The Soup Pot

In Bahrain I have had an issue with getting into a meat groove. The meat at the exchange is expensive, stupidly expensive. The produce is worse. So I found myself going to the locals for my produce. Thai ingredients such as kafir lime leaves and lemongrass are readily available. So my Thom Ka Gai is pretty passable. Leeks are also plentiful, so I make cream of potato leek soup as well. I have also found the the most crucial piece of cookware thus far has been my enamel over cast iron dutch oven. Stewing cheaper cuts of meat for goulash or chicken with wine and olives, or chicken noodle soup. You can buy butternut squash or the ugly local pumpkins (local meaning Saudi or Egypt) dirt cheap for the amt of food you get out of them. I can get chicken stock but for some reason no beef stock (only boullion). So I use the squash to make a pretty healthy and hearty soup. 3 small or 2 large butternut squash-peel,dice, and scoop out the guts box of chicken stock salt and pepper 3 bell peppers red/yellow/orange half and half simmer the diced squash in the stock with salt and pepper while you work on the peppers. Put the oven on high broil. Keep the peppers whole and rinse them. Put them under the broiler.Let them scorch black and bubbling, turning them periodically. Once they are evenly blackened take them out. You can do this on a grill too. Put them in a ziploc bag, seal it, and set them aside. When the squash is tender, get a blender or your cuisinart. Remove the chunks and puree them reserving the broth. Add a little liquid if you need to for better blending. Put the puree back in the pot and keep simmering stiring it into the broth for a smooth blend. Take the peppers out of the bag.You have sweated them, so rinse them under cold water and the skin should peel right off. Take off the stem, veins and seeds and disgard. Take the fleshy peppers and puree them as well. Stir it into the soup. continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. At the end add some half and half, whole milk, or cream (or nothing if you are watching calories). This soup freezes well FYI. It is a great way to get veg in the rugrats, and goes really well with grilled cheese.

My Adventures with Camel

My husband is an adventurous lad. Camel sausages sounded like a good way to take the Bahrain bull by the horns. I was skeptical, but being the dutiful wife, I decided to try my hand at some very ethnic food. I cooked the sausages like I would Italian sausages, but as soon as I began to handle them I smelled the strong whiff of clove. So, pretending they were Italian sausages was not going to happen. What goes well with clove? the local pumpkin. As wonderful a job as I did with the presentation, they were still camel. It was gamey, and the clove was not ground enough with left offensive hard bits of wood amongst the meat. It was edible, and the veg I accompanied it with was spot on. However, they were still camel sausages. No amount of Stacey's ability to jiggy in the kitchen was going to cure them of their camelness. So, I will stick to the frozen Johnsonville in the NEX. Thank you.

Chicken and Veggie Enchiladas

Finely mince seasonal veggies- onion, red pepper, celery,mushrooms, or whatever you like!

After softening them in olive oil and salt in a skillet, add about 8 Chicken breast tenderloins or 4 boneless chicken breasts to the skillet. Sear both sides, then turn the heat down and had a half can of tomatoes w/jalepeno.

I have frozen spinach with cream on hand as well as plain spinach in the freezer. So whichever you choose is good depending on if you are counting calories.

I simmer all that together for about 10 minutes to make sure the chicken is cooked. Then I remove the meat. I continue to let the liquid cook down from the tomatoes and spinach. I take a meat cleaver and mince the chicken into small bits, then add it back to the skillet. If you want a little more creaminess, a few dollops of cream cheese into this mixture is nice, but don't scorch it. add it last and turn the heat down or off so that it slowly melts and can be stirred into the mixture.

Tortillas are available in Bahrain, or wraps. Enchilada sauce in the NEX is my preference, but you can certainly make your own. I stuff the tortillas and line them up in a 9x12 greased pan (cooking spray).

Pour one can of enchilada sauce evenly over the whole batch, make sure everything is good and wet (that's what she said).
Sprinkle as much cheese as you are comfortable with over the top. Bake in 350 degree oven til the cheese is nice and bubbly and starting to brown just a touch.
Garnish with fresh chopped tomato and cilantro and black olives if you wish. Serve with the local plain yogurt if you are missing sour cream.bon appettit!