There is perhaps no better way showcase the diversity of a community than with food, and this is why we love to kick off the ISB school year with the tradition of International Feast. For this festive community potluck, over 80 dishes were brought to the table, representing dozens of different regions of the world. We saw Cantonese beef chow fun, Brazilian “crazy rice,” Indian curry, Greek peasant salad, Peruvian alfajores, Welsh cakes, Haitian beef patties, French quiches, Colombian obleas con arequipe, a Brooklyn kale salad, and so much more!
You don’t have to wait until the next year’s International Feast to try these plates – some of our families have generously shared their recipes with us. In a few years, we might even have enough for an ISB cookbook!
“Our whole family loves Korean food, which I grew up eating thanks to my mother, who is an excellent cook. Kimchi fried rice is a dish that many Korean families enjoy because it’s delicious, easy, and when necessary, a great way to put together different foods you have in your refrigerator. We especially like it with fried egg on top.”
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 cup kimchi*, roughly chopped + kimchi juice to taste
1 cup cooked sausage, ham, or other cooked meat, or firm tofu
4 cups cooked, cooled rice (preferably short-grain)
2 tablespoons soy sauce (to taste)
1 tablespoon sesame oil (to taste)
4 eggs, beaten or served sunny side up
2 scallions, finely chopped (white and green parts) for garnish
Crumbled or slivered roasted seaweed for garnish
Black sesame seeds for garnish
Gochujang (spicy red pepper paste) for optional condiment
*Kimchi is a traditional Korean side dish that is made many different ways, most commonly with cabbage. For this dish, you would typically use cabbage kimchi.
In a nonstick sauté pan or well-seasoned cast-iron skillet, heat vegetable oil over medium-low heat, and add onions. Sauté until onions are translucent, 2-3 minutes. Add kimchi and kimchi juice, and stir until it comes to a boil. Add meat and mix everything together. Cook until sauce is nearly dried out and meat is heated through, about 5 minutes. Add the rice to the pan, breaking up clumps, and stir to incorporate. Turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring, until the rice has absorbed the sauce and is very hot, about 5 minutes. Stir in soy sauce and sesame oil. Taste, and adjust with more soy sauce, sesame oil, or kimchi juice. Koreans usually either add the eggs beaten at this stage and stir everything together to incorporate and cook the egg, or serve the rice with a fried egg on top. Serve rice in individual bowls garnished with scallions, roasted seaweed, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Serve gochujang as an optional condiment.
“This dish is about as Jamaican as you can get! Every family has its own version and secret ingredients. Some are hotter, some are drier, some are sweeter. Adjust to taste then…put on some Bob Marley.”
2 Scotch bonnet peppers (or habaneros), with seeds, chopped
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 cup malt vinegar (or white vinegar)
1 red onion, chopped
4 green onion tops, chopped
1 tablespoons dried thyme or 2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons ground allspice
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons molasses
1 (5 or 6 pound) roasting chicken, cut in half, lengthwise
1/2 cup lime juice
Salt and pepper
1. Put vinegar, rum, hot peppers, onion, green onion tops, thyme, olive oil, salt, pepper, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and molasses into a blender. Pulse until mostly smooth.
2. Place chicken in a large freezer bag, or in a large roasting pan or baking dish. Pour lime juice over the chicken and coat well. Add the jerk paste to the chicken pieces and coat well. Seal the bag or cover the chicken in the pan with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight.
3. When you are ready to cook the chicken, remove chicken from the marinade bag or pan. Put the remaining marinade into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to use as a basting sauce for the chicken.
4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken halves in a rimmed baking pan, skin side up. Roast until chicken halves are cooked through, about 50-60 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear (not pink) when a knife tip is inserted into both the chicken breast and thigh, about 165-170°F for the breast and 180-185°F for the thigh. Transfer chicken to platter. Tent loosely with foil to keep warm and let stand 15 minutes. Cut chicken into pieces. Serve with black beans and rice. Serves 6 to 8.
“A good dish for parties!”
Rice
2 cups sushi rice
1 tablespoon of red quinoa
Mix together and cook. Click to read more about how to cook Japanese rice.
Miso ground pork
1 lb ground pork
1 teaspoon minced ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Seasoning
1 tablespoon miso
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon mirin
Lettuce
Iceberg lettuce
Coriander (or cilantro)
Pine nuts
Instructions
1. In a heated pan, add sesame oil and then add minced ginger and garlic.
2. Add ground pork to the pan and brown well.
3. Mix all seasoning together in a small bowl, then add to the pork and continue to simmer for 2-3 minutes while mixing and stirring until mixed well.
4. Remove pork mixture from heat and let cool.
5. Wash iceberg lettuce and take apart the leaves. Wash and cut the coriander.
6. On each leaf of iceberg lettuce, add one spoon of rice and a half spoon of miso minced pork with a bit of pine nuts and cilantro.
7. Serve!
“Flan is special to me because it is the first recipe my mother taught me. I remember feeling really, really proud of making something so delicious by myself.”
3/4 cup sugar for the caramelo
12 oz evaporated milk (you can substitute with coconut milk and make “coquito”)
14 oz condensed milk
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For Flan de queso or “quesillo,” add 3/4 cup of cream cheese.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare the caramel. Heat the sugar in small saucepan over low/medium heat, stir constantly until it melts and turns caramel-colored. Pour on baking pan moving it until it covers the bottom. Wait for it to cool. Blend all ingredients for 30-45 seconds until smooth. Pour in 9-inch baking pan. Cover tightly with aluminum foil or use a stainless steel pan with lid. Place pan in large roasting pan filled with water until it covers 1 inch of the baking pan. Bake flan. Check at 45 minutes and leave until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Remove flan pan from water. Cool on wire rack. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Pass a spatula around the edge of the flan, put a plate tightly over the pan and turn quickly.
“Ribolitta, the humblest of dishes, is also strangely luxurious, and we enjoy it all through the fall and winter months every year. In a way, in represents our family’s approach to simple delicious food – and what can be done with very little. Last, we served it at our wedding on individual spoons and neither of us remembers!”
Yield: 8 servings
1/4 lb pancetta (or guanciale)
1 bunch Tuscan kale, cut into 2-inch ribbons, central rib removed
1 head savoy cabbage, cut into 2-inch ribbons (napa also works)
1 bunch Swiss chard, cut into 2-inch ribbons
2 russet potatoes, peeled & diced
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
2 cups canned whole peeled roma tomatoes (san marzano are best)
2 zucchini, diced
1 rib celery, diced
2 leeks (white parts only), sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 cups cooked cannellini beans, half pureed
4+ tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 bay leaf
Leaves of 1 sprig thyme (pepolino)
Fine sea salt, to taste
2 cups stale bread (ideally naturally leavened), crusts intact, cut into 2 inch cubes
Place the pancetta, olive oil, leeks, and garlic in a large pot over low heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks and garlic are softened but not browned, and much of the fat is rendered from the pancetta, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened but not taken on color, about 8 minutes. Add the potatoes and zucchini and cook, stirring, until softened, about 8 more minutes. Then, add the kale, cabbage, and chard, and cook — stirring constantly — until the greens are very soft, about 8 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the tomatoes and their juice, squeezing the tomatoes between your fingers to break them up. Add 2 quarts of water, the bay leaf, the thyme, and all of the beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a gentle boil, and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the vegetables are very tender, about 30–40 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaf. Add the bread to your soup, and simmer until the bread is breaking apart and the soup is very thick, about 10–15 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat and let stand several minutes, then ladle into warmed bowls. Drizzle a generous amount of extra virgin olive oil over each portion before serving and add fresh ground pepper. Buon appetito!
“This recipe brings back childhood memories in the lovely town of Guéthary where I spent several summers and returned with my family years later. Honoring the region for its rich and diverse heritage.”
Adapted from “Curious Cuisinere.”
Ingredients
2 French baguettes
27 small wooden skewers
Salmon & Egg Pintxos
4 oz smoked salmon
3 hard boiled eggs
Tuna & Pepper Pintxos
8 oz canned tuna
2 red peppers, cut into thirds and seeded
a handful of Spanish olives
Tomato & Cheese Pintxos
3 oz Manchego cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/8 tsp salt
Chorizo & Cheese Pintxos
3 oz Manchego chees
6 oz cured chorizo
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400°.
Toss the peppers and cherry tomato halves in the olive oil and 1/8 tsp of salt and roast for 15 minutes. Remove and let cool. Cut two French baguettes into 1” slices. Assemble the salmon pintxos with a hard boiled egg slice and top with a roll of smoked salmon on top of a baguette slice, securing in place with a skewer. Assemble the chorizo pintxos with two slices of chorizo and one slice of Manchego cheese. Secure with a skewer. To assemble the pepper pintxos, first cut the pieces so they will fit on top of a baguette slice. Place a bit of tuna over the roasted pepper and top with an olive on each baguette slice. Secure with a skewer. Assemble the tomato skewers by placing a tomato on top of a slice of Manchego cheese on a baguette slice. Secure with a skewer. Serve and enjoy!
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