Out Before I'm Even In

After having only recently joined The Daring Kitchen, I think it's time for me to quit. The rules are simple: you make a prescribed dish once a month, following the recipe given. This should have been my indicator that this club is not for me. Instead, I was intrigued by the idea of belonging to a group of cooks around the world, united by one taste for one month.

I couldn't participate in August due to my vacation plans and furthermore, I didn't find the recipe all that alluring - even if it's from the chef of El Bulli. The month before that, I refused to participate because the key ingredient was skate. After having seen rays on a dive, I refuse to promote the fishing of these beautiful creatures. I'm also opposed to cod, the suggested substitute. So here I am, in September, preparing for the challenge.

Dosas. In theory, fantastic. I consulted with my Indian Friend J (IFJ), and he gave me some ideas. Then I read the recipe. The recipe that I have to follow. It calls for spelt. This is where I bow out & say "No, thank you". I was fine with the vegan meal. I was fine with preparing the 3 components of dosa, filling, & sauce. But somehow, following a recipe for Indian food taken from a trendy restaurant in Toronto seemed wrong. Don't get me wrong - Fresh has good food and some amazing lemonade. Although I think their noodle bowls are great, I just don't know how inspired I am to make them at home.

IFJ says that there's a place down the street that has super-crispy dosas on Saturdays. In the meantime, I made my own. The dosas are out of chickpea flour, the filling is a potato marsala (I cheated & used my Grandmother's favourite curry mix), and the chutney, again, I cheated & used grated coconut. The result: interesting, and certainly a healthy basis for the steaks I had later that night. I won't be repeating the recipe but I certainly have been inspired by it. I will be going to the Indian place down the street tomorrow for good dosas.

Birthdays, Visits & Other Adventures

It was my birthday on the weekend. Again. After 2 months, I finally cashed in on the trip I got as a present. Venice was good - details will follow.

In the meantime, I still have to buy the giver of the Birthday-in-Venice trip a birthday present. I have 2 days to find something as wicked as a weekend in Venice. I am doomed to fail.

In addition to the stress of work, which has become normal, I am also expecting visitors next week. In my few free moments, I am trying to find amusement for them in Stuttgart. Why? I'm not really sure. I usually provide my own entertainment in Stuttgart, I do not rely on the city.

All this, plus the onslought of allergy season, means that it's meatloaf night tonight. While I make a mean meatloaf, I'm not going to bore anyone with details beyond this: use wine. Lots of it. Not in the meatloaf.

For my birthday this year, I went to a restaurant with sofas. You lie on the sofa, and are fed 10 courses. One of the appetizers was a bajhi with a jogurt tahini sauce. While I'm not a fan of deep-fried foods at home, I am turning into a huge fan of chickpea flour. I thought I would try some zuchinni pancakes with chickpea flour. Not perfect, but I might try it again, with a little bit of tweaking.