Thursday, March 1, 2012

Visiting with the Silk Road Gourmet, Ancient Sour Meatballs

Sour Meatbballs

One of the things I absolutely love about blogging is all the remarkable people that I have met.  Mostly virtually but some in person and they have been amazing.  Of course, it makes perfect sense that you would connect so well with fellow bloggers, since our shared passion for food is what got us together in the first place.

This is especially true with Laura at Silk Road Gourmet who I got to know last year when I was doing research. Since then, we have struck up many email conversations and become virtual pals.   Her blog is brilliant.  She is a world-traveller, cookbook author and real scholar of the exotic cuisines of the Silk Road.  All the dishes I have tried from the blog have been superb and the writing is so fine and fascinating.  She eats with the people she visits (that takes a lot of courage... yak butter tea????) in their homes and in really authentic eateries.

Last year, she graciously did a guest blog for me HERE, with a great story and a delicious lamb dish with barley and mint from the oldest recipes in the world (on clay tablets!).  She invited me to make another dish from the tablets for her really fun Mesopotamian Cook-off last summer that I did HERE.

Needless to say, guest-blogging with her is an enormous pleasure.  Please go visit her blog and read my guest post for these terribly delicious meatballs from the golden era of Baghdad.  They are delicately sweet and sour and very good.  They ate pretty well in old Baghdad!

Visit Silk Road Gourmet HERE to read the rest and then enjoy scrolling back over her amazing posts!

12 comments:

Sarah said...

This is a lovely presentation of the meatballs...like a wreath with the mint and pomegranate seeds completing the circle.

SavoringTime in the Kitchen said...

Clay tablet recipes - amazing!

Diane said...

The meatballs are presented so beautifully they look quite exotic. Mmmmmm Diane

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

A great guest post! I knew nothing about "The Book of Dishes." We are so immersed in cookbooks that we often think we "invented the idea" so it is always fascinating when you unearth another culinary tome from a different culture.

Castles Crowns and Cottages said...

It is marvelous, isn't it, this connection we can make? I often think of some of my favorite authors or poets who had SIMILAR experiences through pen-pal correspondence. How rich it is to be able to write your daily comings and goings, your passions, your questions about life....but now with our current technology, we are brought together even closer. Skyping has been a great source for me to SEE and HEAR my most beloved friends who have Skype and I had a virtual TEA time the other day with one fabulous friend. Ah, but the day when you can actually sit to EAT with a dear friend, now that is bliss.

Thank you dear heart for coming to visit me this morning...yes, 30 years have flown by but upward to where I believe our stories, ALL OF US, will be read. May your life of love be a WONDERFUL READ!!! Anita

Barbara said...

What?? No tail fat? I am appalled. :)
Super guest post, Deana. Amazing flavors in your meatballs. I sure wish I lived closer so I could be one of your tasters. I never cease to be impressed and amazed at your attention to history and detail. Just imagine living in those times.
I remember being completely enchanted by a Broadway musical I saw in the 50's....Kismet.

Marjie said...

I'm sure Silk Road Gourmet enjoyed your guest posting as much as you enjoyed doing it! Beautiful, as always.

Ken Albala said...

How cool. I've never had much cooking from Botero. Well, things were ok, but not great. I don't remember this one there, but it's worth a shot. TKS. Ken

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

What a sumptuous dish of meatballs Deana! They look fit for a king! :D

Faith said...

Lovely dish and it sounds very intriguing! I'm off to check out the post!

Lazaro Cooks said...

D,

Isn't collaboration grand? It's what keeps me interested in blogging these days. You knocked it out the park.

Kirsten Steen said...

My first visit to your site and I love your header! And will have to check out the gourmet blog as well. So much to explore. Found you through Anita's lovely blog.
A happy week to you!
Kirsten