Koshari, Kosheri or is that Koshary?

What is in a word? Koshari is Egypt's answer to American Chili...kind of, sort of! It is made of lentils, rice, beans, some type of pasta & it has a spicy tomato sauce. It is a street food along the streets of Cairo, can be found throughout the Middle East & as far away as Hong Kong. The national dish of Egypt aka: 1st rate Egyptian comfort food intrigued me long before I tried it. I watched an episode of No Reservations where Anthony Bourdain visited Cairo & ate at a Koshari restaurant. I was decidedly intrigued then began seeking out a recipe & the ingredients to make this dish. My recipe incorporates a bit more heat but there are as many recipes of this online as our American Chili. Comfort foods tend to take up a life of their own. Making Koshari for the very first time while we were still living full time south of the border was not all that difficult. I would venture to say that many cooks have most of the ingredients on hand in the pantry save the Hot Siracha Sauce. I made a trip to our local Asian market to buy the Hot Siracha sauce. (Of course I think I just needed an excuse to visit the Asian Supermarket.) They seem to have one of the largest selections of products under one roof & I am always up for the slightly exotic shopping trip. Our large MT Asian Supermarket has groceries offered from around the globe with a nice selection of Middle Eastern products. Believe it or not there is actually quite a large influence from the Middle East on the foods in Mexico. We knew people in Mexico with Middle Eastern surnames & traditions. I believe I had mentioned this previously in another blogpost. The Middle Eastern dishes are quite popular with the younger foodies as many of the side dishes are vegetarian. They are both inexpensive to prepare as well as high in protein & a good way to change up the average meatless meal. I recently made this meal as a modest addition to Tangled Noodle & Savor the Thyme's Eating Your Words contest. I do not know that my meal is particularly challenging however if anyone had seen me trying to pipe the words of my Spicy Tomato Sauce for the Koshari I seemed plenty challenged. Why pipe it onto the plate one might ask? We tend to dab everything into the sauce & if a little is good on top of the Koshari, more is better!


















Egyptian Koshari

The national dish of Egypt which may have found a permanent place on the Texas to Mexico table.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked Rice
2 cups cooked Vermicelli (Fideo) pasta*
2 tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1 teaspoon Ground Cumin , divided
1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 cup cooked Lentils
1 1/2 can tomato sauce (16 oz)
1/2 cup Water
4 tablespoons hot Siracha Sauce from Asian grocery
1 1/2 tablespoons Sugar
3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/4 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper
1 15.5 oz can Chick Peas (Garbanzo beans), drained
2 med. Onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)**
1 Green Chili, roasted, seeded & diced

Instructions:

1. *In large saucepan saute Fideo or Vermicelli pasta in 1 Tbsp Oil till lightly golden, then slowly add water needed to cook pasta. Drain any remaining water from pasta.

Combine rice and pasta; spoon in bottom of large shallow bowl or platter.

2. Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and garlic powder in a medium bowl. Add cooked lentils and stir to combine. Spoon over rice and pasta.

3. Combine tomato sauce, water, sugar, cinnamon, salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cumin, hot Siracha sauce and red pepper in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until heated through, stirring occasionally. At this point set aside & reserve 1/2 cup of the Spicy Tomato Sauce. Stir in chickpeas. Spoon tomato mixture over lentil layer. Partially stir tomato mixture into other layers, but do not completely combine all layers. If desired, prepare crisp-brown onions as directed below and add as a topping. To this layer I added Green Chili Peppers & served with the reserved Spicy Tomato Sauce on the side. I realize this takes Koshari into a Southwest direction but it is so very good. Omit the green chilies if you don't want the added heat.

**Cook onions in large skillet with 1 tablespoon oil over high heat, stirring frequently, until brown and slightly crispy, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Talavera de cerámica espectacular!

Over the weekend we wandered through a Talavera shop & were overwhelmed by the colors & designs we saw. There were the very traditional patterns which are more Spanish in origin as well as contemporary pottery pieces with tropical scenery & bare chested mermaids.





So many selections, so much color, what a feast for the eyes!

Parisina~sounds a little like Paris!

Ah, the Fall Season in in the Air, here & there.....you just have to look a little harder here in Mexico! I even saw my first Pan de Muerto of the season! While Torreon isn't the Mecca for shopping, you can find many things you wouldn't find anywhere else. Mexico has a chain of Fabric stores called Telas Parisinas. Sounds like the word for Parisians with a Spanish accent.

While Carolyn & I were shopping in downtown Torreon I found some wonderful fabric for Dia de la Muerte. The colorful fabrics featured dancing skeletons & marigold flowers. One I found for making dinner napkins featured small skulls & flowers on a pink background. Muy linda in a very Mexican way! Buying fabric in the stores down here is a real event! We first located the fabrics we wanted, found someone to measure & cut the fabric selections, arrived at the Caja to pay for the fabrics, then we had to locate the next Caja where the purchases were kept till we exited the store. The size & scale of the fabric stores down here are generally 3 to 4 times larger than the fabric stores in the states. More people sew in Latin America or have seamstresses sew for them. Once the customer selects the fabric then it isn't seen again till one leaves with the package in hand. I am sure this way desperate souls such as ourselves won't walk out with bolts of fabrics stuffed in their purses...Of course many of those bolts are over 5 feet high. The whole process requires a tremendous amount of walking & explaining for most Americans not versed in the whole procedure. The store: a riot of color & a beehive of activity. Like many other things down South of the Border~

Fabrics fit for Halloween or those little trick or treaters screaming "Mordida, Halloween"....Dia de la Muertos, got to love it!

Searching for direction in Torreon~

This afternoon a few Chicas & I went in search of our local Pewter Lady! While we have been many times to visit her establishment it is in an older part of town which has many twists & turns. The tip off for us all should have been that we started our journey on Calzada Colon near the statue of Cervantes's Don Quixote..... Don Quixote’s imagination was distorted causing him to see things that weren't there. Our imagination wasn't distorted but the streets certainly seemed to get a bit tangled. We finally arrived after our fearless pilot Joan of Arc Fons pressed onward. Like Quixote she kept driving in spite of her helpers poor map reading skills & bad sense of direction. The problem in the older areas of Torreon is that many of the street signs get moved or "misplaced". Along with twisting streets & bad parking, negotiating the small streets can be in the very least wild & hairy!! Oh well! Fun times, Chicas:) Never a dull moment~Shopping in Torreon, a few pesos. Spending time with friends, Priceless!

Great finds to take back South of You Know Where!

Santoku knives, Boots No. 7 Skin Care products & Greek Seasoning. What do these products have in common?? I can't find them in Mexico! **Oh, an absolutely fun find are the Jumbo Chipboard Letters that I happened to locate when we were finishing the Delta Zeta cork board. They will be a great addition to many more projects for the youngest daughter at college. They are after all in the prerequisite Pink & Green DZ colors.




Globalization means many products from various companies around the world are offered many places....but then again, you haven't lived in Mexico. Not to say many companies don't have market presence here in 2007 as opposed to say, 20 years ago. But all in all, they have a long way to go for most Americans living abroad. (Gee, I suppose that sounds spoiled!!!!) Arriving home in Texas generally means we stock up & assess our needs for items we are either out of or can't find. I was pleased to make a few new finds & pick up a few old favorites while we were home. Greek Seasoning: I made up my own but it wasn't quite the same.
*Of note: I didn't fly back on a plane with a Santoku knife~we drove across the border. Don't want an international incident over a kitchen knife.

The Domain, new place in Austin.

While home in Texas we had a chance to check out Austin’s newest shopping plaza, The Domain Mall. The girls have been telling Mom & Dad that we just had to see it! The Domain features nearly 100 high-end local & national retail stores. High-end, retailers that include Barneys, Macys, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton, Neiman Marcus and some equally impressive restaurants like McCormick & Schmick’s, California Pizza Kitchen, Daily Grill and many more. My favorite store there was a kitchen store called Sur la Table. After the whole lack of Williams & Sonoma or frankly any other kitchen store in Mexico of the same quality, it was a fun place to visit. They are currently featuring alot of Latin American items which I found interesting. Scale & planning of the Domain seemed to bring to mind the small town walkable shopping areas on a traditional town square. There was even a cute, smaller local tea shop called The Steeping Room. I was struck by the large scale art scattered throughout the plaza. *The one aspect I was most impressed with: pleasant weather! Fairly low humidity, temps didn't hit 100 that day as is the norm this time of the year, all in all a wonderful experience. Fancy Schmancy might be how some would discribe The Domain, but it is a breath of fresh air when you live outside the US for any length of time.



















Texas Artist' certainly adds whimsical beauty to The Domain, keeping things from being too serious. This cute Armadillo totally caught my eye!

Rain that just won't go away....

Recently, the weather here is more like the Pacific Northwest than what one would expect in Mexico. In fact the weathermen are blaming the rain on climate changes being pushed over the mountains by Pacific frontal systems. Not sure I believe them since we are in fact closer to the Gulf of Mexico but it is rain, rain & more rain! Somehow between showers we are discovering places to go & things to do here.

Storms rolling over Santiago



ARTESANÍA DISEÑO
One of our favorite local places to browse & visit. Full of wonderful things from all over Mexico~much the same as a wonderful place in Nuevo Laredo from days gone by called: Marty's! The former Quinta is full of beautiful pottery, glassware, artsy pieces as well as some downright strange items. A fun stop as long as you avoid the local car chasing dog. Jacqueline, Ash & I nicknamed him "Winn Dixie" for his similar doggie features as that dog in the movies. Cute, but a pain in the backside when you try & leave the parking lot!

Barrio Antiguo~fun place to check out!

We visited Monterrey's Old District today & walked the old worn cobblestone streets of Barrio Antiguo. The district is known for more night life than daytime activities but we strolled the area checking out a local artsy flea market & looking at the wonderful old architecture, the vivid colors and old barred windows & doors. The area went through a revitalization program with local businesses buying up the old buildings & opening a whole host of Restaurants, small shops, Coffee Houses, Bars & countless clubs. It reminded us both of the French Quarter in New Orleans; the whole lack of parking aspect was right there as well!!


















The flea market street in Barrio Antiguo was much like the Renaissance market in downtown Austin, some things shabby & others kind of chic! We saw antiques, handcrafts, Beetles memorabilia & paintings being sold by local artists. I found some hip little earrings made by a local artist named Edgar Luna. They were quite cute with little miniature images of none other than Frida Kahlo!



















Tiny Fridas for the ears, que bueno!!!

Five favorite things! (some old & some new)

We made a mad rush home to Texas & back to bring one of the cars back to Monterrey. We had to take care of paperwork for the use of our vehicles in Mexico~alot of red tape in this excessively paper driven society, they surely must file all the documents somewhere & never to be looked at them again...

While home I had a few new discoveries of things that, in the words of Martha Stewart are: "Good Things".

1.) Family is the best balm for the spirit! (nothing new, just a favorite good thing!)



















2.) Texas & all the good things that single word captures both in spirit & mind! An eternal favorite. We miss it dearly this 4th of July!


3.) After living in Mexico for a year now I have decided that I should re-read Sandra Cisneros' good book: Caramelo. This is a novel by the author who wrote The House on Mango Street. Caramelo is a wonderful epic story about a family full of rich characters that moves through a century of history from Mexico to Chicago & San Antonio, Texas. Sometimes the best books are the ones we have already read once!










4.) Wonderful Mascara by none other than Maybelline: Volum' Express mascara~Jackie & Ashley (who have eyelashes to kill for)introduced this new product to me, since it is their new favorite. Great stuff!!!















5.) Mango Splitter, good item for splitting that wonderful fruit away from the huge seed pod! This new kitchen gadget gets 2 thumbs up from me:) Thank you John & Lauren!!!

Flower Markets in Mexico

Blanco Street in Torreon, Street of many flowers.




The floral market in Torreon is a total assault of the senses. It's an area which is something akin to a flea market & shady place you wouldn't want to be after dark.... Blanca Street is packed with flower vendors & small shops that make floral arrangements to order. The prices for fresh flowers & arrangements is incredibly inexpensive. The combination of low prices with many vendors in a small area make the vendors very pushy & ready to pitch their wares at each curious shopper. We bought some large arrangements that would have been 4 to 5 times the price at home & only cost $250.00 pesos. As we peeked into the back room of the Lupita Floreria shop one of the men making up the arrangements kept saying "beautiful" in English, apparently one of the few english words he knew. Some of the arrangements were 3 ft across at the center & filled with roses & lilies & birds of paradise; still the same cheap prices! Glad we visited early in the morning as the selection is best & the flowers haven't wilted from the mid day heat. Flower markets in Mexico don't have large walk in refrigerators for keeping the flowers fresh, the vendors use buckets of water to keep their blossoms fresh till all are sold for the day.

Festival de las Artes Coahuila

This week kicked off the Festival de las Artes Coahuila in one of the local parks in Torreon. We took an excursion to check things out & saw some interesting sights as well as picked up a few Mexican Artesanos items. One of the Pollo Chicas is returning to the states soon & was gathering things for her trip home. I found an awesome little hand beaded key chain with a rooster on it. While in the Parque Alameda one does not want to venture a trip to the bathroom. Don't ask why but it involves paying a few pesos for the privilege as well stepping over a dog, being handed a few squares of t.p. & for lack of better words & more colorful language~primitive bathroom conditions!!

A couple of Pollo Chicas


















Questionable Bathroom solution...it's never good to look closely, especially when you are being rationed the t.p. & there seems to be a canine assistant for the attendant!

Muy Linda, perfect for Pollo Chicas to keep the keys on!

Viveros in Mexico

A visit to a Mexican nursery can be sensory overload!


















The town of Lerdo was our destination this week as we took a trip to visit a few of the local nurseries. Lerdo has many nurseries that dot the little town & some are virtually hidden by the little allies & side streets of the small town. One of our favorite nurseries even has a water tank which is home to a family of turtles while the neighboring nursery has cages of birds. There seems to be something for everyone at the viveros in Lerdo! Mexicans love plants, which have figured heavily in artwork & has been recorded in 16th century history books. The Spanish arrived in Mexico & were overwhelmed by the site of the gardens in Texcoco & in the Cuitláhuac Palace. These gardens have all but disappeared but the diverse climate & geographic position of Mexico makes it an extraordinary place to find spectacular & enormous variety of plants. I have seen the smallest, most impoverished looking little adobe house on the side of the highway in the desert with plants flourishing which seem to give life to the often dismal surroundings.

Carolyn was looking for little splashes of color for her Jardin & found many options at the nurseries we visited.


A small cactus was my big plant purchase for the day. Easy to transport during our upcoming move...



All good shopping expeditions need refreshments afterwards to refuel & relax. Our friend Joan met us at Moma Yoya's in Torreon for Gorditas.