2 May 2011 Dinner News – Abbottabad, Pakistan

Grab a roti or two and enjoy a spicy meal in the green foothills of Pakistan.

Like our own West Point, the main Army training college of Pakistan is located in a lush green rural suburb of a major metropolitan area. The images flooding the news tonight show one neighborhood in one district and there is much more to the people of Abbottabad.  The food offerings are internationally diverse and provide for everything from pizza delivery to fine French dining.

Tonight we take another look at the cuisine of Pakistan (28 March Dinner News – Pakistan & India) with an eye toward the cultural imports rather than just neighboring similarities.

The Menu

Islamabad and it’s suburbs are very commercialized areas.  Driving through the restaurant district you would be greeted by Kentucky Fried Chicken, Subway, and a variety of local Chinese and Italian locations. The native cuisine has the influence of vibrant fruits and spices with the dominance of chicken a whole wheat in this region.

Entree

Chicken Karahi – Fresh ginger and green chilies create a unique taste from other chicken dishes with garam masala.

Murgh Mussallam – Yogurt marinade is topped off with a rub of fried spices before a whole chicken is baked in the oven inside of a foil packet.

 

Fishy Friday Dinner News – Good Friday Fish Pie

Individual Mariner Pies to start the Easter weekend.

Today we are swimming up-stream to finish Lent with a Mariner Pie twist to Shepherd Pie. To avoid a Maudy meal I made the Fish Pie from 21 April 2011 Dinner News – Holy Gründonnerstag Food Fest with some adaptations to a more British take on savory “pie.”

Ingredients

Break Down

Poach

 

16 March 2011 Dinner News – East Coast of Libya

Battle Wages On
Explanations Become Tough

Enjoy the spices and creativity of Libya with Hraimeh and rice

The Meal

With all of this diversity there are many options for celebrating the culture of the eastern coast at your dinner table.  Restaurants in this area offer fantastic classic Italian and Turkish cuisine while lamb is the protein of choice with couscous the national side and dates for a sweet dessert :

Entree

Charouf bil Pisselli o Chedra – Lamb with Kishke and Peas

Couscous bil Hoot – Couscous with fish

Hraimeh – Fish poached in a spicy gravy

Side Dish

Kara’a – Spiced Pumpkin Dip

Lentil and Spinach Salad With Onion, Cumin and Garlic

Shakshuka – Eggs poached in tomato, a dish claimed by many cultures and explained in the opening of this post.

Dessert

Safra – Sweet semolina and date cake.

Zemmeetah – Boiled and roasted barley served with sugar and or dates.

Halawah bil-Fawaak – MIxed fruit with honey.

Al Batheeth – Date Candy

The View

The 8 March 2011 Dinner News post covered some of the culture and food of Southern Libya. The beautiful coastal region provides a window to a rich past:

Ajdabiya

Take a virtual tour of the ancient Fatimid palace, mosque, and fortress, along with the colonial buildings built by the Italians during their occupation:

Ajdabiya’s Tourist FAQ (Word 66 Travel Guide)
Story of a Building, A History of a City (Ajdabiya.com) Story of Fatimid Palace

Cyrene

Travel farther back in time to the ruins of the Greeks at the base of the Akhdar mountains:

Galen R Frysinger’s Photo Tour
The Stunning Greek Ruins (Look Lex)

Benghazi

A cosmopolitan city of one million with a vibrant afternoon scene… there is no drinking in Libya after all… where the food of both Italy and Turkey are well represented both in town and around the lagoon:

Benghazi Restaurants (Virtual Tourist)
Benghazi Beach (Travel Pod Photo Tour)

The Chatter

Many battles along the coast rage on.

While the world watches and prays for Japan the people of Libya continue to battle toward freedom.  The government of the western sections is making in roads along the eastern coast with each day being more bloody than the next:

Libyan Rebels Battle to Hold Ajdabiya (The Street)
Qaddafi Forces Vow to ‘Cleanse’ Rebel-Held City of ‘Armed Gangs’ (Fox News)
Battles rage on two fronts in Libya (UPI)