fattoush

We call Cuisines of the Mediterranean the "Meds" kitchen for short, and our third day of Meds was not so bad. My class is a talented group of individuals and while we still have some of the tried and true members of my June 21st-start-date-family, we have some new very welcome additions that really complete our class. I love working with people who have a passion for what they do and a good sense of humor. My class seems to have a good handle on both.

As for today, we'll start with the bad and work our way to the good.

I don't get along with my chef. I'm okay with that because it happens. People don't like me and I'm not going to like everyone I meet either because we are all so unique and different. We think differently, speak differently, act differently, and believe differently. I like that, I like the differences. I don't like when I don't communicate effectively with someone and our relationship is full of misunderstandings and disagreements. I guess the important thing is how you deal with it. I haven't quite figured that out yet but I have 3 weeks. As much trouble as we seem to have communicating, I still think he's a brilliant cook.

One of his simple, beautiful recipes we served today was a toasted pita bread with bell peppers, tomatoes, and cucumber salad called fattoush. It was fresh and light. I loved the tang of the red wine vinegar soaked pita chips and the cool, sweetness of the cucumbers. It was also our last day of Middle Eastern cuisine, which is my favorite three days of the meal rotation here.