Rustling Up Food

Weird Egyptian Squash pie

andiegroves — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:24:38 +0000

I used the remaining squash puree for a pie, that I had previously made a squash cake with. The pie was for a going away party I attended. I was not happy with the outcome of it, though it received praise, it did not have the flavor I hoped for. I also made maple syrup whipped cream to accompany the dessert. I also made pie crust from scratch for the first time. The crust came out okay, but I think it will take more practice to have it come out like my grandmother’s. Here are links to the pie filling and whipped cream recipe as well as the pie dough recipe, I consulted.

Pie crust and Pie filling

Chicken Stew

andiegroves — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:25:01 +0000

After living in Cairo for so long, I have been missing a hearty soup/stew. The weather is starting to turn here, it is becoming colder by the day. So I decided to make Chicken stew, something I never grew up with, but became a fan of as an undergrad at the University of Maine.

Though I read some recipes for the stew online, I went about the stew in my own way.
First I placed some butter in a pot, and then placed an entire chicken in the pot. I let it sit there I cut onions, carrots and potatoes. I added those to the pot and then filled the pot with water, I covered and let it simmer on the lowest heat possible, so it would not boil over. I let it cook for an hour to an hour and a half I am not sure. I saved the broth I then deboned the chicken. I then added the chicken chunks back to the stew. I seasoned the stew with fresh parsley, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. I then made a roux twice because the first time, it did not thicken the stew enough for me.

Squash Cake

andiegroves — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:05:38 +0000

I visited my Vegetable guy at the Bab El Louk Market earlier this week, as he was asking me in Arabic if I needed some assorted vegetables, a squash caught my eye. It is not everyday in Egypt that you encounter squash. I am unsure if it is indigenous to the area, but I have never seen squash in any Egyptian food I have ate. I bought the squash, I am not sure what kind of squash it is. My roommate thinks its a butternut squash, however butternut has seeds and gunk in the middle, so that cannot be it. This squash is slightly orange, and contains no seeds what so ever. The rind is a pale orangey white.

I decided to make a puree with squash, by cutting it into chunks and then baking it covered with tinfoil in the oven with some water in the pan. I baked them for around an hour and fifteen minutes at a high temperature (my oven does not have a temperature guide). I then scooped the squash out of its shell with a spoon and blend it all together with my hand mixer.

I then made squash bread with this recipe I then substituted the pumpkin for my squash and I then added some vanilla. I was also unable to find baking soda in my neighborhood, so I had to resort to using baking powder, as I did not feel like taking a taxi to one of the big groceries stores to find an imported brand. I believe the powder changed the consistency a bit, and I do not think it rose as much as it would have if I had used baking soda.

It made enough for two pans of cake, I did not have an bread pans, so I used cake pans. One pan is off to be shared at my internship today.