‘Forks’ gathers recipes from around globe

Quick look: Three years, 35 countries, five continents, more than 62,000 miles, one man, one motorcycle, 40 recipes.

What’s inside: Allan Karl figured he didn’t have much to lose.

Unemployed, childless and divorced, he had sold most of his possessions to help finance the experience of a lifetime. This book, his first, documents his motorcycle journey from California to the Middle East through recipes, photographs and personal essays. He sums it as up as “a quest for culture, cuisine and connection.”

“If I was ever alone or lost or hungry, all I needed to do was turn around and someone was always there and would be helpful to me,” Karl, 54, said during a recent phone interview from his home in Leucadia, California. “That was one of the key take-aways I had from my trip – how easy it was to connect with people if you’re open.”

Karl didn’t depart with plans to create a cookbook. In fact, he collected the bulk of the recipes after his return. Only one – a favorite recipe for moqueca, coconut fish stew from Brazil – was given to him on the road. It had been a long, wet day of riding, Karl was worn out, and the owner of the guest house where he was staying invited him to dinner.

“It could have been one of those circumstance things,” he said. “I was just so hungry and tired. We went to this little hole-in-the-wall place. It looked like it was grandma in the kitchen. I was just enamored with (this dish). It was so good.”

When he prepared the dish for friends after his return, one suggested he include the recipe in his memoir. By then, Karl had decided to write a traditional travelogue-style book. The idea prompted him to switch gears.

“I wanted to give a multisensory experience to readers, so that they could feel the country … see the country … and taste the flavors of that unique place through a signature dish,” he said. “If you ended up in one of these countries, you’d be hard-pressed not to find this dish on the menu or have somebody cook it for you. I wanted to make you feel like you were there.”

Knowing recipes might seem exotic to some readers, Karl aimed to keep them accessible with fairly simple instructions and ingredients that aren’t difficult to find in the U.S. “Even though we have recipes from Jordan or Syria, the recipes are approachable,” he said.

Karl departed on July 4, 2005. He had been riding motorcycles since he was a teenager in Darien, Connecticut.

“I’d always loved to travel,” he said. “I wanted to go back out and see the world, that post-2001 world where so many Americans were afraid to travel.”

Karl sought out uncomfortable paths and places – remote, often unpaved, pothole-filled and flooded roads in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Paraguay, Rwanda, Israel, Egypt and beyond.

Karl had a background in marketing, but he was a previously unpublished author who didn’t already have a book or TV deal lined up when he left. His inspiration came from “Ghost Rider” by Neil Peart, the drummer of the band Rush who documented his solo ride around America after the deaths of his daughter and wife.

From California, Karl, then 44, went north, to Alaska, winding his way through Oregon, Washington and British Columbia and often camping in state parks.

It wasn’t all easy riding. In Colombia, he pulled to the side of the road and was soon walked into the jungle by two men with guns. In Bolivia, his bike fell on top of him, breaking his leg. He developed malaria-like symptoms in Ethiopia. Between there and Sudan, he burned his leg.

While there’s an inner journey taking place alongside the physical one, Karl doesn’t delve too deep into loss (of a marriage) or the confusion (of navigating a new country) or loneliness (of the open road). He offers some self- reflection, but low points are dealt with swiftly, matter-of-factly and with a sense of humor – like the rest of the vignettes. He wants readers to enjoy the ride.

“I wanted the focus of the book not to be on me and my story, but on the culture and the people of the different countries,” said Karl, who’s working on a memoir and hoping to finish it by the end of the year for publication in 2016.

Completing the cookbook took about as long as the journey itself. The hardcover, large-format volume shows off some 700 images from the trip: red earth roads in Kenya, meat on hooks in open-air markets in Zanzibar; llamas riding on the roof of a weathered station wagon in Bolivia.

Recipes are divided by countries, which are divided by regions. Title pages for each feature famous but fitting quotes, like this one from James Michener, which introduces the section on the Middle East: “If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home.”

At the back, Karl provides a packing list for his 2005 BMW F650GS Dakar along with a by-the-numbers look at the entire ride. Along with miles, he tracked borders crossed (55), fuel (4,225.2 liters), photos taken (52,077), tires changed (13), brakes replaced (three sets, front and rear) and more.

He estimates he spent about $100 per day during the trip, for a total of somewhere between $90,000 and $100,000.

Once he figured out the format for “Forks,” publishers rejected the concept: part photo book, part cookbook, part travelogue. “It was too hard to market,” said Karl, who has been doing consulting and inspirational speaking since his return.

A 2013 Kickstarter campaign helped cover publishing costs. Karl reached his $22,000 goal in nine days, receiving about $41,000 in all and releasing “Forks” last summer. Since then, he’s appeared on “Good Morning America” and been written about in Newsweek and Forbes.

“Forks” is ranked among the top-selling solo travel guides and international cookbooks on Amazon.com and is in its third printing. The last pages offer a photograph of an empty, two-lane road – not lonely but beckoning.

This time, it’s calling him to China and Vietnam. At the end of April, Karl is slated to travel with a crew of four to Shanghai, where he’s already shipped his motorcycle, to film the pilot for a documentary-style travel series.

What’s not: This is the coffee-table or kitchen- counter version of a long journey – three years spread rather succinctly over 263 pages. There’s a sense that so many stories – the ones perhaps best told in tavernas – are left out. But home cooks might be too busy making the recipes to notice – or care.

Zambia: Ifisashi with Nshima, or Greens with Peanut Sauce and East African Corn Meal

From “Forks” by Allan Karl

“My first taste of this simple yet rich and healthy vegetable dish was roadside somewhere deep in Zambia,” Karl writes in the introduction to this recipe.

Now, “It’s kind of a go-to meal for me,” he said.

My first taste of this flavorful, filling and unfussy dish was in my Spokane kitchen, using Karl’s recipe. It came together quickly. The peanut butter adds creaminess and depth. The chopped nuts lend texture. And the tomatoes give it a bit of tang, cutting some of the richness of the dish. I served it atop the white corn meal mixture, which made for a hearty meal. I’m still marveling at how easy and enjoyable it was.

For the ifisashi

1 cup unsalted peanuts

1 tablespoon natural creamy-style peanut butter

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 cup water

2 medium to large bunches of fresh collards, kale or spinach with stems and inner ribs removed and chopped

Salt to taste

Steamed white rice or nshima

For the nshima

4 cups water

2 cups plain corn meal, preferably white

Make the ifisashi: In a large saucepan, heat half the water over low heat, add the peanuts, peanut butter, onions and tomatoes, stir well and bring to a boil. After a few minutes, add the chopped greens and salt to taste. Reduce heat and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the peanuts are soft and the mixture becomes thick and buttery, 15 to 20 minutes. (Cooking time varies by type of greens used.) Add more water if mixture dries and starts to stick. Serve hot with steamed rice or nshima.

Make the nshima: Heat the water in a medium-sized pot over medium-low heat until lukewarm but not boiling. One tablespoon at a time, slowly sprinkle ¾ cup of the corn meal into the pot, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. Keep stirring slowly until mixture begins to thicken and boil. Increase heat slightly, cover the pot, and let simmer for 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the lid and slowly add remaining spoonfuls of corn meal while briskly stirring until the mixture is smooth and thick. Stir in more corn meal for a thicker nshima, if desired. Cover the pot, remove from heat and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Jordan: Mansaf – Herbed Lamb Simmered in Yogurt Sauce with Almonds

From “Forks” by Allan Karl

This traditional Bedouin dish is usually served on holidays and special occasions. It’s typically presented on a large platter and shared.

8 cups plain low-fat yogurt

2 teaspoons all-purpose flour

Pinch saffron threads

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste

1 large egg white

1/4 cup olive oil

2 pounds lamb, preferably on the bone, such as leg or shanks, cut into chunks

6 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large yellow onion, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 tablespoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 cup blanched whole almonds

1/2 cup pine nuts

3 cups steamed long grain rice

1/2 cup chopped Italian parsley

1 lime, cut into wedges

Pita bread, warmed for serving

In a blender or food processor, puree yogurt, flour, saffron, cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of salt, and egg white until smooth and consistent (you may have to do this in batches) and set aside.

In a large, slightly deep skillet or heavy duty pot, heat oil over medium heat, add lamb, and cook for 10 minutes to brown. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute more. Add enough water to cover the lamb by 2 inches. Add onion, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, and a dash of salt. Cover and simmer on medium-low heat for about an hour, until meat is tender and breaks apart easily with a fork.

While the meat simmers, in a small bowl create spice mixture by combining cumin, coriander, garlic powder, cardamom, ground cloves, and a teaspoon of fresh ground pepper and set aside. Pour yogurt into a large stock pot and heat over medium-high heat. Continuously stir the sauce with a large wooden spoon in one direction. If you reverse direction the yogurt will curdle. As the sauce begins to bubble, add spice mixture and continuously stir the sauce in the same direction until the yogurt mixture just begins to boil, then remove from heat. Remove lamb from skillet and set on a plate. Strain lamb broth and slowly add 2 to 3 cups of broth to yogurt mixture. Add lamb and stir constantly, in the same direction, while bringing the mixture to boil, then remove from heat.

In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the almonds and pine nuts. Spread the rice in a thick layer over a large platter, sprinkle half of the almonds and pine nuts on top. Place lamb on the rice and nuts and ladle 1 to 2 cups of the yogurt sauce over the meat and rice. Reserve the remaining sauce in a serving bowl. Garnish with chopped parsley and lime wedges and serve with warm pita or flatbread.

Note: Though this is traditionally cooked with lamb, you may substitute chicken or pork.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings