Even the alleys are rich with possibilities

OK. JB and I are definitely alley rats. We do indeed scour the alleys, looking for treasures, which is almost daily since we need to go through the alley to get to the garage. The building behind us is filled with a lot of university students so in the fall (and in the spring) when students are in transition, we always find tempting items.

Last week we located a lot of craft and cooking books, stacked in boxes next to the apartment dumpster. We gathered the most tantalizing and spent a couple hours perusing them last weekend. Of course, like all good cookbooks (and good photos in cookbooks), we felt encouraged to create a scrumptious dinner. Using a recipe from the cookbook on Spanish Cuisine and another from the cookbook on cuisine along the Indian Ocean spice route, we made an incredible meal last night.*

We began with melon with pepper, a simple dish from South Africa. Basically coarsely ground telicherry pepper was sprinkled on slices of a very ripe melon.  This was followed by Pollo con Higos (chicken with figs) which was so succulent, sweet, and delicious, we weren’t sure if it were the main dish or dessert.

Yes, even the alleys are rich with possibilities– savory, delectable, ambrosial possibilities.

*The Complete Spanish Cookbook by Pepita Aris and Where Flavor was Born: Recipes and Culinary Travels Along the Indian Ocean Spice Route by Andreas Viestad

(Food pictures by JB)