Max’s Kitchen: Live and Active Cultures

To put it simply, human skin is relatively easily to live in. Think about it, all the indulgences and pleasures of life are available on a whim; we do not have to wait for nature to provide a bounty of food, we can make our own entertainment through music and various other performances, and we have books. What more could any lifeform want?

Now, a monster leads a rather opposite existence. It is a difficult life full of hardship and sadness, for a monster cannot elude it’s own self-destructive nature, and is hated for it. Talk about stereotyping, if it has scales or claws or is grotesque in any way (or snacks on a human every once in a while), people are straight haters. Yes, a monster’s life is not fun, being chased with pitchforks and other like objects, living in squalid settings, and generally being chosen last in all team activities. So, to pay homage to the poor, misunderstood creatures, we dress in lavish costume, and put on their skins, to become spiritually oppressed. We offer sweets and condone raucous behavior, allowing a minor indulgence to all the beasts out there, to remind the folktale ‘bad guys’ that they aren’t forgotten, and that in some cases, their absence is missed. We need the other, not only to feel bonded with those who share our traits, but to remind ourselves that the world contains such a mishmash of variety; it is like a huge frankenstein monster on which we are fleas, or bacterium. As such, let us not forget the monster, for it is said: A conscience does not prevent sin. It only prevents you from enjoying it. So let’s lose our jiminy crickets for one day of the year, in order to better understand the threatening unknown.

Recipe(s) [for as Malcom Gladwell notes: there is no such thing as the perfect pepsi, pizza sauce, mustard; there are only the perfect pepsiS, sauceS, mustardS. Embrace your own way of cooking, for only you know your preferences {after experimentation}]

Satan’s Hellfire Horseradish Salsa

This dip can be anything from mild, to the core of the earth scorching. Although I don’t want to make anyone lost their sense of taste, there is no better time to introduce yourself to the pleasures of spice. I say go for it, use as much chili as you dare, but don’t dive in the pool immediately, take baby steps if you’ve never known the joy of capciacin. (BTW, capsiacin, the chemical that makes chilis “hot,” is a mood enhancer. In fact, it can generate a mild high during a meal because it can trigger the release of opiate-like endorphins to counteract the pain (felt because capsiacin is a molecule that will bind to the taste buds and not let go, no matter what you try. It grabs so hard that it sends a confusing sensory overload of stimulation to the brain, which is interpreted as pain). The natural chemicals that they body produces in reaction to this is the culinary equivalent of a high-speed joyride in the brain.

(pick and choose from this list, or use all ingredients)
Ingredients:
Diced onion
Diced celery
Garlic, minced
jalapeño chile (or poblano, serrano, habanero, ancho or chipotle chiles), seeded and diced
diced mango/pineapple/coconut/other tropical fruit (or for fall, try apples or pears in the salsa. The sweetness is a good complement to the heat)
diced tomato (you can use canned)
diced red pepper (or green, yellow, orange…)
horseradish (up to 1 teaspoon/cup salsa)
ketchup/mustard/relish (or any condiment really is a good addition to salsa)
1 tablespoon/cup acid (vinegar, citrus juice, or wine)
up to 1 teaspoon/cup chili powder
up to 1 teaspoon/cup of hot sauce (I like either sriracha [cock sauce], or tabasco/louisiana brand habanero)
Herbs (Like parsley, cilantro, basil, sage, thyme, mint…)
~Salt
~Fresh Pepper

-Max ingredients in a bowl, and say a little prayer when you take your first bite.

This salsa is great with everything. Put it on chips, vegetables, in soups, as a sauce for meat, with rice…the possibilities are endless…but the best choices (because it is so hot) is to mix with dairy or alcohol (strips capsiacin from tongue) or fried or sweet food (oil/sugar mask the heat)

Despite the name, this recipe is guaranteed to be delicious and, even though it may sound gross, you’ll find a gorgeous dish with all appetizing ingredients. By the way, I’m adapting the recipe style of this forum from now on: No longer will I transcribe formulaic instructions. This style, which must be followed on pain of death (or at least unpleasant results) really doesn’t appeal to me anymore. I realize that, although ubiquitous, writing in this way is an inefficient, stifling way of teaching about food and cooking. The current recipes featured in cookbooks round the world (emerging from the food writing of the late 19th and early 20th centuries) are dated; they inhibit expression in the kitchen and mute creativity. It is my opinion that such a style of only instructs kitchen novices on how to follow instructions, to say nothing of real cooking.
Ask a ‘cook’ to make a roasted chicken , and they might pull it off with the help of Mr. Pepin. Ask them to make a simple soup sans the help of Escoffier and they flub the dish. This will not stand. We are not training soux chefs, but legitimate gourmets. I want the world to find itself with an army of cooks, combating everything from hunger and poverty to bad taste and food stigmas. The first step: help people make things on their own. It is my job to foster a passion within my readers so that the kitchen does not feel like work, but instead becomes and inviting warm environment suited for art, joy and love. And yes, this may sound hokey and idealistic and perhaps a little more then one can chew, but goddamn it, that’s how cooking can make me feel, so why wouldn’t I want to spread to proverbial love? Hence the new recipe style. I hope you enjoy.

Hearts and Kidneys

This recipe features two powerhouses of the pantry: artichoke hearts and kidney beans. They are both CHY (Cheap, Healthy, Yummy), which places them on the list of non-negotiable essentials in the kitchen. Additionally, exposing kids to exciting, healthy ingredients like these in the midst of Halloween could potentially combat the negative aspects of candy-gorging (perhaps it could even piggyback on the positive reinforcement introduced in the trick-or-treat exchange, thereby promoting health conscious food choices from an early age…one can only hope). With the addition of sun dried tomatoes (pass it off as raw flesh or bloody tongue/innards/tendons/etc), the gory promise and subsequent surprise of this dish is sure to entice at any age.

1-2 cups of artichoke hearts (depending on your preference. For ease, just use 1 jar of prepackaged hearts, they usually come in 14 oz cans)
1 16 oz can kidney beans (or alternatively, use 2 cups freshly cooked)
2 tablespoons oil (use any oil that isn’t raw [like extra virgin olive oil], because they have a low smoke point [which means that they acquire off-flavors at even low heat, so are best used with cool dishes or added at the end of cooking]. Best bets are things like peanut oil, regular olive oil or canola oil [nut oils are good, but are very strong in flavor, so mix with an equal amount of neutral oil {the lighter in color, the more neutral the oil})
2-4 sundried tomatoes, cut into thin strips (again, quantity [and even thickness] are up to you)
2-4 cloves of garlic, smashed with the side of a knife and cut into little pieces (anti-vampiric, you know)
2 tablespoons acid (you can use anything from white wine, to grapefruit juice to flavored vinegars. Now the acid levels in each of these varies slightly, from the least acidic being wine, to juice, to finally vinegar. For wine, you can use up to 1/4 cup if you wish [but you of course dont have to], but as you get up to vinegar, I wouldn’t use more than 2 tablespoons])
~Salt (Don’t worry, you know how to salt your food. So if this dish is 4 portions, just pretend like you’re salting your food 4 times)
~Pepper (same thing)
~Herbs/spices of your choosing (What works well: nutmeg, parsley, mint, chili, paprika, coriander [both the herb {cilantro} and the spice])

-Place a pan over medium heat (halfway up on the heat dial), and wait for it to heat up (about 1 minute). Add oil, artichoke, and beans and cook, stirring every once in a while, for a couple of minutes (the edges of the hearts should just barely start to turn brown). Add the other ingredients and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the liquid in the pan is nearly gone, about 5 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!

The cool thing about this recipe is that it can be adapted to any taste.
You can leave as is for a great side dish or entree;
For a casserole, pour the mix into a casserole (both the dish and the container share the same name), top with cheese (maybe also some nuts and breadcrumbs) and bake in a 30 degree oven until golden brown;
For a dip or sandwich spread, just blend up in the food processor with a big spoonful of yoghurt (up to 1/2 cup) or other dairy (like jalapeño cheese), maybe some black pepper or other choice of spices (suggestions: chili, nutmeg, mint, parsley);
For a salad, let the mix cool (Alternatively, you could just mix the ingredients without cooking) and toss it in with greens, seasonal veg and herbs, or even chicken or tuna salad (bonus: no need to dress the salad!).
You could even use it as a sandwich stuffing or turkey stuffing (with the addition of equal amounts breadcrumbs and herbs/cheese). Let these ideas inspire you. Be creative! Never be discouraged, even a failed recipe is a potential option for a creative dish of a different color. There’s nothing wrong with a failed experiment, so don’t be afraid to mess up! The successes will far outweigh the mishaps. Happy cooking!

PS: I know this is currently really messy/disorganized. I know that I want to change my style, but I’m confused as to how to do it…So for a while this site will be my R&D center until I feel comfortable with a better way of writing. Thanks for sticking with me during this transition.

So for a short history of halloween:
The roots of today’s Halloween can be traced back many centuries to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (SAH-win).  Derived from the Old Irish “sam”, meaning summer, and “fuin”, meaning end, the festival was literally a holy day that took place between the seasons.  Falling on the 1st day of the Celtic New Year (coincidentally November 1st), it was, as most autumn festivals are, a celebration of the harvest.  The reverance of nature emerging through Samhain allowed for an engagement in social relations, centered on foodl however, from a simple feast of overabundance, the form of the ritual soon changed.  Mentioned as the focal point of fables, the festival became connected with the otherworld and supernatural, a time where the entrances to the otherworld are open.  Spirits were said to go through these openings, and travel in the human realm.  A practice soon evolved to pay offerings to wandering spirits, in order to keep them from causing harm to the material world. In consequence, the food-centrist appeal of Halloween continued, this time channeled through food-gifts to the unknown.  Eventually, a ritual was created which personified and paid tribute to otherworldly beings; ethereal spirits began to be imitated by costumed men.  They would travel through the town collecting offerings of seasonal foods and baked goods (sound familiar?) 
            The pagan ritual of Samhain continued unabated for some time before its meaning was transformed once again, now by the hand of Christianity.  Around the 5th century, missionaries utilized the festival to co-opt pagan Irishmen into their religious community.  They marked the festival All Saints Day, and attributed the supernatural implications of the event to Christian ideology.  The Celtic underworld became associated with the Christian Hell, fairies and spirits were identified as fallen angels and demons, and all naturalistic celebration of the harvest was replaced with praise to saints masterminded by Pope Gregory the 1st, who is known to have declared, “Rather than try to obliterate the native peoples’ customs and beliefs, use them” (Santino 7).  This philosophy changed the religious sentiment of the holiday from pagan to Christian.  The former themes of nature, the supernatural and the unknown were muted, to be replaced by themes of morality and piety.
            Over the centuries the holiday continued, but as it spread to America, it became a day to measure yearly tasks and chores, marking crop schedules, harvest times and planting regimens.  Such a harsh environment was the New World that time could not be spent devoted to celebration, and so Samhain became a lost ritual.  
As we know today, the tradition did not die completely, for in the 19th century, a surge of immigrants from escaping the Irish potato famine came to America; thus resulted a restoration movement.  Halloween again transformed, this time restoring the primary themes of the harvest and transition.  Children took on the roles of the spirits, and the holiday began to look a lot like its modern counterpart. (sorry, I suppose this is a bit longer than a ’short’ history. I’ll make it up to you with a freaky recipe)

So these recipes over the next week are meant to include little chefs. All of the recipes are Halloween oriented and guaranteed to have foodies both young and old spending nights at the stove. There’s no better time than Halloween to introduce children to the joy of cooking; think about it, what better way to get kids interested than using ingredients like fake blood, ‘worms’, ‘dirt’ and ‘maggots’?

So here in the Country of the setting sun, I find myself often longing for the biting embrace of fall. The scents of spices in the air as I walk through the medina don’t compare to the smell of home. Sure, the stratosphere is heavy here with the perfume of a thousand caravans, but absent are the markers of october. Where are the apples, the root vegetables, the leaves turned orange by ginger. Foliage wafting along the grass with the grace of ballerinas? Where are the acorn thieves, I ask you, and why do I still hear the chirping of cicadas and crickets well into the night; why can I not see my breath in the morning? And why are the genies, demons and monsters imprisoned in stories here? I miss children becoming possessed by folklore and parading the streets, ancient tales in the flesh, floating to my door demanding offerings. Of all the magic that is fall in the northeast, I think I miss halloween the most.
But enough complaining, what am I going to do about it? I suppose the only thing I can do: make up spooky recipes to get me through the long summer (as opposed to the long winter of R.R. Martin). As for dressing up/becoming possessed…

BOO!

Tagine (moroccan stew cooked in a conical terra cotta steamer [or more often these days, in a pressure cooker]), the national, indigenous, and prolific dish of morocco, can be found everywhere from the high atlas to the deep sahara. Although ubiquitous throughout the country, it varies infinitely depending on both region and time of year. In Marrakech (marrakch), you’ll find lamb and dried fruit; in Rabat, chicken and potatoes; in Fez, goat and vegetables; in Essouiara, fish and olives. Truly, tagine captures the vogue ideas seasonality and locality; how better to expose the trend-crazed western world to real indigenous north african food?
However, tagine every day, although tasty, can become a little boring. So I’ve adapted it: instead of stewing something like chicken and prunes in a savory broth to be eaten messily with hands and hobz (bread), I’ve contained the whole mess in a novel container. I hope you enjoy!

“Tagined” Apricots

24 dried apricots
1 tablespoon argan oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine
1/4 cup of red olives, pitted and diced
1 tablespoon ras el hanout (morrocann spice mixture similar to curry powder) Interesting fact: each hanout mixes it’s own ras; often the hanout with the most locals is the best bet for the most authentic/abundant mix
12 oz boneless (sorry purists, trying to make it healthy) chicken, skinned and cut into tiny pieces (or better: goat if you can get it)
~breadcrumbs mixed with ground almonds and cinnamon
1 cup chicken stock
~cilantro

-Preheat oven to 300 degrees
-Split apricots almost all the way lengthwise, to stuff later, and set aside
-Place a saucepan over medium heat, and saute onion, carrot and olives in argan oil until translucent and just starting to brown around the edges, about 4 minutes.
-Meanwhile, season the chicken with ras el hanout (you can use a mix of saffron, chili and cinnamon as a quick replacement), and add to pan.
-Continue cooking chicken and vegetables over medium heat until the edges of chicken just start to brown, about 4 more minutes.
-Turn off heat, add breadcrumb and almond mixture and stir to combine.
-Meanwhile, pour stock and cilantro in a casserole dish (this is meant only to moisten the apricots and add the smell of the herbs in cooking. The liquid should just cover the bottom of the dish)
-When mixture is cool, spoon into apricots, being careful not to overstuff (the apricots should close if gentle pressure is applied), and add to casserole dish.
-Place in oven and cook until apricots are soft, about 20 minutes.
-Serve over rice or with an abundance of bread, and as always, enjoy!

So it’s been a while since I’ve updated: I’ve been really busy with moroccan culture, sickness, and classes. Everything from . But I haven’t neglected the food. Although my appetite has waxed and waned, i have continued to be surprised and pleased by the cuisine here. My staple for times of stomach upset is a simple solution: crunchy chickpeas. What they do is take dried chickpeas, salt them, and roast them just like almonds. At twilight and dusk, all down the medina, you can smell the hanouts (the 7/11s of morocco) and the fragrant, earthy smell of roasting nuts and beans. Definitely worth the plane ticket just for that.
Speaking of sickness though, I have an elementary recipe that’ll antioxidize any illness. Inspired by our SIT chef, Brachim, this is sure to please.

Tart Oranges with Cinnamon and Rose Water

5 oranges
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons rose water (strong stuff)
1 tablespoon cinnamon

-Cut the skin off the oranges, leaving only the pulp (do the by slicing off the top and bottom of the orange, then running the knife along the peel until it, along with the membrane, is cut off)
-cut oranges into wheels and toss with lemon juice and rose water
-Lay out onto plate, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve (delicious with a creamy milkshake or icecream)

Find in camel spit
hot hands scraping callous-bear
back in dire magellan straights give a
dam up the river.

stream of consciousness water
Tuareg blue desert
leaves tracks orange fall on hallow’s
ev’en though I SIT
3000 miles across the pond.

fish jafar ways from home-
sick of missing strike-out on worth-
while the piper plays his tune-
into the wild back africa.

to tea drinking on the beach
whale arabian knights drive
horses and battle vestments of
lies down with the wolf were-
bear the brunt of poetic genie-
us with wishes for orange fall the chord-
ate mammals from long ago
keep company and magic

carpet sandy the eyes of Allah-
din of stories told in the ears of
sleeping cobras and medina monkeys.

Recipe:

Amazigh (info-post OTW) Zaalouk

Zaalouk- a spiced eggplant dip, may have been the dish I most feared upon entering the country (besides klia, but that’s another post!). Never much a fan of the vegetable, I was wary of s spread made with it, assuming it would highlight all of the textural aspects that so put me off. However, bread, the staple served in vulgar abundance at every meal, soon lost it’s appeal for me; transforming from a comforting homey presence at meals to a bland stomach filler. One night, sick of the taste of hobz (bread in darija), I reached for the only thing available, Zaalouk. I took a tentative bite, and was overwhelmed with a a delicate balance of garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, and pleasingly, eggplant. The combo not only worked, but it convinced me to give this much maligned ingredient spotlight in a recipe. Enjoy!

1 medium eggplant, poked with a fork a few times (the males [actually a misnomer, the fruits dont have sex, but it is easier to label them male and female as opposed to seedy and not-so-seedy] have fewer bitter seeds, check by looking at the bottom of the vegetable. There is a dimple on the underside of the eggplant. If it is round, the plant is very seedy; if oval shaped, the plant is meatier with fewer seeds)

6 tomatoes, chopped roughly

1/2 medium onion, julienned (cut into strips about 1/4 inch thick)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves (about 1 tablespoon) garlic, minced

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 tablespoon paprika

1 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon saffron

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon chili powder, such as piment port or harissa powder

-Grill eggplant over medium heat, turning occasionally, until outside is charred and inside is mushy, about 15 minutes (alternatively, you could roast in oven at 475 degrees for 20 minutes). Then, squeeze inside out of the peel and set aside.
-Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, saute onions and tomatoes in olive oil until edges start to brown, about 6 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer 15-20 minutes, adding water if the mix begins to dry out and stick to the pan.
-Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!