15 Days

Hello!

The doomsday title is just a deadline. There are 15 days left before I have to leave NYC to go to Oman, and the idea is very frightening at this point. I'm not scared of going to the Middle East, especially since Oman is said to be (and seems, so far) a fairly safe country in general, and for foreigners especially. Obviously, being a foreigner and an American (the usual icing on the cake outside our borders) is never completely danger-free, but all the misunderstandings and little problems become negligent against the backdrop of a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

However, I came to the realization that foregoing my typhoid shot was a very bad idea. Namely, it is 'urged' instead of being simply recommended, and I decided that it was just a program precaution to avoid the anger or lawsuits of unhappy parents should any students catch typhoid fever during their time there...but now I realize that the opportunities for contracting typhoid being so abundant, it would have been really liberating to have a vaccine. Alas!

It would also be liberating to have a full suitcase of ready-to-wear clothes once I get there, but after browsing through my closet, dresser, container and pseudo-packed suitcase from last semester abroad, it became clear that I have nothing appropriate to bring along with me. Save for 2 pairs of pants, which have to be worn with a tunic because they are bell-bottoms, one sweater and multiple T-shirts, I have no clothing that I could honestly call 'appropriate'. I just never thought of myself as 'scandalous, ' but I guess I'll have to change my self-assessment!

I'm also kind of scared to be bitten by rabid animals, especially since homeless dogs so frequently seen on the streets of non-Western countries have a thing for following around and trying to bite me. Speaking from experience, after having lived in one such place for 10 years. In short, we'll see if I make it out in one piece...not because the location is dangerous, but because I am very accident-prone and rather unlucky. Oh, and add bad decision-making to the list.

I'll keep updating the blog as much as possible during my stay in Oman (internet access may be limited). Currently, I have 15 days to wrap up one semester, prepare to start another, and live a little in between ( since I'm in the best city in the entire world :)

....And encore some French soups to cook!

Cheers!

Creme Bretonne

Hello!

I'm really excited to post this, because I've been looking forward to cooking this French recipe! The Breton cream soup is a recipe from Brittany - or so says its geographic name - and normally, food in Brittany is overwhelmingly delicious! I personally have never eaten this cream soup while I travelled there, but it seems likely to be a healthy and light soup that will warm your tummy on a cold winter afternoon (you guessed it, this soup should be served very hot)...because in Brittany the weather can be a bit harsh, despite the often mild temperatures; especially along its [fishermen's] coastline that juts out into the English Channel.

The following recipe should take 30 minutes to cook (about 5-10 minutes of preparation may be necessary, depending on your skill for chopping veggies) and is meant to serve 4 people.

Breton Cream Soup

400g of haricot beans (string beans)

200g of onions

40g of butter

20cl of milk (=200mL)

1 tbsp of tomato puree

salt, pepper

1) Boil 30cl (=300mL) of water in a cooking pot.

2) Remove the roots and the first layer of the whites of leeks

3) Cut the whites in a cross before washing them and recutting them in sections of 2 cm

4) Peel the onions and cut them in slices

5) Put the leeks' whites and the onions into the boiling water; then add the tomato puree

6) Cook for 20 minutes

7) Pour the string beans into the mixer and turn it on

8) Add the contents of the cooking pot into the mixer and mix again, all the while adding milk

9)Pour back out into the cooking pot

10) Heat up on a small flame

11) Add the butter

12) Mix/stir and adjust the seasoning, if necessary

Note: Can be served with a bit of cream (out of desperation, I even used Half&Half) sprinkled on top of the hot bowl of soup and stirred.

Bon Appetit!!!

Crème de Chou-fleur

Hello!

Here is a second easy soup - easier than the first - that has a preparation time of 20 minutes and should serve about 4 people. Again, these are French portions, so don't take it literally.

Cream of Cauliflower

1 cauliflower

1 onion

1 potato (note: better to choose a large potato)

1 cube of chicken soup

1 egg yolk

30g of butter

20cl of sour cream (note: 20cl = 200ml)

1 coffee spoon of chervil

1 coffee spoon of parsley

nutmeg

salt, pepper

1. Peel off the green leaves of the cauliflower before cutting it in small bouquets (I'm guessing, pieces no larger than 1 inch).
2. Put 1.5L of lightly salted water to boil.
3. During this time, peel and mince the onion and the potato.
4. Throw the cauliflower into the boiling water, with the cube of chicken soup, the potato and the onion.
5. Cover and let cook (boiling) for 15 minutes.
6. Reduce the mix to a puree.
7. Pepper, add nutmeg and sprinkle with some thin strips of butter.
8. Mix the sour cream and the egg yolk.
9. Out of the heat, incorporate the sour cream-yolk mix into the puree.
10. Adjust the seasoning, if necessary.
11. At the moment of serving, sprinkle (moderately) the chervil and the parsley, finely chiseled.

General Remarks: This is obviously better served hot. Very hot. As I am not a fan of spices, I add them, as we say, 'symbolically': not a pinch more than prescribed, sometimes even less. But for this soup, I would suggest to not hold back on the nutmeg - it truly enriches the taste! If the soup is too thick, a tea spoon of sour cream can be added to top off each bowl.

Also, if you have croutons, you should throw them into a hot bowl of this soup and make it so much more delicious. If you have no croutons, you will have to cook a bit more to avoid eating a plain soup. Essentially, all you need is wheat bread cut into small triangles, which you would fry in a pan, soaking in hot olive oil, until they turn golden brown (or darker, if you like). No worries, olive oil is healthy enough that this extravagant crouton preparation shouldn't leave a cholesterol trace!

Bon Appetit!

P.S. Can a historical note be left out? Of course not! This soup used to be called "Crème de Barry", after the Countess of Barry, a favorite of Louis XV. And she ate it exactly as described above, with the croutons fried in hot olive oil. I think that she had good taste... in food : )

Procrastination

Hello, blog.

You are the last resort. If I should procrastinate, I would like to do this with a purpose. And I have decided that blogging about a nonexistent subject is a purpose.

I have a rather important paper to e-mail (and then mail) to a professor in France in less than 24 hours, but it is not yet written. There are almost 3 pages full of unaccented passe compose verb particles and yet not cited citations, and 17 pages that are yet to materialize on an overheating laptop. I decided that I will edit the paper tomorrow night, which is an ambitious decision, given that I drank my last Rockstar tonight, and it only inspired me to watch Take The Lead, a documentary on ABBA, lots of old olympic and world figure skating videos, and YouTube movie trailers. In fact, the reason I'm blogging is because The Ugly Truth is taking 14 minutes to download. Frankly, all this makes me feel as if I have no interest in the electoral politics of South Africa... and that's not true; I LOVE electoral politics (somewhat)... okay, they're interesting, but to the same extent as any subject after a reasonably thorough bit of research is done to learn about it. I also found nothing profoundly distressing that goes on in South African election campaigns or outside of them. It may be that I only like working on projects that have no optimistic undertone or a possible resolution to their 'problematique' in the foreseeable future. I would seriously prefer to write 20 pages about Yemen. Anything in Yemen. Give me a topic, and I'll do it by February, no problem.

I am digressing. What I would like to say is that procrastination is terrible, but once you're in the loop, you have to just go for it. You know you're not going to get anything done! Life has taught me that letting go of the stress and just enjoying yourself always pays off - you'll be much better prepared to handle the imminent work ahead...unless you oversleep the deadline!

Bonne Nuit! Good Night! Buenos Noches! Spokoinoi Nochi! Guten Nacht!

Soupe Paysanne Au Lard

Hello!

I have endeavored to cook French food. Easier said than done, obviously. Before taking my last steps on French soil, I went into a librarie (book store) and bought The Small Book of Soups (Chavanne, Philippe. Le petit livre de soupes. Editions FIRST, 2003.) with the intention to cook my way through the easier recipes, simultaneously surprising my parents and myself. Then, on my first day home, I skimmed the book's pages and realized that even this would be barely possible, since I live very far from 'Parisian mushrooms' and authentic French wine (and what we do find here is certainly too expensive to pour into soups prepared by a kitchen novice like myself) not to mention all those 'fine herbs' and seasonings I cannot find at the Associated supermarket in the neighborhood.

But I have set up the somewhat illusory goal of making all but the most exotic and challenging soups at least once by the time I graduate from college in May of 2011. After all, I'll have to eat something once I'm on my own! No more dining halls means I'll have to roll up my sleeves and fend for myself.

Why start with soups? I could have chosen a book that instructed me on cooking secrets of cakes, pies, and cocktails. But I like pastries enough to always learn on my own, and I happen to LOVE soups; so behold the first - and so far, the most filling - recipe translated directly from the French cook book and adapted to your local grocery store.

Peasant Soup with Lard/Bacon (preparation time: 30 minutes)

200g fat, streaky bacon

20g butter

3 leeks

3 potatoes

2 onions

1 cube of chicken soup

1 garnished bouquet

fine herbs

salt, pepper

1. peel potatoes and cut them in big cubes
2. wash leeks and cut in thin straps (round slices)
3. cut the raw bacon into little cubes
4. peel and mince the onions
5. in a cooking pot, melt a small knob of butter
6. add the onions, the potatoes, the fine herbs, the garnished bouquet and the cube of chicken soup
7. wet (i.e. cover) with 1 Liter of water and let cook for 20 minutes
8. in a frying pan, let brown the bacon strips with the rest of the butter
9. add the leeks and let cook for 10 minutes (with lid)
10. blend the soup after having removed the garnished bouquet (note: 'blend' means 'stir well')
11. incorporate the leeks and the bacon
12. salt and pepper to taste; serve very hot (note: this is said to serve 4 people, but 3 can effortlessly consume the contents of the casserole)

This recipe can be followed to the letter, but there may be some minor adjustments of ingredients (depending on where you live and what is available to you):

• The 'lard' spoken of here is sold in cubes in French stores, whereas on the US you will probably find bacon strips that recquire slightly different preparation; this is a minor detail, and it will not derail your cooking process.


• 1 cube of chicken soup is about 1 1/2 tsp of chicken soup powder.


• Fine herbs are a personal touch. I added a few pinches of vegetable Vegetta (there is a chicken Vegetta seasoning too), I guess the same as a teaspoon.


• The garnished bouquet normally includes parsley, thyme and bay leaf. It should be tied with a colorless string, or can be wrapped into a sort of gauze - less messy and easier to remove). It can be enriched by adding basil, burnet, chervil, rosemary, peppercorns, savory and/or tarragon. As I discovered, not all of these seasonings are readily available in American stores (but then again, I live far from Tesco, Walmart, Shoprite, Hanaford, etc.). What to do? I added quite a bit of oregano instead - and I did have tarragon and basil. I also bought Italian seasoning (which included savory and rosemary); that was also thrown into the mix. The bouquet smelled great, and that's what's matters!

Bon Appetit!