May Day melee

Well, like it or not, I'm back.
Actually, it's probably more my loss given that the weather in Nevada/Arizona was surely better than it is here.






I must admit, I was dreading the trip a bit, but it turned out to be unexpectedly great. I saw some super neat rocks, learned a lot of stuff, finally understand a lot more about the rocks I'm studying now, and, of course, enjoyed the beautiful springtime desert immensely.



While there, we had some super animal sightings...and non-sightings, like when we heard the intense rattle of a rattlesnake but couldn't find it hidden in the rocks.

Interesting animal fact: when desert turtles are spooked, they empty their bladders. Unfortunately, this rapidly and severely dehydrates them...and then they are more likely to die. In other words, this is a bad thing.

How that can be deemed a "defense mechanism" is something I will never understand.

We saw lots and lots of cactus, too. Unfortunately, it was near the end of spring flowering season, but we were able to catch a few magenta beauties.









Speaking of cactus, I am now the proud owner of an incredible self-made photolog of The Barrel Cactus. Perhaps I'll create a coffee table book, it will be called The Barrel Cactus Compendium.











Another highlight: dinner in Oatman.








Oatman is an old Route 66 tourist town that is known for it's burros [donkeys]. It's packed with washed up 65-year-old "biker dudes" and has bartenders that are sticklers for i.d. With a population of so few, maybe 10?, Oatman's policies shocked and appalled us. Poor Fairy Lover left hers at camp, so I ordered beers for her and she made sure I had a steady supply of H2O. Apparently, covert beer drinking = not much fun.



Burros are a big deal in Oatman and, really, all they've got going for them. We didn't see any burros hanging out while we were there, but we did discover that Oatmanites are acutely aware of baby burro well-being.










They also sell shirts with pockets in Oatman. Boy oh boy, what a special place!








At the Oatman Hotel we gorged after a long day at the Peach Springs Tuff [where Fairy Girl and I were traumatized as we were forced to watch a man pee while we were being given lecture]. The meal was good: Burro Burgers with Burro Ears aka buffalo burgers and homemade chips that look like donkey's ears. However, nearly everything in town was closed by 5 pm, which meant no ice cream!!!!


But, back in Bull Head City [crazy border town!! they have a gas station chain named Terrible's! a casino lined river (but only on the Nevada side)! crazy! crazy!], we got ourselves some 32 Flavors. Ironically, that was the day Robbins died. No one told me until I got back home, so I, unfortunately, couldn't start an impromptu memorial service at the Baskin Robbins store.






Of all the nights, my last night in Bull Head City was probably the best. The weather was beautiful and sleeping outside was epic. The crescent moon shone brightly in the sky. And behind Terrible's, an unexpectedly perfect shot.

The last day was cool too--lots of obsidian. Say yesssssssssssssss to volcanic glass! Woo!





However, despite all the goodness of my trip, there was a not-so-good part too: while I was gone, I missed a pretty fantastic week for cooking!



May is probably the perfect month for cooking.
Not only is it the best month for spring produce, but it's filled with all sorts of great "holidays" that just beg for some thematic cooking.


I mean, the month starts off with a bang--May 1st or May Day.


May Day is actually quite a big deal in Turkey, particularly in Istanbul's Taksim Square. Historically, May Day brings people from the trade unions out to the square for big rallies and demonstrations. On May 1, 1977 one such rally turned quite bloody and is now known as the Taksim Square Massacre.

This year, the trade unions were banned from rallying and demonstrating in Taksim. Official word of the bans came nearly a month before May Day. Of course, written bans weren't going to deter demonstrators and they showed up to...rally for the right to rally...?

Unfortunately, yet again, things turned nasty in Taksim and grew to an unexpected point. Of course, the police were ready, pulling out the big guns: tear gas and 20,000 policemen at the ready.

And yes, the tear gas was used. People were forced to stay indoors. Policemen surrounded the square...

All for just 200 demonstrators.

A bit excessive, no?


When I read the news, I had been trying to think of a good May Day meal. True, I was thinking more along the peaceful, uncontroversial lines of maypoles and flowers, not labor and immigration. But, upon reading the story I started thinking about Turkey and Turkish foods. Suddenly the perfect May Day meal popped into my head--a meal to include both the ideas of May Day and a love of Turkey/Turkish food at the same time! [Granted, my logic behind this idea was kinda skewed and will be explained later]


Today's Menu:

Everyone Works, Everyone Wins Kumpir
Un Kurabiyesi


Kumpir is Turkey's take on the stuffed baked potato. However, Turks take it to a whole new level, bringing in some incredible add-on possibilities. My favorite place for Kumpir is the Ortakoy port, in Istanbul. At Ortakoy, there's a small plaza next to the Bosphorous, lined with gozleme, waffle, and kumpir stands.

Kumpir potatoes are huge, but making a delicious meal is simple. Each potato is first baked to bits. Then the hot insides are scooped out and mixed with butter and kasar cheese until you have a smooth and cheesy mass. This mixture is returned to the potato and you are given the option to add anything you want.

The kumpir buffets are lined with filling choices: ketchup, mayonnaise, black olive tapenade, cabbage, pickles, mushrooms, corn, peas, bulgur, hot dogs, green olives...

And, of course, a baked potato isn't kumpir if it doesn't have a dollop of Rus Salatasi [Russian Salad] or Amerikan Salatasi [American Salad]--potato salad on a potato!!!!

Genius.

Another popular combo is ketchup and mayo, which may sound gross, but it's actually quite good. I mean, if you just add a bit of relish to that all you have is Russian dressing...so, it's not that strange.

Kumpir is delicious and definite comfort food. It's easy and fun to make and you can feed a lot of people on the cheap.

Oh, and then there are the Un Kurabiyesi [flour cookies], which are made by many cultures in various forms. Most popularly known as Russian Tea Cakes or Mexican Wedding Cookies. Again, simple but delicious.

Ta-da! A delightfully easy and tasty meal for a peaceful May Day!


So, now you're probably wonderign what this actually has to do with May Day. Well, bear with me and try to follow my construed logic. Granted, the association is a strech and only works if you wanna pull in the old Communist connotations buuuuuut...

1. When everyone works under the same fair conditions then everyone ends up with tasty gruel?
2. From simple ingredients and hard [or not so hard] work comes a glorious glorious meal?
3. One version of the cookies has the word "Russian" in it?
4. I made the meal on May Day and it's all Turkish and May Day is big in Turkey? So yay solidarity?


Ok, ok...so, maybe my logic is just totally shot. I promise that next year i'll stick to the maypole and flowers theme.

Whatever the logic, though, this meal was delicious!

Happy May!



Everyone Works, Everyone Wins
Kumpir
[note: I decided to try and healthify my kumpir this time around, but you surely don't have to do that. In this case, I was inspired by My Husband Hates Veggies and made the filling into a mixture of potato and cauliflower. If you want an easier version or don't feel like doing the cauliflower bit, just leave it out and use only the potato. In that case, your filling will likely fit in the potato, unlike my gluttonous version which seeped over the sides]

2 large baking potatoes
1 small head of cauliflower
water
1 tbsp butter
1/2 c grated cheddar cheese
salt
pepper
toppings: ketchup, mayonnaise, olives, tapenade, potato salad, guacamole, eggs, salsa, chili, beans, peas, corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, chives, bulgur...whatever your heart desires!


directions:

1. prepare the potatoes
a. preheat oven to 450. prick potatoes with a fork and place in the oven. bake until soft, about 40 minutes.
b. remove from the oven and cut a slit down the center, but do not separate the halves.
c. scoop out the insides and mash.
d. return empty potato skins to the oven and bake 3-4 minutes longer.

2. prepare the cauliflower
a. bring a pot of water to a boil.
b. cut the stem off the cauliflower and separate the florets.
c. cook florets in boiling water until tender, 5-10 minutes.
d. remove the cauliflower from the water and mash.

3. prepare the kumpir
a. add the potato innards to the cauliflower. add the butter, grated cheese, salt, and pepper.
b. continue mashing [I suggest using your hands for this] until the mixture is smooth.
c. spoon the filling back into the potato skins. return potatoes to the oven and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
d. serve with toppings!







Un Kurabiyesi




[note: there are so many versions of this cookie out there and this is an amalgamation of many recipes. mix it up a bit and try some different nuts or, if you don't like nuts, forget them altogether!]





2 sticks butter
1 c powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 c ground walnuts


directions:

1. cream together butter and 1/2 c powdered sugar.
2. slowly add the vanilla, flour, and baking powder and mix until combined.
3. add nuts and mix until nuts are distributed throughout the dough.
4. chill dough at least 30 minutes.
5. roll 2 tsp of dough into a ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. repeat this process until all the dough is used up.
6. bake at 350 until bottoms become golden, about 20 minutes. remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. toss cookies in 1/2 c powdered sugar to coat.

no need to shout mayday on this May Day!




Comments, questions, and recipe alterations are always more than welcome.