Inspired by Deb's experiences and Rayne's advice, I am giving sourdough another chance. I've learned that I must be more patient and allow much more rising time than I did for v.1 Furthermore, although I'm using the same recipe as the basis for this effort, I'm trusting my instincts more this time - I've added more flour to what I thought was a too soft dough. I was tempted to add just a little yeast in addition to the starter but refrained in favor of making a "pure" attempt with my newly patient approach to rising. Since sourdough is a multiday project, you will have to stay tuned for the results. My fingers are firmly crossed.


Dinner tonight was couscous and a kind of faux tagine. I hadn't made this dish in a while, but I used to make it at least twice a month. As we sat down to dinner I remembered why - it looks and smells fantastic. It tastes good, too, and is quite easy to produce. I usually make my version with a bit of spicy sausage (browned and crumbled), diced onion, sliced carrot, chick peas, diced tomatoes and a few drops of hot sauce to mimic harissa. More authentic recipes contain raisons or apricots, but I tend not to like fruit in non-sweet things so I leave them out more often than not. Anyway, just cook all this stuff up together - I start with the sausage and then add the remaining ingredients one by one and consider it done when the onions are translucent and the tomatoes have thickened somewhat. As for the couscous, nothing could be simpler - following the instructions on the package using either broth or boullion have never failed me. The best part? Only two pots, a knife and cutting board to wash and less than a half hour of cooking time.


My experiment for the week (other than the sourdough) is stromboli. I developed cravings for stromboli while pregnant and they haven't quite subsided. So I have the remainder of the sausage, some peppers and such and will have at it tomorrow. And, the Boy Wonder has asked me to learn how to make naan here at home so I'm going to give that a whirl as well. I'm a bit concerned about this naan business. Not only do I not possess the traditional oven equipment, but I'll be competing against a very fine restaurant, Maharaja, at which we are regulars and where my son can consume his weight in bread products. I fear that I won't come out of this looking good.