Weekend of cooking for the joy of cooking

Attended a used book sale last year and picked up a vintage cookbook of United Nations recipes. Contains a lot of really cool international recipes (including from a number of countries that no longer exist!) and foreword notes to Americans encouraging them to broaden their tastebud horizons.

Friday night I made Saudi Arabian cabbage rolls from the UN book. (Actually, there were cabbage roll recipes from at least 6 countries.) Paired it with falafel balls from mix (would make from scratch next time), dill cucumber yogurt salad, and a carmelized onion - tahini spread that is a recreation of one of my favorite snacks from Arabian Breeze. I am completely in love with their veggie mezza platter. Made a very popular meal, especially the cabbage rolls!

Saturday night a friend and I paired up to make a chicken pineapple thai curry, as adapted from a curry recipe in the book. The recipe calls for us to make our own coconut milk, which was a highly entertaining experience that I am glad I tried once but will not attempt again. Broke a cleaver trying to get the coconuts open. We ground our own curry spices in our molcajete, and cut fresh pineapple for the curry. Paired it with jasmine rice steeped with whole cinnamon and cloves. Diverted enough pineapple and coconut milk to make the best damned pina coladas I’ve ever had in my life. Three and half hours to create not counting the hour or so spent wandering the aisles at Fubonn and admiring their selection of pig snout and duck feet.