Smithy

That sounds like something that could earn a slap to the face. You'd have to know the complimentee was secure about his/her weight, wouldn't you? Congratulations on the new arrival!

I hope you do try the side-by-side cooking and let us know the results. I've been curious (idly so, in light of my jammed cabinets) about this cookware. I'd expect some benefits from the thermal characteristics of the clay. However, since the clay isn't porous I've wondered whether the flavor benefits would be the same. Uggh. I haven't had problems with sticking in my clay pots. That sounds like a nightmare. You have my sympathy!

I'm afraid I have to disagree, but that name is really cute. First time I've heard of the dish, but "sham-el-nasim" literally means smelling the breeze. It is a common term for taking a stroll on a nice day. Shamy (not having seen the arabic, and assuming this is the correct origin) would then probably refer to the "smelling" part of the phrase. Sun as you probably know is "Shams", but always appears with the "s" on the end. Naseem/nasim/neseem means breeze, and is also a very nice boy's name, IMVHO. ← I do like the sound of that as a boy's name! I'm just repeating what the cookbook writer said in her preface to the recipe, but of course she might have misunderstood. I did wonder about the lack of an 's' at the end of shams, but since I'm a bare beginner I figured I was missing something about converting from a noun to an adjective. The cookbook only gives Arabic for ingredients, in an appendix, so I don't know how that dish would be written either. Something else to ask my teacher! Thanks for the information. Edited to add: Thanks too for the tip on Sham el Nessim. I think we'll have to instigate this holiday around our house! Without the smelly fish, though. I've smelled it. I'll stick to fatta.

...and there's NOTHING like deep-fried turkey, out in the woods, at night, somewhere below 0 degrees F. Just as long as someone else tows in the turkey, the frying pot, the burner, the propane, and the cooking oil. That oil sure helped the bonfire later.

So perhaps vinegar in tahina sauce is a particularly Egyptian twist. I'll have to ask my teacher how she makes it. I almost picked up one of both of Ms. Abdennour's books last week. Now I wish I had, in addition to the one I brought home. Heck, what's another couple of books? Thank you for that information. Your description of the lemon's size is spot-on. Now I have a way to search for them in this country. As much as I love our standard lemons and Meyer lemons, I'd like to find a source of the daq lemons as well. My cookbook says that fatta shamy is made to celebrate "Sham El Nessim, the holiday which welcomes in spring", so I'm thinking that in this case the word "shamy" refers to the sun.

Well, keep in mind that this is a mixture of tahina and yogurt for the fatta recipe, so I may have used the wrong turn. Otherwises - perhaps this is evidence of unique Egyptian cuisine? I don't know. None of my other cookbooks - except the Claudia Roden book mentioned above - has any fatta recipes. In the Egyptian book from which I was cooking, both fatta shamy recipes used vinegar in addition to lemon in the tahina/yogurt sauce. The other fatta recipe, which uses beef, did not - but it added tomato sauce. So, broadening the question a bit: what type(s) of vinegar would be likely to be used in Egypt? What about in the Maghreb? The Mashreq? I'd still like to know what variety of lemon is grown in Egypt. So far I haven't found any definitive answer online. I'm sure some horticulturists has figured it out, but I don't know where to look.

Hm . . . good point. I will also await Daddy-A's reply. I think the racks in the GE Monogram I am planning on might be about the same. For sticky racks that don't slide easily, I used to smear with a little high temperature silicone lubricant. I have no idea where to buy it. I used to um . . . borrow some from the lab. First time I did that, I yanked at the rack and it almost came flying out and onto the floor. ← I wish I'd thought of that high-temperature silicone lubricant. I'm sure I can, er, find some lying around somewhere. Our new oven's racks developed a considerably higher coefficient of friction after the first self-cleaning cycle. They've never been the same since. I think you left out a syllable? mushrOOOM....mushrOOOM... The food you women have turned out tonight is awesome. Marlene, you continue to amaze me with your command of things that would have me running in terror, even as you claim to be entering unknown territory. Susan, how the devil you manage to run a household and still cook is beyond me.

Shows what I know!

Wow, that certainly hit the nails on the head for me. What is it about most of us that we're like this? I've survived and overcome lots of things in my life, but this remains the hardest for me. ....Multiply that by what you all are doing right now, and not doing right now, and publicly, I can hardly imagine but I totally admire and respect you. ....And the food!! Sweet! Marlene, the hot roast beef sandwich looked so good. I haven't had that in years. I love the looks of those onion rings, too, and I want some like that on top of the next steak I have. They remind me of those that are served atop a beef stroganoff recipe I have. Susan, I am going to search the Asian markets I go to for MAMA noodles. That meal is for me! Your dinner last night looked damn good too. I hope Dave is OK... have either of you heard from him behind the scenes, so we know that he is OK? LOL, this might be the most impressive of all: Kudos to all, including those that are joining in along with the official bloggers. ← What she said. All of it. (Nice oven! ) It took the funeral of a friend, and my beating myself up over a misunderstanding that would now never be satisfactorily resolved, to really grok that line in the Lord's Prayer: "forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who've trespassed against us". Suddenly it made sense to me: "cut us some slack, as we cut others slack - and by the way, help us to cut ourselves some slack too". I still beat myself up, but not as badly or for as long. As others have noted, count your progress instead of your slippage. Stroganoff! Snowangel, have you ever made venison stroganoff? It's a household favorite around here. I'll bet elk would be good prepared that way too. Marlene, I was going to suggest cucumber dill soup (with some yogurt or sour cream, a bit of garlic, how can that be bad?) but while I've been trying and failing to format this post the way I'd like I see you've decided on roasted peach. Ooh, much better! No, star anise isn't the same as anise, and I don't think it would be a good substitute, but I'm not sure what would. Allspice, cinnamon and pepper, perhaps? Others in the know may giggle if I'm off base, but maybe they can jump in with a good substitution. I confess, I have a package of the stuff in my cupboard and have yet to try it.

You and Fifi both? It looks like I'll have to get myself a stainless steel garlic smasher mushroom thingie.

Andie, what do spittle bugs look like? I've had what look like little white flies on my rosemary - kept indoor for the winter - and in some years they've clustered almost as heavily as on Curlz's photo above. This year when I spotted them I used a food-safe bug spray, and judicious washing, and seem to have gotten them to go away. I'd still like to know what they are.

well, susan, guess you REALLY aren't going to be doing anything with that stock for a bit - warm water around the base of the container? ← Hmm. Heat your ice chipper indoors, then gently use it to pry under the stockpot? Edited to add: I came very close to the same calamity last Sunday. By sheer dumb luck, I checked it before the pot had quite frozen to the deck.

This particular recipe was one of two called "fatta shamy". As I understand it, the name comes from the holiday when it's most likely to be made. Considering the amount of work that went into it (I am not an efficient cook) I can see why it's more of a holiday or party meal! Anyway, both fatta shamy recipes involved chicken (the meat and the broth). Elsewhere in the cookbook is another fatta recipe that calls for beef, but I haven't tried that one yet. The tahina sauce was a mixture of tahina, lemon juice, vinegar, and yogurt, with a seasoning of cumin and salt, with water to thin if necessary. (It wasn't, since my tahina was pretty runny.) I may be calling the sauce by the wrong name, since it also included yogurt, but I needed to call it something for the purposes of this post. So far I have two specifically Egyptian cookbooks that I like. The one I was using last night is called "Tastes of Egypt", or maybe it's "Flavors of Egypt", and it's a lovely and fairly low-production-cost book put together using recipes from women all over the country. Think of a very large locally-produced book from your favorite church group, and you'll have the idea of the format. The funds went to help the women and children of the villages, as I recall. I got it at the American University in Cairo (AUC). The book promises a second edition, but I haven't been able to locate it. If you want more information I'll post the production info when I get a chance to look at the book again. The other Egyptian cookbook I have is one I just picked up: "Egyptian Cooking, the English edition". (The same book is available in French, German and who knows what other languages.) I think it may be an AUC production, but I'd have to look again to be sure. I picked it up because it had recipes the other book didn't have, and had photos to boot. No vocabulary, though. "Tastes of Egypt" has a fairly detailed vocabulary list with actual spellings as well as phonetic spellings, both in Arabic and English. Edited to add: the title of the book is Flavors of Egypt from city and country kitchens, by Susan Torgersen. It may be out of print.

Some thoughts, now that I've finally caught up on SIXTEEN PAGES worth of blog started while I was away: Cheers to you bloggers, and to Maggie, and the others who've jumped on the wagon! I don't have direct insight to what you're going through, since I've never smoked, but I've watched other people quit. It can be very difficult. Some friends who tried the harder drugs first (post-college Southern California, don't you know) eventually got around to trying nicotine. They were amazed that it was legal, considering all the illegal "harder" stuff they'd tried that didn't seem nearly as nasty. I've been trying to imagine what you're going through, without having actually done it myself. The closest I can think of is giving up eGullet. Naw. Couldn't do it. Susan, your venison treatments have looked wonderful so far. Here are some other ideas, if you're still looking for them: Gumbo! Shish kabob! Roast, slow cooked, or chops, with mushroom sauce. Take Dave's flank steak treatment above and do that to some venison or elk. Marlene, I would vote against the chicken wing soak because of the timing. Isn't that supposed to be an overnight thing? I'm looking forward to your treatment, though. Mm. I adore buffalo wings. Dave, here's my ignorant question of the day: when you butterflied that flank steak way upthread did you just slice it in two along its thickness? I couldn't tell whether you basically opened it out to make it thinner, or if you put the seasonings in between the layers and then closed them up again. Y'all are doing great. Hang in there. My husband quit about 30 years ago, long before we met, because he'd started running. His doctor predicted correctly that he'd give up running or smoking within 6 months. He's never gone back. My mother took a couple of tries, but she quit and made it stick. You can do it too. ETA: Susan, do consider Chufi's butter-braised beef recipe, with venison or elk instead.

I've no advice for you, but I'm so glad you picked up one of those! I was admiring them recently. You *will* post photos of finished dishes in it, won't you? So's we can enjoy it too.

Last night I was working on a fatta recipe and got around to the tahina sauce. It called for vinegar. Err.. what type of vinegar? My cookbook doesn't say. After some thought I eliminated apple cider vinegar (don't remember seeing apples in Egypt), wine vinegar of either color (although this seemed a possibility), and standard white vinegar (yech) and went with cane vinegar. Given the importance of sugar cane in Egypt, this seemed the most likely type of vinegar they'd use, but I wish I'd checked recently. Does anyone know? Once again I marveled at and lusted after the lemons. They aren't Meyer lemons, and they aren't our standard Eureka lemons. They're quite a bit sweeter than our Eurekas but lack the floral quality of the Meyers, and they're smaller than either. (I can get a reasonable facsimile of the juice by blending Meyer and Eureka juices, but it still isn't the same.) I think they're just characterized as "limoon baladi" (country lemons) by the vendors, but don't quote me on that. I'd love to know (a) what variety lemon is grown there, and (b) whether that variety is grown in the U.S.A. somewhere. Can anyone help me?

Those pots really are pretty! I especially like the ones in Andie's second link. Fifi, I thought lead was most likely to be in the glaze, therefore not an issue for an unglazed pot. Should I be testing my Egyptian pots (one, anyway) for lead?

Really? Is that legal? I don't know why it wouldn't be, it just sound so environmentally unfriendly... but I guess disposal in any sense means returning it to the earth in some form... I guess I just assumed there was a more "friendly" form than just dirty grease... U.E. ← Geez, I hope so. If it isn't somebody speak up! I would never do it if it wasn't food grease or oil. I actually generally mix it with other fats and bird seed and put it out for the birds. And if there is a biofuel plant in my area I would be happy to contribute to it. ← It is legal to put cooking oils and fats in your household garbage, at least on a household level. That sort of thing is expected to go into your municipal solid waste landfill (MSW), and the landfill is designed for it. However, the other uses cited above are more friendly uses of the material. The whole idea of the MSW is to collect all the materials that go into it and keep them forever. The landfill is lined. Eventually it's capped to prevent precipitation from going in. Therefore, the fats aren't going back to the earth in any sense of recycling. Using them for fuel, either for your car (gosh, I like the sound of that) or the local wildlife is closer to actual reuse or recycling.

Bless Alice for helping us increase up our uptake of antioxidants! Isn't that Frank Stitt book just gorgeous? It's the kind of cookbook that makes me sit myself down for a good talking-to. "Now really, just look at all you can learn - and eat - from this one book alone. It's time, truly, to stop buying more cookbooks." I nod solemnly and agree with myself, until (say) Chef John Folse's Encylopedia of Creole and Cajun Cooking leads me cheerfully back through temptation, unto the sin of accumulation. Add Egyptian Cooking for me. I couldn't resist. It's the first of my Egyptian cookbooks to have photos, it has recipes my other cookbooks don't have, and it includes some cookery from farther west as well.

*Bump* I'd forgotten all about Estoril! The given address is 12 Talat Harb street (Cairo), but in fact you have to go down an alley to get to it. Wonderful thomeya, great salads and bread. My grilled chicken was a bit bland but cooked to perfection. Russ' khofta had just the right amount of spice. This seems to be one of those well-known secrets of the area. If I can get these photos downloaded I'll post photos of the food and the sign. The sign outside the door says, among other things, Experience the best + the worse as in Aesop's Fable Eat unpronouncable and undescribable dishes at the oldest restaurant I love Egypt. Edited for spelling.

Ya know, even here in Duluth we have displays like that, admittedly smaller, but they're there. I zero in on those by smell alone. I haven't worked out what that precise smell is that's so distinctive, so tantalizing. It isn't sweet, it isn't hot, it isn't - well, it isn't basil, oregano, chili, or cumin. Or thyme, saffron, cloves or fruit. What the heck is it? I don't know, but it grabs my attention from 2 aisles over, every time. It's luscious. Any ideas what that precise odor combination is? That is soooo California. I grew up in the Central Valley, where orange juice was sold from stands made like giant oranges that dotted the landscape along Highway 99. They're all gone now, but I still see the odd relic, like Bob's Big Boy. Or your cow.

The pot shouldn't break if you drop it. I agree with the above suggestion - try the vendor first - but if that doesn't work for some reason then contact Le Creuset directly. They're very good with the warranty, from what I've seen.

I didn't think you were that far inland. I know the Pacific's plenty cold, but doesn't it help mitigate the desert climate? Or are you farther inland than I'd thought? For instance: Claremont, up in the San Gabriel Valley near the L.A. area, is about 30 miles from the ocean and can get plenty cold (for SoCal) at night. I wouldn't expect that of Santa Monica. I love old cookware, and have my share of it interspersed with the newer fru-fru stuff. Your beloved saucepan kinda looks like something from the Wagner Ware Magnalite line. Is it? I've admired those from afar for years but never been willing to cough up the money on eBay.

I'm so glad I like that song. It'll be stuck in my head for a couple of days now.

Oh, this is going to be fun! Blog on, mizducky! Do be sure to include photos of the sunshine, since some of us are in the middle of winter. Will you be moving into your very own place, or will you have a new housemate whose food preferences and sensitivities will need consideration?