Camping, Princess Style

[Anna N]

How cozy it must be in your lovely camper when it's cold outside!  The smell of the bread and food.  The thought makes me smile  

 

 

I've never made pita bread, either.  Yours is so puffy and pretty!  I don't think I'd have trouble cutting it to make a sandwich pocket like I do with the ones we buy.   And I KNOW yours taste better.  The last ones I bought were worse than cardboard.

Shelby you must try making pita bread. It is so easy. Try Foodman's recipe which I think is in recipe gullet.

[Smithy]

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?

[Anna N]

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?

Pretty much. Make sure you have a landing pad-- A large bowl or basket lined with a clean towel to receive them as they come off the pizza stone. Make sure that they don't touch one another while they are rising for the final time. Have long tongs handy to pull them off the stone. Don't over cook them. Once they have fully puffed they're done. Don't be discouraged if you have the odd dud. We all do. Watching my first pita puff up was thrilling.

Edited to fix dictation issues.

Edited March 1, 2015 by Anna N (log)

[Smithy]

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).

[Smithy]

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.

[rotuts]

fantastic market, thanks for the share

 

Im going a bit nuts not having that deli nearby.

 

date molasses is new to me, Ill try to find some in the LittleIndia markets i go to or the middle eastern ones

 

have you ever tried pomegranate molasses ?  it might be more middle eastern rather than idian

 

I love it.

 

still salivating on the Deli.    ...........

[Shelby]

I could spends days in that market.

[FauxPas]

It's a great little market! 

 

Edible Baja Arizona can be read online or via their Facebook page. It's a pretty decent (and free!) publication. It's part of the Edible Communities Publications, they publish for a whole variety of cities and regions - mostly US but there are also a few Canadian ones:

 

http://www.ediblecommunities.com/content/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=37&Itemid=200057

 

Edited to add: You can pay for a subscription but they are available for free at local markets and bookstores, etc. 

Edited March 10, 2015 by FauxPas (log)

[Smithy]

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.

[rotuts]

Guess the Gila is still around.  back when the pink beads were redder, I recall  ....

 

excellent ! and thanks !

[Smithy]

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.

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Smithy,

 

Thanks for the vicarious tour of the Babylon Market. What a cornucopia of wonderful ingredients and prepared foods! If I ever make it to Tuscon, it'll be the first place on my list.

 

I hope that you find one of the feta's you bought is a good substitute for your favorite they were out of, and that maybe if you make it back there, that they will have restocked your preferred Greenland brand so you can stock up again.

 

I do not know how you were able to resist the pastries, except that maybe there were so many, many interesting and healthier alternatives. Baklava is one of my weak points, but the best to me are not overly sweet, and nuts (both walnuts and pistachios are chock full of protein, vitamins and minerals).

 

Rock on!

[Smithy]

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.

 

 

[Smithy]

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.  

[andiesenji]

This is my first visit to the forum for nearly a month and getting caught up on this thread has made me realize how much I have missed it!

Had open heart surgery on 3/3 and opted not to go to a rehab place but am staying with friends.

I am so anxious to get back to my own kitchen.

Love the food pics and the market. I practically lived full time in a big motor home in the late '70s when I was showing dogs a lot. And having to cook for the hounds as well as myself was always an adventure.

Fabulous job, looking forward to more!

[Kerry Beal]

This is my first visit to the forum for nearly a month and getting caught up on this thread has made me realize how much I have missed it!

Had open heart surgery on 3/3 and opted not to go to a rehab place but am staying with friends.

I am so anxious to get back to my own kitchen.

Love the food pics and the market. I practically lived full time in a big motor home in the late '70s when I was showing dogs a lot. And having to cook for the hounds as well as myself was always an adventure.

Fabulous job, looking forward to more!

Glad to see you back Andie - can't wait to see what you get up to in the kitchen once you are fully recovered.  What's the first thing you want to cook for yourself?

[andiesenji]

It has been awhile so I want to bake. Bread or something hearty - when I can get off this restrictive diet.

One good thing, I lost 29 pounds during a week in hospital, possibly mostly liquids...

[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. :-)

[Smithy]

My darling has been hankering for a classic Friday Night Fish Fry, and we'd seen advertisements along the road for such. We went to the Coyote Paws Cafe, part of the Cat Mountain Station Complex that includes a "Trading Post" and a Bed and Breakfast.  The cafe has a fun desert mural painted on its exterior, but it was too dark to photograph by the time we got there.

 

The interior is what I'll call Southwestern Kitsch: paintings, weavings and funny posters on muted blue and yellow walls.  Most of the artwork is for sale.  I didn't see a price tag on this bit of weavery, but I thought it the best bit of artwork in the place.

 

 

The menu had a number of promising offerings; I thought the poached salmon looked especially delectable on other people's plates.  By the time our order was taken, they were out of everything that took our fancy except the fish and chips that had brought us in the first place.  It made our decisions simpler.  

 

 

We liked our choice.  The fish was crisp and flavorful and held together well; the fries were very good; the accompanying cole slaw was not too sweet for my tastes, as most cole slaws are. The slaw was billed as prickly pear cole slaw; it didn't actually contain nopalitos, but the dressing was pink due to the addition of prickly pear syrup. I think there were also mustard seeds in the mix.  It was a nice, flavorful side salad.

 

In retrospect we think this wasn't the place we'd seen that advertises a Friday Night Fish Fry, because this fried fish was part of the regular menu.  Nonetheless Coyote Paws Cafe had captured our attention on earlier trips, and we were glad to have tried it.  

 

On the way home, the True Agenda appeared:  "At last," said my darling, "I won't have a mound of dishes to put away in the morning."

[andiesenji]

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. :-)

I did a lot of prep on slack days along the way to the next events. My big rig was made for full time living. Biggest dual powered fridge an separate freezer.

I had a gas barbecue that extended out from one of the cargo sections. It was 40 ft. No slide outs but efficiently laid out wine the rear section with built-in crates for the dogs. I usually had 8 - 10 but had room for 4 portable crates when another person would travel with me. I also had a solar oven and baked bread - amazing how many friends would appear when the aroma began drifting.

Baked a lot of pies both savory and sweet.

Having a 12.5 Kohler generator and 210 gal of fresh water allowed me to avoid the more expensive KOA places.

In 1987 I sold the rig to a rock group that needed the big closets and large cargo capacity for their sound equip. Plus diesel was getting more expensive...

[rotuts]

I wonder if the packaging made the Bulgarian taste off

 

in my middle eastern stores i always go for the Bulgarian,  its very creamy and not as salty as FR and Greek.

 

its floats in a tub.  each feta has its own tub.  over 8 or so.

 

its a shame that packaging might have changed it.

 

bummer.

[Shelby]

Smithy, we've been craving fried fish, too.  The only thing holding me back is the gigantic mess it makes in the kitchen.  My husband likes to fry the fish and....well, let's just say he isn't in to cleaning up as he goes lol.

 

Andie!!!!  I'm so glad you're back.  I hope you are able to get home soon.  Nothing quite like being home

[andiesenji]

I wonder if the packaging made the Bulgarian taste off

in my middle eastern stores i always go for the Bulgarian, its very creamy and not as salty as FR and Greek.

its floats in a tub. each feta has its own tub. over 8 or so.

its a shame that packaging might have changed it.

bummer.

The local (to my home) sells the Bulgarian feta in bulk - they have 6 varieties in the fridge - and it has always tasted quite mild to me. There is one that is very strong, smells like goat, but it is from Cyprios. There is a large Cypriot community in the antelope valley.

It is in brine and they advise keeping it in the brine till ready to use.

Edited March 14, 2015 by andiesenji (log)

[cyalexa]

Smithy, we've been craving fried fish, too.  The only thing holding me back is the gigantic mess it makes in the kitchen.  My husband likes to fry the fish and....well, let's just say he isn't in to cleaning up as he goes lol.

 

Andie!!!!  I'm so glad you're back.  I hope you are able to get home soon.  Nothing quite like being home

 

Andie, best wished for a speedy recovery. What breed? We had Goldens. 

 

Shelby, when I fry I put newspaper down on the nearby exposed surfaces. I have an induction cook top so it's safe. I would use foil if I had gas or electric.

[Smithy]

rotuts and Andiesenji, the Babylon Market also carries what they call domiati (Egyptian feta, essentially) in a stainless steel tub of brine, in chunks. We didn't buy any because of the shelf-stability issue, but I may try it anyway, as our schedule has changed and we're likely to get another chance at the market before heading east. Thanks for the information about Bulgarian feta. This may just be an off brand, or even an off batch

One of the cheeses we bought, the yellowish rumy cheese, has been opened. Upon my first taste I remembered not being crazy about it as an Egyptian breakfast staple at some of our hotels. After the second and third tastes, I decided my darling could enjoy the rest of that blast from the past. I inspected the label earlier today. It's from water buffalo milk.