RECIPES

If you already have your copy of Female Nomad and Friends, you don't need these recipes; they are in the book. But before you leave this page, do scroll down to see a photo of me having a meal with some friends.

For those of you who live out of the U.S., it's possible that your books will not arrive in time for your dinner party, so we've gotten permission from the publisher to include here five recipes from the book. You are, of course, welcome to cook whatever you like...but these are simple and delicious and you might want to try something new. I figure if you're joining our Global Dinner Party, you're probably the adventurous sort!! There are many more recipes in the book. If you haven't ordered it yet, hurry. There's still time for most of you.

 

For a starter:

CURRIED CARROT SOUP

Adapted from a recipe sent by Adrienne Jury

Serves six to eight

 

1 tablespoon butter

2 medium onions, sliced

10 carrots, cut into ½ inch slices (about 6 cups sliced carrots)

1 to 2 tablespoons curry powder, to taste

2 tablespoons powdered chicken stock

3 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

2 tablespoons applesauce (optional)

2 tablespoons fresh dill, snipped

2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

1/2 cup low-fat sour cream

 

Sauté onion in butter for five minutes.

Add carrot slices, curry powder, chicken stock, and water.

Simmer until carrots are soft.

Add more water if necessary in ½ cup increments.  (Generally, you will need 3 cups more)

Add salt and pepper and adjust for taste.

 

Blend.

 

Serve with fresh dill, mint, and sour cream.

 

 

I’m always sorry I didn’t make more. There’s never enough left over. Next time I’m going to double the recipe. I pass the herbs and sour cream at the table in separate little dishes.

 

Some powdered chicken stock is quite salty.  Check ahead of time.  The caldo de pollo I use in Mexico often substitutes for salt.  I use less than 2 tablespoons powder and add no additional salt.  At one of the tastings, Jean (our illustrator) made a batch of applesauce and set it out with the herbs and sour cream.  People put big dollops of the applesauce in the soup.  The curry and the applesauce provide a very different but wonderful taste.  

 

A choice of main courses:

CHARRED SUGAR-CRUSTED SALMON

Adapted from the Alaska Seafood Website

Serves 4 -6 as a main course

 

4 tablespoons sugar (2 brown and 2 white)

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon paprika

¾ tablespoon - 1 tablespoon sea salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

½ teaspoon dry mustard

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

 

The amount of dry rub here is more than you need for the recipe.  Store the extra in a tightly closed container.   Not only is it delicious on salmon fillets but the rub can be used on beef or slices of chicken breast before grilling.

 

4 – 6 skinless salmon fillets (4-6 ounces each) 

⅓  to   ½ cup Dijon-style mustard

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

 

Brush one side of salmon fillets with mustard. 

Pat on a generous amount of rub.

Heat oil in cast iron skillet or heavy-duty pan at high heat. 

Cook seasoned side down for 2 minutes on one side until charred. 

If desired, smear a little more of the coating on the uncoated side.  Turn fillets over, reduce heat to medium, and continue cooking 4 – 6  minutes more until fish is done the way you like it. 

 

Serve with lemon or lime wedges.

 

This can be served as a main course or cut into pieces with a sharp knife and served as an appetizer on toothpicks. .  The salmon fillets can also be cooked under a very hot broiler.  Put fillets on aluminum foil and set broiler tray 2” from flame.  Cook without turning.  The rub becomes crusty and blackened.   ma

 

 

OR

Ginger-Cumin Roasted Chicken

 

Adapted from a recipe by Karine Bakhoum

SERVE S 4 TO 6

 

2 small chickens or one large chicken

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 tablespoon grated ginger

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 tablespoons cumin

½ lime, juiced

2 tangerines, cut in half and seeded (2 to 3 oranges,

depending on juice content, can be substituted

for tangerines)

24 large cloves garlic, inner skins left on

½ cup cognac (optional) or ¼ cup water

1 cup pitted Kalamata olives

3 rosemary sprigs (for garnish)

 

Preheat oven to 475°F.

Place the chicken in a large roasting pan, and rub with olive

oil, letting the oil coat the bottom of the pan. Season with

salt and pepper.

Combine the ginger, cayenne pepper, cumin, lime juice, and

juice of ½ tangerine in a small bowl to make a paste.

Pat the paste evenly over the chicken.

Scatter the garlic cloves around the chicken, mix with the oil

on the bottom of the pan, and place the pan in the oven.

After 15 minutes, squeeze ½ tangerine over the chicken and

return to oven at the same temperature for another 15

minutes.

After the second 15 minutes, squeeze another ½ tangerine on

top, and reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Bake 20 minutes, then add the cognac and olives to the pan.

If not using cognac, add ¼ cup water and squeeze the remaining

½ tangerine over the chicken. Brush with the

juice from the bottom of the pan, and bake another 10

minutes.

Place on a serving platter. Scatter the olives and whole garlic

around the chicken. Pour the pan juices on top. Garnish

with the rosemary sprigs.

¤Sometimes the pan juices evaporate too quickly, and I add a

few extra tablespoons of tangerine or orange juice along the

way. I also brush the chicken with the flavored pan juices each

time I baste with the tangerine juice. The chicken skin gets pretty

dark— but it’s delicious. I usually skip the cognac; it’s still great.

This is an easy and delicious way to entertain. Once I added Dijon

mustard to the ginger mix. It was a little different but still wonderful.

I like this with spinach or asparagus and buttery mashed

potatoes.

¤For the garlic lover, more garlic cloves can be added. The

garlic roasts to a soft consistency and can be popped out of its

blackened skin easily. It’s wonderful. Don’t omit the olives. They

are an important addition to the dish. A large chicken will take

longer to cook than two small ones. Make sure the internal temperature

of the chicken is 165°F. For just two people, two thigh/

drumsticks or a chicken half can be roasted instead of the whole

chicken. The chicken is often served with couscous.

A Salad/Vegetable

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SALAD FROM THE SEYCHELLES.
Adapted from a recipe by Sandra Hanks Benoiton

Serves 4 - 6

 

Marinade

 

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup apple juice

1/3 cup white wine or rice vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar (or less to taste)

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon pepper

1 medium sweet onion

1 medium butternut squash

 

Combine olive oil, apple juice, wine or vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

Slice onion very thinly and add to bowl.

Marinate overnight in refrigerator.

 

Peel one medium butternut squash and cut into one-inch cubes.

Place squash in saucepan, cover with water, and boil until just tender.

Remove squash from hot water while it’s still a little firm. Stop the cooking with cold water.

Allow to cool.

 

Drain squash and arrange on a plate. Top with marinated onion slices and pour half the marinade on the squash. Chill.  Can be kept in refrigerator overnight to increase the flavor.

Add remaining dressing just before serving.

 

Be careful not to overcook the squash. It’s best if it still has a little bite to it.

Serve with curries, roasts, steak….well, just about anything. rg

 

Butternut squash is simply not found in Mexico so I replaced the squash with chayote  ̶  a wonderful stable in this part of the woods.  It worked great. I liked the dressing made with a little less sugar and found that the taste was enhanced by letting the squash sit overnight in the dressing in the refrigerator.  If a stronger taste is desired, pour the dressing on the drained squash while it is still warm.  ma

 

Dessert

SWEDISH KLADDKAKA

A recipe from Åsa Bradley

Serves 6 - 8

 

5 ounces butter, melted

2 ½ cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup flour

Zest of ½ orange

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Grease a round spring-form cake pan.

Put some baking paper on the bottom.

 

Mix butter and sugar to a crumbly paste.

Add eggs and vanilla extract and beat on highest setting.

Add cocoa powder, flour, and orange zest. Beat on medium setting.

The batter will be very thick.

 

Pour into spring-form cake pan and bake in 350 degree oven for 35-45 minutes.  The cake should be moist in the middle when finished.

 

Let cake cool a bit, remove it from pan to platter and then sift a thin layer of sugar over it.

It’s ready to serve.

 

It seems like too much sugar, but the outside becomes wonderfully crunchy and the inside remains moist. Less sugar works but it doesn’t crunch as well. 

 

 

Of course, there's no rule that says you can't cook these before the 18th of June. You might want to try them first....and fool around with the recipes.

We didn't include a starch. Rice is always good, and there are a lot of people and animals in the world who love it. Yes, that is I in the picture, about twenty years ago. If you know the Nomad book, it's in Borneo, of course. The little yellow bits are bananas.

 

The text below is going out to cookbook clubs from the publisher along with the first chapter and the carrot soup recipe.