An entry on food? On this Blog? Really?

Those of you who know me know that cooking is not a passion, probably far from it to be honest. That’s not fair actually, I will cook. And don’t mind doing a big pot of chilli or Bolognese or stew…something that has everything thrown in together and cooks at the same time. I used to become quite flustered if I was to cook things at different times for different durations at different temperatures. The first time I did a roast dinner was momentous, if somewhat overcooked in places!

Not mine I'm afraid. Bear would love filling these up with gravy and Booker-amounts of mint sauce....mmmm!

My attitude was very much that I will cook so that my family did not go hungry. Taste and presentation were not priorities! But then it was made more difficult when I had two children who are far from fussy and enjoy new tastes. So I had to be more interesting. I think I’m doing a lot better these days and will even rely on a recipe with less than a day’s panicking and planning!

Moving here opened up a new style of cooking that I was actually looking forward to… I saw it as a fresh start and something that I could use a recipe and not feel incompetent and unadventurous (The Captain is the, well, captain of improvisational cuisine. Anything in the cupboards and fridge can be made to taste great at his hands. I’m very lucky he enjoys cooking. Except he’s been working more than ever recently and hasn’t had chance to be in the kitchen…grrrrr….).

One book I managed to get before coming here was Cooking of the Gulf by Tess Mallos. It’s difficult to get hold of, Amazon don’t even have it just now. If you see it, grab a copy as I'm not sure when you may find it again.

On the menu last night was Quwarmah ala dajaj (curried chicken) served with my personal favourite, Muhammar (sweet rice).

I think I might have actually improvised today! Get me! The recipe asked for tomatoes….none ….so I used tomato paste and added a lot more water. As you can see from the picture, it turns out a lot darker and richer looking. I also missed out the chilli and cooked with oil instead of ghee. And I used two of the Loomis that I made over a year ago! It was absolutely lush, if I do say so myself.

Slightly different! (note to self: stop cooking with the recipe book right by the pan).

The Captain is yet to try it as he was working all today, so I’ll await his opinion! My last chilli was a bit ‘metallic’ apparently so we’ll see! (I’ll blame it on him having just got over his flu and so his taste buds were shot…the kids scoffed it all so it couldn’t have been that bad!)

If anyone is interested in the recipe, drop me a line and I’ll scan it over to you. A little easier than typing it all up! It was really delicious, sweet and tangy with a very slight hit from the turmeric and baharat. I omitted the chilli pepper merely for the kids' benefit so it would normally have a kick.

Have I just written enthusiastically about cooking??? Wow….

Edit: This sums up my disorganised approach to cooking - I read ‘tinned tomatoes’on the recipe, I have a look at the recipe after I’ve cooked it and it says 1 cup of tomatoes, chopped and peeled. Where did I get tinned from…? And so I have just discovered fresh tomatoes in the fridge. Typical.