Wonders of the World: Recent Episodes
Caroline Vahrenkamp
In this podcast, we'll visit 200 Wonders of the World, from the Pyramids to the Great Barrier Reef, to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. My name is Caroline Vahrenkamp, and I'm a travel junkie. The world is filled with amazing places that reflect the greatest achievements of human accomplishment. In these uncertain times, understanding our great shared history may help to bridge the divides between us. And if not, it will be a fun ride anyway! We'll discuss the history of each place and the story of the men and women who lived there. We'll cover travel notes, examine what else to see while you're in the area, and dig into the local cuisine. Expect a new episode every two weeks. And thanks for listening!
I blundered and started working on the wrong episode. I can't cover the Red Fort without having first talked about the Taj Mahal because that's getting Shah Jahan, Mughal Emperor's life all caddywampus, and we can't have that.
If you have been to the Taj Mahal, please let me know!! I'd love to chat with you!
The Himalaya are the highest and greatest mountain range on earth, and their importance to Asian culture and history cannot be overstated. 1.6 billion people rely on fresh water that drains from the Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau.
In this episode, we focus on Ladakh, the northernmost territory in India, the "Land of High Passes" where the most prominent passes over the Himalaya could be found, passes that brought Buddhism to Tibet, Islam to India, and culture to all parts of Asia. Leading a caravan over the passes was not for the faint of heart - or the faint of oxygen.
Since Ladakh is next door to Kashmir, we will talk about one of my favorite Kashmiri dishes: Rogan Josh!
Photo by Reflectionsbyprajakta
The Naqsh-e Jahan Square is a remarkable example of urban planning, the centerpiece of the grand imperial capital of Esfahan, Iran. The capital was built by hundreds of thousands of people for the glory of Shah Abbas the Great of the Safavid Dynasty.
While I'm sure the story of his military triumphs is interesting, I find the drama of his family to be waaay more interesting. From his poetry-hating grandfather to his opium-addicted gay uncle, from his blind father to the rivalry between his aunt and mother, Abbas couldn't be the paranoid maniac he was without the work of all those who came before.
Listener Krister Törneke returns to talk about his several visits to Esfahan over the years, and we enjoy a plate of ghormeh-sabsi!
Photo by Pedram Forouzanfar
Perhaps the most ethereal and beautiful astronomical sight available to regular old humans, the auroras borealis and australis, the Northern and Southern Lights have amazed and inspired us for our whole existence on earth.
One of the better places to see the Northern Lights is northern Sweden, and this episode covers the five years in which Sweden was the dominant military force on the planet: the brief, happy campaign of Gustavus Adolphus. We'll discuss his triumphs, his disasters, and his impact on the Thirty Years War.
Listener Krister Torneke returns to talk about his home country - he'll be back next month as well!
And of course, we make Swedish meatballs! Extra bonus points if you find all the ABBA references!
February 8th! Got to https://intelligentspeechonline.com/ for tickets! And use the promo code WONDERS to get 10% off! It'll be great!
The Rhine River flows through the heartland of western Germany, through a gorge passing an average of one castle per mile. Reisling vineyards, charming villages, and castle after castle after castle surround you as you drift along the river. But almost 400 years ago, this idyllic valley was caught up in the most devestating war in pre-20th century European history. In this episode, we'll cover the first two stages of the Thirty Years War, focusing not on the battles, but on the people who made the decisions that caused this calamity to unfold. In particular, we'll focus on Frederick II, Elector of the Palatinate, and his questionable, if heartfelt, choice to take the crown of Bohemia. We'll also visit with Ferdinand II of Austria and Christian IV of Denmark, and many others!
And of course, we'll enjoy sauerbraten, while I tell the sad tale of my 1998 trip to Germany. Das was nicht sehr gut!
Nestled on a bend of the Vltava River, the beautiful town of Český Krumlov is one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe. It's also the site of a horrific true crime! (Oo, let's get those true crime junkies in on this!) Rudolf II had troubles, and the mental illness of his son Julius only adds to the load. But the decline and fall of Rudolf II and the murder of Markéta Pichlerová is only part of the story. We're also going to talk about the Defenestration of Prague, one of the defining moments in European history and the event that kicked off the first Great War of the early modern era.
Melissa Joulwan of the Strong Sense of Place podcast - a podcast dedicated to literary travel and books with vivid settings - returns to talk about visiting Český Krumlov and eating so many delicious Czech foods, including wild bluebery dumplings!
Photograph by Jorge Valenzuela CC: 4.0
They say a giant man of clay sits in the attic, waiting for centuries for his instructions. The story of the Golem in Prague is one of the classics of western storytelling, yet did you know that the temple where the Golem is rumored to be is a real place? The Old New Synagogue, one of the oldest active synagogues in the world, sits in the heart of Josefov, Prague's Jewish district.
In this episode, we'll talk about Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, who ruled from Prague, and his fascination with astronomy, alchemy, and mystiticism. We'll discuss the fascinating people he surrounded himself with, including Chief Rabbi, Kabbalah Expert, and supposed Golem-maker Judah Loew.
Joining me for this episode is Melissa Joulwan, one of the hosts of Strong Sense of Place — a podcast and website dedicated to literary travel and books with vivid settings. Melissa has lived in Prague for seven years and shares her favorite spots and treats, including větrníky, glorious caramel cream puffs.
You've seen it on a million pizza boxes, in a thousand Italian restaurants, and in photos of your Dad pretending to hold it up. It's the Leaning Tower! Why does it lean? And why is it so gracefully elegant in its leaning?
Most of this episode, however, is about the most famous person to be associated with the tower: the astronomer Galileo. Did he really drop weights from the tower? Probably not. But he did change our entire perception of the universe, and his story involves an astronomical arms race. And of course the Inquisition. You never expect the Inquisition...
We'll also talk about ragú bolognese, the classic sauce from the nearby region of Emilia-Romagna. Why pick bolognese instead of another Tuscan dish? Reasons.
The youngest of the world's seven largest religions is Sikhism, founded in Punjab in the 16th century. Nanak, a guru, or teacher, from outside Lahore, spent three days lost along a river and returned with an undestanding of one God: the Ultimate Reality. Nanak created a religion founded on equality, service, and openness, yet his successors would soon find themselves under attack from vested interests, particularly the Mughal Empire.
In this episide, we visit the Golden Temple, or Harmandir Sahib, their holiest shrine. It is a brilliantly gorgeous golden temple surrounded by a tranquil pool, visited by a steady stream of devoted Sikhs. We'll recount some of the challenges the Sikhs have faced, challenges which have made them fiercely willing to defend their people and their faith.
And of course, we'll include that most famous Punjabi dish: tandoori chicken, or at least as close as we can come without an actual tandoor!
One of the world's great museums of Renaissance art: the Uffizi. Meaning "the offices," the Uffizi were quite literally built as an office buidling for the growing administration of Cosimo I de' Medici, the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, the leader who brought authoritarian rule, if also stablity, to Florence.
Bry Rayburn from the Pontifacts podcast, joins me once again to talk about Cosimo, her historic bae, the great museum, and the rest of his legacy. We also talk about our old friend Giorgio Vasari, author, artist and architect, a true Renaissance man.
And of course, ribollita, that classic Tuscan white bean stew!
Towering above the city of Madurai, the gopurams or gateways of the Meenakshi Amman Temple are medieval skyscrapers, awash in color, writhing in movement, beautiful and otherworldly at the same time.
In this episode we'll discuss the rise of the Mughal Empire, the fall of Vijayanagara, and of course, masala dosa, that most incredible of South Indian streetfoods.
In the late 1500s Poland and Lithuania joined to create the Commonwealth, a remarkable, if flawed, experiment in constitutional monarchy that would last more than 200 years. Its legacy of religious tolerance and representative republicanism is strangely overlooked in American history books - and I would guess in other histories as well.
One of the chief economic engines of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the Wielizcka Salt Mine, an amazing wonder delved over 700 years. To visit Wieliczka is to be amazed at the artistry of salt sculptures and impressed by the sheer cheesiness of all the salty dwarves. So many salty dwarves. Or maybe they're gnomes...
Finally, let's grab some friends and make pierogis!
Suleiman the Magnificent? Suleiman the Lawgiver? Suleiman the Bisexual Poet? No matter how you label him, Suleiman was a fascinating sultan of the Ottoman Empire who strode upon the world stage, and his private life was worthy of a scandalous Netflix show. Among his greatest legacies was commissioning this phenomenal mosque, designed by Mimar Sinan, one of the history's most successul and significant architects.
Listener and traveler Emma Browning returns to discuss visiting the mosque and Istanbul and trying to find vegetarian food in a city known for its meat and seafood. Grab some Turkish delight and enjoy!
The world-famous "lost city of the Inca". It wasn't a city, and it wasn't lost, but yes, it was made by the Inca. The incredibly scenic former estate of kings is a true marvel, as I can personally attest, but this episode is about so much more than the ruins that people come from all over the world to see.
Joined by Nick Machinski of the History of the Inca Empire podcast, we talk about the dramatic rise and fall of the Inca Empire, their staunch resistance to Spanish conquest, and the wonders that might have been, like the gold-covered Qoriqancha. Listener and friend of the pod Jesse Oppenheim shares his breathless experience visiting Peru as well. And if you haven't had lomo saltado, you should fix that.
Photo by Allard Schmidt
He was from the richest city in Ming China, or one of the richest, and after his checkered political career, he came home and planted a garden. 500 years later, we can still visit his garden and marvel at the humility of Wang Xianchen, the Humble Administrator. This episode is a pleasant diversion beforewe get back to the big stories.
And we'll have Suzhou "smoked" fish while we're here!
Sources:
Clunas, Craig. Fruitful Sites: Garden Culture in Ming Dynasty China
Lonely Planet China Photograph CC4.0 by wikicommons user Another Believer
Monarch butterflies are tiny, ephemeral creatures, whose audacious color patterns makes them beloved across a continent, yet few realize how remarkable their migration from Canada and the US to their winter ground west of Mexico City really is. Listener Livia Montovani joins us to talk about visiting the mountain reserves where hundreds of millions of butterflies spend their winter.
We'll also cover the conquest of Mexico and the personalities involved, from Motecuhzoma of the Mexica to Cortés of Spain to the controversial role of la Malinche, the formerly enslaved woman who translated for the Spainiards. It's a story with no heroes, but it needs to be told.
And we'll make carnitas at home with salsa verde!
Sources:
Baumle, Kylee, The monarch: Saving our Most-Loved Butterfly
Dennis, Peter. Tenochtitlan 1519-21: Clash of Civilizations
Diáz dl Castillo, Bernal. The True History of the Conquest of New Spain
Dykman, Sara. Bicycling with Butterflies: My 10,201-mile Journey Following the Monarch MMigration
Fehrenbach, T.R. Fire & Blood: a History of Mexico
Keeling, Stephen et al. The Rough Guide to Mexico
Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs
Sainsbury, Brendan et al. Lonely Planet Mexico
Photograph by pendens proditor CC 2.0
Just a little 440-room hunting lodge built among other chateaux in France's Loire Valley, Chambord is the grand dame of them all. Built for François Ier, it betrays the influence of the Italian Renaissance, specifically of Leonardo da Vinci, François' teacher and mentor.
Gary Girod, host of the French History Podcast, joins us to discuss François and his place in French history, while listener Sarah Demetz shares her experience visiting the chateau and the Loire.
Plus fish in a lovely white butter sauce!
Sources:
Horne, Alistair. Seven Ages of Paris
Isaacson, Walter. Leonardo da Vinci
Nuland, Sherwin B. Leonardo da Vinci
Price, Roger. A Concise History of France
Rick Steves Loire Valley
Vasari, Giorgio. Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects
Photograph by Patrick Giraud CC 3.0
The largest episode on the smallest country. It's the city-state home of the Catholic Church, a neighborhood of Rome, home to some of the greatest art in the western world.
In the early 16th century, the Catholic Church began to turn Rome into a capital glorious enough to serve as the capital of Christendom, and in the process, the popes drove Christendom apart. And Michelangelo was there the whole way.
Bry Rayburn from the Pontifacts podcast joins us to talk about some of the most epic popes in history, from Alexander VI to Paul IV: the good, the bad, and the ugly. We talk about Michelangelo, the role of the papal patrons, Martin Luther, the Swiss Guard, and so much more!
Plus a mysterious pasta recipe from the Vatican cookbook!
Sources:
Beck, James H. Three Worlds of Michelangelo
Buonarroti, Michelangelo. Michelangelo's Notebooks: The Poetry, Letters, and Art of the Great MasterCahill, Thomas. Heretics and Heroes: How Renaissance Artists and Reformation Priests Created Our WorldGarwood, Duncan. Lonely Planet RomeGraham-Dixon, Andrew. Michelangelo and the Sistine ChapelPhillips, Charles. The Illustrated History of the Popes: An Authoritative Guide to the Lives and Works of the Popes of the Catholic Church, with 450 Images
Rick Steves Rome 2020Rome, Insights Guides
Scotti, R.A. Basilica: The Splendor and the Scandal: Building St. Peter'sThe Pontifical Swiss Guard. The Vatican Cookbook: Presented by the Pontifical Swiss Guard: 500 Years of Classic Recipes, Papal Tributes, & Exclusive ImagesWallace, William E. Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man and His Times
The enormous church on the banks of the Tejo, carved with ropes and knots and anchors as though it were going to sea itself, represents the vast wealth and untold adventure of Portugal's Age of Discovery. Portuguese king Manuel I commissioned the monastery upon learning of the success of Vasco da Gama's first expedition to India, the longest sea voyage undertaken to that time, a voyage that would seal the fate of three continents. For good and ill.
Listener Maria Fernandes joins to talk about her home country, and we wax nostalgic on the pleasures of Portugal, a country I very much like, including my favorite dessert of all time: pastéis de Belém.
Sources:
Clark, Gregor. Lonely Planet: PortugalCliff, Nigel. The Last Crusade: The Epic Voyages of Vasco da GamaPayne, Stanley G. A History of Spain and PortugalTaborda, Joana. Lisbon
Photograph by Concierge.2C (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The best example of Sahelian mud-brick architecture, the great mosque seems like a sandcastle rising from the Niger Inland Delta in Mali.
Originally built in the early days of the Mali Empire, the mosque also connects with the Songhai, Africa's largest and strongest empire, whose collapse came at key moment in world history.
We'll follow the fates of two great kings and see how choices made in the early 1500s echo today. And we'll eat tiguedegana, a peanut tomato stew that is just so freaking delicious.
Sources:
Abd Al-Rahman Al-Sa’di. Tarikh al-sudan
Davidson, Basil, et al. A History of West Africa to the Nineteenth Century
Dorsey, James Michael. “Mud and infidels: Djenné, Mali” in the San Diego Reader
Dubois, Félix. Notre beau Niger…
French, Howard W. Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War.
Ibn Mukhtar. Tarikh al-fattash
Lonely Planet West Africa
Meredith, Martin. The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavour
Reader, John. Africa: A Biography of the Continent
Wilson, Joe. “In search of Askia Mohammed: The epic of Askia Mohammed as cultural history and Songhay foundational myth”
Photograph by Francesco Bandarin CC 3.0
Officially, this episode is on the amazing glowing algae living in the waters of three of Puerto Rico's bays, most notably Puerto Mosquito on Vieques, one of Puerto Rico's smaller islands. Listener and boriqueño native Roberto Cancel describes swimming in the bay on a dark night, surrounded by glowing blue waters.
But most of the episode is devoted to perhaps the most important event in world history: 1493. Not 1492, but 1493. That's the year when Christopher Columbus returned to the Americas, not as an explorer, but as a conqueror.
We discuss (and really only scratch the surface of) the impact of this second voyage. It's only the beginning, because every episode to come will exist in the new world (pun intended) created by this event.
And we have shrimp mofongo, a boriqueño specialty that blends European, African, and American in a way that exemplifies the new global world.
Sources:
Bergreen, Laurence. Columbus: the Four Voyages
Diamond, Jared. Germs, Guns, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
Fodor’s Puerto Rico
Loewen, James W. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything your American History Textbook Got Wrong
Mann, Charles C. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Mann, Charles C. 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created
Photograph by Edgar Torres CC 3.0
The once and future political center of Russia, the brick-walled Kremlin dates from the Middle Ages, but received its boost when a Byzantine refugee princess married an ambitious Muscovite prince, and together they created a fortress that would one day serve a superpower.
Dr Charles Ward, professor emeritus of Foreign Languages and Literatue at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee shares his thoughts of the rise of Moscow under Ivan III and Sofiya Palaeologina and the construction of the Kremlin we see today, while listener Geoff Kozen discusses visiting Moscow, from the Kremlin to the subway stations.
Plus borscht! Perfect for a cold winter night when you're craving beets.
Sources:
Merridale, Catherine. Red Fortress: History and Illusion in the KremlinPlokhy, Serhii . Lost Kingdom: The Quest for Empire and the Making of the Russian Nation, from 1470 to the PresentSixsmith, Martin. Russia: A 1,000-year Chronicle of the Wild EastVoorhees, Mara. Lonely Planet Moscow
Photograph cc:4.0 by wikipedia user Ludvig14
Is it the world's most famous prison? Or a magnificent medieval castle steeped in history? The Tower has stood over London since the days of William the Conqueror and still amazes today.
Its most famous story is that of the princes: Edward the V and his younger brother, killed in the Tower. But by whom? And how? It's a True Crime! episode. Graham Duke and Ali Hood from the Rex Factor podcast join us to discuss the theories, while listener Kassia Bailey shares insights into visiting both the Tower and the East End.
For food, we'll of course discuss pie and mash, liquor and eels, but chances are you'll prefer our recipe for a true British classic: chicken tikka masala.
Sources:
Benham, William. The Tower of London
Caird, Jo. Fodor’s London 2020
Fields, Bertram. Royal Blood: Richard III and the Mystery of the Princes
Langley, Philippa and Michale Jones. The King’s Grave: the Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds
Skaife, Christopher. The Ravenmaster: My Life With the Ravens at the Tower of London
Rick Steves London 2020
Weir, Alison. The Princes in the Tower
Weir, Alison. The Wars of the Roses
Photograph by Wikipedia user Teseum
It stands on a promontory jutting into the Bosphorus, a pleasure palace of sultans and their harem. Its tiled walls, fountains and pools are sumptuous legacies of the Ottoman Empire.
1453 marks the final fall of the Roman Empire and the ascendency of the Ottomans, led by Mehmet the Conqueror, the 21 year old who took the city with an audacious military strategy.
Rosa Hayes of the History of the Ottoman Empire joins us to talk about Mehmet and Constantine IX, the final Byzantine Emperor. And listener Roberto Cancel returns to discuss visiting the palace and Mehmet's Grand Bazaar. Plus baklava!
Sources:
Duducu, Jem. The Sultans: the Rise and Fall of the Ottoman Rulers and Their World
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: the Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
Hughes, Bettany. Istanbul: a Tale of Three Cities
Maxwell, Virginia. Lonely Planet Istanbul
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: the Decline and Fall
Wheatcroft, Andrew. The Ottomans
Photograph © A.Savin, WikiCommons
Welcome to the Wonders of the World! In this podcast, we'll visit the Earth's great places to tell the story of our people, our civilization, and our planet. From history to travel and even to food, we'll examine what makes us great and what makes us human. This NEWLY REVISED (as of August 2021) introductory episode covers where we'll go, why we'll go there, and what our plan will be.
Like a giant bell covered in gold, Shwedagon Pagoda lords over Yangon, Myanmar (Burma)'s skyline. Its story is much like Burma's: elusive, mysterious. Shin Sawbu was a princess of the southern kingdom of Hanthawaddy Pegu. Through an exciting life documented by practically nobody, she rose to become queen and then in retirement to bring the gold to the great pagoda.
In this episode, we attempt as best we can to piece together her story and we make a Burmese curry while we're at it.
Sources:
Victoria and Albert Museum website
Wikifreakingpedia
Duguid, Naomi. Burma: Rivers of Flavor
Lonely Planet Myanmar
Insights Guide Myanmar
Photograph by Marcin Konsek / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Ulugh Beg was the Astronomer King of Samarkand, who in one of the richest cities of the Silk Road, built a madrassa and observatory to chart the stars. Wonderful astronomer. Not much of a king. His madrassa though stands on, one of the three grand buildings of the Registan square.
Scott Chesworth of the Ancient World and Nadeem Ahmad of Eran ud Turan both visited Uzbekistan just before the pandemic, and they join us with tales of gorgeous tilework, empty museums, and more plov (Uzbek rice pilaf) than you can imagine.
Bradley, Chris. The Silk RoadCarter, Jamie. “The Tragic Story Of The Man Who Unlocked The Universe” in ForbesIbbotson, Sophie. Uzbekistan : the Bradt travel guideKrisciunas, Kevin. "Ulugh Beg's Zij," in H. B. Paksoy, ed., Central Asian Monuments.
Manz, Beatrice Forbes. Power, Politics and Religion in Timurid IranWaugh, Daniel C. “Ulugh Beg and His Observatory” in Silk Road Seattle
Photograph by Euyasik, @Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
It's the largest masonry dome ever built, its terracotta curves dominating the Florence skyline. The story of how that dome was built is the story of the birth of the Renaissance.
But the real story is that of the artists, the petty, bickering, intensely human geniuses: the secretive, bitter Filippo Brunelleschi and the social climbing, self-promoting Lorenzo Ghiberti, not to mention their friends like Donatello. Yes. That Donatello. They bicker and feud and bring Florence new perspectives.
Bry Rayburn of the Pontifacts Podcast comes by to talk about her favorite city in the whole world. We share our experiences and love of stracciatella gelato. Plus bistecca alla fiorentina.
PS - Despite this being my longest episode, I still completely failed to mention that the name of the cathedral is Santa Maria del Fiore: Saint Mary of the Flower, which sounds so nice. So there you go.
Sources:
Hollingsworth, Mary. The Family Medici: The Hidden History of the Medici Dynasty
King, Ross. Brunelleschi’s Dome: How a Renaissance Genius Reinvented Architecture
Perry, Susannah. Fodor's 25 Best: Florence
Rick Steves Italy 2020
Walker, Paul Robert. The Feud That Sparked the Renaissance: How Brunelleschi and Ghiberti Changed the Art World
Photograph by Grueslayer @Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0
It's one of the most glorious seascapes on earth: thousands of limestone pillars rising from the bay, clothed in jungle green. Listener Emma Browning, who was literally just there, shares her experiences cruising among the islands and even shares the real-life sounds of the bay.
When I say Vietnam, most Americans expect an episode on the US-Vietnam War of the 1960s, but no, I'm going to discuss another superpower's invasion of the land of the Viet and their subsequent failure against Vietnamese resistance and guerilla warfare.
Yes, the Yongle Emperor is getting Robert McNamara'd into submission, this time by Vietnamese nobleman turned freedom fighter Lê Lợi There are magic swords, marketing guys with water metaphors, and so much more.
Finally, we get my personal story of Vietnamese catfish. And in honor of that, I give you cá kho tộ, catfish caramelized in a clay pot. It is maybe my favorite thing to eat ever.
Sources:
Filek-Gibson, Dana. Vietnam (Moon Guide)
Goscha, Christopher E. Vietnam: A New History
Kiernan, Ben. Viet Nam
Stewart, Iain. Lonely Planet Vietnam
Viet Vision Travel “Vietnamese Legend: The Lake of the Restored Sword”
Photograph and audio samples courtesy of Emma Browning
It's unfathomably huge. The Forbidden City, a city within the city, and the Yongle emperor's crowning achievement, is almost too big to comprehend. 8,886 rooms, nearly 135 football fields in area, it's huge.
The Yongle Emperor also sent out Zheng He and the Ming Treasure Fleet to exert China's superpower influence across Asia and even to Africa.
Chris Stewart from the History of China podcast returns to talk about the Forbidden City and the great naval voyages, while listener Jesse Oppenheim returns to discuss visiting the palace as well as sharing some Beijing taste treats, like Mao's favorite braised pork belly.
Sources:
Bedford, Donald. China (DK Eyewitness)
Fodor's Essential China
Haw, Stephen G. A Traveller's History of China
Humphreys, Andrew. Top 10 Beijing
Keay, John. China: a History
Wood, Michael. The Story of China: The Epic History of A World Power From the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
Photograph by Asadal
A Star Wars special!
For May 4, 2021, I contributed a mini-episode for the No Redeeming Qualities podcast's annual Star Wars Day special. To spare you having to listen to 30 minutes of grown men complaining about the sequel trilogy, I'm offering this to you.
In the early days of the Clone Wars, separatist forces were on their way to conquer Ryloth, an important trading point in the outer rim. One man would lead the Republic garrison: Jedi Master Ima-Gun Di.
While on Ryloth, Master Di would visit the remarkable Floating Rock Garden, a uniquely powerful place, where the force of the wind makes the impossible real. And if you're on Ryloth, only the best Gruuvan Shaal Kebabs will do.
Sources:
Star Wars: Clone Wars, episode 3.3 - "Supply Lines"
Monroe-Cassel, Chelsea and Marc Sumerak. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge: The Official Black Spire Outpost Cookbook
The Holocron wiki for Star Wars Combine online simulation
A majestic pavilion crowned in blue, the Temple of Heaven stands as one of the crowning architectural triumphs of the Yongle Emperor, a man responsible for three wonders.
In this episode, we trace the origins of the Yongle Emperor. Chris Stewart from the History of China podcast appears to take us on a whirlwind adventure that took his father from being an orphaned beggar in Anhui to emperor of all China. In the process, we discuss his rather unique brand of paranoia, and the path by which his son proved himself to be a chip off the old block.
In addition, listener Jesse Oppenheim returns to discuss visiting Beijing and the Temple and of course, eating Peking Duck, which you can't make at home. So instead we try zhajiangmian.
This one gets a bit crazy! Enjoy!
Sources:
Bedford, Donald. China (DK Eyewitness)
Fodor's Essential China
Haw, Stephen G. A Traveller's History of China
Humphreys, Andrew. Top 10 Beijing
Keay, John. China: a History
Wood, Michael. The Story of China: The Epic History of A World Power From the Middle Kingdom to Mao and the China Dream
Photograph by John Joh
The largest brick castle of its day sits along the delta of the Vistula, a testament to the power and prestige of the order of crusading knights who built it. The Teutonic Order, from their castle at Marienburg, sought to Christianize and "civilize" the heathens of the Baltic.
In this episode, we'll investigate the knights' relationship to its neighbors, Poland and Lithuania, united under the crown of Władysław Jagiełło, and the great but stupid war that broke out between them.
And listener Rafał Źukowski drops by to talk about visiting the castle, other sights in Northern Poland, and of course food!
Sources:
Bousfield, Jonathan. DK Eyewitness Poland
Čapaitė, Rūta. “The Topic of Health in the Letters of Grand Duke Vytautas of Lithuania and His Contemporaries.” in Lithuanian Historical Studies
Emery, Anthony “Malbork Castle - Poland” in The Castle Studies Group Journal No 21
Palmer, Alan. The Baltic: A New History of the Region and Its Peoples
Sunkara, Lavanya. “Take A Look Inside The World’s Largest Brick Fortress In Poland” in Forbes
Urban, William. The Last Years of the Teutonic Knights
Photograph by Gregy
Its gold walls reflected in the pond at its feet, the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, Kinkaku-ji, is glorious in any season. It was originally the retirement villa of Ashikaga Yoshimitsu, former shogun and patron of the arts.
How Yoshimitsu was able to be shogun is a story from some decades before, a story of betrayal, revolutions, and lots of samurai warriors committing ritual suicide.
Listener Jaime discussing seeing the temple in various seasons, as well as the experience of visiting Kyoto itself. Also, somehow Drew makes it through an entire episode on Kyoto only mentioning geisha once, and that's in the opening song lyrics. They make up for it with all the good food, including okonomiyagi, "Japanese pancakes".
NB: Drew makes an important announcement at the end of the episode.
Sources:
Dougill, John. Japan’s World Heritage SitesMiller, David. Samurai WarriorsMilner, Rebecca. Lonely Planet Japan
Photograph by Pedro Szekely
Stunning medieval monasteries perched on infinitely steep precipices, the monasteries of Meteora are sanctuaries in the sky. But what happened in Byzantium to convince monks to seek solitude in such forbidding locales?
Stories of the collapse of Constantinople typically focus on the end, in 1453, but the fall really begins much earlier than that, fueled in many ways by the sheer incompetence of John V Palaeologos, the second longest serving Roman emperor, whose reign was a constant barrage of humiliations. He managed to be put in prison on four different occasions!
While we explore this fascinating loser, listener Roberto describes his trip to see the great monasteries in north central Greece, and we discuss dolmades, stuffed grape leaves.
Sources:
Fodor’s Essential Greece
Gibbons, Herbert Adams. The Foundation of the Ottoman Empire: a History of the Osmanlis up the the Death of Bayezid I (1300-1403)
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of A Medieval Empire
Luttrell, Anthony. “John V's Daughters: A Palaiologan Puzzle.” Dumbarton Oaks Papers
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Decline and Fall
Treadgold, Warren. A Concise History of Byzantium
Photograph by LucT
Nestled in the mountains of southwestern Andalucia, Granada's magnificent Alhambra palace represents the last hurrah of Moorish architecture in Spain, but what a last hurrah! Delicate and intricate, the Alhambra feels like something from a dream.
This episode, I talk about Muhammad V, who survived a coup, exile, murderous intrigue and cruel allies to inspire and create the most splendid part of the Alhambra. Fun with assassinations!
And I'll talk about my favorite food on earth: jamón ibérico. And tortilla española for the vegetarians. The Alhambra is my favorite place on the list, and I hope my enthusiasm comes through.
Sources:
Fernández-Puertas, Antonio. “The Three Great Sultans of Al-Dawla Al-Ismā'īliyya Al-Naṣriyya Who Built the Fourteenth-Century Alhambra: Ismā'īl I, Yūsuf I, Muḥammad V (713-793/1314-1391).” Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, vol. 7, no. 1, 1997, pp. 1–25.
Irving, Washington. The Alhambra
Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain's Golden Age of Enlightenment
Menocal, Maria Rosa. The Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created A Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
Noble, Isabella. Lonely Planet Andalucía
Photograph by Oscarmu90
It was the world's tallest building, 632 years after work started: an exercise in persistence. Cologne Cathedral is a Gothic masterpiece.
Cologne itself is a good place to tell the story of the 13th century's great disaster: the Black Death, and the social upheaval it brought, including the pogroms that swept through the Rhineland.
Willem Fromm of the History of Cologne podcast brings a local perspective to his home city, its magnificent cathedral and its 2000 years of history. And beer! And potato soup!
Sources:
Di Duca, Marc. Lonely Planet Germany
Kelly, John. The Great Mortality: An Intimate History of the Black Death, the Most Devastating Plague of All Time
Orent, Wendy. Plague: The Mysterious Past and Terrifying Future of the World's Most Dangerous Disease
Ozment, Steven E. A Mighty Fortress: A New History of the German People
Rick Steves Germany
Photo by Nikolai Karaneschev
A Hindu island in the world's largest majority Muslim country, Bali is world-renowned for its natural and cultural beauty. But underneath the surfing and partying and rituals is the last bastion of an empire that once ruled all of Indonesia.
Gajah Mada was the prime minister for Queen Gitarja of the Majapahit dynasty, and together, they united the islands. That is, until a wedding massacre sent it all spiraling.
Tracy deLuca of the Results May Vary podcast describes her experience in Bali, where she got married! And we talk food, including sucking pig and fried rice.
Sources:
Coedès, George. The Indianized States of Southeast Asia.
DK Eyewitness. Bali and Lombok
Lonely Planet Bali, Lombok and Nusa Tenggara
The Nagarakretagama
Odorico, da Pordenone. Cathay and the way thither: being a collection of medieval notices of China (Translated by Sir Henry Yule and Henri Cordier)
The Pararaton
Photograph by chensiyuan
(This episode has been re-recorded since its initial release.)
Back to Rome for a meeting with Hadrian, the roving emperor. Sarah Yeomans, archaeologist and art historian specializing in Imperial Rome, comes by to discuss the peripatetic emperor and one of his most impressive monuments, the Pantheon: the best preserved Roman temple anywhere. Sarah shares her experience visiting Hadrian's villa in Tivoli as well.
Hadrian is a fascinating soul: bearded, homosexual, flaunting conventional wisdom, travelling to the farthest reaches of the empire just because. On his travels, he bickered with philosophers, visited historic sites, and micromanaged architects. Cheryl Morgan, an author who studies transgender and intersex people in the ancient world, brings the story of Favorinus, an intersex philosopher with whom Hadrian famously had a conversation.
To eat, consider artichokes this spring, either alla Romana or alla giudia (Jewish-style), both Roman classics.
Some call him the richest person in human history. Whether that's true, Mansa Musa of Mali shook up the world with his gold-laden hajj through Cairo and his university in Timbuktu.
That city at the edge of the Sahara might seem like the furthest place on earth, but it was a remarkable center of learning, home to as many as 700,000 manuscripts.
Cody Michaels from the History Unwritten podcast comes by to talk about Musa, his gold, and his famous journey to Mecca, as well as how African history is so much more than what we're commonly taught. Plus poulet yassa!
Sources:
Baxter, Joan. "Africa's 'greatest explorer'" in BBC News
Bell, Nawal Morcos. "The Age of Mansa Musa of Mali: Problems in Succession and Chronology" in The International Journal of African Historical Studies
Coleman de Graft-Johnson, John. "Mūsā I of Mali" in Encyclopaedia Britannica
Hamidullah, Mohammed. "Echos of What Lies Behind the ‘Ocean of Fogs’" in Muslim Historical Narratives
Levtzion, N. "The Thirteenth- and Fourteenth-Century Kings of Mali" in The Journal of African History
Mohamud, Naima. "Is Mansa Musa the richest man who ever lived?" in BBC Africa
Sogoba, Mia. "Mansa Musa: the Rejected Ruler of the Mali Empire?" in Culture of West Africa
Photograph by Francesco Bandarin
We go to the Greek island of Santorini to learn about the eruption that devastated the Minoan civilization of nearby Crete. Plus minotaurs, donkeys, Atlantis and Cretan cuisine! Thanks to Margo Anton and Seth Ruderman for their help.
East vs West? Maybe. We're off to Iran to greet the rise of the Persian Achaemenid Empire, the world's greatest by this point in history. Between Cyrus and Darius, we'll deal with two Great rulers, but we've also got medieval Iranian love poetry, unappetizing royal banquets, Croesus making bad decisions, and kebabs! `
Even better, Yentl from theQueerClassicist.com comes by to bring her knowledge of Achaemenid Persia, as we climb the magnificent staircases of Persepolis.
Note: This episode contains a bit of profanity.
The swampy county of Flanders was the richest part of Europe in the 14th century, fueled by the international cloth trade, and Bruges was the center of that trade, spinning English wool into Flemish cloth. The trade brought power to the craft guilds, and that power brought those guilds into conflict with the aristocracy, and ultimately, the king of France.
In this episode, Manuel Van den Eycke of the Random History of Belgium Podcast joins us to examine the Bruges Matins, a worker-led uprising, and the subsequent Battle of the Golden Spurs. That victory, which nationalists have given connotations well beyond the intent of the participants.
We also talk about Belgian food (the best), including chocolate, fries, beer, and waffles, with a recipe for Liege-style waffles that will bring a smile to your face.
Belgium means so much to me, and I hope my enthusiasm shines through in this episode.
Sources:
Brown, Elizabeth, A.R. “Philip IV, King of France” in Encyclopedia Britannica
“Enchanted Bruges” New York Times 2006
“The Rise and Fall of the Medieval Flemish Cloth Industry” DiscoveringBelgium.com
Rick Steves Belgium: Bruges, Brussels, Antwerp & Ghent
Thomson, Emma. Northern Belgium: Flanders With Brussels, Bruges, Ghent & Antwerp
Photo by Hans Hillewaert
It's a great wall. A really great wall. It also never really did its job.
Among those who so easily moved past the Great Wall were the Mongols, and Khubilai Khan, Mongol conqueror of China and founder of the Yuan dynasty, is perhaps the best known Chinese emperor, even though he's maybe the least Chinese of them all. Thanks, Marco Polo.
Joined by the phenomenal Chris Stewart of the History of China Podcast, we explore the wall, the Mongols, the Song Dynasty they vanquished, and Khubilai himself as he sat in his pleasure palace we know now as Xanadu.
There's hot pot, Olivia Newton-John references, two different typhoons, and more fun than you can shake a bottle of fermented mare's milk at.
Sources:
Coleridge, Samuel Taylor. "Kubla Khan, or, a vision in a dream. A Fragment."
de Rachewiltz, Igor. tr. The Secret History of the Mongols: A Mongolian Epic Chronicle of the Thirteenth Century
Keay, John. China: a History
Photograph by Severin.stalder
Chartres Cathedral and its magnificent stained glass represent perhaps the greatest achievement of the High Gothic. Its story is linked to that of Blanche of Castile, one of France's most powerful queens, and her son Louis IX, later Saint Louis.
In this episode, we talk architecture, stained glass, and the use of color with listener and medieval studies scholar Chris Shanley. You'll also hear about how Blanche set Louis up for success, which he kinda sorta achieved.
And because we all need some comfort food, let's cook up a croque madame.
Sources:
Ball, Philip. Universe of Stone: Chartres Cathedral and the Invention of the Gothic
Branner, Robert ed. Chartres Cathedral
Horne, Alistair. Seven Ages of Paris
Scott, Robert A. The Gothic Enterprise: A Guide to Understanding the Medieval Cathedral
Rick Steves France
Williams, Nicola. Lonely Planet France
Wilson, Christopher. The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church, 1130-1530
Photograph by Wikipedia user PtrQs
When you think of Ethiopia, you might think of famine in the 1980s. You might not think of a millenia-old culture, one of the powers of the ancient world. The ancient capital of Aksum, possible home of the Lost Ark, sits below mighty obelisks, testaments to the wealth still hidden below the city.
In the middle ages, under the auspices of king Lalibela and with the alleged help of angels, workers carved remarkable churches by digging down directly into the rock. These rock-hewn churches still host Orthodox services, providing a powerful sense of faith.
Listener Callum Barnes appears to discuss his travels in Ethiopia, from trying to see the Ark to being offered raw beef at a wedding in Addis Ababa. Plus making injera, the famous spongy bread that centers Ethiopia's wonderful cuisine.
Sources:
Carillet, Jean-Bernard and Anthony Ham. Lonely Planet Ethiopia & Djibouti
Henze, Paul B. Layers of Time: a History of EthiopiaThe Kebra Negast
Photograph by Chuck Moravec
In 1204, Christian crusaders sacked the world's largest Christian city, destroying or pillaging countless artifacts, books, and works of art. Some of those works of art ended up in the Most Serene Republic of Venice, for which 1204 represents the beginning of her dominance of the Mediterranean world.
The story of how a canal-lined city in a marshy lagoon became a superpower and how cross-wearing soldiers wrecked Constantinople is a sometimes shocking tale, one that only makes sense when you consider the Sunk Cost Fallacy. We've already spent time, money or energy; we should just keep going.
Vlad Zamfira from Wonderer's History Podcast joins us to discuss Venetian history and their role in the calamitous Fourth Crusade, while Kate Storm from ourescapeclause.com talks about her favorite city and how to escape the crowds.
And of course, we'll talk about tiramisu. I think we can all agree we need some of that right about now.
Sources:
Hardy, Paula. Lonely Planet Venice & the Veneto
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
Madden, Thomas F. Venice: a New History
McCart, Melissa. “The Mysterious Origins of Tiramisu, the Dessert That Took the ‘80s by Storm” in Eater
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: the Decline and Fall
Phillips, Jonathan. The Fourth Crusade and the Sack of Constantinople
Rick Steves Venice
Photograph by Bjoern Eisbaer
Music by Antonio Vivaldi, performed by the Wichita State University Chamber Players, John Harrison, soloist.
The abbey on the lonely island rises from the tidal bay like a castle out of a Disney movie. Mont-Saint-Michel is one of France's best known sites, with a history to match.
Some of that history connects with the story of one of medieval Europe's most renowned women: Eleanor of Aquitaine. Married first to King Louis of France and then King Henry of England, she and her family would both reach incredible heights and fail spectacularly, all while leaving stories that would echo throughout time.
Maura Kanter from Historically Badass Broads talks about Eleanor and Louis, while Christine Caccipuoti from Footnoting History discusses her life with Henry and their sons. Listeners Emma and Laura reminisce on their visits to the Abbey.
There's love, lust, disappointment, war, peace, murder, plausible deniability, and some truly horrible, horrible people. And crepes!
It's the longest episode yet, but hopefully you'll find it worthwhile!
Sources:
Barber, Richard W. The Devil's Crown: A History of Henry II and His Sons
de Torigny, Robert. The Chronicles of Robert de Monte
Owen, D.D.R. Eleanor of Aquitaine: Queen and Legend
Steves, Rick. Rick Steves France
Weir, Alison. Eleanor of Aquitaine: a Life
Williams, Nicola. Lonely Planet France
Photograph by Amaustan
A quick break from the wonders narratives to answer many questions about Drew, the show, the wonders, food, travel and more! Find out which wonders missed the list, why there won't be a WotW cookbook, and why Drew has issues with "synergy" and "win-win" scenarios. Plus a new Demetrios Poliorcetes!
The greatest of squares throbs with life: the scent of spiced, roasted meat, the cacophony of voices and drums, the visual rainbow of color. The Djemaa el-Fna is everything and more. Its history reflects the great medieval golden age of Morocco under the Almoravid and Almohad dynasties, a golden age for prosperity but not necessarily for culture.
Both dynasties began as fundamentalists determined to bring back religion to the libertine cities, and both eventually fell victim to cosmopolitan delights. But the story of Ibn Tumart and the Almohads has much to teach us about the intensity of extremism.
The always brilliant Nitin Sil from Flashpoint History returns to discuss the rise and fall of the Almohads and their legacy in Spain, Morocco and beyond. And listener Jesse Oppenheim also comes back to discuss visiting the square. Plus there will be tagines!
Photograph by Michal Osmenda
The Cambodian jungle hides one of the world's largest pre-industrial cities: Angkor. Highlighted by its magnificent main temple, Angkor Wat, the city's other monuments testify to the prosperity of the Khmer empire. Those other monuments, many still semi-ruined by the jungle, make for even more compelling travel than Angkor Wat itself.
From Suryavarman's exploits in battle to Jayavarman VII's countless Buddha-like faces, Angkor's kings led a society built on pushing back the jungle, until the jungle finally won.
Listener Jesse Oppenheim joins us to discuss visiting Angkor, learning from guides who survived the Khmer Rouge, and fighting through instagramming yogis. Plus, of course, food.
Photograph by Gisling
Perhaps America's most famous landscape, Monument Valley and its fantastically shaped red-streaked buttes have starred in countless films and television shows. But its story truly hearkens to the people who have lived here for centuries: the Navajo, and before them, the Ancestral Puebloans.
In this episode, we'll discuss how the Ancestral Puebloans rose and then collapsed, victims of social breakdown in the face of climate change, and how the legacy of colonial oppression lives on in the dish most commonly associated with the Navajo: fry bread and the Navajo taco. But despite those setbacks, the culture of the indigenous southwest lives on strong to this day.
Sources:
DuVal, Linda. “THE WRITING ON THE WALL; The Southwest: Mysterious and beautiful, the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs etched on canyons throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada speak to the eye and the soul.” in the Baltimore Sun
frommers.com (Arizona and New Mexico)
Kohler, Timothy A., Mark D. Varien, Aaron M. Wright and Kristin A. Kuckelman. “Mesa Verde Migrations: New archaeological research and computer simulation suggest why Ancestral Puebloans deserted the northern Southwest United States” in American Scientist
Newitz, Annalee. “Conservatism took hold here 1,000 years ago. Until the people fled.” in the Washington Post.
Schwindt, Dylan M., R. Kyle Bocinsky, Scott G. Ortman, Donna M. Glowacki, Mark D. Varien and Timothy A. Kohler. “The Social Consequences of Climate Change in the Central Mesa Verde Region.” in American Antiquity
Woodhouse, Connie A., David M. Meko, Glen M. MacDonald, Dave W. Stahle, and Edward R. Cook. “A 1,200-year perspective of 21st century drought in southwestern North America” in PNAS
Photograph by wikipedia user Supercarwaar
At the southern end of Arabia, Yemen was once rich from trade and frankincense. By the 11th century, it had fallen off the map, but two strong queens led it back to prosperity, particularly Arwa Al-Sulayhi, whose reign did more for Yemen than 350 years of men who followed. There's assassins, executions, heads on pikes.
Among Arwa's accomplishments was refurbishing the Great Mosque of Sana'a, Yemen's capital, whose medieval old city features gingerbread-like skyscrapers. Despite the horrors of war, Yemen perseveres.
Charlie from the Almost Forgotten podcast joins us to discuss Arwa and other historical figures that we've forgotten. Plus saltah!
Sources:
Daftary, Dr. Farhad. Sayyida Hurra: The Isma‘ili Sulayhid Queen of Yemen
Mackintosh-Smith, Tim. Yemen: the Unknown Arabia
Mernissi, Fatima. The Forgotten Queens of Islam
Walker, Jenny. Lonely Planet Oman, UAE and the Arabian Peninsula
Wintour, Patrick. “Yemen civil war: the conflict explained” in the Guardian
Music by Mohamed al-Kouek, Kamilia Anbar Yakout, and Mohamed Hmoud al-Harithy
Photograph by Maria Gropa
THIS EPISODE CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT.
A group of temples sits in the hills of central India, stunningly studded with sculptures. Built by the Chandela dynasty, they are remarkably well preserved testaments to medieval power, but they are best known for their many erotic images.
Anirudh Kanisetti of the Echoes of India podcast returns to discuss the Chandelas, their connection with tantra, their views of sex, their run-ins with the famed Turkic warlord Mahmud of Ghazni, and how all of that relates to India's political environment today.
Medieval India shows the panoply of human experience in all its colors and shades. Nothing is a simplistic black and white.
Sources:
Bose, Nemai Sadhan. History of the Candellas of Jejakabhukti
Desai, Devangana. Khajuraho
Desai, Devangana. The Religious Imagery of Khajuraho
Dikshit, R.K. The Candellas of Jejakabhukti
Keay, John. India: a History
Lonely Planet India
Miller, Sam. Blue Guide India
Mitra, Sisir Kumar. Early Rulers of Khajuraho
Nasr, Mohamed. The Emergence of Muslim Rule in India
Ramadurai, Charukesi. “India’s Temples of Sex” BBC Travel
Tammita-Delgoda, Sinharaja. A Traveller's History of India
It's the world's greatest comic strip. The Bayeux Tapestry, technically an embroidery, documents the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest.
We explore this cheeky document and tell its tale: the story of 1066, that most crucial year in English history. It's the tale of Edward the Confessor, powerful earl Harold Godwinson, one-man military machine Harald Hardrada, and William the Bastard, Duke of Normandy. There's battles, invasions, and an insane amount of luck, and the Tapestry covers it all. Or rather the parts it wants to cover.
I've wanted to tell this story since I started the podcast. I hope you enjoy it. Plus, there's an apple pie at the end you won't want to miss.
Sources:
Bridgeford, Andrew. 1066 : the hidden history in the Bayeux Tapestry
Harper, Damian and Catherine Le Nevez. Lonely Planet Road Trips: Normandy & D-Day Beaches
Howarth, David. 1066: the Year of the Conquest
Marren, Peter. 1066: the Battles of York, Stamford Bridge & Hastings
Morris, Marc. The Norman Conquest: The Battle of Hastings and the Fall of Anglo-Saxon England
Rick Steves France
Wilson, David M. The Bayeux Tapestry
It's our bonus holiday episode!
Nestled in the mountains along the border of North Macedonia and Albania sits Lake Ohrid, a deep, blue lake as old as time. On its shores, in the town of Ohrid, Samuel, tsar of the First Bulgarian Empire, directed his kingdom's last hurrah against the mighty Roman Empire to his east. His opponent: Basil II, known now as the "Bulgar-Slayer." I guess you can figure out how this goes.
Eric Halsey of the Bulgarian History Podcast gives his thoughts on Samuel and his brothers and the epic confrontation with Basil, while Allison Greene from Sofia Adventures and Eternal Arrival shares her experience of visiting Ohrid, whose Byzantine-era churches charm and whose lakeside boardwalk invigorates.
And we talk about Macedonian food, including ayvar, a red pepper spread-slash-dip that pairs with everything.
Sources:
Crapton, RJ. A Concise History of Bulgaria
Evans, Thammy. Macedonia: the Bradt Travel Guide
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
Knowlton, Mary Lee. Macedonia
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Apogee
Michael Psellus. Chronographia
John Skylitzes. A Synopsis Of Byzantine History, translated by J. Wortley
Photograph by Silfiriel
THIRD ANNIVERSARY BONUS EPISODE! People often ask me where they should go when they visit the US. Having been to all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico, which should be states), I can actually answer this. And in this not-at-all-serious episode, I try to answer that question.
Being a nerd, I created a spreadsheet and complex formula tanking each state in terms of natural scenery, historical sites, charm, cuisine, and debauchery. I share the top ten on this episode.
For the full list, check out the website: wonderspodcast.com/50states
When you disagree, and you will, drop me a line or pick a fight on Twitter (@wonderspodcast).
Europe and North America are drifting apart, and where the plates diverge, an underwater volcanic mountain range has formed. It peeps above the ocean in several spots, the largest and most magnificent of which is Iceland. Iceland's underground magma and mountaintop glaciers have conspired to create a wonderland of fire and ice, the perfect setting for the development of a remarkable medieval culture.
In this episode, Noah Tetzner from the History of Vikings podcast joins us to discuss the settlement of Iceland, their literature (the sagas), their government, and their expansion to Greenland and North America.
There's Flóki, the raven-carrying discoverer who gave Iceland its name. There are Ingolf and Leif, the oil-and-water brothers who first settled the island. There's Aud the Deep-Minded, noblewoman and matriarch. There's Þorgeir Þorkelsson, who had to make a choice that would change Iceland forever. And there's Erik the Red and his son Leif, who set out to find new lands to the west.
In addition, listeners Brian Conn and Quinn Campagna describe their recent trips to the island and all the glorious natural wonders to see. And we'll have hot dogs (really), fermented shark meat (really), and Icelandic yogurt, or skyr, after a dip into the hot springs.
Sources:
Ari Þorgilsson, The Book of the Icelanders
Averbuck, Alexis. Lonely Planet Iceland
Barraclough, Eleanor Rosamund. Beyond the Northlands: Viking Voyages and the Old Norse Sagas
The Book of Settlement (Landnámabók), translated by Thomas Ellwood
Ferguson, Robert.The Vikings: a History
Haywood, John. Northmen: the Viking saga, AD 793-1241
Konstam, Angus. Historical Atlas of the Viking World
Laxdæla Saga, translated by Muriel A. C. Press
Magnusson, Magnus. Vikings!
Rick Steves Iceland
Roberts, David. Iceland: Land of the Sagas
The Saga of Erik the Red, translated by J. Sephton
Music includes “Gjallar,” “Fólkvangr,” and “The Vikings” by Alexander Nakarada
https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Photograph by Andreas Tille
Carved by glaciers during the Ice Age, Norway's more than 1100 fjords are spectacular. The sea enters narrow valleys with high cliffs laced with waterfalls. This rugged seacoast nurtured ancient Norway and its ruthless seafaring raiders: the Vikings.
The Vikings came out of the north like a thunderbolt to ravage the coastlines of Europe, but the people of medieval Scandinavia were so much more than just Vikings.
In this episode, Lee Accomando of the Viking Age Podcast talks about Harald Fairhair, legendary first king of united Norway, and his sons Håkon the Good and the excellently named Erik Bloodaxe. Lee has a soft spot for Erik's sorceress wife Gunnhild.
Listener and patron Kjartan Bærem talks about his homeland, and tells us which fjords are most worth visiting. We also discuss various lamb dishes before curing our own salmon: dill-scented gravlax.
Sources:
Alcuin. Letter to Ethelred, King of Northumbria
Alcuin. Letter to the Bishop of Lindisfarne
Ferguson, Robert. The Vikings: a History
Greshko, Michael. “Famous Viking Warrior Was a Woman, DNA Reveals” in National Geographic. September 12, 2017.
Ham, Anthony. Lonely Planet Norway
Haywood, John. Northmen: the Viking saga, AD 793-1241
Konstam, Angus. Historical Atlas of the Viking World
Magnusson, Magnus. Vikings!
Nozari, Elaheh. “My Biggest Accomplishment of 2018 Was Making My Own Gravlax” in Bon Appetit. December 13, 2018
Rick Steves Scandinavia
Sturluson, Snorri. Heimskringla
Music includes “Gjallar,” “Fólkvangr,” and “The Vikings” by Alexander Nakarada
https://www.serpentsoundstudios.com
Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Photograph by TomasEE
You've seen the Pyramid on countless tourism brochures, but what do you really know about the Mayan city of Chichén Itzá and it's magnificent pyramid? Did you know it's built over a cenote, a natural water-filled sinkhole? Have you heard the legend of the Toltec king from Central Mexico who might have conquered the city in 987?
To help explore the answers, Robert Bitto from the Mexico Unexplained podcast appears with his take on the mysteries of the pyramid. We also talk about the Spanish archbishop who first described the city after having burned nearly all Mayan writings and the wild rush that was 2012, the apocalypse that didn't quite come off.
Join us for some cochinita pibil as we talk about the Yucatán!
Sources:
Carlsen, William. Jungle of Stone: the True Story of Two Men, Their Extraordinary Journey, and the Discovery of the Lost Civilization of the Maya
Fehrenbach, TR. Fire and Blood: a History of Mexico
Hecht, John. Lonely Planet: Cancún, Cozumel & the Yucatán
Landa, Diego de. Yucatan Before and After the Conquest
Onstott, Jane. National Geographic Traveler: Mexico
Prado, Liza and Gary Chandler. Moon Handbook: Yucatán Peninsula
Schele, Linda. The Code of Kings: the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
Stephens, John L. Incidents of Travel in Yucatan
Weaver, Muriel Porter. The Aztec, Maya, and Their Predecessors: Archaeology of Mesoamerica
Webster, David L. The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse
Music by Los Tres Reyes, Los Montejo, Victor Manuel Aarón Sánchez, and Hidalgo Tzec Haas
Photograph by wikipedia user Cocojorgefalcon
Sometimes a wonder which no longer exists is worth an episode. In the 9th century, the Abbasid caliphs of Baghdad created the Bayt al-Hikma, the House of Wisdom, a great library which served as the starting point for a remarkable intellectual program. There, hundreds of scribes translated as many Greek, Persian, Indian and other documents that they could, and these widespread translations fueled new advances that would make Baghdad the Silicon Valley of the 9th and 10th centuries. Men like al-Khwarizmi, the Father of Algebra, and al-Kindi, the Philosopher of the Arabs, changed the world.
Dr. Ali A Olomi, frequent guest, friend of the show, and host of Head on History, appears to discuss the House of Wisdom, the thinkers who worked there, and the caliphs who helped make it happen, like Harun al-Rashid and al-Mamun.
In the process, we'll cover murderous kings, "true crime" mysteries, civil wars that really were brother vs brother, medieval machines, brilliant alchemists and mathematicians, and the guy who gave us the three-course meal and toothpaste. Plus we revisit masgouf, Iraq's favorite grilled fish.
Sources:
Bobrick, Benson. The Caliph's Splendor: Islam and the West in the Golden Age of Baghdad
Hann, Geoff et al. Iraq: the Ancient Sites & Iraqi Kurdistan: the Bradt Travel Guide
Kennedy, Hugh. When Baghdad Ruled the Muslim World: the Rise and Fall of Islam's Greatest Dynasty
Lyons, Jonathan. The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization
Morgan, Michael Hamilton. Lost History: the Enduring Legacy of Muslim Scientists, Thinkers, and Artists
Thousand and One Nights
Photograph of Mustansiriya Madrassa by Taisir Mahdi
Nestled in the hills of north central Morocco, Fès' ancient walled medina is a labyrinth of narrow alleys, passages, lanes and souks: the world's largest car-free urban space. Founded by Idris, an Arab refugee-turned-Moroccan king, Fès also claims the world's oldest university, built by Fatima al-Fihri, herself a refugee from Tunisia.
There's no specific wonder here other than the medina, and that's OK. Sometimes a city or neighborhood is exemplary enough to be a wonder in and of itself.
Listener Steve Fait joins us to talk about visiting Fès, navigating its maze, exploring its secrets and managing carpet salesmen. Plus, we discuss the joys of tagine, although the recipe this week is b'stilla, a savory/sweet Moroccan pot pie that is one of my all-time favorite foods.
Sources:
Abun-Nasr, Jamil Mirʻi. A History of the Maghrib in the Islamic Period
Carrington, Daisy. "This 1,157-year-old library gets a facelift". CNN.
DK Eyewitness Morocco
Hourani, Albert. A History of the Arab Peoples
Lonely Planet Morocco
Nader, Emir. “The World's Oldest University Was Founded by a Woman of Color” in Vice
Othman, Najwa. “Kairouan: Capital of Political Power and Learning in the Ifriqiya”
Sarkeesian, Anita and Ebony Adams. History vs Women: The Defiant Lives that They Don't Want You to Know
Wolfert, Paula. The Food of Morocco
Photo by Alina Chan
On the western fringe of Germany, near the Dutch and Belgian borders, sits Aachen, favored city of Charles the Great, or Charlemagne. He was King of the Franks in the late 8th and early 9th centuries, and through conquest and economic success, he unified much of Western Europe. Crowned Emperor of the Romans on Christmas Day, 800, he could be considered the father of Europe.
Or he might just have been incredibly lucky.
Travis Dow from the History of Germany Podcast joins us to discuss Charlemagne, his conquests, reforms, and buildings, including his great chapel in Aachen, one of the best examples of early medieval architecture. In its central octagonal chapel, you can still see Charlemagne's simple marble throne, where many future German kings would be crowned.
Of course, there's lots of talk of food, from currywurst to döner kebabs, but Aachen is famous for its own special spicy cookies, Aachener printen, as well. And there's the story of Pippin, which is not at all as the musical described it.
Sources:
Barbero, Alessandro. Charlemagne: Father of a Continent
Lonely Planet Germany
Schillig, Christiane. "Wider den Zahn der Zeit: Der Dom zu Aachen" Monumente Online: Magazine of the Deutsche Stiftung Denkmalschutz
Schneider-Ferber, Karin. Karl der Große. Der mächtigste Herrscher des Mittelalters
Wilson, Derek. Charlemagne
www.aachenerdom.de
Photograph by Jim Linwood
In the soft volcanic rock of Cappadocia, eroded by wind and water into fantastic shapes, ancient peoples carved dwelling places. By the Byzantine era, locals created vast underground refuges: places to hide from raiders and foreign armies. They painted murals on rock-cut churches, exemplars of medieval Roman religious art.
In the 8th century, this art, both here and around the empire, became the centerpiece of a spirited controversy: iconoclasm. Some, particularly the emperors Leo III and Constantine V, believed that people's venerating religious art was causing God to forsake the empire. Others disagreed. The argument would have far-reaching consequences for the empire and for history.
Iconoclasm initially ended under the guidance of Irene, the first ruling Empress in Roman history. She was ruthlessly efficient, as seen by her treatment of her son. She's one bad mother....
Listeners Krister and Jacob Törneke come by to discuss visiting Cappadocia, where cave churches and underground cities should the mark of the medieval Byzantines and where the natural landscape inspires jaw-dropping amazement.
Plus, they talk about the Cappadocian Turkish food, including ayran, a salty yogurt drink that goes perfectly with meat kebabs, even if it sounds repulsive.
Sources:
Brownworth, Lars. Lost to the West: The Forgotten Byzantine Empire That Rescued Western Civilization
Decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, ed. Norman P. Tanner
Herrin, Judith. Byzantium: The Surprising Life of a Medieval Empire
Lonely Planet Turkey
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: the Early Centuries
Theophanes. Chronographia
Treadgold, Warren. A Concise History of Byzantium
Photograph by Gerardo Lazzari
The eighth century's greatest adventure story. Abd al-Rahman, low-ranking Umayyad prince, finds himself the only male member of his family to survive a massacre at the hands of the Abbasid rebels. He escapes through many adventures to the Maghreb (present-day Morocco) where he decides to try his luck in Spain, or as it was called then: Al-Andalus. More adventures await him there before he eventually becomes the Emir of Córdoba, establishing what would become Medieval Europe's richest and most prosperous country.
His greatest achievement is the mosque that still stands in Córdoba today: the Mezquita. Row upon row of red and white double arches fill the immense, contemplative space, except for a giant Renaissance cathedral dropped in the middle of it.
Sarah Kildow, listener and Assistant Professor of Spanish at the University of Akron, stops by to discuss visiting Córdoba, seeing the Mezquita, eating tapas and enjoying Féria, the great Spring fair. Plus salmorejo, a chilled tomato soup that's perfect for hot summer days.
Andalucía is one of my favorite places, and I'm excited to bring this story to you.
Sources:
Ahmed ibn Mohammed Al-Makkari. The History of the Mohammedan Dynasties in Spain
Gerber, Jane S. The Jews of Spain: a History of the Sephardic Experience
Jayyusi, Salma Khadra and Manuela Marín. The Legacy of Muslim Spain
Kennedy, Hugh. Caliphate: the History of an Idea
Kennedy, Hugh. Muslim Spain and Portugal: a Political History of al-Andalus
Lewis, David Levering. God’s Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215
Lonely Planet Guide to Andalucía
Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Medieval Spain’s Golden Age of Enlightenment
Masood, Ehsan. Science & Islam: A History
Menocal, María Rosa. The Ornament of the World
Rick Steves Spain
Photograph by Fabio Alessandro Locati
On April 15, 2019, a fire started in Notre-Dame de Paris and caused significant damage. In its honor, here is a bonus episode on the great cathedral.
We know that Notre Dame will survive this calamity, because it has survived other calamities before. From Baroque refacing to revolutionary desecrations, Notre Dame had become an absolute wreck. Then Victor Hugo's novel started a restoration movement which led to the appointment of Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, whose detailed work created the church we've grown to love.
Beyond talking about the cathedral, we have sidebars about post-war Poland (it makes sense; trust me) and the Montparnasse neighborhood.
Finally, we link to the narrative by discussing the Muslim conquest of Spain and the Battle of Tours (or Poitiers) in 732, setting the stage for the next three episodes.
Sources:
Eyewitness Travel Paris
Hollis, Edward. The Secret Lives of Buildings
Horne, Alistair. Seven Lives of Paris
Rick Steves Paris
Robb, Graham. Parisians: an Adventure History of Paris
Winston, Richard and Clara. Notre-Dame de Paris
On the coast of Northern Ireland lies a remarkable feature: a field of more than 40,000 interlocking hexagonal columns, leading down into the sea. To the ancient Irish, the basalt columns -- the result of a long ago volcanic eruption -- seemed like the foundations of a bridge made for giants. And so they are still called the Giant's Causeway to this day.
On this abnormally long episode, we discuss the mythological origins of the causeway and the legendary Irish hero, Fionn Mac Cumhaill, a.k.a. Finn McCool. While the physical bridge to Scotland might be a myth, other connections in the early medieval period were very much evident.
Dr. Lucy Barnhouse (@singingscholar), medieval historian and contributor to @historyfootnote, drops wisdom about Irish monasticism and its impact in Ireland and abroad. We discuss the beer-multiplying, chariot-riding St. Brigid, the hot-tempered St Columba, and the wandering St. Columbanus.
In addition, listeners Jenn and Diarmuid talk about their experiences visiting the causeway and reflections on the North. We also discuss Game of Thrones locations, surfing off the Antrim Coast, and the joy of grabbing a pint in an Irish pub.
There's Irish butter and soda bread and more Houses of the Holy references than are necessary. (That 1973 Led Zeppelin album features the Giant's Causeway on the cover).
Sources:
Bitel, Lisa M. “St. Brigit of Ireland: From Virgin Saint to Fertility Goddess”
The Boyhood Deeds of Fionn mac Cumhaill
Bunting, Eve. Finn McCool and the Great Fish
Byrd, Robert. Finn MacCoul and His Fearless Wife: a Giant of a Tale from Ireland
Byrne, Francis. Irish Kings and High-Kings
Catholic Encyclopedia. “St. Columba”
Cogitosus. The Life of St. Brigid
The Colloquy of the Ancients
De Hamel, Christopher. Scribes and Illuminators
De Hamel, Christopher. A History of Illuminated Manuscripts
Lord, Victoria. The Other Irish Saint: Brigid of Kildare
Lonely Planet Guide to Ireland
MacNab, P.A. Mull & Iona
Marron, Emmet. “The Communities of St Columbanus: Irish Monasteries on the Continent?”
McCaffrey, Carmel and Leo Eaton. In Search of Ancient Ireland: the Origins of the Irish from Neolithic Times to the Coming of the English
McCullough, David Willis. Wars of the Irish Kings: a Thousand Years of Struggle from the Age of Myth Through the Reign of Queen Elizabeth I
Meehan, Bernard. The Book of Kells
O’Hanlon, John. Life of St. Brigid, Virgin: First Abbess of Kildare, Special Patroness of Kildare Diocese, and General Patroness of Ireland
Ollivier, John J. Fun with Irish Myths: a Must for Every Irishman or Those Who Have to Live with One
Rick Steves Guide to Ireland
Suehle, Ruth. “The story of St. Columba: A modern copyright battle in sixth century Ireland”
Photograph by wikipedia user Jal74
Music by Aislinn
While the Silk Road gets the fame, and the catchy nickname, the Indian Ocean maritime trade moved far more goods over a longer period of time. That trade, combined with its own unique products, made Indonesia and its first great kingdoms possible. The result were Indian-influenced trading empires and regional behemoths capable of creating the world's largest Buddhist monument on the island of Java.
Anthony Frisina of the History of Indonesia podcast joins the show to discuss how these empires, the Srivijaya and Sailendra, came to be, how they built the great Borobudur, and why we don't know nearly as much about them as we'd like. We'll also discuss the interplay between Hinduism and Buddhism, which led to the creation of Prambanan, a massive Hindu temple just 44 km from Borobudur, that is a wonder in its own right.
There's Chinese monks on pilgrimage, cloves a-plenty, and nasi goreng, a Javanese fried rice that hits all the right flavor notes.
Sources:
Cœdès, George. The Indianized States of South-East Asia
Forman, Bedrich. Borobudur: the Buddhist Legend in Stone
Guy, John. Lost Kingdoms: Hindu-Buddhist Sculpture of Early Southeast Asia
Insight Guide to Indonesia
Lonely Planet Guide to Indonesia
Marks, Copeland. The Exotic Kitchens of Indonesia: Recipes from the Outer Islands
Viegas, Jennifer. “Madagascar Founded By Women” on NBC News
Early medieval India saw the rise of an empire based in the Deccan plateau: the Rashtrakutas. Despite their significant power and influence, their story is little-known and under-appreciated. From their most remarkable king, Amoghavarsha the author, to their architectural masterpiece at the caves of Ellora, we will remedy this shocking omission.
The Kailashanatha Temple, carved from the Deccan rock, is a true wonder, and Anirudh Kanisetti, historian and host of the Echoes of India, brings its magic to life. We also talk about Indian math, Sanskrit poetry, and chicken kolhapuri, a spicy Deccan specialty.
Sources:
Keay, John. India: a History
Lonely Planet Guide to India
Mani, Chandra Mauli. A Journey through India's Past (Great Hindu Kings after Harshavardhana)
Reu,Pandit Bisheshwar Nath. History Of The Rashtrakutas
Rice, Edward P. A History of Kannada Literature
Sample, Ian. "Asteroid that killed dinosaurs also intensified volcanic eruptions - study" in the Guardian
Photo by Ms Sarah Welch in wikicommons
We return to the land of the Maya, to visit their most stunning artistic achievement. The stelae of Copán, many constructed to honor Waxaklajuun Ubaad Kawiil, 13th king of the city, are remarkably intricate, humanist yet fantastic. His reign marked the highest point and also the lowest, as within decades of his untimely death, Copán and the other Classic Mayan cities would be abandoned. Or were they?
Listener Richard Dennis describes his impressions of visiting Copán and traditional Honduran cuisine: beans and tortillas, culminating in the baleada. And we can't talk about Honduras without discussing the Football War.
Sources:
Bunce, Steve. “How a World Cup qualifier and the suicide of a young girl launched the bloody 100 Hour Football War” in the Independent.
Earley, Caitlin C. “The Mesoamerican Ballgame” at Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Timeline of Art History.
Footprint Handbook: Honduras
Martin, Simon and Nikolai Grube. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya
Moon Handbook to Honduras and the Bay Islands
Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. The Code of Kings : the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
Webster, David L. The Fall of the Ancient Maya: Solving the Mystery of the Maya Collapse
Photo by Dennis Jarvis on wikicommons
After the Muslims exploded onto the scene in the 7th century, they learned that anyone can take a empire, but holding an empire is another matter entirely. We go to Syria, where Damascus served as the capital of the Umayyad Caliphate. The Umayyads were the family who eventually took control following the turmoil of finding successors to Muhammad.
Ali A Olomi, historian and host of Head on History, rejoins us to take us into the next phase of Muslim history, in which the rich and connected Banu Umayya demonstrate the durability of hegemony: after every revolution, the elite and connected always come back in the end.
The Umayyads may get a bad rap in places, but they left an enduring empire in their wake, best shown in the remarkable mosque in their capital.
While we discuss the splendor and tragedy of Damascus, try some tabbouleh, my all-time favorite salad.
Sources:
Armstrong, Karen. Islam: a Short History.
Donner, Fred McGraw. Muhammad and the Believers: at the Origin of Islam
Ingraham, Christopher. “How rising inequality hurts everyone, even the rich” in Washington Post
Keenan, Brigid. Damascus: Hidden Treasures of the Old City
Kennedy, Hugh. Caliphate: the History of an Idea
Bradt guide to Syria
Footprint Syria handbook
Photograph by wikipedia user Aladdin
We return to China, where the Tang Dynasty has embarked on a golden age of culture and cosmopolitanism. In the valleys of Sichuan, a monk begins to carve the largest statue built in pre-industrial history. And in Chang'an, the world's largest and most international city, a young girl begins the path which would take her to the throne. And in Beijing, a half-Sogdian will launch the revolt that will bring everything crashing down.
Katy and Nathan from the Queens podcast drop by to talk about Wu Zetian, the only ruling Empress in China's long history. The chroniclers reviled her as a monster, but we take a closer look at this woman who dominated her country for 50 years.
Listener Jake volunteers to talk about his time in Sichuan, visiting the Giant Buddha, and eating Sichuan's famously delectable cuisine, fueled by tongue-tingling sichuan peppercorns.
Speaking of cuisine, we dig into Gong Bao Chicken, the real thing, with all its sweet, spicy, crunchy goodness.
Sources:
Clements, Jonathan. Wu: The Chinese Empress Who Schemed, Seduced and Murdered Her Way to Become a Living God
Keay, John. China: a History
Lewis, Mark Edward. China's Cosmopolitan Empire: the Tang Dynasty
Rough Guide to China
Photo by Ariel Steiner
It's our holiday bonus episode! This time, we're going to Tajikistan, to visit the intriguing murals of the Sogdians, a civilization wedged between Persians, Arabs, Turks, and Chinese, yet rich and remarkable on their own. In Panjakent, we have wall paintings of regular people, preserved for centuries. What they tell us helps explain the links between these great 7th and 8th century civilizations.
Nadeem Ahmad, of living history group Eran ud Turan, drops by to discuss Sogdian society, food, and the challenges of bringing ancient Central Asian and Iranian culture to life.
Plus, medieval Persian poetry and palav, the national dish of Tajikistan, made of rice, fried veggies, spices and sometimes lamb, although every family had their own recipe.
Follow Nadeem: @eranudturan on Twitter
eranudturan on Facebook
eruanudturan on Patreon
Sources:
Azarpay, Guitty. Sogdian Painting: The Pictorial Epic in Oriental Art
British Library, "Eighth and ninth century versions of the Rustam cycle"
BBC, "Is Oshi Palav the King of Meals?"
Grenet, Frantz and Etienne de la Vaissière. "The last days of Panjikent" in Silk Road Art and Archaeology
Lonely Planet Guide to Central Asia
Marshak, Boris. Legends, Tales, and Fables in the Art of Sogdiana
Middleton, Robert and Huw Thomas. Tajikistan and the High Pamirs
Yabukovich, Ilya, "Mugh 1.I. Revisited"
The Maya return as we visit Tikal, nestled in the jungles of northern Guatemala, and pick up the story of Nuun Ujol Chaak, after he left Palenque.
Nuun Ujol Chaak was a rebel, facing unfathomable odds against an evil empire. And even if he might fall in the end, his son Jasaw Chan Kawi'il would take up the mantle and restore Tikal to greatness. It's his pyramids that tower above the treeline, representing the greatest architectural achievement of the Classic Maya.
Nitin Sil from the Flash Point History podcast, appears to talk about his travels to Tikal, from climbing pyramids to avoiding monkeys.
Guatemala is much more than Tikal, and its history as a "Banana Republic" gets a closer look. Its food, with its roots in centuries of Maya culture, merits a taste as well, especially pipian, a pumpkin-seed based sauce that works splendidly with chicken.
Sources:
Brown, Chip. "El Mirador: the Lost City of the Maya" in Smithsonian Magazine
Harrison, Peter D. The Lords of Tikal: Rulers of an Ancient Maya City
Insight Guides: Guatemala, Belize & the Yucatán
Lonely Planet Guatemala
Martin, Simon and Nikolai Grube. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya
Montgomery, John. Tikal: an Illustrated History of the Ancient Maya Capital
Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. The Code of Kings : the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
Photo by user chensiyuan on wikicommons
Back to Mesoamerica, only this time, we introduce the Maya. At the edge of the highlands of Chiapas, Mexico, sits the city of Lakam Ha, today called Palenque. Among its magnificent ruins is the Temple of the Inscriptions, the tomb of king Pakal. His rule was one of the longest in human history; yet how much of his success came from the strong women around him?
We talk about the Mayan calendar, 2012, Pakal's magnificent tomb, and his sarcophagus which was NOT made by aliens.
There's more to see in Chiapas as well, like colonial San Cristóbal, indigenous villages, waterfalls, and Mayan ruins Bonmapak and Yaxchilán. But for food, we head to next door Oaxaca to talk mole and mezcal margaritas.
Sources:
Deane, Zain. Mexico's Aztec and Maya Empires: an Explorer's Guide Lonely Planet Mexico Martin, Simon and Nikolai Grube. Chronicle of the Maya Kings and Queens: Deciphering the Dynasties of the Ancient Maya National Geographic Society. "Exclusive: Laser Scans Reveal Maya 'Megalopolis' Below Guatemalan Jungle." 2/1/18.
Pillsbury, Joanne. “The Red Queen and Her Sisters: Women of Power in Golden Kingdoms”
Schele, Linda and Peter Mathews. The Code of Kings : the Language of Seven Sacred Maya Temples and Tombs
Photo by Jan Harenburg
Music by the Orchestra Marimba de Chiapas
It's our SECOND ANNIVERSARY. Two years of history, travel, food, and such. What a ride. To celebrate, let's visit Oregon, a weird, magical place I love. I lived there for three years in the early 2010's and in this episode, I give the 30 things I love most about one of America's least understood states, including its real wonder, a volcanic caldera turned perfectly blue body of water: the imaginatively named Crater Lake.
There's more to Oregon than meets the eye, and I hope you enjoy this little trip down the rabbit hole. Portlandia is reality television, by the way.
Photo by Zainubrazvi on wikicommons.
Another big episode, as Muhammad arrives on the scene. An illiterate merchant in faraway Arabia, Muhammad develops a new faith and community that builds upon the monotheist faiths of his people's neighbors. Ali A Olomi, historian and host of the Head on History podcast, joins me to discuss Muhammad's impact as well as the holiest site in Islam: the Kabaa in Mecca.
But most people are forbidden from visiting the Kabaa, so the wonder for this episode is the holiest site in Islam that others can, in theory, visit: the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem. Randa Ulankiewicz drops by to discuss visiting those sites and Palestine in general.
From the foundation of the religion to its remarkable rise and conquest of Syria and Mesopotamia, we'll cover the world-changing impact of the world's most unexpected major religion.
This episode is therefore much longer than normal, with significantly more detail than usual. But there's stuffed grape leaves and hummus, so it's worth it.
Sources:
Armstrong, Karen. Islam: a Short History.
Armstrong, Karen. Muhammad: a biography of the prophet
Donner, Fred McGraw. Muhammad and the Believers: at the Origin of Islam
Lonely Planet Israel & the Palestinian Territories
Lonely Planet Saudi Arabia
Moon Guide to Jerusalem
The classic Istanbul fish sandwich is simple, easy, and delicious. Fish, bread, a little spices, onion, lettuce, lemon. That’s it. Some recipes will include mayo, which isn’t my bag. Others get more complex with the salad topping. I like to keep it simple, to let the taste of the fish shine through.
Some notes:
- If you don’t have fresh mackerel (or smoked), try something like sea bass or haddock. You’re going for a firm ocean white-fleshed fish.
- Use an Italian-type bread - not as crusty as a French baguette. You’re going for pillowy but with a nice chew.
- Za’atar is increasingly available as prepared blend. To make your own, mix 1 tbsp (15 ml) each of oregano, sumac, cumin, sesame seeds and 1 tsp (5 ml) salt and black pepper.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 fresh ocean fish filets - preferably mackerel, but sea bass or haddock would do
- handful of arugula
- 1 small red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 loaf Italian bread
- 1 or 2 Hungarian wax peppers (optional)
- 2 tomatoes, thick-sliced
- 1 tsp (5 ml) za’atar
- olive oil, for bushing
- salt
STEPS
- Preheat the grill to medium-high.
- Sprinkle a little salt over the onions and mix well. Grill the peppers until they begin to char slightly. Remove from the heat.
- Cut the bread loaf into pieces the same length as the fish fillets. Split down the middle and lightly toast both sides on the grill. Brush the cut sides with olive oil. Keep warm.
- Lightly brush both sides of the fish with olive oil. Grill the mackerel fillets over a high heat, skin-side down for 3–4 minutes. Once the skin has begun to crisp up, flip and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
-
- With an alternate fish, use a fish basket to ensure the fish keeps it shape.
- With smoked haddock, you need not cook as long - you just want to warm it up.
- Take the warm toasted bread and place slices of tomato on one of the cut sides. Place the fish on top of the tomatoes and then add the other ingredients, finishing with grilled pepper and za’atar. Season, squeeze over a little lemon juice, top with the other half of the bread and eat immediately.
Recipe adapted from https://www.cooked.com/uk/Rebecca-Seal/Hardie-Grant-Books/Istanbul/Meat-and-fish/Fish-sandwich-recipe
Photo by Daniel Roy
It's the story of a farmboy, an actress, an unruly mob, and a bacterium. The Roman Empire evolved, and based in Constantinople, it reached a new golden age under the leadership of Justinian. His success is best seen in the masterpiece church: the Hagia Sophia, or Ayasofya in Turkish.
The Hagia Sophia was the greatest cathedral in Christendom for a thousand years, then a resplendent mosque, and now a fully restored museum. But shortly after its construction highlighted the peak of Eastern Roman prosperity, a bacterium came to Constantinople and brought the empire to its knees.
Joining me to talk about Justinian, the Hagia Sophia, and the plague is the great Robin Pierson, host of the History of Byzantium podcast. Robin recently visited Istanbul and talks about exploring its Byzantine sites as well as how Turkish food charmed even his palate.
There are fish sandwiches to eat and Ratatouille references to enjoy.
Sources:
Heather, Peter. The Restoration of Rome: Barbarian Popes and Imperial Pretenders
Lonely Planet Istanbul
Lord Kinross. Hagia Sophia
Norwich, John Julius. Byzantium: The Early Centuries
Paul the Silentiary, Descriptio S. Sophiae
Procopius. The Secret History
Procopius. Wars of Justinian
Rick Steves' Istanbul
Rosen, William. Justinian's Flea: Plague, Empire, and the Birth of Europe
Music by Turku, Nomads of the Silk Road from their album Alleys of Istanbul
Rising from the Sri Lankan jungle stands the citadel of Sigiriya. An immense rock of volcanic origin, Sigiriya was transformed into the magnificent palace of Kassapa, a king whose story will blow your mind. Think Macbeth meets Othello with a dash of a Poe short story. You're going to enjoy this one.
By a tremendous bit of serendipity (which is useful, given that the word "serendipity" comes from the Arabic word for Sri Lanka), my daughter's two best friends are of Sri Lankan descent, and one of their mothers joined me for an in-person interview about visiting the magnificent citadel, other sites in Sri Lanka and of course, all the great things to eat, including kiribath, a coconut milk rice dish that serves as the official first meal of every new year.
Sources:
Bullis, Douglas and Wendy Hutton. The Food of Sri Lanka: Authentic Recipe from the Isle of Gems.
Culavamsa, translated by Wilhelm Geiger
Lonely Planet Sri Lanka
Rough Guide to Sri Lanka
Wanasundera, Nanda Pethiyagoda and Jo-Ann Spelling. Sri Lanka.
Music by Niranjala Sarojini
The best lunch I’ve ever eaten was ceviche in Lima. Hands down.
Traditional Peruvian ceviche is amazingly simple. Seafood, lime juice, red onion, and chile. That’s it. Plus sweet potato and corn on the side.
As I said in the episode, you probably won’t be able to make the real thing, because your seafood, as fresh as it might be, won’t be as fresh as the seafood in Lima. Fed by the Humboldt Current, caught that morning, and served for lunch because dinner would be too late: that’s Limeño ceviche.
But if you do have good seafood available, this will get you pretty darn close!
Some notes:
- If you have one, use a mandoline for the red onion to get it as thin as possible.
- Feel free to substitute scallops or shrimp or octopus or really any seafood, diced in the same size, for the fish, or mix them.
- If you can get Peruvian aji amarillo (yellow pepper), use that, but this jalapeño will do.
- If you can find giant-kerneled Peruvian corn, that would be ideal, but whatever you have will do.
- The fish needs to be as fresh as possible. Buy from a reputable fishmonger. If you cannot prepare and eat immediately, keep the fish on ice in the refrigerator to maintain as much freshness as possible.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb (0.5 kg) fresh ocean fish filets - like grouper or sea bass - sliced into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, minced very fine
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped cilantro leaves
- salt and pepper
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 ears of corn, husked (maize, if you prefer)
STEPS
- In separate pots, boil the corn and sweet potato until tender. When cool, peel sweet potato. Slice corn into 2 inch (5 cm) segments, slice potato into 1 inch (2.5 cm) segments.
- Combine fish, onion, lime juice, cilantro, and chiles in a bowl, mixing gently with your hands. Use gloves, if you’re worried about the acid and chile. Season with salt and pepper.
- Let sit for 15-20 minutes.
- Serve.
Recipe adapted from https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/07/classic-peruvian-style-fish-ceviche-recipe.html
Etched in the rocky plains of the southern Peruvian coast, the Nazca Lines fascinate visitors and archaeologists. While we still don't know why the Nazca people created lines, shapes and figures that could only be seen from the air, we have some hypotheses. We also know: not aliens.
Max Serjeant from the Latin American History podcast talks about how civilization came to ancient Peru, how the Nazca and their predecessors tamed the desert, and why archaeologists think the Nazca created their geoglyphs.
Tracy DeLuca, an avid traveller who recently flew over the lines, tells about her experience, both the amazing views and the stomach-churning turns.
We also talk about Lima, one of my favorite cities, with its colonial architecture and incredible food scene, featuring ceviche, some of the best food on earth. So grab a pisco sour and enjoy!
Sources:
Dubé, Ryan. Moon Guide to Peru
Hadingham, Evan. Lines to the Mountain Gods: Nazca and the Mysteries of Peru
Lonely Planet Peru
Masterson, Daniel. The History of Peru
Moseley, Michael E. The Incas and Their Ancestors
BONUS EPISODE! In March 2018, Drew Vahrenkamp appeared on Stephanie Craig's History Fangirl podcast to discuss what was once the largest city on earth, in area at least: Angkor, Cambodia. For the upcoming holiday weekend in the US, we are honored to share this episode with you. Please check out more of Stephanie's interviews with travelers, historians, bloggers and podcasters at https://historyfangirl.com.
Angkor, along with its most famous temple Angkor Wat, is one of the most unique places in the world. The French claim to have discovered it when Cambodia was part of French Indochina, but like so many “lost” places the locals always knew about it. However, much of what we know about the ancient city comes from inscriptions and other artwork on the temple. And because the jungle climate much of the other information we have about the city may be lost forever, but we do know that it was the largest pre-industrial city in the history of the world.
My guest today is Drew Vahrenkamp of the Wonders of the World podcast. We chat about the ancient history of Angkor, how tourism in the city has changed dramatically over the last two decades, and how history lovers grapple with the ancient past of Cambodia, and the more recent reign of the Khmer Rouge.
Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, is justifiably famous for this dish, a delectable, spicy beef broth served over hand-pulled noodles, with layers of beef and daikon radish on top. Restaurants all over Gansu ladle out this dish as a pick-me-up breakfast.
You can’t make the real thing, because some of the actual ingredients are only available to restauranteurs in China and because hand-pulling noodles is incredibly challenging — they even have schools for it in Lanzhou.
So this is a legitimate home version from the terrific cookbook All Under Heaven.
Really exciting: it’s an excuse to use that InstantPot you got for the holidays and have been struggling to find uses for. Woot! You can do this without a pressure cooker, of course, but it will help to have one.
The challenge here is getting all the ingredients. It will be hard to do if you don’t have access to an Asian grocery.
One last note: this dish will taste much, much better if you let it rest for a day or so to let the flavors blend. Prepare it the day before you plan to serve it, then reheat on the stove.
As usual with red meat, I won’t get to make this at home, so if you can get the ingredients and try it out, please let me know!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1.25 - 1.5 lbs (2-3 kg) boneless beef shank (or 3 lbs (5.5 kg) with the bone)
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) thinly sliced fresh ginger
- 1 large leek, cleaned, split lengthwise, sliced into 1 in (2 cm) lengths or 1 medium yellow onion, cut into eighths
- 3 1/2 tbsp (50 ml) bean sauce
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) mild rice wine
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) rock sugar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) soy sauce
- 1 lb Chinese radish, sliced and quartered
- 10 cups (2.3 liters) unsalted beef stock (feel free to make your own, of course)
- Spices:
- 1 small black cardamom pod
- 2 tsp (10 ml) fennel seeds
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) Sichuan peppercorns
- 1 tsp (5 ml) white peppercorns
- 3 pieces sand ginger
- 3 pieces licorice root
- 1 piece aged tangerine peel (1/2 inch/2 cm diameter)
- 1 stick cinnamon
- 5 pieces star anise
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro as garnish
- black vinegar as garnish
- Chile oil as garnish
- 2 lbs (1 kg) fresh noodles
INGREDIENT NOTES:
- Beef shank - Brisket would work well here, as would short ribs.
- Bean sauce - This is not bean paste, which is mostly wheat.
- Soy sauce - Chinese soy sauce is different from Japanese soy sauce (which is often more widely available in the US). Japanese sauces tend to be lighter and saltier, so don’t use as much or it will be super-salty.
- Rock sugar - Chunks of crystallized sugar; you can substitute equivalent amount of brown sugar or white sugar.
- Chinese radish - Looks like a turnip, actually a radish. You can substitute daikon; western radishes are a bit spicier.
- Sand ginger - A variety of ginger that is a little more aromatic than regular ginger.
- Licorice root - Dried licorice root. It is what it sounds like.
- Aged tangerine peel - You can dry your own and it would work fine, or in a pinch, peel an orange and remove the pith. It won’t be as concentrated so you might use a bigger piece.
- Black vinegar - I love this stuff; you can use a blend of rice vinegar and balsamic to replicate.
- Chile oil - available at most markets or make your own by soaking chile pepper flakes in hot (but not too hot) oil.
STEPS
- Pat the beef very dry.
- In a pressure cooker or wok, heat the vegetable oil over medium high heat, then add the beef and the ginger.
- Brown the beef on both sides, adding the leek.
- Tricky: scootch the beef and veggies to one side of the pan, lift it so the oil collects in the other, and add the bean sauce, cooking for 30 seconds to release the aromas. With a regular pressure cooker or wok, this is no problem, but with an InstantPot, you’ll want to lift the pan out of the machine (USING A POTHOLDER) to do this.
- Pour in rice wine, then add soy sauce and sugar, stirring well to combine.
- Spread the radish around the beef, and cover with beef stock. If your cooker/wok isn’t big enough, you might not need the full 10 cups / 2.3 liters.
- Now, onto spices. Using the flat of your knife, crack the cardamon pod. Put it and the other spices into a cheesecloth bag or a mesh ball and add it to the soup.
- Cover and seal. In a pressure cooker, you’ll want to cook for an hour. In a wok, you’re looking at three hours after you’ve brought it to a boil, adding more stock as you go if the levels drop.
- Once it’s done and the pressure has dropped enough that it’s safe to open the pressure cooker, or after three hours braising in the wok, check the meat. It should be really tender. If not, give it another 15 minutes of pressure or 30 minutes of simmer. Regardless, add the rest of the stock if you haven’t already.
- Taste the seasoning and adjust if needed. Remove the spices and the beef. Refrigerate everything.
- Go to sleep, go to work, do whatever it is you do.
- When you’re ready to serve, skim the fat off the soup, and reheat. About 10 minutes before dinner time, boil water and cook the noodles until they float. While they cook, slice the cold meat against the grain - it will keep its shape better when cold.
- Take the noodles out with a Chinese spider or tongs and place them in each bowl. Put the meat on top, then ladle the soup onto that. Garnish with chopped cilantro and have the oil and vinegar available.
Recipe adapted from All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China by Carolyn Phillips
Photo from user N509FZ on wikipedia
A great trade route connected China to the West: the Silk Road. No place in China better illustrates the value of that route than Dunhuang, site of the Mogao Caves, grottos carved into a cliffside which hold the largest collection of Buddhist art anywhere. In Gansu province, Dunhuang was the site of the Jade Gate, where the main road left China into the lands beyond.
Nathan Cherry of the Silk Road History Podcast helps tell the story of these caves, their city, and the route, starting with the expedition of Zhang Qian, China's Lewis (or maybe Clark?) who first traversed into the unknown.
More stories follow: the son of immigrants who translated the sutras, the daughter who went to war, the crown prince who saved countless artifacts.
The caves are remarkable; the town is too, nestled against giant sand dunes at the edge of the desert. To eat, try Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup, the perfect breakfast, if you like soup for breakfast - Westerners might find this a perfect dinner instead.
Selected Sources:
Keay, John. China: a History
Kwa, Shiamin and Wilt L. Idema. Mulan: Five Versions of a Classic Chinese Legend, with Related Texts
Lagerwey, John and Lü Pengzhi, editors. Early Chinese religion. Part 2, The period of division (220-589 AD)
Lonely Planet China
Stephan, Annelisa. "14 Fascinating Facts about the Cave Temples of Dunhuang" from The Iris from the Getty Museum
The Dunhuang Academy's website (http://public.dha.ac.cn/)
Pašticada
Pašticada is a long-simmered piece of beef, the kind of beef that would normally be tough and chewy, but when you cook it low and slow melts in your mouth. Flavored with vinegar, fruit, veggies, and spices, it’s a traditional holiday or Sunday night meal,
Basically, you take a big ol’ slab of top round, or silverside in the UK, stick cloves of garlic and pieces of prosciutto inside it, douse it in vinegar, and leave it overnight to marinate. The next day, you quickly sear it Then you roast it with veggies like onion, celery root, carrots, plus prunes, and wine and olive oil. Low and slow in the oven.
When it’s done, as the meat rests, you puree the fruit, veggies, spices, wine, and drippings into a succulent sauce. And serve it all over njoki (gnocchi if you’d rather), which is far easier to make at home than you think.
Every Croatian grandmother has her own recipe; this is one that seems like a winner to me. Since, as I may have mentioned, my wife doesn’t eat red meat, I’m reliant on you to try this out.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 1.5-2 kg (3.5-4.5 lb) of stewing beef (top round or silverside in the UK)
- 100 g (3.5 oz) pršut (Croatian prosciutto) (Consider Italian prosciutto or regular bacon, cut in smallish squares or strips as an alternative.)
- 5 cloves garlic, sliced lengthwise
- 6 cloves
- 3 juniper berries
- salt
- 750 ml (3 cups) balsamic vinegar (This can be expensive. Red wine vinegar will work as well.)
- 400 ml (1 2/3 cup) dry red wine, divided (The Croatian Plavac Mali is closely related to Zinfandel, so try that.)
- 100ml (half a cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 30 ml (2 tablespoons) flour
- 250 ml (1 cup) beef broth
- 5 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 large celery root, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 1 parsley root, peeled and coarsely chopped (if you cannot find parsley root, use more celery and add a large potato, peeled and coarsely chopped.)
- 150 ml (2/3 cup) prošek (a white Croatian desert wine, which is NOT prosecco - very different. Consider Sauternes as an alternative.)
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) sugar
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 8 prunes, finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley
- package of gnocchi (unless you're making your own - which is delicious and easier than you'd think, but outside the scope of this recipe)
STEPS
- Begin on the day before you intend to serve the pašticada. Dry the beef and use a sharp knife to cut small openings all over. Carefully insert the pršut or bacon, garlic and cloves.
- In a ceramic or aluminium bowl, combine the vinegar with the juniper berries, a bay leaf, a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper into the vinegar to make a marinade.
- Place the meat inside, top up with about 250 ml red wine until fully covered. Leave in the fridge or a cold place for a minimum of 12 hours, but preferably for 24.
- The next day, take the meat out of the marinade and dab it dry with paper towels. Be sure to reserve the marinade! Remove the pršut/bacon, garlic and cloves from the meat and reserve them as well.
- Roll the beef in the flour until it’s lightly dusted on all sides.
- Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven on medium-high. Place the meat in the hot oil, turning regularly until it is browned on all sides. This should take about 10 minutes. Once browned, remove the meat from the pan, retaining the oil.
- Using the same oil over medium high heat, sauté the onions and carrots, plus the garlic and bacon that were used with the marinade, until the bacon starts to brown (the meaty parts). Stir constantly.
- Deglaze the pan with the beef broth and bring to a boil. Replace the beef to the Dutch oven, cover partially, and boil for about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix the tomato paste, dessert wine, an additional 150 ml red wine and sugar in a bowl.
- When the broth and beef have boiled 10 minutes, add the wine blend to the Dutch oven, then add the celery root, parsley root and 2 bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, reduce to low heat and cover.
- Simmer for 80 minutes, stirring lightly occasionally. If the braising liquid starts to dry up, add some of the leftover marinade.
- Halfway through the simmer, about 40 minutes in, add the chopped prunes. Stir well.
- Continue simmering for another 80 minutes, or until the meat is very tender. Again, add marinade if the braising liquid is dry.
- Once the meat is tender enough, remove it from the Dutch oven, let it cool a little and cut it into thick slices (about 2 cm, a little less than an inch, in thickness).
- For the sauce, turn up the heat of the remaining liquids and vegetables to high and boil for at least 5 minutes to reduce the sauce. Remove the bay leaves and juniper berries (if possible) and either use an immersion blender or, in batches, puree the sauce in a blender.
- Prepare your gnocchi (njoki) according to the package instructions (assuming you’re not making your own).
- Return the blended sauce to the saucepan, season to taste, add the meat and reheat.
- Your pašticada is now ready to serve. Sprinkle it with fresh parsley, then place a slice or two of meat per plate next to some gnocchi (or other accompaniment) and pour the sauce generously over both. Serve with a fresh green salad.
Recipe adapted from https://www.petersommer.com/blog/another-bite/pasticada
Photo from https://www.flickr.com/photos/saundersmecklem/25598495030
Rome was entrenched in chaos, until one man took charge, and through sheer force of will - and the army - remade the Empire into a completely new government, one that would last for over a thousand years. Then he retired to farm cabbages, moving into an incredible palace on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, a palace which today forms the core of Split, Croatia's old town.
Rob and Jamie from the Totalus Rankium podcast drop by once again to discuss Diocletian, one of the most significant emperors, whose legacy paved the way to medieval Europe. We dig into the good, like his bureaucratic reforms, the bad, like his persecution of Christians, and the ugly, like his edict on prices.
Listener Hrvoje Tolić calls in to discuss Split, the sights, and the cuisine. Pašticada, a long-marinated beef roast served over njoki, is the recipe of the day.
Ma’amoul (Date Cookies)
Ma’amoul are shortbread cookies, filled with a sweetened date puree, baked until just golden, and dusted with powdered sugar. They are traditionally served for Eid, as a welcome sweet reward following the fasting of Ramadan, and for Easter, as a welcome sweet rewards following the fasting of Lent, for Rosh Hashanah for a sweet new year… Basically, no matter what your religion, in the Levant, if you want a sweet treat, these cookies are your go-to.
Making them traditionally requires two things you likely don’t have, but I’ve got ways to work around those. First, you probably don’t have the traditional wooden mold that you use to shape the cookies - but that’s OK. You can use your palm or anything else you have on hand to mold small cookies. Or you can order one online.
Second, traditionally, these cookies include mahlab, a spice made from cherry pits, which gives an amaretto-like flavor. Easy to find at a Middle East specialty market, but not accessible anywhere else. You can substitute almond extract or just leave it out.
Building the cookies are easy. Mix up the dough, knead it and let it sit.
Pit and chop the dates - I like medjool dates for this, but if you have deglet noor, those work too, they just aren’t as sweet. Letting the dates cook a bit helps to break down the fibers, enrich the spices, and build up the sweetness.
Roll out the dough into little balls, then take one, press it out in your hand, add some dates, and fold the dough around it. If you have a mold, put the cookie into it, press gently to get the shape, and then whap onto the counter to release it. If you don’t have the mold, it’s fine - consider using a fork to make indentations to form a pattern.
Then bake until just golden - do NOT overbake - and dust with powdered sugar.
So good. IF you like dates.
Makes 20
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE DOUGH
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ½ cup butter melted and hot
- ½ teaspoon Mahlab or almond extract (optional)
- 4 tablespoons oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup milk
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 ½ cup pitted and chopped dates
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
STEPS
The dough:
- Mix the vanilla with milk and oil, keep aside.
- In a bowl add all the dry ingredients and mix well. Pour the hot butter into the flour and mix using a whisk until well combined.
- Add the milk and knead for at least 5 minutes. Cover and leave in a warm place for one hour.
The filling:
- In a saucepan, add all the ingredients and stir on medium heat. The date will soften and will form into a dough like texture. This process and depending on the type of dates you are using might take 3 minutes to four minutes.
- Let the mixture cool completely then form 10 equal balls.
The cookies:
- Preheat oven to 180C/350F. Grease a baking pan with butter and keep aside.
- Form 20 equal balls from the dough previously prepared. Take one ball and flatten it slightly in the palm of your hand. Place a ball of date in the center and close the dough forming a sealed ball.
- Place the ball in a mold, press it gently until the surface is even.
- Slam the edge of the mold on folded towel, a clean kitchen counter, or cutting board few times to release the dough from the mold.
- Place the cookies on a nonstick or greased baking sheet.
- Bake for 20 minutes. When it cools dust with confectioners’ sugar if you wish.
Recipe adapted from https://www.munatycooking.com/maamoul/ Image from the Guardian
In 2015, ISIS terrorists destroyed the Temples of Bel and Baalshemin in the Syrian desert city of Palmyra, temples which had remained in pristine condition since their city's glory days in the 3rd century.
Back then, under the capable leadership of its rulers Odenaethus and the "Warrior Queen" Zenobia, Palmyra rose from wealthy caravan town to leader of the Eastern Mediterranean, taking advantage of the chaos of the Roman Crisis of the Third Century. So. Many. Emperors. So. Much. Chaos.
Scott Chesworth from the Ancient World podcast returns to finish his tale of Roman Syria, discussing how Palmyra challenged two empires, and how they very nearly pulled it off.
Also, listener David Adam recounts his trip to Palmyra before the temples were destroyed; you'll appreciate how he brings the humanity of modern Syrians into the story. And you can see his photos here: https://www.wonderspodcast.com/single-post/2018/07/10/The-Temple-of-Bel-at-Palmyra
The destruction of Palmyra and of Syria has been a great human catastrophe, and by acknowledging and remembering lost Palmyra, we might hope to prevent the next one.
Also, there are cookies! Date-filled cookies, in honor of the date palms that gave Palmyra its name.
Kibbeh are delicious Lebanese dishes made of ground meat (usually beef or lamb), bulgur wheat, onion and spices. Very simple, very delicious. Sometimes kibbeh comes as a baked casserole, like a meatloaf, and sometimes it’s a deep-fried croquette, shaped in balls. Sometimes, it’s eaten raw, like steak tartare.
I genuinely like fried kibbeh best, but it’s pretty similar to falafel in looks, and you might be tired of fried food, so y’know what, we’ll try the baked variety. I think you’ll like it, and maybe your arteries will too!
A couple of things: If you can’t get the meat for the kibbeh layer ground finely from the butcher, you’ll need to grind it super-fine yourself, but if you’re like me, you don’t have a meat grinder lying around. So what to do? You may have to use a food processor to grind it down. Not great, but it’ll do.
Second, the meat will stick to your hands. Having ice cold water on hand to moisten your hands and keep them free from stickiness will help a lot. Just make sure not to get too much water into the meat.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
For bulgur mixture (kibbeh)
- 1 cups fine bulgur (#1)
- 1 pounds ground beef or lamb, VERY lean
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 medium sweet onion, pureed
- 1 cup ice water
- 1 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For filling
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more to coat the pan
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef from chuck
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
STEPS
- Rinse the bulgur in cold water, drain, and cover to 1⁄2 inch with cold water. Soak for 1⁄2 hour, or until the bulgur is softened.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- First step is the outer layer, the kibbeh. In a large bowl, knead the ground meat with the pureed onion and about half of the bulgur. If there is any visible water left in the bulgur from soaking, squeeze it out of the wheat before adding it to the kibbeh.
- Dip hands in ice cold water as you knead, adding about 1⁄4 cup of the water in total; be careful not to add too much water to the kibbeh or it will become mushy rather than just soft. Add the bulgur 1⁄4 cup at a time until it’s fully incorporated. Season with salt, pepper, cayenne and cinnamon, tasting and adjusting the seasoning.
- Now for the middle layer, the filling: in a large frying pan, heat the olive oil until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and about a half teaspoon of salt and sauté until soft. Add the ground beef and season with cinnamon, another half teaspoon of salt, and a few grinds of pepper. Cook until browned, breaking up the meat with a metal spoon into small bits as it cooks. Squeeze the lemon juice over the meat, taste, and adjust seasoning if needed. Stir in the pine nuts and set aside to cool.
- Coat a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with oil. Set up another small bowl of ice water where you are working and use the water to coat your hands as you flatten and shape the kibbeh. Use half of the kibbeh to form thin, a flat layer covering the bottom of the baking dish. Smooth the layer with cold water.
- Spread the filling evenly over the flat kibbeh layer. Using the remaining kibbeh meat, form another thin, flat layer over the stuffing and smooth with cold water.
- With a knife, score the top in squares (or the traditional diamond pattern) into the kibbeh, cutting through to the center layer but not all the way to the bottom of the dish.
- Place a dab of butter on each square—this adds a wonderful savory flavor and moisture to the kibbeh.
- Bake in the center of the oven for about 50 minutes, or until the kibbeh is deep golden brown on top; finish the kibbeh under the broiler, if needed, to get that deep color.
- Serve with Labneh (Lebanese yogurt); plain Greek yogurt will do in a pinch. Warmed pita bread works too. And don’t forget the mezze in advance like hummus or tabouleh)
Recipe adapted from Maureen Abood’s Rose Water and Orange Blossoms (https://www.maureenabood.com/baked-kibbeh-you-say-meatloaf-i-say-meatlove)
Photo from sbs.com.au
BONUS EPISODE! In January 2018, Drew Vahrenkamp appeared on Stephanie Craig's History Fangirl podcast to discuss Brussels' glorious central square, the Grand Place. In honor of Belgium's appearance in the Round of 16 of the World Cup, we are honored to share this episode with you. Please check out more of Stephanie's interviews with travelers, historians, bloggers and podcasters at https://historyfangirl.com.
Brussels, Belgium is an often-overlooked city, with neighboring capitals of Amsterdam and Paris stealing the spotlight. But Belgium is definitely much more than just great beer and chocolate. My guest today is Drew Vahrenkamp of The Wonders of the World podcast, and we sit down to chat about Brussels’ La Grand-Place, or Grand Place, the city’s central square. Drew is a self-described Belgiumphile, having studied there while in business school.
In the remote Bekaa valley in Eastern Lebanon sit the ruins of the great temples of Heliopolis, some of the largest and most impressive ever built in Antiquity, three times larger than the Parthenon, which columns half again as tall as as those in Karnak.
The temples are mysterious, and Scott Chesworth from The Ancient World podcast helps explain what they might be, and how they might be connected to Elagabalus, one of the most fascinating and least appreciated Roman emperors. Not good, mind, but fascinating.
Elagabalus does not get the coverage of a Caligula or Nero, but maybe he should. The teenage emperor did not kill indiscriminately, but his sexual and religious activities shocked conservative Roman society and make for excellent story-telling.
Some modern writers call Elagabalus the world's first known transgender leader. Maybe? We'll discuss.
There's also the story of how Caracalla meets his untimely demise, thanks to a prescient fortune-teller and a dislike of reading his own mail.
And of course, we'll talk about Lebanon, its Phoenician heritage, and the way Lebanese food has spread around the world. The recipe of the week is kibbeh, a deep-fried croquette of goodness that is as popular in the Dominican Republic as it is in Lebanon.
The trick to wonderful couscous is to steam the grain over the sauce so that the flavors of the stew seep into every little piece. Much fluffier and more flavorful than the store-bought boiled method you’re probably familiar with.
This version also steams onions and chickpeas with the same method. You soften the couscous with chicken stock first, then make a simple stew of chicken thighs, onion, tomato paste, salt and Libya’s favorite Five Spice blend: Hararat. Hararat is cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cayenne, and allspice - I love that concept of earthy, spicy, slightly sweet.
As that simmers, put a steamer over the pot and steam a ton of onions and chickpeas. After they’ve softened, you’ll transfer them to a separate pot to caramelize. Then put the couscous in the steamer and let it steam until pure fluffiness. Then pile it up: couscous, stew, and onions on top.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 1/2 cups (600 ml) couscous
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) chicken stock
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil
- 1 lb (500 g) Chicken thighs, boneless, cut into chunks
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 1/2 tbsp (37 ml) tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tsp (7.5 ml) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin
- 1 tsp (5 ml) ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp (1 ml) chili flakes
- 1⁄4 tsp (1 ml) ground allspice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salt
- approximately one liter of hot water
- Approximately 7 medium onions, halved and sliced
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp ghee
STEPS
- In a saucepan, heat chicken stock to boiling. Place couscous in a separate bowl. Pour the hot stock over the couscous, mix, and cover. Let rest for 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff the couscous, breaking any lumps. Use a separate bowl rather than the saucepan because you don’t want the additional radiant heat from the pan. The goal is soften the grains, but not to cook them yet.
- Mix the spices together.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the chopped onion until golden, then add the tomato paste. Stir it in and cook, stirring until the paste is fully integrated; you might need to turn the heat down to keep the mixture from scorching.
- Add the chicken and 1 tsp of the spice blend, mixing thoroughly to coat. Cook a couple of minutes until spices release their aroma. Then add salt and water and bring to a boil.
- Prepare steamer to place on top of pot and put sliced onions into steamer. Reduce heat to medium, place the steamer onto the pot and cover.
- After about 20 minutes, check to see if the onions are softening, then add a dish of salt and the chickpeas, then put the cover back on the steamer.
- After another 20 minutes, the onions should be tender, but not mushy.
- In a separate saucepan - you can use the one you heated the stock in - melt the ghee over medium-high heat. Add the onions and chickpeas and 3 ladles of the chicken sauce. Top with another 1 tsp of the hararat spice blend you made in step 1. Let this simmer.
- Put the couscous into the now-vacant steamer. Check the stew to ensure there is enough liquid to steam the couscous - you might need to add some more water.
- Replace the steamer and cover, steaming the couscous for about 20 minutes.
- When the couscous is fluffy and aromatic, prepare to serve. Put the couscous in a large serving bowl, and sprinkle with some more of the hararat. Then ladle the stew onto the couscous, with the onion mixture on top.
- Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Umm Obabdiah’s website (http://ummobaidahcooks.blogspot.com/2011/11/libyan-couscous-bil-busla-couscous-with.html)
The sadhya is a traditional Keralan feast: a banana leaf covered with small servings of 20 different items, from rice to curries to breads to a banana for dessert. It’s pretty awesome.
It’s also not something you’ll make for a weekday meal. So what I’ve done is to take three vegetable curries and combine them for you for a mini-sadhya of sorts. Delicious, redolent of Keralan flavors, and just fun.
Each dish has a different texture, so even though the flavor profiles are complementary, the tastes are very unique. I loved how they all worked together, so I’m going to present them as such. If you want to make each individually, I got all three recipes (plus the rice) from the cookbook Savoring the Spice Coast of India: Fresh Flavors from Kerala by Maya Kaimal.
Each recipe has its own spice mix, or masala. You’ll note that they are each slightly different, and that difference matters.
Curry leaves are the hardest part of this to get and also the most important. I bought a bunch for $1 at a local Indian grocery, so I’d recommend that. You can also order them via mail, but the premium for shipping has to be crazy.
Read through this first and build your mise en place before starting. Several of the steps go VERY quickly, so it’s best to have everything chopped, mixed, and prepped before you turn on the stove.
This is going to be a bit messy and will use five pots: I’ll note which recipe you’re working on as you go - what can be made first and what can wait until the end.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 11 tbsp vegetable oil (divided)
- 2 cups basmati rice
- 1 cup thoor dhal, washed and rinsed (Or masoor dhal, or whatever dal you prefer)
- 28 ounces fresh spinach (or 2 10-ounce packages of frozen chopped spinach, thawed)
- 3/4 cup grated unsweetened coconut
- 3 1/2 cups finely chopped onions (divided)
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 fresh green chile (serrano or Thai), split lengthwise
- 3 dried red chiles (divided)
- 1 tsp whole cumin seeds
- 2 tsp coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin (divided)
- 4/8 tsp cayenne (divided)
- 5/8 tsp turmeric (divided)
- 1 1/2 tsp mustard seeds (divided)
- 20 to 22 fresh curry leaves (divided)
- 2 cans (15 ounce) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
- 2 3/4 tsp salt (divided)
- 2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice (divided)
- 1 tsp ghee
- 1/4 cup cilantro (for garnish)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
STEPS
Start with the:
KERALAN DAL
- In a 2-quart saucepan, combine dal with 2 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook, partially covered, for 30 minutes or so, until the water is absorbed and the lentils break apart under pressure from your spoon.
Move on to the:
BASMATI RICE
- Heat 1 tbsp of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tsp whole cumin seeds. Then quickly add 2 cups basmati rice. Stir to coat each grain of rice. Toast for a while to bring out a nutty aroma.
- Add 4 cups water, bring to a boil, stir, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat after that and set aside.
Back to the:
KERALAN DAL
-
While the rice and dal are cooking, create a masala for the dal:
-
1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
-
1/4 tsp turmeric
-
In a frying pan, heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and COVER the skillet or pot. Mustard seeds will pop like crazy once they reach the right internal temperature, and that’s what you want to release flavor, but trust me, you’ll want to keep them in the skillet instead of all over your kitchen.
- Once the popping subsides - but before they burn - add 1 dried red chile and 10 curry leaves. After a few seconds, add 1/2 cup onion and sauté until golden brown.
- Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the masala and saute for 1 more minute.
- Take this whole onion mixture and add it to the dal in the saucepan, along with 1/2 cup water and 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine, and simmer for an additional 10 minutes, partially covered.
- Add more water as needed - the consistency should be pea soup-thick, not pasty.
- Remove from heat and add 1 tsp lemon juice and ghee.
- Set aside - you can reheat when it’s time to serve.
Next comes the:
SPINACH with COCONUT (Spinach Tharen)
- Wash, dry, and chop the fresh spinach or drain the thawed frozen spinach. Set aside.
-
Create a masala for the spinach:
-
1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
-
1/8 tsp turmeric
-
In a bowl, combine coconut, the green chile, 1 tsp salt and the masala. Stir with about 1/4 cup water, just enough to make a paste.
- In a large skillet - or even a strong bottomed soup pot: I liked the high walls to keep the spinach in - heat 2 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 tsp mustard seeds and COVER the skillet or pot.
- Once they start to pop, add 2 dried red chiles, 10 to 12 curry leaves and 1 cup onion. Stir and sauté for 2 minutes or until the onion starts to soften (but not brown).
- Add the spinach and cook, stirring constantly for about 5 minutes or until the spinach is halfway to wilted through.
- Stir in the coconut paste and keep cooking, stirring constantly until the spinach is tender. Remove from heat and taste for salt. Set this aside - you can reheat quickly when it’s time to serve.
Proceed to the:
PEPPERY CHICKPEAS
-
Create a masala for the chickpeas:
-
2 tsp coriander
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
-
1/4 tsp turmeric
-
Heat 4 tbsp oil in frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté 2 cups onions until light brown. Add masala and stir for 1 minute or until the spices start to smell fragrant.
- Add the drained chickpeas, 1 tsp pepper, 3/4 tsp salt, and about a tablespoon of water. Sauté over medium heat stirring constantly until a few of the chickpeas start to break down. Add a teaspoon of water whenever the mixture becomes dry: it should never be wet or saucy but it should be moist.
- Stir in 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, remove from heat, taste for salt and serve with 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.
Wow. 23 steps. I know that seems like a lot, but it’s all about careful planning your mise en place.
Trust me - you’ll love this. I did. The chickpeas are my new go-to recipe, and the spinach with the coconut was particularly outstanding.
Recipe adapted from Savoring the Spice Coast of India: Fresh Flavors from Kerala by Maya Kaimal (2000).
So close to the tourist trail, yet so far, Libya sits on the Mediterranean yet has been isolated for decades by poverty, dictatorship and civil war. But should peace return, Leptis Magna is the jewel in Libya's crown: potentially the largest and best preserved Roman city in the Mediterranean. With a resplendent forum, theater, basilica, harbor, amphitheater, and especially, a colossal arch, Leptis is an unvisited gem.
Leptis' golden age came under the leadership of local-boy-made-good Septimius Severus. To help tell the story of how a lad from Leptis became ruler of the "known world," Rob and Jamie from the Roman Emperors: Totalus Rankium podcast stop by.
Not only do we talk about Severus and the disastrous emperor who preceded him (Didius Julianus), but we also discuss Severus' evil son Caracalla. Evil. Oh so evil.
No discussion of Libya would be complete without discussing the cuisine: a blend of North African and Middle Eastern, highlighted by couscous. This isn't your store-bought fluffy cardboard; we'll be properly steaming it this time.
Nestled along the coast of India's most southwesterly state, the Backwaters are a 600 km-long series of lakes, rivers, channels and canals linking the jungle to the sea. Their story, and Kerala's story, is the tale of maritime trade, and to help tell that story, Brandon Huebner from the Maritime History Podcast stops by.
Kerala is the birthplace of pepper, and given how rancid meat would get in the age before refrigeration, the Mediterranean world craved it. The Romans traded extensively with the kingdoms of Southern India, we discuss how they figured out the monsoons, and what they brought in exchange for that piquant spice.
Tianna Gratta from Passportchronicles.com was just in Kerala, and she gives her insights about traveling there today and riding on a houseboat along the backwaters: definitely the most chill of all the wonders on this show.
We try different Keralan curries, rich with coconut, curry leaves, and pepper, and as the coup de grace, Marcus Aurelius makes a cameo, as trade to Asia had brought something unexpected to Rome: a plague. You take the good, you take the bad...
Artichokes are a special part of a Roman spring. Jewish-style artichokes are flattened and fried, and are delicious, but they can be devilishly difficult to cook at home. Roman-style artichokes, on the other hand, are, as I’ve learned, only regularly difficult to cook at home.
The cooking isn’t the problem. It’s the cleaning.
Artichokes are spiny, woodsy, challenging, and inside there’s the nasty, inedible, fluff-ridden choke. Why on earth do we bother?
Because they’re delicious.
I’ve seen some recipes which only call for the hearts, while others allow more of the leaves. Here’s what I’d recommend: trim the outer leaves, using a y-shaped vegetable peeler to remove all the woodsy bits. Then cut the tops off the artichokes, so that you can spoon out the nasty choke. Put them into lemon juice infused water - this well keep them from browning.
Once they’re cleaned, slather them with herbs and plop them in a pot with olive oil and wine. Braise them until they’re tender and enjoy!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 whole lemons (for maintaining artichokes' color)
- 4 large or 12 small artichokes (2 pounds; 1kg)
- 1/4 cup (7g) minced flat-leaf parsley leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves
- 3 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/4 cup (60ml) dry white wine
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
STEPS
- Fill a large bowl with water; halve and squeeze 2 lemons into it. Keep one lemon half to the side after squeezing - you can use this to rub onto the artichokes as your clean them.
- Using a serrated knife, cut off top of artichoke and bottommost part of stem.
- Using a paring knife or sharp vegetable peeler, trim away the tough outer leaves to expose the tender inner leaves and heart.
- Trim away fibrous outer layer around stem to expose tender inner core (if stem breaks off, that's okay; just save it and cook it alongside the hearts).
- Slice the top off each heart deep enough that you can dig into the heart but not so deep that you lose the artichoke.
- Using a spoon, scrape out the inedible, hairy choke in the center of each heart.
- Transfer cleaned artichokes to bowl of lemon water as you work, covering them with a clean kitchen towel to keep them completely submerged.
- Trim artichokes by cleaning them down to the hearts:
- In a small bowl, stir together parsley, mint, oregano, and garlic. Rub concave side of each artichoke heart with herb mixture, packing it into any leafy crevices. Set aside remaining herb mixture.
- Add olive oil and wine to a pot just large enough to hold all the artichokes closely side by side, so that they can sit flat with their stem sides up. Arrange artichokes in pot and season with salt and pepper.
- Bring pot to a simmer over medium-high heat, then lower heat to a bare simmer, cover, and cook until artichokes are fork-tender, 20 to 30 minutes. (Smaller artichokes may not take as long.)
- Remove from heat and transfer artichokes to a platter, stem sides up. Drizzle with cooking juices, along with some fresh olive oil and a light sprinkling of reserved herb mixture. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Recipe from https://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/10/carciofi-alla-romana-roman-italian-braised-artichoke-recipe.html - They have a terrific page on cleaning artichokes, complete with video!
I know I promised you huaraches. I even described them in the episode. But can I be honest? Yes? I like to keep these recipes to things you can do on a weeknight: delicious and authentic, yet not overly complicated. Well… huaraches were getting too complicated.
So instead, I give you a very simple and delicious dish with its roots in Puebla, a city between Mexico City and the Gulf Coast, where the Mexicans defeated a French Army in 1861 on May 5, forever remembered as Cinco de Mayo.
Cinco de Mayo is NOT a significant holiday in Mexico, which will surprise the many Americans who celebrate with tacos, margaritas, and more margaritas. It’s big in Puebla, but how it became big in the US is simply a marketing thing. The weather is usually nice on May 5, and early May lacked a good alcohol-driven holiday. Mexican Independence Day (September 15) is too close to Labor Day and would be less festive, I guess.
Anyway, Puebla is famous for its mole above all else, which I’ll get to eventually, because mole poblano is one of the world’s best dishes, bar none. For now, though, I introduce the tinga: shredded meat, combined with chipotle peppers, onion, garlic, tomatoes and spices. Traditionally, it’s served on tostadas, crispy fried tortillas.
This recipe, from Rick Bayless’ Everyday Mexican is adapted for a slow-cooker, so it’s great for a weekday meal. This is one of my absolute go-to recipes. Set it up in the morning, and come home with the house smelling like absolute heaven.
It’s not completely traditional. It’s got potatoes, which are not typical but which make for a nice additional filler. The slow cooker doesn’t allow for browning, hence the Worcestershire sauce to bring in umami.
I prefer tinga as a taco filling rather than as a tostada topper. It’s just less greasy that way.
I will vouch all day for this recipe. ¡Feliz cinco de mayo!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 medium (about 500g/1 lb) red or gold-skinned potatoes, each cut into 6 wedges
- 1.5 kg / 3 lbs chicken thighs (skin removed) - you can substitute 1 kg / 2 lbs of boneless thighs or (if you HAVE to) breasts
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained (fire-roasted, if possible) - it’s May, so good tomatoes aren’t in season yet
- 4 oz fresh Mexican chorizo (NOT spanish), crumbled
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 2 or 3 canned chipotle chiles, chopped, with 1 tablespoon of their adobo canning liquid
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/8 tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp salt
- Corn tortillas - 12, at least, but probably more
STEPS
- Spread the potato wedges on the bottom of the slow cooker. Top with the chicken.
- Sprinkle the chorizo on top of the chicken. Put the onion slices on top of that.
- In a large separate bowl, combine the chipotles, adobo, tomatoes, Worcestershire, thyme, and salt.
- Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken and chorizo in the slow cooker.
- Put the lid on the slow cooker and set to slow-cook on high for 6 hours - most slow cookers can keep the dish warm for an additional four.
- Once complete, remove the solids into a separate dish and discard the bones, if any. Ladle the remaining juices into a saucepan and boil over high heat to reduce to about 1 cup.
- Shred the chicken with a fork. Pour the sauce over the meat mixture.
- Serve with corn tortillas.
Recipe adapted from Rick Bayless’ Everyday Mexican, a cookbook that I have used more than all my other cookbooks combined. Every recipe is fantastic.
Rick Bayless is a Chicago-based chef, who has made a career of bringing out the best in regional Mexican cuisine. You may have seen his show "Mexico: One Plate at a Time" on your public television station. I appreciate that he is white and that calls for cultural appropriation reign down upon him. But he has a passionate love for Mexico which shines through. Generations of young Mexican chefs have passed through his kitchen, to start their own successful restaurants. Every year, he shuts down his restaurants to take the entire staff, from busboys to sous-chefs to a different state in Mexico, to sample the cuisine, explore the markets, appreciate the local flavors. I believe there is a massive difference between appropriating culture (like bars doing Cinco de Mayo) and showing honor and respect. If you want cultural appropriation, may I introduce you to hipster white dudes selling "Nashville Hot Chicken"? OK, soapbox over. Try this recipe and enjoy it.
You shouldn’t need a recipe for bruschetta. It’s so simple, after all. And yet, you’ve had bad bruschetta. We all have. The bread isn’t crisp enough or maybe too crisp. There’s too much topping or it’s too wet. And so, as a public service, I give you SIX EASY TRICKS to PERFECT BRUSCHETTA.
#1. The bread: Use good crusty Italian bread. Day old is preferable. Slice to about half an inch thick. Grill it if you can, toasting is an acceptable alternative.
#2. The tomatoes: fresh, ripe, local is best. Peel and seed before chopping. Most people miss this step and it makes for a less pleasant experience. Peeled and seeded tomatoes will melt in your mouth.
#3. The garlic: Slice a clove in half width-wise, squeeze the half a little bit and rub it on the top of the toast.
#4. The olive oil: Use good Italian olive oil, extra virgin, unfiltered if available. Aim towards a fruity variety, rather than a more bitter variety.
#5. The salt: Kosher salt only please, or sea salt with largish crystals.
#6. The basil: Fresh and bright. The best is the kind you grow yourself. In fact, if you live in an apartment or house or anywhere, and have a southern exposure that gets sunlight, you can grow basil. It’s worth it to do - you can use it on all sorts of things and it’s so wonderful when you pick it yourself.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 8 half-inch (1 cm) thick slices of crusty bread
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced width-wise
- 4 whole tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Handful of basil leaves, sliced into small pieces
- Fresh ground black pepper (finely ground)
STEPS
- Grill the bread slices over a moderately hot fire until they are nicely toasted on both sides, turning to ensure even browning. Be careful not to burn them; older bread is drier and will cook quickly.
- Take a half garlic clove and rub each slice of bread while it is still hot with the exposed inside of the clove, squeezing the garlic between your fingers to release its juices into the bread. The more you rub, the garlickier it will be.
- Drizzle the bread lightly with the olive oil, since you’ll be including olive oil in the pomodoro mixture. Salt the slices very lightly as well.
- Toss the tomatoes, basil, a splash of olive oil, a little extra salt, and a twist of pepper.
- Top each slice with the tomato mixture.
- Serve and enjoy the happy faces.
Recipe adapted from http://memoriediangelina.com/2013/08/04/bruschetta
Let's take a break from Roman history and see what's happening in the Western Hemisphere. Ana from the History of Small Things takes us to her hometown of Mexico City to talk about ancient Mexican history. The standout wonders this episode are the great pyramids of Teotihuacan, started in 100 CE in a city which rivaled Rome in size and artistry.
But that's just the start. We talk about the first Americans, the earliest Mexican civilizations, and stories of human sacrifice, wars, and mayhem.
Mexico City is one of the world's great cities, and we talk about two of its most magnificent sights: the National Anthropology Museum and the Zocalo. Plus street food, tacos, tamales, and huaraches.
We who are about to podcast salute you! Titus comes back for one more round as he unveils his father's masterpiece: the Flavian Amphitheater, a.k.a. the Colosseum. The stadium on which all future stadia have been based is a magnificent creation, site of gladiatorial combat, public executions, and emperors giving thumbs up and thumbs down.
Dr Peta Greenfield of the Partial Historians podcast drops by to talk about Vespasian, Titus, and the gladiators themselves. We discuss visiting Rome, gorging on gelato, and the joys of exploring the living city.
The recipe is bruschetta, the perfect appetizer of which you've probably only had disappointing versions. Not this time, my friends. Not this time. Salvete!
Can you make this classic Neapolitan pie at home? No. No you cannot. You don’t have Neapolitan flour, Vesuvian tomatoes, Campanian water, fresh mozzarella from Italian buffaloes… or a dome-shaped wood-fired brick oven.
So whatcha gonna do?
Well… You can improvise.
I like to grill my pizza in the summer - which gives a nice char and crisp but still provides a good chew. But it’s not Neapolitan.
To replicate the Neapolitan experience, you’ll need your oven. It won’t BE Neapolitan. Your oven can’t get up to a Vesuvius-like 700 degrees, so it will never be the same. But it can be delicious. So step one is getting a pizza stone. Now, I hate the concept of buying a giant piece of rock that you’ll rarely use and will take up space in your house. But you can actually use a pizza stone for all sorts of other thing that you’d like to bake or roast. A pizza stone is just a slab of rock or ceramic that absorbs heat from the oven and provides that heat to whatever you’re roasting in a nice even, consistent way. Better than an aluminum baking sheet, anyway. So get one, but remember, have it in the oven as your preheat. If you put it in after you’ve preheated, it will crack, as both pizza stones I have ever owned have done because I’m an idiot.
OK. So dough. Flour, salt, yeast, and water. But not just any flour. It has to be type 0 or type 00 Italian flour, which are very finely milled flours, so they are super powdery, almost like baby powder. You can find this at specialty groceries, or you can substitute all-purpose flour, if needs be.
Mix up the flour with salt, water and yeast. Knead it up, divide into a couple of balls, cover and let them rest overnight in the fridge. So no, this isn’t a spur-o-the-moment thing.
Put the stone in the oven and preheat it to full hot for an hour. Flour a surface and stretch out the dough with your hands. Don’t twirl it over your head unless you’re an expert or comfortable with having floor dirt in your pizza. Get nice and thin so you can almost see through it.
Sauce is next. You can get canned San Marzano tomatoes at many stores, although note that a lot of canned tomatoes claim to be San Marzano without actually being San Marzano, so double-check. Just puree the tomatoes to make the sauce, with a smidge of olive oil and a pinch of salt. That’s it. And DON’T USE MUCH.
Next: fresh mozzarella. Again, quality matters. If you can’t get the buffalo mozz, cow’s milk will do, but it has to be good. Get it in the fancy cheese section, not in the dairy case in the back. And make sure you drain it, if it’s packed in water. You do NOT want that extra moisture, unless you like soggy pizza. Slice some thin slices and plop them on the sauce. Again, NOT TOO MUCH.
And then scatter a few pieces of torn basil leaves on top. Some people leave their leaves whole, other like a fine chiffonade. Whatever. I like torn pieces, but the key is 4 to 5 leaves per pie. That’s it.
Use a pizza peel, which is a pizza-size super-thin spatula, to move the pie onto the stone. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes and buon appetito!
Wait. Drizzle some good olive oil on top at the end. Then buon appetito.
Serves 4-ish
INGREDIENTS
- 306 grams 00 flour (2 cup plus 2 tablespoon)
- 8 grams fine sea salt (1 teaspoon)
- 2 grams active dry yeast (3/4 teaspoon)
- 1 can whole tomatoes (
- Extra-virgin olive oil (approx 15 ml)
- 2 2/3 ounces (75 g) fresh mozzarella
- 4 to 5 basil leaves, roughly torn
STEPS
- Place a pizza stone or tiles on the middle rack of your oven and turn heat to its highest setting. Let it heat for at least an hour.
- In a food processor or blender, blend tomatoes, 5 ml olive oil and dash of salt
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.
- In a small mixing bowl, stir together 200 grams (a little less than 1 cup) lukewarm tap water and the yeast, then pour it into flour mixture. Knead with your hands until well combined, approximately 3 minutes, then let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
- Knead rested dough for 3 minutes. Cut into 2 equal pieces and shape each into a ball. Place on a heavily floured surface, cover with dampened cloth, and let rest and rise for 3 to 4 hours at room temperature or for 8 to 24 hours in the refrigerator. (If you refrigerate the dough, remove it 30 to 45 minutes before you begin to shape it for pizza.)
- To make pizza, place each dough ball on a heavily floured surface and use your fingers to stretch it, then your hands to shape it into rounds or squares.
- Put the sauce in the center of the stretched dough and use the back of a spoon to spread it evenly across the surface, stopping approximately 1/2 inch from the edges.
- Break the cheese into large pieces and place these gently on the sauce. Scatter basil leaves over the top.
- Using a pizza peel, pick up the pie and slide it onto the heated stone or tiles in the oven. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbling, approximately 4 to 8 minutes.
- Drizzle a little olive oil over the pie, and serve.
Recipe adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016231-pizza-margherita
The volcano Vesuvius still looms of the ruined Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum, along the coast of Southern Italy. Dr. Fiona Radford from the Partial Historians stops by to discuss these accidental wonders: towns whose destruction have preserved a remarkable view of Roman daily life. We follow Pliny the Elder as he ventures to his death, pillow strapped to his head. There's chaos, destruction, drama, and weird fish sauce!
Plus I cannot be so close to Naples without talking about pizza, that most glorious gift to the world.
Traditional Hanukkah foods are fried in oil, and among Israeli Jews, that means sufganiyot: jelly doughnuts.
The word sufganiyot comes from the sword sfog, meaning sponge, and North African Jews brought a long tradition of frying doughnuts with them to Israel. There, they mixed with Eastern European jews who brought their own doughnuts, with jelly. These ponchkes in Yiddish are the Jewish version of the Polish pączki (pronounced "paunch-key". Pączki are Mardi Gras treats, best known in America as the reason there’s a line out of every Polish bakery in Chicago in February.
So, to make sufganiyot, you need to be able to manage yeast and dough. I can’t. I’ve tried several times. Once the water was too cold, and the yeast didn’t bloom. Another time, the water was too hot, and the yeast died a tragic scalding death. A third time, the yeast seemed OK, but I kneaded the dough too much.
But if you have skill with baking, try this recipe, and let me know how light and fluffy they are. This recipe has an orange zest, which adds some zing to the dough, and raspberry or strawberry filling. That’s great, but if you’d rather lemon zest and blueberry, I won’t be mad at you.
Serves 4 at least
INGREDIENTS
- ¼ cup lukewarm milk or water
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dry yeast
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) sugar
- 1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons (45 ml) sour cream or vegetable oil
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) salt
- ¼ teaspoon (1.25 ml) vanilla extract
- Freshly grated zest of 1/2 orange
- 1 ⅔ cups flour (400 ml), more as needed
- ½ cup (120 ml) thick raspberry or strawberry jam
- Vegetable oil for deep-frying
- Confectioners' sugar for dusting
STEPS
- Place milk or water in small bowl. Sprinkle yeast and 1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar over milk. Set aside until frothy, about 10 minutes.
- In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat remaining sugar with egg and egg yolk. Add sour cream, salt, vanilla extract, orange zest and yeast mixture, and mix well.
- With mixer running, gradually add flour. Mix until dough is soft, smooth and elastic, adding flour if dough seems very sticky, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not add more than an additional 3 tablespoons (45 ml) flour; dough will be somewhat sticky, but will firm up in refrigerator. Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- On a floured surface, roll out dough to 1/2-inch thickness (1.25 cm). Use a biscuit or a cookie cutter to cut out 2-inch rounds (5 cm), placing them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Reroll scraps and cut again. Let rise in a warm place 30 minutes.
- In a heavy pot, heat 3 inches of oil (7.5 cm) to 365 degrees F (185 C); when hot enough, a small piece of dough will brown on bottom in 30 seconds. If too hot, doughnuts will brown outside before cooking through.
- Working in batches, fry doughnuts until golden brown, turning once. Drain on paper towels and dust with sugar while still warm. Let oil come back to 365 degrees F (185 C) between batches.
- If you have a pastry bag, fit with a small round tip and spoon jam into bag. When doughnuts are cool enough to handle, use tip of bag (or pointed tip of a serrated knife) to make a hole in bottom of doughnut. Squeeze or use a small spoon to nudge 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) of jam into hole. Repeat with remaining doughnuts and serve immediately. Dust again with powdered sugar.
Recipe adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016210-orange-scented-jelly-doughnuts-sufganiyot
A drama in three acts, all centered on the Fortress of Masada, a remarkable bastion perched above the Dead Sea in Israel. King Herod builds a pleasure palace, the Zealots make their last stand against Rome, and Israel returns at last. There are no heroes here, no villains, just complex people doing great and terrible deeds. Josephus, historian/traitor, takes us through the story of the Great Jewish Revolt and the destruction of the Temple.
Masada visitor Lisa Goldberg tells us about the experience of climbing up (and down again) and exploring the ruins. And we eat traditional holiday goodies: sufganiyot and just in time for Purim, hamantaschen. Plus Israeli breakfasts.
Everyone loves grilled chicken, right? Especially cooked on an open flat grill and served in a warm sandwich? Yes, please.
Jerusalemites have their own version, the Jerusalem mixed grill, or me’orav Yerushalmi. Chicken bits, sautéed with spices. Supposedly concocted in the Mahane Yehuda market, just a bit west of the Old City, the mixed grill was based on English mixed grill, brought by the British. It has a twist though.
While you can make it with breasts and thighs, traditionally the mixed grill is hearts and livers. That’s often enough to deter the squeamish, but don’t let it!
This is the easiest recipe I’ll post. Dice up the chicken into small pieces, and marinate with thin-sliced onion and spices. Then sauté on a hot skillet. Easy peasy.
When I tried it, I used breast, because of squeamish family members, and I loved it. The spice mix I used had slightly different flavors than the usual shawarma blend: in addition to cumin and paprika, the mix has allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, and cardamom, which give a sweetish warmth and kick on the forefront of the tongue. It’s just pleasant. And in a warm pita with hummus and tahini sauce, marvelous.
Serves 4 at least
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound chicken livers, chopped (If you’re not into livers, try thighs)
- 1 pound chicken breast, chopped
- 1 large onion, sliced
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
STEPS
- Mix the chicken livers and breast with the onions, spices and olive oil. Marinate for several hours (up to one full day).
- Heat a skillet and add the seasoned meat mixture.
- Cook, stirring, until meat has cooked through.
Recipe adapted from http://www.girlcooksworld.com/2011/02/jerusalem-mixed-grill.html
Photo from wikipedia because I forgot to take a picture of what I cooked, which was great. The onions, man, the onions made it all so magnificent.
A short bonus episode. Drew's daughter makes her first podcasting appearance as she tells you the story of the Two Bethlehems.
Bethlehem, Indiana is a popular place to mail Christmas cards, but there's more to its story than that!
Jesus Christ arrives on the scene, to the consternation of the Roman authorities and the Jewish establishment. We visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, site of his death and resurrection, and the holiest site in Christianity. What made Jesus so revolutionary? Garry Stevens from the History in the Bible podcast comes back to the show to talk about the historical aspects of the gospels, as we tell the story of that fateful weekend in April, nearly 2000 years ago.
Even better, Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com returns to describe his visit to the church during Holy Week and to Bethlehem.
And of course, there's food too, including Jerusalem mixed grill.
You’ve heard of a cronut, right? Some New York baker took a croissant and fried and glazed it like a donut and made bajillions? Well, feteer is a cro-izza. It’s flaky and buttery like a croissant; in fact, some think it was the ancestor to that noble pastry. But it’s thrown, stuffed, topped, and eaten like a pizza.
It’s fiendishly simple, which is why I haven’t tried to make it yet. I tend to do really badly with fiendishly simple things involving dough, because fiendishly simple dishes often require an expert technique or skill to make them terrific, since they don’t have the complex flavors that come from many ingredients or a more complicated process.
In this case, it sounds too easy to be true. Flour, water and salt in a mixer to create a very sticky dough. Roll into four balls and let sit in a bath of melted butter. This sounds crazy and fattening, but it will make the flour much easier to roll out, and you’re going to use the butter anyway, so why not?
Take a ball, put it on a wide flat and floured surface, and roll it as thin as you possibly can. If you can see through it, that’s ideal. Put your stuffing, whether sweet or savory, in the middle, fold over the sides, and then do the same with the other layers.
Try this, then let me know how it turns out!
Serves 4 at least
INGREDIENTS
- 4 cups of white all purpose flour.
- 2 cups of water ( +/- depending on the type of flour you are using)
- A dash of salt.
- 1 cup melted butter
- Something savory to stuff inside (cheese, vegetables, meat) OR
-
- Something sweet to stuff inside (chocolate, jam, custard)
- Something savory to top (cheese, olives, peppers) OR
-
- Something sweet to top (powdered sugar)
STEPS
- First, mix the flour and salt and add the first cup of water and knead very well then add the remaining bit by bit until you get a dough that is very elastic and sticky.
- Divide the dough into 4 balls, grease a deep dish and put the balls in it.
- Let it rest for 15 min. and turn your oven on to the highest degree possible, mine was 550 F.
- Roll the first ball to be very thin that you can see your counter top through, brush the surface generously with melted butter.
- Arrange your stuffing in the middle and carefully fold all 4 sides over the center.
- Roll the next ball until very thin and brush as you’ve done with the first ball.
- Place the already done one, folded side down, then fold the outer one and brush with more butter as you fold.
- Repeat the process for additional layers. Brush generously with butter and add the suggested toppings if you would like to.
- Place in a greased pizza pan - or any oven-safe pan - for 10-15 minutes until done.
Recipe adapted from https://amiraspantry.com/alexandrian-feteer-e-pizza-feteer
Back to Alexandria we go to visit the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, a little-known but fascinating burial chamber encapsulating the marriage of Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures and traditions.
Talking about the marriage of Egyptian, Greek, and Roman, we meet Cleopatra, last pharaoh of Egypt and noted seductress of Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. Or was she? She might be one of the most consequential people in antiquity, and we try to get to the bottom of her story with Margot Collins from the Undressed Historia podcast.
What's more, Gary Arndt from everything-everywhere.com drops by to talk about visiting Alexandria, including scuba diving to see the remnants of the Lighthouse! Alexandria may not have much left from antiquity, but "age cannot wither her, nor custom stale her infinite variety." Sorry, obligatory Shakespeare line.
In the process, we'll talk about feteer, a sort of buttery, flaky, Alexandrian pizza. To Egypt!
Soupe au pistou is a classic Provençal dish: ripe vegetables, fresh herbs, inexpensive ingredients. Soul-warming, bone-sticking nutrition in a bowl. It’s sort of like minestrone: a bean soup, flavored with fresh herbs, then with any vegetable you can think of thrown in, but especially tomatoes, then some pasta to provide a little thickening. Traditionalists say it requires haricots vests, zucchini (or courgettes, if you go that way), potatoes and tomatoes, but others say it’s whatever you have handy.
The secret to soupe au pistou, though, is the pistou itself: a dollop of basil/garlic/olive oil sauce on top. Don’t call it pesto - that would contain pine nuts, which pistou does not. Again, traditionalists say no cheese either, but I find a little Gruyere helps to make it smooth and delicious.
There are countless recipes for soupe au pistou out there. This is one I used, and it came out great. Well, I didn’t exactly. I didn’t have the cabbage and forgot the zucchini. I think both would help boost the flavor.
Two other notes: I didn’t have a bay leaf and used rosemary, which was nice but obviously quite different. The most important thing here is to ensure that you have the herbs ties up or contained; otherwise, they fall apart and you’re left with random rosemary needles.
Second, If you’re using green beans, make sure they are cut into small lengths so they’ll fit on a spoon.
The thrill is stirring that bright green dollop of pistou into the soup. It’s delicious. My son loved this one, especially with a fresh, warm baguette to soak up the soup. We also had some French butter on hand, which was very pleasant with the bread.
Be forewarned: this makes a LOT, so don’t make a vat of it the day before you go away on a four-day business trip. Bon appétit!
Serves 8 at least
INGREDIENTS
FOR THE SOUP
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) white beans, soaked for six hours in 6 cups water and drained
- 2 quarts (1.9 liters) water
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- A bouquet garni made with a few sprigs each thyme and parsley, a Parmesan rind and a bay leaf
- Salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 2 leeks, white and light green part only, cleaned and sliced
- 1 pound tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped, or 1 can, with liquid
- 2 cups shredded savoy or green cabbage
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 medium-size zucchini, scrubbed and diced
- 2 medium-size turnips, peeled and diced
- ½ pound (250 g) green beans, trimmed and broken into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups), blanched for five minutes and set aside
- ½ cup (120 ml) soup pasta, such as macaroni or small shells (or ditalini if you have some left over from when you tried the koshari recipe!)
- Freshly ground pepper
FOR THE PISTOU
- 2 large garlic cloves, halved, green shoots removed
- Salt to taste
- 2 cups, tightly packed, fresh basil leaves
- ⅓ cup (80 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Gruyere
- Freshly ground pepper
- ½ cup (120 ml) freshly grated Gruyere for sprinkling
STEPS
- Drain the white beans and combine with 2 quarts water in a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil. Skim off any foam, then add half the onion, half the garlic and the bouquet garni. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add salt to taste.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet, and add the remaining chopped onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about five minutes. Add the leeks and remaining garlic. Stir together for a few minutes, and add the tomatoes. Cook, stirring, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is fragrant, five to 10 minutes. Stir this mixture into the soup pot, add all of the remaining vegetables except the green beans, and bring back to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes to an hour. Taste and adjust the seasonings. By sautéing the aromatics before adding them to the soup, you help their flavor develop an additional richness.
- While the soup is simmering, blanch the green beans for five minutes in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
- To make the pistou, mash the garlic with a generous pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle. Remove it and set aside. Grind the basil to a paste in the mortar, a handful at a time, then add the garlic back in and mix together well. Work in the olive oil a tablespoon at a time, then stir in the cheese. You can use a food processor too. It’s really OK.
- Add the pasta to the simmering soup about 10 minutes before serving, and cook until cooked al dente. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Stir the blanched green beans into the soup and heat through. Serve, adding a spoonful of pesto to each bowl for guests to stir in. Pass additional Parmesan for sprinkling.
Recipe adapted from https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013986-soupe-au-pistou. Image from wikipedia.fr
Julius Caesar takes on Vercingetorix and the Gauls as we travel to Provence in Southern France. The Pont du Gard is a Roman aqueduct, the largest left standing, and it's just one of the many legacies the Romans left in the land of lavender and sunshine.
While here, we visit Avignon and spend a detour talking about the papacy and the Slap of Agnani - one of those surprising little histories we've all forgotten that had a tremendous impact on the world.
To eat, how about some ratatouille? Except that it's January and so good tomatoes are hard to find. So let's try soupe au pistou instead!
Bienvenue!
Bonus Episode! We have a running joke on this podcast about Demetrius Poliorcetes, Besieger of Cities. Despite having failed spectacularly at besieging Rhodes, he left a remarkable legacy across the Hellenistic world. Well, as a Christmas treat, I give you his full story.
It's AMAZING.
There is no full-length modern history of Demetrius, and there ought to be. He went from young upstart general to savior-god of Athens to death in a prison cell. Very few people had the ups and downs of this man, and in the process, he experienced many of our wonders in a way that few people have. And in a very real way, his story is our story, for good or for bad.
Many thanks to Plutarch for the primary material. And Happy Holidays!
Moutabel* is a smoky eggplant (or aubergine) dip from the Levant which is particularly popular in Jordan. You would enjoy this with warm pita bread as part of a mezze, a large spread of appetizers like hummus, tabouleh, and other delicious taste sensations.
What makes moutabel different from baba ghanoush is the addition of tahini, that almost peanut buttery sesame paste. This makes moutabel significantly smoother in texture, which I like, without overwhelming the eggplant and garlic.
The key to successful eggplant spreads is the cooking. Flame-grilled is the best way to go, but roasting in an oven is fine too. It’s important not only to make sure the skin is blackened all over but that the eggplant has basically been cooked into a soft goo. If you think it’s done, it’s probably not done. The more you cook out the liquid and break down the fibers, the better your dip will be.
I’ll be honest - I’m giving this recipe now, but I won’t try it myself until the summer. Getting a perfect ripe eggplant makes a huge difference, and this is really a summery dip, with the bright lemon and garlic. So save this for later, OR if you’re one of my Australian or New Zealander listeners, enjoy RIGHT NOW! And then, let me know how it is!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
- 2 large eggplant (about 850 grams)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup tahini paste (120 ml)
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (120 ml)
- 2 teaspoon salt (or to taste) (10 ml)
- 1/4 cup olive oil (60 ml)
- Dried mint or parsley for garnish
- za'atar (spice blend) for garnish
STEPS
- Place the unpeeled eggplants (aubergines) directly on the stove-top over a medium heat. Leave it roasting and keep turning from side to side until the skin is blackened and pulp is soft and tender. This process takes about 15 minutes in total. Be aware that the eggplant can pop, so it might get messy.
- Trim the stem off from the eggplant and remove the seeds (if any). Put the eggplant in a sieve or colander and let it drain for 30 minutes. You can squeeze out the excess liquid if you’re in a rush.
- In a serving bowl, mix the tahini and lemon juice until the tahini is well blended. Add the garlic and salt and blend it in.
- In the strainer, mash the eggplant gently with a fork, then add it to the lemon/tahini mixture. Mix all ingredients together until well combined. Taste to adjust salt and lemon.
- Spread the dip in serving plate, drizzle with olive oil and garnish with a pinch of crushed dried mint and a sprinkling of za'atar. Serve warm or cold with pita or taboun bread.
Recipe adapted from http://www.kitchenofpalestine.com/mutabbal and https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2013/sep/25/how-to-make-perfect-baba-ganoush.
Photograph from: http://bennydoro.com/chef/recipes/moutabal-roasted-eggplant-dip/ since I haven't made it myself yet.
- Moutabel, or moutabal, or muttabal, or mutabbal - I’ve seen all of these, and if anyone can tell me a really good transliteration, I sure would appreciate it.
Lost city of the Nabataeans, the rock-cut city of Petra has been rightfully celebrated as a Wonder of the World, at least since that Indiana Jones movie. But the story is well worth telling. We'll talk about the Nabataeans, their caravans, and their run-ins with the Greeks, Romans and Judeans. We'll meet Pompey the Pompous. And we'll eat Bedouin classics from underground pit ovens.
Stephanie Craig from the History Fangirl podcast shares her experiences traveling in Jordan. For such a small country, there's so much there. You will have chosen wisely to download this episode. Enjoy!
This is the easiest pasta to make, and the easiest pasta to mess up. There are four ingredients:
- pasta, preferably spaghetti - long, thin (but not too thin) and able to be completely coated in sauce
- water, specifically the water used to cook the pasta
- fresh cracked black pepper
- Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty sheep’s milk cheese that Romans have been eating since the legionaries were marching on Carthage.
You’d think this would be so easy. I mean, it’s basically Roman mac n’ cheese. But you’d be surprised how easy it is to get really greasy or clumpy or both. You’re trying to make a creamy sauce from a hard cheese. But it can be done!
Here’s secret one: grate the Pecorino as fine as you can. The finer it is, the easier it will emulsify into your sauce.
Secret two: save a little pasta water - that’s the water you cook your pasta in. Makes a huge difference in making your sauce silky since the water contains starch, which will again help to emulsify.
Secret three: don’t try to make this a one-pot dish. You’ll end up overcooking the cheese, which leads to lumps. Instead try this. Cook your spaghetti in well-salted water. And yes, spaghetti really is the winner here. Not so thin that it falls apart, but not so thick that portions get uncovered in sauce. Short pastas would be less appealing here too. Before you drain your pasta, be sure to save a cup or so of your pasta water.
OK. Now add the warm pasta water to a separate pot with your finely grated cheese, about 2 cups or 110 grams. Stir until it’s all completely melty and beautiful. If it looks as though it’s breaking, add a little more pasta water. Then tong in the pasta and mix it all up so it’s all coated. Buon appetito!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 1 lb / 450 g spaghetti
- Water
- Salt
- 5 tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
- 180 g Pecorino Romano cheese, grated fine (approximately 1.75 cups)
STEPS
- Toast the pepper in a hot, dry dutch oven until it smells fragrant. Then set aside.
- Cook the spaghetti in well-salted water in a pot according to directions. DO NOT use too much water - there should only be enough water to cover the pasta. Too much water means not enough starch in the pasta water.
- Save a cup (240 ml) of pasta water before draining the pasta. Then drain and set aside.
- In the dutch oven, which should still be a little warm, mix the cheese and pepper and slowly add some of the water, while mixing to create a paste. Then add a little more pasta water to transform the paste into a sauce.
- Lastly, add the pasta and toss like crazy. Add more water if you need to. Then savor the amazing wonder that is cacio e pepe.
Recipe adapted from https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2016/nov/03/how-to-make-the-perfect-cacio-e-pepe
Back for Part II! Nitin Sil from the Flash Point History podcast joins me to discuss the Second Punic War, Hannibal, and Scipio. Was Hannibal crossing the Alps really a big deal? How did Rome win in the end?
I also talk about mathematician and defense contractor extraordinaire Archimedes and his antique death ray!
Plus, finally, a play-by-play of the Roman Forum, how to stroll the streets of modern Rome, and enjoying pecorino romano cheese. If you don't crave spaghetti cacio e pepe now, you will!
An episode so big I had to break it in half! Here comes Rome, both the vibrant, chaotic, eye-catching capital of Italy, and the civilization that made that capital possible. This episode looks at the rise of Rome and the first Punic War with Carthage, that other great Mediterranean Empire.
We'll take side trips to Sicily as well as Tunisia to talk about cannoli and harissa. Worth it. In fact, I get so caught up talking about Rome vs Carthage that I don't even get to the Roman Forum itself. That's OK - there's always next week, when Part II will take us to the Eternal City for a sunset look at the ruins.
It's our FIRST ANNIVERSARY. To celebrate, let's explore EPCOT: a place you can visit many wonders of the world, all at once. Sort of. What you might not expect is its fascinating history and the weird vision Walt Disney had for his Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow.
There's also a "state of the podcast" bit at the end and a giant thank you to you for listening to me ramble all these months.
Xi’an, being on the silk road, sits at a fascinating middle ground between east and west, only in this case, west means not Europe but the steppes of Central Asia.
This soup reflects that heritage: it blends Chinese spices and flavors (ginger, star anise, sichuan peppercorns) with lamb, a very Central Asian meat, and bread. The bread is almost a homestyle flour tortilla or naan, meant to be ripped apart and doused in the soup, to thicken and dissolve in the broth.
Noodles make an appearance as well, and the entire experience is one of warmth, both temperature, spiciness, and soul-warming home-ish-ness. That’s not a word.
I think I’m going to try this with chicken, since my wife will go for that. Its won’t be the same! But at least it’s close. Try this out and let me know what you think!
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Soup:
- 1 1/2 pounds (3 kg) boneless lamb (mutton, goat or stew-grade beef also work)
- 10 cups ( litres) beef stock
- 1 tsp (5 ml) fennel seeds
- 1 tsp (5 ml) Sichuan peppercorns
- 2 star anise pods
- 1 small stick cinnamon
- 2 or 3 dried Thai chiles
- 2 inches (5 cm) fresh ginger, smashed
- 5 green onions, trimmed, lightly smashed
- 1 tsp (5 ml) sea salt, or to taste
Bread:
- 2 cups (250 g) flour
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
Finishing touches:
- 2 bundles cellophane noodles, soaked in cool water until soft
- 1/4 cup ( ml) dried wood ear mushrooms, soaked in to water for at least an hour
- handful of cilantro, chopped
- chili paste or oil, to taste
- black vinegar, to taste
STEPS
- Cut the meat up into inch (2 cm) size cubes or so. Place them in a large dutch oven or soup pot, cover with water, and boil for about 10 minutes, just to remove the initial fat. Pour out the water and the scum which forms on top, and rise the meat in a colander. Rinse out the pot / dutch oven and replace the parboiled meat and add the stock.
- If you have a mesh ball to hold spices, great - if not, use a piece of cheesecloth tied with twine. You’ll use this to hold the fennel seeds and Sichuan peppercorns. Add this package to the soup, along with the rest of the spices and flavorings (star anise, cinnamon, chiles, ginger, and green onions. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2 hours, covered. If all of that is too difficult, just throw the spices in.
- While the soup is simmering away, make the bread. Mix the flour and baking powder together, add water and knead it together. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes or so.
- Heat up a wok or frying pan without oil to medium-high. Take small pieces from the dough and roll them out into circles around 1/3 inch (less than a cm) thick.
- Slap each one onto the wok, let them get brown on each side and then set aside. Like making a tortilla, except without the press and not as thin.
- Throw the noodles and mushrooms into the soup. Serve with cilantro, vinegar and chili sauce as condiments. Break the bread up into the stew as a thickener, like fritos in chili. Yum.
Recipe adapted from All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China but Carolyn Phillips and from https://liviblogs.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/yang-rou-pao-mo-recipe.html
They stand row on row in silent guard of a long-dead autocrat. The Terracotta Army, built to defend the tomb of China's First Emperor, Qin Shi Huangdi, are the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century.
Joined by Abel Kay, we look into the story of the Emperor who unified China, and the ruthless path he took to do it.
We'll talk about scheming merchants, pretend eunuchs, beheaded generals, assassins, scholars buried alive, rivers of mercury, and the secret to immortality. Sound like enough for you?
We'll also explore Xian, imperial city, and sample some biang biang noodles and lamb bread soup.
On the way, there might be a detour to Indianapolis, because why not?
One of the special pleasures in life is a cold spread coating a piece of warm, fresh-from-the-oven bread, and this one from Greece is my favorite.
It’s fiendishly easy and magnificently garlicky. If you don’t like garlic, then give this a pass. Not for vampires.
Basically, you boil potatoes, and mash them until they’re smooth. I find it a lot easier to boil potatoes you’ve already cut into chunks.
In the meantime, you make a puree of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and an additional thickener. Almonds are standard, but if you’re nut-free, bread crumbs will do in a pinch. Puree the garlic in the lemon juice - the acid will remove some of the garlic bite while keeping the flavor.
Then spoon it all together. If it’s too thick, a little water will do, but not too much. You want this to be thick enough to spread onto something, but not thin like mayonnaise or anything like that. Slather it onto bread or fish or basically whatever you want. It will be worth it.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
- 1 pound (450 g) of russet potatoes (2 or so), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
- Kosher salt
- 1/2 cup whole almonds (or substitute bread crumbs)
- 4 to 6 medium cloves garlic (the more garlic, the more intense - start small at first)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (90ml) white wine vinegar and/or fresh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
- 3/4 cup (180ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- Minced flat-leaf parsley, for garnish
- Warmed pita and/or bread, for serving
STEPS
- Set cubed potatoes in a colander and rinse under cold water until water runs clear. Transfer to a large saucepan and cover with cold water by at least 2 inches. Season water with salt until it is salty like tears. Bring water to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until a knife easily pierces potatoes with no resistance, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in colander, then rinse with hot running water for 30 seconds.
- Meanwhile, in a food processor, combine almonds or bread crumbs, garlic, 2 tablespoons (30ml) cold water, and wine vinegar and/or lemon juice. Process until garlic and almonds are reduced to a paste. Season with salt.
- Spread potatoes in an even layer on a baking sheet and let the steam evaporate. You want to get as much of the water out as possible.
- Thoroughly mash potatoes with a potato masher in a large mixing bowl. (If you have a fancy ricer, feel free to use that.)
- Stir in olive oil and almond-garlic mixture until thoroughly incorporated. If the oil does not fully blend with the potatoes, stir in more cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating well, until mixture is emulsified. Season with salt, then garnish with parsley and serve immediately with warm pita or bread, or chill until ready to serve. It really is best chilled.
Recipe adapted from http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/09/skordalia-greek-garlic-potato-spread-dip-recipe.html
All the world is a stage, and the first stage was in Athens, the birthplace of tragedy. With Darby Vickers from the History of Greece podcast, we visit with the great playwrights, as Athens hits a great turning point: the Peloponnesian War.
That doesn't go well, and who's to blame? Surely not a homely old teacher in the Agora? Indeed. But his student will have the last laugh.
All this plus skordalia!
Spanakotiropita (σπανακοτυρόπιτα)
So I have searched every website out there to find an acceptable spanakopita, sorry, I mean spanakotripita, recipe, and I think this one will work.
Here’s the thing: phyllo dough is an absolute pain in the backside to work with. It freaks me out every time. So kudos to those who choose to make their own. Even the frozen kind is challenging for me.
I found this recipe at https://www.themediterraneandish.com/spanakopita-recipe-greek-spinach-pie. The best thing about this site is that they have many photographs and even videos really documenting each step.
Check their website out. Honestly - it’s so well done. They make it look actually easy to do.
Another note: I got into a significant argument with a Greek-American colleague about whether a spinach pie with feta was spanakotiropita or just spanakopita. He was insistent that all spanakopita included cheese - it didn’t need to be mentioned specifically. Note that this is counter to the point that Darby made in the episode. We ended up at a Greek restaurant in Chicago (Greek Islands!) and they listed their spinach and cheese pie as… spanakotiropita! Victory. Nike.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
Filling:
- 16 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained
- 2 bunches flat-leaf parsley, stems trimmed, finely chopped
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 eggs
- 10.5 oz quality feta cheese, crumbled
- 2 tsp dill weed
- Freshly-ground black pepper
Crust:
- 16 oz package of frozen phyllo dough (thawed)
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil or melted butter - you know you want to use the butter
STEPS
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
- Before you begin mixing the filling, be sure the spinach is very well drained, and squeeze out any excess liquid by hand.
- To make the filling: In a mixing bowl, add the spinach and the remaining filling ingredients. Stir until all is well-combined.
- Unroll the phyllo sheets and place them between two very lightly damp kitchen cloths.
- Prepare a 9 1/2″ X 13″ baking dish. Brush the bottom and sides of the dish with olive oil or butter.
- To assemble the spanakotiropita: Line the baking dish with two sheets of phyllo letting them cover the sides of the dish. Brush with olive oil. Add two more sheets in the same manner, and brush them with olive oil. Repeat until two-thirds of the phyllo is used up.
- Now, evenly spread the spinach and feta filling over the phyllo crust. Top with two more sheets, and brush with olive oil.
- Continue to layer the phyllo sheets, two-at-a-time, brushing with olive oil, until you have used up all the sheets. Brush the very top layer with olive oil, and sprinkle with just a few drops of water.
- Fold the flaps or excess from the sides, you can crumble them a little. Brush the folded sides well with olive oil.
- Bake in the 325 degrees F heated-oven for 1 hour, or until the phyllo crust is crisp and golden brown. Remove from the oven. Cut into squares and serve! Enjoy!
Just go to https://www.themediterraneandish.com/spanakopita-recipe-greek-spinach-pie and follow the step-by-step there. It’s brilliant.
Athens has won the war against Persia, but now what? The Golden Age of Pericles, that's what! He's building temples, making money, enlarging an empire, all in the name of democracy. Darby Vickers from the History of Greece podcast stops by to talk about the Great Democrat as well as what it's like to visit the Parthenon today. The one in Athens, not the one in Nashville. She also talks about Greek bakeries and the joy that is spanakotiropita.
The intro today (my first one ever!) is from Lynn Perkins of the History of the Ottoman Empire podcast. He does fine work, and I can't wait to bug him when I get to Topkapi Palace.
There are few dishes as stereotypically Greek as roast lamb. With the weather starting to get cold as we move towards Autumn, what better way to celebrate stick-to-your-ribs comfort food?
If we were REALLY doing this right, we would roast a whole lamb on a spit in your front yard. But that might upset the neighbors, the police, and the homeowners’ association, so we’ll do something in the oven
Arni sto Fourno (αρνι στο φουρνο), which means “oven-roasted lamb,” is a recipe I’m using from the restaurant where I met my wife 15 years ago. In fact, this is the very dish I had that night, which is a good way to know that it’s the real deal - I mean, it was fifteen years ago.
The restaurant, the Greek Islands, calls it Arni Fournou, but whatever you call it, it’s super simple. Chunk up some potatoes, throw in chopped tomatoes, garlic, oregano, lemon juice, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Then nestle in four lamb shanks, of about a pound each (500 g).
This recipe (http://checkplease.wttw.com/recipe/arni-fournou) comes from the Greek Islands, via the files of Check Please!, a public television staple in Chicago, in which each of three average viewers invites the other two to their favorite local restaurant. I wish every town had that show - it does a terrific job in introducing viewers to cuisines, neighborhoods, and establishments they would never have considered otherwise. (http://checkplease.wttw.com).
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 4 lbs/2 kg lamb shanks (four, about 1 lb/500 g each)
- 2 lbs/1 kg peeled russet potatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 cup/240 ml chopped tomato
- 9 cloves chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup/240 ml fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup/240 ml olive oil
- 1 teaspoon/5 ml oregano (Greek or Turkish - not Mexican)
STEPS
- Simply mix the above ingredients in a deep baking pan, fully coating the lamb in the marinade.
- Preheat oven to 275-325° F / 135-160° C (depending on the actual heat that your oven produces - if it runs hot, set the temp lower).
- Bake the lamb for 2 hours, turning the pieces over after the first hour.
- Serve the lamb with the potatoes and use a bit of the remaining juices to pour over the dish.
The priestess of Apollo will answer your questions, if not how you expect. Will Athens survive the war with the Persians? Should Sparta march to help? Will you enjoy this episode on the Oracle of Delphi in Greece, featuring the brilliance of Alison Innes and Darrin Sunstrum from the MythTake podcast and Lantern Jack from Ancient Greece Declassified? Yes. Yes you will.
We'll talk about the Oracle, how it came to be and how it worked. We'll follow the Greeks in their war with the Persians. We'll visit Delphi and eat roast lamb and greens. You won't need gas rising from the temple floor to enjoy this one!
Sesame halva is well known throughout the world, and can be purchased at most Middle Eastern stores or Jewish delis. I don’t care for it though, so I’m trying out a different version: one based on flour rather than sesame.
It's smooth, sweet - but not too sweet, with a nuttiness that comes from toasting the flour after blending it with butter. I omitted the almonds because my kids are allergic, but they would probably give an amazing added crunch.
This recipe comes from the New York Times: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1017926-turkish-flour-helva
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- ½ cup/113 grams unsalted butter
- 1 cup/125 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 cup/200 grams sugar
- 1 ½ cups/350 milliliters whole milk
- Pinch of salt (optional)
- 2 cups whole blanched almonds (optional)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
STEPS
-
In a medium pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour, a little at a time to prevent clumping; reduce heat to very low and cook, stirring often with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until the flour is deep golden brown and butter separates and floats to the top, about 1 to 2 hours. The higher the flame, the quicker it will cook, but the more you will have to stir it.
-
Meanwhile, in a medium pot, combine sugar, 1 1/2 cups/355 milliliters water, and milk; bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Turn off heat, cover to keep warm, and reserve.
-
When flour mixture is toasted and browned but not burned, slowly whisk in the warm milk mixture and a pinch of salt if you like. (It's O.K. if the milk has cooled to room temperature; it should not be cold.) Raise heat to medium-high and cook, stirring with a heatproof rubber spatula or wooden spoon, until mixture comes together in a paste-like texture and no longer sticks to sides of the pot. (Make sure to stir in the corners and bottom of pot.) Whisk the mixture occasionally, if necessary, to create a smoother texture and get rid of any lumps. Cover pot with a cloth and a lid, then let cool.
-
In a medium skillet, toast the almonds in the dry pan over medium heat. Sprinkle almonds and cinnamon over cooled helva. Spoon onto plates or into small bowls to serve.
Involved? Yes. But worth it. Really worth it. Here's a couple of tips:
- Use a bigger pan for the roux than you think you need. You added the milk mixture to the roux, so you'll be thankful for the extra space.
- When the recipe says, add the flour a little at a time, DO THAT. I had to throw out my first batch because the flour/butter roux was way too clumpy. The first 1/2 cup blends beautifully into the butter, it's the second half that will get you, and get you quick.
- I added a little vanilla extract to the milk mixture when hot. I'm told that's a legit choice, as is rosewater. I don't have rosewater, but vanilla was an excellent choice.
- I ended up getting impatient. After 45 minutes on very low, and no noticeable browning, I turned the stove to medium-low, with regular stirring (every couple of minutes). That did the trick! You definitely want brown, the browner the better.
- As you add the milk, whisk like you've never whisked before, because helva comes at you fast. It takes less than a minute for the final product to come together, and if you don't whisk hard in that time, you can end up with floury lumps instead of smooth, sugary sweetness. It's only 45 seconds; you can do it.
Is this burning an eternal flame? Why yes. Yes, it is. Nestled in the hills of Lycia in southwestern Turkey, the Yanartaş of Mount Chimaera is a series of methane-fueled fires that have burnt for at least 2500 years. Lycia has a fascinating history and is well worth a quick detour from our narrative, so let's take a look.
Joining us is Roxanne from Mythology Translated, to share the myths of the chimaera and other fine folks. We'll also talk Ionia, to set us up for the great conflict between Persia and Greece.
And we'll have some sweet, sticky halva! Oh, and Santa Claus shows up. Sort of.
Chicken, skewered and grilled, is a classic Persian dish, one that has been cooked for centuries. And it’s magnificent. The key is two-fold: 1) the marinade: a tangy blend of yogurt, lime juice, olive oil and saffron, which does wonderful things to the chunks of chicken breast, and 2) the charcoal grilling, which lends that lovely char that so nicely offsets the tenderness of the meat.
Chicken alone is nice; I like to pair with vegetables like onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Make sure you cook those on different skewers, as they and the chicken take different times to cook.
Above all, you need a starch to go with this, and the best without doubt is the chelo, the rice. It’s officially just a standard steamed basmati rice, but if you do it right, you get this lovely crust (or tah-dig) at the bottom of the pan that is so mind-blowing.
This recipe comes from Azita from the top-notch Persian food blog Turmeric and Saffron (http://turmericsaffron.blogspot.com/).
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, preferably fresh, never frozen, cut into cubes
- 1 medium onion, grated
- 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1.5 teaspoon powdered saffron dissolved in 5-6 tablespoons of hot water, divided in two
- 2 teaspoons salt plus extra for the rice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- A pinch of red pepper powder *optional
- 2 1/2 cups basmati rice
- Butter
- Vegetable oil
STEPS
Start with marinating the chicken (6-8 hours before meal)
- In a bowl, combine the yogurt, onion, olive oil, lime juice, liquid saffron, salt and pepper. Blend well into a smooth mixture, adjust the seasoning with lime juice and salt and pepper.
- Pour the mixture over the chicken in a large bowl, making sure that all the pieces are fully covered with the sauce. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 6-8 hours.
Move to rice (3.5 hours before meal)
- In a large bowl, wash the rice with cool water a few times to get rid of the extra starch and pour the water out. Soak the rice in 8 cups of cool water, add 3 tablespoons of salt and set aside for at least a couple of hours.
- In a large non-stick pot that has a tight fitting lid, bring 8 cups of water to a rapid boil on medium-high heat.
- Drain the soaked rice and pour into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the grains are long soft on the outside and hard in the center. Drain the rice in a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cool water a few times.
- Wash the rice pot with water and and return to heat. Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, 2 tablespoons butter and 1 tablespoon of liquid saffron to the bottom of the pot, move the pan in a circular motion or use a wooden spoon to evenly cover the bottom with oil.
- Remove from heat and with a large spatula return the parboiled rice back into the pot, building it into a pyramid shape away from the sides of the pot.
- In order to release the steam make 4-5 holes in the rice with the handle of the wooden spatula. Place the pot back on the stove on medium-high heat, uncovered.
- Wait about 7-10 minutes or until steam starts coming out of the pot.
- Gently pour 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 cup water and saffron over the rice, cover, lower the heat and steam the rice for an hour. (Here’s a secret: Wrap the lid with a kitchen towel or 2-3 layers of thick paper towels to prevent the moisture from going back in the pot. This is the secret to making a perfect tah-dig.)
As the rice steams, heat the grill and get the chicken ready to go.
- Thread the chicken pieces onto metal skewers, place the skewers on the hot grill and continue grilling until chicken pieces are well cooked.
Involved? Yes. But worth it.
This week’s recipe comes courtesy of Vivek Vasan, our special guest and host of the Historical India podcast. The recipe is based on his mother’s recipe, so you know it’s gotta be good. I haven’t been able to try it yet, mainly because finding many of the ingredients require a special trip to the local South Asian grocery, but I will be trying it soon.
It sounds complex, but each of the four major steps require some rest time, leaving plenty of time to proceed to the next. Start with making the dough, then build the filling while the dough rests. While the litti cooks, you can make the baigan chokha. To bake the chokha, you can bake in a conventional oven, since you’re likely not to have either a Tandoori oven nor to fuel said oven with upla (animal dung). While they bake, chop, sauté and season the eggplant. Then all will be ready.
INGREDIENTS
To make dough:
- Wheat flour - 400 grams (2 cup)
- Ajwain (carom seeds) - ½ Tsp
- Ghee (clarified Butter) -2 Tbsp
- Curd - ¾ Cup
- Baking Soda - ½ Tsp
- Salt - ¾ Tsp
For Stuffing (Pitthi)
- Sattu (roasted black bengal gram flour with the skin retained) - 200 Grams (1 Cup)
- Ginger - 1 Inch Long Piece
- Green Chilli - 2 To 4
- Coriander - ½ Cup, Finely Chopped
- Jeera (Cumin seeds) - 1 Tsp
- Ajwain (Carom seeds) - 1 Tsp
- Mustard Oil - 1tsp
- Pickle Spices (you can add any Indian pickle e.g. You should be able to get Priya Mango or Lime pickle in your local Indian store) - 1 Tbsp
- Lemon Juice - 1 Lemon
- Salt - Add To Taste or 1/2 Tsp
For Chokha – this is one option for the accompaniment - Eggplant or you can try the Potato one
- Brinjal (Big Eggplant) - 400 grams (1 Or 2)
- Tomatoes - 250 gms ( 4 Medium Sized)
- Green Chillies - 2 To 4, Finely Chopped
- Ginger - 1 ½ Inch Long Piece, Finely Chopped
- Coriander - 2 Tbsp, Finely Chopped
- Salt - Add To Taste or 1 Tsp
- Mustard Oil - 1 To 2 Tsp
METHOD
Prepare dough for Litti
- Filter the flour and keep it in a utensil, put Ghee, baking soda, Ajwain (carom seeds) and salt in flour then mix well.
- Beat curd and put it in flour as well.
- Knead soft dough using warm water.
- Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
- Dough required to make Litti is ready.
How to make Stuffing for Litti
- Wash, peel and finely chop ginger (you can also grate it).
- Break the stems of the green chillies, wash then finely chop them.
- Clean green coriander, wash then finely chop the leaves.
- Take out Sattu (Bengal gram flour) in a utensil put chopped ginger, green chillies, coriander, lemon juice, salt, Jeera (cumin) , Ajwain (carom), mustard oil and pickle spices in it.
- Mix all the ingredients properly, if the Pitthi seems dry then add 1-2 spoons of water to it, Sattu Pitthi is ready.
How to make Litti
- Break off medium sized pieces from the dough.
- With the help of your fingers expand the pieces 2-3 inches in diameter.
- Place 1 - 1 ½ tsp Pitthi on it, wrap up the dough piece and close from all sides.
- Press this stuffed pieces to flatten it a bit, Litti is ready for frying.
- Heat the Tandoor(furnace), place the stuffed pieces of dough in the Tandoor and cook it by turning sides regularly till they turn brown (traditionally Litti is cooked on a Upla). - You can stick it in the convection microwave, keep an eye while it’s cooking till the sides are browned on its top and bottom and the dough is hardened. It should take about 20 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius (482 F)
How to make Chokha for Litti
- Wash eggplant and tomatoes then fry them. Allow them to cool, peel the skins, keep them in a bowl and mash with a spoon.
- Put the chopped spices, salt, oil and mix properly.
- Eggplant Chokha is ready.
- If you prefer garlic and onion then peel 5-6 cloves of garlic then finely chop them. Peel 1 onion, chop it finely and mix these with brinjal.
Aaloo (Potato) ka Chokha
- Peel 4-5 boiled potatoes break them into small pieces, add chopped ginger, green chillies, green coriander, red chilli powder and salt to it then mix well. Aaloo ka Chokha is ready.
Serve
- Put Chokha in a bowl, dip hot Litti in melted Ghee, Litti can also be broken at the centre and then dipped. Serve with Chokha, green coriander chutney.
Courtesy of Vivek Vasan
The prince who became an enlightened holy man, the Buddha took India by storm. We'll cover him and his contemporary Mahavira and two kings who followed their teaching while building India's first great empire: Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. It's storytelling time! Vivek Vasan helps out again and shares his mom's litti chokha recipe as we visit Bihar to see the great temple by the Bodhi Tree.
This recipe comes from the excellent Indian Home Cooking, co-written by Suvir Saran, who is a friend of a friend, and who has been personally kind and generous to me for years now. Buy his book(s).
Indian cuisine is fantastic if you are a vegetarian, and one of the hallmarks of typical Indian cooking is dal, or lentils, stewed up and served over rice or with quick-fired bread.
This recipe is great for weeknight dinners. It’s easy, flavorful, a little spicy, and totally good for you. My 10-year-old son loves it. I don’t have mango powder, but I find that the lemon works really well to bring that bit of acidity to balance the turmeric and cumin.
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 3 whole dried red chilies
- 1⁄2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 small garlic cloves, minced or 1⁄8 teaspoon asafetida powder
- 1 cup dried lentils, picked over, washed and drained - I used green lentils, but brown is traditional
- 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
- 1 tablespoon amchur (dried mango powder) or juice of 1 lemon
- 4 cups water
- 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
Steps:
- Combine the oil, cumin, red chiles and turmeric in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add the garlic or asafetida, lentils, cayenne, and mango powder, if using (if using lemon juice instead, stir in at the end), and cook, stirring, 1 minute.
- Add the water and salt, bring to a boil and skim well. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the lentils are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Add more water during cooking if necessary. Taste for salt and add more if you need to.
- Ladle about ½ cup of the lentils into a small bowl and mash them with a spoon. Return the mashed lentils to the pot and give the dal a stir. Then continue cooking at a simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes to thicken.
- If you like a thicker dal, use a whisk to break up the lentils into a puree. If you like a thinner dal, add more water. Stir in the lemon juice, if using. Serve hot.
Try this out with rice - I like to use basmati and to do a pilaf (toasting the rice in cumin-studded oil before rehydrating). I think you’ll enjoy it!
Recipe from: Indian Home Cooking, Suvir Saran and Stephanie Lyness
(I forgot to take a picture - I will next time)
Holiest site in Hinduism, Varanasi's riverside ghats are a swirl of color, faith, life, and death. We discuss the vedas, the great epics, and the development of Indian civilization with Vivek Vasan from the Historical India podcast.
Traditionally, this dish requires carp caught from the Yellow River. You won’t have access to that in all likelihood, so use any good firm mild-flavored fish. Whole fish looks really cool, but if you’re not trying to impress, filets work just as well. Bass, trout, halibut, all would work fine. I used grouper, which worked fantastically well. The recipe is for the whole fish, but cooking a filet is easier.
Basically, score the skin of the fish if you’re using whole fish, coat it with cornstarch and then flash-fry it in a very hot wok. Then drain the oil, and make a simple lightly sweet and vinegary sauce in the wok and serve with rice and veggies. The sauce is not fluorescent orange. The key is the black vinegar. I had never heard of this. It’s a rice-based vinegar, but aged so it becomes dark and umami-rich. It’s kinda like balsamic but more magical, and the way it mingles with the sugar, garlic, scallions and ginger… wow. You can use the sauce on chicken, tofu, pork… I bet it’s really good with strips of lean beef stir-fried. Try it. You will like it.
Ingredients:
Fish:
1 whole or filleted fish (1 1/2 lbs)
1 tsp salt
cornstarch
oil for frying (peanut or vegetable or similar)
Sauce:
2 green onions, chopped fine
2 tbsp fresh ginger, peeled and chopped fine
3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1/4 cup black vinegar
3 tbsp sugar (preferably turbinado)
2 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 chicken stock (unsalted)
1 tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 3 tbsp cold water
Steps:
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then using a sharp knife, score the fish with deep curved angled cuts along both sides. Sprinkle the fish with salt, including within the cuts, and let it sit while you prepare the rest.
- Heat a wok over medium heat until it starts to smoke, then add about 3 inches of oil (which is a lot more than you’d think). Get all your other ingredients next to the stove along with chopsticks and a slotted spoon and a serving platter, lined with paper towels. Be ready because you’ll be moving fast.
- Hold the fish up by the tail so the slashes you made flap open. Coat the fish with cornstarch, including the slashes, then drop a little starch into the oil to determine that it’s hot enough (you’ll want it around 300 degrees F). If the starch bubbles and disappears, you’re ready. Lower the fish headfirst slowly into the oil, letting the slashes open up wide. Adjust the heat if necessary so that the oil is bubbling but the fish is not browning too fast. Ladle hot oil over the fish to ensure even frying. When one side is golden brown, use your spoon and chopsticks to gently turn the fish over. Keep the tail raw for as long as possible, to keep it from breaking off - it cooks very quickly at the end. Once the second side is golden brown, carefully use your spoon and chopsticks to lift it out of the oil and onto your serving platter.
- Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok - pour the excess into a large empty glass jar or two so you can safely dispose of it later. Heat the remaining oil over medium-high high, then add the green onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir them for about 10 seconds to release there aroma, then add the vinegar, sugar, soy sauce and stock. Bring to a boil and adjust seasoning if necessary - probably not needed, but just in case - then stir in the corn starch slurry. As soon as the sauce bubbles, pour it evenly over the fish and garnish with excess scallions (the green parts of the green onions).
- Enjoy with rice and a veg - I sauteed broccolini in sesame oil, but you do you.
Adapted from All Under Heaven: Recipes from the 35 Cuisines of China by Carolyn Phillips
Looming over Confucius' home province of Shandong, Mount Tai is the holiest place in Daoism, which means we can tackle both great philosophies while discussing feudal China and Shandong cuisine.
An incredibly delicious dish of North African origin, shakshuka is eggs poached in tomato sauce, but it’s so much more than that. Brought to Israel by immigrants from Morocco, Tunisia, and Libya, shakshuka has been throughly embraced by Israelis, and it’s easy to see why. I like it as part of the breakfast meal that’s traditionally served at sundown on the day after Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is the fast day in September or October.
Basically, start by sautéing onions and pepper in a cast-iron skillet. Get them brown and even a little charred, then add a bit of garlic. Paprika, cumin, coriander come in. Canned whole tomatoes, mashed up as you cook them. Then whatever else you want: olives, feta, greens, beans, artichokes, whatever.
Once you’ve got a crazy good sauce, use a spoon to make indentations in the sauce and then crack the eggs into those holes. Finish it in a preheated oven until the egg whites are just set. Then Woot! Dig in!
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tablespoons (45ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large red pepper (bell pepper for milder heat, or a hotter variety, such as red horned pepper, chopped
- 1 fresh small hot chili (such as jalapeño, serrano, or Fresno), stems, seeds, and ribs removed, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (15g) sweet Hungarian or smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 tablespoons (10g) ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon (5g) ground coriander
- 1 (28-ounce; 800g) can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by squeezing between your fingers
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Large handful minced cilantro, parsley, or a mix
- 6 eggs
- Crusty bread, for serving
STEPS
- Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet on medium heat. Sauté the onion and peppers. Don’t stir for the first 6 minutes, allowing the veggies to get brown and crispy in parts. I like the texture that the browning gives. Then stir give it another six minutes without stirring Finally, once you have good charred bits, sauté another 4 minutes or so.
- Add the garlic, but only until it softens (30 seconds)
- Throw in the spices, and cook while stirring until you can smell it.
- Immediately add the hand-crushed tomatoes, stir, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add salt, pepper and half of the herbs.
- With a large spoon, make six indentations in the reduced sauce. Crack the eggs and slide them into the indentations. Spoon some sauce onto the whites of the eggs, leaving the yolks visible. Add a little salt onto the eggs, then cover and let simmer for 5-8 minutes, until the whites are barely set and the yolks still runny.
- Definitely serve with crusty bread for dipping, although pita, sourdough, heck anything will do.
Again, play around with this. Once you have the basic down, add other stuff: olives, artichokes, greens, mushrooms, cheese, chorizo, you name it. If this doesn't become your go-to brunch standard, I'll eat my new hipster hat.
Recipe a blend of ideas from www.toriavey.com and www.seriouseats.com
The Jews had been exiled, came back, were exiled again, and have come back again. Through the process they changed a temple into a book, redefining religion. We'll see the Western Wall and talk Israeli breakfasts with Lara Rodin and Noah Lew, and Garry Stephens of the History in the Bible podcast helps us examine the biblical history.
Falafel are crunchy-on-the-outside, fluffy-on-the-inside deep-fried balls of ground chickpeas. They are an essential part of most Middle-Eastern cuisines, and are particularly embraced in Israel - since they are vegetarian, they can be eaten at any meal even if you’re keeping kosher.
Normally, I scour the web and test different recipes to find the right one to share with you. And typically, I make some changes to match my experience. In this case, I am going to direct you straight to a recipe I used that needs no changes or doctoring. This recipe made phenomenal falafels, and I even had success with their accompanying condiments.
So here: http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2016/03/the-food-lab-vegan-experience-best-homemade-falafel-recipe.html
Just make that. Make the tahini and the zhug and get good pitas to go with. But you don’t need the bread.
Tell me this isn’t as good as restaurant-quality falafel. It’s so so so good. And not too difficult.
Near the shores of the salt-saturated Dead Sea, the Israelites wrote the world's most read book. Garry Stephens of the History in the Bible podcast helps us examine historical accuracy, while Lara Rodin and Noah Lew help us visit Israel. Plus falafel!
When you need something sweet and simple, look no further than mahalabia, a “milk pudding” made with just milk, sugar, corn starch, and flavor.
Traditionally, rosewater is the way to go, but if you can find rosewater, you’re better connected than I am. Moroccans go with orange blossom water, but again, that’s not at your local 7-11 either. So if you must, which I did, vanilla works in a pinch, but it’s not a 1:1 trade!
Making mahalabia is super easy, but you have to pay attention. It’s very easy to burn this or not make it thick enough or make it too thick. When I tried making it, it was not thick enough. Ack! But don’t stress too much. Just watch the clues: when it coats the back of your spoon, it’s done.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups Milk, plus 1/2 cup extra
- 1/2 cups Sugar
- 4 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons rosewater (or 2 tsp orange blossom water or 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
STEPS
- Over medium heat, warm milk and sugar to close to boiling. Be sure to stir pretty constantly to keep the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Turn down to low.
- In a side bowl, while the milk/sugar combo is heating up, combine cornstarch and extra milk.
- Add cornstarch mixture to milk, stir and warm until milk mixture thickens and coats the back of your spoon. They say it takes 2 minutes, but I think it’s a bit longer than that.
- Take off the heat, and add rosewater or substitute. Stir and cool in refrigerator until thick and delicious. 3 hours minimum, but the longer the better.
- Consider adding raisins, pistachios, or almonds.
Play around with this - other versions have cardamon as well. Just watch the heat when you’re boiling the milk - you don’t want it to stick or burn. The final consistency ought to be something similar to Greek yogurt.
Ramesses the Great, public relations genius, takes us to Abu Simbel to visit his masterpiece of self-glorification. We talk about his reign and visiting Aswan with Dominic and Jack one last time. Plus ancient graffiti, singing kids on boats, and pudding!
Molokhia
Molokhia is a vegetable, technically the leaves of the jute plant, also called Jew’s Mallow. Jute, like other mallows such as marshmallow (not that marshmallow, but the original plant) and okra, is mucilaginous, which means that it creates a mucus-lke texture when cooked. Molokhia is also the name of a soup which has been enjoyed by Egyptians since pharaonic times. Does the idea of a slimy bright green soup seem appealing? No?
Well, you’ll never know until you try it. So why not give it a try? Molokhia is full of vitamins, and the onion, garlic, coriander and chicken stock will all help make the soup flavorful and delicious. Serve with a side of rice, and you’re good to go. It’s like a bright green chicken gumbo. Really. Molokhia is vague related to okra, and serves a similar purpose.
There are a variety of different recipes for molokhia, but they all have some consistencies. Most start with chicken, but others use rabbit - which was the original, traditional choice - or duck, lamb, or any other meat. Most include using the meat to make the stock for the soup, but honestly, if you’re using chicken, save a step by using one of the fine organic chicken stocks available in most groceries.
Molokhia the vegetable is not something you're going to find in most Western groceries, and outside the Middle East and Asia, you’re not going to find it fresh at all. Word on the interwebs though is that frozen molokhia works very well for this soup, and that should be available at any Middle Eastern grocery, and apparently at some Asian groceries as well.
You really can’t substitute spinach or kale or mustard greens or anything similar. The texture of the jute is important.
I’m basing this recipe on the recipe here: http://myhalalkitchen.com/molokhia/ — Yvonne’s recipe is the best I’ve found so far, but I’m putting coriander back into the mix, because it’s in every other recipe I’ve found, and that feels important.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided into 2
- 1 cup diced yellow onions (about 2 small onions)
- 2 split chicken breasts, skin-on
- 2 tablespoons ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 4 cups Chicken stock (preferably organic/roasted/reduced sodium)
- 2 packages frozen molokhia leaves (jute leaves)
- 8 cloves garlic (chopped - the finer you mince the garlic, the stronger the flavor. This calls for larger chunks, which should be a little more mellow)
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 4 cups prepared white rice (basmati works fine)
STEPS
- In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat the first 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sauté the onions until translucent or slightly browned.
- Season the chicken with salt, pepper and cumin, rubbing the spices into and under the skin.
- Add the chicken and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. Continue to sauté until the chicken is nicely browned on all sides.
- Add the stock and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 35 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and let cool. Once cooled, remove the skin and bones and pull the meat apart so that it’s nicely shredded. Add back to the broth.
- Open up the packages of molokhia and drop directly into the pot. As the molokhia heats up, it will break apart, but you can use your wooden spoon to help this along.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a small sauté pan for the garlic and coriander. Start with the garlic, then after a couple of minutes, add the coriander. Cook until nicely browned, about 5 minutes total, stirring constantly. Watch this - you do not want to burn the garlic or overly toast the coriander.
- Add the garlic and coriander with the oil directly into the soup and stir it up.
- Scoop the rice into soup bowls and serve the soup on top, with fresh lemon on the side.
Play around with this - other versions have cinnamon, paprika, dill and cilantro making appearances. I promise I will try when I get back to my kitchen, and I will update this appropriately.
Thanks to Yvonne Maffei (http://myhalalkitchen.com/molokhia/)
We're sticking around Luxor, Egypt, and crossing the Nile to visit the tombs of the New Kingdom pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings. We discuss Tut and Akhenaten. Plus pigeons! Dominic Perry and Lantern Jack stop by again to share their thoughts and tips.
Om Ali (Egyptian Bread Pudding)
I don’t do a lot of desserts on this podcast, mainly because, well, I don’t know why. I just don’t. Maybe it’s the hassle of baking, maybe it’s that I prefer savory dishes, maybe it’s that desserts aren’t THAT different from place to place? Maybe it’s something deep in my psyche.
Well, I’m bucking the trend today! Om Ali (sometimes spelled Umm Ali) is an Egyptian bread pudding. The name means “Ali’s Mom” and refers to the wife of an Egyptian sultan back in the middle ages. The story is that after the sultan died, Om Ali got into a fight with another of his wives, had her killed, and then gave this succulent dessert to the people of Egypt to celebrate. A weird story, if you ask me. She doesn’t have a name? Just “Ali’s Mom”?
Anyway, the story is awkward, but the dessert is delicious. In its most basic form, it’s layered phyllo dough, crisped in an oven, and then soaked in sweetened milk to make a bread pudding, and then studded with nuts, raisins and such.
That can be delicious, but it’s also possible to make it particularly awesome by adding a couple of small steps.
I’m basing this recipe on the recipe here: http://cleobuttera.com/middle-eastern/best-ever-om-ali-egyptian-bread-pudding/ — When Tasbih claimed that this was “best ever”, I took her at her word.
I’ve changed hers up a little bit, mainly because a) I like the warmth that a little cinnamon, cardamom and vanilla provide and b) I don’t have access to country-style clotted cream, so I thickened up the milk sauce with some extra cream.
There are plenty of other recipes that say those two changes are OK, so I’m comfortable with not being yelled at.
Anyway, try this. It’s so freaking delicious. So so so good.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 package (17.5 oz / 500 g) of frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
- 1 cup / 240 ml sugar, divided in two
- 1 tsp cinnamon, divided in two
- 1/2 tsp cardamom, divided in two
- 4 cups / 1 liter whole milk
- 1/2 cup / 120 ml whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (aka sultanas) (optional)
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios (optional)
STEPS
- Preheat an oven to 200 C / 400 F. Unfold the puff pastry sheets onto a floured surface. Take 1/4 cup of the sugar, and sprinkle it onto the pastry sheets. Do the same with 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon and 1/4 tsp of the cardamom. Use a rolling pin to push the sugar and spices into the dough.
- Fold the bottom sixth of the pastry up. Do the same with the top sixth. Then fold the top and bottom again so that they meet in the middle. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Fold the top onto the bottom one last time. You should have six layers.
- Refrigerate the dough for 20 minutes to firm up.
- Cut the dough into 3/8 inch / 1 cm pieces. Put them onto a baking sheet with plenty of space between. Cook for 6-8 minutes per side - Don’t forget to flip! - then set aside. These lovely cookies are called Lunettes or Palmiers. You can actually enjoy them as is, if you like, but only a couple of more steps will take you to Om Ali brilliance.
- Crumble up 3/4 of the lunettes and put them in a 9’x11’ glass baking dish. Layer on the raisins and the pistachios if you’re using them.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 1/4 cardomom. Add the milk and bring to a rolling simmer. Take it off the heat and add vanilla and cream.
- Pour the milk mixture over the cookies. Let it sit for 10 minutes. While that’s doing, preheat the broiler.
- Put the rest of the cookies, crumbled up, on top of the soaked mixture. Put it under the broiler for about 10 minutes to ensure a crispy golden brown top.
- Enjoy!
Thanks to Tasbih at cleobuttera.com for the brilliant idea of pre-cooking the puff pastry!
We go to Luxor Egypt, ancient capital of the New Kingdom, to visit the great temples of Karnak and Luxor. We discuss Hatshepsut: a fascinating woman who became king. We also talk temple-side fries! Special thanks to Dominic Perry and Lantern Jack.
Most food on Santorini requires the local volcanic soil or crystal blue waters to make it special. While we could make tomatokeftedes, the deep-fried fritters fueled by the phenomenal local tomatoes, so perfect in the volcanic soil, you can’t get Santorini tomatoes where you are, so it would be a pale imitation at best.
Therefore, we’re going with something simple, that you can make with ingredients from your local supermarket. Dakos is translated as “bread salad” but I prefer to think of it as a cheesy Greek bruschetta.
Officially, these are made with barley rusks, which are twice-cooked bread rounds that are approximately as hard as rock. By letting them soak up the tomato juice and olive oil of the marinade, you make the rusks edible. So that’s one way of going, but my version is a pansy American attempt, mainly because I can’t get barley rusks anywhere and I live in a major metropolitan area in the 21st century: I’m guessing if I can’t get ‘em, you can’t get ‘em either.
So yes, this is absolutely not actual dakos. But you know what? It’s amazing. My new favorite thing. It made me love feta for the first time in my life. Eat. It.
INGREDIENTS
- 4 slices of good, rustic country crusty bread
- 4 ripe tomatoes - use heirloom if you can
- 4 tbsp feta cheese - if you can do 2 tbsp feta, 2 tsp mzithra, even better
- 4 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp oregano (Greek or Turkish, not Mexican - there is a difference)
- salt and pepper to taste
STEPS
- Chop the tomatoes. Some recipes call for grating them, but I find that unless you have perfect summer tomatoes, grating loses too much texture and leads to an unsavory mushiness. Put the tomatoes in a large bowl.
- Mix with cheese, olive oil and oregano. Let sit for five minutes for flavors to meld.
- Toast the bread to a golden brown.
- While still hot - which is not at all canon, but I love what the warmth of the bread does to the tomatoes and cheese - top the slices with the mixture.
- Let sit on the bread for a few minutes so the juices soak in. Salt and pepper to taste.
- Enjoy!
NB: The picture does NOT match the recipe. The picture is of ACTUAL dakos, courtesy of wikipedia user Frente. I only remember to take a picture of what I'm cooking something like 20% of the time, which leaves me frantically scrambling and searching the internet like a college freshman. Anyway, you'll note the barley rusk on this picture. Frente also used olives, which you are welcome and encouraged to do - I am weird (as noted in Episode 3: The Statue of Zeus): I don't like olives though I love olive oil. But do as you will.
You would think that something as simple as melted cheese on toast would be fairly straightforward, but there are billions of recipes out there for welsh rarebit. Well, maybe not billions, but quite a lot. Fortunately, Felicity Cloake of the Guardian has gone through virtually all of them (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/oct/27/how-to-cook-perfect-welsh-rarebit) and has found the perfect cheese and toast combo. Read her whole article - it’s fantastic. I’ve made it to serve four, and have switched the cheese to Cheddar, since getting Lancashire cheese can be dicey. I also found a little extra Worcestershire and cayenne pepper added oomph.
But seriously. Eat this. Cymru am byth!!!
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tsp English mustard powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 6 tbsp stout (3/8 cup)
- 4 tbsp butter
- Worcestershire sauce, to taste but at least 2 tsp
- 12 oz cheddar cheese, grated
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 slices bread
STEPS
- Mix the mustard powder with a little stout in the bottom of a small pan to make a paste, then stir in the rest of the stout and add the butter and about 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce – you can always add more later if you like. Heat gently until the butter has melted.
- Tip in the cheese and stir to melt, but do not let the mixture boil. Once smooth, taste for seasoning, then take off the heat and allow to cool until just slightly warm, being careful it doesn't solidify.
- Set your oven to broil, and toast the bread on both sides. Beat the yolks into the warm cheese until smooth, and then spoon on to the toast and broil until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately.
NB: Eat this all at once - the sauce does not reheat well. Mine broke almost immediately when I tried to reheat it for Mrs. Wonders of the World.
(https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/oct/27/how-to-cook-perfect-welsh-rarebit)
The most important piece of afternoon tea is the tea itself, but that is outside the scope of this episode. So instead, let’s focus on the scone, the perfect little pastry at the center of the meal.
This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman in the New York Times (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013297-classic-scones). These are English scones, so why am I using an American recipe? I don’t know - I guess because this was the one which seemed simplest, with ingredients which can be obtained anywhere.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups cake flour, more as needed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 5 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1 egg
- ½ to ¾ cup heavy cream, more for brushing
STEPS
- Heat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 C). Put the flour, salt, baking powder and 2 tablespoons of the sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Using a food processor helps to incorporate the butter thoroughly; you could mix it by hand, but you’ll need to work your fingers in there to make sure the butter gets blended.
- Add the egg and just enough cream to form a slightly sticky dough. If it’s too sticky, add a little flour, but very little; it should still stick a little to your hands.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead once or twice, then press it into a 3/4-inch-thick circle and cut into 2-inch rounds with a biscuit cutter or glass. Put the rounds on an non-greased baking sheet. Gently reshape the leftover dough and cut again. Brush the top of each scone with a bit of cream and sprinkle with a little of the remaining sugar.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the scones are a beautiful golden brown.
- Serve immediately, preferably with clotted cream (lightly salted, high fat butter will do if you don’t have the clotted cream). Be sure to let the butter soften. Then top with preserves: strawberry are traditional, but I had a vanilla chai jam that was outstanding, so do what feels good.
(https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013297-classic-scones)
Picture courtesy of Ibán Yarza via Wikimedia commons
We go to Southwest England to see Stonehenge. We talk about the Neolithic revolution, Wales, Arthur and the Holy Grail, Bath, the Cotswolds, and clotted cream and scones. It's a lot! Thanks to Alexa Echlov and Rooksie Noorai for their help.
Bonus episode - An audio transcript of an interview of Ian, friend of the show and resident of the Northern Territory, in which he describes the heat, the snakes, the beer, and life in the far reaches of Australia's north. Read by Drew.
Since I’m not allowed to cook kangaroo steaks, here’s a recipe for a completely different Australian masterpiece: the pie floater, South Australia’s gift to the culinary world. Imagine if you will: flaky pie crust, filled with seasoned ground meat and vegetables like leeks, carrots, and celery. So sort of like a beef or lamb pot pie. This is then floated in a bowl of bright green pea soup and served with a dollop of tomato sauce on top. Yep. I don’t understand it either.
But let’s try! This is, without question, the best recipe I’ve found. Mainly because it’s the only one that makes each part of the floater individually; many say "Pick up a meat pie at the butcher's" - a silly thing to say when you live in the 99% of countries who don't have meat pie-selling butchers. It also doesn’t require mediocre tomato sauce, because why? I’m translating this from the original Australian English.
INGREDIENTS
Part I:
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1⁄4 cup tomato paste
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups beer (good beer - not Fosters)
- 1 1⁄2 cups chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons Vegemite (use Marmite if Vegemite not available)
- 1⁄4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Part II:
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1⁄2 yellow onion, extra, finely chopped
- 1/4 lb potato, peeled, finely chopped
- 2 cups frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 3 cups chicken stock
Part III:
- 4 sheets frozen butter puff pastry, just thawed
- 1 tablespoon creme fraiche
STEPS
Part I:
Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion. Cook for 5 minutes. Increase heat to high. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the ground beef starts to brown. Add tomato paste and flour. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add beer and stir. Add stock and Vegemite. Simmer for 30 minutes until thickened. Add parsley. Set aside to cool.
Part II:
While the ground meat mixture is simmering, heat remaining oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add extra onion. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes. Add potato, peas, mint and stock. Simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is soft. Cool slightly. Blend with a hand blender.
Part III:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Preheat oven tray on lowest shelf. Use a pizza cutter to cut a disc from the corner of 4 pastry sheets. Ease remaining pastry into four 4-inch (10cm) diameter round springform pans. Divide ground beef mixture among pans. Top each with a pastry disc. Press to seal edges. Trim excess. Cut 2 slits on each pie top. Place on tray. Bake for 15 minutes. Transfer tray to top shelf. Cook for 15 minutes until golden. Return soup to medium-high heat. Add creme fraiche. Simmer until warmed though. Divide soup among 4 bowls. Top with pies.
Adapted from: http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/pie-floaters/19fe25ad-7203-40ce-a4a7-e2f1821e791a
We go to the Northern Territory of Australia to see Uluru, aka Ayers Rock, the world's largest monolith. We'll talk about Aboriginal Australians, snack on bush tucker, and somehow do an entire episode without mentioning AC/DC.
The national dish of Tanzania, if there is one, is ugali, which is basically a very simple form of polenta. You add cornmeal to hot water, cook until it thickens into a solid dough, and then use it to eat with a vegetable stew. When sharing a meal, people will make one big bowl of ugali that everyone can grab pieces that they then dip into their own bowls. To make ugali for four people, first boil 6 cups of water in a large saucepan. Then, slowly pour in 4 cups of cornmeal (as finely ground as you can get), while stirring. Keep stirring - you want it as thick as possible, like thicker than mashed potatoes. Keep cooking and stirring for about 6 minutes. Done. I tried this at home, and I would recommend using the finest cornmeal you can find. I used American corn meal, and it was fine, but I bet if you used masa harina, you will be happy.
Since ugali literally tastes like nothing, the key is to be able to eat it with something delicious. For that the Tanzanians give you mchicha, also known as amaranth, a green that’s a lot like spinach and cooked with garlic, onion and tomatoes, or with peanuts in a coconut curry sauce.
This is simple stuff, and totally doable at home, if you’d like a taste before you go. You’ll want to start with the mchicha, because it takes longer. Since you likely can’t get actual mchicha at your fancy western grocery store, use spinach instead.
Ingredients:
2 lbs spinach (or other green)
1 1⁄2 ounces peanut butter (I used sunflower seed butter for allergy reasons)
1 tomato (It’s winter, so I used half a can)
1 onion
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup coconut milk
3 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
Chop the onion and sauté it in the butter over medium heat. Add the tomato and curry powder, stir and let it cook for five minutes or until the onion is soft. Then add the peanut butter and coconut milk, stirring well to combine. Make sure it’s all integrated.
Bring back up to a boil and let it simmer, reducing until the sauce is on the thick side. Then add your greens - they will cook down quickly. Thicker greens will take longer. I used baby spinach, and it was done before you could say Ngorongoro. Next time, I'd try something more robust like chard or kale. Season to taste and spoon over the ugali (or rice if you prefer).
A simple, healthy Tanzanian meal. Just like our great great great great great …. you get the idea… grandfathers might have made. Except that not really, since cornmeal comes from the Americas, but you get the idea.
We're off to Tanzania, to see Earth's largest unfilled caldera: Ngorongoro Crater. We'll also discuss nearby Oldupai Gorge and the evolution of man. Special guest Michelle Jones talks about her trip to Tanzania. We eat ugali and mchicha.
This episode, we visit Alexandria, Egypt, at its peak, as we check out the Lighthouse (or Pharos) and the Great Library. We'll enjoy some ful medames, and talk Ptolemy. Plus science!
So what do you eat while you’re enjoying the sunshine, beaches, shopping, art and architecture of Rhodes? That’s tricky, since Rhodes has all the great Greek masterpieces available, but one thing that is truly Rhodian is pitaroudia. Pitaroudia are big, fluffy chickpea fritters. Think falafel, but irregularly shaped, and mixed with tomatoes, mint, and onions, so a different flavor profile. So while you have your fish and souvlaki and spanakopita and everything else, make sure to try Rhodes’ national dish.
Here’s how.
Ingredients:
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups onions, very finely chopped
2 tomatoes, grated
1/4 cup mint, finely chopped
1 tsp cumin (optional)
salt and pepper
olive oil to fry (NOT extra virgin)
Most recipes will tell you to start with dried chickpeas, which you have to soak overnight and then boil for a couple of hours. Look. You’re busy. And they make some very high quality canned chickpeas. The foodies tell me there’s a difference, but honestly, with chickpeas, I can’t tell it. So make it easy on yourself. Start with two good cans of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, and grind them in a food processor until they’re coarsely ground and kind of mealy.
Then in a big bowl, mix them with 1 and 1/2 cups of very finely chopped onion, 2 medium grated tomatoes - yes grated. It’s a mess, but you want flavor and texture without chunks - 1/4 cup finely chopped mint, and salt and pepper to taste. If you like (and I do), throw in a teaspoon of cumin as well. Then add just enough flour to make a dough that will allow you to make patties that won’t fall apart, approximately 2-3 tablespoons.
Spread more flour onto a large plate and warm up about a quarter inch of oil in a large heavy skillet. This is frying, so don’t use extra-virgin olive oil. Use a frying olive oil with a higher smoke point. If you don’t have olive, use canola or vegetable, but the high smoke point is key. Form a patty in your hands with about 2 tablespoons of the dough, dredge it lightly in flour and fry until golden, flipping once to cook on both sides. You can do a few at a time, but not too many - crowding the pan will lower the temperature of the oil and make them greasy. Remove and drain on paper towels. If you need to add more oil, be sure to let it get fully hot before adding more patties. Serve with a tzatziki dip. Yum.
Adapted from: http://www.dianekochilas.com/chick-pea-fritters-from-rhodes-pitaroudia/
It's big! It's bronze! This week, we'll head to the Greek island of Rhodes, and hear them undergo two separate sieges, one of which led to the mighty and short-lived Colossus. We'll also sample some classic Rhodian food with all the garlic that implies.
Bonus Episode! Turns out there were two Artemisias. In this bonus episode, we take a look at Artemisia the First of Halicarnassus, who was a naval commander in the Persian War at the Battle of Salamis. I'll let our old pal Herodotus explain more.
Kiliç Şiş
Swordfish kabobs can be done with any meaty fish if you don’t have swordfish handy. Tuna would work. So would halibut or mahi mahi, probably.
Ingredients:
1.25 lbs swordfish (or similar), cut in 1-inch cubes
24 Turkish bay leaves
2 lemons, cut into 8 wedges each, + 1/2 for juicing
2 red onions, quartered
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp crushed Aleppo peppers
salt & fresh ground black pepper
Prepare a charcoal grill to high heat.
Mix the final three ingredients plus the juice of the half-lemon. Let the fish marinate for 10-15 minutes. While it’s marinating, let the bay leaves sit in warm water for 15 minutes to rehydrate.
Thread fish onto skewers, alternating with bay leaves and onion and lemon wedges. Cook over high heat until the fish is cooked through and the onion and lemon get a little charred.
The key to doing this right is threefold: first, don’t overmarinate. I do this way too often, but the acidity starts to “cook” the fish if you leave it too long. So keep to to 15 minutes tops. I’d use maybe a couple of tablespoons of good olive oil plus the juice of half a lemon, maybe a teaspoon of red pepper flakes - use aleppo peppers if you can get them, and some salt and pepper. Really basic. Slice your swordfish or mani or whatever into biggish chunks, marinate them, and thread them onto a skewer.
Tip two: alternate the fish on the skewer with aromatics: onion slices, peppers, lemon wedges, and most importantly, rehydrated bay leaves. This is huge. Just soak some bay leaves in warm water for 15 minutes. The flavor boost is intense.
The third tip is to grill over charcoal. I’m a gas guy because I have kids and very little time to set a fire ahead of time, but if you want maximum flavor, you’re going to want to use charcoal. The smoke helps boost the power of those aromatic veggies and bay leaves. Oh, and use an extra skewer for more veggies: tomatoes, onions, peppers.
Unskewer them over a bed of rice pilaf and enjoy!
Here’s where I adapted this recipe from: http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/swordfish-kebabs-with-lemon-and-bay-leaves
And here’s a recipe for awesome rice pilaf: http://www.howtocookeverything.com/recipes/rice-pilaf-seven-ways
This episode, we're heading down the Turkish Coast to Bodrum, formerly called Halicarnassus and home of the long-lost Mausoleum, symbol of should-have-been-forbidden love. We'll also check out the thermal springs at Pamukkale and eat swordfish kebabs!
This week, we sail to Turkey to visit the great temple of Artemis in Ephesus, which at its peak was one of the world's largest and richest cities. Since the temple is gone, we'll tour the ruined city and eat a seafood feast.
To start with, try the stuffed mussels, or midye dolma, which is our recipe of the week. I found this recipe at http://ozlemsturkishtable.com/2015/06/homemade-stuffed-mussels-with-aromatic-rice-midye-dolma
Ingredients:
- 25 - 30 large black mussels, cleaned and bearded
- 2 medium to large onions, finely chopped
- 1 oz. currants
- 1 oz. pine nuts
- ½ cup short grain rice
- 1 tomato, very finely chopped
- Handful (about ⅓ cup) finely chopped flat leaf parsley
- Handful (about ⅓ cup) finely chopped fresh dill
- 1 tbsp. tomato paste
- 1 – 2 tsp ground black pepper
- ½ tsp. red pepper flakes or chili flakes
- 5 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 cup hot water
- Salt to taste
- Lemon wedges to serve
We start with the stuffing. Soak the dried currants in warm water for 15 minutes to rehydrate them. While they rest, rinse the short-grain rice under cold water, then drain and set aside. Drain the currants and put them aside as well.
Sauté the onions in a 1/4 cup of olive oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Then add an ounce of pine nuts and stir frequently for 3 minutes. After that, add the rice, the currants, a very finely chopped tomato, the tomato paste, freshly ground black pepper, cinnamon and salt to taste. spices and season with salt to your taste. Pour in a cup of hot water and stir it all together. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, until all the liquid has been absorbed. At this point, the rice should still have a bit of a bite. Remove from heat and add a handful of chopped parsley and a handful of chopped dill. You can make the rice a day ahead of time, which would help the flavors develop.
Now for the mussels. Mussels seems really daunting, but they’re not that difficult. Put 25-30 large mussels in a big bowl and rinse under cold water. Scrub the shells clean, scraping off any dirt that may linger. I find at this point that soaking the mussels in warm water for 15 minutes helps relax them, which makes opening them easier. Use the point of a thin knife to cut around the edges of the two halves of the shell. Open them, but don’t separate the two halves.
Pour the juice from each mussel to a bowl. Then, clean them by removing any beards or debris that is still attached. Any mussels that smell funny or are open before you start to clean them should be thrown away. Once the mussels are cleaned and cut, scoop about 2 tsp. of stuffing into each mussel (trying not to overfill) and push the half shells together again.
Place the mussels side-by-side on a wide heavy pan, but do not layer them. If you need another pan, that’s fine, but use a single layer of mussels only.
Strain the mussel juice to remove any solids. Add the juice to enough water to fill one cup and pour this over the mussels. It should only cover them about halfway. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the mussels from the heat and leave to rest so the rice soaks up all the water. These are traditionally served cold, but I like them warm. If you like sweet, succulent, salty, savory, this is for you.
This week, it's off to Greece's Peloponnese peninsula, to visit Olympia, home of the Statue of Zeus and the original Olympic Games. We'll also take a side trip to Sparta and seek out that most Greek of healthy fats: olive oil.
This is a recipe for tepsi, a layered baked casserole dish from Iraq, which I'm borrowing from someone who borrowed it from someone else. Not overly spiced, but frying the components and baking the final dish gives the flavors a chance to intensify.
Ingredients:
- 2 large eggplants
- 2 large tomatoes
- 1 large onion
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1⁄3 kg ground beef
- 2 medium potatoes
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- pepper
- salt
- corn oil
Directions:
- Peel the eggplant in wide stripes and remove stems. Cut the eggplant into rounds about 1" thick.
- Peel and slice the potatoes into 1" thick round slices, set aside. Slice the onions the same way. Peel the garlic and crush it using one of those little garlic contraptions. Slice the tomatoes.
- Heat about 1/2 cup of oil in a non-stick pan and fry the eggplant slices until each piece is light golden. In the same oil, lightly fry the potatoes- they don't have to cook all the way through. Set aside. In the same pan, fry the onion, and set aside. Drain the fried pieces on some paper towels.
- Mix the ground beef, half of the crushed garlic and salt and pepper to taste. Make small meatballs and fry them. Set aside.
- Mix about 2 1/2 cups of water with 3 tablespoons of tomato paste, the remainder of the crushed garlic, salt (about 3 teaspoons), and pepper (preferably white pepper) and -- you guessed it -- set aside.
- In a baking dish, arrange the eggplant pieces so they slightly overlap (do 2nd layer if necessary.) On top of the eggplant, arrange the potato slices, then the onion, then the slices of tomato on the very top. Arrange the meatballs in between the tomato slices, spreading them evenly. Pour the tomato paste mixture on top of all of this. Arrange the meatballs in between the tomato slices, spreading them evenly.
- Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170-180 c, for 45-60 mins, be careful not to burn --
- This dish is served with Basmati rice or any other kind of rice -- we prefer Basmati or 'Ammbar'.
Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-iraqi-casserole-tepsi-baytinijan-288850
I found this recipe on the web, written by someone named Hans buried in the answers for a random Yahoo answers question. That's all I know about him, but this seems the best I've found. If you follow this, you'll have far more rice than you'll need, but that's OK, since you can use that for other purposes. The paprika sauce burns very quickly, so be careful with that.
From Hans (https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060818040742AAjmWks#ya-oac):
A typical Egyptian street Koshary dish is combined of 6 layers of ingredients served on top of each other in a deep plate not mixed. You then have the option to add two sauces that are served on the side, mix your plate..and DIG-IN
So in total we are talking about 8 components for an authentic Koshary meal, which you can mostly prepare the day before.
Please find some tips at the end to make your Koshary compete with the best restaurant in Egypt!!! Promise
From Bottom up, the 6 layers of the koshary dish are:
1 Pasta
2 Rice with Vermicelli noodles
3 Boiled lentils
4 Tomato Sauce with Garlic
5 Fried onions
6 Chickpeas
the two sauces served on the side are:
Hot Paprika Sauce
Garlic lemon sauce
Following is simple recipes for each of these components:
for 4 persons
PASTA 250 gms
Use the smallest "Penne" you can find for this recipe, the perfect pasta is called "Ditanlini", which is a short straight tube no longer than 1/4 inch. Boil the pasta, sieve it and mix it with 1 table spoon of oil and 1/2 tsp salt.
Rice (1 1/2 cup) with Vermicelli noodles(1/4 cup)
In a pot, stir fry the Vermicelli in 1 spoon of oil until dark brown, add the washed rice, stir for two minutes. Add 2 cups of boiling water, salt and paper. put on very low heat and cover for 20 minutes.
Boiled lentils (1 cup) -can be prepared the day before and heated in the microwave before serving.
Use Black or green whole lentils for this recipe. Boil the lentils in 4 cups of water, strain and season with salt and pepper.
Tomato Sauce with Garlic - can be prepared the day before and heated before serving
Stir-fry 1 minced onion with two garlic cloves in a pot with one spoon of oil. When yellow, add two cans of whole tomatoes or 1 KG of fresh ripe tomatoes cut to small pieces. Add a cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes. Blend the sauce until smooth and put back on heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Salt + pepper
Fried onions - can be prepared the day before.
This is the most annoying part of making a Koshary, because of the smell that fills the house when frying the onions. You may find in a Chinese Deli ready fried onions that can serve well for this recipe. just mix 1 cup of it with 1 spoon oil, 3 spoons water and 1/2 tsp salt. microwave for 2 minutes and here you go.
If you want to be authentic (recommended) cut two large onions very small, season with 1/2 tsp of salt and mix well to separate the onion. Fry in the widest pan you have in 1/4 cup of hot oil , keep stirring until very dark brown. Almost black. Pick the now fluffy and crunchy fried onions to absorbent paper. Don't get rid of the remaining oil - see my tips
Chickpeas - the easiest part of the recipe -
buy a can of chickpeas, open it and rinse it under running water!!!!
Hot paprika Sauce - can be prepared the day before no heating needed.
heat 3 spoons of oil in a small pan, remove from heat, mix two spoons of hot Paprika , add 3 spoons of tomato sauce which you already prepared. serve in a small bowl on the side
Garlic Lemon Sauce - again ..prepare the day before...
Mix 3 minced garlic cloves with 1/8 cup white vinegar, 1 big lemon juice, 1 tsp cumin powder and 1 tsp coriander powder.
Tips:
Do not use Olive oil for this recipe, it will change the taste
Use the oil you used for frying the onions to mix with the Pasta.
We travel to Babylon in Iraq, to search for the elusive remains of Nebuchadnezzar's Hanging Gardens, which might have not have been his at all. We'll also try masguf and tepsi, Iraqi specialties which have been enjoyed for centuries.
We start our trip around the world in Giza, Egypt, to see the Great Pyramid. We'll talk about how pyramids came to be and how a prince used the Sphinx to build legitimacy, and we'll eat koshari, the veg-friendly national dish.