Third Place - Lost Challenge

Without even seeing the posts of my fellow competitors, I feel confident in saying that I will be in third place.

My food is dual-inspired. First, it is in honor of Sayid, the Iraqi interrogator. Second, I am reading about Muhammad. Technically, one of the dishes is Kuwaiti, but it's close enough for me.

Kuwaiti Chicken and Rice With Daqoos - Garlic Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 baby chicken
• 1 cinnamon stick
• salt
• 3 cardamom pods
• 1/2 lemon
• 2 tablespoons rice flour (to be gluten free)
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 4 black peppercorns
• 2 cups basmati rice
• 2 large yellow onions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup golden raisin, soaked in water
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried lime powder, Loomi
• 1 teaspoon middle eastern mixed spice (Baharat Aka Middle East Mixed Spices - the Real Mix)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 cups pureed canned tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons water
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1/4 cup pine nuts

Directions

1. Rinse chicken inside and out.

2. Place in a stockpot with enough water to cover. Add cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, cloves, peppercorns, juice of 1/2 lemon and salt to taste.

3. Bring to a boil skimming as required, continue to simmer partially covered until chicken is done (approximately 40 minutes).

4. Remove and drain the chicken, reserving broth though a strainer.

5. Prepare basmati rice according to it's package directions, using broth from chicken instead of water. Add turmeric for colour and salt to taste.

6. While the rice is cooking, cook the onions in a skillet over medium heat, with 2 tablespoons olive oil, until soft.

7. Sprinkle with a little water and stir quickly until onions are brown and the water has evaporated. Stir in drained raisins, pine nuts, sliced blanched almonds if using, ½ teaspoons bahrat and loomi powder. Cook for one minute. Remove mixture from skillet and set aside.

8. Lightly dust the boiled, drained chicken with flour. In a clean skillet over medium-high heat, brown the chicken in 1 Tbs. olive oil, turning, until the outside is crispy and brown.

9. For the tomato sauce, add water, chopped tomatoes, crushed garlic, tomato paste, salt, sugar and the rest of bahrat in a small saucepan, sauté until tomatoes are soft and the sauce is well blended.

10. When the rice is done, spread it on a serving platter. Sprinkle the onion mixture over the rice, and place the chicken on top. Pass the tomato garlic sauce to spoon onto individual plates.

Iraqi Cardamom Cookies (Hadgi Badah)

Ingredients

* 2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 4 large eggs
* 2 cups ground blanched almonds (about 10 oz.)
* rose water (optional) or orange blossom water (optional)
* 6 dozen whole almonds

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with a light coating of cooking spray, oil or butter. (Looks like parchment paper would also work well with these cookies.).

2. Sift together the flour, cardamom, salt, and baking powder.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until light and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture, then the ground almonds.

4. Pinch off a small piece of dough and hand form into 1-inch balls, moistening your hands with rose water or orange blossom water, if desired. Place on the prepared baking sheets and flatten slightly. Press a whole almond into the center of each cookie.

5. Bake until lightly browned about 12 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

6. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

7. ***I added Nutella on top. =)
   

I don't have cable, so I came to school. We have a TV with cable in the kitchen in my department. Yes, I'm that big of a dork.

Easter Goods & Theme Cooking & Do Mormons Celebrate Easter?

Hello, friends. I fear I am the lone author of this blog of late. Sadness.

I went to visit my friend Sarah H. for the Easter holiday, and we made a lot of food.

#1: A fruit pizza. A tasty fruit pizza.

Then on Easter Day:
I had my version of communion.


Here's our spread. For three people. Don't judge. Starting from 12:00 going clockwise, we have broccoli, homemade croissants, bacon, quiches from the French quiche lady, spoon bread, funeral potatoes, and cheese for the broccoli. In the middle is some fruit. I'm not telling what's in the little white dish.

The ham & cheese quiche was tasty, but the Roquefort was a little on the pungent side. The spoon bread was deeeeeeelightful.

The "funeral potatoes" were included because of my theme cooking needs. I am currently reading By the Hand of Mormon, a book about the Book of Mormon and how it has been viewed by critics and believers since Joseph Smith introduced it to the world. To be honest, I'm a bit stuck in it. The first part was interesting -- learning about Joseph Smith's background, the earliest followers, how it was printed, how it was "translated," etc. It was also interesting to read about how Mormon apologists have tried to use archeological data to support the historicity of the Book of Mormon. Where I am now, though, it's just, "This critic said this and then this other critic said this other thing..." Dull.

Anyway, I knew I'd have have some issues theme cooking with this book. Mormonism is an American religion, born in upstate New York, which is not, as far as I know, renowned for its culinary artistry. The ethnic background of Smith is pretty boring--kind of WASPy and not food-inspiring.

I first thought about using only ingredients that would be saved for food storage. Fun fact: it is a religious expectation that Mormons will keep a full year of food stocked for an emergency. This was originally due to end-of-times beliefs, but my understanding is that it is now just considered prudent. You can calculate your own storage needs here. I couldn't come up with anything especially interesting from those ingredients.

So, I did myself an internet search for traditional Mormon foods. The food that kept popping up was "Funeral Potatoes." They are starchy, cheesy, and processed. Good, ole American goodness. As Melissa (a non-Mormon, far as I know, but she's been known to keep a secret or two) introduced me to a very similar recipe, I think this is just a midwestern potluck type meal. But it works. Some people thought that we over-cheesed ours. I don't understand that concept, so I cannot agree.

Theme Cooking - Tortillas

I really need a professional food photographer to help me out here. This theme cooking is based on the book Barefoot Heart about a girl who grew up in a migrant working family. Her mother made homemade tortillas three times a day, every day for a family of eight. I'm willing to bet her tortillas were prettier than mine. I recommend the book. In addition to giving an interesting glimpse into the life of a migrant worker, the book is told in two different voices. Most of it is told from her perspective as a child. The end is told from an adult perspective, and the story is a shade different.

The tortilla recipe is the one Steff gave me here. The carrots and mushrooms are not Mexican, but it's what I had around the house. The carrot recipe is here.

Sappho's Stonewall Moussaka

This is my second thematic post. I have just finished reading Stonewall. When I made the first theme food for the book, I went through several options. One was to cook Greek food in honor of Sappho. I nixed that one, because the vast majority of Stonewall's patrons were men. Once I read further, though, I learned that one of the flashpoints for the riots was a butch lesbian who was getting roughed up by the police. I asked my Greek former roommate for a masculine Greek meal. She suggested Moussaka.

**I would cook the eggplant on lower heat or make thicker cuts...a lot of mine got burnt.
The use of cinnamon and allspice with beef was super tasty. I had leftover beef, so I made just the meat sauce later & put it over pasta. Yum. (The directions don't say to drain the meat, but you'd definitely want to do that.)

Ingredients

• EGGPLANT
• 2 large eggplants (about 2 3/4 pounds), unpeeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch slices
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• MEAT SAUCE
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Pinch of ground cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus to taste
• Freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes (with puree), roughly chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• CUSTARD SAUCE
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk, room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1 large egg
• 2 large egg yolks
• 
  
• 1/2 cup dried breadcrumbs
• 3 tablespoons Pecorino Romano

Directions

Bake the eggplant: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Brush the eggplant slices on both sides with the oil and lay on 2 small or 1 large foil-lined baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake until the eggplant is soft, about 25 minutes. Set aside covered.

Make the meat sauce. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beef, oregano, allspice, cloves, and cinnamon. Break the meat up into small pieces and season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 2 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until just cooked but still slightly pink inside, about 1 minute more. Add the tomato and bay leaf and bring to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the sauce is thickened and fragrant, about 20 minutes.

Make the custard sauce. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk, salt, and nutmeg. Return to the heat and while whisking constantly, bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and stir to cool. When the sauce is cool, whisk in the egg and yolks.

Assemble the moussaka. Lower the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush a 9 x 13 x 2-inch casserole dish with the oil. Scatter the breadcrumbs over the bottom of the pan. Lay half of the eggplant in the pan, overlapping the slices if needed. Cover with half of the meat sauce and smooth with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining eggplant and meat sauce. Pour the custard sauce over the layered mixture and smooth with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle with the Pecorino Romano and bake, uncovered, until lightly browned and the custard is set, about 1 hour.

Remove the moussaka from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to serve.

I'll leave you with a quotation in the book by Franklin Kameny who wrote it in 1968:

"Gay is good. I say that it is time to open the closet door and let in the fresh air and the sunshine; it is time to doff and discard the secrecy . . . to live your homosexuality fully, joyously, openly, and proudly, assured that morally, socially, physically, psychologically, emotionally, and in every other way: Gay is good. It is."

Oscar Wilde Guinness Cupcakes

To encourage myself to keep up my reading for fun & to give myself ideas of things to cook, I've decided to cook food that is thematically tied to whatever I'm reading. The next book on my list is about the daughter of migrant workers from Mexico. That one's pretty easy. Of course, I decided to start this when I'm in the middle of reading about the Stonewall riots. It took a little more thinking to figure out what to cook. First, I thought about just going with bar food. (Depending on how long it takes me to read the book, I might end up going with that as well.) Second, I thought about Greek food, for Sappho and the island of Lesbos. That was a bit of a stretch, since the vast majority of the Stonewall's patrons were men. Oscar Wilde crossed my mind a couple of times, but I couldn't think of anything Irish except for beer. Sarah Green helpfully suggested Guinness cupcakes. I wanted to go for rainbow sprinkles, but all they had was pink. Behold the culinary gayness: Oscar Wilde Guinness Cupcakes with Pink Sprinkles



Alright, so my decorating & food photography skills could use some serious help. Perhaps my baking skills too? I wasn't in love with this recipe. I think maybe it's just that I don't care for Guinness and am not much of a dessert person. They're good enough that I'm going to take them to work and try to make other people eat them. Hopefully this won't lead everyone to conclude that I am unable to cook. [EDIT: upon further reflection, I have decided they are quite tasty as long as they have icing on them--the icing-less ones are not as appetizing.] Here's the recipe (from Chow.com).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness stout
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa, plus more for garnish
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

For the frosting:

*I used store bought cream cheese frosting. Some commenters on Chow suggested substituting some or all of the heavy cream with Bailey's.

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 pound confectioners’ sugar
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the Guinness, milk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Mix in the sour cream.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the cocoa, sugar, flour, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet Guinness mixture.
4. Butter 24 muffin tins and divide the batter among the muffin tins.
5. Bake 25 minutes, until risen and set in the middle but still soft and tender. Cool before turning out of the tins.

Make the frosting:

1. Beat the cream cheese in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the heavy cream. Slowly mix in the confectioners’ sugar.
2. Top each cupcake with a heap of frosting and dust with cocoa.