NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

December 30, 1998

Prairie Fare: Travel the World without Leaving Your Kitchen

I re-read "The Odyssey" last summer, but I can't attribute my expanding vocabulary to epics, most of which remain Greek to me. No, the new words and phrases I've been learning—like baba ghanoush—are the result of my fascination with cookbooks and ethnic recipes.

Baba ghanoush is an eggplant puree of Middle Eastern origin that features lemon juice, ground sesame seeds (tahini—another addition to my vocabulary) and an assortment of tantalizing herbs and spices that may vary, depending upon which recipe you follow. When I make baba ghanoush, I smoke my eggplant briefly on the grill to impart an intensity that pleasantly surprises those bold souls who eat it.

Bold? Certainly, because trying new foods can be a daunting adventure. Ask anyone who's gone to his or her future in-laws only to find they'd be dining on something called lutefisk. But new smells, tastes, textures and color combinations can provide exhilarating eating experiences too.

So why not begin the new year by embarking on a culinary journey. Think of eating as a joyful odyssey. For some, certain new dishes may have the allure of the Sirens' song, but hopefully not the peril. Others may find that food they once thought unworthy of gracing their palate actually is fit for a king.

One caution about exploratory eating, though. If you're sampling new foods at someone else's home and find the fare to be extraordinary, don't make the mistake of offending the host by overstaying your welcome. You definitely do not want to suffer the fate of Melanthius, which was something akin to being drawn and quartered.

What follows is an adaptation of a Mediterranean-style recipe from "Moosewood Restaurant Cooks for a Crowd: Recipes with a Vegetarian Emphasis for 24 or More," a good cookbook for adventurers.

Fish Algiers
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ground cumin
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon red pepper sauce
salt and white pepper to taste
4 8-ounce fish fillets, thawed and halved
2 sliced tomatoes, slices quartered
chopped chives (optional)

Procedure:
Combine cumin, oil, lemon juice, garlic, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Adjust flavor with additional salt and pepper if necessary. Set mixture aside. Rinse fillets and pat dry on paper toweling. Place skin side down in baking pan that has been lightly sprayed with vegetable oil. Pour cumin mixture evenly over fillets and layer tomatoes on top of fish. Bake at 375 F for 20 to 30 minutes or until fish flakes easily. If desired, sprinkle each fillet with chopped fresh chives before serving. Nice accompaniments for this fish include couscous with lentils and steamed green beans.

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

Each serving of Fish Algiers contains 210 calories and 7 grams of fat, plus about 25 percent of the daily recommendation for vitamin C from the tomatoes and lemon juice. The olive oil used—a typical addition to Mediterranean recipes—is one of the most heart-healthy of fats.

Even though some recipes may seem exotic, the basic ingredients—like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant—can be grown right here. The other ingredients are available in most grocery stores. In fact, 71 percent of respondents to a national survey said the supermarket they shop in carries specialty and ethnic foods.

Spices and herbs are an inexpensive way to add ethnic flair and liven up your menus. If you're like most people, you probably have a spice assortment with some bottles that have never been opened. Spices do not spoil, but they do lose their potency over time.

Cumin, a plant in the parsley family, accents many Middle Eastern, Asian and Mediterranean dishes. Try adding a dash of white wine vinegar and ground cumin to some cooked carrots. It will make eating the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day a little more enticing.

Curry powder is a combination of 20 herbs and spices including cardamom, chiles, cloves, cumin, nutmeg and turmeric. The latter lends its characteristic color. To liven up a chicken salad while trimming calories, try adding some curry to cubed, cooked chicken breasts, plain yogurt, chopped celery and raisins.

For a flavor boost, try using ground ginger in something other than baked goods. Gingerroot is especially tasty in Asian dishes, like vegetable stir-fries. Hoisin sauce is another ingredient to consider adding to your pantry. This mixture of soybeans, garlic, chili peppers and spices is also a tasty addition to Asian dishes.

Cilantro, an herb, is also known as coriander and Chinese parsley. If you're substituting dried herbs for fresh, use 1/3 teaspoon powdered or ½ teaspoon crushed for every tablespoon of fresh. Try making your own fresh salsa with cilantro, lime juice, diced onions and chopped fresh tomatoes. Lime juice is a typical addition to Caribbean and Latin American foods.

And when you see snowbirds exiting the prairie for warmer places, don't despair. Remember that you can experience the tastes and smells of foreign cuisine from the coziness of your kitchen. Go exploring at home, and don't forget that the foods you grew in your own backyard can be spiced up to take on a faraway flavor.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136 and Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

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