Teta Alice Cookoff - July 21, 2007

That was Fun!

2007-07-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

Thank you to all participants for a great day filled with family, friends, and delicious food. Congratulations to our grand champion, Tika, and to the rest of the winners! But hey, you're all winners in our hearts! But especially those who won!

Grand Champion: Tika
Kofta: Tika
Koshary: Suzy
Stuffed Grape Leaves: Tika
Filo: Teresa
Dessert: Marlene (Titi)

Rules and Overview

2007-07-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

When: Saturday, July 21 - Judging at 4:30, Dinner at 5:00
Where: Ishak Home in Cupertino
Who: Anyone who is related!

If I want to enter, what do I have to do?
Let Andrew know if you are entering the Cookoff by July 15. If you are in the Cookoff, let him know which categories you would like to enter by July 17.

What are the categories?
Are there any restrictions?
What will the foods be judged on?
You can check out all this stuff on the Foods page.

How will I bring my food?
The week before the cookoff, Andrew will give you a metal pie tin for each dish. You will put enough food for 10 people to taste in this dish by 4:15 pm and cover it in foil; when you arrive at the cookoff, you will have the option to keep your food at 200 degrees, at room temperature, or at 40 degrees. Make sure you use the right tin for each dish, as they are numbered for identification!

You are VERY welcome to put the rest of the food (any food really) in another tray and bring it for the potluck dinner.

How much is enough for 10 people to taste?
A fist-sized amount should be plenty. Remember, your food will NOT be judged on plating, decoration, etcetera. It's true that the food will be judged on appearance, but that judgment will be made solely on the food itself, not the way it looks on a plate.

Do I have to enter all five categories?
You can enter one, two, three, four, or all five categories. You really should enter all five.

Why should I enter all five? Is there a prize?
You bet your sweet batatas there's a prize. The grand champion is going to take home 200 bucks cash, generously donated by a certain nanotechnologist. We won't tell you which one

How do I win grand champion?
We have to make our dad proud, so we've created an algorithm to determine the grand champion. Your final score is based on the better of two formula scores; one is based on your top three dishes, the other is based on your top four. It will not hurt your score to make additional dishes AT ALL.

Is there a prize for winning an individual category?
You get a certificate and recognition. That's better than cash.*

*may or may not be true

I'm going to be embarrassed because I can't cook.
None of the judges will know which plate is yours and we will only share the top two scores with everyone, so we won't be saying: "Coming in last place: Uncle Larry!"

And who are the judges?
The judges will be from outside the family--some will be Egyptian and some won't be. In the interest of certitude, only the Egyptian judges will give scores for Authenticity.

I'm interested (or I have a question). How can I get more info?
E-mail me at andrewishak(at)gmail(dot)com.

How will we be presentin

The Foods

2007-07-21T15:00:00.001-07:00

KOSHARY
Koshary is a popular starch-based fast food in Egypt, commonly regarded as the country's national dish. Copts eat koshary often during various fasting seasons in which they do not eat animal products. It is often topped with fried onions and a distinctive tomato sauce prepared with garlic and vinegar.

The Required Ingredients for the koshary category are:

macaroni and/or rice
chickpeas
lentils
tomato-based sauce

Koshary with be judged on the following elements: taste*, appearance, and authenticity. It must be completely vegan, meaning that it may not contain any animal products at all.

MAHSHI WARA ENAB
Mahshi wara enab, also known as "stuffed grape leaves" or "dolma", are popular as a main dish or appetizer across most Mediterranean countries. They are often filled with rice, ground meat, herbs, and spices. In Egypt, they are eaten warm and rolled thinner than in most countries.

The Required Ingredients for the mahshi wara enab category are:

grape leaves
rice

Mahshi wara enab will be judged on the following elements: taste, appearance, and authenticity. It must be prepared without yogurt sauce (tzatziki). You may bring sauce, but it will be left out of the judging portion of the day.

KOFTA
Kofta is a mix of ground meat, onions, herbs, spices and other ingredients rolled into shape cigar-shaped cylinders. The kofta is then either baked, broiled or grilled.

The Required Ingredient for the kofta category is ground beef and/or ground lamb.

Kofta will be judged on the following elements: taste, appearance, and authenticity. It may not be served with additional sauces.

DESSERT
Dessert is a course that comes at the end of the meal. It usually, but not always, features sweet food.

There are no required ingredients for the dessert category.

Dessert will be judged on the following elements: taste and appearance. There are no restrictions on this dish. Please let us know ahead of time if your dish requires separate storage temperatures.

FILO DISH
This dish must include filo, which consists of paper-thin sheets of raw, unleavened flour dough.

The Required Ingredient for this category is filo dough. DO NOT use puff pastry as a substitute.

The Filo Dish will be judged on the following elements: taste, appearance, and creativity.

*Taste is defined here as including--but not limited to--flavor, aroma, and texture.

It's Cookoff Time!

2007-07-21T15:00:00.000-07:00

Please use the links on the left to read more about the cookoff, the participants, and the foods!

Marlene

2007-07-18T21:23:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: Egypt
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Generation: Jones
Style: Neo Egyptian

Inger

2007-07-09T21:56:00.002-07:00

Countries of Origin: Denmark
Hometown: Somewhere in Denmark
Generation: Baby Boomer
Style: Danish?

Christina

2007-07-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

Countries of Origin: United States
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Generation: X
Style: American

Heather

2007-07-09T21:53:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: United States
Hometown: San Fransaustintino
Generation: Y
Style: New Southern

Ulises and Raquel

2007-07-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: Mexico (Ulises) and United States (Raquel)
Hometown: Orange, CA
Generation: X and C
Style: Latin American European Fusion

Suzy

2007-07-09T21:44:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: Egypt
Hometown: San Jose, CA
Generation: Baby Boomer
Style: Masr Traditional

Teresa

2007-07-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: Kuwait
Hometown: Mira Loma, CA
Generation: Y
Style: Food Chanel (not a typo)

The daughter of a Dane and an Egyptian, Teresa is ready to cook anything and everything (but she'll stick with three dishes for the competition).

Mira

2007-06-20T11:53:00.000-07:00

Country of Origin: Egypt
Hometown: San Ramon, CA
Generation: X
Style: Old School

Mira is looking for family supremacy as she goes head-to-head with her mother Tika in multiple categories.

Birgitte/Samy

2007-06-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Countries of Origin: Denmark (Birgitte) and Egypt (Samy)
Hometown: Cupertino, CA
Generation: Baby Boomer
Style: European/Fusion

This husband and wife team make such delicious food inspired by Europe and the Mediterranean, it's a wonder that their three daughters stay as skinny as they are. Samy's grill skills will be on display in kofta, while Birgitte's famous aeblskiwa looks to take top prize in the dessert category.

Tika

2007-06-20T11:25:00.000-07:00

Country of Origin: Egypt
Hometown: San Jose

Generation: Baby Boomer
Style: Shobra/Old School

Tika is a fierce competitor in all categories, and she is considered one of the favorites in Koshary. She has spent more time in Egypt than any other participant, which will certainly give her a natural edge in authenticity.

Irina

2007-06-20T10:58:00.000-07:00

Country of Origin: Germany
Hometown: Jersey City, New Jersey
Generation: X
Style: European/Progressive

With her marriage to Eddie last April and subsequent Cookoff entrance, Irina quickly becomes one of the youngest participants. She is flying in from the East Coast for glory, and she doesn't want to go home empty-handed.

The Participants

2007-06-19T22:53:00.001-07:00