Global Recipe Project

Of all the African countries, I have been looking forward to Morocco the most.  The sweet/tangy/spicy flavor combination is totally tantalizing.  I made lamb tangine and loved it so much I made this recipe twice.  Once for the official blog and the second time for a Father's Day dinner for my french in-laws. Served with simple couscous and fresh fruit it is an amazing meal. Heidi's Rating: 9 out of 10.  Truly a fabulous dish. Tony's Rating: 8 out of 10. "I think I need to reserve the 9 and 10 marks since this is only like the 20th country and who knows what the other 130 countries will taste like."

Back to Africa tonight for Potjiekos and Oshifima . Lamb stew with porridge. I'm usually pretty enthusiastic whenever a recipe calls for lamb and tonight was no exception.  Lamb, tomato paste, tons of spices and raisins...how can that be bad? Of course I'm not replicating the recipe exactly --Potjiekos is cooked outside in a cast iron, three-legged pot over an open flame.  (I'm pretty sure there are city codes preventing me from this so instead I'm cooking in a dutch oven on the stove.)

We decided that the traditional method of getting through the recipes (alphabetically) wasn't exciting enough so we're pulling the name of each country out of a mason jar.  Tonight my husband pulled Turkmenistan.  Recipe = plov (a lamb pilaf-esque dish). The process of making this dish was quite fun.  I diligently left everything in layers and only poured water through a small hole created by burrowing the end of a wooden spoon through the layers of lamb, onions and carrots.  Here's the recipe I followed. (Yes, I realize the recipe is somewhat Uzbekistani but it seemed infinitely more authentic than the recipes classified as "Turkmenistan"). I thoroughly enjoyed making and eating this dish. However, you must be a confirmed lover of pilaf to truly appreciate it. If you hate the pilaf there is little likelihood of having a different attitude toward plov. My husband is a stanch critic of most rice dishes and thus was not terribly enthused by this one. He proclai...