Early Americans were absolutely oyster crazy. When the first English settlers arrived at Plymouth Rock, oysters were a reliable and tasty source of nutrition. Coastal American Indian Nations had already been harvesting them for at least 3,000 years. As the young colony’s population grew and spread to cover much of the East Coast, folks along the shores devoured oysters. In stuffings, chowders, pan roasts and on the half shell, both rich and poor enjoyed as many oysters as they could eat. America’s oldest still operating restaurant, the Union Oyster House of Boston, opened in 1826 to showcase the bivalve. And New York City pushcarts sold the by the bushel, freshly harvested from the Hudson Bay. A whopping 700 million were harvested from the Bay in 1880 alone.

This oyster bonanza coincided with the mass immigration of Irish settlers to the United States. Even before the Potato Famine of 1845-1852, Irish had ventured to America for better lives and a fresh start in a new land. Of course, the vast majority of these Irish were Catholic. They followed religious dietary customs around holidays, one of which was to abstain from eating meat on Christmas Eve. Fish was the protein of choice instead. Back home in Ireland, the Christmas Eve meal revolved around a fish called the ling. Cooks made a simple stew from dried ling, milk, butter and pepper. The ling was heavily salted for preservation, as well as chewy from being dried for so long. Milk tenderized the fish, and mixed with the butter and salt to create a rich, delicious broth.

Irish cooks could find no dried ling in America, but they did find plenty of oysters. And, as it happens, oysters taste pretty similar to dried ling: they’re salty, briny and can be quite chewy. The ling stew recipe was quickly adapted for oysters. And the cook in charge of the dinner didn’t even have to live near the ocean, either. Oysters were so popular throughout the country that canned, pickled and yes, even dried oysters had made their way across the continent en masse by the 1860s. Perhaps this year it’s time to revisit the oyster stew, and see what made this simple, satisfying dish so popular for so many Irish-American families.

New England Oyster Stew

Ingredients:

1/2 pt. oysters
1/2 stick butter
1/4 c. water
Salt and pepper
1 cup light cream and 1 cup milk
Add celery, scallions or onions if desired

Directions:

1. Melt butter in a large pot. Add the oysters with their liquor. Heat until the oysters curl.
2. Meanwhile heat the whole milk and light. Add to the pot when the oysters have curled.
3. Salt and pepper to taste. The stew will take a lot of seasoning.
4. Simmer above ingredients for 5 minutes
5. Serve hot with oyster crackers

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This wasn’t a conscious thought. As the travel restrictions weighed more heavily upon me I started to broaden my cooking, unconsciously seeking out new recipes from favorite countries that reminded me of my visits. Then one day I realized I’d taken a grand tour of Europe without leaving my dinner table. Over the course of two weeks I cooked ten different international meals. With the resulting leftovers and lunches I had 14 days of reminiscences of past visits while enjoying the taste of each country.

And it wasn’t just Europe I visited. I went to Cuba (I wish!) New England (a favorite summer haunt) and to North Africa for an adventurous dish. But it really all started rather simply in Mexico.

I’m a big fan of tacos, but not one of “messy eating around the dinner table” tacos. So now I make taco bowls to be eaten with a fork and spoon. Yes I’ll still eat tacos as street food, say, in Mexico City, with sauce dripping down my chin and arms, but doesn’t this look more inviting?

The next evening I was transported to Spain over a dish of Chicken Chilindron. This dish could be from any Mediterranean country except for the addition of smoked paprika, a.k.a. smoked pimenton, a very distinctive Spanish spice added for its red smoky heat. The aroma and taste had me right back in Extremadura, Spain, where smoked pimenton has its own DOC.

For a Friday in Lent I made cod cakes. The Iberian Peninsula is historically connected to cod, with Basque fishermen crossing the Atlantic, way before Columbus “discovered” the New World, to catch and dry fish for transport back home. All the salt cod you see today is descended from their preserving tradition. The Portuguese fished New England’s cod banks as well. This recipe is from an older Portuguese woman I once knew. It is healthier and more complex than the deep fried Spanish cod croquettes I love.

The next three dishes could easily be lumped into an Italian trifecta. Not that I was on a roll here. And certainly pizza the way I make it has nothing to do with Italy. But it’s still good and does have Italian-American roots. No, these reflect a desire for a more extended stay in the boot of Europe.

And while the scallops in white wine and garlic could be found along any Mediterranean coast, serving them on pasta got the dish included here.

But the true dish of Italy I made was a huge batch of slow-cooked Bolognese sauce, fragrantly simmering all day in my kitchen. It made a great base for some homemade ravioli I enjoyed for many days before freezing a quart for another trip, er, I mean meal. And speaking of slow cooking, I also made a vat of Pasta e Fagioli, unconventionally using some Rancho Gordo pinto beans I got as a Christmas gift. (If nothing else, we’ve all learned to improvise ingredients during this pandemic shut down.) I enjoyed the soup’s rich deliciousness many times.

Then, while I was in the neighborhood, I thought I’d skip across the Mediterranean to taste a bit of Ethiopia. It wasn’t my plan, but I was inspired by a description of berbera spice mix on Milk Street Radio one Sunday. Apparently Ethiopians put berbera spice in everything, everyday, and each house has its own distinctive blend. I researched the basic recipe and made my own, adding and subtracting to my tastes. By the second batch I knew to use less hot ingredients, so everyone in the household can enjoy this taste of North Africa. The result is Doro Wat, an Ethiopian chicken dish with a red onion to chicken ratio of 1:1, a head of garlic, and a half cup of berbera spice blend. Wow! Just Wow! I doubled the next batch of berbera I made so I can use it every day, too.

Europe bound once more, I had a layover in Greece, because I always wanted to. And because I had all the ingredients for this delicious sounding dish: Greek Braised Chicken, a.k.a. Kota Kapama. It’s not what you’d think – no olives or feta cheese – just a healthy amount of cinnamon and allspice rubbed into the skin-on chicken thighs before they are braised in a tomato and wine stock. It was just so fragrant and tasty – Yum!

On my last visit to France (and the word “last” takes on new meaning during this pandemic as I wonder if we’ll ever travel again . . . ) I was in the Lorraine region when I remarked that during my entire visit I had not tasted the celebrated local dish, quiche. Arrangements were promptly made, and quiche was served with drinks before dinner, by a chef who disdainfully told me that we “never serve quiche here.” (I can only throw my hands in the air and exclaim “THE FRENCH”! when I think of it. They should serve quiche more often – and more civilly.) It was delicious. Since then I have it on rotation in my kitchen, using up bits and pieces of ingredients and things “going bad” in the refrigerator. This one used up the sheets of phyllo pastry left over from the Greek spinach and feta dish, Spanakopita, that I ate all of but neglected to photograph!

Last year a sale on pork loins left me with an eight pound loin (I cannot resist a food sale!) Half was butterflied, stuffed with herbs, wrapped in prosciutto and braised (with much work and little reward except that it was pretty) while the other was frozen. I thawed that for the next two dishes.

The first was a slow-cooked New England balsamic and stock braise on red potatoes and carrots. It fits the travel theme because we visit family in New England often. Coastal Maine and New Hampshire are favorites for summer fun and food, so while it wasn’t lobster rolls I was cooking, it was comfort food.

But the real reason to cook the pork, besides making room in the freezer, was for the leftover pork needed to make Cuban Sandwiches. With thinly sliced pork loin, Swiss cheese, ham, dill pickles, and two kinds of mustard layered in a crusty loaf, then pressed and grilled, these are always a favorite in our house. They were so satisfyingly chewy-delicious served with a horseradish cole slaw and a cold beer. Heaven!

There was another Cuban dish – Braised Chicken. It tasted great, but except for the raisins, olives, and capers it looked just like all the other chicken dishes pictured above. So, instead of looking at same ol’ same ol’, here’s a picture of the Cuban Sandwiches plated:

So wasn’t that a fun vacation to the culinary hotspots of the world? You got to read it and enjoy a vicarious tour through kitchens of seven countries, while I gained five pounds cooking and eating! Does that seem fair to you?

Do you like to recreate the dishes of your favorite vacation destinations? Please tell me about them in the comments below (and share the recipe!) Thanks for reading.

The post Vicarious Culinary Travel During a Pandemic appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Jim Gordon of Vancouver, BC — Co-host/co-producer of weekly TV shows, Our City Tonight & The Travel Guys:

Well done to my #travelguystv colleague #weavecleveland for his contribution!! I live in Vancouver and have never been to that tiny fishing village. I would also add, taking visitors to #crescentbeach in #whiterockbc near Weave’s home!

West Beach has more rocks than East beach, but right at the water line in the photograph is where the sand begins. The tide tide goes way out on this shallow bay so there’s more sandy area than rocky area.

Harrison Liu of Miami Beach — Cruise specialist:

If I weren’t already living here, I’d say Miami. But I have to agree with Mattox, Memphis is my #2. My most memorable experience in Memphis was the Sun Studio tour. One of the best storytelling I’ve ever experienced.

Maribeth Mellin of Southern California — Author, free lance journalist:

Washington D.C. for sure. Lived there in the 70s and spent every weekend walking around the city, exploring neighborhoods. It felt like living in a national park with manicured gardens everywhere. No billboards, no high-rises, flower markets and cafes on the sidewalks and so many monuments and museums available for free. It’s truly an international city — the grocery stores held a fascinating array of ingredients and there were restaurants for every possible taste. I wasn’t into politics at the time and could enjoy the city for itself, without that distraction.

Judy Henry Heier of Puyallup, Washington — Owner/Antiques Dealer/Appraiser at the Heier Echelon:

Fantastic! Very inspiring article, and makes me realize I need to travel more… Deadwood, S.D. comes to mind as an interesting destination. A throwback to the 1870’s, 1880’s, with the renovated hotels, turned casinos… wild west and mining history including the Gold Rush, Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane… If you’re there at right time, you’ll see a ‘shootout’ reenactment… the beautiful trek through the Black Hills, and don’t forget to visit Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse a few miles down the road. Beautiful scenery to behold along the way. A fun destination.

Patty Medina of Southern California — Writer & actor:

Cambria, California. It’s our happy place! And, driving down the Pacific Coast brings joy to my heart.

Jill Rand of Perkasie, Pennsylvania — Heritage Estate Properties executive:

Fantastic article! I agree with Julian, CA! (#3, T.E. Mattox, on writer’s poll), The cutest small town, filled with Apple orchards, antique stores and Bed & Breakfasts. I went on a mother/daughter weekend when Amanda was 5 years old. Little did I know the throw back in time included lack of Wi-Fi and televisions! We played board games in the Parlor, sipping hot apple cider. Nearby farm offered a petting zoo and panning for gold! An incredible, memorable experience once I got over the panic of “unplugging from technology.”

Ann Bailey of Pasadena California — Writer:

New Orleans. Doesn’t feel like it’s part of the United States.

Alex Brouwer of Berkeley, CA — Youth counselor:

While I haven’t been to many places in the US, I love San Diego, CA; Crater Lake, OR; or Zuma or Malibu beach in Los Angeles, CA. My favorite place of all may be Mt. Rainier in Washington State.

Brom Wikstrom of Seattle — Artist , mouth painter & instructor:

Eureka Springs, Arkansas has an illustrious history, dynamic present and a promising future. From its earliest days, it was renowned by native Americans as a destination for the healing properties of the natural springs. Early settlers also migrated to the area for the same reason and left remarkable Victorian homes throughout the valley. Perhaps most striking is the famed Crescent Hotel, billed as the most haunted place in America. For someone like myself who uses a wheelchair, the steep, winding streets can pose a challenge at times but the natural beauty, charming structures and generous people make this an enjoyable and history-filled experience. I was able to board the historic train that shuttles visitors around the area and took several driving tours to soak up the natural beauty from selected viewpoints. Cultural venues are cherished with an annual opera festival, Festival of Arts in May and a Mardi Gras Festival. You don’t need to be particularly religious to appreciate the annual Passion Play performed out of doors from May through October or the sacred confines of Thorncrown Chapel, architect Fay Jones’ masterpiece, set in a forested glen that exemplifies serenity and blends with its natural setting beautifully.

Nearby is the Blue Spring Heritage Center, a 33-acre nature preserve and the world-class Crystal Bridges Museum of Art in Bentonville is barely an hour’s drive away. Only a bit further in the other direction is Branson, MO where music and entertainment options thrive. Other points of interest to note is Quigley Castle, a unique house museum and garden and Onyx Cave, a modest sized attraction where some of the 1969 production “It’s Alive” were filmed.

It was July when we visited and though it was hot as all get out, we cooled off with sun tea and some of the local craft beers in the taproom at Brews on Pine Street.

Jeff Stave of Sandy, Oregon — Musician & composer:

Okay, once while visiting the Flora-Bama road house on the state line Gulf Coast, I called my mother and told her I wanted to head over to New Orleans for a stay. She nixed the idea saying she worried about my safety. I was in my 40s .

Steve Mandel of Long Beach, CA — Music critic:

Love to go back to New Orleans or Memphis. Been too many years. “Steve, I want to go to Boston” – Jocelynn Pryor!

Gitta Kroon-Fiorita of Connecticut — Owner at Kroon Communications, LLC:

All great destination choices and wonderfully written. I am always drawn to places I have not been and New Orleans is high on my bucket list. I must say though I have come to appreciate what my own state of CT has to offer during this pandemic. Great state parks for hiking and small towns to wander. E.g., I discovered the historic town of Washington, surrounded by miles of trails at Steep Rock. Anyone bound for New England in the fall to see the foliage, don’t skip this little gem!

Roger Fallihee of Seattle — Writer:

I love Cannon Beach, Oregon. We go there almost every year. Amazing beach, town, people, shops, and restaurants.

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