Conflict is the root of good story telling. Conflict isn’t just about war. Conflict can be the little devil on one shoulder and the little angel on the other. Conflict can be between men and women. Conflict can be between children. Sometimes conflict is the story (“The Hatfields and the McCoys”), sometimes it moves the story and sometimes it’s subtle and you have to search for it within the story. No good story is worth telling without conflict, unless the story is about avoiding conflict – which is by itself a form of conflict.
Whether it’s the conflict between classes as in Strindberg and Ibsen, the conflict between families as in “Romeo and Julie,” the conflict between lovers as in “Taming of the Shrew,” the conflict for power as in “Julius Caesar,” or any other conflict – conflict makes all stories more interesting and often forms the core around which the story is built.
The Harry Potter stories are replete with conflict. The overarching conflict is between the Dumbledore good guys and the Voldemort bad guys. The fundamental conflict is over control of the world – both wizarding and muggle. But there are many more conflicts within these books. Initially there is the conflict between Harry and the Dursleys. From time to time there are conflicts between Ron and Hermione, Harry and Ron, Harry and other friends within Gryffindor or in houses within which Harry should have friends and allies. There is always the conflict between Harry and Draco Malfoy and Harry and Snape. Even within deep friendships, like that between Remus Lupin and Harry there are moments of conflict – as when Remus tries to run away from his wife because of the taint of his werewolf status, which is also an internal conflict for Lupin himself.
Conflict, inner and outer, is an excellent tool for getting characters up a tree so you can throw stones at them. Your story becomes layered with uncertainty and unfairness if the central character has to fight her boss while fighting off the bad guys and solving the mystery. Vulnerable characters are much more interesting than two dimensional always strong and always right characters.
A healthy discussion of the conflicts in a story is an excellent approach to a term paper. What is the conflict and how does it advance the plot? What is the conflict and how does it add to an understanding of the character? What would happen to the story if it didn’t have that conflict? What conflicts do you think the writer might have added and how would that have advanced the plot? Are the conflicts between characters or within a character? Are the conflicts large and small? Are the conflicts symbolic of major social movements or class struggles? And if yes, what are those struggles and how does the author carry out the representation
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Omega Rich Healthy Condiments
If you listen to our teleseminar, you’ve heard me say that any products made with hydrogenated oil are to be avoided like the plague. That includes things you and your family may very much enjoy – like mayonnaise and Ranch Dressing - all commercial salad dressings. Here are some recipes for making your own from scratch.
Omega Rich Mayonnaise
Makes about 1 ¾ Cups
Your oil source should be: Flaxseed Oil, Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega Omega oil.
1 Egg
½ t. salt
1 ½ t. dried mustard
1/8 t. cayenne
pinch or drop of Stevia
11/4 cups oil (divided) (Flaxseed Oil or Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega)
4 T fresh lemon juice
Allow oil and egg to come to room temperature.
Place ¼ cup of oil plus the egg, salt, mustard, cayenne and Stevia into food processor or blender. Blend until thoroughly combined.
With the food processor, beater or blender running, add an additional ½ cup of oil in a very thin stream (about the diameter of a thin strand of yarn).
When the ½ cup of oil has been added, add the lemon juice and blend briefly until combined. Add the final ½ cup of oil, once again in a fine stream. Refrigerate.
For variety: add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon or dill, or more cayenne. You can also substitute vinegar for lemon juice.
For a wonderful fish sauce, substitute orange juice for the lemon juice and add 1 teaspoon paprika for more color.
Caution: Don’t make during thunderstorms – the ingredients don’t blend for some reason.
Omega Rich Ranch Dressing
Servings: 12
Again your oil source should be: Flaxseed Oil, Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega Omega oil.
½ cup home made omega rich mayonnaise (above)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry dill weed
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour. If dressing is too thick, add a little extra buttermilk to thin,
Home Made Ketchup
12 Oz can Tomato Paste (you can make your own by just boiling down your fresh tomatoes until they make a thick paste).
12 oz water
1 tsp onion powder
½ cup white vinegar
1 –2 drops Stevia
1Tablespoon salt
Combine all ingredients and serve.
Home Made Mustard
1 T dried mustard
1 t your choice of vinegar
1 t cold water
1 drop Stevia
The equivalent of one Tablespoon of prepared mustard. You can add pickles, relish or garlic, a dash of hot sauce to spruce up the taste. This is just the basic.
Omega Rich Mayonnaise
Makes about 1 ¾ Cups
Your oil source should be: Flaxseed Oil, Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega Omega oil.
1 Egg
½ t. salt
1 ½ t. dried mustard
1/8 t. cayenne
pinch or drop of Stevia
11/4 cups oil (divided) (Flaxseed Oil or Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega)
4 T fresh lemon juice
Allow oil and egg to come to room temperature.
Place ¼ cup of oil plus the egg, salt, mustard, cayenne and Stevia into food processor or blender. Blend until thoroughly combined.
With the food processor, beater or blender running, add an additional ½ cup of oil in a very thin stream (about the diameter of a thin strand of yarn).
When the ½ cup of oil has been added, add the lemon juice and blend briefly until combined. Add the final ½ cup of oil, once again in a fine stream. Refrigerate.
For variety: add 2 cloves of crushed garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon or dill, or more cayenne. You can also substitute vinegar for lemon juice.
For a wonderful fish sauce, substitute orange juice for the lemon juice and add 1 teaspoon paprika for more color.
Caution: Don’t make during thunderstorms – the ingredients don’t blend for some reason.
Omega Rich Ranch Dressing
Servings: 12
Again your oil source should be: Flaxseed Oil, Udo’s Perfected Blend or New Spirit Golden Omega Omega oil.
½ cup home made omega rich mayonnaise (above)
½ cup sour cream
½ cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry dill weed
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 dash hot pepper sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
Combine all ingredients. Refrigerate for at least ½ hour. If dressing is too thick, add a little extra buttermilk to thin,
Home Made Ketchup
12 Oz can Tomato Paste (you can make your own by just boiling down your fresh tomatoes until they make a thick paste).
12 oz water
1 tsp onion powder
½ cup white vinegar
1 –2 drops Stevia
1Tablespoon salt
Combine all ingredients and serve.
Home Made Mustard
1 T dried mustard
1 t your choice of vinegar
1 t cold water
1 drop Stevia
The equivalent of one Tablespoon of prepared mustard. You can add pickles, relish or garlic, a dash of hot sauce to spruce up the taste. This is just the basic.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Albanian Recipes plus a little history
I started with looking up The Albanian Flag, which lead me to the wonderful story of the great Albanian Hero Skanderbeg – the Warrior King. Who, when besieged by the Ottomans put candles on the horns of a herd of goats and drove them into the Ottoman encampment at night. The arrival of the goats confused the Ottomans and allowed Skanderbeg and his army to escape the siege and live to fight another day. Skanderbeg and his Children of the Eagle are credited with saving Rome and Europe from Ottoman conquest and allowing the emergence of the Renaissance and the modern world. Had he and the Albanians not taken on the Ottomans the history of Europe would be completely different than it is today.
Skanderbeg’s shield – with its double eagle design black on a field of deep red – is the national shield of today’s Albania. Added to the shield is a replica of Skanderbeg’s helmet which carries the symbol of the goat and his victory over the Ottomans.
Meatballs w/ Egg & Lemon Sauce
Serves 4
This is a lot like covering your meatballs with a delicious meaty Hollandaise Sauce. What I also learned was that you don’t have to use breadcrumbs in meatballs, but if you add brown rice it will cook inside the meat and it’s delicious.
1-1/2 pounds ground lamb or beef
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup minced onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups beef bouillon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
In a large bowl combine the lamb or beef, rice, onion, egg, tomato sauce, parsley, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Shape into 2-inch meatballs.
In a large saucepan bring the bouillon to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add meatballs.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cook, covered, until meatballs are tender, about 30 minutes. Test one to see if rice is tender.
Meanwhile, in a double boiler beat the egg yolks and continue to stir until the egg yolk starts to thicken.
Add 2 tablespoons hot liquid from the meatball pan and continue to stir until the mixture thickens again. Repeat this step in 2 tablespoon increments until the hot liquid has been added.
Stir in lemon juice and melted butter.
Stir until it thickens.
Serve at once. Do not reheat.
Serves Four
Leek Caserole (Tavë me presh)
Servings: 4
2 lbs leeks
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb ground meat
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
Mild red pepper
SaltPepper
Cut off the green leaves from leeks; wash and cut leeks slantwise into 1-inch thick slices.
Sauté in a little oil and place in a baking pan.
Sauté onion and ground meat in remaining oil.
Add beef stock, tomato sauce, red pepper, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Pour meat mixture over the Sautéed leeks.
Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees F.
Serve hot.
Mixed Vegetables (Albanian Name: Turli perimesh)
Servings: 4
2 lbs various vegetables depending on the season (peppers, eggplant, okra, zucchini, potatoes, etc)
1/2 cup virgin olive oil, divided into two parts
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
SaltPepper
After cutting off inedible tips of vegetables, wash and slice them into 1-inch squares.
Sauté vegetables in half of the oil and remove them from the frying pan.
Sauté onion and tomatoes in the remaining oil, and season with parsley, salt, and pepper.
Put everything in a stockpot with a cup of water, cover tightly, and simmer until almost all moisture has cooked away.
Serve hot, accompanied by meatballs, or any other main dish.
Veal or Chicken with Walnuts (Gjellë me Arra)
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons flour
15 finely crushed shelled walnuts
2 beaten egg yokes
1 minced garlic clove
1 stick of butter (cut in half)
2-3 lbs of Veal or Chicken meat cut up in 1" cubes
Place the meat or chicken in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until tender.
Remove the meat setting it aside in a dish while leaving the remaining juices in the saucepan.
In another saucepan, add the flour and sauté over heat until it becomes light brown in color (do not overcook!) and add the half a stick of butter.
Add the finely crushed walnuts, minced garlic clove, and the two egg yokes, stirring constantly.
Add the juices from the other saucepan and sauté until all the ingredients thicken.
Immediately remove from the heat to avoid solidifying the egg yolks.
Then fold in either the meat or chicken.
Melt the remaining half stick of butter and pour over the four servings.
Skanderbeg’s shield – with its double eagle design black on a field of deep red – is the national shield of today’s Albania. Added to the shield is a replica of Skanderbeg’s helmet which carries the symbol of the goat and his victory over the Ottomans.
Meatballs w/ Egg & Lemon Sauce
Serves 4
This is a lot like covering your meatballs with a delicious meaty Hollandaise Sauce. What I also learned was that you don’t have to use breadcrumbs in meatballs, but if you add brown rice it will cook inside the meat and it’s delicious.
1-1/2 pounds ground lamb or beef
1/2 cup long-grain rice
1/2 cup minced onion
1 egg
2 tablespoons tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups beef bouillon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted
3 egg yolks
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
In a large bowl combine the lamb or beef, rice, onion, egg, tomato sauce, parsley, and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
Mix well.
Shape into 2-inch meatballs.
In a large saucepan bring the bouillon to a boil over medium-high heat.
Add meatballs.
Reduce the heat to medium-low.
Cook, covered, until meatballs are tender, about 30 minutes. Test one to see if rice is tender.
Meanwhile, in a double boiler beat the egg yolks and continue to stir until the egg yolk starts to thicken.
Add 2 tablespoons hot liquid from the meatball pan and continue to stir until the mixture thickens again. Repeat this step in 2 tablespoon increments until the hot liquid has been added.
Stir in lemon juice and melted butter.
Stir until it thickens.
Serve at once. Do not reheat.
Serves Four
Leek Caserole (Tavë me presh)
Servings: 4
2 lbs leeks
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 lb ground meat
1 tablespoon tomato sauce
Mild red pepper
SaltPepper
Cut off the green leaves from leeks; wash and cut leeks slantwise into 1-inch thick slices.
Sauté in a little oil and place in a baking pan.
Sauté onion and ground meat in remaining oil.
Add beef stock, tomato sauce, red pepper, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil.
Pour meat mixture over the Sautéed leeks.
Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees F.
Serve hot.
Mixed Vegetables (Albanian Name: Turli perimesh)
Servings: 4
2 lbs various vegetables depending on the season (peppers, eggplant, okra, zucchini, potatoes, etc)
1/2 cup virgin olive oil, divided into two parts
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup peeled chopped tomatoes
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
SaltPepper
After cutting off inedible tips of vegetables, wash and slice them into 1-inch squares.
Sauté vegetables in half of the oil and remove them from the frying pan.
Sauté onion and tomatoes in the remaining oil, and season with parsley, salt, and pepper.
Put everything in a stockpot with a cup of water, cover tightly, and simmer until almost all moisture has cooked away.
Serve hot, accompanied by meatballs, or any other main dish.
Veal or Chicken with Walnuts (Gjellë me Arra)
Servings: 4
2 tablespoons flour
15 finely crushed shelled walnuts
2 beaten egg yokes
1 minced garlic clove
1 stick of butter (cut in half)
2-3 lbs of Veal or Chicken meat cut up in 1" cubes
Place the meat or chicken in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until tender.
Remove the meat setting it aside in a dish while leaving the remaining juices in the saucepan.
In another saucepan, add the flour and sauté over heat until it becomes light brown in color (do not overcook!) and add the half a stick of butter.
Add the finely crushed walnuts, minced garlic clove, and the two egg yokes, stirring constantly.
Add the juices from the other saucepan and sauté until all the ingredients thicken.
Immediately remove from the heat to avoid solidifying the egg yolks.
Then fold in either the meat or chicken.
Melt the remaining half stick of butter and pour over the four servings.
Albanian Folktale
The Tale Of the Youth and the Eagle
One day, a youth was hunting in the mountains, when an eagle flying above him alighted on top of a crag. The eagle was very large and carried a snake in its beak.
After a while, the eagle flew away from the crag where it had its nest. The youth then climbed to the top of the crag where he saw, in the nest, an eaglet playing with the dead snake. But the snake was not quite dead. Suddenly it stirred, and poised itself to strike the eaglet with its venom-filled fangs.
At once, the youth took his bow and arrow and shot the snake. Then he took the eaglet and started home.
Suddenly the young man heard above him a loud whirring of eagle wings. "Why are you kidnapping my child?" cried out the eagle.
"The baby eagle is mine because I saved it from the snake, which you failed to kill, " answered the youth.
"Give me back my child, and I will give you as a reward the sharpness of my eyes and the powerful strength of my wings. You will become invincible, and you will be known by my name."
So the youth handed over the eaglet. After it grew up and learned to fly, it was always to be seen high above the head of the youth - now a full-grown man, who, with his bow and arrows, killed many wild beasts of the forest, and who, with his sword, slew many adversaries. During all of these feats, the eagle faithfully watched over and guided him.
Amazed by the valiant hunter's deeds, the people of the land elected him king and called him Shqiptar which is to say 'Eagleson'. And his kingdom became known as Shqipëri,e which in Albanian means Realm of Eagles.
But beyond that mountainous land, the Realm of Eagles is known as Albania, which means Land of Snowy Peaks.
One day, a youth was hunting in the mountains, when an eagle flying above him alighted on top of a crag. The eagle was very large and carried a snake in its beak.
After a while, the eagle flew away from the crag where it had its nest. The youth then climbed to the top of the crag where he saw, in the nest, an eaglet playing with the dead snake. But the snake was not quite dead. Suddenly it stirred, and poised itself to strike the eaglet with its venom-filled fangs.
At once, the youth took his bow and arrow and shot the snake. Then he took the eaglet and started home.
Suddenly the young man heard above him a loud whirring of eagle wings. "Why are you kidnapping my child?" cried out the eagle.
"The baby eagle is mine because I saved it from the snake, which you failed to kill, " answered the youth.
"Give me back my child, and I will give you as a reward the sharpness of my eyes and the powerful strength of my wings. You will become invincible, and you will be known by my name."
So the youth handed over the eaglet. After it grew up and learned to fly, it was always to be seen high above the head of the youth - now a full-grown man, who, with his bow and arrows, killed many wild beasts of the forest, and who, with his sword, slew many adversaries. During all of these feats, the eagle faithfully watched over and guided him.
Amazed by the valiant hunter's deeds, the people of the land elected him king and called him Shqiptar which is to say 'Eagleson'. And his kingdom became known as Shqipëri,e which in Albanian means Realm of Eagles.
But beyond that mountainous land, the Realm of Eagles is known as Albania, which means Land of Snowy Peaks.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
An Afghan Folk Tale
THE STORY.
Every week I search the Web to find a different story to read to the kids. Since these stories aren’t illustrated, I ask the kids to illustrate them – my refrigerator is crammed with wonderful drawings. This is a marvelous story from Afghanistan.
The Silver on the Hearth
There was once a poor farmer who found it a great struggle to get ahead in the world. Though he worked very hard and lived carefully, it was impossible for him to save money year after year. After an entire lifetime of labor he was no better off, it seemed, than he had been on the day he was born.
One morning he seized on the notion that if ever he was to own anything at all in this hard world, it would have to simply appear before him. He wished and wished that one morning he would wake up and discover riches aplenty heaped upon his own hearth. That way he would have no doubt that the good fortune was intended for him.
He thought of this every day as he went about his daily tasks in the fields.
It happened one day while he was working that some brambles in the field caught and tore his clothes. So that this wouldn't happen again, the man dug a little around the roots and pulled the brambles out of the ground. As he did so, he uncovered the top of a large earthen jar. In great excitement, he dug a little more and then removed the lid of the jar. He found that the jar was filled to the brim with silver coins. At first he was delighted, but after a few minutes of thought he said, "Oh, I wished for riches upon my own hearth, but instead I have found this money out here in the open fields. Therefore I shall not take it. For if it were intended for me it would surely have appeared on my own hearth, as I wished."
So the man left the treasure where he had found it and went home. When he arrived, he told his wife about his discovery. The woman was angry at her husband's foolishness in leaving the riches in the field. When her husband lay down to sleep, she went out to the house of a neighbor and told him all about it, saying, "My stupid husband found a hoard of money in the fields, but the blockhead refuses to bring it home. Go and get it for yourself, and share with me."
The neighbor was very pleased with the suggestion, and he went out to find the treasure where the woman had described it. There, where the bramble bush had been uprooted, indeed was an earthen jar. He took it from the ground and opened it. But when he lifted the lid he saw not silver coins, but a jarful of poisonous snakes.
Into the neighbor's mind rushed the thought, "Ah, that woman must be my enemy! She hoped I would put my hand in the jar to be bitten and poisoned!"
So he replaced the lid and carried the jar back home with him, just as he had found it. When night came he went to the house of the poor farmer, climbed on the roof, and emptied the jar of poisonous snakes down the chimney.When dawn came, the poor farmer who had first discovered the jar got up to start the day. As the morning rays of the sun fell upon the hearth, his eyes opened wide. For the hearth was covered with silver coins. His heart swelled with gratitude. He said, "Oh! Finally I can accept these riches, knowing that they are surely intended for me as they appeared upon my own hearth, as I wished!"
Every week I search the Web to find a different story to read to the kids. Since these stories aren’t illustrated, I ask the kids to illustrate them – my refrigerator is crammed with wonderful drawings. This is a marvelous story from Afghanistan.
The Silver on the Hearth
There was once a poor farmer who found it a great struggle to get ahead in the world. Though he worked very hard and lived carefully, it was impossible for him to save money year after year. After an entire lifetime of labor he was no better off, it seemed, than he had been on the day he was born.
One morning he seized on the notion that if ever he was to own anything at all in this hard world, it would have to simply appear before him. He wished and wished that one morning he would wake up and discover riches aplenty heaped upon his own hearth. That way he would have no doubt that the good fortune was intended for him.
He thought of this every day as he went about his daily tasks in the fields.
It happened one day while he was working that some brambles in the field caught and tore his clothes. So that this wouldn't happen again, the man dug a little around the roots and pulled the brambles out of the ground. As he did so, he uncovered the top of a large earthen jar. In great excitement, he dug a little more and then removed the lid of the jar. He found that the jar was filled to the brim with silver coins. At first he was delighted, but after a few minutes of thought he said, "Oh, I wished for riches upon my own hearth, but instead I have found this money out here in the open fields. Therefore I shall not take it. For if it were intended for me it would surely have appeared on my own hearth, as I wished."
So the man left the treasure where he had found it and went home. When he arrived, he told his wife about his discovery. The woman was angry at her husband's foolishness in leaving the riches in the field. When her husband lay down to sleep, she went out to the house of a neighbor and told him all about it, saying, "My stupid husband found a hoard of money in the fields, but the blockhead refuses to bring it home. Go and get it for yourself, and share with me."
The neighbor was very pleased with the suggestion, and he went out to find the treasure where the woman had described it. There, where the bramble bush had been uprooted, indeed was an earthen jar. He took it from the ground and opened it. But when he lifted the lid he saw not silver coins, but a jarful of poisonous snakes.
Into the neighbor's mind rushed the thought, "Ah, that woman must be my enemy! She hoped I would put my hand in the jar to be bitten and poisoned!"
So he replaced the lid and carried the jar back home with him, just as he had found it. When night came he went to the house of the poor farmer, climbed on the roof, and emptied the jar of poisonous snakes down the chimney.When dawn came, the poor farmer who had first discovered the jar got up to start the day. As the morning rays of the sun fell upon the hearth, his eyes opened wide. For the hearth was covered with silver coins. His heart swelled with gratitude. He said, "Oh! Finally I can accept these riches, knowing that they are surely intended for me as they appeared upon my own hearth, as I wished!"
We Started with Afghanistan
AFGHANISTAN
I don’t know if the taste is more wonderful in Afghan cooking or the smell. We ate at the table with forks but we talked about sitting on the floor and eating with our hands. My kids had been out mowing lawns all day and they followed their hunger into the kitchen…”What’s that wonderful smell?” We talked about leaving food on the plate, but no one did. We served it with brown rice and pita bread.
Afghan Winter Squash Serves 8
Ingredients
½ cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
Instructions:
Sautee the onion in olive oil. Place in a small pan.
Stir in salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom and cloves.
Add the squash.
Cook over medium heat until tender.
Afghani Lamb (or beef) with Spinach – 4 servings
Two things about this recipe. First I couldn’t find lamb stew meat so I substituted beef stew meat – which was excellent even if not completely 100% correct. I think I could also have substituted chicken. I could have bought a leg of lamb but I didn’t want to cut it up myself. I sometimes have to go to three or four supermarkets to find the ingredients for my recipes. The less expensive supermarkets are really low on variety of fresh foods. It’s quite amazing how limited our diets have become. Second, I learned the BEST way to cook spinach from this recipe. I have used it again and again. You just add it to the stew after you finish cooking and it cooks perfectly between the stove and the table and doesn’t leak all it’s goodness out into cooking water. Also, it doesn’t taste bitter if you cook it this way.
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds – Lamb stew (preferably leg) (beef or chicken may be substituted)
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped fine
4 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Turmeric
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (less if you’re cooking for American kids)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 chopped tomatoes
1 cup beef or chicken stock (I used canned…because there is a danger of the soup
companies having added MSG, it’s best if you get a bunch of bones and cook them for a
couple of hours)
1/3 pound fresh spinach, wash and drain
½ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Salt to taste I usually don't cook with salt and let everyone add their own)
¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions:
If you are going to serve this over rice. Make certain that you prepare the rice in a rice steamer at the same time you are cooking the stew – use brown long grain rice. The steamer makes lovely rice and can be used to steam vegetables as well – a great tool for your kitchen. If you're going to bake your own Pita Bread - start it 3-4 hours before you plan to serve dinner.
Preheat the oven to 350 o F. ( If you're going to make Pita bread you have to work around a conflict with your oven)
Sear the lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.
Add the onions – sauté them for 2 minutes
Add garlic – sauté for 1 minute.
Add turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red pepper and cinnamon and sauté the mixture for 1 – 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the onions or garlic.
Add tomatoes and beef or chicken stock and stir.
Cover the dish and bake at 350o F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in.
Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt to taste (I usually let my guests do their own salt and pepper). Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Serve over rice.
OR, if you don’t want to use rice. You can steam up one head of cauliflower. Mash it with a potato masher and serve the stew over the mashed cauliflower. It’s excellent and a certified vegetable not a starch.
If you want more recipes just google “Afghan Recipes” and you’ll find tons of them However, I think some of them have been Americanized (as have recipes from other countries) because they use corn oil, shortening and margarine in some recipes. Don’t! Never use anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on the label. Use butter and virgin olive oil. I have a cuisenart to do most of the chopping and a juice squeezer and a rice steamer. There’s nothing like a well-equipped kitchen to make things faster and easier when you’re cooking from scratch.
Pita Bread
Ingredients
1 package of yeast (or tablespoon of yeast if you get a jar of it)
1/ 2 cup warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.
Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast-water in depression.
Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes.
When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded. Coat a large bowl with butter and place dough in bowl.
Coat the dough with butter and allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Place a cookie sheet on a rack at the very bottom of your oven.
Preheat oven and cookie sheet to 500o F.
Divide the dough into 10-12 small pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.
Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and continue adding additional pitas for baking until you have baked all 10-12.
Take spatula and gently push down puff. Serve hot with your meal.
I don’t know if the taste is more wonderful in Afghan cooking or the smell. We ate at the table with forks but we talked about sitting on the floor and eating with our hands. My kids had been out mowing lawns all day and they followed their hunger into the kitchen…”What’s that wonderful smell?” We talked about leaving food on the plate, but no one did. We served it with brown rice and pita bread.
Afghan Winter Squash Serves 8
Ingredients
½ cup sliced onion
2 tablespoons virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon coriander
½ teaspoon cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 Butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
Instructions:
Sautee the onion in olive oil. Place in a small pan.
Stir in salt, cumin, coriander, cardamom and cloves.
Add the squash.
Cook over medium heat until tender.
Afghani Lamb (or beef) with Spinach – 4 servings
Two things about this recipe. First I couldn’t find lamb stew meat so I substituted beef stew meat – which was excellent even if not completely 100% correct. I think I could also have substituted chicken. I could have bought a leg of lamb but I didn’t want to cut it up myself. I sometimes have to go to three or four supermarkets to find the ingredients for my recipes. The less expensive supermarkets are really low on variety of fresh foods. It’s quite amazing how limited our diets have become. Second, I learned the BEST way to cook spinach from this recipe. I have used it again and again. You just add it to the stew after you finish cooking and it cooks perfectly between the stove and the table and doesn’t leak all it’s goodness out into cooking water. Also, it doesn’t taste bitter if you cook it this way.
Ingredients:
1 ½ pounds – Lamb stew (preferably leg) (beef or chicken may be substituted)
1/3 cup virgin olive oil
1 lg. onion, chopped fine
4 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 teaspoons Turmeric
¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (less if you’re cooking for American kids)
½ teaspoon cinnamon
6 chopped tomatoes
1 cup beef or chicken stock (I used canned…because there is a danger of the soup
companies having added MSG, it’s best if you get a bunch of bones and cook them for a
couple of hours)
1/3 pound fresh spinach, wash and drain
½ cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
Salt to taste I usually don't cook with salt and let everyone add their own)
¼ cup pine nuts
Instructions:
If you are going to serve this over rice. Make certain that you prepare the rice in a rice steamer at the same time you are cooking the stew – use brown long grain rice. The steamer makes lovely rice and can be used to steam vegetables as well – a great tool for your kitchen. If you're going to bake your own Pita Bread - start it 3-4 hours before you plan to serve dinner.
Preheat the oven to 350 o F. ( If you're going to make Pita bread you have to work around a conflict with your oven)
Sear the lamb in the olive oil in a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.
Add the onions – sauté them for 2 minutes
Add garlic – sauté for 1 minute.
Add turmeric, nutmeg, cardamom, crushed red pepper and cinnamon and sauté the mixture for 1 – 2 minutes, being careful not to burn the onions or garlic.
Add tomatoes and beef or chicken stock and stir.
Cover the dish and bake at 350o F. for about 1 hour, until the meat is tender and begins to break up. Remove the dish from the oven and add the spinach, stirring until the spinach is wilted and blended in.
Allow the stew to cool slightly. Add the yogurt, lemon peel and salt to taste (I usually let my guests do their own salt and pepper). Sprinkle with pine nuts.
Serve over rice.
OR, if you don’t want to use rice. You can steam up one head of cauliflower. Mash it with a potato masher and serve the stew over the mashed cauliflower. It’s excellent and a certified vegetable not a starch.
If you want more recipes just google “Afghan Recipes” and you’ll find tons of them However, I think some of them have been Americanized (as have recipes from other countries) because they use corn oil, shortening and margarine in some recipes. Don’t! Never use anything that says hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated on the label. Use butter and virgin olive oil. I have a cuisenart to do most of the chopping and a juice squeezer and a rice steamer. There’s nothing like a well-equipped kitchen to make things faster and easier when you’re cooking from scratch.
Pita Bread
Ingredients
1 package of yeast (or tablespoon of yeast if you get a jar of it)
1/ 2 cup warm water
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup lukewarm water
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add sugar and stir until dissolved. Let sit for 10-15 minutes until water is frothy.
Combine flour and salt in large bowl.
Make a small depression in the middle of flour and pour yeast-water in depression.
Slowly add 1 cup of warm water, and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until thoroughly mixed.
Place dough on floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes.
When the dough is no longer sticky and is smooth and elastic, it has been successfully kneaded. Coat a large bowl with butter and place dough in bowl.
Coat the dough with butter and allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size.
Place a cookie sheet on a rack at the very bottom of your oven.
Preheat oven and cookie sheet to 500o F.
Divide the dough into 10-12 small pieces. Roll each piece into a ball. Place balls on floured surface. Let sit covered for 10 minutes.
Roll out each ball of dough with a rolling pin into circles. Each should be about 5-6 inches across and 1/4 inch thick.
Bake each circle for 4 minutes until the bread puffs up. Turn over and bake for 2 minutes. Remove each pita with a spatula from the baking sheet and continue adding additional pitas for baking until you have baked all 10-12.
Take spatula and gently push down puff. Serve hot with your meal.
Around The World in a Pot and Pan
Around the World With a Pot and Pan
As I have been saying on our Suzy Prudden Teleseminar, I have started a project with my family and friends.
Every Sunday night I cook a dinner from a different country for my family and friends. There’s a kind of ritual to what we do. First I find recipes that I’m pretty sure I can cook. Then I research and find a folk tale to read to the little children – ages 4, 5, and 6. Sometimes I buy books for the teenagers if I think they will be interested. We look up the flag of the country. We make copies of the money – Afghan money is really neat and very beautiful. We talked about how Afghanis sit on the floor and eat with their right hands. How they will continue to serve guests tea until the guests say they’ve had enough. If you don’t want them to give you more food you must leave food on your plate as a signal. Finishing everything is an invitation for more not a compliment. I summarize a little history – though because of the youth of the children I steer away from the war. Sometimes we Google pictures of the country or the dress if it’s different – as it is in Afghanistan. Sometimes I use You Tube to search for folk dances that are special to the country. For Afghanistan we talked about how families sleep on the roofs during hot summer nights so they can get the breeze, which would otherwise be blocked by other houses. We talked about why the men wear beards and the way the women keep their heads covered. Then we all gather around the globe that I bought at Toys R Us specifically for this project. We find the country – see where it’s located relative to California. In Afghanistan’s case, run little fingers over the mountain ranges. I do not talk about war, religion, or politics…that’s optional depending on the age of the children.
What interested me most about world cooking was the question: why is the American Diet not working – while other people’s diets keep them thin and healthy. I think you’ll come to the same conclusions I have come to. The reason other diets work is because the food is fresh, seasonal and locally grown, the oils are healthy, and because there are no chemical additives like MSG and High-Fructos Corn Syrup. What’s amazing to me is how often garlic, onions and tomatoes show up all over the world. I’m also amazed at how often pumpkins are used for other than pumpkin pie.
Years ago, when I lived in Vermont, I had my own garden and there wasn’t much that I didn’t make from scratch. I would cook vast pots full of food on Saturdays – savory stews, chili, and rich tomato sauces. I baked all the bread we ate. I even made wine. During the week I would reheat the stews and sauces, add a few fresh ingredients and feed the family. We didn’t have a microwave, which was a good thing because it’s very bad for your health and I suggest that no one every use it even to heat water.
I frequently kept a pot of soup at the back of the stove (we had a wood stove). If I made a huge batch of anything I would freeze it and we’d revisit it later. I was careful never to cook anything IN plastic, but to thaw it and recook it or reheat it in a double boiler. It wasn’t difficult to serve food that had been cooked from scratch – it only took a little planning which helped me develop management skills I used later in life.
This time, when I started cooking the foods from around the world, some of the children I was cooking for informed me that they didn’t eat vegetables. They were willing to try it because it was different and special and – surprise – found that they actually liked the vegetables. Now they eat almost everything we serve. It was the curiosity about something really new that got their attention and overcame their objections.
When I started this project my kids got me a mortar and pestle because cardamom comes in seed form not ground in every supermarket I’ve been to. It’s come in very handy for many countries grind different seeds and even pits. I’m also grateful for the computer. I can find so many things and order many things that local stores don’t carry. My daughter’s herb collection is getting very impressive.
As I have been saying on our Suzy Prudden Teleseminar, I have started a project with my family and friends.
Every Sunday night I cook a dinner from a different country for my family and friends. There’s a kind of ritual to what we do. First I find recipes that I’m pretty sure I can cook. Then I research and find a folk tale to read to the little children – ages 4, 5, and 6. Sometimes I buy books for the teenagers if I think they will be interested. We look up the flag of the country. We make copies of the money – Afghan money is really neat and very beautiful. We talked about how Afghanis sit on the floor and eat with their right hands. How they will continue to serve guests tea until the guests say they’ve had enough. If you don’t want them to give you more food you must leave food on your plate as a signal. Finishing everything is an invitation for more not a compliment. I summarize a little history – though because of the youth of the children I steer away from the war. Sometimes we Google pictures of the country or the dress if it’s different – as it is in Afghanistan. Sometimes I use You Tube to search for folk dances that are special to the country. For Afghanistan we talked about how families sleep on the roofs during hot summer nights so they can get the breeze, which would otherwise be blocked by other houses. We talked about why the men wear beards and the way the women keep their heads covered. Then we all gather around the globe that I bought at Toys R Us specifically for this project. We find the country – see where it’s located relative to California. In Afghanistan’s case, run little fingers over the mountain ranges. I do not talk about war, religion, or politics…that’s optional depending on the age of the children.
What interested me most about world cooking was the question: why is the American Diet not working – while other people’s diets keep them thin and healthy. I think you’ll come to the same conclusions I have come to. The reason other diets work is because the food is fresh, seasonal and locally grown, the oils are healthy, and because there are no chemical additives like MSG and High-Fructos Corn Syrup. What’s amazing to me is how often garlic, onions and tomatoes show up all over the world. I’m also amazed at how often pumpkins are used for other than pumpkin pie.
Years ago, when I lived in Vermont, I had my own garden and there wasn’t much that I didn’t make from scratch. I would cook vast pots full of food on Saturdays – savory stews, chili, and rich tomato sauces. I baked all the bread we ate. I even made wine. During the week I would reheat the stews and sauces, add a few fresh ingredients and feed the family. We didn’t have a microwave, which was a good thing because it’s very bad for your health and I suggest that no one every use it even to heat water.
I frequently kept a pot of soup at the back of the stove (we had a wood stove). If I made a huge batch of anything I would freeze it and we’d revisit it later. I was careful never to cook anything IN plastic, but to thaw it and recook it or reheat it in a double boiler. It wasn’t difficult to serve food that had been cooked from scratch – it only took a little planning which helped me develop management skills I used later in life.
This time, when I started cooking the foods from around the world, some of the children I was cooking for informed me that they didn’t eat vegetables. They were willing to try it because it was different and special and – surprise – found that they actually liked the vegetables. Now they eat almost everything we serve. It was the curiosity about something really new that got their attention and overcame their objections.
When I started this project my kids got me a mortar and pestle because cardamom comes in seed form not ground in every supermarket I’ve been to. It’s come in very handy for many countries grind different seeds and even pits. I’m also grateful for the computer. I can find so many things and order many things that local stores don’t carry. My daughter’s herb collection is getting very impressive.
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