Blasts from the past

This snail race was fun. The snail closest to you kept trying to make a u-turn!
Warning! These are addictive.
One of my favorite pics of Ethan.
Preserving Meyer Lemons was fun...and I am still using them.
Had a wonderful time making clams for the grandkids..on vacation at the coast! Elaina loves her clams..and so does Ethan. They also love salmon roe..eaten with chopstix.
My favorite...preserved tomatoes over quinoa pasta.
Deep-fried baby artichokes with grey salt.
Frozen pom seeds. Oh, and those vacuum-sealed beets from Trader Joe's.
My fave meal...lamb and veggies. Well, one of my favorite meals.
Yes...I always have some chicken fat for schmaltz-making in the freezer. I also save bacon grease. Don't mix em up though. :)
I love brown basmati rice.
Brick...my new favorite thing. I love Brick a L'Oeuf.

I am off to Portland for 9 days. Can't wait to get there! Dave and the cats will hold down the fort.

Have the Courage of Your Convictions-when making Brik !

Red Lentil Curry Soup was served with the Brik A'louef (Brik with egg)
I love that Julia Child quote..and it is true! First, I made the Harissa. I toasted the cumin, coriander, and caraway seed and then added some dried mint and then used my old coffee grinder to blend it all up.

I added those to my blended peppers..along with some lemon juice, evoo, preserved lemons, chili powder, and 5 cloves of garlic..and some salt. Good and hot!
My non-traditional Brik mise en place. I cracked one egg in a little bowl per Brik.
My traditional Brik mise en place. Tuna in olive oil is a must! Get the good stuff!
So it's not a triangle...so sue me. My phyllo was not cooperating at all! I must find some Brik! I also want a deep fat fryer if I ever make this again.

I smeared the pastry with the harissa first and then made a well with the ingedients...like when you make your own pasta. I put the egg in the little well and then folded like a mad woman. The phyllo was cracked when I took it out of the package so that was not good...but I went ahead and made some wonderful Brik A'Leouf and I bow down to Marlena Spieler, Betsy McNair, and Eileen Thornton for making it look so darned easy! I am proud to call you my friends...and fellow Brikster's.

It is one of the best things I've ever eaten and I liked the traditional the best. So very good. I even added more harissa on top. I am a spicy woman. I served it with the Red Lentil Curry Soup with some Fage yogurt and cilantro on top. It was a big hit around here!

[please see previous post for ingredient list-photo] Also here is a link that describes the difference between warka or brik, lumpia, and phyllo. OMG..look at this link that shows them actually making the brik dough!!

One Brik at a Time

Traditional Brik (Breek) ingredients...well, except for there is an egg...and salmon isn't usually used. I might try it. I did buy the good tuna in olive oil!
Non-traditional Brik A'Leouf ingredients....again, there is an egg as well.
Soaking chili's in hot water to make harissa..since I couldn't find it at The Nugget. Note..I ended up using way more peppers and put boiling water over them..then plastic wrap on top. Let them stand for 24 hours. Also..I cut tops off first and de-seeded before topping off with the hot water.
My preserved meyer lemons will add a nice touch to the Brik!

So...I get all this stuff and then see that I have to let the Phyllo thaw for 5 frickin' hours! Who knew? So, tomorrow I will be stacking Brik's like a mason. Anyone want to sample??

This is one of Marlena's recipes from Jewish Cooking. My blogger buddy Eileen made it over at her place a while back. It's on the Jewish Menu for American River College's Oak Cafe next week so decided to go nuts with it! I'll post pics and results Thursday evening! Below is a Harissa recipe I found that got 5 star ratings...maybe I'll use it.

This North African condiment is based on a recipe in A Mediterranean Feast by Clifford Wright (William Morrow, 1999).

Source: Saveur

Photo: Andre Baranowski

8 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed
and seeded (about 2 oz.)
8 dried new mexico chiles, stemmed
and seeded (about 1 1⁄2 oz.)
1⁄2 tsp. caraway seeds
1⁄4 tsp. coriander seeds
1⁄4 tsp. cumin seeds
1 tsp. dried mint leaves
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil,
plus more as needed
1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
5 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon

1. Put chiles into a medium bowl, cover with boiling water, and let sit until softened, about 20 minutes. Heat caraway, coriander, and cumin in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Toast spices, swirling skillet constantly, until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Transfer spices to a grinder with the mint and grind to a fine powder. Set aside.

2. Drain chiles and transfer to the bowl of a food processor with the ground spices, olive oil, salt, garlic, and lemon juice. Purée, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl, until the paste is very smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a sterilized 1-pint glass jar and fill with oil until ingredients are submerged by 1⁄2". Refrigerate, topping off with more oil after each use. Paste will keep for up to 3 weeks.

MAKES 1 CUP

This article was first published in Saveur in Issue #117

BRIK A L'OEUF-- by three buddies

Betsy displays the ingredients
Her ingredients on the phyllo dough
Wrapping it up....this part looks scary
Da Dah! Bravo Betsy McNair...you diva you.

It's Marlena Spieler's recipe from Jewish Cooking and my blogger pal, Eileen, made it for one of her Sundays with Marlena. Then, we have a video of Marlena making them...over at Betsy's house! Last but not least, we have Betsy McNair making them while on the East Coast... through photos.

I think I better try to make it! BTW, the recipe calls for preserved lemons. How the hell do ya make those? Well, a local blogger (and quite famous in her own right) has a great recipe for it and you can find it here...or I bet you could buy them.