This recipe comes from Derya Singhsumalee, a former teacher colleague of mine who is such a fun and interesting person. She is very well-traveled, is of Turkish ethnicity and married to a man from a Thai Muslim family. In the school lunch room we used to talk quite a bit about cultural diversity and, of course, food. She was very familiar with Sicilian cuisine having lived in Sicily for a short time during her life. I found her background fascinating and our conversations a great bonding experience between us. Recently when I saw that she posted this recipe to her Facebook page, I immediately asked her to share it with all of you, and she graciously obliged. Here you go- thank you, Derya!
I always crave comfort food in the winter time, but right now as a nation and a global community, it looks as though we could all use a lot of comforting, whether it’s through the gathering together of a community or our small family meals we need to be there for one another and offer support, a lending ear or a shoulder to lean on.
The smell and taste of my mom’s recipe for her Classic Beef Stew is one that has been with me since I was a child. Although she was a working mom, on her shorter days or days off she would often begin making it early in the morning and put it in the crock pot to cook all day long so it would be ready by the time I arrived home from school. I still remember all of the ingredients by heart and how they looked on the kitchen counter as she prepared it. I also remember being in a bit of awe as to how it would all fit so neatly into her round crock pot with the glass cover that eventually began to steam underneath. Later in the day she made white rice on the side, which indicated that it was almost time to eat since that was the last thing to do before getting ready to serve what to me was the ultimate comfort: knowing exactly what to expect in this meal and feeling cared for, loved and comforted through every bite. (more…)
I always crave comfort food in the winter time, but right now as a nation and a global community, it looks as though we could all use a lot of comforting, whether it’s through the gathering together of a community or our small family meals we need to be there for one another and offer support, a lending ear or a shoulder to lean on.
The smell and taste of my mom’s recipe for her Classic Beef Stew is one that has been with me since I was a child. Although she was a working mom, on her shorter days or days off she would often begin making it early in the morning and put it in the crock pot to cook all day long so it would be ready by the time I arrived home from school. I still remember all of the ingredients by heart and how they looked on the kitchen counter as she prepared it. I also remember being in a bit of awe as to how it would all fit so neatly into her round crock pot with the glass cover that eventually began to steam underneath. Later in the day she made white rice on the side, which indicated that it was almost time to eat since that was the last thing to do before getting ready to serve what to me was the ultimate comfort: knowing exactly what to expect in this meal and feeling cared for, loved and comforted through every bite. (more…)
Have you ever tried goat meat? If you’ve seen them in real life, they’re not as meaty as those furry and cuddly lambs we all love to pet, though they’re cute and gentle creatures created for traversing rocky terrain around the world. When it comes to cooking goat meat, it can be a lot bonier than lamb, so some people have a difficult time justifiying the need to cook it when lamb is plentiful. I say, as long as it’s halal, I’ll try anything new– although we don’t have it often, goat meat is not new to me but this recipe is…
When we look through recipes online or in magazines, what really prompts us to go out of our way to make a list and head out to the store with the intention of buying all the ingredients specifically for that recipe we enjoyed looking at so much?
I look at food for a living, literally, and am incredibly delighted by the vibrant colors and gorgeous photography that exists in the blogosphere and in the publishing world. I can’t, however, make everything that awakens my stomach or inspires me to fly off the couch and dig into my cabinets for every spice listed in a recipe so that I, too, can make a gorgeous Thai noodle dish.
There is one Libyan dish, however, that prompted me to set out to use up our Qurbani meat to make this dish called Tbeikhet ‘Eid which features pumpkin, chickpeas and raisins. I liked the idea of using seasonal produce like pumpkin so much that I decided to give it a try, though digressing a bit by using other ingredients that I had at home that were in much need of being used: (more…)
Lamb dishes are usually a must on ‘Eid day celebrations, but every culture has a different, delicious way of making it. I love this way of preparing the lamb using ingredients common in Italian cooking, but you can substitute ingredients typical of your favorite cuisine.
4 large boneless lamb chunks, approximately 3 ½ pounds total (you can also work with less meat than this), cut into small to medium size pieces.
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups tomato sauce
½ cup water
1 tablespoon dried basil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 dried red chili or ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Directions
In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Sauté onions and green peppers until soft, about 2-3 minutes. Remove and set aside.
To the Dutch oven over the medium heat, add the lamb and sauté to brown, about 4 minutes on each side. Add the black pepper.
Return onions and green peppers to the pot and add the tomato sauce, water, basil and salt. Stir well and raise the heat to high.
Add the garlic cloves and red chili. Allow to boil for about 5 minutes. Reduce heat to a simmer. Cover and cook for 2 hours.
Serve while hot with risotto or a large noodle pasta like pappardelle.
*Update (Jan. 26, 2020) Making this again, I’ve done things a little differently, but nonetheless still delicious. Instead of basil, I used dried oregano and ground cumin. I’ve added sweet paprika, ground red chili and tomato paste instead of tomato sauce- just working with what I have instead of what I don’t. Served atop a bed of rice or even bulgur would be good, too.
