A Forever Promise

He said I do and so did I. We looked each other in the eyes. We held hands. We locked lips and locked lives. The thought of forever is both scary and comforting. The emotions that ran through my chest were too strong to be contained. Cold tears tumbled down my cheeks. I worried about my makeup. The mascara was waterproof. I smiled.

It was a gorgeous day that couldn’t be any nicer. A February day that felt more like a warm, breezy, almost lazy April or May day. We had our first dance as a married couple to our favorite Nat King Cole song. The slow dance moves prompted many thoughts. I pondered about what we’ve been through and how far we’ve come. I visualized glimpses of our future together. Overwhelmed by the unknown, I focused on the moment. I looked down my flowing white dress and caught sight of my French pedicure. I lifted my eyes and gazed at his pragmatic blue eyes. I scrutinized once more the features of the man I was going to wake up next to for the rest of my life. It was surreal. It was real. I was a married woman.

I want to be true to the forever promise I made. I want to honor him. I want to preserve our trust like a treasured jewel from marring hands and maleficent eyes. I want us to make it through the storms of life. I want to be there for him in sickness as in health. I want to be for him everything that he is for me. I want to be a friend and a confidante. I want to be a lover and an entertainer. I want to be a partner and a companion. I want to be a helper and a cheerleader. I want to be everything he’s ever wanted in a wife.

Culinary Dictionary: Letter C

Caldo: Italian for “hot” (example: cioccolato caldo: hot chocolate). Spanish and Portuguese for “soup” or “broth”.

Cassia: cinnamon.

Chalazae: white tissue cords found in egg white. Some recipes require straining eggs from chalazae before use. The fresher the egg, the more pronounced the chalazae.

Chaurice: Creole sausage (sounds like chorizo).

Chemisé (or en chemise): French for “shirt”; refers to food that is wrapped in pastry or coated with sauce or aspic (jelly).

Chiffonade: derives from chiffon which means “rag” in French and refers to herbs and leafy greens cut into strips resembling rags.

Chinois: cone-shaped strainer with a very fine mesh.

Conti (à la): made with or garnished with lentils.

Copha: solidified coconut oil.

Crécy (à la): made with or garnished with carrots. The name comes from Crécy where the finest of French carrots come from.

Cuba Libre: rum, coke and lime juice.

Letters A, B, C, D, E , F, G, H , I , J, K, L , M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z.

Fish Balls in Tomato Sauce with Couscous

This is the go-to-dinner when you’re short of time yet want something fresh and delicious. These fish balls in tomato sauce are zesty, tasty and easy to put together. Thanks to the modern commodity of instant couscous, the entire meal is ready illico presto, in the blink of an eye—well, probably a little more than that but you know me; I like to exaggerate to make my point.

In Morocco, such fish balls are made with sardines and taste delicious. I like them with white fish as well, even though I find that I have to season it a tad more. I use fish fillets so I wouldn’t have to worry about boning and skinning, and can start making my dish right away.

Fish Balls in Tomato Sauce with Couscous Recipe

For the fish
1 pound tilapia fillets (or another fish of choice)
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried chives
½ teaspoon paprika powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground pepper

For the sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
1 large garlic clove, peeled and minced
Salt and ground pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup water
Juice of half a lemon
¼ preserved lemon, diced (optional)

For the couscous
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 tablespoon butter or olive oil
1 cup instant couscous

Grind the tilapia in a food processor until smooth. Add the garlic, oregano, chives, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix to combine. Shape the ground fish into small-sized balls.

Place the olive oil, tomatoes and garlic in a large skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until the tomatoes are melted, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, water and fish balls. Cook, turning occasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the lemon juice and preserved lemon. Cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes

Meanwhile, bring water to a boil. Stir in the salt, butter or olive oil, and couscous. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork.

Serve the fish balls warm over warm couscous. Garnish with chopped cilantro if you wish.

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake

My blog as well as Kelly’s were featured last Friday in the Best of Blogs section of Food News Journal: mine for the culinary dictionary post and hers for the egg-free biscuits. The recipe I’m sharing today is inspired—with quite a few changes—from Kelly’s cookbook The Spunky Coconut, which specializes in gluten-free, sugar-free and casein-free recipes. Unlike Kelly’s, this chocolate cake is made of brown rice and tapioca flours instead of coconut flour, canola oil instead of coconut oil, and sugar instead of agave syrup. I love coconut, but I had to work with what I had.

I have made a couple of gluten-free desserts before, but none of them included gluten-free flour. There are so many on the supermarket shelves nowadays, that it’s a pleasure to discover and experiment with the different varieties. I remember when , about seven years ago, I went to several grocery stores looking for a gluten-free flour—after I had read a book about blood type diet that said that blood type O carriers should limit their consumption of gluten—and couldn’t find a single one. Last week when I went shopping for flour for this cake, I found tapioca, millet, buckwheat, amaranth, coconut, and many many other gluten-free flours.

I wasn’t sure what the consistency of a gluten-free cake would be like. I imagined it would fall apart without the gluten—I guess in my mind gluten was wrongly associated with glue somehow. But not at all, the cake was hardly different than any chocolate cake I’ve ever had. It was quite delicious. The cocoa powderI used was excellent quality and that counts a lot in baking. So use the best cocoa you can get. Your chocolate cake will only be as good as the chocolate you use.

Gluten-free Chocolate Cake Recipe ¾ cup canola oil
½ cup organic cocoa powder
¾ cup agave syrup (or 3/4 cup sugar)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup brown rice flour
½ cup tapioca flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease and flour a cake or bundt pan.

In an electric mixer, beat the oil and cocoa powder. Add the agave or sugar, eggs, vanilla, salt, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, baking soda and baking powder. Beat again. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25 minutes. Cool the cake completely before unmolding.

Love, Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

Culinary Dictionary: Letter B

Today, we’re doing letter B of our food dictionary. There are so many food terms starting with the letter B, that I had to pick and choose which to keep and which to leave out. I didn’t want to include terms that are too basic, self-explanatory, or would insult people’s intelligence. At the same time, I left out words that are too obscure and might be of little use to my readers. I hope this selection is a good middle of the road.

Blind bake: expression that means baking a pastry shell before it is filled.

Barquette: boat-shaped pastry shell.

Bloom: soften gelatin in cold water before use.

Bonne femme: literally “good wife”, describes uncomplicated, home-style food.

Brown butter: butter that is melted over low heat until it becomes brown. If cooked longer, it becomes black butter.

Bruise: lightly crush an ingredient to release its flavor.

Brunoise: mixed vegetables cut into small pieces and cooked in butter.

B’stilla: also called b’steeya or bastilla is a Moroccan pastry made of warqa (a phyllo like dough) and generally filled with chicken and ground almonds.

Bullshot: a drink made of vodka, Worcestershire sauce, and Tabasco sauce.

Letters A, B, C, D, E , F, G, H , I , J, K, L , M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X, Y and Z.

Steak au Poivre Pasta

10 ounces multi-grain spaghetti
2 tablespoons peppercorns
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
¾ pound beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips
Salt
4 ounces (drained net weight) canned sliced mushrooms, rinsed and drained
1 cup heavy cream
¼ cup grated parmesan

Crack the peppercorns using a mortar and pestle or meat mallet.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until it starts sizzling. Add the tenderloin with the peppercorns. Season with salt, and cook for about 2 minutes per side. Incorporate the mushrooms and cream. Bring to a simmer, stirring occcasionally. Taste the salt and add some if necessary. Add the cooked spaghetti and parmesan cheese and cook for a couple extra minutes, tossing constantly to combine the pasta with the sauce.

Chipotle Scalloped Sweet Potatoes

I’ve had about two pounds of sweet potatoes since my visit to the farmer’s market last Saturday. Normally, I would jump right into action and turn my fresh produce into a delicacy or two, but I really wasn’t sure what to do with the sweet potatoes and I’ve been really sick. I had a major flu which even though didn’t prevent me from blogging, has certainly slowed down my kitchen action. I haven’t cooked much lately, and I miss it terribly, much like a captive feline missing its freedom.

This recipe of scalloped sweet potatoes is inspired by one of Bobby Flay’s recipes. It calls for chipotle and cream, and tastes amazingly rich and unique. Unlike John, I’m not very fond of the sweetness of sweet potatoes unless they’re in a dessert. I thought this savory preparation with a bit of a kick from the smoky chipotle would counter the sweetness well. And it does. And it tastes fabulous.

These smoky, rich-tasting, mildly spicy sweet potatoes are a delicious accompaniment to chicken and turkey (of course!). It will certainly find a spot on my table for many years to come. John and I are happy we found a sweet potato recipe that pleases us both.

Chipotle Scalloped Sweet Potatoes
(inspired by Bobby Flay)

4 to 6 servings

2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon chipotle puree
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch slices
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whisk together the heavy cream and chipotle puree until well combined.

Season the sweet potatoes with salt and pepper. Layer the sweet potatoes in a 6×8–inch baking pan. Drizzle with 5 tablespoons of the chipotle-cream mixture. Repeat with the remaining sweet potatoes and cream mixture to form 3 to 4 layers. Cover with foil paper and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes.

Moroccan Mint Tea

Mint tea is a staple of Moroccan life. Yes of life, not only consumed as part of a meal, but any time of day, for every occasion-on eids, to toast one’s lover, at the closing of deals, and even at birth ceremonies and funerals.

My father had mint tea all day long, one glass after another, a little bit as a water substitute. I didn’t quite inherit his addiction, but I love a good glass of hot and syrupy mint tea a few times a week, while relaxing or reading a book.

This recipe is for an individual serving. In Morocco, hardly anything is individual. Meals as well as tea are prepared for common sharing, so tea is prepared in a large quantity, in a teapot using gunpowder tea and large sugar cubes or a generous piece of colonial sugar cone, which are believed to taste better than granulated sugar.

This is a picture of how tea is served in Morocco. It is prepared in a teapot and presented in an engraved metal tray with small white or colorful glasses with intricate metallic designs.

Moroccan Mint Tea Recipe

1 serving

2 teaspoons sugar
1 green tea bag
3 sprigs fresh mint
1 cup boiling water

Place the sugar, green tea bag, and mint sprigs in a serving cup. Add the boiling water and let infuse, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir to distribute the sugar, discard the tea bag, and enjoy.

Culinary Dictionary: Letter A

I got this idea of starting a food dictionary while I was reading a food memoir and got to the part where the author had to truss a chicken while taking a class at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. I had no idea what trussing means. I’m a nice person. I don’t truss my chickens. Well, I have done it once or twice in the past, but most of the time I leave my chickens open armed, open legged and comfortable as they’re swimming in a pot of broth or tanning in the oven. I’ve always believed that a chicken at ease is a happier, better tasting chicken.

This is to say I immediately thought about posting weekly definitions of culinary terms on Thursdays, so our Thursdays from now on-or at least for the next couple of months-will be Terminology Thursdays, with a different letter of the alphabet each week.

I’m looking forward to enjoying our Thursdays together as we master the art of trussing, feathering, filleting, and the such-if only in theory.

A blanc: (the c is silent) A French term meaning “in white”. It identifies foods that are not browned during the cooking, but left light-colored.

Acidulated water: Water mixed with a small amount of lemon juice or vinegar used to prevent fruits and vegetables from turning brown.

Acetomel: A mixture of vinegar and honey used in the past to preserve fruits.

Aiguillette: Long, thin-as a needle(I’m exaggerating of course!)-slices of meat.

A l’anglaise: Literally “the English way” in French, refers to food that was dipped in egg, breaded then fried.

A la diable: “devil style” refers to food served with an extremely spicy sauce.

A la plancha: A Spanish technique of cooking meats on a metal plate.

A la provençale: Cooking with ingredients that are abundantly available in Provence, in the south of France, such as tomatoes, onions, garlic and olives.

A la nage: French for “in the swim” means poaching seafood in an aromatic broth.

Al forno: Italian for oven-baked.

Amuse-bouche: Also called amuse-gueule, is a bite-sized “mouth amuser” that stimulates the appetite before a meal. It is often made of thin slices of bread topped with smoked salmon, caviar or many other possible toppings.

Letters A, B, C, D, E , F, G, H , I , J, K, L , M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, W, X and Y.