Adrian Meets Wurood and Tarek

Adrian trying Wurood's dish at Earthfare

First face to face meeting. Wurood came with her husband, Tareq, and their kids. An amazing meeting as she brought out spices she used in her kitchen, bag after bag, for Adrian to taste and smell. She also prepared amba, a vinegar-based condiment, seen in the open jar in the photo.

Why is Wurood's Stokes Purple recipe sample so small? Because we ate the rest!

And then she brought out, still warm, a dish she had prepared using the Stokes Purple, a tasty ground beef mixture with some white potatoes and spices, topped with a light sprinkle of cheese, baked in the oven. The color of the Stokes Purple clearly came through.

More discussion about the nature of the collaboration — to what degree should the dish or ingredients reflect Iraqi influence and tastes? My response: Both of you are the bosses. Do what you think is best! The goal of MashUp is to inspire communication and understanding through food. Everyone agrees.

Next meeting is arranged, to meet at Southern Lights a few blocks down the road.