Culinary Coups, Gustatory Grievances and Epicurean Excellence in Cairo
February 9, 2012 Leave a comment
There *will* be a recipe at the end of this, but I encourage you to read every bit of what I’m about to say because, well, this blog would be pointless without my pearls of wisdom. It *is* my blog, and I’m allowed to think it’s the greatest thing since my own experiments with German-style soft pretzels. More on that in a later post; but by all means, read on! Read more of this post
February 21, 2011 5 Comments
My mother hates risotto. “Gloopy, overcooked rice” is what she calls it and, if you’ve only ever had risotto in faux-Italian restaurants, that would be an apt description. Most people (and unfortunately, expert cooks) tend to think that a risotto should be thick and pasty, thick enough to be piled into a mold and hold its shape. Yet others believe that a risotto should be finished with heavy cream, turning their risotto into rice swimming in an Alfredo sauce. Both results are equally unappetizing and ruin the good name of risottos everywhere. Read more of this post
April 6, 2010 1 Comment
Originally submitted to Campus July 2009 – not sure if it was published or not
We all get the beach munchies. Has something to do with the iodine in the sea water that makes us peckish while we tan (or, in my case, burn). So I’ve been tasked with providing you with recipes for foods to eat, as opposed to the regular Soda and Chips combination of your less imaginative friends.
The trick here is to choose seasonal ingredients, prepared very quickly and ones that will keep well in the sun for hours. In addition, the emphasis was on snacks, so it can’t be heavy or cloying; ideally it should replenish your nutrients lost while sweating your socks off, as well as being refreshing. The food also can’t be messy or fussy; so to that end, I’ve come up with 3 little plates that can be eaten only with a fork. Or chopsticks, if you’re Asian. Either way, I’m assuming you’re gonna be with three other friends. So scale up or down as you see fit.
Recipes follow after the jump:
March 24, 2010 6 Comments
My mother makes the best comfort food. I’ve got 4 brothers spread out over the planet, so it’s getting increasingly rare for us to all get together and have a “family meal”. But when it does happen; my Mom swings into action, drawing upon 35 years of experience as a mother to bring out a whole assortment of dishes to create our perfect family meal. The smorgasbord of meat, vegetable and starches she puts together takes a full day to make; but is devoured in less than an hour. Koshary, Chicken Pane, Lasagna, Stuffed Potatoes, Okra Stew (Bamia), Macaroni with Béchamel Casserole, Smoked Kofta in Red sauce with White Rice, Gratinated Potato Casserole, Goulash (minced beef and vegetables layered under filo pastry), Molokheyya with Red Sauce and a huge bowl of Garden Salad. Neither the table nor our stomachs have room for dessert.
March 22, 2010 2 Comments
<Originally Published in G-Mag>
Everyone is aware of the four basic taste families – Sweet, Salty, Sour and Bitter. There also happens to be a fifth, called “Umami”. This is a Japanese term which describes the “meatiness” that you taste when eating a steak or grilled mushrooms. A great tasting dish typically has at least 3 of these different taste profiles.
Egyptian food hasn’t got the most glamorous reputation, but the flavor profiles can be astounding; let’s take a look at two of them:
February 27, 2010 4 Comments
I love me a good Lemon Tart – the tangier the better. The last time I had one was in Paris, and it was good – but I’ve been thinking about trying my own hand at making a Tart-Au-Citron. I was already prepping my test kitchen for a batch of Modified Nanaimo Bars, and halfway through I decided to ignore the canadian refrigerator treat for a French Classic.
February 18, 2010 1 Comment
About a week ago, I went all out and decided to make my own beef stock. A proper dark, rich brown beef stock, mind you – a liquid head and shoulders above and beyond what you usually get at your supermarket. Right now, the only advantage stock cubes have over a stock made from scratch is convenience. Boil water, add stock cube. Flavor-wise, though, a stock cube lacks the depth of flavor that can really take your meal to the next level and turn it into something special. Also, stock cubes tend to be quite salty, and it’s easy to over-salt a sauce made with this stock; especially if it’s a reduction. With my homemade stock, I can control the saltiness. I didn’t add a single dash of salt during the entire process, and it really paid off.
As an aside; food writing, I find, tends to be a mishmash of commonly used quips and quotes; much like cooking, I suppose. What separates a great food writer from a good one is the ability to take the formulaic and reimagine it. If you recognize phrases from a cooking show or a food article, I apologize; but instead of picking apart the writing, I suggest you focus on the whole article; like a great stock, it should be more than the sum of its parts.
February 16, 2010 Leave a comment
A couple of nights ago, I felt the need to make something special. A trip to my butcher, Al-Samrah [56 Mohammed Hassanein Heikal Street, Tel# 02-26719577] always makes me smile, since the gentlemen there are always patient with my micromanagement, and are familiar with the names of the different cuts of beef according to US, British and French conventions in English. I walked out with 2Kg of brisket, some shin bones for roasting and two 250gm Contre-Filet steaks, cut deliciously thick at 1 inch each. I asked the butcher to separate out the brisket into chunks, reserving the meaty chunks for a mince, and leaving enough chunks with the bone and fat attached to add to the shinbones for the Beef Stock I was already making in my mind.
As ever, new ideas and meals started coming to me while making the beef stock; at home, I had some fresh button mushrooms, strawberries, dark chocolate, Frozen Jumbo shrimp, and an Avocado. Right off the bat, I remembered a recipe I saw in Gordon Ramsay’s “A Chef for all seasons”; but more on that later.
January 29, 2010 3 Comments
<Originally Published in Campus Magazine, September 2009>
On the left - Om Ali! On the right - Bread and Butter Pudding!
Ramadan – or as I like to call it: “Radamaddacanman” – is on its way (don’t worry, it takes some time to pronounce correctly). We all know that Ramadan is more about feasting than fasting; and no feast is complete without a rich dessert that sticks to your thighs.
Om Ali is synonymous with richness and a staple of many a Ramadan Fitar table – even though it is readily available at other times of the year. It’s simplest incarnation is toasted Filo pastry pieces, buttered and covered in a spiced milk mixture and baked in a ramekin. Typical toppings include raisins, walnuts and coconut, and some recipes call for cloves or cinnamon in the milk mixture.
January 11, 2010 11 Comments
I’ve been asked to write about what makes Egyptian food special; to observe and report on what gives our food it’s “Edge”. For a person more interested in the classical school of French Cuisine, this was a bit of a curve-ball. Do I look at the techniques or the ingredients? Should I focus on the tastes and textures and presentation? Or should I look at food history and come up with some bizarre and probably far-fetched theory about why Egyptians eat what they eat? No, the real question is this: Why would I choose to walk into a restaurant serving Egyptian fare as opposed to a French Bistro? After much artery clogging soul searching, I’ve come to a realization:
Egyptian food has no “Edge” – but it’s got soul. Lots of it.
