The Telegraph has a great gallery of underwater life. Above is Odin, a White Tiger at the San Francisco Zoo, diving after some food. Some more of my favourites after the jump. Scrollover for explanations.

The Best of Underwater Life: from Killer Seals to Diving Tigers [The Telegraph]

Last week S came home with a great score in one of her worksheets and her dad said she can pick a treat she wanted. She opted to dine out at Applebees, which is her favorite restaurant. The reason being that they have her favorite corn dogs which we never cook or buy at home. We celebrate every little thing in our family; as we all are ice cream lovers we mostly end up in Baskin Robbins.

S has been in soccer classes this Fall and did not seem very keen in the game as such. She was very interested in going to first few classes and then for almost a month there were no games due to bad weather. And then she did not want to go back to classes, mainly because she could not score any goals. And last saturday was the final game and she scored a goal. She was elated and we were too. She had kind of given up in the game and we were thinking of not sending her next season and now she wants to go back. Long story short, this called for a treat as well. S wanted ice cream from Baskin Robbins this time.

We were eating out a lot last week and then more again with the pizza party we had at home for A’s birthday. So when yesterday she came back from school with another perfect score, we told her let us not eat out and instead let her give us three choices to pick from. Luckily she bought into the idea. Her choices were:

• Eat chocolate
• Get a toy
• Play a game

She gave one sheet to me to choose from and one to her dad. We both picked the last option: to play a game(the easiest and the safest!). She decided we will play Sardines. Well, V and I had never played it before and it turned out be a pretty nice game. It is a variation of hide and seek, explained very easily in wikipedia as “In this variant, only one person hides and the others must then find the person that’s hiding and hide with them. The last person to find the group that’s hiding is the loser.” We had a great time playing the game. It was kind of nice that three of us will be looking for the hiding person and then one will suddenly disappear. We had fun time hiding together whispering and giggling(now V is also forced to giggle as we girls are majority here!) Even little A enjoyed playing it, cuddling with everyone in the dark closet or under the blanket or a pillow.  

It was a nice way to celebrate, giving a break to our teeth and stomach, a nice evening spent together as family in the nooks and corners of our home. Another surprise was as we were counting together and little A went Nineteen. We did not know she knew numbers after ten!

This brought back memories from childhood; all cousins playing hide and seek in the land around the house, behind the trees and bushes. There was lot of running to do to seek.

Now we are wondering what S will ask for future celebrations, need to invent ideas other than eating out…

Published by Press Media Group, this article you are reading originally ran in the October 23-30 issue of The Lynchburg Ledger newspaper (minus the image).

“Life is like a box of sardines and we are all just looking for the key.” – Alan Bennett

With the pull of the aluminum tab, there they were. Much larger than I remembered. Without eyes. Their heads and gills diced off. The overhead light met their sterling silver skin. The quarry of the sea for bonito, tuna, and others, my fork entered the flesh of the sardine and I raised it to my mouth.

As it drew closer, I expected a fishier odor but instead was pleasantly met with the efflux of tuna. And I love tuna. My face scrunched still, my fork found its way to my mouth and in the sardine went, filling in the pits of my back teeth. Thick with oil and gritty also, the sardine nearly dissolved in my mouth as I began chewing. I was completely caught off guard by the amiable taste.

“They’re actually pretty good,” I said to my wife.

Sardines. A cupboard staple in my home growing up. My dad loved them. Not as much as fried chicken. Not as much as chocolate ice cream. But pretty close.

“Try one. I bet you’ll like them,” my dad used to say to me, pulling the aluminum tab of the can back. I always shook my head no. He never did convince me to sample a sardine and here I was now eating one by my own choosing, on my own free will. A giant step for man. A giant leap for mankind.

On Sunday, Allison and I were grocery shopping. As we passed down one of the aisles, I noticed the sardines lined up on the shelf. I’ve never thought twice about buying a can of sardines in my life. Never noticed them passing by.

Smiling, I said to my wife, “I’d like to try a sardine on my dad’s birthday” alluding to Monday, October 26, when my dad would have celebrated his 60th birthday.

Allison smiled in return, nodding her head in agreement. I placed the can of Cole’s sardines in the cart, looking down again at the box: “Caught by local boats off northern Portugal, these delicious sardines are sealed in pure olive oil,” the box read.

Delicious, I thought. We’ll see about that. Aloud I said to my wife, “I’m pumped. I can’t believe I’m going to do this.”

You’d think I was going to jump out an airplane at 10,000 feet or go bungee jumping. Maybe even pet a lion on the southern plains of the Serengeti. Something more radical and daring instead, eating my first sardine.

My lifelong refusal of becoming my dad’s personal sardine convert should have come as no surprise to him. He had a taste for peculiar delicasies; I surmise you could call them that. After all, one of my earliest memories of my dad is of him standing at the kitchen sink with a peeling knife in his hand. He lifted me to the countertop and sat me down. Two large faint white meatballs sat in the sink like fleshy chicken eggs which slipped in and out of his hand like a wet bar of soap. He ran lukewarm water over them and then began peeling the skin off the meatballs. Except they were not meatballs. They were cow testicles.

“Bull’s nuts,” my dad said, laughing. “You want one for dinner?”

M is for Moo. Moo cow. I was young. Moo cow is all I could think of when I saw these large bull testicles in the sink, glistening. Even at that age, my groin hurt. To this day, I think this moment in my childhood is why I am not a huge beef fan. I’m more of a chicken kind of guy.

As I ate my first sardine today, the smell sent me back twenty plus years.

“I bet you’ll like them,” he had said to me then. He was right.

Happy Birthday Daddy. I love you so much I’m eating sardines.

—————————————————-
JEFFREY PILLOW (b. October 19, 1981) is a contributing writer for Press Media Group & The Lynchburg Ledger. His work has appeared in numerous publications including URGE Magazine, the Official Partner of the Arts Council of Richmond; Living Well; 16 Blocks; and Nick Taylor’s debut novel, The Disagreement (Simon & Schuster, 2008). Pillow holds a B.A. in English Language & Literature from the University of Virginia.

He lives in Charlottesville with his wife Allison and dog Mozzarella. His favorite hobby is driving his wife nuts at 6 o’clock in the morning whistling the tune to “The Gambler” by Kenny Rogers. Visit him online at www.jeffreypillow.com

Preparazione: 100 minuti
Cottura: Nessuna

INGREDIENTI

Per 4 persone

600g di sardine
1 spicchio d’aglio
2dl di aceto di vino bianco
1 cucchiaino di origano
1 cucchiaino di pepe rosa in grani
2 rametti di timo fresco
4 cucchiai di olio extravergine d’oliva
sale

———————
Pulite accuratamente le sardine, eliminando testa e interiora e separando le due metà; risciacquatele accuratamente.
Sbucciate e tritate finemente l’aglio e con parte di esso preparate una marinata unendolo ad aceto, sale e origano.
Ponete le sardine a marinare per 1 ora.
Con un batticarne, schiacciate delicatamente parte dei grani di pepe rosa, poi riunite in una ciotolina l’aglio tritato rimanente, tutto il pepe rosa, le foglie di timo e l’olio; aggiustate di sale e mescolate il tutto.
Prelevate ora le sardine dalla marinata, trasferitele in una terrina da portare anche a tavola e irroratele con il condimento preparato.
Lasciate riposare 30 minuti, decorate con altre foglie di timo e servite.

Preparazione: 20 minuti

Cottura: 20 minuti

Riposo: 2 giorni

Ingredienti:

• 2,5 kg di sardine fresche
• 250 ml di aceto
• 4 cipolle
• farina
• olio extravergine di oliva
• sale

Pulite ed eviscerate le sardine, lasciandovi la lisca, sciacquatele sotto acqua fredda corrente, quindi tamponatele con carta assorbente e infarinatele. Pelate le cipolle e tagliatele longitudinalmente.

In una padella larga, scaldate abbondante olio e friggetevi le acciughe fino a che non saranno croccanti, quindi disponetele su un piatto, adagiate su un foglio di carta assorbente, e cospargetele di sale.

In un’altra padella, scaldate abbondante olio e salatelo, quindi fate appassire le cipolle a fuoco basso e incoperchiate. Verso fine cottura, aggiungete l’aceto e spegnete dopo pochi secondi, quindi fate raffreddare.

In un vassoio, alternate strati di sardine e di cipolle fino ad esaurimento degli ingredienti e lasciate riposare, coprendo con la pellicola, un paio di giorni prima di servire.

Conservare le sardine con le cipolle? E’ possibile: mettetele in vasetto coperte con olio extravergine di oliva e chiudete ermeticamente.

Si parla molto di omega 3, ma pochi spiegano con precisione cosa siano realmente, che benefici forniscano al nostro organismo e dove si trovino.

Tecnicamente gli omega 3 sono acidi grassi polinstauri che, dal punto di vista chimico, hanno la caratteristica di possedere un doppio legame in posizione 3 (omega 3) o in posizione 6 (omega 6), della catena che li forma. Sono tecnicamente definiti EPA (acido eicosapentaenoico), e DHA (acido docosaesaenoico). Questi acidi hanno dei precursori, cioè delle sostanze che dopo l’introduzione nel nostro organismo vengono trasformati; nello specifico l’acido linoleico è il precursore dell’acido grasso omega 6, mentre l’acido linolenico è il precursore dell’aciso grasso omega 3. Gli omega 3 e 6 sono acidi grassi essenziali: con questo termine si intende che il nostro organismo non è in grado di sintetizzarli, e quindi l’introduzione atttraverso la dieta è assolutamente fondamentale. Per ciò che concerne le funzioni biologiche nell’organismo umano, si evidenzia dalle più recenti acquisizioni e studi scientifici, condotti su questo argomento, è possibile sostenere che, tra gli effetti protetivi degli omega 3 i più rilevanti sono sicuramente:

• azione antiaggregante piastrinica (effetto antitrombotico), cioè ridurrebbero la possibile formazione di coaguli nel sangue.
• controllo del livello plasmatico dei lipidi, soprattutto dei trigliceridi.
• controllo della pressione arteriosa, mantenendo fluide le membrane delle cellule, e dando elasticità alle pareti arteriose.

Gli effetti principali sono soprattutto legati alla protezione del cuore e del sistema circolatorio, aspetto positivo già evidenziato dagli studi epidemiologici iniziati intorno agli anni 70. In quegli anni furono studiati gli INUITS una popolazione eschimese che si cibava prevalentemente di pesce proveniente dalle coste della Groenlandia e del Giappone, già allora emerse molto chiaramente un’incidenza particolaremente bassa di malattia all’apparato cardiovascolare, correlata a quel tipo di alimentazione marittima.

Recentemente si stanno estentendo gli studi omega 3 anche nell’ambito della nutrizione neonatale, dove un’introduzione quantitativamente adeguata di questi acidi sarebbe importante per favorire lo sviluppo del bambino. Esistono inoltre, studi preliminari, dove si controlla l’applicazione degli omega 3 sul morbo di Crohn (patologia a carico dell’apparato intestinale): l’effetto studiato sarebbe legato all’attività antinfiammatoria di queste importanti sostanze. Per rimanere in tema di ricerche su questo argomento è importante ricordare che nel 1999 è stato pubblicato su “The Lancet” un’importante studio iniziato nel 1996 su 11324 pazienti colpiti da infarto miocardico, il quale ha dimostarto che, la somministrazione di un farmaco a base di acidi grassi polisaturi omega 3 ai pazienti colpiti da infarto riusciva a ridurre considerevolmente la mortalità legata a questa patologia.

In sintesi, queste ricerche hanno riscontrato che, la somministrazione quotidiana di un farmaco contenente un grammo di acido grasso omega 3 asscociata, ovviamente a un regime dietetico equilibrato (contenente un buon quantitativo di pesce), è importante per curare problemi di tipo cardiovascolare.

Per mantenere il benessere del nostro organismo cosa è più corretto fare?

E’ consigliabile seguire un’alimentazione varia ed equilibrata caratterizzata da armonia sia qualitativa che quantitativa tra i singoli nutrienti. Per favorire l’introduzione degli omega 3 è opportuno consumare dalle 2 alle 3 porzioni settimanli di pesce, la cui tipologia potrà variare tar le seguenti: sgombero, merluzzo, pesce spada, tonno, trota, sardine e aringa, altre fonti di omega 3 sono i cereali, le noci, i legumi e l’olio di lino. Per quanto riguarda le tipologie di cottura più indicate, perchè il pesce possa mantenere inalterate le sue benefiche proprietà, le migliori sono sicuramente: al forno, in umido o alla griglia.

Una considerazione da non sottovalutare mai è che un’attività di prevenzione rivolta alle malattie cardiovascolari deve primariamente concentrarsi sulla dieta equilibrata, e parallelamente sulla eliminazione dei fattori di rischio (fumo, obesità e sendentarietà). La società occidentale essendo caratterizzata da un consumo scarso di pesce è maggiormente esposta alle malattie cardiovascolari rispetto a tutte quelle popolazioni (ad esempio quelle orientali) che hanno abitudini alimentari diverse, ecco perchè l’indicazione ad un aumento del consumo di pesce è fondamentale. I composti farmacologici a base di omega 3 possono rappresentare un aiuto soprtattutto nei casi in cui l’alimentazione è particolarmente deficitaria, ma in linea di massima è possibile dire che, attraverso una dieta di tipo mediterraneo, caratterizzata dalla presenza di futta, verdura, pesce, olio extravergine di oliva ecc, la fonte di vitamine, sali minerali, proteine nobili e ovviamente omega 3 è assicurata.

www.benessere.com

Hello there,

Having just played a really enjoyable set in wonderful Dartford town centre (Bar Mondo), I feel an update coming on…

First of all there was some kind of carnival going on in the high street. Just thought i’d mention that.

The gig went really well for our first venture into Kent. A few old faces turned up from my old school (which was but a mile down the road) as well as some of my closest friends, and some new faces. Thanks guys, even the ones who turned up after our set! It was a shame we couldn’t play later (last trains an’ all) as it started to get well sardine after our set- but it was still busy and sweaty when we got to the stage, making for a great gig. Thanks to the guitarist from Standing On Giants for letting me borrow (indefinitely) one of his guitar strings; I owe you one!

I ended up staying until the bitter end and watched a brilliant fight unfold, involving toilet queues and incontinence, and drinking copious amounts of diet coke, as I somehow became the designated driver for all the purple-lipped red wine drinkers.

Just heard that our E.P artwork and limited edition C.Ds are being printed as I type, so I can’t wait to actually hold one in my hand as soon as I can!

That’s about it really-Go and have a butchers at our website too for gig listings, and don’t forget to sign up to the mailing list to recieve your free track…

Tonight I had a wonderful Roast and then watched the Grand Prix. Nice one Jenson!

goodbye

Gaolers x

Enjoy!!

So Kinners,

mal ein paar Worte abseits des alltäglichen  Monster-Verkloppen und Echsen-Verfolgen.

In der Zukunft möchte ich Eure Helden nicht einfach nur ein paar Quests vor die Nase setzen, die es dann zu erledigen gilt.

Vorausgesetzt, ihr überlebt dieses Abenteuer…    …dann möchte ich Eure Charakter künftig noch etwas mehr einbinden und sie optimalerweise Ziele erreichen lassen, die für sie selber wichtig sind.

Daher wäre es superklasseprimatoll, wenn Ihr für Eure Helden folgende Fragen beantworten könntet:

• Warum spielst du deinen Charakter gern
• Wieso wagt er sich in Abenteuer?
• Was willst du mit deinem Charakter erleben?
• Wer sind die wichtigsten Personen im Leben deines Charakters – und warum?
• In welcher Rolle ist dein Charakters gern?
• Was ist die Überzeugung deines Charakters?
• Welchen inneren Kampf führt dein Charakter?

Ich weiß, ist ein wenig Arbeit, wäre für mich aber eine große Hilfe.

Die Antworten ließen sich auch prima auf Eure Charakter-Seiten hier im Blog veröffentlichen. (Dann wird diese Rubrik auch mal mit Leben gefüllt.)

Wer meint, dass die Antworten nicht für die Augen der gehässigen Mitspieler gedacht sind, kann mir die Antworten auch mailen: free-d (ät) quantentunnel PUNKT de

List of ingredients:

8 boned and skinned canned sardines, in olive oil.
8 oz of ricotta cheese.
1 teaspoon of curry powder.
1/4 cup of fresh parsley, chopped.
2 tablespoons of capers, rinsed and drained.
1 teaspoon of lemon zest.
Crisp crackers, to serve with.

Method:

Drain the olive oil from the sardines and discard the tails.

In a food processor, combine the fish with the ricotta cheese, curry powder, parsley, capers and lemon zest; process until a coarse spread forms.

Serve with crisp crackers.

Source: Sardine Recipes.

In the last several years I have found myself thoroughly enjoying sardines as a snack here and there. I believe it began back in ‘04, when I first grilled fresh sardines in a restaurant. Seeing as how delicious they were just slightly charred wearing nothing but some salt and lemon, I decided that they couldn’t be so bad from a can. Then began what I refer to as my ‘old man snack’; canned sardines on a cracker, with a hard boiled egg, with hot sauce, in a pita with mustard and greens, etc. It may be reminiscent of someone’s hobo-grandad, but the truth is, there are many excellent boutique companies that are canning very good quality sardines/fish as we speak. In some supermarkets, the section of canned fish is extensive, tins hailing from all parts of the world. The brand I have been gravitating toward is Cole’s, a Portuguese sustainable foods company that catches with care and packs the firm, flaky fish in olive oil or all-natural sauce concoctions of their own.

Perhaps the age-old, almost folkloric, popularity of canned sardines stems from the fact that they are just one of those extremely convenient foods. I know that preserving fish helped people travel and conquer and stuff like that further afield than they otherwise could have. Or it could be because they complement one’s diet with omega 3’s, calcium, iron, vitamins D + B12, phosphorous, potassium and protein and the wise ones have always known this. Today, sardines are enjoying a renaissance. Since the small catch (sardines, trout and mackerel) don’t harbor toxins like bigger tuna and salmon, benefits can be had without as much worry of side effects. Peel open a can and you will see that weird old sardines play very nicely with other ingredients that might be hanging around in your fridge or pantry. My favorite way to eat this superfood snack is on a whole grain flatbread piled with a chunk of pickle or two. Bold flavors and textures get together just right. If you are close enough to heaven to be eating McClure’s Spicy Spears, chop up some of that red chili pepper and pop it on top. Old meets new.

C’est dans les environs de Saint Malo, en Bretagne, que je me suis rendu à quelques miles nautiques de la côte avec le Zodiac d’un collègue, dans le but de cibler la roussette.

Roussette

La roussette est un carnassier se nourrissant essentiellement de chair poisson. Sardine et maquereau constituent des appâts de prédilection. Je préfère toutefois le maquereau pour son excellente tenue à l’hameçon. Une fois de plus, j’utilise toujours du fil élastique pour renforcer la tenue de l’appât afin de soigner sa présentation sur le fond.

Le montage que j’emploie est très simple :un hameçon trainard coulissant de 2 longue tige sur une empile de 35 centièmes suffit largement, esché d’un morceau de maquereau frais. J’emploie une petite canne bateau 25-125 gr avec un scion sensible pour détecter les petites touches de ce poisson, il est également possible d’utiliser une tresse sur le moulinet pour accentuer encore plus les touches.

Roussette en bateau

Il ne faut pas ferrer à la première touche car il faut quelques instants à la roussette pour engamer l’appât. En général je ferre après la 2e ou 3e tape, selon l’intensité de la touche.

La roussette se laisse remonter sans donner de grande résistance, seuls quelques petits coups de tête de temps à autre viennent mettre un peu de piment au combat. Le plaisir apparait lorsque le poisson arrive en surface, on apprécie alors pleinement les motif à points de ce poisson.

Défense de la roussette

Attention néanmoins lorsque vous sortez le poisson de l’eau, sa peau rugueuse aura très vite fait de vois irriter jusqu’au sang au premier contact ! Il est préférable d’utiliser un chiffon, pour les plus expérimentés saisir la queue du poisson et la ramener au niveau de la tête. Cela permet de maitriser l’animal.

Une fois sortie de l’eau, la roussette se met en boule, une sorte d’autodéfense…

Autodéfense de la roussette

ici une femelle

Femelle Roussette

10-12 sardines

curry powder

flour

butter

wash sardine and remove bones

mix curry powder and flour, and then coat it on sardine

heat medium and put butter into a skillet

put sardine into the skillet

fry it for 2-3 minutes each side

remove from heat and serve on the plate

This is my favourite.

I like fish especially sardine.

Some people do not like fish, fish taste…but this sardine flavor is not fish, fish because I used curry powder and butter.

I hope you enjoy it!

Fonte: http://www.43zero58.com

Articolo in aggiornamento continuo

31 AGOSTO 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1125 – Cadmio in granchi vivi (cancer pagurus), provenienza Francia. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno.  Stato del prodotto: prodotto distribuito e già consumato, rafforzare i controlli.

1 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1128 – Peperoncino (chilli peppers) infestato da muffe, provenienza Perù. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da cancellare dal mercato.

Prodotti fermati alla Dogana Italiana, da distruggere o respingere al mittente:

31 AGOSTO 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BOI – Istamina in sardine marinate, provenienza Croazia.

31 AGOSTO 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BOJ – Mercurio in ricciole refrigerate, provenienza Croazia

1 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BOQ - Listeria monocytogenes in filetti di Pangasio surgelati, provenienza Vietnam.

7 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1160 – Salmonella spp. in maiale surgelato disossato, provenienza Olanda. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da richiamare dai consumatori.

7 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1161 – Elevati livelli di coliformi in burro, provenienza Germania. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da richiamare dai consumatori.

7 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1163 – Cadmio in granchi vivi (cancer pagurus), provenienza Francia. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, nessuna azione intrapresa.

8 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1175 – Impiego non autorizzato di colorante E 124 – Ponceau 4R/ Rosso coccinella A in filetti surgelati di tonno dalla pinna gialla, provenienza Olanda. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da trattenere.

8 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1179 - Salmonella Senftenberg in mangime per pollame, provenienza Spagna. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione limitata al Paese notificante (Italia), destinazione del prodotto identificata.

9 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1181 – Infestazione parassitica con larve di Anisakis in sgombro fresco refrigerato, provenienza Francia. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno a seguito di notifica RASFF. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da trattenere.

PRODOTTI FERMATI ALLA DOGANA ITALIANA, DA DISTRUGGERE O RESPINGERE AL MITTENTE

11 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BQI – Salmonella spp. in filetti di Persico del Nilo (Lates niloticus), provenienza Tanzania.

°°°

14 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1203 – Cadmio in granchi (cancer pagurus) refrigerati, provenienza Francia. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da distruggere o rispedire al mittente.

14 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1204 – Salmonella spp. in filetti surgelati di Persico del Nilo (Lates Niloticus), provenienza Tanzania. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo doganale. Stato del prodotto: nessuna distribuzione, prodotto da rispedire al mittente.

14 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1205 – Istamina in sashimi di tonno bianco in carpaccio crudo, provenienza Spagna. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: la destinazione è stata identificata, il prodotto è scaduto.

21 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1238 – Mercurio in tranci surgelati di squalo mako (Isurus spp.), provenienza Spagna. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale sul mercato interno. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, prodotto da cancellare dal mercato.

PRODOTTI FERMATI ALLA DOGANA ITALIANA, DA DISTRUGGERE O RESPINGERE AL MITTENTE

21 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BRG – Bacillus cereus in cagliata di soia, provenienza Cina.

21 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BRH – Migrazione di cromo e nickel da attrezzi da cucina, provenienza Cina.

21 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BRI – Caratteristiche organolettiche alterate di peperoni freschi, provenienza Albania.

21 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.BRJ – Aflatossine in mandorle sgusciate, provenienza Stati Uniti.

29 SETTEMBRE 2009 – Italia rif. 2009.1258 – Salmonella typhimurium in pancette di suino disossate surgelate, provenienza Olanda. Tipo di segnalazione: controllo ufficiale a seguito di notifica RASFF. Stato del prodotto: distribuzione avvenuta, eseguire trattamento termico

Questa ricetta è molto conosciuta  e si adatta anche ad altri pesci come le sogliolette, oppure anche per verdure,  a me piace prepararla ogni tanto per avere a disposizione in frigorifero qualcosa di pronto e di molto saporito.

Ingredienti:

• 1 kg di sarde  (squamate, lavate, private della testa e della lisca centrale  senza togliere la  pinnetta di coda)
• 1 kg di cipolle  bianche (tagliate a fettine sottili, si può usare anche l’affettatrice)
• 200 g di farina bianca 
• 1/2 l di aceto di vino rosso  (uso di preferenza metà aceto e metà vino bianco)
• 2 cucchiai di olio  di semi
• la giusta misura di olio di semi per friggere
• un po’ di sale

Dopo aver preparato gli ingredienti come sopra descritto, versare i due cucchiai d’olio in una padella larga ungendone il fondo a fuoco vivace, unire le cipolle e farle appassire a fuoco lento finchè saranno tutte trasparenti e avranno consumato l’acqua di vegetazione, a questo punto versare l’aceto  lasciando che le cipolle lo incorporino, sempre a fuoco basso, quindi salare e lasciare da parte il tegame con il coperchio.    Prepararsi a friggere le sardine già pronte asciutte su carta assorbente, infarinarle leggermente e friggerle,  poche alla volta, in olio caldo a fuoco vivace (oppure nella friggitrice) . Toglierle dall’olio ben dorate da ambo le parti, farle scolare e raffreddare su carta assorbente da cucina salandole nella giusta misura.

In un contenitore  adatto,  una terrina oppure una pirofila rettangolare, disporre a strati le sarde, sovrapponendovi un leggero strato di cipolle, così fino ad esaurire gli ingredienti; versare su tutto un 1/2 bicchiere di aceto. Il tutto va coperto e consumato almeno il giorno dopo. La preparazione, lo so, non andrebbe in frigorifero ma in luogo fresco, con il caldo però io consiglio di tenerla nella parte bassa del frigorifero.

En période de vacances, nous aimons savourer des choses simples … mais néanmoins délicieuses. Je vous propose aujourd’hui, des tartines composées d’ingrédients de saison, goûteux et colorés : des bruschetta aux sardines et aux parfums d’été.

Temps de préparation : 30 mn

Temps de cuisson : 15 mn

Les ingrédients pour 4 personnes :

8 belles sardines à l’huile d’olive

2 tomates

1 poivron rouge

1 poignée de pignons de pin

1 pot de pesto

4 tranches de pain de campagne

quelques feuilles de basilic ciselées

poivre du moulin

Préchauffez votre four à 200° et faites noircir le poivron sous le grill du four en les retournant de temps en temps. A sa sortie, emballez-le dans du papier d’aluminium pendant 15 mn pour pouvoir l’éplucher facilement. Otez les graines. (Pour les vrais vacanciers, sachez que vous pourrez trouver dans le commerce, des poivrons grillés en bocal). 

Faites griller les tranches de pain.

Coupez le poivron en lanières relativement épaisses et les tomates en rondelles.

Retirez la peau et l’arête des sardines (toujours pour les vacanciers, sachez qu’il existe dans le commerce, des filets de sardines à l’huile d’olive).

Faites revenir à sec dans une poêle les pignons de pin.

Il ne vous reste maintenant qu’à étaler une bonne couche de pesto sur les tranches de pain grillées et déposer les lanières de poivron rouge, les rondelles de tomates et deux à trois filets de sardines par tranche.

Poivrez, puis parsemez le tout de pignons et de quelques feuilles de basilic frais finement ciselées pour le parfum.

L’effet est superbe, accompagné d’une salade de jeunes pousses. Un délice à la portée de tous !

Suggestion : Vous pouvez remplacer le pesto par de la tapenade verte. C’est tout aussi délicieux.

Durante l’estate ci piace mangiare cose gustose e semplici che non ci appesantiscano troppo e siano veloci da preparare.

Ingredienti: (per 5 persone): * 1 Kg. sardine fresche * 33cc. aceto bianco * prezzemolo * olio d’oliva * peperoncino rosso * aglio * sale * pepe bianco in grani.

Preparazione:

Utilizzando una bacinella di acqua con ghiaccio, decapitare le sardine, quindi eviscerarle togliendo anche la lisca. Lavare bene sotto l’acqua i filetti di sardina ottenuti e riporli in una pirofila. Fare bollire quasi tutto l’aceto con qualche grano di pepe e un pizzico di sale, quindi versarlo sulle sardine. Quando si saranno raffreddate scolare le sardine. Preparate la marinata con olio, sale, aglio schiacciato, aceto. Irrorate con la marinata le sardine, quindi coprirle e lasciarle riposare in frigorifero. Si potranno consumare dopo circa 24h. di marinatura.

I was recently asked to do  a screen test for a big channel with my views on the next big thing in health and nutrition.  I had a think  about all the exciting super foods I could discuss which  nutritionists love and  people go crazy for like:  Brazilian acai or Chinese Goji, and then I stopped in my tracks and considered all the ”real life” foods  I couldn’t live without from a nutritional and taste perspective, foods that are affordable , nutritious and easily available to all.

Super normal foods 

The food I talked about is readily available  in the supermarket and we all know and  recognise it,  but what’s really interesting  is what  most people don’t know about it in terms of:

 1) Nutrient content and inherent health benefits

 2) How to incorporate it into delicious, healthy recipes

 3) Its  impact on the environment

Tiny fish - big benefits

Sardines, you may laugh, but I can’t get enough of them. They’re my favourite fish because they’re small, highly nutritious, cheap, cheerful and beauty and brain enhancing as well as being easy to prepare and surprisingly toxin free.

Whether you eat them fresh or canned, sardines are an exceptionally rich source of B vitamins which help us  balance our mood and stress response. Bony sardines also contain calcium and vitamin D, key nutrients essential for the health of our bones. You see, many people buy calcium supplements for bone health, but if only they ate bony sardines a few times a week, they would be increasing their calcium intake from natural foods sources which is way better.

Sardines are also full of Zinc and Selenium, two antioxidant minerals which  are vitally important for the immune system and keeping those nasties away – especially important now with the swine flu outbreak.

Healthy, toxin free, sustainable fish choices

You may ask why I’m touting fish to be  the next big thing in health and nutrition, and it’s true that  most of us already consider  fish to be healthy option. Nothing  new there.  However, within that category most people don’t truly know that much about the healthiest fish choices or even consider the wider impact their choice of  fish has on the environment.

There’s a whole new fish revolution in the US called the Sardinista movement and it’s all about promoting sardines as a sustainable and healthier fish choice to rival others. Sardines don’t accumulate such high levels of mercury or toxins in the same way larger carnivorous fish such as tuna, swordfish or salmon do. They appear  low down the food chain, are not overfished,  feed primarily on vegetation and are therefore less exposed to toxins. So just remember, the smaller the fish, the better it is and in this instance small fry is definitely a good thing

All of these factors, i.e. good levels of nutrients, high levels of protein and omega-3s, and relatively low toxin levels make sardines an excellent choice for  heath aware consumers and the increasingly eco conscious.

Satiate the senses and satisfy your inner activist

I talked about the sardine movement in the US and that trend will translate onto our shores with high-end chefs rediscovering the pleasure of fresh sardines and increasingly including them on their menus. Those who prefer home cooked food can serve them with ginger, garlic and ponzu sauce or pan-roast them with fennel for a delicious treat.

Whilst on a budget at university I devised my own dish nick named sardine bolognese. Despite such culinary naivety,  I quickly realised that  tinned sardines in tomato made a rich sauce with  fried onions, garlic, and basil,  and added to fresh tagliatele ,  they made a tantalising treat. Suffice to say, I became very popular and realised that  men do adore a girl who can cook…

Today I’m a Harley Street nutritionist, food analyst and bona fide foodie, but I’m still passionate about these cheap treats  and I recommend them to taste seekers, the  health conscious, eco guilty and budget aware . They will feed your desire for taste and health, satisfy your senses and satiate your inner activist. Go sardine.

Dora Walsh

www.nutriheal.net

Come check out uHAPS’ coverage of the Goose Island Party at Sardine from this past Friday in Madison, WI!:

http://madison.uhaps.com/Event.aspx?id=5077

Ingrediente (pentru 2 persoane)

6 sardine proaspete sau fileuri de sardine
3 rosii
2 ardei grasi
4 cartofi medii
2 lamai
4-5 catei de usturoi
cateva frunze de patrunjel
ierburi de Provence
4 linguri de ulei de masline
sare

Eu am avut fileuri de sardine proaspete, deci pestele eviscerat si fara cap si coada. Cine are sardinele intregi sa-l aduca la stadiu de fileu inlaturand solzii cu un cutitas sau cu degetul (se iau foarte usor), apoi taindu-le burta, capul si coada, spalandu-le bine si, eventual, scotand sira cu oase (daca e pestele mic oasele alea se mesteca, nu trebuie scoase).
Se incinge gratarul la maximum si mai intai se coc ardeii, ca se fac cel mai greu. Cand li s-a innegrit pielea se pun intr-un vas de jena acoperit sau pur si simplu intr-o punga care se inchide bine. Se lasa 10-15 minute sa se inabuse, pentru ca astfel se curata mai bine dupa.
In timpul asta se pun pe gratar pestii si cartofii curatati si taiati felii subtiri (si sardinele si feliile de cartofi trebuie stropite in prealabil cu ulei de masline, peste care se presara putina sare si ierburi de Provence). Gratarul trebuie setat la o temperatura mai joasa, sa nu se lipeasca pestele de tot. Oricum, si cartofii si pestele sunt gata se fac destul de repede, in cateva minute. La jumatatea timpului se intorc sa se rumenasca uniform.
Ardeii se curata de coaja arsa, se arunca cotoarele dupa care se taie in felii subtiri. Rosiile se taie cubulete.
Usturoiul se curata si se mixeaza intr-un blender cu patrunjelul, zeama de la cele 2 lamai si uleiul de masline.
Cand sunt gata, sardinele se maruntesc usor si se amesteca intr-un vas cu feliile de cartofi, fasiile de ardei, cubuletele de rosii si sosul de usturoi. Se amesteca bine si se lasa in vasul acoperit timp de 10 minute, sa se patrunda gusturile.
E gata
P.s. Sunt sigura ca ar merge si un ou fiert la reteta asta, o sa incerc data viitoare.

Now that I’ve recovered somewhat from my week-long sojourn down in Durban, it’s time to turn my attention to writing again with some things that caught my attention.

Kwa-Zulu Natal, on the east coast of South Africa, is famous for the annual sardine (alternatively known as a pilchard) run which usually occurs between June and July, but sometimes as early as May. In recent years however, the shoals which have beached in the past, have slowly dried up. There were huge catches in some odd years, but the general trend is that the “greatest shoal on Earth” is slowly becoming a no-show. This year was no different.

While sitting on a south coast beach, waiting with hundreds of other eager sardine-spotters, I pondered why the great sardine run is turning into the great sardine crawl in recent years. It’s really tempting to blame global warming, although how exactly, I have no idea. I overheard one guy on the shore say that the sardines are getting smarter. They’re learning how not to get caught. Who knows? He may be right. Evolution is supposed to be continuous after all. Well, I certainly hope they’re not getting smarter, because they sure make a tasty snack. And it won’t do, to hope it’s because of global warming either. That’s certainly not very smart.

On a slightly more significant note, well only just; last Friday evening while on my way to visit a cousin in my old hometown near Durban, I noticed some rather colourful, bright neon lights flashing up ahead on a hill. Thinking that it was some new club that had opened, I was rather taken aback to discover that they were in fact adorning a Hindu temple. Having followed the religion, many years ago before returning to Atheism, I’m used to Hinduism being rather conservative and dignified, well lacklustre really. This garish display of brightly flashing lights on top of a building that is revered by Hindus, is more reminiscent of a casino.

I actually burst out laughing at the time and afterwards remembered where I had seen such a phenomenon before: about two years ago I saw almost the same neon lighting display (although not in so many colours) on a modern building in Toronto, Canada, which could easily be identified as a church because of the large cross on the side of the building. Is this the way of the future? Religions trying to attract the noticeably dwindling flocks, with a casino-style lure? Or is it just a modern beacon for worshippers who have become lost? I wonder?