Aleem Dar Should Be Man of the Match, Gossip, and Pita Bread

The real star of the Ashes show yesterday has got to be Aleem Dar, the umpire!  Talk about an action-packed day...real heart-stopping stuff.  How this guy can make accurate and fair decisions with all of the pressure from the crowds and the players is the stuff of legend.  Even when it looks like he's got it wrong, technology proves him right!  He is the UDRS for the UDRS!  He is that good!  And to make the deal even more sweet...he's from Pakistan.   Not only does Pakistan have the best cricket team with the most awesome players, it has the world's best umpire.

Aleem Dar:  Suave, sophisticated, accurate and composed.  Everything a superstar should be!

  Aleem Dar is making the Ashes even more exciting, and right now, it almost doesn't matter who wins because Aleem Dar is the break-out star.  Good on ya, Aleem!  I'm looking forward to your umpiring today, and may you have a long and glorious career!

Oh, and England's at 309/1.  Andrew Strauss had a really good go with 110, Alistair Cook is still at the crease with 132, and the strangely hypnotic Jonathan Trott is not out at 54.  I sure wasn't expecting such fight from England!  Well, it all makes the match more thrilling, and I do love a good drama!  Let's go Australia !

And here's some gossip about the Pakistan team.  Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik will be rejoining the squad in New Zealand.  Now I know that at the domestic level ol' Butterfingers Akmal did a great job of batting recently, but as the Scottish say, at the international level Ah himma doots.  Well, if he does all right in New Zealand, I'll be the first person to be his cheerleader.  Until then...Ah himma doots.  Shoaib Malik was also underwhelming when he played in the UK.  Just sayin'. 

And some further gossip.  According to some sources at the PCB, there will be an investigation into Pakistan's loss to Afghanistan at the Asian Games.  Some are saying the Karachi players did badly on purpose to "show respect" for their former coach who is now the coach of Afghanistan.  What a flipping mess.  It's quite possible that Afghanistan played well, had good luck or that the Pakistan side had bad luck or had an off-day.  All I'm going to say is...Congrats Afghanistan, your country certainly deserves a victory as a ray of sunshine!  I didn't watch the game, but I'm sure you played well, and don't let rumours of "Pakistan deliberately underperformed" rain on your parade.

Right!  Now let's get to the cooking.  Today's all about pita bread.  I'm not going to show you how to make naan because proper naan requires special training, and special equipment.  If you want real naan, go to a Pakistani or Indian baker that has a real tandoor oven. Buy it fresh.  Don't get the packaged, industrial stuff at a supermarket.  It is no good.   If there isn't a naan baker in your area, then make some pita bread.  Pita bread is a good substitute; you don't need special equipment or a degree in naanology.  I have to say it isn't nearly as good as beautiful fresh naan out of the tandoor, but it works well with all of the salans I've previously posted.  So go get a rolling pin and some elbow grease and let's get baking.

Pita Bread
About 2 cups of flour
About a tablespoon of sugar
About 1/2 teaspoon of salt
About 1 tablespoon of instant yeast
 (If you're using traditional yeast, proof it first, ie soak it in about 1/4 cup warm water and a pinch of sugar, wait 15 minutes until it's foamy)
About 2 tablespoons of olive oil
About 1 cup of warm water |( not hot, not boiling, just warm enough to feel it on the inside of your wrist)

Stir together the flour, sugar, and salt.  Stir through it again with a fork, just to make everything kind of "fluffy". 
Add the yeast; if you're using the dry instant yeast, give everything a quick stir.
Add the olive oil and water, stir, if you can't stir, then use your hand to mix everything together.
Add more water if necessary; if you've put in too much water, add some more flour.
Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes; the dough should slightly stick to your hands.  10 minutes of kneading is ideal, you should have an elastic, smooth ball.
Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover it with a damp towl, and let it sit in a warm place for 1 hour until it doubles in size.

After 1 hour, punch down the dough and knead it again for a couple of minutes.
Break off  into golf-ball sized pieces, use your hands to make them round, and roll them out on a floured surface.  You might want to dip the piece of dough in flour first if your dough is sticky.  Roll them out to about 1/4 inch thickness, with an 8 inch diameter.
Set the rolled-out pieces on a baking sheet or a piece of wax paper, and cover them with a damp towel so they don't dry out.  Let them rise for about an hour.

Heat your oven to 400-450 F or 200-250 C.  Put the raw pita bread directly on the rack, yes you read that correctly.  Directly on the rack with no baking sheet or tin.  Let them cook for about 3 or 4 minutes.  The bread will puff up like a little football.  When it's finished inflating, that's when it's ready to take out.  If you're using a forced-air oven, the bread unfortunately will not turn a golden colour; if you wait for the bread to get browned in a forced-air oven, it will overcook and you'll get a crispy cracker.

Serve immediately with your favourite salan.  Also it's very nice the next day re-heated in a pan with a bit of butter.

And that's how pita bread is done.  Now I'm off to the TV to watch day 5 of the first Ashes test match.  I'll be cheering for Aleem Dar, and you should too!  Be proud Pakistan!  Pakistan Zindabad!

Happy Eating, and Happy Cricket Umpiring!