We spent two weeks traveling across Spain: from Basque Country to Galicia, Andalucia and finally Barcelona.  The food and travel adventure was condensed into three minutes… Enjoy!  Special Thanks to Intrepid Travel  Films coming soon. ps. we know that Flamenco isn’t representative of each region, but it is from Spain and we love the song.

In 2004, the Tsunami that hit Sri Lanka killed 8 members of this small fishing family. And yet today, they still fish (either on stilts or in a boat) because they have to do it to survive. The family lives in a small hut with a back “window” that opens onto the ocean — the same sea that gives life also takes it away.

Age sixteen was a turning point for me: I had finally started to blossom. Not like the other girls my age — but rather my spiral permed bangs were growing out and I had discovered hyper color tshirts. My plastic, octagon-shaped, white glasses with smurfs emblazoned on each side had been replaced with clear, octagon-shaped glasses that had an off-putting yellowing tint, and stone washed jeans were in style. Given those recent developments, I decided that this period in my life was the perfect time to mingle with other teens at the 16+ “dance clubs” in random suburban strip malls. It was my friend Aimee’s idea, and since she was super hot and naturally tan, I thought we were both going to have an equally good time “clubbing”. Obviously I was wrong. To start off, I was the only person wearing Hammer pants.

Within a few seconds of our arrival a boy with a bowl cut (that’s right…) appeared through the green and pink tinted smoke machine exhaust and asked Aimee to dance. She was flattered (naturally), and wanting to pass on some of her good fortune to others, promised to dance with him only if his friend danced with me. I watched in nervous anticipation as the two boys — both in oversized t-shirts and white baseball caps — conferred on the offer.  Finally they came back with a solid decision:  “no deal”.  I think she danced with him anyways. 

I can remember that feeling vividly as it is the same one I used to get every time I walked into a chef-y restaurant with Daniel. He is the super hot, meat eating gentleman with a “sophisticated palate” who will most likely get the wine pairing. And I am the vegetarian who will probably order a soda with my meal. No one wants to dance with me. 

I can see the disdainful look on the waiter’s face when he takes my order.  I know that he is going back to the kitchen to confer with the chef, each present their version of a heavy eye roll, and then prepare one of two tasting menus for the “a-hole at table 2″: I will either receive 10 dishes of beets in varying forms, or I will get the same tasting menu as Daniel, but the kitchen will simply remove the bacon.  I actually dont really like beets, and the second option really sucks…but as a vegetarian at a fancy restaurant, I know that I should feel lucky I am even allowed in the place. So I eat what I’m given.  The meal is usually finished with a copy of the meat tasting menu that I can take home with me. 

This has been my experience at many chef-y restaurants. Given this track record, I tend to show up at these joints without much expectation. But sometimes, there are exceptions to the rule. And as of late, Ive been experiencing many exceptions.  Such was the case when we dropped into Etxebarri during our recent visit to Spain. Now normally, I choose not to do a foodie-style photo breakdown of the meal… But by God, that chef’s mother must have been a vegetarian — Because he treated me like I was really loved. Each dish was simple, carefully thought out and completely meat and fish free. Foodie-style photo breakdown is below. 

Mushrooms (Hygrophorus Maruolus) at Etxebarri

Now, despite my job (where I document food), anyone who knows me knows that I would prefer a huge bowl of spaghetti with tomato sauce eaten in sweatpants on the couch over a 10-course tasting menu any day. But I also know that dinner at one of these restaurants is an art form, and being able to experience it is something that makes me very lucky. When you take in a painting, you want to understand what the artist was thinking, what was behind each piece. The same happens when you see a beautiful and thoughtfully created dish. And when someone presents me with produce from their chef’s own garden, hand picks and de-shells each individual pea, and (what I can only assume is) kisses it before putting it onto my plate… you take notice. The dishes at Etxebarri were pure examples of how good each main element (a mushroom, a green bean, a pepper) could be,  and each made me kick myself that I didnt like vegetables until last year. It was so good that Daniel (you know, that popular meat eater from the beginning of the post) even recommended one of our meat loving friends to pose as a vegetarian when coming to Etxebarri for an upcoming meal. 

To be fair, there are a handful of restaurants Ive visited where I was humbled and honored by their veggie tasting menu in the past couple years (Herb Farm, McCradys, Michel Bras to name a few). But those experiences were also dotted with the other, not-so-veggie friendly meals. In my opinion, being a good chef means you are able to make a great dish out of any ingredient — be it meat, vegetable, grain or cheese. At the very least, you should look at each item as a challenge.  So, to scoff at having a vegetarian customer is pretty unfortunate. Luckily, I think more and more restaurants are starting to be in agreement with me on that one.

In the past 3 months, Daniel has found himself eating off of my plate, as the menus at restaurants across Europe have been making non-meat dishes to envy. These are extremely well know and reputable places where, in many cases, over 60% of the menu is vegetarian in the first place.  I would list off these restaurants here, but that would make me sound obnoxious. So, if you’re a vegetarian and looking to be treated with the same care bestowed upon the meat eaters, email me and Ill tell ya’ where to go.  

The good news is Meat, in many cases, is slowly becoming something special again — meaning it doesn’t have to be in every dish and doesnt have to be eaten every day. Consequently, vegetables are becoming special… which means, when it comes to eating at a fancy restaurant, I’m starting to feel special too. 

In Sri Lanka, the coconut is, in a sense, a source of life. Not only it is the main ingredient in most Sri Lankan dishes, but the entire coconut tree — From the roots to the coconut itself to the tips of the leaves — plays a major role in the non-culinary ways of life.  Without the coconut, things in Sri Lanka would be very different. We spent the day with a family of 8 on their coconut plantation outside of Negombo, where they showed us all this fruit (nut?) has to offer.

Our first love story from the road: We came to Sri Lanka with every intention of filming a video about an organic, fair trade tea farmer. That is exactly what we were planning when we set foot on the small tea farm of Piyasena and his wife Ariyawatha. What we didnt expect was to be so taken with the relationship between the two of them. What started as a farm story quickly turned into a story about love and dedication amongst the Ceylon tea fields.  ps. Mirra and I are getting Married!

Walking Sri Lanka from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

We spent 2 weeks traveling through Sri Lanka — by foot, moped, car and boat — and captured the animals, people, food and other things that move through this small island country every day.  Special thanks to the Intrepid Travel team.

If you’ve never had the pleasure of being transported on one of these things, this is the type of ride where you can actually see your pilot (as he or she is usually sitting directly in front of you, beside you, or on your lap). And I can remember white knuckling the worn leather seat of my chair, fearing for my life and feeling not totally OK with the fact that my pilot was wearing a neon blue scrunchie in her hair. She also had a matching cell phone.

Normally you don’t get to see the person who is flying your plane, which is maybe how it should be. Because at that point, I was listening to the rattling of the windows as we rocked back and forth in the eastern wind currents in a tiny plane being piloted by someone who, in my opinion, didn’t make the best choices.

Now I bring this up because 1. We actually survived that flight, and 2. Quite the opposite of our Martha’s Vineyard pond jump, I actually really enjoy our international flights. There are many reasons for this: First, you dont see pilot, but instead just hear their soothing voice over the loudspeaker telling you that everything is going to be ok. And then you get to veg out in front of a TV for 10-19 hours while someone serves you TV dinners; The bathrooms are nice, the floor is carpeted, and I’m the perfect size to fit just neatly into an airplane seat so there is minimal discomfort or cramping. In fact, after experiencing a bulged disk in my neck from too much editing (I know, I just give so much to my job) the 20+ hours of flying to India actually made me feel better. Plus, this is the first introduction to the country in which we are about to visit…if you’re into blatant stereotyping. On the way to Japan, the stewardesses were amazingly polite and dressed in super chic uniforms; heading to China the attendants were brusk and acted like they hated me (though I will note that my fellow Chinese passengers were incredibly friendly); en route to India, I was sandwiched in between two rows of small children and served all vegetarian food — and not because I had specified it on the “special needs” tab of my ticket purchase, but because that’s what everyone was eating; On our way to Sri Lanka, the sweet stewardesses wore flowers in their hair and teal eye shadow to match their teal dresses. I actually find myself feeling a little disappointed when the “one hour till landing” announcement comes over the loudspeaker.

There are only two bad experiences I remember on long flights. The first was in 1998 when my mom convinced an unsuspecting flight attendant to walk up and down the aisle yelling “mirra fine, your mom says you forgot your fanny pack” until I raised my hand to retrieve the bright orange stomach purse. The pack actually wasn’t mine but a decoy my mom had planted to create (what I can only assume was) a character building experience for me. (She also convinced me at age 11 to perm my bangs into a spiral curl which I think was another attempt at building character). The other incident was more recent. On Hour 6 of an international trip home, our pilot got on the loudspeaker to notify us of impending turbulence, and then describe in great emotional detail how horrible we should expect it to be. Naturally, I found myself scanning the plane in a hysterical panic trying to decide who I would have to mate with in order to continue civilization in the event that our plane went down. But, turns out it was just a fire drill… The pilot had just overreacted. As had I, apparently.

Many people may think of international flights as horrible, soul sucking experiences. And I understand that there are challenges. For example, 20 hours of sharing only 6 bathrooms with 200 other people who just spent 3 weeks in India maybe isn’t ideal. But hey, the fact that you’re in that situation means that you just spent 3 weeks in India! And that’s awesome. Yes, occasionally a 2am flight home from Sri Lanka will be delayed 5 hours, and that will mean you miss your connecting flight in England. And it is Dec. 23rd. But again, you just spent 2 weeks in Sri Lanka… And now you get 5 more hours!..to lie on the airport floor and think about how wonderful your trip was!

My love for the international flights goes deep. Not only is it a means to an end, but it’s a relaxing one at that. The 12-19 hours I spend at 30,000 feet is the calm before the intense, crazy storm of nonstop travel, heavy lifting and intense filming for usually 4 weeks straight. The “pampering” before the bulged disk, if you will. Don’t get me wrong, the bulged disk is totally worth all that we get to experience when actually on the ground in these countries… but so is what it took to get us there.

Dabbawalla from The Perennial Plate on Vimeo.

Each day in Mumbai 4000 men in white outfits and matching hats transport 175,000 lunches across the big city. They retrieve the tiffens (lunch containers) of food from mothers and wives, and bring them (by foot, train, bicycle and even carried on top of their heads) to the office buildings of waiting husbands and sons. The Dabbawallas have been doing this since the late 1800s. Despite the unsophisticated mode of transport, the lunches always arrive on time (the error rate is 1 in every 16 million transactions).  It’s a pretty impressive feat and we were lucky enough to follow a couple Dabbawallas for a day in Mumbai, and see their work first hand.

Chopped Roti  (Kothu Roti) was one of our favorite dishes in Sri Lanka.  Its a stir fry of day old roti, and its delicious.  Usually served with fish or chicken curry, we made it with Dal (for Mirra).
Godamba Roti

• 2 Ccups of flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 Cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon coconut oil
• 1 Cup coconut oil

To make the Roti dough:
Combine the flour, salt, teaspoon of oil and warm water in a bowl.  Knead for five minutes until it is very smooth.  Cut the dough into four pieces and roll into balls.   Place them in a small bowl and toss them in coconut oil then pour the rest of the coconut oil over the top.  Cover with a towel or plastic wrap.  If you have a lot of coconut oil, submerge them completely – otherwise, after an hour, flip the dough balls so the other side is submerged in the oil.  Wait at least two hours before cooking.

To cook the Roti:
Once the dough balls have rested (submerged in coconut oil) for at least two hours, roll each ball out so that it is as thin as possible.  I flipped a sheet pan upside down and used it as a griddle, but really you could use any large flat surface.  Get it nice and hot and pour a little bit of oil onto the flat surface. Rub the roti with a little more coconut oil and place it on the hot pan.  It will cook in less than a minute per side. (I flip it back and forth every 20 seconds). You don’t want it to burn, but its nice to have some dark bubbles form.  Once you’ve cooked the roti, set them aside.  The rotis are great in the khotu roti dish, but they are also wonderful to eat as is alongside a curry or dal dish.

Khotu Roti:

• 2 Tablespoons Coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 small bunch of curry leaves (you can buy them at an Indian supermarket)
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 thumbs worth of ginger, minced
• 1 green chilli thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 tomato diced
• 1/3 cup of water
• ½ the roti you made earlier (cut into 1 cm strips)
• ¼ of a small cabbage (1 cup shredded)
• 1 large carrot shredded
• 2 spring onions diced

Heat the coconut oil until it is very hot (But not smoking).  Add the mustard seeds and let them fry for 5 seconds, then add the curry leaves for five seconds, followed by the large onion.  Saute the onions for 2 minutes and then turn the heat down to Medium.

Add the ginger and garlic and all of the spices. Stir. Then add the tomatoes and water.  Saute for another minute.  Then add the cabbage, roti slices, carrots and spring onion, turn the heat to high and fry for one minute.  Serve with the Dal.

Coconut Dal:

• 2 Tabespoons Coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1 small bunch of curry leaves 
• 1 chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 thumbs worth of ginger, minced
• 2 dried red chillies
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 2 cups red lentils (washed)
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups coconut milk

In a large pot, heat the coconut oil.  Then add in the mustard seeds and coriander seeds followed by the curry leaves.  Saute the mixture for two minutes on high, then turn to medium and add the rest of the spices.  Saute for 2 minutes.

Add the water and coconut milk.  Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the lentils are falling apart.  Add more liquid if it begins to dry out too much.  Salt to taste.

• 4 ½ cups dry soybeans
• 4 cups of water + 10 cups of water + 1cup of water
• 1 tsp gypsum (available at most health food and brewing stores)
• Some sort of press/mold lined with cheesecloth (I used a strainer with a bowl on top)

Soak your soybeans overnight in lots of water (twice as much water as beans).
In the morning, strain it off.  Blend the soybeans with 4 cups of water.
Put the blended beans in a pot and add 10 additional cups of water.  Bring the soy mixture to a boil, stirring the whole time.  A frothy head should appear at the top of the pot (sort of like beer).  Once this happens, turn the heat off, and strain out the mixture through cheesecloth.

You will be left with solids (in the strainer) and liquid in the bowl. For the purpose of making tofu, you dont need the solids (also known as Okara)… but keep them on hand for a number of other uses in other recipes.

Put the liquid into a pot and simmer for 10 minutes.  In a separate bowl, mix together 3 teaspoons of gypsum with a cup of water.  Slowly add it to the soy milk while stirring constantly. Once it has all been added, stop stirring and let the soy milk sit for 20 minutes.  At this point the soy will have started to coagulate and firm up slightly. You can either pour into the mold you are going to use, or ladle it in.  Set something heavy on top and let it sit for 2-3 hour or overnight depending on the consistency of tofu you prefer (the longer it sits, the more firm the tofu).  Remove the tofu and use however you see fit.

In the video I cooked Tofu with cabbage and coriander. For this, you will need:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 thumb sized piece of ginger, minced
• 2 small shallots, minced
• 1 cup of cubed tofu
• 1/4 cabbage, chopped into small strips
• 2 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon each of crushed peppercorns and coriander seed
• 2 Tablespoons oil or butter

Saute the garlic, shallots and ginger in the oil on low heat until they have softened, about three minutes.  Add the honey, soy sauce and rice wine vinegar. let simmer for 2 minutes, then turn the heat to high and add the cabbage and tofu.  Fry for a minute, before adding 1/3 of a cup of water and letting it all meld together.
If the liquid has all evaporated, add a touch more soy sauce and vinegar.  Serve hot with steamed rice.