here we go steelers

What’s black and gold and all kinds of awesome? You better believe it’s the Steelers, making yet another appearance at this year’s Super Bowl.  Now please understand that I do not watch football. It’s long and has weird rules and the commentary is nonsensical. However, I do watch the Steelers. There is something inherently charming, winsome, and generally watchable about them that trumps any kind of boredom or confusion that I have about football in general.  Watching Hines Ward or Troy Polamalu play is like watching some crazy kids go nuts having fun with their friends out on the field – and then making some ridiculously amazing plays while they’re at it. So, you may guess for whom I’ll be rooting for come Sunday.

If you’re watching the game and are not in the ‘Burgh to celebrate with the rest of the Steeler nation, you can still bring some black and gold cheer to your own Super Bowl party. Sure, the traditional eats are brats and kielbasa, but what if you’re….uh, meat-challenged? If you were smart, you would’ve pre-ordered your Fed Ex shipment of Steeltown’s BEST: Mineo’s pizza (oh yes, they deliver!) or you could hunker down with a big ol’ plate of pierogies in truly yinzer style.  Add to your display of pride with this super easy black and gold salad recipe below.  It goes well with meat or veggies and is sweetly tangy.  For the sweet touchdown finale, you can have Prantl’s Bakery ship you their famous burnt almond torte (or make your own substitute, although the bakery doesn’t give out the real recipe).  For the less kitchen-inclined, just pickup a variety of good old fashioned Klondike bars: the distinctly American treat originated in Pittsburgh.  Don’t forget to wash everything down with a nice cold Iron (that’s Iron City beer) or a Penn Pilsner.  Go Steelers!

Black and Gold Salad

Betsy Miller

2 15.5-oz cans of black beans, drained and rinsed well

2 cups cooked whole kernel corn

1 cup tomato, chopped and seededbv

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/2 cup diced pepper (yellow looks best!)

1/2 cup sliced green onions

4 teaspoons lime juice

4 teaspoons olive oil

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon ground cumin

chili powder to taste

hot sauce or chopped jalapenos to taste (optional)

Combine all ingredients and let sit at least several hours (overnight is best). Serve at room temperature.

Serves 10 to 12

bengali bazaars

Winter in Bangladesh means harvest season for vegetables – and the markets are bursting with the fresh bounty of the fertile lands. As we traveled through the countryside in the North, we passed perfectly neat square fields of squash, spinach, and eggplant.  A meal in the village is pretty much from the earth straight to your plate.  Back in Dhaka, a trip to the muddy, rowdy fish market offered a glimpse into a staple of the Bengali diet. Bangladesh is basically a giant delta where massive rivers from the Himalayas meet the clear blue Indian ocean at the Bay of Bengal.  As a result, all kinds of fish large and small, as well as the famous prawns, are a part of most meals.

in the village, a sea of cauliflower at the wholesale market

eggplant straight from the fields

tidy plots of veggies and rice

spring onions bundled for delivery

and off to market the shallots go

packing up the morning's cabbage

before it is packed, here's how it arrives from the farm

Bogra is famous for its new potatoes

curry 101: ginger, garlic, chilies, shallots

across the street from the wholesale market, you can buy all the veggies you need

get a couple of kilos of rice

from giant piles

or free range eggs

in the city, the fish market is bustling early in the morning as the catch comes in

so many types...

...that I don't even know all their names

get your fish cut expertly on the bonti - a long flatcurved blade mounted on wood

if you can't get to the market, it comes to your door

finally, sweet plantain-like bananas and coconut

I hope you enjoyed this brief journey through the delicious markets of Bangladesh, and I will not soon forget the memories, the aromas and the people.

Click here for part one of photo-journaling through Bangladesh.

food journal – bangladesh

We recently returned from a visit Bangladesh where we were able to travel a bit around the country.  I have so many food-related memories of that country, from the abundance of vegetables over the winter harvest, to the funky tropical fruits, and the homemade-with-love specialties. Bangladeshi food is similar to north Indian food, but with more of a focus on fish and vegetables than meat or dairy. Here, a photo journal of our travels:

We took a bus from Dhaka to Khulna,  where we boarded a riverboat to travel to the Sundarban mangrove forest.

passing by fields of mustard

this street vendor has everything handy to make jhaal moori: puffed rice with chilies, tomatoes, onions and mustard oil

as the bus waits for the ferry, a vendor offers fresh young coconut

a passenger drinks the sweet, refreshing coconut water

making fresh sugar cane juice

yummy fresh parathas (fried bread) and eggs right off the hot griddle

oranges on the ferry

in khulna, a giant statue of prawn

on board our boat, veggies for our lunch and dinner

rolling down the river eating spinach curry, potatoes and cauliflower, and fresh fried fish

grinding an aromatic masala including cloves and coriander

for breakfast, a light squash curry and flaky luchi bread

sliced starfruit with salt

bangladeshi prawn - not your typical shrimpy shrimp

uniquely bengali food - pakhan pitha, a syrupy and crispy fried cake

the thorns of a date tree are used to make the intricate designs

no bengali meal is complete without dessert. here, thick sweetened homemade yogurt stacked in clay pots

we couldn't decide at the sweets store, so we chose one of each!

Phew! That’s plenty for one post. Next time, I’ll show you some photos from visiting the markets in the countryside.

new year, new coco

So I have been a bit MIA – travel, bored, uninspired. But it’s a new year, and tomorrow, a new hope – as all eyes will be on DC for the inauguration of Barack Obama.  Who isn’t swept up in this whirlwind of excitement when history will be made? I know our household is pretty stoked, and rather than weather the freezing masses in DC, we plan to watch it all unfold in a toasty home with some good eats. We’ll be making Chicago-style deep-dish pizza, a nod to one of the culinary accomplishments of the city that sends us their own Mr. Smith.  And for dessert, I was inspired by Obama’s childhood in Hawaii for a cake full of tropical flavor.  So for a sweet ending to a memorable election, here is a luscious coconut cake – moist, fluffy and rich – that looks and tastes just as I imagine a bite out of cloud nine would.

Coconut Layer Cake

Bon Appétit, December 1999

2 and 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

4 large eggs, separated

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup buttermilk

4 cups of sweetened shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch cake pans. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter and cream of coconut in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla extract. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients and then buttermilk, each just until blended.

Using clean dry beaters, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold beaten egg whites into batter.

Divide cake batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool.

Coconut Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Bon Appétit, April 2003

2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature

1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1/2 cup canned sweetened cream of coconut (not coconut milk)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond or coconut extract (optional)

Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar, then cream of coconut and both extracts. Chill until firm enough to spread, about 30 minutes.

Frost top of one layer of cake, top with coconut to cover.  Place second cake on top and frost generously on top and all sides. Top with coconut and press coconut into sides.