Susan, Susan Bo-Busan, Banana-fanna Fo-fusan, Me mi mo musen, Susan! No, actually it's not THAT name game; this is something completely different.
Actually the real game comes to us thanks to Judith of Shortcut to Mushrooms for tagging me on this meme even though it was so hard to do! The name of the game is to choose a fact, word or tidbit that's somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your name. Let me say that this was the hardest meme I've ever done. I don't know why, maybe it's the crippling idea that I have to think of 5 things (1 for each letter in the name Susan) that identify me or sum me up. I had to stop thinking that way, or I'd never finish this so here all of my chosen words are culinary.
SUSAN
S is for Sweets. The world can fairly be divided into salty snack lovers (munchers of potato chips, peanut and pickles) and sweet-tooths (why isn't it "sweet teeth"? - lovers of cakes, cookies and candy). I'm firmly in the latter category. I've even dedicated a recipe category to sweet things.
U is for Unagi, freshwater eel, my all-time favorite sushi ingredient. It's even great for the culinarily non-adventurous because it's served cooked.
S is for Sourdough. I you have read this blog even just a few times, you're probably aware of the sourdough bread starter colony that can be seen seething in my fridge. I grew it from scratch out of organic grapes, some water and some flour. If anyone wants any, just ask.
A is for Ancho. Rick Bayless calls ancho chilis the powerhouse of Mexican cuisine because they are used as a base in so many delicious dishes. They're as flavorful as they are hot and since they're almost impossible to get here in Italy, they're precious to me.
N is for Nigella. NOT Nigella Lawson (nothing against her but I've never even seen her show) but little black nigella seeds. They are great in flatbreads (giving them a punchy, crunchy edge) and pretty much nothing else as far as I know. I bought a ginormous bag of them to make naan bread a while back and now don't know how I'll ever finish them. Any ideas out there?
Now, I'd like to invite any of you out there to consider yourselves tagged and do this meme. Let me know in a comment that you're doing it and I'll be by to see how it all turns out.
won't have time to do the meme right now but can someone be both into sweets and salts? haha
ReplyDeleteHi Susan! Welcome back from your amazing adventures!! I use nigella (aka kalonji) seeds in all my Indian cooking. I adore them and toss them into everything, curries, rice, dal. The flavor is so delicate and yet so profound. Glad to have you back!
ReplyDeleteMmmm, sourdough! I need to get some practice with baking bread, but someday I'd like to tackle sourdough. When I worked at a bakery, I always found it fascinating that we were making bread from a starter that originated in the 1970s.
ReplyDeleteAlso, what a small world! I had no idea that you'd lived in Iowa City. I like it so far, though law school is busy enough that I often don't have time to enjoy it as much as I want to - and I'm a bit afraid of the coming winter, with my Southern blood!
Hi Ragazza, I'd love to see your meme when you do it!
ReplyDeleteHi Ann, Thanks for the tip on nigella seeds. I assume by "toss in" you mean that you sprinkle them on the dish just before serving rather than toasting them or frying them like other Indian spices, right?
Hi Judith, You know, Iowa City's pretty small so even with all the work a Law program demands, you'll make your way around soon enough. WHere are you from in the south?
Ragazza, have you tried the candy bar, "take 5"? It has pretzels and chocolate and nuts and caramel, I think. Very salty AND sweet. Yummy. I'm planning on getting some for the little trick or treaters. ;)
ReplyDeleteSusan, I'm doing this meme tomorrow! (I just wrote it, but I'll post it then) Thanks for a fun one.