Chef_Gidget Visits Lighthouse of Alexandria

Greetings from Alexandria, Egypt!

I have to tell you, I'm having a wonderpurr time in this country. Everywhere I go I am put on a pedestal, given the finest noms, and the softest beds to sleep on. I had no idea there were countries where cats were so highly thought of -- even worshipped! But now that I do, I believe I will vacation here more often.

As I've mentioned in past articles, I am on World Tour of Ancient Wonders. I've seen the Taj Mahal and the Great Pyramid and the wonderpurr Sphinx. This week I am on the ancient island Pharos in the harbor of Alexandria, Egypt where there once was a lighthouse called The Pharos.

A little history about this area ... Alexander the Great started about 17 cities using his name, but most of them disappeared. Alexandria, Egypt, however, prospered and is still around today. Obviously, since I'm here.

When Alexander died in 323 B.C., the new ruler, Ptolemy Soter, thought his city needed a symbol -- and a guide for the trade ships that used the busy harbor. Twenty years later, between 280 and 247 BC, The Pharos was built. It was the first lighthouse ever built and also, at 400 feet high, one of the tallest structures in the world.

Historical documents mention the lighthouse had a mysterious mirror that could reflect the light for almost 40 miles away. This mirror was also able to detect and burn enemy ships before they reached the shore. 

The inside of the lighthouse was used as a shaft to lift fuel needed for the fire. At the top, a mirror reflected sunlight during the day and fire was used during the night. Pharos was the island the lighthouse was on and it quickly became the name of the lighthouse. Look up Pharos in a French, Italian or Spanish dictionary and you'll see it means lighthouse.

This structure was also the last World Wonder to disappear when earthquakes destroyed it in the 14th century A.D. In 1994, French archeologists discovered remains of the lighthouse on the floor of Alexandria's Eastern Harbour.

These are two Greek coins with The Pharos image on them.

As I leave this amazing country with all its history and fine cuisine, I would like to share one last recipe with you. I chose it from all the other recipes because of it's name. Baba Ghanouj. Just saying it tickles my whiskers. Enjoy!

Baba Ghanouj

You will need the following:
1 large eggplant
2 cloves garlic
2 Tbs tahini
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 cup yogurt
3 Tbs olive oil
several whole olives

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place whole eggplant on a baking sheet and bake until outer shell is crisp and inside is soft and mooshie. I mean, mushy. A fork should pass easily through the eggplant when done (about 1 hour).

Let the eggplant cool, then remove and discard black skin and green cap.

Spoon the insides into a food processor or a blender. Add garlic, Tahini, salt, lemon juice and yogurt. Puree until creamy.

Spoon into a serving dish and garnish with olive oil and whole olives. Serve cold or warm with sliced Pita bread and/or vegetables for dipping. 

Thank you once again for enjoying my recipes.

 

Chef Gidget Presents: SourPuss Lemon Cake

Yesterday I used my phenomenal talent for desserts to make a Sourpuss Lemon cake for Easter dessert.

You don't have to wait until next Easter to make this, it's actually wonderpurr for any celebration... even if its just celebrating that you made it to Friday without getting fired from your job.

Now...if you are in a hurry...or if someone called you an hour before reminding you to bring dessert to a party...you could use a box mix of lemon cake, and a can of lemon frosting for this cake. Just bake in a Bundt pan and after it cools, take a huge spoonful of the frosting and add a little milk to it until its runny, and drip over the cake. Add some sprinkles and you're good to go.

BUT!

If you are like me and want to make a presentation for your taste buds...then here is the homemade recipe...made from scratch.

In fact...that's the name of my future cookbook: Chef Gidget: Made From Scratch!

SOURPUSS LEMON CAKE

You will need:
a Bundt cake pan
Pam spray
Flour

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups of flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup margarine or butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon rind (using old forgotten lemon found in vegetable crisper not recommended)
1 cup Butter-milk
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Spray your Bundt with the PAM and flour it. Or if you like, use the one with the flour already in it.
Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
Beat the stuffing out of margarine/butter, sugar and lemon rind until well blended.
Stir in lemon juice.
Pour into the prepared Bundt pan. Try not to drip it all over the middle snout of the pan since that will make a mess *rolling eyes* Duh!

Bake the cake at 325 degrees for about 50-55 minutes, or until your claw comes out clean.  Sit the Bundt on a wire rack for 15 minutes to cool.

Now --- here you can do one of two things. You can use canned frosting, thinned with milk with colorful sprinkles like I mentioned above (I am not into repeating myself, so you can just go re-read the above.)

OR

You can make a Lemon Glaze.

If you go with the lemon glaze -- and really, I don't give a rat's patootie which you do since I'm a cat and cat's don't eat lemons, so this cake is never gonna touch my tongue -- while the Bundt is cooling on the wire rack, poke holes in the cake.

THEN

Mix 2 cups Confectioners sugar with 1/2 cup melted margarine or butter
Add in 2 tablespoons fresh grated lemon rind and
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice.
Stir with a wisk until whisker smooth

Pour about 2/3rds of the glaze over the holes and let the cake cool for about 20 minutes STILL IN THE BUNDT PAN.

Finally, invert the Bundt onto a pretty cake plate -- remember, presentation is very important. Unless you have no social skills and honestly don't care what others think of you -- and then spread the remaining glaze over the top of the cake. Let this cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate...which makes no sense to me because if you let it cool to room temp, why then stick it in the fridge? Humans make everything so complicated!

Hope you enjoyed this recipe and are now frantically looking for invitations to parties so you can Make It From Scratch.

Be sure to confess @Chef_Gidget was the one who gave you this recipe. I am watching you!

Tastefully yours!

Chef Gidget

Cooking wif Gidget: Peachy Keen Easter Dessert

PEACHY KEEN EASTER DESSERT

Dis is a purrfect dessert for Easter. Or anytime if you want sumfing special to celebrate being hooman.

You will need 1 pkg (8-serving size) Peach JELL-O -- or 2 pkg of 4-serving size. 

1 pint vanilla icy cweam -- try not to cheap out, folks. You get what you pay for, ya know?

1 can (8-3/4oz size) sliced peaches, drained. Del Monte makes da tastiest canned peaches, but if you want to...again... cheap out, go ahead and buy from da dented bargain cans. 

Disclaimer: I'm not responsible for dis great dessert turning out cwappy.

2 cups boiling water (warning: dis is really hot stuff)

3/4 cup cold water (warning: dis is really cold stuff)

Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Measure 1 cup of da gelatin and add cold water. Chill until slightly thickened. 

Add icy cweam to da remaining gelatin that is not being thickened -- stir until melty and smooth.

Pour icy cweam mixture into serving bowl or individual dessert glasses. A clear squat bowl looks really nice for dis dessert. Chill until set but not firm.*makes frowny face, shakes no-no paw*

Arrange peach slices on top of icy cweam layer in bowl. A nice circular fan looks really nice. Or you can just dump it on top if you are one of those hoomans who isn't into presentation.

Spoon clear gelatin over peaches. Chill until set. About 4 hours...or longer if you are ADD like my mom and kinda forget you made it.

Serves about ten hoomans or one weird kitteh who likes to eat froot. 

Happy Easter!

Deliciously yours, 

Gidget

Cooking wif Gidget: Dill Pickle Soup!

Last week when my Auntie Carolyn visited, she made Dill Pickle Soup, just like her Polish grammy used to make, and later Auntie Marlene purrfected. So, I thought you might enjoy learning how to make some. If not...then you just go about your bizness...but remember...its your loss.

DILL PICKLE SOUP!

You will need da following:

8 cups of chicken stock or broth
2 chicken bouillon cubes
2 medium carrots, coarsely grated
2 cups peeled, cubed potatoes
1 cup thinly sliced celery
5 coarsely grated Polish dill pickles (from a jar)
1/2 cup milk -- not skim
2 tablespoons flour
1 egg
5 tablespoons sourpuss cream
salt and pepper
finely chopped fresh parsley (optional)
finely chopped fresh dill (optional -- but I say put it in!)

• In a large sauceypan or a soup pot (or a bath tub...whatever!) combine chicken stock, bouillon, carrots, potatoes and celery.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook covered, over low heat, until potatoes start to get soft (about 10 minutes).
• Do not over cook (shaking stern paw at you and making frowny face). 
• Add pickles and continue cooking another 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, smack around da milk and flour until smooth and then stir in a small amount of da hot soup (to tempurr) and add back into da soup. Does that make sense to you, cuz...(shaking head) sounds like Polish to me.
• Anyway! You now bring dis soup to a boil and cook it still slightly thickened.
• Remove it from heat.
• In a small bowl (again wif da small bowls...why not use a medium bowl?) Beat egg wif da sourpuss cream till smooth and again stir in a small amount of da hot soup. *Rolling eyes*
• Add it now back to da soup (are we playing games here? Getting kinda grumpy) and stir until smooth.
• Keep soup warm but DO NOT BOIL cuz dis milky soup will curdle like nuffin you ever seen!
• Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish wif da parsley and dill stuff.

Dis recipe makes 10 servings.

Enjoy your soup hoomans cuz I know for sure no kitteh is gonna wanna eat dis soup. We no like to be called a pickle puss!

Cuisinely yours,

Gidget!

Cooking wif Gidget: Purrrfect Popovers

Me lying on Mom's Sekret Recipe Book

PURRRFECT POPOVER RECIPE

There's nuffin like a good hot n steamy popover from da oven, right? Dis popover is nommy good wif my Signature Salad (see below). Dis recipe serves 6...or one if you reeeeallly love popovers.

You will need:
Popover pan- pikture below
1-1/4 cups ALL-PURRRPOSE flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1-1/4 cups milk
Softened buttah for brushing pan
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan if making cheesy popovers
Cayenne if making cheesy popovers
plastic wrap spoon bowl oven (duh! rolls eyes)