. Cook on one side a few minutes until golden brown. Flip fish and brown on the other side for about 2-3 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix condensed soup and tomatoes. Add to skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and start to reduce sauce. Once sauce has begun to thicken and fish is cooked completely, stir in cornstarch mixture. Cook for another 3 minutes. Sauce should be thoroughly thickened. Stir in cilantro and serve immediately with rice and stir-fry vegetables - Green Beans or asparagus would be wonderful complements to this entree.