You Gotta Crack Some Eggs

I was invited to a fine meal last night, at my in-laws, for a wonderful dinner, so I postponed my stop at Algeria. Believe me, it will be well worth the wait. So I decided to take this time for a "Captain's Message". Today's Captain Message is that the omelet is perhaps the perfect breakfast food. Seriously...egg goodness filled with whatever your heart desires. How can that NOT be perfect?

I learned to make omelets as a teenager. In fact, this was the first recipe I taught my mother. I discovered the recipe for the simple omelet in a body building magazine. After my parents got over seeing their son pour over mags with muscular, oil covered men on the cover...and taking an interest in the culinary arts, they discovered that eggs and cheddar cheese may be the closest thing to heaven on earth.

The simple omelet is...well...simple. Crack 2 or 3 whole eggs into a bowl. Add a tablespoon of water, salt and pepper to taste and whisk. Heat a skillet on high, and heat whatever you prefer to fry eggs in. I use butter. Pour the eggs batter to fill the bottom of the skillet with a thin layer...kind of like a pancake...just thinner. Tilt the skillet a little to let the raw middle reach the edges for thorough cooking. Once the bottom begins to harden ( you can tell because the edges begin to harden, pour a line down the middle of the middle of the egg pancake. Now, take a flipper or spatula flip opposite edges of the egg so that the edges meet in the middle. Kind of like an egg double door. Let it heat so that the cheese melts; but, not enough to burn the egg, or make it rubbery. Get a plate, and flip the omelet over onto it. There you go...perfection.

Now, the fun stuff starts...learning to make different kinds of omelets. Seriously...the possibilities are limitless. I like to add salsa. Spinach and feta cheese is good. So are sliced jalapenos. Soften some onion beforehand, and that makes a great filler.

Rather than recreate the wheel, here is a link to a site that has 187 omelet recipes:
http://www.mrbreakfast.com/recipe_collection.asp?subcategoryid=1.
There is even a recipe for peanut butter omelets.

I have two very important things to say about making omelets. First...and most importantly...MAKE SURE YOU WHISK AT LEAST A TABLESPOON OF WATER INTO THE EGGS! If you do not, the eggs will be flat, rubbery, and yucky.

Second...do not make an omelet with more than 3 eggs. You can always make 2 or 3 separate omelets. More than 3 eggs is too heavy; and, all you will end up with is a big mess. A delicious mess, but not really an omelet.

So...thus ends the "Captain's Message". Come back tomorrow to read about my kitchen adventures in Algeria.

Now...get crackin' !

Albania...That's What I'm Balkan About!

Today's stop...Albania. What's in Albania? Lots of Muslims, plenty of mountains, and more sheep than you can shake your staff at. Just ask any local sheep herder. So, of course, I prepared lamb. Lamb and okra, to be exact. Now, this is called a stew. This isn't the kind of stew that is just like soup, only thicker. This is a stew you can eat off of a plate, using a fork. I know, because that is how I ate it. The addition of okra made this a tasty treat, even if it was a little less spicy than I am used to. Enter paprika.

I started out with a little less than a pound of stewing meat. Specifically, the neck. I cut the meat off the bone, and seared it for a couple of minutes in olive oil. Setting this aside, I trimmed the ends of the okra, 12 ounces worth, and rinsed them off. I cut up two medium green peppers into cubes, and did the same with half a red onion.

I put the okra in a dry skillet, and heated them on high for about five minutes, continuously moving them about with a Teflon spatula. I wanted to dry them out, not burn them. Then, I added the onion, green pepper, and two cups of celery that I had diced. I minced 4 cloves of garlic into the mix, added some salt and pepper, and cooked it for 10 minutes on high, being careful to keep it moving so that it would not stick. Then, I added half a cup of water, the lamb, and a quarter teaspoon of thyme. Turn the heat down to low, cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, I grated a whole lemon peel saving the zest. I also found the paprika. After simmering the goodies for 20 minutes, I sprinkled paprika on top, then the zest.

Like I said, this recipe was a little blander than what I usually make; but it did provide a hearty meal. Now I know what gives them shepherds the stamina to chase all those sheep around.




ALBANIAN LAMB STEW WITH OKRA:

12 oz Okra, fresh and trimmed
2 Green bell peppers, diced
2 cups Celery (about 1 bunch)
1 Small to medium onion, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup Water
1 lb Seared lamb, cut into cubes
1/4 tsp Thyme
Paprika
Grated lemon rind (zest)

Akrotiri...Who Knew?

Up until about a week ago, I had no idea Akrotiri existed. It is basically a British holding located in Cyprus. Without going into great political detail, suffice it to say Akrotiri was established with but one purpose...to give me an excuse to make meatballs!!



The cuisine of Akrotiri is a wonderful blend of Italian, Greek and Turkish. I decided to go for homemade meatballs in a tomato sauce over angel hair, a Greek style salad, and fried halloumi cheese.

For the meatballs, I bought 85% lean ground beef. I wanted a little more fat content for texture and flavor. The baking process will melt out a lot of the fat, and I wanted some left in the meatballs.

I diced about 3/4 of a Vidalia onion I had left over. I mixed the onion into the ground beef, along with half a teaspoon of salt and freshly ground pepper. I also added a teaspoon of cinnamon, and half a teaspoon of allspice. I worked my hands through this mixture for a while, making sure the spices were mixed into the meat.

I then rolled the meat into little meatballs. These were a little smaller than golf balls. More like ping pong balls. Before I began cooking, I preheated the oven to 500 degrees. I put aluminum foil over a baking sheet, sprayed it with cooking oil, and placed the balls evenly on the sheet. Into the oven for about 7 minutes they went.

Now I worked on the tomato sauce. Into a skillet I put 4 crushed cloves of garlic, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a 28 ounce can of peeled tomatoes, some salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a couple of teaspoons of sugar. To be honest, I could have done without the sugar; so, I will say the sugar is optional.

I first fried the garlic to a golden brown. I love the smell of garlic frying in olive oil. It helps me channel my inner Italian mother. All of the other ingredients are then added, and simmered for 15 minutes. Last, I put the cooked meatballs into the sauce, and simmer for another 20 minutes.

While the above was cooking, I prepared the salad. This was a fairly simple Greek style salad. I cut 2 tomatoes into chunks, and put these on the bottom of a large bowl. On top of this, I sliced a peeled cucumber, thinly sliced half of a red onion, half a block of feta cheese, also sliced, half a cup of whole, pitted kalamata olives, and a couple tablespoons worth of chopped fresh parsley.

For the dressing, I whisked together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a teaspoon of oregano, a tablespoon of lemon juice, and a tablespoon of rice vinegar. This is sprinkled evenly on the salad.

I cooked up some angel hair pasta and placed the meatballs on that. You can also use rice, if you want to be more traditional.

The appetizer was simple; but, the most expensive part of the meal...about half the cost. It was fried halloumi cheese. This is a wonderful sheep cheese that has a strange, Teflon like texture. When you chew it, it squeaks. I sliced an 8 oz. cube into slices, and fries it with a dab of olive oil..a couple of teaspoons worth. Each side was browned at about a minute and a half.

Like I said, I have never heard of Akrotiri before; but, I am glad I finally did. This was a delicious lay over to tomorrow's destination, Albania. Will somebody get this goat out of the kitchen?! It keeps trying to eat my cook book!




MEATBALLS AND TOMATO SAUCE:

Meatballs:

1 1/2 lb Ground beef
1 Large onion, diced
1/2 ts Salt
Pepper to taste
1 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Allspice

Sauce:

4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp Olive oil
28 oz Canned peeled tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp Tomato paste
1 to 2 tsp Sugar (optional)

SALAD:

2 Tomatoes, wedged
1 Medium cucumber, peeled and sliced
1/2 Small red onion, sliced
1/4 cup Feta cheese, crumbled or sliced
1/2 cup Whole kalamata olives, pitted
1 or 2 tbsp Parsley, freshly chopped
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 ts Oregano
1 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Rice vinegar

FRIED HALLOUMI CHEESE:

1 8oz package Halloumi cheese
1 ts Olive oil

Afghanistan...Lamb and Spinach and Chutney, Oh My!

The first stop on my trip of World Domination was Afghanistan. To quote my lovely wife, partner, and part time food critic..."I like this Afghan food! By the way...who let the camels out?"

I like one dish meals, since I generally only have an hour or two to whip something up before my wife gets home. Nothing says thanks for driving 3 hours a day so we can keep this house like having good food ready when she walks in the door. Today's one dish meal is Lamb and Spinach. I did make some cilantro chutney and purchased nan from an Indian food store as an appetizer.

I bought about 2 pounds of leg of lamb butt. This was half the price of chops, and the same as a lower priced steak...about $7 a pound. This was seared in a dutch oven with olive oil.

I chopped one Vidalia onion in large chunks...about an inch cubed. I purchased a 28 ounce can of tomatoes. I tend to favor canned over fresh tomatoes because it's juicer and less messy to prepare. I cut these into thirds. Chop 4 cloves of garlic.

Once the lamb is seared, add the onions, and saute for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and saute another minute.

Before searing the lamb, I combined the spices in a small bowl. These were 2 teaspoons of Turmeric, a quarter teaspoon of Nutmeg, a teaspoon of crushed red pepper, half a teaspoon of cinnamon, and a quarter teaspoon of ground cardamom. All of this is put in the pot after sauteing the lamb, onions and garlic. Add the tomatoes and a cup of beef stock and stir.

Now, I have been preheating the oven at 350 since before I began cooking. I cover the dutch oven with aluminum foil and put in the oven. This is baked for one hour.

While the lamb is cooking, I make the cilantro chutney. Roughly chop 2 bunches of cilantro. Remove the seeds from a jalapeno pepper. Take a couple handfuls of walnuts. Add a few pinches of sugar, a cup of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of salt. All of this goes into a grinder or mixer. I admit that my chutney came out pretty watery. You may want to add a little less lemon juice; or, be sure not to mix to a puree. Even so, it was hot and delicious. We dipped hot nan in the chutney and enjoyed while enjoying the aroma of cooking cinnamon and red meat...one of my favorite smells.

After the hour is up, I removed the dutch oven and added a 9 ounce bag of raw spinach to the mixture, stirring until the spinach was wilted. I topped with a half cup of Greek yogurt, the zest of one lemon and toasted pine nuts. Just leave the oven on when removing the lamb, and put a half cup of pine nuts on a baking sheet. Bake about 5 minutes. These can be added when the servings are dished out. It makes a nice and tasty garnish.

Since this is Afghan food, I thought it appropriate to enjoy with a nice alcoholic beverage and watch some movies with women who didn't have their faces covered. I am such a cheeky Devil.

To sum up...

Afghan Lamb with Spinach:

2 lb. Lamb leg, shoulder or other stewing lamb
1/3 cup Olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped into 1 inch cubes
4 Garlic cloves, chopped
2 ts Turmeric
1/4 ts Nutmeg
1/4 ts ground cardamom
1 ts Crushed red pepper
1/2 ts Cinnamon
28 oz Canned tomatoes
1 cup Beef stock
9 oz Raw spinach
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
Zest of one lemon
salt to taste
1/4 cup Pine nuts, roasted

Cilantro Chutney:

1 bunches Cilantro
1 Jalapeno, seeds removed
4 Walnuts, crushed
3 pinches Sugar
1 cup Lemon juice
2 ts Salt

World Domination...in the Kitchen

One of my interests is the multitude of cultures displayed on our increasingly shrinking globe. There are two things that I find of particular interest. One of them is food. If you do not know the other, we have obviously never been acquainted.

There is only one obstacle to my comprehensive affection...I am not very eager to plummet to my demise. Taking flight in a large, heavy cylinder of death has never been my idea of a good time. Truthfully, I am not afraid of heights. I simply do not wish my last moments to be long hours scrunched shoulder to shoulder with strangers who either snore in their sleep; or, who wax verbose when they are nervous, in my face, with a gargantuan case of halitosis. Okay...the real truth is I'm a cheapskate, and i don't want to spring for the tickets. You happy? You found me out.

Lucky for me, there is a safer, more solitary, economical way to enjoy one of the things I enjoy most about international entanglements. I introduce my new project that I may...or may not, complete...drum roll, please...World Domination in the Kitchen!

The idea is simple, far from unique, and quite OCD of me, if I do say so myself. I simply bookmark a list of countries, in alphabetical order. I then proceed to cook a meal reflecting the cuisine of each country, in said alphabetical order. Sure, from time to time I will stray and cook a dish favorited by my Better, and obviously more psychologically sound than myself Half; but, for the most part, each night will feature a dish straight from the country that comes next on the list. Simple as pie...but with many more calories.

As long as no one is probably reading this, I may as well add some asides concerning my cooking style. I enjoy reducing the ingredients to their lowest common denominators. If I have a choice between prepackaged and made from scratch, I go for the scratch. I believe some call this gourmet cooking. As long as gourmet does not mean tastes good every time, i will accept that.

I also tailor my recipes for my wife, who has had a gastric bypass. This means that there are certain foods she cannot digest without much discomfort. I do not use brown sugar or honey. On rare, rare occasions, I may use a modicum of brown sugar, for instance, when I am baking pumpkins. Even then, I use only a few pinches. The same goes for white sugar. A few pinches is as far as I go.

I try to keep my food very low in animal fats and oils. I use a LOT of olive oil. If all it costs is a couple of dollars more to by 94% lean ground beef, i cough up the dough.

I do not cook with pork or chicken. Bacon is the exception. Very rarely, when cooking certain African dishes, I will use drumsticks. A world of no to chicken breasts and pork loin.

That's about it. If you care to join me, fasten your seat belts, note the exit exit signs, and observe the "No Smoking" sign...we are about to take off for World Domination...in the Kitchen!