The Sound of Silence and Salad

Sweet Silence.
I dont know what time it is now. The boys had breakfast and bath, and now they are in bed, sleeping. I don’t know if this is already their afternoon nap or this is a new nap schedule. Tarek, having to stay up all night caring for Sam who’s having tummy trouble, is also asleep now. We had to stop giving Sami milk for a while and feed him with only water with rehydration salt and salted biscuits (that’s really some torture for Sam who likes to eat and drink milk.)

So this is bliss…sweet silence…and i am craving for my Veggie Salsa with Sesame Seeds which i have been planning to cook for Mama Zohra and Fthayim, my ever caring sister in law. This recipe is an improvised version of my mother’s Vegetable Fettuccine, or should i say, revised version (sans the Fettuccine!) My tito Dan also has his own version of this (actually it’s Chop Suey) which he once cooked here in our house. All my in-laws loved it, especially my Baba Khalifa.

Pinky’s Veggie Salad with Sesame Seeds

Ingredients:
Garlic, 1 clove, minced
Onions, 2 cups, sliced
Bell Pepper (red and green), 2 cups, sliced
Cauliflower
Broccolli
Carrots, 2 cups, diced (same size as the cauli and broccolli)
Potatoes, 2 cups, diced
Mushroom, buttons, 1 cup
Worsistershire Sauce
salt and pepper
Orange juice, 2 tbsps. Lemon, 2 tbsps., 7-up or Sprite-1/8 cup, blend all with a glass of water.
Sesame seeds

Steam cauliflower, broccolli, and carrots for 5 minutes. Steam potatoes until half cook. Set aside.
Saute garlic until golden brown. Add onions. Add half of the bell pepper when onions begin to caramelize. Add mushrooms and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the juice-lemon-softdrink-water mixture (and enjoy the sizzling sound!) Mix until potatoes are cooked well. Add the other half of the bell pepper and the remaining vegetables. Stir fry. Season with worcistershire sauce. Re-season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate in. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top.

(chicken or seafood can be added in the saute, but this purely veggie mix is more enjoyable for me.)

Solitude can be really so comforting.. It has seduced me into dreaming of a culinary delight. Hmmmm….