Kat made Smoky Eggplant Dip with Pomegranates and Walnuts (origin: Iran). I’ve had similar eggplant dip before, but this had walnuts which added an element of nuttiness to the smoky flavor. The pomegranates provided a nice contrasting bit of tartness. And I really liked the seedy crackers Kat served the dip with.

Jeff made Gazan Hot Tomato and Dill Salad (origin: Palestine). Despite being called a salad, this was more of a dip, served with pita for scooping it up. It was a lot like salsa I’ve made, though more finely mashed and with the added flavor of dill.

Cindy made Fennel Salad with Castelvetrano Olives and Provolone (origin: Uruguay, Italy). The recipe was inspired by the Italian-immigrant food that chef Ignacio Mattos grew up with in Uruguay – how cool! I thought the crunch, saltiness, and acidity of this dish was great.

Jennifer made Turmeric, Zucchini, and Carrot Stir-Fry (origin: Indonesia, Singapore). She said this vegetable stir-fry with scrambled egg was super simple to make. It was tasty, though we agreed that it would have been better with a touch of spiciness.

Anthony made Irish Beef Stew (origin: Ireland). This was my favorite dish of the night. The beef was incredibly tender, and it had a wonderful spiciness from a serrano chili pepper. While serranos and spice don’t make me think of Irish food, I really loved the flavor.

Michelle made Cured and Seared Salmon on Rice (origin: Japan). This was super tasty! The salty sweet sauce was so good on the salmon and soaked into the rice. It was also great to have the daikon, cabbage, scallions, and avocado to layer flavors and texture.

I made Fly’s Head (origin: Taiwan). It’s a dish of chives and pork with fermented black beans – the recipe doesn’t explain why it’s called Fly’s Head. I enjoyed the strong fragrance of the chives. There was a lot of sweetness from the mirin, which I would have liked to have offset with a bit more saltiness – more fermented black beans next time!

Annalisa made Chicken with Charmoula (origin: Morocco). The verdant charmoula marinade was great flavoring for the chicken, though I would have been happy to have more of the vinaigrette topping – I didn’t get much of the preserved lemon flavor.

Sandy made Chipotle-Lime Chicken (origin: Mexico). The chicken was very tender, and absorbed lots of the yummy sauce flavors it was cooked in. I loved the salty acidity of the sauce, and was glad we had rice from some of the other dishes that I could steal to soak up this sauce.

Brian made Vanilla Shortbread Crescents (origin: Austria, UK, Canada). I adore shortbread – what’s not to love about butter and sugar! This recipe adds ground almonds and vanilla, to make wonderful cookies that I couldn’t stop eating.

Brad made True Love Cake (origin: Sri Lanka). He picked this recipe for its name – can’t argue with that! This was a very fragrant and mildly sweet treat. What I liked best about it was the texture – sticky and chewy in the center with a bit of crunch on the edges.

Domenica made Cornmeal Pudding (origin: Cuba). The sweetest part of this dish was the dried fruit. Domenica commented that she would eat it for breakfast rather than dessert, and I agree – the smooth pudding and chewy fruit would be a great way to start the day.