A little bit of this... a little bit of that...

Last night, I made the most fantastic alfredo sauce. I was SO proud of myself, because really, parmesan cheese doesn't melt worth anything, making alfredo a bit tempermental. However, that recipe is a.) not really mine, it's from the foodnetwork.com website (though I made a few changes), and b.) not what I am writing about today.

I've been thinking a good deal recently about fusion cuisine, mostly because it's not something at which I excel. I can make just about any type of food, but when it comes to mixing a few different ideas, I have room for improvement.

Now, the aforementioned statement does beg the question: what exactly is fusion cuisine? According to the great wikipedia, "Fusion cuisine combines elements of various culinary traditions while not fitting specifically into any. The term generally refers to the innovations in many contemporary restaurant cuisines since the 1970s."

Actually, speaking of the great wikipedia, a lot of information about different cuisine styles and their histories can be found here.

The thing about fusion is that it can be done really well, i.e. cream cheese and smoked salmon sushi, which combines traditional British flavors with a Japanese method; or it can be done really poorly, like this weird Peking duck quesadilla I had one time. Yuck. As I said before, if it smells good together, it usually tastes good together, but when what you're smelling is chili paste, habanero peppers or curry powder, you're probably going to wish you'd spared your nose. Other things, like fish sauce, smell HORRIBLE no matter what you're using them for, but combine with things like soy sauce, lime juice, or coconut milk to make a really interesting and delicious flavor. So you can see the dilemma.

The foodnetwork.com website offers up some pretty interesting fusion recipes, mostly focusing around Latin American techniques, such as quesadillas and chimichangas, with European, Asian, and even African flavors.

My one really delicious foray into fusion was my Greek stir fry. Ginger, chili paste and scallions, plus the traditionally Chinese technique of stir-frying, add a different twist to some very Greek flavors.

Greek Stir Fry

1 lb lamb, diced small
1 can garbanzo beans, drained
1 red onion, sliced thin
1 clove garlic, diced
1 bunch clean fresh spinach, shredded
1 large tomato, diced
2 tbs mint, chopped
1 T ground coriander
1 tsp ginger paste
1 tsp chili paste
1 bunch scallions, chopped
2 T lemon juice
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup couscous
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Prepare couscous according to package. Set aside.

Heat olive oil over medium heat in large wok-style pan. Saute onion and garlic until translucent but not completely caramelized.

Stir in lamb, cook for about 4 minutes, turning occasionally.

Stir in garbanzo beans, coriander, ginger, chili paste, salt, pepper and lemon juice, and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

Add spinach and tomato, cook for about a minute. Serve over couscous, and stir in goat cheese.

Enjoy!!