I was in San Luis Obispo recently and my friends Barkev and Tzolig gave me a package of Tahini Bread to try. It was delicious! Of course, this carbaholic loves anything bread so it was almost a slam dunk but the fact that the bread had both a familiar taste and feel and yet was mysteriously unlike any bread I had ever tasted made it all the better. Mia said it kinda reminded her of Rugelach and I thought it reminded me of Palmiers but I think that was only because they loosely resembled them. A cross between the flaky Palmier and the chewiness of the Rugelach and add tahina and we are close. A delicate bread wrapped around a rich, nutty filling would be great but the texture of this treat was of a laminated pastry and for me all the better.
I decided to hit the net and found several entries for tahini bread from the middle east, some Turkish and others Armenian. The recipes resembled one another but the manner in which the bread were finished varied somewhat. For example the Turkish bread used almost the same ingredients as the Armenian bread but the Turkish resembled more of a roll than the “cookie like” flat bread I had eaten. [...]
I don’t purchase mixed seasonings such as rubs, dressing mixes or Italian seasoning as I prefer to mix them to my taste. Mixed seasonings almost always have a salt rather than seasoning base. By mixing my own seasonings I can adjust the ratio to our preferences, eliminate the sodium and experiment with new flavor sensations. Spices are also a lot less expensive if you mix the seasonings from bulk spices rather than purchasing the small supermarket jars. I buy bulk spices from the restaurant supply to mix all my blends, rubs and to make salad dressings. [...]
Ok, I can be an ass sometimes! It is not often but when I am I step all over my lovely bride. The best way I know to overcome the result of my foibles is to be quick to apologize and cook something, just for Mia. Meat always works!
I decided to stop by the meat market and pickup some short ribs and braise them in wine, serve the tender chunks of meat on top of creamy mashed potatoes and along side freshly sautéed spinach.
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There is a spice mix called Old Bay which was designed for seafood and chicken. A few years ago I heard about the seasoning and went to the market looking for it. Our local markets, along the beef coast, didn’t carry the seasoning. When I finally found it I was a bit taken back by the $9.00 price tag for a seasoning I had never tasted, wasn’t sure I would use on seafood which I rarely cook. As I have a very well stocked spice cabinet I was sure I could come up with something that would work. [...]
