This Global Kitchen | Day 27: West North Africa
Connect with Abby:
Hi, my name is Abby. I moved to West North Africa five years ago with my husband and our four girls, ages 16, 13, 11, and 8. Having four girls is wonderful but we moved to a city that was isolated. There were not a lot of opportunities for my girls and we needed an outlet; so, we took up cooking.
Our neighbor had us over to her house every Friday to teach us how to cook a local meal. We would spend the week at our house practicing that meal. Our kitchen was smaller than a food truck. Having five girls in a kitchen the size of a bathroom was very hard on our cooking lessons.
Two months ago we moved to a bigger city. The girls were hurting from having to say goodbye, again! I wanted something that would help them feel at home, even in a new place with a new people and a new language. This apartment really stood out because of the kitchen. It had an open floor-plan with windows everywhere and a porch to sit on cool morning. The girls have enjoyed inviting neighbors over and cooking for them. They love to sit at the table and keep me company while I make dinner. It’s interesting how something as simple as a few more feet of kitchen can make transition that much easier.
In Western North Africa the kitchen is on the top floor because the heat rises. Even with the windows open in the afternoon when the oven is on: it is HOT! There is peeling paint and broken glass held together with tape. There are bug “friends” who live in the walls and come out at inconvenient times.
But, there is space, a porch to drink my tea and do a quiet time. The owner left a built in stove and oven and fridge. These are blessings that we couldn’t have even known to ask for. The owner also left a table big enough for the whole family to sit at.
This table with three drawers is my favorite thing. When I first moved overseas, I had this made to fit my kitchen by a local carpenter. I just wanted to be able to set a pot on top of it and it turned out beautifully. The drawers move in and out easily. There is also a shelf underneath to store our GIANT transformer. When we moved this last time and were selling things, every person made me an offer on this table. But it wasn’t for sale. It will come with me no matter where we move in the world. Plus, it holds all of my husband’s coffee snobbery paraphernalia.
I love my kitchen and everything in it is amazing… short of this stove. It has four burners and one doesn’t work. the other three knobs stick. It only has two settings: fires-of-Hades and off. But, I have a stove!
I would like to talk for a minute about the wonders of vinegar. Add it to milk, get buttermilk. Add it to cream and let it set and you have instant sour cream. It works with baking soda as a leavening agent. It can clean the windows, the tub, and the floor. It makes salad delicious and softens chicken. I never used it in America, but here, I go through it like… well, vinegar.
Another vinegar “recipe” is for an all purpose spray. Soak orange peels in vinegar for 2 weeks in a sealed container. Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle and use it to clean counters. As a bonus, it deters ants! ENJOY!
My Must Haves For My Expat Kitchen:
I can’t live without my European crockpot. It’s an 8 qt pot for that cost 25 euros. I found it while walking through a discount store in Paris. I thought, “this will literally never come around again!” Every time I saw a crockpot after that, it was a 3 qt and cost 60 euros. I have never regretted it and when I moved to N. Africa, I traded out clothes and shoes so I could fit it in my bag. My husband hated that I chose the slow cooker over anything else, but I’ve never regretted it.
I can’t live without taco seasoning. I use it for EVERYTHING. When I don’t know how to season something, I throw it use it: spaghetti, chicken, eggs, etc. I am known to drive six hours, take a two hour ferry and the drive another for two hours to find it in Europe.
Also, I’ll do just about anything for Spicy Cheez-its. Everyone in the family loves them. Not the Sriracha or the cheddar jack ones, just the tabasco flavored Spicy Cheez-its. Anytime someone sends a package (though packages rarely make it) or come for a visit, it’s the top priority for all six of us in the family!
My Favorite Expat friendly Recipe:
Hamburger soup
by Abby | TakingRoute.net
- 2-3 boxes of tomato sauce (or 1 large jar)
- ground beef 1 lb.
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 can corn
- 1 bag of shaped noodles
- spices as needed
In the stock pot, cook beef and onions together. Add the tomato sauce and enough water to cover. In a separate pot you can cook the noodles as directed or add more water to the pot and boil noodles in with the beef and onion. Add the can of corn. Add salt, pepper, or whatever you think makes it spicy enough for your taste. Sit back and watch the kids drool.
