Cooking

One of the things that is good and bad about living here is that we never know for sure what is going to be available at the store.

(I say "store" because I rarely ever go to the outdoor market any more. I did not like going there when there were no supermarkets. I do not like going there now that there are supermarkets. I really don't like to shop all that much, and shopping in the cold and rain and puddles and people shoving and pushing and arguing with the vendors - well, I prefer a shopping cart, aisles and I'll put up with the really loud obnoxious music they play here over the speakers so long as I'm not getting rained/snowed on and walking through mud puddles while I shop for groceries.)

The good thing is that there are often items for sale that I have never used before. Like leeks. I never in my life used a leek to make a dish before coming to Ukraine. Like fresh ginger. Only once before did I ever try cooking with fresh ginger and I just didn't "get it" so never bought it again. Like pine nuts. Who knew pine nuts made such tasty dishes? There are other items that I've seen that I haven't bought yet, but may one of these days.

Then there are the items that I really like and they are rarely ever found - like celery. But! We had celery available for several weeks before New Year - and I bought a lot of it and I ate a lot of it. I even have a little left - and there is none to be found in the stores now, so I am going to have to eat it, and not try to save it, because it will just go bad - and I don't want that!

This is what comes from living so close to Egypt, Turkey, Greece, the plethera of -stans (Uzbeke-, Kasakh-, Tazheka-, etc.) - foods that are expensive at home are not so expensive here - and vice versa, of course.

The bad thing is that I get used to buying something on a regular basis, adding different dishes that we like, and one day I go to the store and it's not there any more. :(

Imagine my surprise just before New Year when I found Sweet Potatoes at our local supermarket! I never use sweet potatoes in the States because I don't like them. All candied up and goey and covered in marshmallow cream - yuck. The texture is gross and the flavor gags me. But, because I had never seen sweet potatoes here in Kherson before, I bought two.

Sweet potatoes are an American food (ok, they are a western hemisphere food) and I figured they might be a taste from home. What was I thinking? That I wanted a bad taste from home??? I have no idea. Mel can't eat them candied, I don't like them candied. What to do, what to do.... The two sweet potatoes sat there on the counter for a couple weeks, all nicely wrapped in plastic wrap with a sticker on each of them saying "we cost a fortune, don't let us rot." I debated on what to do with them.

Until one day I found a recipe - actually it came in an email from the South Beach Diet people (I get their little newsletter) and it had a recipe for Sweet Potato and Ginger Soup. I looked at the ingredients and the first one was leeks. The second, carrots. I was intrigued.

Next time we were at the store I bought some fresh ginger. Ginger is one of those items, along with limes and avocados, that I never know for sure if it will be there or not. Actually, right now the item I can't find is pine nuts. I have no idea why pine nuts are not to be found at any of the supermarkets, but I've become accustomed to using them in a variety of dishes so of course, they cannot be found right now.

I made the soup. And both Mel and I really liked it a lot. We ate the whole batch in one meal. I only used one of the sweet potatoes, though, so the other one has sat on the counter for another couple or three weeks, mocking me.

Tonight I decided to make the soup again. I hope we like it just as well as the first time.

If we do - I wonder if I'll ever see sweet potatoes here again??