Couscous and briks

[chefzadi]

. I'm convinced you could even charm recipes out of my maman.

I could try.

The only time I had trouble working with women was back in the 70's and 80's in the French Southwest. Some of the older, bony-faced "mothers" in their tight black hats just didn't "get " it about sharing recipes.

When living in in the home of Pierre Veilletet ( a famous writer and journalist) and his family in Bordeaux, my host explained that this problem of extracting recipes was all tied up with la cuisine ombilicale (pun intended). He said that mothers in the French Southwest wanted total matriarchal over everything that enters the mouth. For every problem the mother could offer a culinary solution.

Perhaps your mother just loves you a great deal.

.

←

I'm familiar with the French matriarchal thing, although not from my own maman. I think of it as regional. I was also told that some Italian women are like this. I wonder if anyone can verify this?

My mother is a woman of very few words. Her cooking is very simple. Badwi and Kabylie farmer style.

When I went to Oran I just went without knowing anyone and was immediately taken in by a family for several months. That's how things used to be in Algeria.

I chuckled a bit imagining Clifford Wright in a ktichen with a bunch of Arab women. The chit chatting, the little arguments over how something should be made, thinking about gives me a headache.

Paula, certainly you must be patient as well as passionate about your work. I know first hand how Magrebis and the French can be. Fantastically generous and gracious as hosts to be sure. But ya know not the most direct and linear. I'm not direct and linear either, which makes my wife crazy sometimes.

I don't get to travel as much anymore because raising two children in a very expensive city consumes our travel budget.

[touaregsand]

kissing the women on each cheek and then sincerely touching my heart.

I kiss my Algerian sisters in law and MIL 4 times. They expect it first thing in the morning even before I've had my coffee or brushed my teeth. The French, depending on the region, in Paris twice, in the south 4 times. Not to get too off topic, the Brazilians I know expect 4 kisses as well.

[touaregsand]

We made briks yesterday using springroll wrappers. I found them to be a bit easier to work with than the warka leaves.

The eggs were much too big for briks, but the bowl trick kept everything intact. When I folded the wrapper in half the edges didn't adhere together very well, even with an egg wash. I simply placed them in the hot oil and very quickly pressed the edges down with a fork.

Brik are very easy to make, the challenge is to work very quickly. Once the wrappers are filled they have to go into the frying pan within seconds, otherwise they will beging to disintegrate. Also basting the top with hot oil is sometimes necessary to avoid seepage.

(as a side note my husband prepared them for a Korean cooking demo with the addition of sauteed Kimchi. Huge crowd pleaser with Non-Koreans as well.)