Mission’s conference at Immanuel. What a great time to make a meal using
recipes contributed by our missionaries!
So that is exactly what I did.
(Yes, this post is long overdue.)
Menu
Tuscan Tomato Soup
(p. 53)
Couscous Salad with
Grapes & Feta (p. 37)
Indian Curry (p. 157)
Brownies (p. 289)
The first thing I did was make the brownies. I did this early in the afternoon while my
children were napping. The last time I
attempted to make brownies from scratch was while I was in graduate
school. My friend Beth had come over for
the afternoon, and we really wanted brownies; so we attempted to make them
using our common sense. They were
edible, especially to two hungry college girls, but nothing you would want to
serve to company. I was very curious as
to how the brownies from the cook book would turn out. I did not put nuts in them. I have to admit here, time has faded my
memory of exactly how they tasted. They were
definitely not like boxed brownies—not the same texture—a little more
cake-like, and not quite as sweet (which is not necessarily a bad thing)! I do remember that they were good and gobbled
up by my family. (Hmmm. . .maybe I
should go make some right now to refresh my memory on what they are like.)
Next, I made the couscous salad. I love couscous. I was introduced to couscous by one of my
graduate school roommates. Ever since
she made it for me, it has been part of my normal cooking. It is quite versatile and simple to
prepare. For this recipe, I didn’t use
boxed couscous. (I usually buy bulk whole wheat couscous.) I used about 1 ¼ cups liquid (I don’t
remember if I used water or chicken broth—I have used both so many times.), 1-2
Tbsp. olive oil, and a handful of raw pine nuts. I brought this mixture to a boil, poured in 1
cup of couscous, turned the heat down to low, and put a lid over the couscous. I let it sit for about 5 minutes and then stirred
it to make sure all the liquid was absorbed.
After this, I followed the recipe, though I used the pine nuts as the
nuts, rather than the walnuts or pecans.
I used green grapes, but this dish would be really stunning with green AND
red grapes. We usually eat our couscous
as a hot side dish, but this cooler salad version was wonderful. We will definitely be enjoying this again.
While the couscous was cooking, I also started the tomato
soup. Let me say up front that tomato
soup has never been a favorite of ours.
Not that we dislike it, but rarely would any of us choose it if we had
options. (Maybe because of the many
meals Brian and I made of canned tomato soup and grilled cheese when we were
first married. We were given a
“pounding” by the church we attended in North Carolina
While the soup was simmering, I got to work on the Indian
curry. I definitely cheated in this
recipe. In fact, you can decide for
yourself if we should even say that I made this recipe. I started with sautéing the onion in the oil
(I used coconut oil). I also added
garlic, cinnamon, paprika, ginger powder, sugar, and flour. However, as I didn’t have curry powder, I
used red curry paste in place of the powder, turmeric, and cumin. I followed the recipe the rest of the
way. I do use coconut milk when I make
curry, as I think the flavor is far more interesting and delightful.
We didn’t eat it over rice since I had made the
couscous. And we didn’t top it with
anything, but it really can stand by itself.
If you have never tried to make curry, this is a wonderful recipe to
start with. You can find curry powder or
curry paste in most American grocery stores now—look on the international
aisle. Red paste is more spicy than the
green paste. My kids eat the red without
complaint, so unless you add a lot of cayenne or curry powder to it, or unless
you are very sensitive to spicy foods, the red isn’t all that spicy.
How fun to be able to connect with our missionaries in this
way. And while you’re cooking and
eating, why not take some time to pray for them?
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