Bringing Flava' to the South

In moving to the Deep South, I was not concerned so much with the cliches -- racism, blinding heat, the casual creeping of the word "ya'll" into my vocabulary -- but rather that lack of good food. Sure, there's the soul variety and all it's butter-drenched, deep-fried goodness, but for me, a tad on the heavy side. And sure enough, upon getting to Hattiesburg, I've found one Thai restaurant, two sushi places, and a mythological take-out only Indian-Mexican place that I haven't actually found as of yet. (Update: Apparently the Xanadu that was Comfort Foods -- previously referenced restaurant -- has closed its doors. A moment of silence of my now utter lack of Mississippian Indian food.) Which of course means that one much make all of one's own ethnic food in order to feel like a worldly eater.

Step in Lost night. Sure most of my friends have never watched the show or know what tahini or capers are for that matter, but I figure Wednesdays should be all about the epicurial edification of the future PhDs of America. Thus each week, we have been pot-lucking it with different ethnicities. Below, my contributions:

Week One - Mexican

Tortilla Soup: This isn't exactly the recipe I used, but close. Really nice on cold nights (not like we have those here in H-burg) and with a bottle (or three) of cerveza on hand.

Week Two - Chinese

Egg Drop Soup: For some reason I got it in my head that egg drop soup would be difficult to make. That is so very much not the case. Delicious, simple, and the shitakes make all the difference.

I also made Meagan's very tasty scallion pancakes, but I'll let her do the posting for that!

Week Three - Greek

Greek-Style Penne: This meal is impossibly good. Like obsessively eating it. One of those leftovers that sings siren-esque from your fridge. Gotta get the fresh stuff though. Not the same. And serve with a nice little Greek salad with this dressing, my new favorite quick dressing. (I used white wine vinegar infused with taragon. I recommend.)

Week Four - Middle Eastern

Baba Ghannouj: I always add more spice to mine. Double the garlic and give a nice hearty shake of that red pepper and oh yes!

Helawat al Jazr: Sweet cardamom carrots. I used soy milk and cut down on the sugar and actually could have probably halved or less the sugar. Very sweet. Very rich. Really excellent side dish to Cherri's tabouli.

Halva: So I over-cooked this week. What else is new? This desert is similar to Paula Dean's ever-so-tasty honey bars. But flakier, thanks to some rocking Cream of Wheat. I mean a middle-eastern recipe that calls specifically for Cream of Wheat? How could I deny it's creation?

Up next? Thai. Then perhaps Indian -- where I might rehash the dal makhani and cilantro coconut rice I made in Lafayette last weekend. Oh life is delicious!

Do you have a pantry like me?

And by pantry I of course include the fridge and freezer. And by I, I mean me, Christine.

Maybe I overstock, especially for two adults of non-picky palate. But I realized today, when I wanted fresh soup, that I had all the ingredients for this one I'd been meaning to try. And I'd cooked the chickpeas myself three days ago. Wacky, wacky. Anyway, this is truly wonderful. I haven't tried using soy milk or skim instead of half-and-half yet, but I'm guessing you could without a problem. The fat isn't needed for transcendence here; it's already wonderful.

GARLIC, CHICKPEA AND SPINACH SOUP, serves 4 or 5

In dutch oven/soup pot:

Olive oil (or walnut, if you run out like I do)
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
Saute for 5 minutes until golden.

2 t. cumin
2 t. ground coriander
Add in; saute a minute more.

5 c. vegetable or chicken broth
12 oz. potato, peeled and diced (2 medium)
Pour in broth and potato; bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

2 c. chickpeas (1-15 oz. can)
Add to pot; simmer for 5 minutes.

2/3 c. heavy cream/half and half
1 T. cornstarch
2 T. tahini
salt and pepper
Combine. Add to pot when potatoes and chickpeas are just tender, stirring a lot.

7 oz. spinach, shredded/chopped fine
Add to pot; bring to a boil, then simmer for 2 minutes. Add more salt and pepper to taste, and a bit of cayenne pepper. Garnish with a dash of cayenne.

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This really is wonderful. Smells great, goes together fast. An excellent lunch soup for a grey day.