One of the consequences of going on a trip to Europe or a place like Lebanon where food is a kind of deity is that the return home leaves one with a lust for those flavors. In the United States, olive oil is as foreign to the diet of folks as Budweiser is to the lips of the Taliban, whereas no table in Italy stands without it. It's expensive here, but for me, there is no other oil. So many foods that are inexpensive staples in Italy have price tags that are not budget friendly in the United States.
They say you shouldn't go to the grocery when you're hungry. Likewise, you shouldn't go to the grocery when you've just spent ten days along the Mediterranean. I made that mistake yesterday. My receipt is as tall as I am. Granted, we had depleted all comestible resources prior to our departure, so I had to resupply the cupboard with items you should always have around, like tomato paste and cans of black olives. But I also succumbed to the temptations of smoked salmon, a jar of imported pepperoncinis, fresh olives, feta cheese, premade falafel, and even three types of meat! Meat! I buy ONE type of meat a week! Yet I came home with chicken breasts, pork cutlets, and ground beef! On the menu this week: burgers on the grill with worcestershire, fresh basil, and a host of other spices; chicken shawarma with dill cucumber yogurt sauce; and some sort of pasta with chicken dish, since I bought three boxes of pasta (they were on sale for a dollar each!)
Yesterday I learned that poaching an egg was not a skill I have been blessed with, but I managed to get it decently right on the third egg and we had eggs benedict, though I used toasted Italian bread rather than English muffins, and I used hickory smoked rather than Canadian bacon. (Italian bread, English muffins, Canadian bacon? Why do we have to name everything after a place?) Chris said it was his favorite breakfast that I've ever made him, and he loves my Saturday breakfasts.
Today he didn't have my breakfast because he had to be early to sing for church. He missed out on another great one! Here's the recipe based on two eggs. Measurements are approximate because I just dump.
2 eggs
1 ounce smoked salmon, torn into small bits
3-4 tablespoons of crumbled feta
1 large leaf fresh basil, cut small
1 teaspoon chevril
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (god save the Syrian people)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
That's it. Throw it all in a bowl, scramble, and put it on the skillet. I served it on top of a piece of toast - Italian bread or a baguette would have been better than the whole wheat bread I used. The whole thing took less than fifteen minutes to put together.
They say you shouldn't go to the grocery when you're hungry. Likewise, you shouldn't go to the grocery when you've just spent ten days along the Mediterranean. I made that mistake yesterday. My receipt is as tall as I am. Granted, we had depleted all comestible resources prior to our departure, so I had to resupply the cupboard with items you should always have around, like tomato paste and cans of black olives. But I also succumbed to the temptations of smoked salmon, a jar of imported pepperoncinis, fresh olives, feta cheese, premade falafel, and even three types of meat! Meat! I buy ONE type of meat a week! Yet I came home with chicken breasts, pork cutlets, and ground beef! On the menu this week: burgers on the grill with worcestershire, fresh basil, and a host of other spices; chicken shawarma with dill cucumber yogurt sauce; and some sort of pasta with chicken dish, since I bought three boxes of pasta (they were on sale for a dollar each!)
Yesterday I learned that poaching an egg was not a skill I have been blessed with, but I managed to get it decently right on the third egg and we had eggs benedict, though I used toasted Italian bread rather than English muffins, and I used hickory smoked rather than Canadian bacon. (Italian bread, English muffins, Canadian bacon? Why do we have to name everything after a place?) Chris said it was his favorite breakfast that I've ever made him, and he loves my Saturday breakfasts.
Today he didn't have my breakfast because he had to be early to sing for church. He missed out on another great one! Here's the recipe based on two eggs. Measurements are approximate because I just dump.
2 eggs
1 ounce smoked salmon, torn into small bits
3-4 tablespoons of crumbled feta
1 large leaf fresh basil, cut small
1 teaspoon chevril
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (god save the Syrian people)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
That's it. Throw it all in a bowl, scramble, and put it on the skillet. I served it on top of a piece of toast - Italian bread or a baguette would have been better than the whole wheat bread I used. The whole thing took less than fifteen minutes to put together.
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