Happiness

This time of year, I love to load the kitchen table with ingredients. I am joyfully overwhelmed to see bowls of strawberries and bunches of herbs pulled from our garden, eggs from the henhouse, bundles of greens from the Farmers Market, even hothouse tomatoes from California. Seeing the groaning board covered with the fruits and vegetables of spring and summer, I have a refreshed enthusiasm for trying all of the wonderful possibilities for meals based on these treasures.

Included on my list of things to try is Ema Datshi, the "National Dish of Bhutan". You know. . . Bhutan! The country that tracks its population's Gross National Happiness. The index is based on the Bhutanese peoples' wellness: physical, mental, environmental, social, economic, political and vocational. Looking at my table and its contents, my Gross Personal Happiness soars.

The new abundance of harvested goods, and my love of old bowls (attended to by our wonderful friend, Matt, owner of Mr Johnson's Antiques in Seattle), go beautifully hand in hand. The Poblano and Jalapeno peppers in the picture above are in a sweet old bowl I got from his store. I bought the peppers with the intention of making my first batch of Ema Datshi.

It is a chili-cheese stew that looks a lot like chili con queso - but chilier. You can adjust the heat of the dish by using milder chilis, thus the Poblanos. It is traditionally made with yak cheese (and yes, it is actually nak cheese, naks being the female of that critter) but since that isn't readily available here, most recipes substitute Danish Feta. I tasted nak milk, cheese, and yogurt in Nepal several years ago and it is delicious - creamy and rich with a mild flavor. How sad that I can't have a nak in my backyard. I ate Ema Datshi prepared by a wonderful Tibetan cook a couple of weeks ago and she included mushrooms. I have seen recipes that call for tomatoes and some that contain potatoes. As with so many traditional dishes, what goes in is what one has on their table.

The strawberries in the picture below came from our garden and they were part of breakfast this morning alongside French toast made with some splendid Cinnamon Bread from Morningside Bakery in Port Orchard, Washington. Delicious! French toast with strawberries for breakfast. Ema Datshi for dinner: Happy, Happy, Happy!