How often do you cook ME/NA Mediterranean food for your SO?

[JODO 2]

I was just wondering because I just ordered an Egyptian cookbook from Amazon and asked my future MIL to write down some of her recipes for me to try once my honey gets here. I live in a big city and so there is a ME/NA grocery store and there is one good Mediterranean/ME restaurant that I dine at about twice a month ,so I know my fiance won't be totally without some creature comforts. He cooks a little and said he can show me most of what I need to know,but I was just trying to do a little on my own now.

Thanks

Edited February 19, 2007 by JODO

[brnidokiegurl 0]

Im in the same boat, know nothing of the food he will want, i warned him so we will see what happens.

[doodlebug 3]

Have you checked out the sultan's kitchen thread pinned on top? Also, on Egyptsearch.com in the message forum here: http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimate...?ubb=forum;f=13 there are a lot of egyptian recipes.

I had grande plans of cooking for my husband while in Egypt and I cooked one meal....spaghetti. lol. I couldn't figure out how to use the oven since there were no numbers stating the temp and there were hardly any pots and pans to cook in. Seriously a meal that would take me here about thirty minutes to cook would have taken me all day to prepare there so we just had koshari each day. lol

Try watching the food network if you have cable. Just watching them do things helps sometimes. I love Rachel Ray and Everyday Italian recipes.

[JODO 2]

Have you checked out the sultan's kitchen thread pinned on top? Also, on Egyptsearch.com in the message forum here: http://www.egyptsearch.com/forums/ultimate...?ubb=forum;f=13 there are a lot of egyptian recipes.

I had grande plans of cooking for my husband while in Egypt and I cooked one meal....spaghetti. lol. I couldn't figure out how to use the oven since there were no numbers stating the temp and there were hardly any pots and pans to cook in. Seriously a meal that would take me here about thirty minutes to cook would have taken me all day to prepare there so we just had koshari each day. lol

Try watching the food network if you have cable. Just watching them do things helps sometimes. I love Rachel Ray and Everyday Italian recipes.

Thanks, you know I did see that thread up top and I've looked in it a few times,guess just wondering about a beginner like me. Thanks again!

[dollface41601 0]

i cook arabic food probably 5 times a week, because i prefer it too...the other two days is normally take out, pizza, or something to that affect

[MrsAmera 41]

I'm in the same boat as dollface - we eat Moroccan food close to every day of the week. Occassionally I'll make something else but it's really rare. I love to cook so learning how to make the things he likes wasn't so hard for me. I have a pretty good memory so I could smell spices and remember what some of the food tasted like and put it together. I have some cookbooks and some recipes from his mom but I've tried to make them easier as Moroccan food seems to take hours for them to prepare. I think your habibi will appreciate any effort you make. Once he's here he'll probably realize he'll have to pitch in and help out in the cooking/cleaning department too!

[chris4336 3]

I learned how to to cook from watching Racheal Ray and the book "Betty Crocker Basics: Learning to Cook with Confidence". I think Racheal Ray even has some "Moroccan dishes" that are not really Moroccan but have Moroccan spices. Those two things kind of taught me the basics. Its just a matter of building up your confidence. Now I feel more comfortable experimenting with Algerian food.

I had all sorts of plans to cook on my trip like you Doodle, but for one reason or another they didnt work out. Its hard cooking in someone else kitchen. Oh well, hopefully I'll have the rest of my life to cook for my fiancee.

[brnidokiegurl 0]

I cooked one "American" meal when i was there also i think i remember it being like a hamberger steak with a mushroom sause and mac and cheese seems i remember fries also but his sisters house had a burner unit that sit on the cabinet and for the oven it was like what we would call a small cooker oven unit that sit on the cabinet again. I couldnt find anything and even that being so little of nothing took forever. I think he liked it (or) maybe just being polite

[sereia 0]

i'm a professional chef so knowing how to cook isn't really an issue for me...but moroccan cuisine wasn't something i was well versed on until i learned many dishes from my future mama-in-law. she is the most amazing cook and i wondered how i would ever be able to recreate her dishes... especially since the ingredients are so much different here than morocco.

then i come to find out my fiance can't wait to get away from moroccan food and try other things.he says he is really sick of it and can't wait to not eat it anymore. so i don't know how often i'll be preparing tagines now that he told me this. i'm up for anything though! maybe eventually he'll miss it and want something. i'm counting on that.

i think foodtv USED to be a good way to learn to cook. but now i find all of the shows awful and kind of embarrassing. paula deen, sandra lee, and rachel ray are....ughhhhhhhhhhhh. where did all the good chefs go?

there's lots of amazing me/na cookbooks out there. i don't know of any specifically egyptian ones. but if you want some good general me/na books, look for "claudia roden". she's actually from egypt. a really famous cook book author. i've got her books and have made many of her recipes.

bon appetite!

Edited February 19, 2007 by abdounjen

[Bosco 1]

Choumicha is the one of the top TV chefs in Morocco. She has a show on 2M.

Some of the episodes can be watched here and here and other sites have them up as well. She has several books, most in Arabic/French. If you google her, you can find more recipes (most need to be translated).

and here Moroccan Culinary Magazine

[sereia 0]

Oh yeah, Choumicha ! I saw her show a few times while in Morocco. I wish I spoke Arabic so I could understand her. Thanks for the links.

[ya falaha! 0]

Well being that my husband is not yet living with me I can't say but I do plan on cooking it most of the time. I prefer Mid East food. With my ex, I cooked it about 5 times a week.