I thought of making an entire "How To" installment on my poultry adventure, but really, not even worthy. This would have been my blog post:
How To: Debone a Chicken
Cut the meat off the bone.
Done.
Really, that's all there was too it. Now, I am sure there is some swanky Julia Child or Iron Chef way to do it which just leaves you with glorious cuts of beautiful meat. But I wasnt going for pretty. My main objective: eat boneless stir fry. Because tossing a whole drumstick with my variety of vegetables just isnt as appetizing. Or as easy to eat.
It wasnt even that wasteful. I should have saved the bones and made my own broth out of them. But that takes hours of boiling , and I just dont have the fuel for that (gas is expensive and I am almost out of charcoal).
Even Iraque was a little amazed at my efforts.
"Chicken without bones, wow. I dont even know how you did that. I have never had it before. You must have much patience."
I decided not to let him in on my little secret, ie that it was a breeze.
Since being back in the Moz I have actually gotten quite creative. I made fish tacos, which were delicious. Yes, the tortillas were flour, not corn. Also, I am not nearly as good at rolling them as a little Mexican woman, and the four was sort of old so I just picked out as many bugs as I could... and rolled the rest right in. You can't even tell once the tortillas are cooked anyway.
I have also been grilling up a storm. However, the teacher who I always borrowed the little hand held basket grill from (its like a sort of flat basket, where you put your meat or veggies of choice, with a handle. You grasp the handle, and hold it out so the basket is over the flames. It can be tiring, in fact I never realized how heavy meat is until I had to hold it over fire, but Iraque has been known to work up interesting basket grill holding contraptions which usually involve long sticks), is no longer in Chidenguele. As a result, until I can find and buy a handy basket grill of my own, I have to use this 6" x 6" peice of chicken coop fencing, which I prop over the fire using rocks and sticks, and usually burn my chicken or at least drop it on the ground a few times trying to flip the unruly poultry without getting 3rd degree burns.
The main reason I am up for all these adventures in cooking? My class load was reduced from about 30 hours last year, to only 10 hours this year. Yep, I work three days a week. Nice and relaxing in theory, exhausting in reality because I find myself constantly stressed out with trying to find things to keep me busy (hence the deboning, tortilla rolling, and chicken wire grilling).
I have also begun a few more useful projects, not that gastronomy is a waste of time, but it doesnt really coallate with the objectives of the Peace Corps Education Project in Mozambique. I have begun teaching English to teachers at my school 2 nights a week, and moving along with a chicken project to fund the HIV prevention organization in my community that I have been working with for the past year. We have our final (hopefully) revised grant proposal out, training plan ready, and are just busting at the bit waiting to build us a chicken coop so we can raise and sell some frangos and save those AIDS orphans.
My girls group is stronger then ever... or at least they seem more interested then ever. Hopefully I can hold that enthusiasm throughout the year.
A fellow teacher wants to start a journalism club at the school with me. That would be fun. After all, I do love writing.
I am also working to get computers for my school. I have two options: 1 - organize a project with other volunteers in the area, and work with one of the large international computer donation companies. That could take 2093750854309 years, and be quite complicated, but would probably result in more computers for my school.
OR
2- I could write a grant proposal, and submit it to Peace Corps Partnership Program, which would put my proposal on the Peace Corps website and you fine people could help me out a little in raising money for a few machines.
Stay tuned...
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