"floo·zie \ˈflü-zē\: a usually young woman of loose morals." Thus a Food Floozie is not a woman who can be seduced by virtually any man, but rather a woman who can be seduced by virtually any food (other than sushi).
I love Moroccan food, with its vibrant and exotic flavors. It doesn't have to be complicated to prepare, even if traditional recipes might require special equipment or long cooking; techniques can be adapted and modernized.
But this gorgeous, simple recipe requires nothing fancy or expensive. And it rewards you with a slightly spicy tingle complementing the sweetness of the carrots, and the ease of being able to serve it at any temperature - it can therefore be prepared right before serving or well ahead of time, whatever suits your schedule.
These spiced carrots can accompany virtually any dish, and are perfect for a picnic or a barbecue. Try them! Who knew plain ol' carrots could be so easily transformed into something so delicious?
I could have served an American-style picnic today, complete with fried chicken and potato salad. But I thought that "international picnic day" should be interpreted not as a universal day for picnics, but rather as a day for a meal filled with foods from around the world.
So my international backyard picnic lets us travel to Italy with a baked rice and cheese dish that is reminiscent of risotto, but requires less attention. Dream of Morocco with fragrant spiced carrots. Enjoy vibrant Mongolian seared beef, complemented with some simple feta-topped grilled vegetables, then finish the meal with light and tender Hungarian sour cream cookies. Add a bottle of Spanish wine, and the picnic is complete!
Since I served so many lovely foods at my picnic, I'm going to make them the focus of this week's posts. Today I'll share the recipe for Bomba di Riso [BOHM-bah dee REE-soh], the rich rice dish, with the other recipes to follow in subsequent days.
To make this casserole - which could easily serve as an entree, served with fruit and salad - all you need to do is cook some rice, stir in some eggs and cheese, and bake ... that's it! It's a great change from plain ol' rice or potatoes, and there's a hint of nutmeg to offer an exotic nuance. Some fresh spring peas or asparagus would be a lovely addition, stirred into the rice before baking.
1-1/4 cups white rice (Arborio preferred)
2 eggs
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
very generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 ounces mozzarella cheese, cut into small dice
1/8 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 1-quart casserole dish.
Prepare the rice according to package directions. Remove from heat, then stir in eggs, shredded Parmesan, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Place half of the rice mixture into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Spread the ricotta over the rice, then top with the mozzarella. Spread the rest of the rice mixture over the top, then sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
Bake for 30 minutes until bubbling and starting to turn golden.
Last week, I wrote a blog post that mentioned my dream of someday travelling to Morocco. It's been ages since I cooked anything from that region ... and why? I adore Moroccan food, with its vivid spices and flavors. I've been so busy with holiday cooking, writing about cookbooks, judging events, and other missions; and, of course, I have to accommodate other eaters in my life, who aren't necessarily terribly adventurous. So much food to cook and eat, so little time!
This recipe is traditionally Moroccan in that it is stew-like and reminiscent of a tagine - a beautiful conical dish that simmers foods, as well as the dishes that are cooked in the utensil (the name can be used for both); this is indicative of influence from the Berbers of North Africa. It is also Moroccan in that it has been strongly influenced by Spain, which is evident in the use of both chorizo and paprika. Spain and Morocco are only 8 miles apart, across the Strait of Gibraltar.
To make this a vegetarian dish, I used a lovely soy chorizo that is available at Trader Joe's; it isn't a firm sausage, but rather a crumbly one. It offers good flavor and color, and is great in many recipes (such as the Sloppy Joes that I'm told are a friend's family favorite). You could easily use traditional meat chorizo, which is sliced rather than ground; of course, while that ingredient would be indicative of Spanish influence, it would also be an affront to Morocco's Muslims with its forbidden pork. So many cultures, so much history, such a melange!
But whether you're serving carnivores or vegetarians, this simple, fragrant, fabulous dish is one you should absolutely try.
Chickpeas with Chorizo
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small red onion, quartered, sliced
1 small roasted red pepper, quartered, sliced (from a jar is just fine)
6 ounces chorizo (soy or pork)
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
juice of half lemon
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher salt
generous pinch freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion; saute for 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the onion is softening. Add the remaining ingredients and bring just to a boil. Cover the saucepan, turn heat down to low, and cook for 10 minutes until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Serve "as is" with bread, or serve it over couscous. Serves 2-4.
I haven't written a post with a meandering list in ages and ages. But for some reason, it struck my fancy that the time had come to do so ... to make a list of goals to encourage acting upon my word of the year - reach - and keep seeking ways to expand my proverbial horizons.
And so today, in no particular order, I offer a list of various food-related hopes and dreams, experiences I would like to have someday (although some of them will require not just renewal of my passport, but also a 'script to medicate myself into submission to overcome my phobia of flying!):
1. Memphis in May: The World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest is also known as "The Super Bowl of Swine." To even place in this event is a coup; to win it brings not only prize money but - really, even more importantly - tremendous respect. I can't see myself competing against people for whom this is truly a life's passion; I don't even own a grill, though I plan to remedy that personal deficit this summer. Instead, I want to just eat my way through it and experience the joy of - and devotion to - a culinary art form: meeting the contestants, sampling entries and voting for People's Choice Award, touring the grilling stations, and relishing the celebration.
2. Although I've lived in Michigan since 1978, I have never stood in one of the very long lines at a Polish bakery in Hamtramck on Pączki Day (the day before Ash Wednesday). I want to schmooze with my fellow devotees as we huddle in the cold before being rewarded with freshly-fried pączki [POONCH-key] once reaching the front of the line. Here's a video that shows the camaraderie and anticipation as happy, hungry folks wait for what is so much more than just a glorified jelly doughnut. I need to do this next year!
3. I want to eat my way through Italy, learning about the idiosyncracies and trademarks of the regional cuisines. The Italians take these things very seriously - there are even laws enforcing production standards and places of origin in order for certain foods to be labelled by particular names. (For example, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese can only officially be called such if it is produced in the provinces of Parma or Reggio-Emilia or their immediate surroundings.) There is no such thing, in Italy, as "Italian food." Items are localized to regions and even to cities, with pride at the heart of it all.
4. I would love to win a James Beard Award, considered the Oscars of the food world - sheesh, even a nomination would thrill me! I don't see it happening - I'm not a chef, I'm not a sommelier, I haven't published a cookbook. Sure, there's a category for "Best Food Blog;" but I do this part-time and don't have the resources to create anything substantial or impressive enough to garner Beard-worthy attention. There is a category for "Best Personal Essay," as well as the M.F.K. Fisher Distinguished Writing Award; but these aren't meant to cover flaky chicks who blather about $5 Frugal Floozie Friday deals or cling peaches in heavy syrup. Maybe I'll finagle and schmooze my way into these venues some day! A girl can dream ... :)
5. Morocco has long sung its Siren song to me, and I would love to shop in the souks (open air markets), taking in all the colors, fragrances, sounds, tastes ... it would be an entire sensory experience. Moroccan cuisine is one of my favorites - tagines, spices, fruits, salads, pastries, mint tea (I have my own set of the special tea glasses) ... all of it calls to me. There is so much more than just the couscous that many people know of! I need to cook some Moroccan food ... it's been too long ....
6. How extraordinary would it be to have dinner at Alinea in Chicago, to be amazed by the transformation of ingredients that culinary magician (and James Beard Award winner) Grant Achatz and his staff performs??? Just click on this link and gasp at the sheer beauty of the gorgeous photos - these dishes are artworks, not merely sustenance. Achatz is one of the leaders in the poorly named Molecular Gastronomy movement, which involves scientific and technological techniques that go far beyond just "cooking" foods. Instead, they are altered and become both unfamiliar and yet, once touching the tongue, recognizable as each item's unique essence shines through. I'm not quite certain that I would even know how to approach some of the plates! But a meal at this exceptional restaurant would be, truly, a once-in-a-lifetime experience that I would so love to indulge in.
7. It would be a tremendous challenge to be the cook for the winter-over staff at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Research Station. From February through October, it is desperately cold (on average, -100F); travel to-and-from the continent is virtually impossible, so once you're there you're committed to the extreme 24-hour darkness. Summer is the more crowded season, with numerous projects and greater staffing needs, but some work continues through the winter. A unique community forms among those who think it is reasonable to live cooped up in the facility for 6 months dependent upon each other, despite these being independent-minded folks who would otherwise think it was ludicrous to abandon loved ones and life as they used to know it for this adventure! Supplies are very carefully and cautiously purchased and shipped to the Pole, and what you've got is what you work with; thus, as kitchen staff, you'd try to provide nutrition and variety while simultaneously not being able to run to the market to buy ingredients to satisfy cravings or replenish the pantry when it's running low. My "Chopped" Challenge was nothin' compared to this!
8. And finally, I would adore an opportunity to go on a food-fanatics' road trip with my best-est blogging buddies, so we can all finally get together and celebrate food, fun, and our fabulous selves! Touring the country, eating our way through large cities and small towns, cementing life-long friendships as we learned about each other's favorite family recipes and legendary hometown restaurants ... how amazing would that be???
If I really were a fairy godmother - my Purim costume for this year - I would wave my beribboned pink wand and make all these wishes come true! Unfortunately, I have no powers. And in the picture above you can't even see the glitter that sparkled in my hair; and my gold-bedazzled wings were blowing around in the breeze ... oy. Many people told me I'm the only one they know who could pull off wearing wings and a tiara, that this outfit was very "me." I'm happily taking that as a compliment! A girl's gotta have a sense of humor and whimsy ... :)
I don't normally post on weekends, but this girl who's one-quarter Irish is, indeed, aware that Saturday is St. Paddy's Day. (I'll be happily and excitedly judging the Brisket Bake-off at Temple Beth Emeth that evening; but I'll wear green, and they're also serving that Irish staple - potatoes!) So, a few days early, here are some Irish-themed recipes for your upcoming festivities:
For today's recipe - Cipollini in Agrododolce alla Romana (Roman-Style Sweet-and-Sour Onions) for the Ides of March - go to the Food and Grocery page of AnnArbor.com ....
