YUM FOOD BLOG- A Blog About What Was Cooked Today

Tuscan Turkey and White Bean Skillet

2009-11-11T10:27:00.003+04:00

This post isnt really about the aforementioned Tuscan Turkey and White Bean Skillet, its actually about what else I'm making so I dont have to listen to Mr. Dumpling, Mr. Muffin Puff-Cake, and Baby Chuck; especially Baby Chuck shouting "This is horrible, what am I going to eat!?" He loves to dazzle the grownups with words like 'horrible', excuses a myriad of bad behaviors...

First off, I'll toast a nice big crusty loaf of french bread in the oven and serve it with butter.

Then, I've got some spinach that I'll saute with garlic and olive oil and toss with lemon juice, salt and pepper.

I've got some leftover chicken bits from last night which I'll microwave and serve on the side with some raw chopped veg for the kids.

Wish me luck with no complaining...

New neighbor no show!!

2009-11-11T10:19:00.004+04:00

So how's that for rude? My new Emirati neighbor no showed me!!! Whatevs! as my sister says, except I did spend the better part of the day baking. In addition to the blueberry coffee cake and chocolate brownies, I also made an apple crumble.

Sliced up about 4 green apples into a well greased, 8" oval baking dish.
Added about 1/2 cup of cranberries.
Squeezed the juice of one lemon over it.
Topped it with
1/2 cup of very cold butter cut with
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Baked it at about 340 for 30 min, until it was bubbly.
Served it warm with cold milk. It would be rad over ice-cream...

I dont want to be too Italian about this, she is young and very busy, BUT I probably wont be extending myself again....

New Neighbor

2009-11-10T13:45:00.002+04:00

So I've been living in Dubai for over a year now and yesterday I actually met an Emirati. Like from here, and everything. She's my neighbor and has two little boys so we have something in common. She is very young, 25! and her husband is cadet-pilot with Big Giant International Airline. I get the impression she's a bit lonely, surrounded as she is by bitchy 1st-world pilot wives, so I invited her for coffee.

I'm dreading it a little. Her English isnt fantastic and I speak less-than no Arabic. Plus entertaining of any kind is a whopping big deal to these folks. Two different things to eat per person coming by is the rule (which would mean 6 things for her and her two kiddos...)

I'm not going there, can't afford it and dont really want to do it, but I am kicking the dh out of the house and baking. The old standby's of blueberry coffee cake and a pan of brownies. Its definitely insufficient by arabian standards and way too American (ummm... cause I am...), but this is what cultural exchange is for...right??

Pullam Frontarium

2009-11-09T12:39:00.003+04:00

We are supposed to be studying Latin as part of our homeschool program. The software they offer for Latin isn't fabulous; it tends to drop story lines and they make you play confusing games of tetris to win virtual money to outfit your virtual avatar in different sneakers. What the he-- this is about, I have no idea.
On the plus side, they do these little lessons on Roman Culture which include recipies from Apicius modified so you can make them at home. Fun stuff.
A few nights ago, the boys whipped up a batch of Pullam Frontarium.

1 kilo chicken pieces (we used breasts but a whole chicken cut up would be better...)
1/3 cup olive oil
1.5 cups white grape juice or a sweet white wine
2 tsp salt
1 leek white parts sliced into rings
1/3 cup fresh coriander chopped
pepper to taste
fig syrup (you can make your own by boiling figs in a bit of water and sugar, then straining.)

Pan fry chicken in oil until slightly browned, remove from pan.
Drain off most of the oil.
Saute leeks until browned & translucent.
Place chicken, leeks, wine, salt & pepper into a baking pan and bake at 180(c) for about 35-45 min or until done (less if the meat is off the bone)
When cooked, top with about 2tbsp fig syrup and chopped coriander. Serve over rice.

Freezerful

2009-11-09T12:23:00.003+04:00

I have been writing nothing about food lately because I have a freezer full of pre-assembled meals. I spent the better part of two Saturday's ago with a friend chopping, washing, and assembling 20 dinners into ziploc bags and putting them into my freezer to eat for the next three weeks.
Here's a link to Saving Dinner if you want to get a menu and do it yourself.
It is really convenient. I just decide what we are having in the morning and de-frost it.
The food is wholesome and good. Tonight its roasted salmon with tomatoes and olives over brown rice.
I am definitely spending less time in the supermarket. I'm spending less $$ on food too.
Less impulse buying definitely = less junk food in the house.

BUT AND ITS A BIG BUT:
I'm not having that much fun...
Sure, I occasionally get to wrest a curry from leftovers. T. assembled some glorious chopped limey fish salad thing from leftover tuna, but the thrill is gone.
They definitely dont have any weird ingredients on the list, and I'm not really eating to my tastes, just to what is there in the freezer. Maybe I'm being a whiner here, but I dont think I'll be doing it again.

Buttermilk

2009-10-29T13:26:00.005+04:00

Lately, I keep running into recipes that call for buttermilk. Breaded chicken, pancakes, a cake etc. etc. Buttermilk does not seem to be available here in Dubai, leaving me a bit perplexed about what to do.

I tried one buttermilk substitute that involved putting vinegar into whole milk and letting it sit, but the result smelled WAY inedible and I put it down the drain.

I found something though, there is a drinkable unsweetened yogurt here called Laban and it makes an excellent substitute for buttermilk as long as you use the full fat one, not skim.

Laban makes absolutely the most lucious pancakes I have ever ever tasted. Here's the recipe that's a culmination of everything I know about pancakes, but is probably impossible because of continental drift...

1 cup whole wheat King Arthur flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar
1 cup laban
1 very fresh egg
mix it all together.

Pour onto hot griddle, greased with butter.
Top with fresh blueberries.
Flip when bubbly.
Top with maple syrup or honey.
Yummy!

Leftover night Woohoo!

2009-09-11T16:12:00.003+04:00

Ok, its leftover and sketchy-meat picked up in foreign countries- night tonight. My dear husband has never met a bargain meat product that he could resist. This was strange, albeit manageable when we lived in the US. The occasional pound of beef from a Krogers in Kansas City was usually fine after its cross-country journey and could be dealt with much in the usual way.
South-African beef rolls stuffed with olives and sausage close to their expiration date requre a more cautious hand. There are plenty of possibly apocryphal stories of suitcases full of meat being horribly mis-routed, the odd importation of a super-beetle which then infests and consumes one's entire yard and that of the neighbors, and of course, plain old food poisoning from meat which seemed 'ok' but was in fact left too long in the cargo area of a jumbo jet.

Tonight's menu includes:
Italian radicchio with S. African Swiss Chard, both mercifully free of superbeetles.
Leftover deericious chicken- from Oman or Al Ain- cant remember... My sister's recipe which I'll post another day.
The aforementioned S. African beef rolls which I'm searing at very high heat in butter and then baking. They'll probably be overdone, but it's a risk I'm willing to take.
And Modern Bakery flat bread (Pita.)
We'll see how the beef turns out.

Iftar

2009-09-10T09:48:00.003+04:00

Iftar is the breaking of the fast each day during the Holy Month of Ramadan. So last night we went to our school's annual Iftar at the Al Bustan Rotana hotel which is near the airport here in Dubai.
So facing an airport hotel buffet, I was a little ambivalent. Especially because school functions havent really been known for their cuisine in the past...
Call me pleasantly surprised. The food was delicious. We enjoyed the usual Lebanese fare of hummous, pita, tabouleh, lamb and chicken kabob, plus some more regional food like chicken with the bitter green molokia and harees (which I dont usually like, but was quite nice).
The ballroom of the hotel was ok, if not exactly tastefully decorated. The service was pure Dubai, lots of useless hovering and inability to answer questions or deliver what was asked for (forks???). But altogether, a very pleasant experience.
I think we will try to catch one more Iftar before Ramadan is over, I hear good things about the tents at the Ibn Battuta mall.

Pizza Express

2009-09-03T23:37:00.003+04:00

We are in love with Pizza Express. Finally, good pizza in Dubai! not just acceptable, not just palatable, but good. Tonight, we had pepperoni and mushroom on thin crust. Their sauce is ever so slightly spicy, the cheese is fresh, the service is well, service, rather than fawning while doing nothing...

This is the first time in a year I didnt feel horrible about forking over my dirhams for a Pizza.

Their whole sales pitch on the website is kind of bull----, the dining rooms resemble nothing so much as every other restaurant in this country. But it's Ramadan and you cant eat in anyway, take it out, order two, they're small...

Chicken Tikka fantastic....

2009-09-01T09:08:00.005+04:00

Mornin' or is it evening? I have no idea. The older I get, the easier shifiting time zones ain't...

In addition to several very frightening bananas, some garlic, and a thoroughly stunning quantity of cured meat, my dear husband left me with Chicken Tikka made by the affable godsend who is our maid.

As near as I can tell, it consisted of fried chicken thighs, and a sauce of onion, chiles, garlic, green onion, bay leaves (or kaffir lime?- something inedible...) and something she's calling 'tikka spice' with a giggle and no further explanation...

Anyway, its firey and succulent, especially at 4am when I cant sleep.

I think it might help me sweat out the swine flu I picked up from the miserable, hacking, coughing, wheezing person in seat 34H. Thanks lady, gift that keeps on giving.

Crab cakes

2009-08-18T16:27:00.005+04:00

My sister in law, the chef, was in town for a couple of weeks. Before they left, we decided to make a big happy Sunday luncheon for the fam. I kind of feel like everything this woman touches is culinary gold, so I'm thinking I'll work my way through the menu on this blog...

Not much to look at, are they?

First up- Crab cakes

One can of lump crabmeat. Obviously better if you can get fresh, but our budget was not so fancy.

one egg

a generous shake of breadcrumbs

one 1/4 cup corn (raw if sweet enough- not boiled if frozen...)

one shallot, finely chopped or green onions

one small red bell pepper, also finely chopped.

A generous amount of the herb of your choice (parsley, dill, basil)

tablespoon of mayonnaise

Form into patties and fry. Serve with fresh salsa, lemon wedges and avocado. Double if you are serving for a meal.

Its too disgustingly humid to eat...

2009-07-31T05:28:00.004+04:00

99% humidity folks. All night long. Not supposed to actually rain until tomorrow mid-day. My wrists are sticking to the keyboard. Ick.

Samuel Adams Blackberry Witbier is the most delicious thing to drink in this weather. I wonder how long you could live off it? At least until it rains??

I suppose you could pour it over vanilla ice cream for calcium and you'd be good to go...

Especially satisfying while sitting in front of the tv watching 'America's Next Top Model'- how's that for a vice?

Meat chunk.

2009-07-17T00:38:00.005+04:00

Waxing rhapsodic about meatloaf. Here goes. Mixed meat is key to a delicious meat loaf. If you are fortunate enough to live someplace where there are a bunch of WOP's then you can probably get mixed pork, beef and veal for meatballs. It makes an excellent loaf. Otherwise, if you are out there in mayo country, the best thing to do is buy 1 lb of each and blend them together. Its good for burgers too if you aren't keen on a 3lb meat loaf.

To your meat (assuming 1lb), add a generous shaking of black pepper, about two cloves of garlic, finely chopped, a small onion, also finely chopped, a shake of 'italian seasoning' - this is usually oregano, basil, parsley, rosemary & sage- , one egg and about 1/4 cup of bread crumbs. Bake at 350 for 35-45 min, depending on the thickness.

Pudding is not a diet food.

2009-07-12T05:24:00.003+04:00

Tapicoa plant, kinda looks like another, possibly addictive, plant, no?

Pudding. The word itself sounds fattening. I went today and did the long overdue large general grocery shop. I also, unfortunately, picked up a tub of Winky Brand Tapioca Pudding.

I was highly amused to discover that Winky Brand Pudding actually tries to advertise itself as a health food. Low cholesterol, gluten free, a good source of calcium, all natural.

I find this both intriguing and entertaining and well, despite the fact that tapioca is reliably used to fatten up certain African brides before marriage, I love tapioca pudding.

Winky Brand Tapioca Pudding + berry season = dessert paradise.

Mix up your pudding with sliced strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries. Preferably purchased for $1 a pint. Try to stop eating it. That's all. It would be lovely, simply lovely, between layers of liquer-soaked poundcake.

So much for dieting...

Day two

2009-07-08T17:27:00.002+04:00

So it is going ok I guess. I got rid of some junk food that was lurking seductively in my cupboards and went to Whole Foods market so I'm feeling especially virtuous.

I had a poached egg over some raw spinach with a side of toast for breakfast. The only thing it was missing was two slabs of french bread slathered with butter with melted ham and cheese in the middle....

I know, I know, in order to be a successful dieter, I must stop thinking like this. I must embrace a 'healthy lifestyle'. Ick. I wish it was the fifties and I could go on a weird diet program based on barbituates.

Stop the Insanity!

2009-07-07T19:55:00.004+04:00

I'm trying to diet a little. I've gained a couple of pounds since coming back to the US, I think its because the food in Dubai is so much richer and possibly more satisfying that you end up eating less. I know there isnt any reduced fat yogurt in Dubai, of course its not all yogurt weight. It's buy one get one free. That just kills me. Especially keebler cookies...check out their amazing website...

Today for lunch I had a spinach cobb salad.
It was spinach, cucumbers, tomato, a bit of avocado, a bit of cheddar cheese, and a shredded slice of ham and topped it with 2 tsp. of basil vinaigrette dressing.
For the avocado and cheese I read somewhere that a piece of cheese the size of your thumb is a serving (NOT 1/2 the brick, evidently...)

It was tasty and sort of satisfying. We'll see how the rest of the day goes.

Sister-in-law Salsa

2009-07-06T21:09:00.004+04:00

Everytime I go to my sister-in-law's house she whips up a big bowl of this deliciousness that I thought I'd share. So easy it doesnt really need a recipe, just a few pointers...

Take a container of fresh salsa. I personally like LaMexicana (check out their unfortunately named website...) which you can get at most supermarkets. Or go here to Salsa Central for a good, super-simple recipe. Add one can of drained and rinsed black beans, about 1/2 cup of defrosted, but not boiled, frozen sweet corn (maybe 2 ears of fresh) and one mashed avocado.

Serve with chips.

If you do serve these before dinner, expect everyone to gobble it and no-one to eat very much after. Which is possibly quite a cost-effective way of having a lot of people over to your house to eat...

Pork and more pork

2009-07-06T06:46:00.004+04:00

This time it was seasoned pork tenderloins on the 2 for 1 pork display. How can I resist when in Dubai we are reduced to my husband occasionally bringing in chops from Germany and English Bacon? (which he cant do anymore because of swine flu... which doesnt come from prosciut.. by the way...)

I dont love the pre-seasoned pork because I think it tends to be WAY too salty, but given the cost-per-serving factor with these buy one get ones, there are ways to make them work.
Take an 'italian style' pork loin and put it in a crock pot. Add one chopped, sauteed onion, three cloves of garlic, some basil and oregano, two cans of crushed-peeled tomatos and one can of water. Cook on high for 8 hours, or until meat is falling apart. Serve over pasta. Actually, I think all the salt is what keeps them from drying out on such a long cook time.

The asian-style ones are a little trickier in that they dont really lend themselves to being cooked forever in a sauce, but you can slice them thinly into a vegetable stir fry after baking or put them on the grill.

Pork chops and apple sauce

2009-07-01T16:44:00.002+04:00

So we're back in America and this time we didn't precisely gorge on pork products like the last time we came home. I think we are all becoming more ho-hum about our bi-continental lifestyle. However, our local Price Chopper actually had buy one, get one free packages of PORK CHOPS! Aside from the enviro-social problems with this idea and the obesity crisis to consider, I was pretty excited.

The first three, which were thick as my thumb, got butterflied and marinated in an apple vinaigrette. 2tbsp apple cider vinegar, 2 tbsp apple juice, 1/4 cup water, 1/3 cup oil, some thyme, rosemary and garlic powder. I also added some apple slices to the marinating meat and then put the whole thing on the grill. (put the apples on foil...) Very nice.

The second three were also marinated in mustard, thyme, rosemary, ginger, garlic and salt and pepper. I was kind of bad about measuring these so you'll have to make it to your own taste. They got broiled and served with rice.

I'm debating weather or not to buy a shoulder for 4th of July. Not sure anyone will make the trek out to my house to eat it with me...

All-you-can-eat discount sushi.

2009-05-25T11:31:00.005+04:00

I know, all you can eat discount sushi doesnt really sound that good. And let me tell you, I was sceptical. The whole concept seemed especially unnerrving because there is some kind of deadly food poisoning in Dubai.

So it was with a teeny bit of trepidation that I made my way with my friends and my DH over to the Bur Dubai Ramada Inn for Sushi Sunday at Teppanyaki House.

Well, all I can say is amazing. Just delicious. An assortment of rolls and sashimi first, then some more creative rolls, then some MORE sashimi, then some spicy tuna, then some more rolls and finally we had to say uncle. I suspect the sushi chef would have kept getting more creative had we had the stamina to keep up with him; another night maybe.

Everything was fresh and tasty and everyone felt just fine the next day- all good signs. Bur Dubai outside the Ramada turns a little wild between 7 when we got to the restaurant and 10 when we left, interesting people watching available...

Cheesecake Victory

2009-05-25T10:55:00.006+04:00

I'm taking a victory lap in the cheesecake sweepstakes. Over the last year experimenting with cheesecake has become something of an obsession with me.

I'm not wild about cream cheese cakes. They tend to be so brick-like. I used to try to make them from ricotta which generally gives satisfying results taste-wise but comes up with a grainy texture that is less-than pleasant. As my readers (all three of you) know, I like the yogurt-cheese labneh for these cakes.

I've recorded a couple here, one of which was pretty darn good, but had a crust problem and the other which needed sugar desperately.

Here's the victory lap....

400g of crushedWHOLE WHEAT digestive biscuits (they dont get mushy with the butter)

100g of melted butter

50g of caster sugar

Blend it up and use it to line the bottom of a springform pan. Bake for 15 min at 150C. or until just beginning to brown. Let cool.

In a blender mix:

500g Labneh- I like Puck brand

4 large eggs

100g caster sugar

juice of one lemon and some well chopped peel.

Bake in a water bath about 1 hour or until just set.

For the topping:

Cook and cool 2tbsp same-flavored jelly (or strain after if using jam) and 100ml of apple juice.

mix 1pt strawberries or other berry(best you can find) into the cooled syrup. Top cake with berries and pour syrup over.

Best to let the cake cool at room temp then at least 3 hours in the fridge before serving...

Mozzarella from the previous post

2009-05-25T08:24:00.003+04:00

Oh, yeah, the mozzarella part... One good thing about living in such a beastly hot climate is that it is really easy to grow things (as long as you have access to a lot of desalinated water- the environmental consequences of which I'm not even going to THINK about ...).
Right now I've got basil in a pot that is threatening to take over my front stoop. I bought a basil plant from the supermarket.
I usually hate supermarket basil because its grown hyrdoponically in fish poo and, to me, it has a recognizable and nasty undertaste of fish, but this was grown in dirt and has benefitted tremendously from repotting and sitting in the scorching heat.
Anyway, the dear husband was kind enough to bring me mozzarella di buffala from Milan and we've been gobbling it with every meal topped with my basil and tossed with olive oil.
Pretending we are in Sicily is psychologically helpful to the daily stresses of living in Dubai.

Pretending its Italy...Lamb, Lemons, Mozzarella....

2009-05-22T15:17:00.005+04:00

We had people coming to dinner who got a better offer and blew us off, which is a little weird, but happens. Dubai- land of flakes and nuts. I am babysitting tonight anyway for a friend whose maid is off celebrating the end of the war in Sri Lanka (my maid & her sister are still asleep... these ladies NEVER sleep past 7 - its 3:30pm! I wish they would take me to the party.)

Anyway, so I have a lamb shoulder in part because it was cheap and in part because I am remembering a pork shoulder my husband's friend Woody made for us one summer afternoon. TO DROOL OVER. Slow cooking, as I recall was the key. I should probably call the South Africans in on this as they are a barbecue loving people, but I'm going to use the oven, and cook it while we are at the pool....

I covered the lamb in an olive oil, lemon juice, crushed garlic slurry and then pressed it with dried italian herbs all over. This has become my preferred method for cooking roasts of anykind. Then I cooked it in a roasting pan at 120 for about two hours. It was delicious, fall-off the bone delicious...

Avocado Liberation Manifesto.

2009-05-15T09:02:00.006+04:00

Been doing too much eating out lately. Its getting so hot and the AC was busted for two days and well, let's face facts: I'm a lazy Dubai housewife. Last night we reached a pinnacle of laziness because the DH and I both wanted Mexican food but knowing the children will not eat it, we actually also stopped and got them Pizzas. I can hear my mother's eyes rolling 10,000km away.

We've been going to the Maria Bonita Taco Shop because its close to home and the food is pretty good.

I am going to launch into an extended diatribe on guacemole now. If you are going to be offended by this because you think YOUR version of guacemole is the best there is, dont read any further.

Guacemole is a really simple foodstuff. Take an avocado, mash it up. Add some lemon juice, some salt and some pepper. THAT's IT!!!

The avocado has a subtle flavor that is really really good when left alone. But it cannot compete with chile peppers, tomatos, cilantro, garlic, and especially red onion. If you add all of these things to your guacemole, it will taste like slimy salsa. It is gross. Do not add a bunch of non-avocado flavored foods to guacemole, let the avocado be the star. Do not ever buy pre made guacemole. It lasts for 45min, that's it. It cannot live in a container of anykind, it cannot cross continents or oceans. This is just the nature of the food. Be kind to the avocado, do not torture and worry it by mixing it with all these strong foods.

Big Day- the menu

2009-05-08T08:24:00.002+04:00

So a real human being was located and gave my dear husband the day off. BECAUSE it is my birthday and not in response to a cockamamie story or feigned illness. Yeah! Human beings exist at big giant international airlines!...

The Menu-
tiny spinach and meat pies from the Al Reef Bakery
Birthday Cake
assortment of pastry from Caesar's cafe at St. Mary's Church
A platter of fruit on a stick
A platter of vegetables and dips
Lamb Kabob and assorted side dishes from Eat & Drink (Middle Eastern Junk Food- so greasy so good...)
Wine and Beer and lively conversation.