Egypt - May 13th, 2006

It was a strange day yesterday... I woke up (or better Amanda woke me up) fairly early and the weather was gorgeous... lovely blue sky and a really nice breeze. I had just enough time to pick up the zucchini blossoms from my garden and it started to pour down. Then it stopped, then it started again, then it stopped and started again. And on it went pretty much all day so that it even spoiled the "A taste of In Town" festival organized by the local Baptist church. But it certainly didn't spoil my plans for an Egyptian dinner! Besides, it didn't rain in my kitchen and that's where I spent great part of the day.

Unlike the last country, finding Egyptian recipes didn't prove to be a difficult task. Unless one is a very indecisive person in which case one could still be trying to decide what to cook. Not me. I had the menu decided pretty quickly and I think I made all the right choices. Read on!

Of course, martinis aren't exactly what you would be expected to be served as a traditional Egyptian drink but I just can't think of anything nicer since I have been to an art opening at the Sun Dial a couple of weeks ago. Didn't think much of the art but the food (free) was really nice and my choice of drink (watermelon martini) even better. Besides it was quite fun to be on the 72nd floor of the Westin Hotel in downtown Atlanta and look over the horizon at the various landmarks. Now that I've been here almost 4 years, it makes more sense to look over at the Atlanta's landscape. The first time I went to the Sun Dial I couldn't believe that anyone would find the view interesting. But in the last few years so many new buildings have sprung up that one can't help being amazed by the different outlook.

But back to the martinis, my guests (Katie, Richard, Javier and eventually Joanne) seemed only too happy to sip on whilst poring over the photographs of Ilaria that Simonetta had given me when I went to London (sorry Simo, I only managed to get them to them last night and I am sorry to report that after the 5 bottles of wine - on top of the martinis - the photos are still sitting on my kitchen counter. I'll get them to them this week). Meanwhile I was putting the finishing touches to my home made pita bread (it was delicious) on what I confirm is a stove that needs replacing. It looks quaint in my kitchen with its 50 years of age but the burners are simply out of steam. Well, let's see what happens in the next few weeks at Delta.

Delta was of course one of the main topic of conversation (to Richard's joy) and as the wine flowed, the conversation became more and more interesting - as far as I recall (not an awful lot). Until I steered the topic over the fact that one of my colleague's wife has been forbidden by her parents to read "The Da Vinci Code" and how some school up in Gwinnett County wanted all Harry Potters books removed from their library. I don't get it, and neither do most people I hang around with. Then again, religious fanatics were never something I was too keen on or too tolerant of. Or Gwinnett county for that matter (sorry Jeff - but I know you want to move).

Meanwhile the food was plentiful and judging from the really high scores, really really good. I decided not to serve the starter (Egyptian Felafel) in a ready to eat format but served all components in different bowls and allowed the guests to make their own sandwiches. Joanne raved over the salad - which I admit was really good and even hinted at wanting the recipe so she could make it for lunch. Nothing remarkable there, unless you know Joanne! She said last night that she never really cooked a meal in her life. Unless one counts the quiche she made once for a lunch with her parents (or her aunt??). Anyhow, the home made pita were still warm, the falafel lovely with their slightly burned skin of sesame seeds, and the beau monde seasoning really interesting when mixed with the rest of the ingredients. It was all such a feast for the senses. Sweet and spicy at the same time.

I decided to serve the main course (Lamb and eggplants) on the pot in which it was cooked which is a dufeau (Dutch oven) of Le Creuset, Eric's favorite new toy, and this turned out to be a great idea since some of the rice had formed a wonderful crust at the bottom of the pot and it was divine!

The dessert wasn't the best part of the meal. The main comment that Katie made was that it tasted like sweet corn bread. But still, we ate that too!

As I've done last month I've included the recipes in case someone wants to try any of the dishes. The menu and the scores are below:

Appetizer
Egyptian Falafel
Served withHome Made Pita Bread - Average score 9.8 (a record!)

Main Courses
Egyptian Lamb & Eggplant - Average Score 9.09 (Richard was having fun with fractional votes - 9 & 3/16)

Dessert
Basboosa - Average score 6.33

Next... F as in Finland!