On a cool, sunny autumn afternoon, I arrived for a meeting. I was graciously greeted at the door and invited to sit in the living room. A glass serving plate, neatly divided into four quadrants, was placed before us, the dried fruits and nuts making a pleasing pattern. Nilab asked if I would like some tea. She set a cup of bright yellow translucent liquid before me. As I brought the delicate cup up to my lips, I said, “Saffron?”
“Yes.” Nilab smiled, and I returned her smile. “Thank you, it is delicious.” We started our meeting, and a little while later, she brought out another plate. The squares, topped with black seeds, looked like pieces of cake.
“This is a very good cake,” I said, after taking a bite. “What is it called?” A shy smile from Nilab. “It is called ‘roht’. But it is not cake.”
That day, I experienced hospitality, the welcoming of strangers into your home, Afghan style. This home, however, was not in Afghanistan; it was in an apartment in Traverse City where Nilab, her husband Ehsan, and their four children now live.
At one point in the meeting, Ehsan asked if I would like to see their dining room. We stepped into a space with a striking Persian rug covering the floor. Up against three walls were low, rectangular cushions the height and shape of small mattresses. They were covered in fabric in the same rich patterns as the rug. The room was warm and inviting; it was also clearly an important space. “We sit on the floor to eat,” Ehsan said matter of factly. I told him it was beautiful.
Hospitality: the friendly reception and treatment of guests or strangers.
Not long after my meeting with Nilab and Ehsan, I received an invitation to a “food shower” to help welcome a refugee family from Ukraine. Their Traverse City apartment was ready with furnishings donated by local businesses and people, for the family of four arriving the next day. The food shower would stock the pantry with essentials to help them get started.
I thought about what a Ukrainian family with two young boys might need. We carried in a box filled with baking supplies, noodles, tomato paste, barley, walnuts, honey, cooking oil, and butter, along with some basic spices. My husband wisely added laundry soap. Others arrived with their bags and boxes of food, filling the kitchen counter.
The bright apartment was small and lovely. There was a desk in the parents’ room for the husband to work from home, and a colorful bedroom for the boys, complete with an array of toys. The kitchen was well equipped. I learned the family had been living in refugee camps for the past 14 months, first in Poland, then in Sweden, before coming here. Ehsan and his family left Afghanistan and were in South Korea for a while before arriving in northern Michigan. I could not help but wonder what it must feel like to leave your home and your culture, and start a life in a foreign place.
Refuge: to be safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.
My husband built a larger dining room table for us a few years ago, as we found we often needed the extra seating. We like having everyone at one table, as we always begin our meals holding hands, forming a circle, a pause for reflection before the pleasure of eating commences. This Thanksgiving, there were 10 at the table: our family, another family, and a couple. Kelly and Annie were responsible for creating the centerpiece using found objects from the woods and fields, a tradition that started years ago. It is always eclectic and charming. The faces at the table were both familiar and new: we are gracefully aging and new friends and partners our children have brought to the celebration create a nice mix.
The food before us was a mashup of the traditional along with some new dishes. The day began with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade playing in the background while we made stuffing, the cubes of bread ready after a night spread out in open pans to dry. Everyone was involved in some part of the cooking. It is a ritual that creates fabulously familiar scents: of onions as they soften in butter in the pan, of Bell’s seasoning and celery, and of the turkey as it begins its journey in the oven to crispy skin perfection. The day is full of delicious aromas, building anticipation to the crescendo, when the dishes are placed on the table.
As we held hands before feasting, we recognized the privilege of having all that we need, the bounty of food we have access to, the warmth and company of others to share it with, and the house that shelters us.
When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher fence.
We offer you our hospitality, and if needed, a refuge. We invite you to join us at our table; perhaps we will sit on the floor in your dining room someday. Northern Michigan is our home, and you are welcome here.
After I finished this column, I went down to the Friendship Community Center in Suttons Bay for an event hosted by IPR radio. Two exiled Nicaraguan journalists, now living with their families in northern Michigan through the Catholic Diocese of Gaylord, shared their stories of imprisonment and being stripped of their citizenship by their government. It was a hard story to hear. When asked how they were adjusting to living in Michigan, they said that it is as cold as they had been told, but that there is much warmth in the generosity and love they have received from our community.
Isaiah 56:1. Many others are credited with their version of this passage, including Barack Obama who used it in a speech in 2011 on immigration reform.
Ukrainian Green Soup with Turkey
The refrigerator after Thanksgiving is often crowded with leftovers, but in our house, a desire to eat a little more lightly after the big feast. Here is a Ukrainian chicken soup, substituting leftover turkey for chicken.
Serves 6
1 T. neutral vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
4 Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into ½ inch pieces
2 carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
1/4 C. uncooked white rice
7 C. turkey or chicken broth
3 C. spinach, or other green leafy vegetable, roughly chopped
2 T. chopped fresh dill
4 T. chopped fresh parsley
4 chopped scallions, white and some green parts
1 ½ C. shredded leftover turkey
juice of half a lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
Heat oil over medium heat in a soup pot, add onion and turn heat to medium low. When onion is softened, add potatoes, carrots, and rice, stir, then add the broth. Increase heat and simmer until potatoes are tender and rice is cooked. Add vegetables, herbs, and scallions, then turkey or chicken. Heat until vegetables are wilted but still green and meat is warmed through. Add lemon juice, taste, adding more juice if needed, and salt and pepper. Serve immediately so the greens stay vibrant.
Carrot Risotto
Last month, I wrote about the carrot risotto we had in Slovenia. After several tries, I have come close to that taste memory. The secret is carrot juice. You can make this without the carrot juice, but you’ll need the full 4 cups of broth.
Serves 4 or 6 as a side dish
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
2-4 T. olive oil, divided
4 C. chicken broth, divided
3 T. shallot, chopped
3 T. butter, divided
1 ½ C. Arborio rice
½ C. dry white wine
½ C. carrot juice
½ C. finely grated parmesan plus more for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste
Parsley for garnish or parsley oil (recipe follows)
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Place carrots on a baking sheet, and drizzle with about 2 T. olive oil. Roast until tender, about 20 minutes, checking and shaking the pan halfway through. While carrots are roasting, prepare the risotto.
Place the broth in a small pot and set it on the stove next to the pot you will be using for the rice. Heat the broth over low. In a heavy bottom pot, heat 2 T. oil and 2 T. butter over medium heat. Add shallots and lower the temperature so the shallots soften but do not brown. Add the rice and stir, coating the rice with the oil and butter. Add the wine and stir until the wine is slowly absorbed by the rice. When wine is absorbed, add a ladle of the heated broth, stir until that broth is absorbed, and continue this process, a ladle at a time, until you have about ½ cup broth remaining. Taste the rice. It should be almost done. If not close, add more broth. Add the carrot juice, continuously stirring, taste again to be sure rice is cooked through. Stir in the roasted carrots. Add a tablespoon of butter and the cheese, stirring to melt butter and cheese. It should be creamy. Taste, adding salt or pepper if needed. Garnish each dish with a little parmesan and parsley, or parsley oil.
Parsley Oil
Place 1 bunch cleaned parsley leaves in a blender with about ¼ cup olive oil and a pinch of salt. Blend until smooth, adding more oil if needed to create a pourable oil. Let sit about 2 hours before using. You can strain it or use as it.
Roht (Afghan Sweet Bread)
I hope to have Nilab’s recipe one day; here is a version I found online.
9-inch square
9 oz. (250 g) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ C. (250 g) sugar
2 eggs
1 t. baking powder
1 packet fast-acting yeast
3-plus T. milk
1 ½ t. ground cardamom
3 ½ C. (500 g) self-rising flour, sifted
Nigella seeds (sia dona) or black sesame seeds
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a square cake pan or round equivalent with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with a mixer until pale and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one by one, then add the baking powder, yeast, milk, and cardamom. Stir in the sifted flour and mix together well. The mixture will be fairly soft. If not, add more milk.
Pat the dough into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the top with the nigella seeds or sesame seeds. Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 minutes until golden and risen.