I should’ve read the recipe more carefully before I started.
I’d cut lamb and onions, added garlic, toasted saffron, sprinkled spices, and prepped dried fruits. The ingredients were in the pot and I only needed to add oil, the last ingredient.
First, I thought I’d flipped a page and was reading the wrong recipe.
No, I was reading correctly. The recipe, which served 6, called for 3 pounds of lamb, a pound of onions, and 2 liters of vegetable oil.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to think of a way this made sense.
Maybe I had a bad printing of the book? I went to amazon.com and searched inside the book for my recipe. Yes, indeed, it called for 2 liters of oil. Just to make sure the reader understood, the recipe helpfully translated: 2 liters equals 3 1/2 pints (7 cups).
I don’t think so.
Now the dilemma was in deciding how much oil to add to a recipe I’d never made before. I settled on 2 tablespoons.
I shouldn’t have bothered. The finished dish tasted horrible. Even a gallon of oil woudn't have made a difference. I ate the couscous and forgot the tagine.
It’s enough to put me off cookbooks. When I make my own food, at least I have a clear idea of what the finished dish will taste like.
I rinsed the nasty sauce off the meat, and will try and use it for something else.
Any suggestions?
I’d cut lamb and onions, added garlic, toasted saffron, sprinkled spices, and prepped dried fruits. The ingredients were in the pot and I only needed to add oil, the last ingredient.
First, I thought I’d flipped a page and was reading the wrong recipe.
No, I was reading correctly. The recipe, which served 6, called for 3 pounds of lamb, a pound of onions, and 2 liters of vegetable oil.
I tried, unsuccessfully, to think of a way this made sense.
Maybe I had a bad printing of the book? I went to amazon.com and searched inside the book for my recipe. Yes, indeed, it called for 2 liters of oil. Just to make sure the reader understood, the recipe helpfully translated: 2 liters equals 3 1/2 pints (7 cups).
I don’t think so.
Now the dilemma was in deciding how much oil to add to a recipe I’d never made before. I settled on 2 tablespoons.
I shouldn’t have bothered. The finished dish tasted horrible. Even a gallon of oil woudn't have made a difference. I ate the couscous and forgot the tagine.
It’s enough to put me off cookbooks. When I make my own food, at least I have a clear idea of what the finished dish will taste like.
I rinsed the nasty sauce off the meat, and will try and use it for something else.
Any suggestions?
Maybe I should start an event: Cooking with Second-Hand Meat.
UPDATE 4/17/08: The rinsed-off leftovers made wonderful little Lamb and Leek Meatballs that I served with Onion Avgolemeno Sauce. A happy ending!
Bob, The Rabbit Eater
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