The 411 despre ... Shaorma

Shaormas are a pretty popular thing here and I am
going to explain what's needed to make one.
Of course for people who've never heard of a Shaorma,
just continue reading and you'll see a work of art unfold.
I have seen other spellings of the word 'Shaorma'.
I am using this version because it is written on the wall
of the building where I go to get one of these babies.

This is where you start ...

Add (in this case) chicken ...
(If a vegetarian ... ignore this step)

Then a few french fries ...

Pop it in the microwave for about 3 minutes ...

Add some onions and cabbage ...

A few tomatoes ...

Then some cucumbers and lettuce ...

Place some yogurt on top ...

Then ketchup ...

A little mayonnaise ...

Then some cheese (they used a yellow cheese) ...

Then just fold it ...

They put it in aluminum foil ...

There you are ... a Shaorma ... it was told
to me that it is of Arabic origin.

As they say in Romanian ... Pofta Buna
or Bon Appetit.
Also, please ... do this at home !!!

So how does one smoke a ham?

This is probably one of those questions that have been eating
at you for so long. Well if it has been bothering you and you
need to know how to smoke a ham, then I will explain it to you,
as it was explained to me.

This morning my next door neighbor was hanging out these
( pig flanks ) hind legs from pigs.

As you can see they are processed and ready to eat. I
asked him what was involved in preparing these flanks and
he told me how it is done.

So I am writing this article to share the knowledge that
I've received.

First, after of course harvesting the flanks, you need to
cover the flanks in salt. But as he explained, not just any
salt, a salt product that is used for preserving. These flanks
are covered for between 5 to 6 weeks. This depends on the
humidity at the time. The more humid the quicker the salt
will be absorbed by the meat. During this 5 to 6 week period
the flanks must be turned over approximately 3 or 4 times
and salt applied as needed. After this time the flanks are
washed off of residual salt then hung up outside to air dry.

The next step is to smoke the flanks and they have a little
smoke room that holds about 20 or 30 pieces depending on
the sizes. They smoke the flanks for 2 or 3 nights, until the
skin gets a golden color ( see in picture below ).

During the day they open the door to the smoke room to
allow ventilation and cool air to enter.

What they use to create the smoke is sawdust, but not
just any sawdust, they want it to be from good smelling
hardwoods. If they used softwoods it would give a bitter
taste to the meat and would actually ruin the whole flank.
I think that he used the sawdust from the 'stejar' tree
( the word for oak in Romanian ).

But the key to smoking is to make a lot of smoke with
little heat. Coolness throughout the process is needed.

Here is a bird's eye view of a flank that is finished. It is
hanging outside in the cool air.

So there you have it, if any of you were staying up nights
due to the fact that you needed to know how to smoke the
flank of a pig ... then ... pleasant dreams.

The 8th of March is Woman's Day or Mother's Day
here in Romania.
The usual tradition is to buy flowers and chocolates
for the ladies.
Unfortunately this Mother's Day here in the western
part is a rainy one. Despite that you can see people
walking around carrying flowers.
I don't think that even a rainy day could dampen the
Mother's Day festivities here.

   Due to a demand for information regarding the welfare

of one 'Psycho Dog' (article: Saturday, September 01, 2007)

... seen below ... I am submitting this blog article

                  

It is a case of alls well that ends well. In fact a neighbor two

doors up the street, adopted her.

  She had a litter a few months ago but I don't know

anything about how well it went, how many puppies she

had or where they are now.

  She is still chasing cars and people on bicycles but she appears

to have stopped chasing children.

  Also, she is not out on the street as much and the new owners

let her out for about an hour or so each day.

  As for me and Psycho dog, well ... we get along great. She is

happy to see me and I'm not having people threaten to call

the police on me because of her.

  I do also feel good about how it all turned out. She has a

good solid home with plenty of food and a few children to play with.

  So again, alls well that ends well ... amen.