“One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.”
The day is cloudy, and it rained during the night. The air still feels damp, but it’s not a bone chilling damp, not a winter damp. The early morning was foggy. It is already 51°. The sun would be nice, but I’ll take a day in the 50’s even without it.
The morning has been lazy. I woke up early but took my time with my coffee and the papers. Gracie decided to fall asleep with her head on my lap, and I just sat there patting her for the longest time. Finally I roused myself for more coffee and then started some laundry. I have errands later including shopping at the dreaded grocery store. The cats need food and Gracie needs more of her treats.
I love the smells of cinnamon and curry and rosemary. Sometimes I just run my hand up a stalk of rosemary from the garden and its aroma stays on my fingers. When I took my laundry down the cellar this morning, I passed my spice rack built on the inside cellar door. It was curry I smelled so I had to linger a bit. In Marrakesh, whole stalls are filled with spices in too many colors to describe. They give Moroccan food its distinct flavors. I remember cumin, coriander and saffron.
I love experimenting by cooking new foods. Most times I do it for company, and I don’t mind the risk of making an entirely new dish. I read tons of recipes and have to imagine the look and taste of each dish so they complement each other. My friends are willing to give the food a try, and most times the dishes have wonderful tastes and flavors. I know there must be failures, but I don’t remember them, selective memory loss I guess. Some dishes have become favorites. My friends love my Moroccan marinated olives. which I consider a great sacrifice for me to make. I don’t like olives. My muhammara, also from Morocco, is pretty much a universal favorite. My curry always wows them. One summer, my watermelon and feta salad was the hit of the season.
When I have a little time or I’m bored with TV or my books, I take out my file of clippings from magazines and the newspapers and go through all the recipes. I have a couple I’m excited to try. Looks like I need to expand my shopping list.
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keepthecoffeecoming.blog 
April 11, 2011 at 2:10 pm
Three of my four favorite spices 🙂 The fourth is cardamom 🙂
Sunny and warm here today, we almost reached 65F! But all will change to cooler already tomorrow.
I like using different spices but I usually try them on more common swedish dishes. I have failed awfully sometimes though 🙂 🙂 🙂
Have a great day now!
Christer.
April 12, 2011 at 10:45 am
Christer,
I forgot cardamom, a spice I use in mostly Indian dishes.
It just doesn’t get all that warm this time of year. A day in the 60’s would be divine.
It’s the trying that’s fun!
April 11, 2011 at 2:22 pm
Yesterday morning I flew out of Newark airport on a brisk chilly morning to arrive home in Texas to the summer heat. It rained overnight which hopefully has slowed the prairie wild fires in West Texas.
I travel a lot for business and I always try to eat the local fare. I have never been to India and I have no desire to travel there. I hate the flavors in Indian cooking especially curry. The South asian population of North Texas has spurred numerous Indian restaurants and grocery stores because Dallas and Ft. Worth are centers of high technology industry. I have tried various Indian dishes in many Indian restaurants but my taste buds have never become accustomed to the flavors, spice and the heat of Indian food. Moroccan and Middle Eastern food is a different story. I like most of the dishes I have tried from the Middle East. Give me the Mediterranean food and keep the India or Pakistan or any other ‘stan’ food far away.
April 12, 2011 at 10:59 am
Bob,
I saw films of the wild fires on TV, and the news did mention there may be rain. I hope it helped.
I first tried Indian food on Ghana and loved it. I don’t order the really hot stuff as it overwhelms all the other flavors, and I prefer the taste of the mixture of flavors. It was also in Ghana where I first tasted Middle Eastern food as there were a lot of Lebanese in Accra with these hole in the wall inexpensive restaurants.It quickly became a favorite. I love Thai food as well but am not big on Japanese. I’ll try most foods.