Wishing everyone a safe, happy, food, friends & family filled day of thanks!

Empfehlenswertes Buch von Autoren des Jobfrustkillerbuchs

Die Arbeitswelt ist anstrengend. Besonders das Verhältnis zu Vorgesetzten ist nicht immer konfliktfrei, im Gegenteil. Wem es zuviel wird, und wer lernen möchte, einen realistischen Blick auf das Thema zu werfen (woanders wird es wahrscheinlich auch nicht besser!), dem sei ein neues Buch empfohlen, das sich mit der Notwendigkeit von Hierarchien und Chefs auseinandersetzt und einen realistischen Blickwinkel auf das Thema wirft. Die Anti-Stress-Methode, die zu Beginn gezeigt wird, finde ich sehr amüsant:

I generally build my systems with chef-solo cookbooks. I do not want to maintain a central server for recipes. However, I’m getting to the point where I’d like to share my cookbooks from one solo project to another. Anyways, I
wanted to run an individual recipe of a given cookbook. The following gist allows for this. Although, it may not be necessary, since cookbooks are generally idempotent. Seemed like a good idea earlier in the evening, meh.

http://gist.github.com/242526

Did you get a laugh?  A cackle even?  I hope so!  I did!  These were the words my husband greeted my questioning eyebrows with when he came out to my desk while I was checking Twitter.  You’d think after nearly 14 years of it, I’d be used to it by now.  But he still gets me.  He is the master of double entendres and other crafty wordy things.  Seriously – I need to start a log of Chambers-isms. 

So I was trying to decide what my blog post for the day would be about.  I could have posted our recipe ideas, or menu or something.  But I wanted it to be a little more fun tonight.  We’ve been cooking and cleaning up a storm and baking pumpkin pies for tomorrow’s Thanksgiving dinner.  And I just posted my latest favorite funny last night about how to make pumpkin pies.  So all the pumpkin humor led me to a funny pumpkin video that happens to star my favorite Muppety chef!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Qj8PhxSnhg

Which from there, led me to another Muppet funny, with an awesome rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody with some of my favorite Muppet characters, like Gonzo, Beaker and Animal.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgbNymZ7vqY&NR=1

Watch and laugh! 

Happy getting-ready-for-tomorrow’s-feast! 

If you know me or  you’ve been more than the most occasional visitor to my blog you’ll know that I take food pretty seriously.  I don’t just love to eat (and yes, I am working on that, thank you very much) but I love to be in the kitchen cooking.  Unlike some people I know I enjoy shopping for food and choosing ingredients whether I’m doing so at an independent/speciality retailer or the nearest supermarket.  When I go to a restaurant I love it if I can see the pass or, better yet, through the pass into the kitchen.  Conversations about food thrill me; I often start mentally planning my evening meal when I’m having my first cup of tea or coffee in the morning.  I have a small notebook where I can record the steps of successful gastronomical experiments and new recipes  (they have to prove more than just edible and sufficiently complex to make it into the book) and I’ll soon be enrolling for my second stint at a nearby culinary school.  Once I even spent the afternoon with a two-man camera crew in my house filming me cook and talk about food as part of an audition process for a TV cooking competition.   More examples of just how food-focussed I am could be added to the list, but I think you get the picture; I’d have a hard time proving anyone who called me food obsessed wrong.

While I’m not denying that I enjoy food for its own sake I don’t spend the time thinking about and preparing food that I do just because I’m some kind of glutton.  At this point, I know some of my readers will be raising their eyebrows with incredulity.  Surely my love of all things cookery is just the outgrowth of a tasty, belt-busting hobby, right?  I don’t think the answer is that simple.

When I was growing up in the United States there was always plenty to eat as the familiar stereotype suggests.  At holidays and other gatherings of friends and families the amounts of food on offer were even more ludicrous.  In this respect my experiences were fairly typical of most middle-class Americans of my age.  What wasn’t so typical was the fact that there were actually some very good cooks preparing that food and that some of the people eating it had rather discerning palettes.  While this meant that I did learn to indulge my propensity to pile more food on my plate than I needed, eat it all and go back for more, I also absorbed some unarticulated sense that nice food and good ingredients were special things to be respected and shared.  Calorie content and the possibility of processed cheese being melted over a dish weren’t, in other words, my only criteria for evaluating the worth of a meal.

Out of all the amateur chefs in my family my father and my maternal grandmother who had the most influence on my own culinary aspirations as wells as my attitudes toward cooking for and feeding myself and others.  In certain respects my grandmother was a very different kind of chef from my father.  She was from West Virginia and some of my earlier memories involve her making what would have been a fantastic roast beef and telling an entirely credulous 5 year old Omphaloskeptic that it was old hound dog.  At about the same time I can remember standing on a stool next her stove while she made pancakes on her aged cast iron skillet, teaching me how to recognise a frequency and pattern of bubbles on the uncooked face of the cakes that meant they were perfectly cooked on the other and ready for flipping.  Another time she mistook an electrical lead she’d left in a slow cooker for a snake that had somehow invaded her soup but that, I think, is a story for a different post.

From my father, most obviously, I inherited a love of grilling and barbecuing.  He also taught me to go ahead and be adventurous in the kitchen, to combine ingredients in unexpected ways because the results could be special.  As a necessary caveat to that he also helped me realise that a certain amount of common sense and basic knowledge of flavour combinations should always be exercised when experimenting with a new recipe.  When I was 7, possibly 8, I fancied myself something of an amateur cocktail maker.  This meant I used to add things to tomato juice.  With a dash of lemon juice, an olive or two, perhaps some Worcester sauce I was, essentially, making myself virgin marys.

One weekend afternoon there was some series of ingredients I had lined up on the counter when my father walked into the kitchen as I happily added a pinch of this and dash of that to my tumbler of tomato juice.  He watched me for a while and when I picked up the Tabasco sauce and shook it once, twice, three times he grabbed my hand before I did it again.  “That’s hot,” he warned.  I was indignant and added more anyway.  He just looked at me.   Then I went to fridge for the crown jewel in my achievement, or so I thought, a nice sweet gherkin.  The jar was empty.  I was distraught. Then I realized there was still plenty of sweet gherkin juice left in the jar.

I had an idea.

Taking the jar back to the counter I began to unscrew the lid.  My father saw what was transpiring and suggested something along the lines of “pickle juice in tomato juice with lots of Tabasco will taste very bad.  It might make you feel sick.”  Looking him square in the eye I added a healthy dash any way.  For good measure I then dribbled just a bit more into my glass.  Then I picked up a spoon, stirred my drink, raised my glass to my lips, took a very large mouthful and swallowed.

At first nothing happened.  Then my throat began to burn.  My tongue and lips burst into flame.  The sheer saltiness of the drink made my stomach hurt.  Then, as the more immediate effects of the hot sauce began to fade the sweet pickle juice made an appearance.  Combined with the all the other flavours in my mouth and the fact that some of my taste-buds had just suffered a death by fire it tasted like nothing other than the flavour left in your mouth after a particularly productive bout of vomiting.  I stood there, eyeing my glass and what was left of my drink in what I hoped was a nonchalant way and heard my father observe “some ingredients don’t go with others even if you like them.  Make sure you clean up.”  He left and I was able to pour the rest of my drink down the sink but not before trying to get my younger sister to imbibe.

Such memories aside I learned something even more important about food from both by grandmother and father.  It’s a lesson that others helped teach me and that has been reinforced many times over.  At it’s best food is about more than good flavours and nice ingredients.  The best meals I’ve ever had have all involved great dishes, but those same dishes haven’t been the stars of the show.  Instead they were a vital accompaniment to the main attraction like the orchestra at an opera, or the soundtrack to a film.

As humans we all have to eat.  There’s no getting around it.  What isn’t always the case is that the necessary occasion of eating becomes  an opportunity for social interaction and sharing.  Think about this the next time you walk past a McDonald’s or a Burger King and see people seated on the stools facing out the window to the the street chewing forlornly on their meal deals and I think you’ll get an idea of what I mean.  When we eat we are engaged in an unavoidable act that we all have to practice from time to time, an act that can be accomplished in utilitarian isolation or, if we’re lucky, in the company of friends or family providing a sense of respite and refuge.

I’ve thought about this a good deal and I’m not sure that I can explain why I believe that in the right circumstances a good meal can provide the space for a kind of conversation and mutual recognition that doesn’t happen say, over a few drinks, or a game of bridge.  It’s something I can sense more than something I can see or know.  Partly I think it has to do with pace.   To a greater degree, I think that it stems from the fact that we’re engaging in a basic, fundamental action that neither we, nor the other animals on our planet, can avoid.  When we eat some ancient part of us recognises that we are vulnerable, that we are lucky to have food in front of us.  Though it isn’t something that occurs to us at a conscious level, when we have good food, when we have enough of it and when we have someone or some group of people we care about to share it with, that same part of us fully relaxes.  It tells us that life is good, that we are lucky and that we should make the most of the meal and bonds we share in the time we have to share them.

I think that’s why I like to have good meals with the people I care about whether at home or out.  I’ve found that if I’m cooking for myself alone I have a hard time getting motivated to do much more than make a sandwich or bake a potato with some carrots.  I also think that it’s part of the reason I like to cook so much.  Sure the alchemy of turning a pile of unwashed, unprepared ingredients into an attractive meal is great.  At the same time, cooking also gives me the opportunity to spend just a little bit more time in that realm of subconscious reflection I’ve posited.  If I’m really lucky I might be able to help the people I’m feeding join me there when we all sit down together at the table.

November 24, 2009 A GROUP of transsexual sex workers in Chow Kit are using pornographic films to distract clients before robbing them, reported Harian Metro.

Members of the group would seduce the victim while another sex worker would try to steal belongings like wallets and handphones.

In a recent incident, a client known as Ping said he was asked to lie on the bed before choosing a free DVD pornographic movie to watch as a “warm-up”.

“The sex worker told me to take off my pants. It was then placed on a chair nearby,” said the 33-year-old chef.

Ping declined to elaborate on what happened next, but said he reached for his pants only to find that his handphone was missing from the pocket when he heard loud noises that sounded like a fight outside the room.

“I was even more surprised to find that my wallet, which was originally in my pocket, was moved to the top of the television set. Some RM400 was also gone,” he said.

After Ping repeatedly demanded the sex worker to return his valuables, she finally agreed to give them back, claiming that her friend had stolen them.

Okay, so this anime has only just started and doesn’t seem like much, but my sudden obsession with cooking has taken it’s toll, so guess what link I clicked?

http://www.animeseason.com/yumeiro-patissiere-episode-1/

Episode one begins brilliantly. Perhaps I am a little biased that it’s about cooking – as I’m a sucker for good desserts and yummy sweets – but also because the background music, and theme music is done in, yes, violin. I immediately could pick out some of the tunes in this anime, and leads it to even better standards as it refers to dreams, inspiration and, of course, fine cuisine.

Immediate Kudos points to this one!

Okay, so this anime has only just started and doesn’t seem like much, but my sudden obsession with cooking has taken it’s toll, so guess what link I clicked?

http://www.animeseason.com/yumeiro-patissiere-episode-1/

Episode one begins brilliantly. Perhaps I am a little biased that it’s about cooking – as I’m a sucker for good desserts and yummy sweets – but also because the background music, and theme music is done in, yes, violin.

Immediate Kudos points to this one!

Mardi soir, un petit 5 à 7 sur la Grande Allée organisé en peu de temps aura donné l’occasion à quelques fidèles adéquistes de jaser un p’tit brin avec le nouveau chef de l’ADQ, Gérard Deltell. Les députés Bonnardel, Roy et Grondin étaient aussi présents.

Pourquoi rafraîchissant? Il était bon de voir se cotoyer des gens qui, pour le plus grand bonheur des médias, devraient se déchirer la chemise mutuellement. Mais ce ne fût pas le cas.

Une odeur d’unanimité planait dans le  pub… Sur place, Christian Lévesque, Jean-François Gosselin, Hubert Benoît, Jean Nobert, Mathieu Campion, des employés de l’aile parlementaire, des gens de Québec, Sillery, Charlesbourg, La Pocatière et de la Beauce. (Désolé pour ceux que j’oubli!)

Gérard Deltell doit réunir les forces adéquistes, c’est sa mission première. Ce premier “exercice” semble réussi.

Concentrons nous sur ce qui nous unis, non pas sur ce qui nous divise… Invitation aux partisans d’Éric Caire et à M. Caire lui-même…

Tony Foreman and Chef Cindy Wolf opened Charleston in Baltimore in 1997 at the waterfront of Harbor East. Tony and Cindy own two more restaurants in the neighborhood which I had presented in the past : PAZO and Cinchiale . This one where Cindy cooks is their top of the line.   I had the opportunity to taste Cindy’s cuisine on Saturday November 21,  and I can talk only with the best words about  it. We arrive a few minutes earlier. The valet service impeccable and cordial. Our table was not ready so we had the time to relax in a very cozy bar with a glass of champagne. A few minutes after the reservation time, we were escorted by the host to our table and another waiter carried our drinks along. The view of the open kitchen is delightful and everyone there works as if in a laboratory.

The menu at Charleston is Southern, with a definite French touch. Imagine Louisiana at it’s best. There is a choice of 3 to 6 courses with the desert not included in this number but offered by the house. We decided to go with four (4) courses, and of course with different choices to have the opportunity to taste as many different plates as possible.

The impressive wine list is compiled by Tony Foreman (more than 600 labels from all over the world). Each of the choices on the menu comes with a recommendation.

The plates are very simple and have the signature of  chef  Cindy Wolf on them.

Our first course was soup.  Oyster stew for Erricos and Lobster soup for myself.   The dish comes with a beautiful arrangement of the solid ingredients and a decanter with the hot liquid which is poured over,  in front of you and steaming hot.  They were both perfect.  The lobster soup velvety and the oysters just right.  You see they were not cooking while transferred to out table. In the menu we read:

Oyster Stew, Blue Point Oysters, Fresh Basil Albariño, Bodegas La Cana (Rias Baixas) 2008

Rich Lobster Soup with Curry Montlouis-Sur-Loire, Le Rocher des Violettes “Cuvée Touch-Mitaine” (Loire Valley) 2007

Burgundy Snails, Butter Poached Garlic & Bacon Puff Pastry Tart

The burgundy snails were my second choice.  You see this time I did not take many pictures of the food because the environment and the ambiance did not permit this.  I only took four pictures just for you (I sinned for my blog). There are no words to describe this plate.  The puff pastry was perfectly crispy despite the sauces.

Cornmeal Fried Oysters, Lemon Cayenne Mayonnaise was Erricos pick.  You see he has a thing for oysters. Perfectly fried in a thin crunch coating just to hold them in place.  Inside a tad bit raw as a good oyster should be.

Foie Gras

That was my third choice for the evening. Again I have to exclaim PERFECT!  I thought I had good foie gras at the Iron bridge co. but this was levels above.

Erricos picked the Wild Rockfish Ceviche with Cilantro, Red Onion & Chiles , Soave Classico, Pieropan (Veneto) 2008.

I did not try this but I could see in his eyes the satisfaction.

Our fourth course was meat.  Beef tenderloin for Erricos and Lamb for me.  Erricos comment eating his tenderloin was, ”tyfla naxei h Artzentina”  Here is the menu description from the restaurants .pdf file:

Grilled Beef Tenderloin, Hoppin’ John, Fried Green Tomato, Bordelaise Sauce Malbec, Susana Balbo (Mendoza) 2007
Grilled Lamb Rack Chop, Local Kale & Potato Gratin, Grilled Local Zucchini Barolo, Fontanafredda (Serralunga d’Alba) 2001

Crème Brûlée Trio: Maple, Calvados & Cappuccino

despinarion’s choice for desert, with the calvados variation being the best of all.

Buttermilk Panna Cotta, Local Blackberry Compote & Mixed Berry Sorbet

Erricos choice from which I tasted the panna cotta and found it better than mine.

There were two minor mistakes that the personnel handled in the most perfect manner. ” The client is right ” .  They are operating in a way that the meals come at their time.  They never ask you if you like their food.  They are discreet and cordial, and when the time comes for the bill, they ask for your car ticket to make sure it waits for you as you exit the place.  The only time we were asked if we had a good time was by the host as we were leaving.  BUT OF COURSE!   I cannot wait to go there again and try more of chef Cindy’s creations.

The last picture is taken from the Internet and shows chef Cindy Wolf in action!

1000 Lancaster Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
USA

σας φιλω γλυκα!

Tonight’s James Beard special is halibut with a lump crab and artichoke velouté sauce (a stock-based white sauce). To prepare it, we made a shrimp stock from shrimp and lobster shells that were simmered with carrots, celery and onion, then strained and reduced the stock. We then made the basis for a white sauce and added the shrimp stock with a little black truffle paste and Parmesan cheese. We are serving the entree with a basil pesto torte. A truly elegant and delicious fish dish!

Armando Torno, Corriere della Sera, 24/11/09
MILANO — Addio a stelle, voti e segnalazioni: lo chef Ezio Santin, star della gastronomia italiana, ha deciso di “uscire” con il suo ristorante da tutte le guide sulla cucina. Lo ha fatto con una mail ai direttori. “Da 33 annisono sotto esame, penso che sia giunto il tempo, come ha fatto Gualtiero Marchesi, di prendermi questa libertà. Mi basta Internet“

GlamTv: Chef, si parla d’amore per i fornelli: quando è scoccata la scintilla?
Irene Piovanelli: Da subito. A casa mia anche mia mamma e mia zia erano cuoche, non al mio livello di professionale, ma mi hanno dato l’esempio.
GlamTv: A casa tutte donne, invece nella professione siete poche. Il motivo?
I.P.: (sorride, nda) Pensare che nell’800 le cucine erano comandate da donne.
GlamTv: E poi? Che è successo?
I.P.: E’ un mestiere pesante, l’uomo ha più prestanza.
GlamTv: C’è un velo d’ironia? Solo il fisico?
I.P.: C’è da dire che noi in cucina siamo temute. La precisione e il colpo d’occhio sono femminili. All’uomo da fastidio.
GlamTv: Come si concilia la famiglia con la cucina?
I.P.: Male. Il nostro mestiere prende completamente. Io, ad esempio, ho fatto all’incontrario. Prima ho cresciuto mio figlio e, una volta che ha compiuto 19 anni, invece di mettere lui fuori di casa, ci sono andata io (ride, nda).
GlamTv: Cosa succede quando deve creare un piatto?
I.P.: Cosa succede… Io sono sempre alla ricerca di novità e di cose poco conosciute su cui lavorarci. Ma quello che conta è una buona base scolastica.
GlamTv: Cioè? Mi spiega?
I.P.: io ho studiato a Varallo Sesia. La scuola mi ha dato molto, la professione anche. Conosco tanti trucchi e i giusti procedimenti. Questo è importantissimo per far nascere nuovi piatti, nuovi accostamenti.
GlamTv: Sperimentazione?
I.P.: Sì. La mia cavia è mio figlio: “Mamma, va bene. Questo è cattivo”!
GlamTv: Impietoso.
I.P.: Deve esserlo: i piatti non si possono sbagliare. Adesso sono a lavorare in Svizzera in un ristorante d’altitudine: tutto da ristudiare. Pensi che abbiamo da rivedere i tempi di cottura, le temperature, il sale… (si allarga in un sorriso, nda) Alchimia pura!
GlamTv: I suoi piatti hanno un carattere?
I.P.: Il mio… se sono serena viene in un certo modo, se sono arrabbiata in un altro. Ma quando cucino, sono talmente presa, non riesco a pensare ad altro che non sia il piatto da fare.
GlamTv: Guardando un cliente riuscirebbe a preparare qualcosa ad hoc, senza che lui lo comandi?
I.P.: (sorride, nda) Ma lo sa che c’è un detto che dice: “Lo chef compone il suo menu come il medico le ricette.

Devo dire, Chef Irene, che mi farei volentieri curare da uno dei suoi Menu.

Disegno gentilmente concesso da Miriam Belluco

Pizza

Trying to make quality pizza at home is not easy. Barring the use of a super-hot commercial pizza oven, or turning your kitchen into an unsafe fire hazard (wiring your oven to operate while using the oven’s scorching ’self clean’ function) a toothsome, great tasting crust can be difficult to achieve at home with modest equipment. Here’s how I did it…

Start with tomatoes

Anybody who has had pizza with that ubiquitous jarred sauce on it will tell you that it was mediocre at best. Come on…be honest with yourself here. Too many preservatives, too much dried herbs, too much salt, and barely any real tomato flavor. I’m not snootily saying that you have to use only fresh, perfectly vine ripened tomatoes for your sauce either, though at the right time of year that would be fantastic. High quality canned tomatoes imported from Italy are available in any well stocked super market. Always use whole, peeled tomatoes as these tend to be the best and most consistent quality. I like to simply dice them and use them in a quick tomato sauce (see new recipes section at top).

Ready to use dough

If you’re not going to make your own dough, do yourself a favor and buy some dough from your local pizza place and stay away from the commercial crap in most super markets…and even more importantly put that wheel of faux-pre-baked-tastes like cardboard-pretending to be pizza dough back on the shelf where it belongs. If you have a few hours, or have ability to plan 1 day ahead then see the recipes section for dough.

Dough Step One

Take the dough out of the container and lay flat on an evenly floured board or clean countertop. Flour both of your hands lightly and gently press dough down while spreading it slightly. Repeat until dough is a nice even circle. From this point you can continue to spread dough into this thin circle–IF your cooking your pizza on something circular. OR, you can start to shape it into other forms such as…

Dough Step Two

And Step Three

…a rectangle. I think one of the best ways to make pizza at home is with an aluminum half sheet tray. The thin pan allows the crust to cook quickly–quite important when the oven is turned up to it’s max level. It must not be underestimated that going from step two to step three must be done carefully and with gentle hands. Don’t be afraid to use flour to prevent the dough from sticking, it is your friend. Resist the urge pick the dough up and fling it into the air like an idiot. You will end up tearing the dough. Speaking of tearing the dough, it may happen. If so, pick some from one of corners and flatten a  little dough patch to the same thickness of the dough with the hole and press lightly with your fingertips to blend the patch into the hole. Take the time to repair any holes or thin spots before moving on to the next step, this will result in dry  in pizza–you will thank me later.

OK, final step…before laying the dough into the pan, coat the pan with a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Then take a small handful (1-2 TBSP) of corn meal and sprinkle in an even layer. Now, transfer dough to prepared pan and gently move dough to fit into all corners of pan.

Evenly spread tomatoes

Ready for the Oven

Always use the best ingredients possible when  making pizza at home. It can mean the difference between mediocre and great results. Make your own sauce, buy fresh mozzarella and shred it yourself, or just slice it like I did above. Also, resist the urge to buy the preservative laden pre-sliced pepperoni in a plastic bag. Buy a spicy salami and slice it yourself thinly (see top half), or even buy spicy or genoa salami sliced at the deli counter and lay that on top of the pizza.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, on the middle rack at the highest setting your oven has.

Enjoy!!

B

Huevos

How can anyone not love eggs? I mean, outside of serious allergy concerns of course. Those who contend that they just don’t like them have never had a properly cooked one, I say…

It is one of the most simple ingredients and in good hands it produces complex results. I’m talking about simply prepared but well executed dishes where the egg is the star, not baked goods/pastries where they are used as building blocks. Let it not be underestimated though how important eggs are in these applications. Imagine a chocolate souffle without egg whites!? The eggs I speak of here start out hard boiled, poached, coddled, fried sunny side up or over easy , and end up starring in such dishes as deviled eggs, eggs benedict, huevos rancheros, toad in a hole, shakshouka…simply put eggs are amazing.

One of the constant food companions of my wife and I are eggs. While in Barcelona Spain recently, dining at a very well regarded restaurant we made the mistake of mentioning that we love eggs. This restaurant had an extensive tasting menu and did their best to tailor each experience to each guests preferences. When our waiter heard us list eggs as a preference he must have mistook our preference for a dislike. So, as we watched each wonderful egg dish being presented to only our surrounding tables we figured out our waiters error.

Spheres of parmesan and truffles (minus the egg sphere) in a beef consumme

Needless to say we were quite sad when we figured it out. I couldn’t bear getting another dish minus it’s star ingredient so I quickly summoned the waiter and informed him again that we love eggs!…not the other way around. He quickly brought us the Chef’s signature dish, the Kinder Egg.

Kinder Egg, notice the look of sublime joy on Deb's face

The Kinder Egg: coddled egg with an emulsion of egg yolk and truffles with a truffle foam. When reading the description of this dish in the Chef’s cookbook situated at the restaurants host stand, he says that it is based on an egg dish created by the legendary Joel Robuchon. It was a truly perfect dish. All of the nuances of the egg were enhanced by the truffle and foam elevating one of the most basic ingredients to an ethereal atmosphere…genius.

B

Köpekontraktet kom på e-posten idag, för huset vi köpt alltså. Bara för granskning. På det stora hela ser det bra ut, några små frågetecken bara men det var ju just därför vi fick det för granskning – för att räta ut dom alltså. Men karln (som i mäklaren då) skriver ju värre än den värsta jurist, knappt jag begrep vad det stod och jag är ändå ganska hyfsat duktig på “juridiska”. Varför ska man krångla till det så?

Nä, kom nu inte och säg att man måste det för att vissa begrepp betyder en viss sak. Jo, det är sant att vissa begrepp har en väldigt specifik betydelse, men man måste inte alls skriva så där uppstyltat för den skull. Tänker på dom som är sämre på “juridiska” än mej, kan inte vara lätt att begripa vad man skriver på!

Sen kan man läsa i DN att om man har jobbet i behåll och rörlig ränta på bostadslånet nästa år – då blir man en vinnare. Jahapp… bäst att smörja chefen då så jag får behålla jobbet, men å andra sidan har jag ju betalt för att INTE smörja cheferna utan för att ifrågasätta dom. Oooppppssss blev en knepig situation det! Får väl vara extra ifrågasättande då! Eller?

Jag har som vanligt inte pallrat mej ut med kameran, hopplös tror jag. Men ni får en bild från det vackra vädret i lördags, den gör mej lite glad – hoppas den gör er lite glada också!

Recipe for Stuffed Piquillo Peppers

This classic tapa is commonly made with piquillo peppers.

INGREDIENTS:

12 piquillo peppers
1/4 c raw orzo
4 tbsp olive oil
1 med red onion, chopped

2 1/2 oz kale, washed, dried & torn into 1-2 inch pieces (~2 cups)
kosher salt and fresh pepper
4 oz goat cheese

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
grated zest of 1/2 lemon
1-2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/12 c dry white wine or water

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Bring med pot of salted water to a boil. Cook orzo till al dente. Drain and cool. You should have about 1 2/3 c cooked orzo.
3. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in large saute pan over med-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally until tender, about 5 minutes. Add kale and cook, stirring, until wilted and tender, another 5-7 minutes. Season w/salt and pepper.

4. In a bowl, combine onion and kale w/the cooked orzo, feta, herbs, olives, lemon zest and 1 tbsp of lemon juice. Toss gently until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Taste and add more lemon juice if necessary.
5. Slice off the top 1/2 inch of each pepper and reserve tops. With a paring knife, cut away the white ribs inside the peppers. Turn the peppers over and tap out the seeds. Divide the orzo filling among the peppers and replace the top of each pepper.
6.  Stand peppers in med baking dish and sprinkle with remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil and salt and pepper. Pour white wine into pan and cook peppers in the oven until the peppers are very tender and slightly blackened on top.

Esta es una pregunta frecuente que me hacen mis alumnos de las clases de Español y Voseo, y los asistentes al “mate´s workshop” que deja traslucir una respuesta que sobrepasa las dos horas reloj de una intensa conversación.
Desde la fácil idea de que el mate es una bebida tradicional servida en diversos recipientes con una bombilla, a la imprescindible explicación de que el mate es sinónimo del encuentro de amigos y de la comunicación mas allá del tipo de mate que se tome y el tiempo que se pase juntos…

Mates modernos y coloridos

Desde la visita rápida de una hija a la casa de su mamá… hasta las calurosas tardes de verano con las vecinas y la ineludible “sacada de cuero”!!
El mate pasa el tiempo histórico en su primitiva versión de los primeros mates de los aborígenes y los gauchos al futurismo del mate con una base para el arte y el diseño.
El refinado tratamiento actual de la yerba mate presenta nuevos sabores, la versión despalada, la versión light para dietas, todo esto acompañado de la búsqueda de la perfección de la temperatura del agua para sacar el máximo sabor para dar placer al paladar y beneficiarse de la infusión saludable sin dejar el tradicional aroma de la tierra que le da origen.
Con el tiempo el mate dejó de ser una simple infusión para ser un encanto del gourmet llevado hasta el casi impensable helado de mate cocido!
Los versos de la literatura lo tienen como fuente de inspiración que refleja la cultura profundamente argentina.
Un turista explorador o conocedor del destino que quiere visitar no dejará el país sin una mínima colección de mates y bombillas mas una lista de direcciones en su lugar de procedencia donde encontrará yerba para reponer su nuevo vicio, entienden que ya no basta la sola exposición a los primeros sorbos de mate sino que en voz baja preguntan dónde y cuándo es el “Mate workshop” porque se sienten culpables de no haber probado ya la llamada “maravilla argentina”.
El mate, pues, es motivo de un intenso estudio y un motivo fuerte para venir al país de Chef y aficionados a los sabores exquisitos del mundo gastronómicos y a médicos o nutricionistas en busca de nuevas tendencias saludables.
Un punto a destacar es el fanatismo de los ” vegans o veganos del mundo que se adhieren al mate con un magnetismo religioso.
Este compañero diario va más allá de muchas costumbres argentinas, por ejemplo: a acompañado a mi abuelo a la tumba y no es solo una expresión literal, de hecho lo sepultamos con su mate y bombilla dentro del cajón para cumplir su deseo final!

Era casatorit de 6 ani. Alaturi de cei doi copii si de sotie era fericit. Insa timpul isi pusese amprenta asupra casniciei lui. Ducea o viata monotona, fiecare zi fiind aproape identica. Dimineata era la servici , iar la masa discuta cu sotia despre necesitatile zilnice si despre copii. Apoi fiecare dintre cei doi isi vedeau de treburi. Nu mai existau momente de romantism intre cei doi, nici macar mici atentii.

Intr-o zi fusese ziua unui coleg. Iar el era invitat la petrecerea care avea loc intr-un club. Sotia nu era prezenta. Muzica era pe gustul lui iar ca sa prinda ceva curaj avea bautura. Nu avea nici o retinere in a se simti bine. O tanara domnisoara il priveste insistent. Bruneta,inalta , cu parul cret si o silueta de invidiat. Ochiii mari, negrii ii patrund pana in adancul sufletului. Ritmul muzicii il face sa uite de lumea din jurul lui. Danseaza ca si cum in acea sala plina ar fi doar ei doi. Ajung incet de la un simplu dans la atingeri si priviri pline de dorinta. Ambii isi doresc mai mult. Si in acel moment nu exista nimic care sa ii impiedice…

Ziua urmatoare trebuia sa fie una obisnuita. Venit de la serviciu, masa , discutie cu sotia iar apoi fiecare urma sa se preocupe de lucrurile care il interesau. Dar azi … era diferit. Ceva era schimbat. Isi inselase sotia si se simtea vinovat. O sotie care ii era devotata. Care isi petrecea intreaga zi ocupandu-se de familie si de copii. Isi dedicase viata acestora punandu-se pe ea pe ultimul loc. Iar el o rasplatise prin a o insela. Acum regreta … dar nu mai putea schimba nimic. Vroia sa se revanseze cumva. Ii veni in minte un plan.

Duse copiii la parintii lui. Cumparase flori si pregatise o cina romantica. Gesturi pe care nu le facuse de multi ani.

Ea sosise acasa … Observase schimbarea insa, nu puse nici o intrebare. Din acel moment stia insa ca el facuse o greseala.

- Foarte frumos gestul tau. Tu ai facut mancarea ?

- Da.

- Copiii ce fac ?

- Sunt bine. Au venit de la scoala, si-au facut temele si i-am dus la mama. Vroiam sa fim singuri …

- Si cum a fost la servici ?

- Ca de obicei , multa munca… A fost ziua de nastere a unui coleg si am fost si eu in club. Am fost toti colegii.

- Si te-ai simtit bine ?

- Da.

Apoi se asterne tacere. Nu mai intreaba nimic. Era liniste deplina…

- Stii … la ziua colegului … era si colega aceea … bruneta . Si … stii ca eu te iubesc … dar … atunci … ea arata foarte bine. Si … nu am putut rezista tentatiei … O sa ma ierti , nu ? Asa , iubire ?

- Da , iubire. O sa te iert. Se mai intampla. Insa … de azi inainte … vei dormi in sufragerie pe canapea. Si o sa vezi cat de gustosi sunt covrigi … cam …  in fiecare zi.

Timp de multi ani el se purta la fel in fiecare zi. Aceleasi obiceiuri , fara romantisme. Azi el isi schimbase comportamentul dupa atata timp. Sa existe oare al 6-lea simt al femeii? Un simt care … le spune cand sunt inselate ? sau … doar prin faptul ca voi barbatii va schimbati comportamentul … ne dam seama ?

Daca nu ar exista nici o schimbare de comportament la voi ar mai fi oare vorba de al 6-lea simt ? …

Making James Beard’s Basil Lasagna takes, as you might guess, lasagna noodles and basil — more properly, basil in the form of pesto, the sauce made from basil, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, oil and Parmesan cheese. It also, as you might similarly guess, takes some eggs and ricotta cheese, as well as more Parmesan and mozzarella. From there, we build on his recipe a bit. For one thing, it calls for only two layers of lasagna noodles; we’re using four. For another, we’re kicking up the cheese factor by alternating layers of fresh provolone and mozzarella with layers of fresh Parmesan and mozzarella between the noodles and the pesto-ricotta mix. Third, we’re adding just a touch of lemon zest to heighten the flavor. We even drizzled a little Mornay sauce around the edges for a finishing touch. Come in and see what a hint of lemon does for a pesto lasagna!

No Tall Turkey Dinner with Lesley L. Smith

Waterford Irish Crystal Heirloom Bowl

Saint Louis Crystal by Hermes (Gold)

A White Wine Spritzer ?

Champagne Pomegranate Cocktail (by AvenueFood on Flickr)

Caviar Blini

FIRST: GATHER (FOR SERVING)