The Middle East!

I know it’s kind of impossible to find Middle Eastern food in Las Cruces. Our Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen, but there seems to be very little room for anything else — or at least everything else comes and goes rather quickly. And if anything is labeled as being Middle Eastern, it usually includes a falafel and a gyro, which is not even scratching the surface of what Middle Eastern food is.

More than two years ago I moved in with my boyfriend — who is Afghan — and my idea of food and flavor was blown to bits. That’s when I became a “foodie” and a lover of good food from all over the world.

I had no idea what that side of the world was about, until I had a feast at his house. Korma, samosas, chutney, bolani, aush, na’an, kabobs, qabili palao, yogurt, mint, lemon juice (see a description of these foods at the end). My goodness, it was the best I ever had.

Before that, he always “bragged” about how good home cooking was and how much time was spent on making one dish, particularly palao. “We are the scientists of rice,” he says. After that first meal and tasting what he had to make for dinner, I was hooked.

Over some time, the spice rack at home grew to include jars of coriander, curry, turmeric, dill, cumin and paprika. I buy large jars of minced garlic, we have pounds of basmati rice, mung beans, lentils, lots of chicken breasts, plain yogurt is always in stock and there’s no shortage of onions. On any night I can make chicken korma (which is my absolute favorite) or my special, signature, Frankenstein-version of aush, a hearty bean soup with noodles and ground beef (sometimes he doesn’t tell me what I’m doing wrong). See recipe below!!!!

Samosas with a quick yogurt-dill dipping sauce.

Chicken korma and bolani.

Chicken and pea korma over basmati rice with yogurt.

I’m just scratching the surface of Afghan cuisine and I will not say I know everything about it. Clearly, there is a difference between the cooking styles of Afghanistan and bordering countries. I once got a complicated lecture on how things could easily turn into a Pakistani dish — and I still don’t understand it.

I’m so happy I met my boyfriend. He comes from a county I never thought about and I certainly didn’t know what kind of food they ate. I would have never tasted these wonderful flavors if it weren’t for him and his family. But now I’m hooked. It’s my soul food.

As always my motto is to go out there and try something from another country. If you just give it a chance, you could fall in love with it. Shall I tell you about my experiences with Ethiopian food next time?

Korma — A mix of spices, meat and beans like a chunky gravy on top of rice. It comes in a variety of styles and I like chicken, mung beans and peas.

Samosas and chutney — A mix of mashed potato, leaks and spices inside a few layers of dough. It’s fried and served to dip in chutney, a find blend of walnut, lemon, cilantro, vinegar and yogurt.

Bolani — Similar to a samosa, but bigger and thinner. It’s lightly fried. We use large egg roll wraps for this one.

Aush — A soup made with ground beef and noodles, made separately and served together. It’s topped with yogurt and lemon juice.

Na’an — A kind of Afghan bread.

Kabobs — Spiced meat — lamb or beef.

Qabili palao (national dish of Afghanistan) — The ultimate rice dish. It’s baked with meat (lamb or chicken), spices, carrots, raisins and cashews.

Yogurt, mint, lemon juice — The mustard and ketchup-salt and pepper of the Middle East.

Home cooking: foods from my reservation

Illustration by my friend, Ricardo Cate', Santo Domingo Pueblo artist. ricardocate.com

As a person who loves to eat and is not afraid to try new things, I sometimes look back at the food that comes from my home, the Navajo Nation reservation. It’s very simple and rugged stuff that you need to build a tolerance for — some of it at least. Some of it is just plain tasty. 

Lets go back for a bit:

Most Native Americans were nomadic. They moved around with the seasons and herds. Sometimes they grew vegetables such as corn, squash, beans, potatoes, ect. That’s true with the Navajo, we pretty much ate off the land.

Each tribe hunted the animals that were native to their area. Deer in the forested areas, buffalo, rabbits, fish, whales, dogs – yes dogs, turkeys, chickens, ect. They used the local vegetables and fruits that grew in the area too.

Then came the immigrants and forced assimilation. Every tribe was forced to live in one place. I imagine a lot of starvation happened. They didn’t know how to farm or process foods. They also didn’t know how to use the strange, new foods that were rationed to them by the government. Imagine if you never saw flour or coffee beans before. Would you know what to do with it? I also imagine there was a lot of sickness too.

Natives were also heavily influenced by these immigrants and their neighbors. They learned how to cook things, use new cooking tools and put their own twist on dishes. Take the Navajo for instance. We were heavily influenced by our Mexican/Spanish neighbors. We have Navajo tacos, pesolé, chile stews and a lot of our Navajo words are actually Spanish words too. Geeso is how we say “cheese,” queso is how it’s said in Spanish; sounds the same. Mandagi’a is Navajo for “butter”; and mantaquella in Spanish. Oh, and tortillas, every Navajo woman must know how to make fry bread and tortillas. We also consider tamales to be a delicacy, just like the Mexicans do, and they only come out on special occasions.

Fry bread

I know what the first thing you think about when you think about Native Americans and food. Fry bread. Actually, I don’t know how it was born or how each tribe came to have it. But each tribe has a different technique, texture and size to their fry bread. Each person who knows how to make fry bread takes great pride in their recipe. Navajos go all out with the plate-sized, thin fry bread with crispy bubbles. Up north, they make it thick and small. Some like it sweet with sugar stuff on it like a waffle. Others, like me, never put sugar on it and prefer it plain with salt or with some stew.

 A hearty mutton stew with green chile and a frybread.

A roast mutton sandwich from a food truck in Crownpoint, N.M., my hometown.

The sheep

They were introduced to us by the Spanish around the 17^th century. They became a very important animal; the life and way of the people. Families kept hundreds of them and used their wool for rugs and ate their meat.

To butcher a sheep takes practice and ceremony. Prayers and ‘thank you’s’ are said for the sheep. It’s bled out from the neck and skinned. I’ve only seen this once and didn’t stay for the whole thing. But the body is broken down and prepared for the grill – or the freezer. 

A butchering with the guys and gals of Nations, a student group, in Las Cruces —  yes, they butchered in the city.

The innards are not thrown out, they’re cooked too. The large intestines, liver, kidneys, stomach and other bits can be chopped and fried together. Everything in that mix is very grassy, gamey and greasy – good with a hot tortilla. The liver, like all livers, sort of come apart in the mouth like soft sand. The stomach turns rubbery and the intestines are the grassy rubbery ones. My sister loves this mix and says the kidneys are very good, especially with a piece of green chile and a tortilla.

The blood is used to make a blood sausage. It’s poured in the stomach with some potatoes, blue corn meal and chile and boiled. I’ve never had this, but I’m guessing it tastes like liver, which I don’t like. And some of the fat, or fat lining is set out to dry and eaten with bread or by itself.

The small intestines are used for achii’. They’re cleaned and wrapped around a sliver of fat and grilled. I’ve had a few of these. They’re greasy and the intestines become a little rubbery or crispy. It’s very “muttony” and delicious.

The head is saved for the open fire -- above or under. I’ve never seen this but my sister has: The jaw was separated, that gave me the chills because I’ve never seen it before. I tried the tongue, it was really tender but it was really chewy at the same time. The nose was taken off. Then the meat on the cheeks were taken off and shared with everybody who helped butcher. The cheek meat was really the best part. It was soft, really juicy, tender and tasty. We ate all of this with our hands. The next part that was cut out was the eyes. The guy who did the butchering ate the first eye. In the back of my mind I thought it was going to be gross, but I said “yes” (to their offer). I didn’t eat the whole eye, it was cut in half. It was slimy and very fatty and gooey. I don’t really remember what it tasted like, it was like a big glob of “jelly-meat.”

 This sheep head was cooked underground.

You know when you’re eating mutton, because mutton is really strong and distinct. It also leaves a strong sheep and meaty smell when you have it in the house. And the grease! The grease that gets everywhere is the reason why I don’t like it too much. If you don’t eat it fast enough, the grease will harden in the stew, in your nails and on the plate. 

There are a lot of other traditional Navajo foods such as; blue corn mush, ground blue corn cooked in hot water and salted or served with sugar; Navajo tea, which, to me, tastes like you took a fall in the weeds and you got some of it in your mouth and; Navajo cake, a mix of ground corn and other sweet things baked underground and comes out dense and kind of tough – for a cake.

See? There are no special techniques, marinades, spices, lemon zest or sauces. It’s all very rugged; meat, bread, salt and a whole green chile/jalapeno on the side. Sometimes it comes with a side of roast corn, cooked squash, but that’s pretty much it.

In a more modern take, Navajos use all the same foods everyone else does. During events, and everyday life, there are burritos, cotton candy, fruit salads, noodle salads, burgers, Navajo burgers (burger in a fry bread). 

There are trucks and trailers across the reservation that serve these delicious foods. I should also mention that we have very, very few restaurants — very few locally owned businesses for that matter. It's all very political and frustrating, but, literally, there are next to no businesses in my town, just a hand full of stores that belong to non-Natives who live states away from our land.

We have also gotten better “rations” from the government. In recent years, there has been a shift from canned fruits, vegetables and meat to fresh and frozen ones through the Navajo Nation Food Distribution, which is kind of like a food stamps program.

Our family is not traditional. I didn’t grow up eating mutton and caring for sheep – most of us didn’t. We considered it a treat when we could afford it, or when our friendly neighbors gave us a leg or rack of ribs for Christmas. We ate spaghetti (mom’s spaghetti is soul food), chicken fried steak, enchiladas, salads, fish and Chinese food.

I learned to cook from my mom. Although she didn’t teach me how to make fry bread and tortillas, I know my way around the kitchen very well because of her. I can make many different things from chicken Brunswick stew and garlic-lemon salmon to Indian samosas and Afghan korma (lately I’ve been obsessed with the Middle East and India).

I’m glad I have tasted most of the traditional foods from my home. I know their value and importance to our people. I appreciate the thankfulness and waste less culture we have. These dishes and methods are exotic – even to me – and unique. I’m lucky to have it right at home. And I’m craving for some fried intestines right now…

The little places with lots to give

I love the little restaurants that are run by families and those who simply love to serve good, homemade food. These kinds of small business restaurants are everywhere and are the backbone of the community. This, I say, is where you can find the best food in the world. You can taste the love and dedication. Sometimes you can taste the family history and cultural identity at these places. But they’re in trouble. I write about tons of these little restaurants as a reporter with the Las Cruces Sun-News and I’ve seen so many good restaurants go out of business. It makes me sad — and scared about going into the restaurant industry myself.

My very favorite restaurant went out of business a few months ago and I wanted to cry. I drove up to the small house on Mesquite Street and got ready to make my way out of the car and into the restaurant where the owners knew my name and always said “hi.” I collapsed back in the car seat when I noticed there was no “La Playita” sign out, no “Open” sign and no more curtains and outdoor umbrellas. This was one of my (and my sister’s) favorite places to get fresh seafood every weekend in the summer. It was cozy, beautifully lit and the food was delicious beyond anything I have ever eaten. Actually I only ordered one dish, the fish ceviche tostadas (a cold heap of minced fish, crab and tiny shrimp tossed with lime, pico de gallo and avocado on a tostada). It was heaven and a treat every weekend. My sister was a fiend for the large shrimp cocktail. That stuff is like crack for her. We had never had Mexican seafood like this before. I wrote a story about their opening sometime early last year and got to sample these things. I brought my sister there and we have been there every weekend. It was sad when they closed. I don’t know why they closed, but I do know my sister and I were usually the only customers when we were there.

 Fish ceviche tostada at La Playita.

SB’s Late-Night Lunchbox closed recently too. They were open for two years in the downtown area and they made quite a name for themselves. This was actually the first story I wrote for the Sun-News (I was so excited for this I asked the Pulse editor of the time if I could write something). SB’s was a hip joint serving vegan dishes until 3 a.m. along with tasty treats like Heart Attack Wraps (bacon and cheese wrapped in a croissant and smothered with apple butter) and hippie popcorn, my favorites. They had a wide range of creative homemade things. It was mentioned in all kinds of magazines and Pulse so many times. I was always satisfied when I ate here and I was sad to see it go too (thank goodness some cool youngsters from Mountain View Co-Op with the same vision of eating local and fresh are taking over the place).

 Green chile mac, hippie popcorn, Heart Attack Wraps and Oreogasms at SB's Late-Night Lunchbox.

I saw El Tiberon close. It’s another Mexican seafood place with awesome fish tacos. They briefly opened a neighboring restaurant with other Mexican things on the menu like machaca, carnitas and some fried-intestines-taco thing I always wanted to try (I like fried sheep intestines a lot, don’t hold that against me, I’m Navajo). That went out of business quick and then El Tiberon went underwater just a few weeks ago.

Fried fish and chips, with a fish taco, at El Tiberon.

The kettle corn place also went out of business. These were some good people who always wanted to open up a place of their own. They specialized in snacks, baked goods and kettle corn. They had these awesome, delicious, cute cake pops. I always wanted to go back for more cake pops, but the location was always the issue. They were open for less than a year.

There is always something special at these small, family restaurants. Sure, they can’t seat 300 people, they don’t have fancy booths, 50 waiters and 20 cooks, they don’t have a professional paint job or décor and they don’t have the cheapest prices. They can’t compete with Apple Bee’s or Olive Garden. They make their food from scratch, from experience and love, not from a box and a bag of salty sauce they boil and serve like at the chain restaurants.

It’s unfair. Some of them have really good food to offer, but they get stuck in bad locations and debt that force them to close. Don’t get me wrong, some places are not good and you can tell someone in the kitchen really doesn’t give as shit about what they’re making.

Even though these places above are closed, there are many other small places to go in town. Mariscos Boca del Rio Y Comida Mexicana and Delicias del Mar for Mexican seafood (although I know Delicias del Mar can’t make a shrimp cocktail the way we liked it at La Playita. We tried and were a little disappointed). Mariscos can make this lovely, tasty garlic fish that I loved when I wrote that story. 

Fillet al Mojo de Ajo (fish with homemade garlic sauce) at Mariscos Boca del Rio Y Comida Mexicana.

One of my new favorite little places is A Bite of Belgium on Alameda Boulevard. And that’s one of the reasons why I want to go to Belgium (Bruges) before I die. Michel Mal, the chef, is a cool guy. He’s extremely passionate about food and that’s all we talk about when we go there. Lamb sandwiches, Belgium burger, apricot chausson, apple Danish, homemade sauces, homemade breads, quiche and soups. I’m excited to move into our new Sun-News building, because A Bite of Belgium is going to be next door!

The new lamb sandwich at A Bite of Belgium comes with three different homemade spreads.

Another place I like is Pho Saigon, the Vietnamese place with more than 300 menu items. I don’t know how they do it (300?!?!), but they make everything very good. Pho is a given, curry chicken is my favorite and the spring rolls with the peanut sauce are a must. 

A duck soup up front and beef pho in the back at Pho Saigon.

Also:

Kim-Chi House, the Seoul, Korean joint on Soloano Drive. Mmmm, black bean noodles and kimchi pancakes when you dine in.

Ja Jang Myun, potatoes, zucchini and pork in a black bean sauce at Kim-Chi House.

Delicias on Lohman, a Mexican joint with a very homey, comfortable feel, a good burger and killer fajitas.

Green chile cheese burger at Delicias.

Ranchway BBQ, the Mexican barbeque joint on Valley Drive that serves the very best, most delicious refried beans in town. They make it themselves; boil the beans early in the morning, blend it down and do some magic to it (I’m pretty sure it’s a ton of lard, but hey, that’s what refried beans are). I also come here for the tampico steak. It’s a large rib-eye — on the fatty side — grilled up with some green chiles. Yes.

 The tampico steak at Ranchway BBQ.

International Delights, the only place left in town that serves Middle Eastern foods. I love Middle Eastern foods and I kind of eat it once a week (cause I make it at home). Mmm, falafel…

 The falafel sandwich at International Delights.

El Patron has the best Huevos Rancheros I’ve had so far (and this is saying a lot. I’m not really a breakfast person at all).

Huevos rancheros at El Patron.

Cow Palace way on the other side of town in Doña Ana. They have very good homemade fries and this great fish and chips plate. 

The fish and chips at Cow Palace (it's the special on Fridays).

Those are some of my favorite places in Las Cruces. I wish the very best for all of them and can’t wait to visit them again. I also can’t wait to try something new at some other little-hole-in-the-wall place. 

Please support your favorite local restaurant. 

(Wow, I can't believe I had photos from all these places... All photos by Andi Murphy.)

Soup Pt. 2

The cold wind is blowing, I've been coughing for two days, blowing my nose and sucking on Halls. It's time for some soup. Ahhh, chicken noodle soup.

I'll be honest and admit that I've only made this once and it was heaven. It lasted two days for both lunch and dinner and I got some ideas for this wonderful soup from a few other soups I enjoy. 

Cabbage in soup is pretty good. I like the soft texture and mass it gives to the soup and I got this idea from Delicias Mexican cafe. When you order a big meal, you get soup for starters and that soup is very simple and good and it has cabbage in it.

I love aush (a delicious Afghan soup). When I make it , I use garlic, bay leaf and lentils. I love lentils and they're good for you too. (Oh, I also like split peas because they usually has a nice little crunch.)

I like my version of chicken noodle soup because it's more than the plain ole' chicken, noodles, carrots and celery soup. It has all kinds of stuff in it and I think that's what I like most about certain soups; that they're more than just a watery bowl of broth, they have substance, some weight to it, they have healthy things and chunky things.

I'll give you the recipe:

Chicken Noodle Soup by Andi

About a tablespoon or less of olive oil

1 chicken breast

3 carrots

1 teaspoon garlic (I use garlic already chopped)

1/2 onion

3 celery stocks

1 bay leaf

salt, pepper

About 1/2 teaspoon paprika

1/4 lentils

1/4 split peas

1/2 cabbage head 

Sprinkle of parsley flakes

2 cups of swirly egg noodles

chicken stock, enough for 4 cups

Enough water to make it all a soup (you can also add water in the middle of this too)

Cook chicken breast pieces in olive oil with carrots, celery, onion, garlic and bay leaf adding salt, pepper and paprika. When chicken is cooked add in the water and chicken stock. Add in lentils, split peas and the sprinkle of parsley (if you need a measurement, about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of dry parsley) and boil for about 20 minutes, that's how long it takes for the lentils and peas to cook. Add in cabbage and swirly noodles and boil for about 15 more minutes, until noodles are done. Taste and add more salt if you need it.

 

And more soup...

So I wrote a blog a while back about how I didn't like soup. Well, I like soup now and have since ordered it and thought about ordering it at a few restaurants. At least I'm starting to look at their soup menu now.

I'm also making more soup at home. I also tried to make fish head soup when I was feeling adventurous, but that was an epic fail. The recipe called for a bottle of amber beer and that was a mistake and a half. I really don't cook with alcohol and I didn't like the taste of it in this soup (I also made a Brunswick chicken soup with white wine that I didn't really care for). It made the whole pot of fish head soup disgusting -- the fish heads were good, though, we ate the meat off the bones but we didn't finish one bowl of it. And it made the house stink for three days.

Tilapia heads for fish soup.

Oh, and I did get to try some menudo. It's like the official soup of Las Cruces. I'm not too big of a fan. It had like a wheaty, grainy, dull taste to it that I wasn't fond of. This was very light, though, and I can see why people around here like it so much. It was delicious, but that faint intestine taste in the background was a little off putting. Don't get me wrong, if someone offered me a small bowl of menudo, I'd eat it.  

"Traditional" holiday stuffs

Ahh, there's nothing like the holidays. There's food here, food there and cookies, cookies, pies! Easy there. 

It's definitely not my favorite time of year, food-wise. Yeah, I said it. In true American fashion, holiday feasts have been heavily commercialized, mass produced and reduced to a catchy tune and a set of instructions in the back of a box. I don't like it.

Stores sell pumpkin pies, cooked and ready to unwrap. They have bread rolls that can keep on the shelf for three weeks before using. They have canned yams next to the marshmallows and brown sugar. There's pineapples next to the ham. Boxes of stuffing surrounded by canned gravy.

These quick fixes are pretty good, but you can't taste the love behind all the salt and sugar added to every single item. You can't taste the creativity from the can. I can taste laziness and preservatives. 

Let me tell you about my family before I go on. My grandma has worked in a kitchen all her life. My mom has worked in a kitchen all her life, even as a pastry chef. My dad has worked with food for more than two decades. We know food.
From the start of my life we have never had packaged cookies, pre-made pastries, bread that pops out of a can (gross). We never had pre-made meals, easy bakes, just-add-water, frozen microwave stuff. One reason is that we really couldn't afford that kind of stuff and secondly, we already know how to make it. Why buy it when you can make it? It makes the most sense.

I have eaten all these kinds of foods before, Hamburger Helper, Hot Pockets, Tony's, and they just aren't wholly satisfying. To me, it's like I can taste the machinery that made it. To me it's like cheating; it's super salty and sugary it's just not good — but it's delicious. That's how these holiday meals are.

It's unfathomable to buy a pumpkin pie when you can make it from a real pumpkin. You can spend the night making yeast rolls instead of buying a pale bag of rolls from the store.

So what did we have at our Thanksgiving dinner?

• Turkey ... just a plain turkey
• Homemade turkey gravy
• Homemade cranberry sauce that I made
• Homemade mashed potatoes
• Homemade corn bread stuffing. Mom made the cornbread
• Ham ... just a ham with pineapples
• Homemade twice-baked sweet potatoes that I made with pecans
• Homemade pumpkin pie that my mom made with real pumpkin
• Homemade pumpkin cake that I made
• Homemade tortillas from grama
• And someone was in charge of bringing bread rolls and they got the ugly pale ones they sell at the store for $1. I didn't have any of these and they looked like they burned easily.

It was a pretty good dinner. I think the thing I also don't like about these holiday dinners are that people make things at different times. The food ends up on the buffet line cold or lukewarm. We eat on flimsy paper plates with plastic ware. I don't like that. Is that how everyone does Thanksgiving? The whole family? Uncles, aunts, grandparents and a bunch of kids? That's how we do it.

But it has a Disney ending. After the sweat, tears and disappointment of eating this special meal with a sharp spoon on an uncomfortable and cold folding chair, it's so fun to be with family. 

So for the next holiday meal, learn how to make buttery yeast rolls and make that pie from scratch. Make it a time to show your family what your cooking's made out of. It tastes so much better because it has so much or your time, effort and love baked right into it.

Mmm, it looks like we're going to have a Mexican Christmas dinner.

Dear soup, I apologize for ignoring you all my life.

I was never really a fan of soup. I always passed it by and chose another option if possible. In fact it's been one of my most hated dishes for a long time. Mutton stew, beef stew, chicken noodle, pesole stew, you name it, I'd rather not eat it. Impatience was part of it. I like to dig in, not slurp and sip. And I think heat was the other part; hot liquid was not a good texture and or feeling for me.
 
That changed when I visited Pho Saigon in Las Cruces. This Vietnamese joint with over 300 menu items carries a few of the world's best tasting dishes. I'm talking about pho and curry.

The "Curry Chicken, No. 40," here is genius. At first I was kind of turned off by a big bowl of yellow soup coming my way. But the waitress explained that this is how curry is made the traditional Vietnamese way; soupy. So I gave it a try after waiting about 15 minutes for it. 

I was in heaven. 

I am already familiar with curry spice from my adventures at home with similar Indian spices, so I kind of knew what to expect. I expected it to be very fragrant, smelling great and to be a little spicy... There was so much more. Coconut milk, a few hot peppers for heat, ginger, curry of course and probably a whole line of other spices that took me by surprise that first time, including turmeric, a very yellow spice that has an earthy taste to it (I also heard that turmeric is very healthy for you). 

Each spoonful was better than the last. I didn't even care that I burnt my tongue. 

This meal (at Pho Saigon) comes with a side of brown rice which I used to suck up each drop of yellow goodness. It's filled with red peppers, onions and chunks of chicken. 
I make curry like this at home now; soupy. Although it's no where as good as Pho Saigon, at least I got a few ideas and changed around the generic menu I was using. Now it's more enjoyable because it's soupy and yellow with turmeric.

The curry I make at home. (It comes from this mango chicken curry recipe, here. I add more water, lots of turmeric, take out the mango and use a mild curry spice for a little bit of heat. I also like to eat it with a dollop of plain yogurt inside the curry.)

Pho. I think that's all I have to say about it. But I'll elaborate. 

Pho Saigon, it's in the name. I have no idea why I haven't tried this dish. It never interested me before because it's a soup. I decided to give it a try today because my sister has been very curious lately and the weather has finally gotten chilly enough to crave something warm — like soup.

Also, I had a conversation with Dan Auerbach, he's from a little band called The Black Keys, about pho. He loves the stuff and he eats it everywhere he goes. When he came to Las Cruces for the first time for a concert, he visited Pho Saigon and ordered the pho, naturally. I, naturally, was there to meet him.

My sister, Dan Auerbach and I at Pho Saigon before The Black Keys concert Oct. 10.

So if Dan is crazy about this stuff and it's listed as, like, No. 10 on a list of 50 Greatest Foods In The World, than I should give it a try. And I'm not just going to give it a try, I'm going to experience a few new parts of the cow while I'm at it. 

No. 11, "Saigon rice noodle Soup Special" with tripe, tendons, beef steak and beef balls. I'm pretty sure I've had tendons before, but they were attached to meat. I've never had tripe before, but the Mexican folks around here love it in menudo (you should see how many menudo specials there are on the weekends. Literally, every Mexican restaurant has an all-you-can-eat menudo special on weekends. Do you believe I've never had menudo either. I guess I'll try that next, since I'm keen on soup these days).

Bits of tripe and tendon.

Pictured is No. 33 "Yellow Noodle w/ BBQ Duck" and my pho in the back.

It was a surprising experience the same as the curry. How can a soup be this good? My past arch enemy?
 
The beef broth was heavenly. From the video below I see that it's made with vinegar and some other Asian spices. At first I couldn't put my finger on it. I didn't know what these flavors where. All I could identify was the light beef broth, mild rice noodles, thin beef, chewy tendons and rubbery tripe. Other than that everything together was exciting. It made me excited for the next bite. It was mild, but at the same time full of flavor. Something was a little sweet and something else was a little salty. 

The world wasn't wrong. Dan wasn't wrong. It's brilliant — even though it's a soup — and it's big. Pho easily moved up on my list of favorite foods. And these favorite dishes can both be found at Pho Saigon right here in the desert.
So try something new. Even though you thought you hated it, someone somewhere will make you love it.


UPDATE: After writing this blog about soup, I decided to make soup at home tonight because it's cold again. It's the Middle Eastern variety called aush. Noodles and beans with some chicken and a load of special spices. 

Aush on a cold day.

I love this stuff. I made this a few times before and it's even better when it's cold and you learned from your past mistakes. It's full of flavor from the bay leaf, the spoonful of turmeric, coriander and other spices I have in the pantry. It has lentils and mung beans that makes it hearty and healthy (and yes, those are Ramen Noodles, don't hold that against me). A scoop of plain yogurt takes it a long way in thickening it and mellowing it out just perfectly before serving. I know I'm not making it right and I probably shouldn't be calling it aush, but it's one of the best soups I've made.

See? I do love soup. It just has to be delicious and full of flavor.

I think in another blog I will write about my love for Indian and Middle Eastern food.

Breakfast for dinner

I've grown tired of the regular breakfast plate. Scrambled eggs, bacon and toast. Eh, I'm not interested in that. I like omelets and huevos rancheros. Other than that I keep it simple for breakfast and am a fiend for cereal. This might scare you, but I also don't like bacon. It's overrated. I liked bacon up until I started living with a person who doesn't eat pork meat. Years of no pork -- including bacon -- and I lost my desire for bacon and opened a door to so many other flavors.

The other day I looked in the fridge and we had eggs, the end of a turkey breast, broccoli and cheese. Omelets for dinner!

I know a lot of people are scared to make omelets because they usually turn out to be scrambled eggs and a frustrating headache. I remember when I gave up on omelets until I heard something from Emeril Legasse, "You get the pan hot like it's going to catch fire. You drop in the eggs and turn the heat down; almost off." I also think part of the trick is to have the right skillet that is not shaped like a round cake pan with strait edges, but one that has a gradual outward angel.

 

• I saute the filling first: Small cuts of broccoli and turkey breast cubes.
• Since I am trying to be a little healthier I use two egg whites and one whole egg scrambled with a splash of milk, salt and pepper.
• The nonstick pan smokes a little and I spray a little butter spray all over.
• In go the eggs. I move the liquid around while tilting the pan so there is very little liquid left. Turn down the heat and cover it with a lid. Emeril didn't tell you to cover it with a lid, but the lid makes it fluffy and thick so that it cooks from the top too; just like in an oven. After about 45 seconds the eggs are done. No need to flip it. Add the filling, fold it over and slide the large omelet onto a plate.

I can make a pretty good omelet. I especially love them with Ball Park beef hot dogs and cheddar cheese. There are no limitations when it comes to omelets, I say.

This broccoli and turkey breast omelet was a new creation. It was fairly good. The broccoli turned into a nutty taste, the turkey was light and the cheese... lets just say, next time I'll use a saltier cheese like cheddar or American. A white, mozzarella was no good for an omelet. I don't know why I did that. It was available, shredded and ready to go at the time, I guess. Sometimes you save money and you've got to make do with what's in the kitchen.
 

Turkey and broccoli is also a great combination for quiche. I made my first batch recently and that was also the first time I had quiche. It's one of my favorite egg dishes. It's kind of light and cheesy and it smells awesome. Here's the very easy recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-quiche/detail.aspx. I think one thing I would do is add a tad more biscuit mix and use half egg whites and half whole eggs to take a few calories and fat grams out. It was very rich.

 

 

I recently made these small ones in cupcake pans. They're so good.

 

I adjusted the recipe I linked to above to something like:

2/3 cup of biscuit mix

1/2 to 2/3 cup of milk

1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese

1/2 or less of American cheese (cheddar)

3 egg whites

2 tablespoons of butter (make sure this butter is soft, or you'll be mixing it with your hands)

2/3 cup of small, fresh broccoli

 

Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes in a cupcake tin.

Makes 12 mini quiche.

 

I mean, once you make it a first time, you hardly need the recipe the second time and can adjust it anyway you want with different kinds of fillings.