Ecuador

Iglesia, Cotacachi, Ecuador

When people say, “Oh, you must come and visit us,” I always warn them, “Don’t say it if you don’t mean it.” Because I am likelier than most people to show up. So when friends took a one-year sabbatical to study language in Quito, Ecuador, I warned, but they insisted that they really wanted me to come. So one sunny December, I found myself heading south of the Equator to visit the country named for the Equator, Ecuador. I had long been interested in Ecuador, but found that it exceeded my expectations—I fell in love with the place.

Quito’s climate is perfect. The combination of a spot on the equator and an altitude of 9,000 feet means that the temperature is about 70 degrees year ‘round. Quito is an odd, wonderful city that is in some ways growing too fast, yet in other ways moving at a leisurely pace. Quito Coloniale, the old part of the city, is a beautifully-preserved quarter of narrow streets, glorious cathedrals, government offices, elegant restaurants, and most of Quito’s hustlers, since they know this is where the tourists are likely to be (so watch your wallet).

Icelandic Fish Soup

One chilly afternoon in Reykjavik, a couple of us decided to stop at a local café for lunch. Icelandic Fish Soup sounded like the right thing to order. It was thick, delicious, and, with a hunk of good bread, made a fine meal. I had discovered that, in Iceland, curry is a common seasoning for fish dishes or sauces, and the soup I had that afternoon was flavored with curry. The restaurant would not part with their recipe, but I think I have come pretty close to duplicating the flavor and texture of the soup. However, at the restaurant, the milk would have been half cream, and they probably used butter for sautéing the onions (Iceland, which is self-sufficient in dairy, likes butter). You can add these Icelandic touches, or try the still hearty and delicious but slightly lighter version below.

Icelandic Fish Soup

1/4 –1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped (or 1 Tbs. dry)
2 large onions, coarsely chopped
2 lb. red-skinned potatoes, cut into chunks
1 Tbs. curry powder
1 generous cup blunt-cut green beans
1 generous cup sliced carrots
1 tsp. salt
2 lb. cod, or other firm, white fish, skinned, deboned, and cut into large pieces
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste

Iceland

Steam, Snow and Sunshine in Iceland

When I visited Iceland in mid-February, it was actually a little warmer than Chicago. Iceland’s winters average around 28–34 degrees, with the country’s proximity to the Arctic Circle offset by the warmth of the Gulf Stream. Iceland’s wild wind adds a challenge of its own, but it does keep things moving, so the weather can change quickly.

There are several advantages to visiting Iceland in the winter. It’s off-season and costs less than half of a summer visit. You don’t have tourists clustering around everything and appearing in all your photos. Iceland is really beautiful in the snow. And it’s great to watch people’s reactions when you tell them you’re going to Iceland in February.

Salade de Patates Douces

This recipe comes from Chad—or République du Tchad—a country in west central Africa that was an important cultural and trading crossroads for many centuries. Notice that the word used for sweet potato is fairly close to the original batatas, and is a completely different word from the French for white potato (pomme de terre).

This dish is infinitely better than you can probably imagine from simply reading the ingredients. I love the intensity of the flavors. It makes a good side dish with something from the grill, or works nicely alone as a light lunch. Enjoy.

Salade de Patates Douces
(Sweet Potato Salad)

4 large sweet potatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/3 cup olive oil
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped

Boil sweet potatoes in their skins until tender (takes about 25 minutes). When done, run potatoes under cold water to cool, then peel and slice. Place in a large bowl, add onion, lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper, and stir, making sure the potato slices get separated and everything gets coated with oil and lemon juice. Add chopped tomatoes and stir. Serves 6-8.

Note: For this recipe, you will probably want to use a nice, flavorful Extra Virgin olive oil, if you have it.

©2009 Cynthia Clampitt

The Original Potato

Sweet potatoes, popular street food in China, roast on a make-shift roaster.

“What’s in a name?” Well, sometimes a good bit of confusion—take yams and sweet potatoes, for example. If you’re in the United States and you’re calling something a yam, odds are you’re talking about a sweet potato, in which case, you’re wrong. Sweet potatoes are members of the morning glory family. Yams, on the other hand, are the tuberous roots of climbing plants of the genus Dioscorea. The two are entirely unrelated. Yet in parts of the U.S., the habit persists of calling sweet potatoes yams.

Tortilla Española

Back in April of last year (April 23, to be exact), I wrote a bit about tapas and offered a recipe for datiles con tocino, a very popular tapa. There have been so many searches for this recipe that I thought perhaps another classic tapa might be in order—just in case you’re all throwing tapas parties.

Actually, Spain’s wonderful tortilla española can be served as a tapa or as a main course, with nothing more than a variation in portion size. The ingredients are simple and inexpensive, but for all its simplicity, this recipe is remarkably delicious.

A true tortilla española always includes potatoes, but there are many variations. I recommend trying it “straight” first, so you know how good it is plain, then go ahead and improvise. Roasted red pepper, ham strips, sautéed asparagus—almost anything could be added to the basic recipe. But the original is so tasty, you may never want to change it. Be sure to use a skillet, which has sloping sides, not a frying pan, which has straight sides. Nonstick pans make this recipe a lot easier.

Tagen Bamya

Tagen Bamya/Okra Casserole

Last year, while traveling in southern Egypt, we visited an area largely occupied by Nubians. Nubia used to exist between Aswan (the first cataract in the Nile) and Khartoum (the fifth cataract), but Nubia has been absorbed by Egypt in the north and Sudan in the south. The Nubians were further displaced when the Aswan High Dam flooded their traditional lands. But they rebuilt their distinctive villages inland from where they originally lived. While in the area, at most meals, we had okra casserole (bamya is Egyptian Arabic for “okra,” and tagen, which morphs into tagine by the time you reach Morocco, means “casserole”).

Okra

Okra

I find that most people are surprised to learn that there is a plant called the marshmallow. It grows in marshy areas and, like most mallows, has pretty flowers—though the flowers are not as showy or large as those of the related hibiscus and hollyhock. The marshmallow has a root that was at one time used to make a creamy confection, which has more recently found itself vaguely imitated by the sugar and gelatin puffs we now buy in bags.

The reason marshmallow roots made good candy is because of the mucilage, which works as a thickening agent. This is a trait it shares with another family member, okra. However, in okra, it is the pods that contain this thickening agent.

Mongolian Huushuur

Our introduction to the meat-filled Mongolian fried pastry called huushuur was during a picnic in the Gobi. We also had huushuur in restaurants and during the Naadam Festival, where it was prepared by vendors in open-air stalls. Huushuur can be eaten out of hand, as a hearty snack, or it can be turned into a meal by adding a salad. (Two salads we frequently encountered in Mongolia, which would be appropriate: carrot and garlic salad—grate a carrot or two, grate in garlic to taste, add a little mayonnaise to bind it and a dash of salt; or shredded cabbage tossed with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper). Huushuur is good hot, but is also excellent at room temperature.

Huushuur
Mongolian Fried Meat-Filled Pastries

Dough:
2-1/4 cups flour
1/4 tsp salt
water to mix

Filling:
1 lb. chopped or ground beef or mutton (see Notes below)
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1–2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

oil for cooking

Dining in Mongolia

Grilling meat for hungry customers.

Eating in Mongolia is pretty straightforward. As our guide stated on a number of occasions, the Mongolian diet is “meat. We eat meat.” It was certainly something he consumed with relish. But in all fairness, while this isn’t far from the truth, it is a slight oversimplification.

Salads have become fairly common because of long Russian occupation, and they appear at virtually every meal, including breakfast. (Well, in town they’re common. The many nomads who are still living traditionally don’t have salads.) The salads tend toward beets, carrots, and cabbage, inevitably shredded, singly or combined, with either a vinaigrette or mayonnaise, and usually with garlic. Soup is commonly served at lunch and dinner, and ranges from Russian borscht to local meat soup with handmade noodles. Desserts are rare (maybe why they all have great teeth).