Many years ago I knew an American woman who had married man from Turkey, learned how to cook his customary dishes, and would herself travel to his native land multiple times a year to visit the rug and jewelry markets. One night, while enjoying a dinner party at their home, I was introduced to Moussaka and many other traditional Turkish dishes. It instantly became one of my favorite go-to meals and I have made it several times over the years.
The problem is every recipe I have found usually takes a huge amount of work. I am a housewife, I should have plenty of time to spend in the kitchen making scrumptious dinners. Honestly, about 90% of my day is simply doing damage control on the house. I have a toddler who thinks he’s a sherpa and and that anything higher off the ground than 2 feet must be the Himalayas.
It’s March in New England. Our icy world is unlocking, sap is flowing, and sugar season is upon us. In honor of this annual tradition, I decided to cook with maple syrup. Armed with a locally raised pork loin, maple syrup from my neighbor’s trees, and a passion for Asian ingredients, I came up with a simple but tasty Maple Soy Glazed Pork Roast recipe and shared the dish with friends.
Etouffee……the earth moved and the soul of New Orleans spoke to me..
When Loo-o-siana craving sets in, I painfully need real Creole and Cajun cookery! Mouthfuls of down-home andouille jambalaya, spicy red beans’n rice, seductive crawfish etouffee. …..and OMG – melt in your mouth pralines bought first hand in the charming little candy store only two streets over from Magazine Street. Not to mention, of course, morning beignet (no dust of sugar, please) with my bowl of creamy hot cafe au’lait.
So here I am, sitting at the dinner table listening to the theory behind ayurveda. As I’m eating the delicious pulao, I find a couple of thoughts wandering through my mind:
1. Wait. I thought I was having dinner with friends, not giving my chakras an oil change.
2. What’s going to happen to me if I eat this and my fire element is working just fine? Will I wake up with a mean case of back acne tomorrow?
