Moroccan Food Cures Blahness

I was feeling pretty crappy and stressed yesterday, so I decided that the only way to get myself out of my own head was to make something. Something new and delicious like a carrot chickpea cilantro tagine.

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I broke in my fancy Le Creuset tagine pot given to me by my sister Christina! She completely spoiled me last year and got me a cookbook to go along with it, and now I’ve finally had the opportunity to try my hand at making a Moroccan meal.

I knew I was on the right track for the night when I started the actual cooking. If you think sautéeing onions and garlic smells freaking awesome, try adding cinnamon, tumeric, cumin seeds, and cayenne pepper!

New things learned:

1.The cookbook I used also had a different way of making the buttery couscous. Instead of boiling water and adding the couscous, they suggested pouring warm water and waiting for the grain to absorb it completely, and then placing it into a preheated oven for about 15 minutes.

2. The recipe also called for rose water, which was cool because I’d never used it before and it didn’t really detract from the flavor of the stew.

I love this cuisine so much, I’m wondering how I can fuse Vietnamese food with it. Spring rolls with chickpeas? Cumin noodles? Yeah…it’s a stretch all right. Anybody have any ideas? I think experimenting would be interesting, if not disastrous…

Gulf Coast (Food) Tour: New Orleans, Biloxi, Mobile

A couple weeks ago, I made last-minute plans to visit my cousin in Mobile, AL. Even though I’d grown up in Alabama, I actually had never been to Mobile, or the Gulf Coast in general. More importantly, I had never been to New Orleans as an adult! I needed to experience being able to walk around with a drink in my hand, coffee and beignets, and do cemetery tours. It was high time to rectify this situation. I was psyched to eat as much Cajun food as possible, gamble in Biloxi, and see the town where my cousin had spent the last four years.

vintage salt and pepper shakers

If you haven’t been to this area of the country, you will love it. It pains me to admit that even though Austin is a great city and I love it, it’s not exactly the prettiest, unlike Mobile, which is extremely picturesque. The first things that will catch your eye are the beautiful trees and the gorgeous historic homes. What’s even cooler is that nearly every place you go to has a good chance of being haunted (like the coffeehouse we went to on our first day in Mobile – Carpe Diem). This doesn’t change when you go to New Orleans either. We had cocktails at the Carousel bar at Hotel Monteleone which is apparently one of the most active hotspots for paranormal activity. Luckily, the activity is fairly benign – opening doors, lost little girls asking for directions, etc. No wandering headless apparitions with bloody hands, thank goodness.

The Garden District

Ghostly topics aside, here is a list of some of the places we feasted: Le Meritage for a three-course lunch, Café Amelie for shrimp and grits, Acme Oyster House for crawfish étouffée and oysters, Wintzell’s Oyster House for more seafood, and Fortune Pho 75 in Biloxi for Vietnamese comfort food after a long day of sightseeing and driving.

The visit was much too short, so I just need to plan another one…after all, a nine-hour drive from Austin isn’t THAT long…;-)

St. Louis Cemetery

scallops at Le Meritage

Egyptian Red Lentil Soup

I tried my hand at cooking lentils for the first time with this recipe.

Lessons learned: don’t rinse red lentils and set aside. They will harden extremely quickly and you’re going to have to use your hands to pry them loose. Add salt generously, and don’t be shy with the chile! Since I’m a saltaholic, I added gourmet blackened salt with the yogurt and lemon.

Verdict: This healthy soup is delicious and great for leftovers!