Smithy

It's great to see you back, Andie! We're going out tonight, but I'll try to do something in your honor tomorrow. Bread, for sure. What sort of cookery did you do in your motor-home? Since you were showing and cooking for your dogs, did you have to settle for quick-and-easy meals for yourself? I'm guessing not. :-)

Sometimes it's nice to take a break from the usual breakfast and lunch routines. I've been trying to find a use for this Bulgarian feta that we picked up last fall at the Babylon Market. It has an unpleasant overtone common to many feta cheeses we purchase in the USA: my darling refers to it as a petroleum flavor, and I have no better term for it. It isn't saltiness. Thanks to a post in this "Welcome" topic by Clementine Blanche Tyler, I decided to try the feta with something. She had suggested watermelon, which we don't have; we do have a couple of heirloom tomatoes picked up during our last shopping expedition. What a happy combination! Somehow, the juice of the tomato neutralizes that unpleasant cheese note, while the saltiness of the feta sets the tomato off to perfection. Lunch! The olives are assertive enough to stand up to the combination. I won't be buying more of this particular feta, but now I know I'll be able to use it up.

We moved a short distance, to Picacho Peak State Park. Compared to Tucson Mountain Park it's a bit more expensive, a bit more difficult to get into because they take reservations, a bit more private-seeming (although just as congested) because of the campground layout, and slightly noisier at night because the freeway and railroad pass within easy hearing distance. Their flowers are stunning. For those of you who may be thinking spring will never arrive, here's a preview: I hadn't been able to get more mesquite flour at Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, so I bicycled to the Visitor Center and asked here. They'd never heard of such a thing, and looked at me as though I'd sprouted a second head. I went back out to admire the flowers, instead. Dinner that night was chicken breast cutlets, pounded to smithereens (fun when frustrated), coated in panko and spices, and served with a lemon/butter pan sauce. We tried some of the Babylon Market garlic sauce on it; it was good, but unnecessary. It wasn't half bad on the asparagus, either. My darling has never believed until now that chicken breast can be moist. Now he's convinced! Last night I used a similar technique, sans pounding or garlic sauce, on talapia filets. It was also delicious. If I took a photo, I can't find it.

Yes, welcome, MartinW! With your interests, you should fit right in here. Congratulations on the baby! When you're cooking food that your wife misses, do you find elements of your Southern German food working its way into the dish? I'm basically wondering whether there's an intersection between the two cuisines that makes for interesting fusion dishes, or you have to choose between to sides of the world for any given meal.

That's beautiful duck breast, Anna N. How do you decide, these days, between "conventionally cooked" (which presumably covers a wide range) and "sous vide"?

We may get an opportunity to go back to the Babylon Market before leaving. Therefore it was incumbent upon us to begin testing cheeses from our latest visit. In addition, I had half a batch of rosemary sourdough to remove from the refrigerator. It became pita: We added tuna, parsley, freshly-ground cumin, and two types of the boxed feta cheese. This comparison involved the full-salt, full-fat Puck brand cheese and the low-salt Greenland brand cheese. On the whole, we preferred the lower-salt cheese. Whether that was a difference in brands or a difference in salt level, we can't say. At any rate, it was an easy dinner.

I'm sorry to hear the news about the lead - but I totally understand the "no new stuff without an excuse" syndrome! :-D

SLB, if you'd like a little peace of mind you can order a lead testing kit and test your existing tagine. The test kit doesn't cost much - you may even be able to get it at a local hardware store - and is nondestructive. The Souss and tagra will be a lot of fun anyway, but you may learn that you haven't been risking brain cells all this time. Did Vanessa indicate that you could still use your existing tagine as server ware? I've read about that with some tagines that aren't intended to be cooked in but can be used for the finished dish.

Last week after we arrived in Tucson, we had the rare treat of visitors! My brother-in-law and his lady were in the state, taking a brief respite from their Minnesota winter. We arranged to get together for a couple of days. They arrived mid-afternoon, and after a good chat we got down to food, wine, talk, more food, more wine, more talk. I got to cook for more than 2 people, for a change! I was happy with my sourdough rosemary olive oil bread: Judging by the minimal leftovers, I wasn't the only one. We had a huge salad with a selection of dressings. The main course was pan-seared chicken thighs, with some combination of herbs that I've forgotten now, but I made a pan sauce to go over jasmine rice, and garnished the lot with freshly chopped basil. Wine accompanied dinner. Cheers! The next day we all went to the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum. This is a fascinating place: a botanical garden and a zoological garden, with school exhibits, art classes, and the inevitable bookstore / gift shop. Despite its name it does a good job of covering various deserts and desert wildlife, as well as discussing mountainous and grassland ecosystems. There is a small aquarium that, for the most part, addresses the Sea of Cortez (a.k.a. Gulf of California) and the Colorado River. They also have a display linking to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch program, with this sobering display: The photo quality isn't great. In the upper left corner of the display is a net filled with aquatic wildlife (fish, turtles, etc) that is the bycatch of improper (probably the most economic, but also the least sustainable) shrimping methods. At the bottom center of the photo is a pan with the shrimp that results from that catch. At the display one can pick up a Southwest Consumer Guide for seafood purchases, ranking them as "Best Choice", "Good Alternatives" or "Avoid". The Consumer Guides are available on line, for those interested. There's also an app. Much of the day was spent wandering, watching the raptor free flight, visiting the aviaries and exhibits. We stopped for lunch at one of their restaurants, and had burgers to our specification. Mine was a green chile burger on rye bread, with french fries. The fries were good; the burger was terrific. That green chile added a nice zip to the overall content. I didn't get a picture of our food. I got a lot of pictures of animals, but will include only one, for rotuts: That night, dinner was considerably simpler than the previous night's feast: polish sausage, green salad or tabbouli or both, and bread or toast for those who had room. There was, of course, wine.

Oh, steak porn indeed. Thanks for explaining about Wine Berserkers. I had heard of it - spelled out - but would never have made the connection.

Great stuff, as usual. Was that creamy bowlful at Paramount really labneh? It looked more like hummus to me. What was the pool of liquid inside? Olive oil?

Ann_T, if I could reach through the screen and grab that bread and sandwich, I'd do so. Luscious and lovely-looking, it is!

I'm glad he had copies of the recipes elsewhere; otherwise that would have been a devastating theft. What a strange burglary! I hadn't heard of cruffins before. They sound delicious.

Here's some of our haul from the Babylon Market: Those are oil-cured olives in the plastic bag. I see from the cheese boxes that some have preservatives and do not require refrigeration before opening. The Greenland cheeses have no preservatives. I think that's why they recommend refrigeration even though they're in aseptic packaging. Not shown: rice, falafel mix, bulgur, some Indian simmer-in-the-bag convenience foods, and tamarind paste.

We've moved on to Tucson, Arizona, and been very busy seeing sights, visiting with family, and running errands. I'll start with the most fun errand: stocking up at the Babylon Market. We found this place a couple of years ago, and it's become our best source for Middle Eastern foods as well as some hard-to-find Indian ingredients. This time when we strolled in, I had camera in hand and asked one of the owners if I could take photos, explaining that I'm doing a traveling food blog and would like to show off his place. He was pleased to give me permission; in addition, he and most of the staff were happy to be photographed. (One young man was immensely helpful but wished not to be in the photos; he was pleased that I asked first and respected his wishes.) This little shop packs an amazing amount of stock into a very small area. The shelves are jammed with multiple brands and sizes of any given item. I didn't keep careful track, but I think there were more than a dozen types of olive oil alone; safflower oil, corn oil and sunflower oil also came in multiple brands and sizes. Check out their honey selections: Tea, and the necessary equipment to brew and serve coffee or tea: ...and the equipment for a convivial sheesha if you're of that persuasion: Fresh, good-looking chicken, lamb and beef: A grand array of spices, in very different package sizes ranging from small pouches to large bags or cans: Our hopes were dashed at the dairy case; they were out of our preferred Greenland feta cheese. They had low-salt feta and light feta and other brands of feta or domiati (another name for this type of cheese). We selected some alternative types and will hope that one of them is close enough to our preference. There are pastries at the checkout counter. I resisted, but it was a struggle. I'll bet that baklava is outstanding. "You may want to get a photo of our deli in back also," said the owner. Oh, I did. They make shawarma, tabbouli, baba ghanoush and falafel that are wonderful, and we always plan to eat there when we shop there. Check out their shawarma rigs: beef on one, chicken on the other. It's delicious stuff. I thanked the gentleman who took our order and the gentleman who made our sandwiches for allowing me to take their photo. "It's our pleasure!" they smiled. We ordered a falafel sandwich and a shawarma sandwich. These babies are very tasty. The last touch is to grill them lightly after they've been wrapped; the wrapping is warm and soft, with the barest hint of a grilled crunch to it. We ate outside at one of their tables, then waddled on to the rest of our errands. The owner asked whether I'd seen the article about them in the Edible Baja Arizona magazine. I hadn't even heard of the magazine, but he gave me a copy of last year's issue, which included a nice article featuring the Babylon Market. For better photos and background on this treasure of a store, I recommend checking out their article: A Flavor Oasis. Edit: Corrected shawarma information (previously misidentified as lamb).

I once worked as a short-order cook in a diner, and later tended bar in a pub, but have not otherwise been involved in the food industry. One of the things I like about the eG Society is that I get to rub elbows, figuratively speaking, with professionals as well as home cooks. I have learned a great deal here!

Yes, welcome! Meat, wine and cutlery sound like a great combination of interests; you should fit right in here. Sorry if this seems like a silly question, but what is the wb board to which you refer? Wine buyers?

Ann_T, that's beautiful! Please help me understand more about the cubes. Did you cube the cheese and the onions and add them during the mixing, proofing, or the final loaf-shaping stage, or is there more to the process than what I've just suggested?

I was warned that it might, when my granite countertops were installed. I've never wanted to risk it.

Tis is very sad news. Thank you, Annie, for telling us and posting a link to the family's youcaring site.

I probably wouldn't, except in the sense that I sometimes buy a magazine or book knowing that I'm buying for a specific recipe. The same would go for a DVD. You need to think carefully about who would be doing the offering, also. Are you asking about a target market from a publisher's standpoint? Publishers or writers might consider selling excerpts of their copyrighted material, and that would be legal. Two or three people could agree to purchase a copyrighted cookbook and split it into parts of their own, and that would be legal, although a travesty to a beautiful book. A buyer who does not hold the copyright could not legally (or ethically) sell copies or excerpts to recoup his or her cost.

Let me add my welcome to the others, Clementine. I too love Greek food and am looking forward to what you have to say about it. According to what I've read, there's been some changes happening there and some of the traditional dishes are being jazzed up with new twists. I confess, I've never thought of watermelon and feta! I've been in Coftu and the Greek part of Cyprus, and loved both places. That's the closest I've been to Greece, but I hope to get to the mainland one day. 25 years old, and already started in the food industry! You're off to a good start!

I concluded, during our kitchen remodeling, that the term "independent contractor" implies the independence of a cat: you never know when the crew will turn up, or for how long. Take heart! It will get done, and you'll love the results, and eventually you'll have some fun stories to tell.

Anna's right: making pita is easy, and a lot of fun. Here, to encourage both Shelby and Thanks for the Crepes, is Foodman's recipe and instructions: Pita Bread (Khobz Arabi). Yesterday I tried using a sourdough mixture instead, and it worked quite well. I think the tricks are having well-developed gluten, having the dough rolled out (or patted) thin, and having a hot surface to throw it on. (I've also done it in a skillet, using a small film of oil. That idea came from Flatbreads and Flavors.) Anna, does that match your experience?

Today was a blustery day: windy, with rain hitting the hills around us but none arriving at our location, and temperatures cool enough to consider running the furnace during the day. Such a day lends itself to baking and cooking inside. Last night's bean dish needed something to jazz it up. Out from the freezer came a roll of chorizo, and into a pan it went. After a brief fry to remove and drain some of the fat, the beans went into the pan to simmer with it. In the meantime, I hauled out another jar that has traveled across country more than once, waiting for Just the Right Occasion. When I bought this I really had bruschetta in mind, but it's also a fine accompaniment for blanched broccoli. The tomato, olives and oil in the bruschetta topping give the broccoli a nice piquancy, and we love the color contrast. I don't know whether this TJ's Bruschetta topping can still be purchased. If it's still available, I recommend it. As the beans simmered, I had the oven heating up, and then began the day's bread-baking project: sourdough pita. Dinner was served in two stages: broccoli with bruschetta topping; then pita pockets with beans, salad greens and cheese. The "dinner served" photos are too unruly, so here are the final elements instead - unassembled: There are *still* leftovers from yesterday's beans, but the amount is halved and considerably more flavorful than before the chorizo joined the ensemble. Meanwhile, another jar is out of the pantry.