Cheese Balls & BBQ

I recently finished reading Carla Hall’s Soul Food cookbook. I got the book after listening to an interview with Dan Pashman on The Sporkful: Carla Hall Isn’t Going Back To The Frozen Food Section « (sporkful.com). Carla Hall has made a name for herself on Top Chef and The Chew.

Another recent cookbook acquisition is Rodney Scott’s World of BBQ. Again, a podcast interview with Ed Levine on Special Sauce inspired me to purchase the book: Rodney Scott & Lolis Eric Elie on BBQ And Fathers & Sons, Plus Kenji’s Pork Shoulder – Special Sauce (thespecialsaucepodcast.com). Part cookbook, part memoir, he tells his story of becoming a pitmaster and the sacrifices made along the road to a bbq fame. He has full instructions on how to barbeque a whole hog. This is not on my list of things to do but who knows.

I have been interested in Southern food and BBQ for years. I have a few Southern Cookbooks. Some are by white writers, others by black writers. And one by both, The Gift of Southern Cooking by Enda Lewis and Scott Peacock. Black authors often refer to their recipes as Soul Food while white authors call it Southern Food. I am not about to side with one or the other. I choose the recipes I like and enjoy the writing of all the authors.

I have never cooked real barbeque. I don’t have a smoker and really haven’t wanted to try. I grill ribs and do pulled pork in the oven.

So, for my partner’s August birthday celebration, among other things I made:

Pimento Cheese & Crackers

Cornbread muffins

Ribs with Talmadge Farm BBQ sauce

Potato Salad & Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad

Blueberry-Nectarine Pie & Strawberry Rhubarb Cobbler

Not a bad line up.

When I was a kid, close friends of my family had a huge Christmas Eve party. There was always a cheese ball on the buffet. It was rolled in nuts, usually walnuts, and was not very memorable. I have recently been intrigued by pimento cheese due to reading these two new cookbooks. Carla’s recipe is great. It has a little heat and uses roasted red bell pepper versus jarred (somewhat mushy) pimento peppers. It was a hit.

I often get compliments about my cornbread. It is straight out of the Settlement Cookbook, Third Edition. And yes, it has sugar in it. My secret is I use fresh ground corn meal. Store bought corn meal never seems to have any flavor. It reminds me of yellow dust. I take frozen sweet corn and dry it in my dehydrator. Then I run it through the grain mill attachment I have for my KitchenAid mixer. This makes my muffins taste like fresh corn.

One thing I have learned about ribs is to peel off the membrane on the backside of the rack. The membrane remains chewy regardless of cooking time. I rub on the rub and let them sit overnight in the fridge. Then braise them in the oven for an hour or so over a layer of sliced onion with bay leaves and thyme. I then throw them on the grill and cook for 30 minutes, turning often and basting with BBQ sauce.

 

I got the sauce recipe from The Heritage of Southern Cooking published in 1986 by Camille Glenn. However, the recipe originates from Betty Talmadge. It is cooked with a whole sliced lemon, giving it a tangy flavor that I find delicious.

Watermelon tasted wonderful with the mint and feta cheese. The potato salad is fairly traditional with tart flavor from vinegar.

It was a great birthday celebration!

Marmalade is basically orange jam

Jam, in my opinion, is fruit candy. The fruit is boiled with pectin until it thickens. Then it is boiled in a hot water bath to seal in the canning jar.

Pectin is a natural carbohydrate found in fruits and vegetables. Apples and citrus are the main fruits used to produce commercial pectin. After juicing the fruit, the leftovers are dried then sent to pectin processing plants. Then we use it to make jam. When pectin is mixed with sugar and acid it will form a gel. The right conditions must be attained.

My Ball Blue Book has all the recipes for preserving food. I use it for proportions of fruit, sugar, acid (either lemon juice or powdered citric acid) and pectin. One thing I always had trouble with was getting jam to setup. I used many jars as syrup. Through more reading about making jam, I discovered that pectin the best gelling point at 220°F. However, it needs the presence of sugar and acid as well.

I did go down a pectin rabbit hole and it got fairly sciency. So now what about that marmalade…

Marmalade is a fruit preserve most commonly made from citrus fruits. Some of the first references to marmalade like fruit paste was from a collection of Roman recipes compiled in the 1^st century AD. It was made with quince and honey. It wasn’t until the late 1600s that oranges were directly referred to in an English cookbook. It was referred to as Marmelet of Oranges. The early 1700’s brought the first printed Orange Marmalade recipe.

Any citrus can be used. Of course, the more tart the fruit the more tart the marmalade. Orange marmalade does not require adding any pectin. The pith is full of it. The recipe I use calls for thinly slicing the oranges and a couple of lemons. I use a mandolin for slicing, then quarter the slices with a knife. Toss the cut-up citrus into a large pot and cover with water. Then heat the mix to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or so. Cool to room temp and refrigerate for 12-24 hours. This step softens the peel and renders more pectin into the water. The next day the mixture will be somewhat opaque.

Next up is reheating the oranges, adding sugar and boiling until it is nearly 220°F. I start testing the marmalade when it gets up to about 215°F. I keep a small bowl inside a bigger bowl of ice. Drop a small spoonful of the mix into the small bowl wait until it cools and see how thick it is. When it is thick like jam it is time to can. I make 1-pint jars and process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath.

Orange Marmalade

2    lemons

12  oranges

6    cups  sugar

Wash the lemons and oranges. Thinly slice the lemons and remove any seeds. Cut the slices into quarters and place them in a large, wide pot.

Thinly slice the oranges and remove any seeds. Cut the slices into quarters. Use less or more oranges as needed to measure out to 8 cups. Add the oranges to the pot. Add enough water to just cover the citrus.

Bring the pot to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight, 12-24 hours.

Return the pot to the stove and heat to a boil over medium heat. Place a candy thermometer in the pot to monitor the temperature. Add the sugar a few cups at a time stirring between additions. Stir until all the sugar has dissolved.

Keep the marmalade at a steady boil. Start testing for thickness after the mixture has reached 215°F. Once the desired thickness is reached turn off the heat.

For canning, pour the marmalade into pint jars, wipe the rim, place the lid and ring on the jar. Hand tighten and process in a boiling hot water bath for 10 minutes. Remove from the canner and cool on a cooling rack to room temperature. Check that the lids are sealed and remove the rings. Store in a cool dark cabinet.

Yield: 5 pints

 

Eggplant Lasagna

Eggplant is a somewhat odd plant. It is a member of the nightshade family which includes tomatoes and potatoes. It is grown worldwide and used in all sorts of cuisines: Asian stir-fry, Moussaka from Greece, Middle Eastern Baba Ghanoush, Indian Bhartha, French Ratatouille and Moroccan Zaalouk. The list goes on and on including Italian Eggplant Parmigiana.

Most years the vegetable garden has one or two eggplants in the mix. Eggplant can be a finicky producer. One year each plant will have one or two fruits (yes, they are a fruit not a vegetable). The next year will produce so many one wonders what the heck to do with them.

My go to for preserving them is to slice them with a mandoline, skin and all. I coat them with a thin layer of olive oil and then grill them on either a grill pan on the stove or the gas grill outside. If I am not using the grilled eggplant right away it freezes very well.

Back to Eggplant Parmigiana. Most recipes start wit
h slicing, salting, draining, breading and pan frying the eggplant, some advocate baking the breaded eggplant to cut down on the oil. The next step is assembling a layered dish with tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, basil and the fried eggplant. Bake it until bubbly and eat. It’s very, very good and time consuming to construct.

Aside from the process to make the dish, the dish seems somewhat one-dimensional to me. Cheesy eggplant with tomato sauce. So, I came up with Eggplant Lasagna. Not that this dish is authentic or even original but it has more good stuff in the layers. I used lasagna noodles and the grilled eggplant slices. There is a layer of sautéed onion, red bell pepper and mushrooms and a layer of cooked crumbled hot Italian sausage (leave this out for vegetarian). I use shredded mozzarella, ricotta and parmesan for the cheese.

It is assembled like lasagna: sauce on the bottom, layer of uncooked noodles, layer of eggplant, layer of cheese, layer of sauce, layer of uncooked noodles, layer of eggplant, layer of sautéed vegetables, layer of cheese, layer of sauce, layer of uncooked noodles, layer of eggplant, layer of sauce, top with cheese. Add ½ cup of water to be sure the noodles cook through and bake at 375F until bubbly. The assemblage is not any easier than the traditional recipe nor is it necessarily less caloric.

It takes around an hour to cook. Test for noodle doneness with a sharp knife. Let it sit for at least 15 minutes then slice up like lasagna and serve. Yumm.

Armenia

 

This mountainous country is nestled in the Caucasus region between Asia and Europe. Armenian culture has been recorded for at least 3000 years. The country has a long and tumultuous history with many invasions and wars. In the early 20^th century, Armenia was part of the Ottoman Empire. A political group that was part of the Young Turks movement came to power and became intolerant of non-Turk citizens, particularly the Armenians for being Christian versus Muslim. As WWI broke out so did increasing hatred of the Armenians. Between 1915 and 1918, it is estimated that over 1,000,000 Armenians were massacred.

 

Armenia was briefly independent from 1918-1920. Communism rose to power and the Soviet Union was in power until 1991. Currently, the country has what’s called a semi-presidential republic. Now, enough geo-politics, what about the food?!

I settled on five recipes: Lavash (Armenian flat bread), Torshi (pickled vegetables), Lamb Shish Kebab, Armenian Eech (a spicy tabouleh) and Armenian Baklava Rolls.

I started with the Torshi due to the fact it needs to sit for 4 weeks to pickle. Pickled vegetables are common throughout the Middle East, Central Asia and Balkans. But then what culture doesn’t pickle something?

Recipe: Traditional Armenian Pickles A.k.a Mayris Tourshu : 5 Steps - Instructables

The Lavash was somewhat intimidating. Lavash is traditional cooked in a clay oven called a Tonir, not unlike an Indian Tandoor used to cook Naan. Done “properly” the bread is quite large and very thin but not crunchy. 

So given the fact I don’t have a Tonir nor an extremely large grill pan, mine is not huge. Recipe: Lavash recipe | Epicurious.com

The Eech or Etch or Eetch is a bulgar dish that is a cousin of Tabbouleh. It has spice from red pepper and no cucumber. I went lite on the heat using Kashmiri red pepper. It’s Very good. Recipe: Traditional Armenian Pickles A.k.a Mayris Tourshu : 5 Steps - Instructables

 

Lamb Kebob is easy. The lamb is marinated and grilled. The spice that stands out is allspice. Both the Eech and lamb marinade include allspice. It’s a warm, sweet spice similar to cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper all mixed up. Many years ago, there was a Persian shop in Eugene. I ended up purchasing “authentic” kebab skewers. There’s a whole story as to why that I will not get into now. So, the kebabs, including some onion & bell pepper, cooked nicely on the grill were very good. 

Recipe: ARMENIAN RECIPES - Armeniafest

And here's dinner! Now dessert!

I always associated baklava with Greek food. As I searched for an Armenian dessert, baklava kept appearing in the list. As I dug deeper baklava has its origins in Ottoman cuisine. I found a website (heghineh.com) with a wonderful video on how to make Armenian Baklava Rolls. Baklava Rolls Recipe - Փախլավա - Heghineh.com

Making the baklava was not super difficult just messy. Keeping the filo dough damp was the biggest challenge. Spritzing it now and then with water tended to make it stick together and a damp towel didn't seem to be enough. But it turned out awesome. So sweet, buttery and nutty.

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

Many decades ago, a friend showed me how to make red clam sauce. It’s a simple dish that gives a twist to a basic bowl of pasta. It is a bit spicy with cayenne. The only herb used is parsley. At least that is how this friend made it. There are many recipes for this Italian American dish. This post is about my take on the recipe.

 Yes, it has canned, chopped clams in it. Feel free to purchase enough fresh clams to add up to 13 ounces of chopped clams that are cooked into the sauce. Then add 12 more for the garnish. That can be pretty spendy unless you go out and dig your own.

I tend to use tagliatelle, fettucine or even spaghetti for the pasta. Use whatever you like. The sauce is the star. I also like parmesan on top. I know Italian seafood dishes are not supposed to have cheese on it but I like it.

This makes quite a bit of sauce. Freeze the extra for future meals.

 Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

 Servings: 4

 2    cups water

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2    sprigs thyme

2    sprigs parsley

1    medium bay leaf

12  clams, manila, cherrystone or little neck

2    tablespoon olive oil

1    cup onion, chopped

1    cup red bell pepper, chopped

4    cloves garlic, minced

3    ounces tomato paste

2    cans chopped clams

28  ounces tomatoes, fresh peeled or canned

1    bunch parsley, chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1    pound linguini

1    cup parmesan cheese, grated

In a 4-quart saucepan add water, salt, thyme, parsley and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Add the clams, lower the heat and cover. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the clams have opened. Remove the clams to a bowl. Discard any unopened clams. Strain the juice into a bowl.

Rinse the pan and return to the burner. Heat the pan over medium and add olive oil. Add the onion and red pepper. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the tomato paste and anchovy paste. Cook for about 3 minutes.

Pour in the clam juice, chopped clams, tomatoes, 1/2 cup chopped parsley, cayenne and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 30 minutes.

Cook the linguini according to the package directions. After draining the linguini return it to the pot and ladle two cups of clam sauce into the pot and toss to combine. Add more sauce if desired. Portion the sauced pasta into bowls and add three whole clams to each bowl. Sprinkle with parsley and parmesan. Serve.

Tandoor - the bread sticks how?

 A tandoor is a large cylindrical clay or metal oven used in central Asian cooking. Northern India uses tandoors to cook various food including naan. Using skewers for meats and vegetables.

For the naan, the dough is slapped against the sides of the oven and quickly baked to puffy goodness. How the dough sticks was a mystery to me. More on that later.

Indian food if one of my favorite cuisines. I love the spices and methods. Curries, masalas, korma and tandoori (my favorite). I have never been in the kitchen of an Indian restaurant (nor have I asked) to see if they use an actual tandoor oven to cook the meat and naan. You can buy a tandoor oven for home. The prices vary but seem to start around $700. Not in my current budget for something I cook a few times a year.

I don’t know where I found the recipe I use for tandoori chicken. The spice mix is from scratch and smells wonderful. Garam Masala can replace the dry spices but it won’t be quite the same.

And yes, it has food coloring in the marinade. It is an optional ingredient. The final results will not be red if it’s left out. I use a powdered pastry coloring. The ingredients seem pretty mundane. If food coloring is not your thing don’t use it. No effect at all on the flavor, just the appearance.

So, what about that naan. I have used a yeast recipe for quite a long time. It’s good but it’s, well, bready. The garlic naan from the restaurant is puffy, has holes in it, has spots on it where it’s charred. I figured that’s the best to be done at home without a tandoor oven.

Let me get completely off subject for a moment. I love actual cooking shows. Not food games or food competitions. I love cooking shows: Emeril, Julia, Galloping Gourmet (yes I am that old) and most definitely Good Eats. These shows are not prevalent on tv much anymore. I have discovered a few good (in my opinion) YouTube shows. And they aren’t so much shows as short videos on a particular food topic. Two of my favorites are Binging with Babish and Adam Ragusea. Which brings me back to naan. Adam Rausea has a video about making naan in a cast iron pan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zogvMiPpQrs

He shows a way to make naan that is more like the restaurant type, puffy, less bready, charred. I made it and must say it’s pretty darn good. No yeast, although he gives a recipe for yeasted naan. The non-yeast recipe uses baking powder and baking soda. Check it out, the video is 11:15 minutes.

Now the secret about how the dough sticks to the side of the tandoor: water!

After making the dough disk, wet one side of the dough with water then slap it on the side of the tandoor. It sticks because the water creates a sticky pasty “glue” that holds it in place. I used a spray bottle. And why, you ask, would I need to do this if the dough is in a cast iron pan? Well in order to get the bubbly surface on top you turn the pan upside down over the heat of the burner and toast it. If it’s not sticking to the pan it will fall onto the burner and well probably catch on fire. Or at least it probably would on my range because it’s gas. Once cooked it easily releases with a spatula.

The tricky part is to hold the 12” heavy cast iron pan upside down over the burner and I wouldn’t want to prepare this for a dinner party of any more than two. You must have heavy duty oven mitts on both hands and be careful not to light them on fire or melt them. I have silicone mitts that work well but still get pretty hot holding the pan. Plus, the pan must be cleaned off between each naan or they won’t release after cooking.

Now back to the tandoori chicken. After marinating the chicken, I grilled it on my Weber gas grill along with the onions and peppers. Use a charcoal grill by all means if that’s your thing. You can serve this with biryani and some nice chutneys. I went simple with just the grilled veggies and naan.

Tandoori Chicken

Recipe inspired by Aarti Sequeira

Servings 8

5   whole  cloves

2   pods  black cardamom

4   pods  green cardamom

2   teaspoon  coriander seeds

1   teaspoon  fennel seeds

1   teaspoon  fenugreek seeds

2   teaspoons  kosher salt

1   teaspoon  pepper, freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon  Kashmiri chile powder

1/2 teaspoon  ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon  paprika

1/4 teaspoon  ground turmeric

1   teaspoon  powdered red food coloring -- optional

2   cups  plain yogurt

1/4 cup  olive oil

1/2 cup  cider vinegar

1   tablespoons  minced garlic

2   inches  ginger -- peeled and minced

8   chicken thighs -- trimmed of fat

8   chicken legs

1   large  onion -- sliced

1   large  green bell pepper -- sliced into rings

2   large  limes -- cut in wedges

Measure out each whole spice in preparation for roasting. Remove the husks from the green and black cardamom.

Heat a 10" cast iron skillet over medium high heat. Toast the cloves, cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fennel seeds and fenugreek seeds in a cast-iron skillet until fragrant. Pour into a bowl to cool. Then, pour the spices into a spice grinder and grind them until you get a fine powder. In a small bowl, combine the spice mix with the salt, pepper Kashmiri chile powder, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric and red food coloring.

In large bowl whisk together the spice mixture with yogurt, olive oil and vinegar until well combined. It should smell amazing! Taste and adjust with more salt if needed.

Using a paring knife cut slits in the chicken pieces, not quite to the bone. Add the chicken to the bowl of marinade, toss to coat. Marinate at least 1 hour in the fridge and at most overnight.

Heat your grill (gas or charcoal). Place the onion and bell pepper slices on a large plate, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Shake off the marinade and place on the grill. Grill the chicken turning often until they reach an internal temperature of 170°. Begin grilling the onions and bell peppers when the chicken is nearly done. 

Serve the chicken on a platter over the grilled onion and peppers with a fresh squeeze of lime.

NOTES : Cooking Tip: The food coloring is totally optional. Powdered food coloring can be found at Indian grocers or online.

Cooking Tip: Oven method: line a baking sheet with foil. Turn your broiler on. Place each chicken thigh on the baking sheet. Cook the chicken thighs under the broiler until starting to blacken, about 5 minutes. Then turn the oven to 350°F and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 170°.

Garlic Naan in a Cast Iron Skillet — Tawa-style

Recipe By Adam Ragusea

Serving Size: 4 naans

Dough:

2   cups all-purpose flour

1   teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1   teaspoon double-acting baking powder

2   tablespoons oil

1/2 cup milk plus more as needed

1/4 cup yogurt with live cultures

Toppings:

grated garlic

fresh chopped cilantro -- or parsley

melted butter

Combine all the dough ingredients and knead — adding additional milk/water as needed — until you have a dough that is soft, springy, and only a little sticky. Oil the dough ball, cover it and leave it for at least a half hour, but ideally for several hours. (I suspect additional fermentation will occur over those hours if you use a yogurt with live bacterial cultures.)

Knead the dough again right before baking, and divide it into four balls. Get a well-seasoned cast iron skillet heating (medium heat is the right temp on my stove, but you'll have to experiment). Roll out a naan just shy of the thinnest you can make it, top with some grated garlic and chopped cilantro and roll the toppings into the dough. Immediately before baking, flip the dough around and slightly wet the bottom side with water.

Press the dough wet-side-down into the hot skillet. If your heat and dough are right, you should have a few bubbles within two minutes, and the edges should be looking dry and cooked. (Another clue I use about when to flip is to smell for the first hint of anything burning.) When you think the first side is cooked, invert the pan over your burner. (The starch paste on the bottom of the dough should make it stick securely to the skillet.) Turn your heat higher and brown the top side of the dough until the bubble peaks are starting to burn, but before the whole top looks cooked — you want much of the surface to still look doughy.

If you have an induction stove, or you just don't want to do the risky pan-inversion maneuver, you can simply flip the naan and cook the top side directly on the pan, but flip it back around before the top looks fully cooked. You want some doughy surface.

Flip the pan back around and take it off the heat. Brush the naan with melted butter and maybe sprinkle on some salt, then use a spatula to scrape the naan out of the pan. Give the pan a quick wash and dry before you bake the next loaf.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zogvMiPpQrs

Laos - Descendants of Sticky Rice

Laos is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia. The Lao people originated in China and settled in the country’s current location around 1353. Kingdoms came and went. Trade through the region led to cultural and financial wealth. In 1893, Siam (modern day Thailand) ceded the territory to France and became Laos. France left in 1954 and well we all know how the U.S. handled things. The country came under Communist control in December 1975.

Off politics and on to food. The staple food in Laos is sticky rice. The rice is grown throughout Southeast Asia. Its distinguishing stickiness is due to the lack of amylose and high amount of amylopectin. Sciency words that mean it sticks together when cooked.

Laotians eat more sticky rice than any other culture. A quick read on Wikipedia states: Sticky rice is considered the essence of what it means to be Lao. It has been said that no matter where they are in the world, sticky rice will always be the glue that holds the Lao communities together, connecting them to their culture and to Laos. Often the Lao will refer to themselves as "luk khao niao", which can be translated as "children or descendants of sticky rice".

I found the rice a bit tricky to make. It’s steamed. There is a special steaming pot and basket for this. To me, it looks like a small spittoon pot with an upside-down bamboo hat. I wasn’t intrigued enough to purchase the set. I do have a 5-pound bag of the rice which should last me forever.

The rice must soak for several hours. I put a cup in a bowl and covered with water the morning before cooking. I’d say it sat for about 8 hours. Heat up a big pot of water, dump the rice in a fine-mesh strainer, cover and steam away. It took quite a bit longer than the recipe indicated to become soft. Maybe the hat would work better. Here’s my source: How to Make Sticky Rice (Stovetop or Instant Pot) | Inquiring Chef

Larb (also spelled laap, larp, lahb or laab) is a meat salad considered the national dish of Laos. It is made with any protein and many variations exist. I chose to use pork. I also did not use a red chile. I bought some red fresno chiles at the local Asian market hoping they wouldn’t be too hot. I slice a small piece to try it and immediately spit it out as the heat was instant. The scoville scale for fresnos is 2,000 to 10,000, pretty sure I got a 10,000.

I resorted to red bell pepper. Sigh, I am quiet a light weight with hot chiles. Note on the scoville chart that this chile is only yellow zone hot.

Even without heat the larb was delicious. The funk of fish sauce, the brightness of mint and the tang of the lime were really good.

I also made a Mango & Shrimp Salad, Thum Mak Mouang (Make a Lao'd salad. Mango style. – Little Laos on the Prairie). Shredded green mango, lime juice, funky fish sauce, sweet chili sauce (not real hot) plus more good herbs and such. It also called for hot raw chile but, well, see above. I forgot to add the peanuts at the end so I will need to do this again.

Tajikistan - On the Silk Road

Numerous countries in Central Asia have a name that ends in "stan,":

     Afghanistan, Pakistan

    Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan

    Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

    And Tajikistan

As a generally accepted explanation, the suffix "stan" is an ancient Persian and/or Farsi word meaning country, nation, land, or place of, so, the country name of Afghanistan would then mean "homeland" of the Afghans, or place of the Afghans. (cited from:  https://www.worldatlas.com/aatlas/infopage/stan.htm)

Tajikistan is my food destination. From the same site: Tajikistan In Persian, taj means "crown" and ik means "head," so tajik means "a person wearing a crown on his head." Tajiks were originally Persians.

I never thought much about the Stans. I have eaten Afghani dishes. I am familiar with how Pakistan came to be. There is a lot of news about these two countries over the last 18 years, but I will not digress into politics. So, when I pulled Tajikistan out of the hat, I thought hmmmm, this should be interesting.

The country sits pretty much in the middle of the Stans. Except for the two aforementioned Stans, all were once part of the Soviet Union. The country gained independence in September 1991 when the Soviet Union fell. There is deep history in this part of the world. Tajikistan’s history includes routes on the Silk Road. The famous trade routes between China and Europe.

The bread, Non, is very interesting. Not because the recipe is unique, the ingredients are a common combination in bread making. It’s the bread stamps used to decorate the bread. Yes, bread stamps. Unbeknownst to me, stamping bread has been around since the Egyptians first started making bread. The stamps were used to let customers know who produced the bread or that it was from an official source.

Market Bread

In Tajik tradition, as far as I can tell, the flat bread is stamped for decorative reasons. The stamps are made of walnut wood and have metal pins set in many patterns. I was intrigued. So, I went on the hunt for bread stamps. Uzbekistan has quite a market for bread stamps. The cost is VERY cheap in Uzbekistan markets and fairly spendy on Etsy or Amazon. I kept telling myself that was too much to pay, I didn’t need bread stamps from Uzbekistan. Both Etsy & Amazon orders are shipped from Uzbekistan, I now have the packaging to prove it. I admit, I cannot pass up a kitchen gadget. Plus, this was less expensive that a trip to Uzbekistan. But now it’s on my list.

So now I have a set of three Uzbek bread stamps to make Tajik flat bread pretty. Whatever.

One of Tajikistan’s national dishes is palov. This is a meat and rice dish, think pilaf, prepared with either beef or lamb.

Tajik cuisine is not heavy on vegetables or dessert. I actually could not find a dessert recipe. Doesn’t mean there aren’t any I suppose. Nor were there much in the way of vegetable sides. I found Qurtob to be the most appetizing. It is basically a tomato, onion and cucumber salad. It might have a yogurt/cream sort of cheese underneath or toasted bread mixed in. The dressing iMy tummy doesn’t do well with raw onions so I will need to skip eating the onion.

So, my menu is Non, Beef Plov and Qurtob.

The bread is very similar to making naan or pita. After the dough is flattened dip the bread stamp in oil and press into the dough. A very sharp knife can be used to slash the dough as well as a fork for varied patterns. Recipe inspiration: Yogurt Naan/Non | Global Table Adventure

The preparation of the plov reminded me of chicken and rice. Although the meat and vegetables are cooked first in a broth and then the rice is added. Very tasty and filling.  The salad was fine. The addition of ground coriander to the  olive oil and lemon/vinegar dressing added a nice flavor. So here you have it, a small trip to Tajikistan. Palov recipe: Beef Plov (Beef Rice Pilaf) Recipe (natashaskitchen.com).

I combined a few recipes for the salad. Here's my take:

Tajikistan Salad ‘Qurtob’

2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon rice vinegar or cider vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

¾ teaspoon ground coriander

3 ounces extra virgin olive oil

4 large ripe tomatoes, chopped

½ cucumber, halved lengthwise, seeded and sliced

3 spring onions, thinly sliced

small bunch of coriander leaves, chopped

small bunch of dill, chopped

3 ounces feta, crumbled

To make the dressing, mix the lemon juice, vinegar, sugar and coriander in a bowl. Gradually whisk in the olive oil until well blended, then season with salt.

Put the tomatoes, cucumber and spring onions into a large serving dish and toss with the dressing and herbs. Crumble over the feta. Toss once and serve.