Sunday, April 17, 2011

Pazar in Samarkand


Outdoor markets are always great fun and who could resist a Uzbek market?  After Turkish markets the choice of fresh produce was limited but it more than made up for that in terms of colour and general fascination. What great photo opportunities!

Bibi-Khanym Mosque: partially rebuilt in the 1970s after an earthquake in 1897

This market is right next door to the enormous Bibi-Khanym (Hanım) Mosque in Samarkand, a complex that must have been the 'jewel' of Timur's empire in the early 14th Century.  Bibi Hanım was Chinese, his favourite wife. She blotted her copybook however although it was hardly her fault when the architect fell madly in love with her. The story goes that he demanded a kiss from her which she reluctantly allowed, but it left a mark which Timur immediately noticed. As a result, he executed the architect and issued the order that from then on, all women should wear the veil so as not to tempt other men.

smartly dressed for market day

grated salads to go!

cheery sellers of traditional men's hats
the traditional bread or nan

interesting place, interesting people

beautiful hand-knitted shawls - I bought the pink one for $5

selling cheese

this little boy was terrified of me!

Houston's Canino's Mexican Market! Wow!



All of the hard work of the high school Junior year is coming to a climax.  Testing, testing, and more testing for Madeleine.  SAT's, ACT's, Subject tests, and AP tests will fill up the next 2 months.  

I registered her to be tested at our local high school nearby.  

A few days before the test, as I checked our paperwork, I noticed we had a rather big...Problem.  

Houston is ridiculously HUGE.  There are 2 high schools with the exact same name in this gi-mormous city.  One in our neighborhood...

And...one clear across Houston about 45 minutes away.  Yes, she was registered at the latter.

Who would have guessed?  Not me, apparently!

So, we packed up early Saturday morning and trucked over, at the crack of dawn, to the OTHER high school for testing.

Never one to miss an opportunity for something to explore, I had heard about this huge Mexican outdoor market in that area of Houston called Canino's Farmer's Market.

Poor Madeleine...hours of testing ahead of her. But, what was a mother to do, however, with all of this enviable spare time?  After dropping her off with pitiful look on my face that said, "I'm so sorry you have to take hours and hours of testing",  I rather feverishly sped away.  I was in search of this much talked about market. 

Arriving at Canino's Farmer's Market was like crossing a line at some point on the drive and entering a completely different culture.  

Holy Guacamole!  Arriving at the market, I couldn't help but think this market is huge!   I definitely felt like I had left the U.S. and journeyed south into the lands of Mexico.  This must be what everyone is calling a "Staycation"!

Come along with me as I explore this vast market and meet the wonderful Mexican population of Houston.  Here is where everything for the Mexican, Central and South American kitchen can be stocked for authentic South American dishes.  I trundled home with all sorts of new items to discover in my kitchen.






Huge mounds of cactus leaves told me that I wasn't at my nearby Kroger anymore.  This market is a moving feast for the eyes...a cacophony of sounds for the ears...an enticing array of aromas for the nose... and a passion for food and culture that so, so warms my heart.



Peppers, peppers, peppers were everywhere.  All different shapes and colors, bursting with glossy hues of red and green and yellow.  



Trucks like this one were loaded with produce.  The air was stimulated with hustle and bustle as stalls opened, families with children all worked together to unload more and more food, and snippets of Spanish rang throughout this enormous market.  



Isn't this little girl precious with those rosy cheeks?  She was so sweet and helpful trying to answer my questions about tomatillos, cactus, and yucca roots.  



Many items at this market were jarred like tomato relishes and peaches.  Corn grinders lined the tops of stalls to make the popular and delicious tortillas.  

Thank you ACT tests for taking hours and hours because I was moving at a snails pace trying to savor and devour this enormous venue.  Items I had never seen before were overhead, in bins, crates, and baskets.  Produce of every color, shape, and texture was spilling out of every corner.



  
After about an hour of wandering the market and trying to calm my senses and take in all of the new sights and sounds, I began to smell the most enticing aromas.  Grilled onions, corn, slow cooked beef met my olfactory organs and worked their magic leading me straight to the back of the market.



Fresh baked tortillas with grilled vegetables and slow cooked beef and pork were being sold in delicious looking soft tacos.  People were lingering around these stalls ordering their food and generally relaxing with one other.  The weather was beautiful and it felt like a perfect Spring day.  

I wasn't hungry a minute ago but with the hypnotic allure of these gorgeous smells, all of sudden I seemed to be starving!



I decided to get in line with the locals and indulge in one of those soft tacos.  Somehow, I didn't seem to blend because there were quite a few stares coming my way.  This little guy was so cute.  He watched my every move so I'm sure it was evident that I wasn't a "local".  


How does this look?  Delicious?  Yes ma'am it was.  The pork was grilled and spicy.  The onions and peppers were hot and caramelized.  A thick slice of avocado rested on top.  I scooted right up to the little metal bar and ate my soft taco with everyone else.  I don't speak Spanish but we laughed and mmm'd and aaah'd over our barbequed meal.  


Re-energized again, it was time to explore what appeared to be another entirely new section of the market.  Peppers, peppers, and more peppers awaited me at almost every stall.  

I have been wanting to make this spread that I saw in Martha Stewart's magazine.  It calls for fresh fava beans.  I couldn't find them anywhere.  I was hopeful that they might show up here.  And they did!! Looky here...




I also have been shocked at the price of fresh vanilla beans in my local grocery store.  Here I came upon a barrel filled with vanilla beans for a fraction of the cost.  Another recipe came to mind that I now could make.....

Prickly pear??  I think??

Sacks of cinnamon

Prickly pears and bulging sacks of cinnamon certainly caught my attention.  I'll be googling how to cook Mexican dishes with these items when I get home.

Finally, after sampling sprinkles of spices over cool watermelon, roasted peanuts, and a tasty lime flavored soft taco, it was time to end my "staycation".  

As I got back in the car and crossed that imaginary line somewhere and left behind the beautiful culture of Mexico, I worked hard on re-installing that pitiful pained look on my face as I picked up my bedraggled and brain-worn out daughter.  

"How was it, sweetheart?" I whimpered expressively with a countenance of complete understanding and pity.  "I thought of you toiling away in there hour after hour.  Why don't we go home and I'll make you....perhaps...

Fava bean salad, 
or something with fresh vanilla beans possibly, 
maybe... something with cinnamon (lots of it), 
prickly pears, 
yucca roots?"  

Off we went went, back to suburbia knowing that however her testing went, I'm sure there will be good things to eat!

I'm Embarrassed To Admit I'd Never Considered This

There are now several independent pieces of evidence showing that the earth responds to the warming due to extra carbon dioxide by dampening the warming. Every long-lived natural system behaves this way, counteracting any disturbance. Otherwise the system would be unstable. The climate system is no exception, and now we can prove it.
The link is on the part that made me slap my forehead.

Well, duh.

Things That Make Me Smile

Blogging friends who think of us.

First Spring Herbs Omelette Sans Yolks

This week I noticed the herbs I planted last spring in pots for a summer rental were sprouting! These early sprouts are the most delicate lovely tasting of the season. After all the heavy rains last night there were just enough to I make an omelette.




Follow the post for instructions of how to make a fluffy egg white omelette that is posted today April 17, 2011
Once beaten you need only incorporate the herbs..mine were chives, tarragon and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste at the end to keep the omelette tender.

I paired it  on my plate with two tiny bananas grilled lightly in the cast iron




YUM!!

First Spring Herbs Omelette Sans Yolks

This week I noticed the herbs I planted last spring in pots for a summer rental were sprouting! These early sprouts are the most delicate lovely tasting of the season. After all the heavy rains last night there were just enough to I make an omelette.




Follow the post for instructions of how to make a fluffy egg white omelette that is posted today April 17, 2011
Once beaten you need only incorporate the herbs..mine were chives, tarragon and parsley. Salt and pepper to taste at the end to keep the omelette tender.

I paired it  on my plate with two tiny bananas grilled lightly in the cast iron




YUM!!

The Perfect Egg White Omelette Basic Procedure


I have devised this recipe to create a fluffy egg white omelette...no this is not an oxymoron!

separate 3 egg whites from yolks..

put whites in a bowl..let warm to room temp if you can so they will get fluffier.. but if not just proceed

add a pinch of salt, Using a hand held electric mixer whip til foamy or to soft peaks, this is the trial and error part as it depends on your preferences..the main thing is that you have no liquid on the bottom of the bowl as they will not be fluffy if you cook them when liquid. Note: if you whipped and waited liquid will form at the bottom and you will need to momentarily whip them again to incorporate all into the fluffy mess.

having pre-heated to medium high a small seasoned cast iron pan ( pre seasoned cast iron pans can be bought from a company called Lodge online) dump freshly whipped egg whites into pan and very briefly smooth with a rubber spatula to even thickness more or less, try to keep it from actually touching the sides.

let cook 1 to two minutes then lower the heat to low and continue cooking until mostly cooked through

with a flexible metal spatula lift out of pan onto dessert plate.. If you have a good seasoned pan and you haven't ried to lift it out before it has browned up a bit it will be easy to loosen and lift from the pan..If you break it up the first time or so it is still usable..just less pretty..Practise will make your omelates perfect..fill with favorite fillings and crefully fold over..the omelette should be lightly browned on the underside. Voila!


The Perfect Egg White Omelette Basic Procedure


I have devised this recipe to create a fluffy egg white omelette...no this is not an oxymoron!

separate 3 egg whites from yolks..

put whites in a bowl..let warm to room temp if you can so they will get fluffier.. but if not just proceed

add a pinch of salt, Using a hand held electric mixer whip til foamy or to soft peaks, this is the trial and error part as it depends on your preferences..the main thing is that you have no liquid on the bottom of the bowl as they will not be fluffy if you cook them when liquid. Note: if you whipped and waited liquid will form at the bottom and you will need to momentarily whip them again to incorporate all into the fluffy mess.

having pre-heated to medium high a small seasoned cast iron pan ( pre seasoned cast iron pans can be bought from a company called Lodge online) dump freshly whipped egg whites into pan and very briefly smooth with a rubber spatula to even thickness more or less, try to keep it from actually touching the sides.

let cook 1 to two minutes then lower the heat to low and continue cooking until mostly cooked through

with a flexible metal spatula lift out of pan onto dessert plate.. If you have a good seasoned pan and you haven't ried to lift it out before it has browned up a bit it will be easy to loosen and lift from the pan..If you break it up the first time or so it is still usable..just less pretty..Practise will make your omelates perfect..fill with favorite fillings and crefully fold over..the omelette should be lightly browned on the underside. Voila!


Celestica


“Celestica is actually the name of the company in our home town that produces plastic, someone who worked there committed suicide by jumping into a large container of boiling liquid plastic and the workers couldn’t stop the machine so the body melted and became part of the stream of liquid plastic which they use to create products with.”
- Ethan Kath


Yesterday we celebrated Laia's birthday, although her birthday is next tuesday. We had a party in her home like lats year, with all the close friends.

 
 
 
 
 

The theme of this year was suposse to be "Princess", but modern princess... anyway, laia was wonderful as always.

We were drinking until 1 a.m. and eating some cake that Carol made for the party... but I couldn't eat because I'm allergic to bananas, and was a banana cake :(! Anyway it looked so good!

 

We gave Laia her presents: some cute make up, a book about lingerine that Oscar bought to her, pink ink and a quill pen, some Kawaii Factory little things and a ticket for an Asos' dress...she looked really happy!

 
 

 And after Laia's home, we went to Dixie and later on, Esther, Kim & I went to Viruss, were we met Eric, Marcos, Daniel, Blut & company!

 

My outfit yesterday night was strange. A mix between Florence Welch, who you all know I really admire; a ballerina, punk, a fairy, dolly kei... I really liked it!
 
 

My make up was inspired by a picture I saw from a japanese girl with eyelashes over her lids... Daniel (who is a make up student) loved the idea!!

So, happy birthday to Laia!