Weems Creek

2006-11-30T12:37:00.000-05:00

Letters from the Rambling Rector

Sunday, 19 November 2006

My Dear St. Mark's Community,

The South African leg of our sabbatical comes to a close. Tomorrow evening, Pontheolla and I fly from Johannesburg to Amsterdam. From Amsterdam, we Eurail to Munich (where we'll see Dorothee Hahn, one of our former seminarians and now associate priest at Ascension Anglican Church), Prague, and Salzburg, before ending up outside of Florence for six weeks. While in Florence, we plan to rest and recreate and do no sabbatical study (well, if we do, it shall be only by human accident or cosmic serendipity!).

This overview of our South African journey is lengthier than our previous 'from the road' missives, for so much of what we have experienced, we feel, is unforgettably and deeply informative regarding the sabbatical theme.

Johannesburg

We flew into Johannesburg on Tuesday, 24 October, in a deluge. (This is the rainy season in South Africa. Rains are common and heavy, with lightening displays the likes of which I've not seen. On a couple of occasions, I could have sworn that I heard the banging of Noah's hammer!) We disembarked via stairs to the tarmac. Armed soldiers stood about in varying postures of readiness, for what, we weren't sure. However, given the warnings, indeed, reality of the high incidence of crime, this was but a prelude to the pervasive evidences of and attention to security that we would encounter.

We reconnected with old friends, Earl Neil, a retired Episcopal priest who served for many years in the DC area, his wife, Angela, a native South African, and their daughter, LaToya. It is grand thing, when traveling, to have friends in various places who truly ably can share the sense and spirit of life in the land.

Our visit to the Apartheid Museum made for an equally inspiring and dispiriting afternoon. Inspiring, for we were reminded of the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of grievous oppression. Dispiriting given the reminders of the seemingly fathomless depths of human cruelty and the nonpareil human capacity to justify the cruelty. An arresting museum feature confronts you immediately. Upon paying the admission fee, you are given (irrespective of your race or ethnicity) a card identifying you as a white or non-white person, each directing you to enter the museum by the designated door. The idea is to give you a sense of what apartheid was like. The museum's exhibits ' photographic, textual, visual, audio-visual (much of it, archival film), and actual (e.g., bales of concertina wire piled high, a massive state police armored vehicle used in the suppression of anti-apartheid rallies, replicas of the tiny prison cells in which the incarcerated were held) arrayed in chronological order from the conception and development of the apartheid system through its dismantlement to Nelson Mandela's emancipation and the pathway toward democracy ' are extensive and elaborate. I cannot do justice by describing them, so I won't try. Again, we spent an afternoon and, easily, could have spent thrice the time.

We also spent an afternoon in Soweto (Southwestern Township), perhaps the most well known South African township ' a vast conglomeration of several black communities with a population of about 3.5 million people. George, our guide and driver (a necessity, we're told), a Sowetan, took us wherever we wanted to go. Siphiwe, another guide, took us part way down a street in one of oldest parts of Soweto, a shanty settlement. (He assured us, upon entering, that it was completely safe, but added, cautiously, 'Let us go in peace, so that we don't come back in pieces.' A sobering advisement.) One water spigot, called a standpipe, and one port-a-potty serve a neighborhood of 16 families. The streets are dirt paths. The homes made mostly of tin, mud, clay, or whatever materials are available. Most homes are girded about with fencing of whatever sort, yet, all are topped with concertina wire, the latter being a status symbol, Siphiwe said, signaling that the owner has something valuable and worth protecting. (Incidentally, almost all Johannesburg homes have gates, fencing, and barbed wire. In the wealthier neighborhoods, the fencing sometimes is electrified. Additionally, it is not uncommon to see 24-hour guards stationed at sentry posts. The South African security industry is pervasive and prosperous. Fear, apparently, is a successful marketing and sales tool.) We visited a school, where 15 children, newborn to age 3, were crammed into a room the size of St. Mark's sacristy. It was the lunch hour. The meal consisted of ground meal and mixed vegetables, which the caregiver/teacher provided as most parents could not afford to do so. We were so affected by the poverty and by the power and pride of the people to persevere that we offered a contribution, small by our standards, to cover the cost of a 2-week supply of food. We visited the Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church, the largest Catholic parish in Soweto, with seating for about 2,000 and a congregation about twice that number, and a designated national landmark for its role as a gathering and meeting site for anti-apartheid activism. (As a stark symbol of that activism, the church retains the several ceiling and window panels with holes, made by bullets fired both from within and without, left by the state police in the effort to break up an anti-apartheid rally during the 1976 uprising.) We visited the memorial and museum of Hector Pietersen, the first child murdered by the state police during the 16 June 1976 Soweto student uprising against the government's imposition of Afrikaans as the language of all education ' an uprising that gave new vitality to the anti-apartheid movement. Across the street from the museum stands Holy Cross Anglican Church. We met the rector, Steve Moreo, a most genuine person, who exudes equal measures of gentleness and strength. We visited the home that Nelson Mandela lived in before his 27-year incarceration on Robben Island near Cape Town and the home to which he immediately returned upon his release. He now lives in the Houghton Estate area, two blocks from the B&B where we stayed. (By the way, 'Nelson' is the name given to Mandela by a teacher during the early years of his formative education, who could not pronounce his given name, Rolihlahla, which, prophetically, means, 'disturber'!) We also passed by the homes of Desmond Tutu and Winnie Mandela. As we prepared to leave Soweto, George said, earnestly, 'I hope you enjoyed your visit.' I replied, 'Enjoyed? No, we can't say that. Moved and inspired? Yes, that we can say.' He answered, very quietly, 'Thank you for saying that.'

Hillcrest

After a week in Johannesburg, on 30 October, we drove southeast to Hillcrest, a town between Pietermaritzburg and Durban in the Land of a 1000 Hills. (For me, driving a manual transmission car on the left side of the road with the steering wheel on the right was somewhat stressful. I had to think more about what I was doing, but, I suppose, being a natural 'lefty' helped. One other thing, South African drivers are, in three words, speedy and daring!)

This two-week leg of our journey was arranged by our own Eliza Getman. (We thank Maureen Shea, who, many months ago, got in touch with Eliza on our behalf. Here, we'd like to thank Greg Gay, too, for his good assistance regarding the South Africa portion of our sabbatical.) Through Eliza, we were 'in residence' at her parish, Holy Trinity Anglican Church. Jenny Sistig is the rector. With her husband, Andreas, also a priest, they serve Holy Trinity and the four valley congregations of the Zulu community (Christ the King in Molweni, Ekukhanyeni kukaKrestu [EKK, for short] in Nyuswa, Holy Spirit, and Kwamsindisi in Nqeto). They are young, energetic, committed, and compassionate people and priests. Their dedication left me, as a priest of 28 years, hopeful for the state of ordained ministry in the current and next generations.

Andreas took us on an afternoon's journey to and around the valley ' a land of exquisite, indescribable geographical beauty and excruciating human poverty. We also joined him on a 'bereavement call'. A woman, a member of one of the valley churches, had died after suffering prolonged physical abuse from her husband of whom she was the second of three wives. Upon entering the home, we observed the mourning customs. The son busied himself with preparing the house for guests and the feast the family was obligated to provide. The women of the family, the daughter, sisters, and the third wife, who is considered a sister of the deceased, sat on a mattress on the floor where they would remain until the day of the funeral. The mother's clothes were stretched out on the floor beside the mattress. A candle was lit nearby. (This last detail brought to mind the Lazarus story in John's gospel, particularly the ancient notion that the spirit [or flame] of the dead lingers near the body for four days, then, departs.) Andreas led us in praying with the family and offering words of condolence.

On another day, I went with Andreas to the home of Christina Gasa, an 80-something year old grandmother, who suffers from cataracts and other disabilities of aging. As many of her children have died from AIDS, she cares for 9 grandchildren. Her home, in the valley, about half-way down a steep, half-kilometer hill, has two rooms, all of which could fit within the space of our Penniman Room at Baxter House. We were there to assess her needs and to offer help. This, for me, was a proverbial unforgettable, perhaps, life-changing experience. Christina offered a selfless hospitality in welcoming us into her home, a gracious humility in accepting whatever help we offered (which, truth to tell, was far short of her needs), and an admirable faith and fortitude in coping with her daily cares. (I discovered later that she also climbs that hill each Sunday and walks 2+ kilometers to church!) Christina, in the two hour's time of our visit, taught or re-taught me a number of things: that physical poverty does not mean that one lacks wealth, for her spirit was abundant in its capacity to give; that an abiding, unassailable faith in God is honorable and is to be respected, even, perhaps especially from the standpoint of a skeptical believer like me; that when I complain about my 'various worries and woes' I must try to do so in fair relation to their severity, for the daily burden of some others is far weightier than anything I endure; and that graciousness and hospitality have much to do with a true welcome and acceptance of 'the other'. On this last point, I was 'the other' in Christina's home, yet, she received me as if she had known me for a lifetime. (Upon entering a Zulu home, it is customary to sit immediately without being asked. To do otherwise would be an insult. Yet, before I could sit down on the floor, Christina rushed to bring me a mat upon which I could sit. She did this, not because I was a priest, an 'uZwe' or 'carer', but because I, simply, was who I am, a person who had come to her home. In the spirit of the Zulu greeting or word of hello, 'sawubonya', meaning, 'I see you', she, simply and profoundly, had seen me.)

That same afternoon, we visited the home of Edie Zondi, whose granddaughter, Slindiwe, had served as our translator during our visit with Christina (although Andreas has an admirably and enviably good working knowledge of the isiZulu language). Edie was so pleased that we had come into her home. Here, as with Christina, I felt the presence of a sacred spirit of hospitality. Over tea and biscuits, Edie spoke of her daughter's death, some years before, due to AIDS. In recounting her experience, she repeated the question that she had asked many times, 'God, why did you let AIDS come to my house?' She, then, spoke of reaching some resolution in hearing the voice of God, saying, 'I stand at the door and knock. To those who open the door, I will enter and dwell with them.' I recognized the words as a paraphrase of Jesus' words in a passage from the Book of Revelation. Yet, Edie shared it, I believe, as a word of solace and strength that had found a home in her heart. Edie's loss remained great, yet, with assurance, she could say, 'I know that Man' (meaning God). There was a time when I might have described such faith in God as sincere and simple. However, here, I sensed a profundity in Edie's ever holding in tension her anguish and her assurance ' not one alone or one without the other, but rather, the latter in spite or, indeed, because of the former. There is nothing simple about maintaining such a daily, delicate spiritual balance.

On Sunday, 5 November, we attended worship at Holy Spirit Anglican Church, one of the Zulu congregations. Although we didn't understand most of what was said and sung, because it was an Anglican liturgy of Holy Eucharist, we could follow easily. (I am reminded of Ed Kneedler's comment during a 28 June post-General Convention meeting at St. Mark's. Ed expressed his desire that the Anglican Communion remain intact and, particularly, that the Episcopal Church not desert the Communion, for there is immeasurable value in being and feeling welcomed throughout the world in the familiar liturgies of the Anglican Church.) The pews, fashioned in the shape of a semi-circle, were filled with women, men, and many children. The singing was rapturous ' a capella, richly musical and harmonious, and vigorous, with much clapping and dancing. The preaching of the Rev. Doris Sithole, a 76-year old community priest (a member of the Holy Spirit church community; much like our adjunct clergy in relation to St. Mark's) was impassioned. Doris invited me to say a word, which I did (well, actually, it was a JAFT, just a few thoughts, one of which was my sharing your greetings, as the St. Mark's community, to the people of Holy Spirit), with one of the wardens serving as my translator.

At Holy Trinity, I presided and preached at a Thursday midweek service, during which we used the Eucharistic rite from the 'old' South African prayer book (think 1928 Book of Common Prayer or the Rite I service in our current BCP). On Sunday, 12 November, I co-presided with Jenny and shared a JOT (just one thought) as an appendage to her sermon. (Prior to the service, Jenny generously invited me to participate in these ways, graciously apologizing for belatedly confirming her requests, and thanking me for being so flexible. I replied, 'Jenny, no need to apologize. I'm the rector of St. Mark's, Capitol Hill, where flexibility is a requirement.')

We also were treated to an enjoyable evening of dinner and fellowship with Eliza and her family, Jonny, her husband, their children, Noah, Aidan, and Luke, and Sara, her mother-in-law. Other dinner guests, along with Jenny and Andreas, were Michael and Dorrie Nuttall, the former Bishop of the Diocese of Natal and his wife. Conversation was lively ' mostly about the politics of the Anglican Church and America. Regarding the latter, everywhere we've gone both in England and South Africa, as soon as we open our mouths, someone will say, nearly always in the following order, three things: (1) 'You're American, aren't you? I can tell by your accents,' (2) 'Where are you from?' and (3) 'Let me tell you what I think (largely unfavorable) about your government.'

Additionally, through Eliza's good offices, I was invited to present my paper, 'Reflections on Pluralism', at the Theological Caf' ' a weekly gathering of the faculty and student body of the religion and theology department of the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg Campus. After my opening brief (really!) remarks, the floor was opened for comments and questions. The response, both from Christian and Muslim participants, was lively and engaged. I have treasured each and every moment when I've been challenged to rethink and amend or embellish what I have written.

Finally, we attended two meetings, each different, one from another, and each significant in its own way.

START HERE...

One was a gathering of the Anglican clergy of the region. The rector of the parish where the meeting was held warmly welcomed and introduced us as visitors from Washington, DC. He, then, apologized for not knowing how to pronounce Pontheolla's name, asking her to say it. He, having misheard her, thinking that she had said Pantheolla, replied, 'Does your name come from 'pantheon' as in 'pantheon of the gods'?' To which I replied, humorously, 'No, she is God!' He laughed, nervously. (Immediately, I wish that I hadn't been so flippant. As a guest, especially in light of the sabbatical theme, I had a sense that I, as 'the other', might have offended 'the other.') The meeting's focus was evangelical in nature; evangelism understood traditionally as winning souls for Jesus Christ, particularly through the means of Christians 'invading secular space' so to meet people where they are. At the end of the meeting, the rector asked us to divide into prayer teams of 3-4. Some of the teams prayed in what I would term a 'charismatic' fashion ' that is, in recognition of and reliance on charisms or gifts of the Spirit ' with audible exhortations and the laying on of hands, in one case, resulting in the person for whom prayer was offered being 'slain in the Spirit' (that is, spiritually 'struck down' and physically falling to the floor as a sign of the Spirit's having killed some inner defect of sin, so to raise one to renewed and strengthened life in Christ). It had been a long while since we encountered such acts of what we would call hyperspirituality or what some refer to as 'happy, clappy Christianity.' For Pontheolla, it brought to her mind many childhood scenes growing up in the Church of God in South Carolina. Under the banner of our theme, 'conversation with the other,' as much as we would have liked to have said, 'If it works for you, then, blessed are you,' we, nevertheless, were left not knowing what to think, but remaining rather skeptical.

The second meeting was the Growth Group ' a cross section of people from the Holy Trinity and valley congregations who prayerfully and thoughtfully are focused on how to 'grow the community'. Pontheolla and I attended. A fair portion of the 2-hour meeting was devoted to members of the group directing questions to us about St. Mark's. We had an open opportunity to share something of our rich communal life with them ' what works and what doesn't work. By all appearances, given the avid interest of the growth group members, we're an interesting bunch! However, what impressed me most was the Growth Group's focus or, I should say, foci, for congregational growth was addressed in a number (pun intended) of ways ' not merely numerically, but also spiritually, and, even more and as importantly, in terms of mission and service. There already is much about the Holy Trinity and valley congregational communities with which I would like us, as a parish, to explore and consider engaging. (Recall that I expressed a similar interest in our developing a relationship with St. James's Church, Piccadilly. Suffice it to say, this sabbatical has opened my mind, heart, and spirit to an array of possibilities for us as a community for developing and deepening our connections with others around the world.)

Johannesburg, again

We returned to Johannesburg on Monday, 13 November. With the exception of one hour, it rained unbelievably hard for the duration of the 5-hour drive. (By the way, the N-3 highway between Jo'burg and Durban passes through some of the most gorgeous countryside imaginable, much of it known as Drakensberg ' rolling hills, verdant pastures, lofty and majestic mesas, and distant and shadowy mountains. Around each bend of the highway lay one more breathtaking sight. Think of driving through the Smokey Mountains, only on a steeper and more serpentine road.)

Penultimate Words ' For Now

Under the heading of sabbatical 'findings,' a few, but not all of the things I've discovered or, perhaps, rediscovered while traveling around the world'

1. 'The other,' whoever she or he may be, even when it is one's self, has inherent dignity simply by virtue of having been created. Our conversation, indeed, all conversation, even inward conversation must be carried out with common, perhaps uncommon human respect, both for the other and for one's self.

2. The idea of 'the other' must be expanded beyond those who differ in faith and religion, even race and culture to include those who occupy different economic strata. The poor have much to tell us and teach us about human authenticity, dignity, and hospitality.

3. We, Americans, are passionate and profligate consumers. So much of the world lives on far less, indeed, needs far less in order to live. I recall a news report while we were in London. The New Economic Foundation, a British think-tank, marked 9 October 2006 as the day when humankind had reached the point of consuming the earth's resources beyond their renewable sustainability. We shouldn't be surprised that America was designated the chief national offender. Moreover, during the flight to Johannesburg, I watched Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth ' twice! All of this stirs up in me a hope that Pontheolla and I and we, St. Mark's, as individuals and as a community, can become and will be repentant consumers, that is, that we continue to learn to be more conscious environmentally. In this regard, I am gratified to read on our egroups of the ongoing efforts of Jane Osborne and others at St. Mark's concerning our deepening involvement with the Greater Washington Interfaith Power and Light as we learn to be greater stewards of God's resources.

4. The South African 'experiment in democracy' is less than generation old, yet, there is much that we, Americans, in the 231st year of our experiment in democracy, can learn. There is much violence in this land. One is reminded daily through even a cursory glance at the news. However, I find something deeply inspiring and empowering about the fact that our South African sisters and brothers were able to bring about an internal regime change with the committed help of a global consortium of nations and without the massive, nationwide bloodshed that long had been predicted and feared. If I were to venture a political comment, I find many lessons to be learned from the South African experience in regard to what we as an American nation have wrought in Iraq.

5. At the same time, there is much that America can teach South Africa. Apartheid was so brutally, relentlessly divisive, separating people, one from another, in every way ' physically, socially, culturally, spiritually, economically, and politically. Hence, in this new day, peoples have to learn about 'the other' in daily social, public, and, certainly, political exchanges previously unknown. As continually and deeply flawed, in some respects, as I believe our American race relations are, we do have an historical track record of racial assimilation and acclimation to share.

6. More personally: South Africa has 11 official languages. Most South Africans of whatever racial or tribal group are bilingual, trilingual, or, even, quadralingual, speaking some combination of Afrikaans, English, Ndebele, Xhosa, Zulu, and other native languages. I am reminded of the Apostle Paul's 1st Corinthians reference to language facility in relation to love: 'If I can speak in every human tongue and that of angels'' Paul makes clear that without love, being able to communicate with others is only making noise. Nevertheless, the capacity to speak with others in their languages is a gift. Although I have a great fondness for words, I am fluent only in English. I have read Bill Flanders' 12 November sermon at St. Mark's, based on Jesus' story of the widow's mite. On reflection, while in South Africa, I, on many occasions, either by accident or intentional search, have discovered my deep poverty. I have found myself, when in conversation with others, incapable of listening clearly, understanding deeply, and expressing myself meaningfully. I was poor. I am poor. I wonder. When I return to the comfort of my familiar surroundings in my country, my city, my neighborhood, and my parish community, will I relax and forget again my poverty?

7. More locally: Concerning us, St. Mark's, as I mention above, I see possibilities of our engaging in and with the mission and ministries, the life and witness of both St. James's, Piccadilly, and Holy Spirit and the valley congregations in South Africa. St. James's because of the multiple similarities with St. Mark's and the Hillcrest church communities because of the many differences. Even more, the sabbatical has helped me to reach a greater sense of vision for St. Mark's, of course, as I see it. If I were to attempt at this stage to articulate it in a few words, it would be: Faithfully grounded locally, St. Mark's engages in mission and ministry globally. I relish talking more with you about our parish vision upon my return.

A Final Word:

Dear friends, please know of Pontheolla's and my love for you and our community. We miss you greatly and look forward to returning and sharing life anew with you.

Love, always and in all ways,
Paul

2006-11-25T12:07:00.000-05:00

2.0 Another version, using also a list:

Now that's a list
And this is an item in the list
and this is an indent to start another list in the list

call MKL for birthday greeting

ending
end
ended

Or would this be a better editor to create blog?

Create & save to-do list
get Florence apt.

call Oregon again
contact Linda via Rick or direct

do 30 min. yoga minimum
shower & hairwash
get BMW inspection ASAP
upgrade Mac by noon

more RAM

select vendor
order 512 MB card to replace 128 MB card

bigger HD

ID method to reuse original 30 GB

select vendor for drive enclosure, drive
order 80-120 GB drive
order drive enclosure
remove drive and place in enclosure which can get power from adapter, USB, or FireWire port

Stove Top Smoking

2006-11-20T12:13:00.000-05:00

Potted Salmon / Rillettes: recipes & websites

2006-11-20T10:09:00.000-05:00

And a recipe from Corban's, NZ (?)

Potted Salmon:

Enjoying Wine
Potted Salmon
Potted SalmonServes 6

* 3 tablespoons cream cheese
* 1 cup créme fraîche
* 1 teaspoon brandy
* juice of 1/2 lime
* 1 small clove garlic, minced
* 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
* 200g hot-smoked salmon, skin discarded
* zest of 1 lime
* sliced rye bread or pumpernickel to serve

Beat together the cream cheese, créme fraîche, brandy, lime juice, garlic and thyme.

Cut the salmon into rough 2cm dice.

Using a fork, mash a few peices of salmon into the cream cheese mixture. Gently fold in the remaining salmon and the lime zest.

Spoon into ramekins or small bowls, cover and refrigerate for at least four hours before serving.

Spread onto small squares of rye bread or pumpernickel to serve.
Wine Match

Sauvignon Blanc (Corbans Cottage Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc)

Recipe courtesy of Cuisine
The Great British Kitchen
Potted salmon was very popular in the eighteenth century. There are a number of variations and this one comes from Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Ingredients

Serves: 4

4 x 175 Gram Salmon steaks (6 oz)
15 Gram Ground mace & ground cloves well mixed
White pepper
50 Gram Butter (2 oz)
Melted butter

Method

Set the oven to 180 �C / 350 �F / Gas 4.

Wipe the salmon steaks and season with the spices and a little pepper. Place in a well-buttered ovenproof dish and dot with butter. Cover with a lid or piece of foil and bake for 30-40 minutes, occasionally basting the steaks with the liquid.

Lift out the salmon steaks and allow to drain well. Allow to cool a little, then remove all skin and bones and flake the flesh finely. Place in 4-6 ramekin dishes and press down well. Spoon the melted butter over the fish to seal, and leave to set. Serve well chilled, as a starter, with buttered crusty bread or toast."

Green Tomatoes, Pickles, et al.

2006-10-16T06:29:00.000-04:00

Pickles, e.g.:

See del.icio.us: green tomato Pickle cookery recipe
HOT FISH-HOUSE STYLE GREEN TOMATO
PICKLES

2 qts. quartered green tomato
2 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped hot peppers
2 c. sugar
3 tbsp. salt
2 c. vinegar
1 tsp. celery seed

Put tomatoes, onions and hot peppers in large pan. Mix remaining ingredients together. Pour over tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat immediately, put in hot, sterile jars and seal.

NOTE: For spicy but not hot pickles, reduce hot pepper to half or less the amount called for and fill. Measure with chopped sweet peppers.

Spiced Pickled Onions & Peppers Recipe
Green Tomato Kosher Pickles Recipe

Submitted by: rec.food.recipes Piper edmaldonado
Difficulty: 3 (1=easiest :: hardest=5)
Serves/Makes: 1 quart
Ingredients:
10 small green tomatoes or cucumbers
1/2 cup vinegar
2 cups water
3 cloves garlic
2 red peppers, dried
1/4 celery stalk
1/4 cup salt
1 bay leaf
Directions:
Place green tomatoes (or cucumbers) in a quart jar. Bring vinegar, water and salt to a boil, cool, and add to the jar with bay leaf, garlic, red peppers, celery. Seal tightly. Let stand at room temperature for 3 days. Open and taste. Store in refrigerator.
This recipe for Green Tomato Kosher Pickles serves/makes 1 quart
Green Tomato Pickles Recipe
Ingredients:
25 green tomatoes -- thickly sliced
1 pint vinegar
4 cups brown sugar
cloves -- to taste
cinnamon stick -- to taste
whole allspice -- to taste
Directions:
Let tomatoes stand overnight. Sprinkle with salt, then drain. Cook until tender. Add vinegar, brown sugar, and spices to taste.
This recipe for Green Tomato Pickles serves/makes 25
Green Tomato Pickles Recipes
Ingredients:
1 gallon green tomatoes
or
16 cups sliced
1/4 cup salt
1/2 tablespoon powdered alum
3 cups vinegar; 5% acidity
1 cup water
4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mixed spices
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 tablespoon mustard seed
Directions:
Slice tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and allow to stand overnight. Next morning drain and pour 2 quarts of boiling water with 1/2 tablespoon of powdered alum over the tomatoes and let stand 20 minutes. Drain and cover with cold water, drain. Combine vinegar, water, sugar and spices; tie spices loosely in bag, and bring to a boil. Pour this over the tomatoes. Let stand in this solution overnight. Then drain and bring solution to boil and pour over tomatoes. Let stand overnight. On the third morning bring the pickles and solution to a boil. Pack into sterilized jars to within 1/2 inch of top. Put on cap, screw band firmly tight. Process in boiling water bath 10 minutes.
This recipe for Green Tomato Sweet Pickles serves/makes 8 pints
Simply Recipes: Pickled Jalapeños (Escabeche) Recipe: "Pickled Jalapeños (Escabeche) Recipe

Chiles Jalapeños y Serrano Escabeche

This year I decided to grow jalapeno and serrano chiles - those wonderfully hot and flavorful Mexican chiles that are used salsa, guacamole, and so many Mexican dishes. But I certainly wasn't expecting each plant to yield over a pound of chiles! What to do with so many? I posed the question to Diana Kennedy when she was in town a few weeks ago. The answer? Escabeche, or pickled jalape�os. Of course. I remember these being served as a condiment with so many meals I've had when visiting Mexico. My mother used to buy jars of escabeche when I was a child. The chiles can be cut up and used for so many dishes.

1 lbs serrano or jalapeño chile peppers
1/3 cup olive oil
2 medium white onions, thickly sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
3 cups apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp Kosher salt or sea salt
2 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
4 sprigs of fresh marjoram or 1/4 teaspoon dried
4 sprigs of fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried
1 Tbsp sugar

1 Wash the chiles, leaving the stems intact. Cut a cross in the tip end of each chile so that the vinegar will be able to penetrate.

2 Heat oil in a large, deep skillet. Add the chiles, onions, carrots, and garlic. Fry over medium heat for about 10 minutes, turning them over occasionally.

3 Add the vinegar, salt, herbs, and sugar and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes for serranos or 10 minutes for jalape�os.

4 Pack 6 half-pint sterilized jars with the chiles and vegetables. Top with the vinegar and seal.

Once opened, can keep for one month in the refrigerator.

Note from Diana Kennedy is that partially cooked chiles allow for the growth of bacteria. It is very important to cook the chiles thoroughly if they are to be stored for any length of time.

Recipe adapted from The Essential Cuisines of Mexico."

GREEN TOMATO PICKLE

Printed from COOKS.COM

1/4 pkg. (1 3/4 lb.) green tomatoes
4 onions
1/4 c. salt
4 peppers, chopped
1 qt. vinegar
1/2 tsp. celery seed
1/2 tsp. mustard seed
1 tbsp. whole allspice
1 tbsp. whole cloves
1 lb. sugar

Firm, small to medium green tomatoes (entirely green, not partially ripe) and firm, white onions. Wash well. Slice tomatoes and onions, sprinkle with salt and let stand overnight. Rinse well in cold water; add peppers. To the vinegar, add spices (tied in a bag) and sugar. Mix with vegetables and cook for about 2 hours. Remove spice bag. Seal pickle in clean, hot sterilized jars.

Makes five 1 pint jars.

Sally's green tomato pickle :: Recipe :: ABC Tasmania

[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/tasmania/stories/s1328033.htm]
Sally's green tomato pickle
Chef: Sally Wise
Chilly nights and frost on the ground? This easily-made pickle's a good way to use up those green tomatoes you get at the end of the growing season.

You need:
Tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, spices and flavouring. Use a good quality curry powder for best results.

750 ml bottle vinegar (white gives the best presentation)

3kg (6lb) green tomatoes

1kg (2lb) onions

small handful of salt

½ teaspoon pepper

1kg (2lb) sugar

3 tablespoons curry powder

3 tablespoons mustard powder

Method:

Chop the onions and tomatoes, sprinkle with salt, mix well in a bowl, then leave to stand overnight.

Next day drain off the fluid. Add three quarters of the vinegar, bring to the boil and boil for 10 minutes. Add the sugar, bring back to the boil, stirring, then boil for one hour, stirring often.

Mix the remaining vinegar with the dry ingredients. Add to the pot and stir until well combined. Boil 5 minutes, then bottle and seal.

Sally tells us this is "...the best and easiest pickle recipe she's ever come across".

Recent Dinners; Witte-Mork Visit

2005-09-10T07:26:00.000-04:00

A list of trips, menus this past week:

Friday night:

Thai-ish fish soup
Basmati rice
Vanilla ice cream with home-made chocolate sauce

Thursday:

During the day we went over to Blackwater National
Wildlife Refuge. Saw many great blue herons and snowy egrets, also many tri-color herons - they look much like great blue but shorter. Mimo was also fascinated by the frogs and many turtles and one great Delaware fox squirrel.
night - we went to Cantler's in St. Margarets for a dozen large steamed crabs, Maryland crab soup, potato salad, french fries, wine and beer and coca cola, ending with very good chocolate cake. Mimo completely enjoyed smashing open crab claws and picking crabs. Also enjoyed seeing the crab trays in the "zoo" and the Maryland diamondback terrapins in the restoration pens.

Wednesday night:
Tuesday night: sushi at Joss, Annapolis
Other items:

A fatoosh, bread salad with many leftover iterms included.
The smoked cod brandade with dried tomatoes.
The salmon in potato chip crust with green sauce. Too salty - look for less salty potato chips.

Baked Halibut Fillet with a Potato Chip Crust Dinner

2005-08-31T08:37:00.000-04:00

Corn on the cob, white and yellow
Caesar and caprese salad
Baked Halibut Fillet with a Potato Chip Crust

Baked Halibut Fillet with a Potato Chip Crust

- Ingredients

1/2 cup crushed potato chips - a good way to crush is to roll under a round wooden pestle or rolling pin
1/4 cup bread crumbs - used Panko crumbs
1 teaspoon dried dill - as I didn't have any dried dill, I ground up 2 tsp dill seed and then sieved out the hard cores, yeilding perhaps 3/4 tsp dill dust; I then added approx. 1/4 tsp curry powder, 1/4 tsp garam masala. Twas delicious, and subtle.
1 clove garlic, pressed
1 large salmon fillet (about 3 pounds), skin on - used a 1 1/2 lb fillet halibut - wonderful
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepper

Garnishes

1 lemon, cut into 6 wedges
Fresh dill sprigs - I found a leftover green cilantro chutney which was a great idea, which recipe I don't have to hand but should be easy to find one on Internet: google green cilantro chutney.

Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 375° F. - I started out with the oven at 500° F.

In a small bowl, combine the crushed potato chips, bread crumbs, dill, (spice mix) and garlic; set aside. (Note that any contact with the crushed chips leaves a greasy film. Don't be dismayed, as it's the oil in the chips that keeps the fish so mosit as it bakes, I believe.)

Put the salmon (halibut) skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Remove any pinbones with a pair of needle-nosed pliers. Brush the surface of the salmon with the mustard, spreading it evenly (and thicker is better). Sprinkle the potato chip mixture over the mustard, packing it lightly with your fingertips so that it adheres to the surface. Season with the pepper.

Bake until the crust is golden brown and the salmon is opaque when a knife is inserted at the center of the thickest part, about 30 minutes. (I turned the heat down to 450, then 400. Although the fish was perfectly cooked, moist, tender and flaky, after 25-30 min., the crust only browned nicely where extra had fallen to the side of the fish. I place this pretty crumble on top of the finished fish.)

Using 2 spatulas, carefully transfer the fillet in one piece to a large serving platter, leaving the skin on the baking sheet; garnish with the lemon wedges and dill sprigs. (Or pour the green sauce around the fillet and serve on plates with portions. Extraordinary.)

Serves 6 (our 1/2 portion would have certainly been adequate for 3.)

(Nancy and I didn't quite finish our huge portions. They make excellent leftovers. I served this with boiled fresh yellow and white corn and the same Caesar salad - caprese combo I made for Nancy's birthday. In fact, this fish was to be the other course for her birthday, which we skipped as too much. And it would have been. We drank a nice California Merlot with this. A memorable meal.)

Copyright © 2003 by George Dolese & Steve Siegelman. Reprinted from Firehouse Food without permission from Chronicle Books. Jeanne is a third-generation San Francisco firefighter with a long history of salmon fishing. Her dad, who is now retired, still shows up at the station every now and then with a freshly caught king salmon for Jeanne and the crew. Needless to say, he’s invited to stay for dinner.

Other recipes to be supplied...

2005-08-29T09:13:00.000-04:00

Some recipes I'd like to retain or get written down here:

Shrimp and scallop seviche with mango - a Mexican recipe from Authentic Mexican by Rick Bayless. Bayless suggested avocado. I had, and therefore used, a fresh mango instead.
Sfogi in Saor - marinated fish, Venetian style. I used a piece of tuna and some catfish. From Peterson's Fish & Shellfish.
An Indian fish masala from Kerala, from current issue of Gourmet.
An Indian coconut rice, from same issue of Gourmet.
Another Indian dish, a vegetable dal stew, from my own making, I think. No, it was based on a recipe on the back of a packet of Masala seasoning. I added some variations, of course.
Sweet and sour okra, a recipe found on the Internet.

New recipes, events...

2005-08-29T08:01:00.000-04:00

Recipes from Nancy's simple birthday dinner, last Saturday, 27 August.

Caesar and caprese salad

Crab Gumbo
Ken's Basil Scallops
Chocolate torte: I cheated on this and bought a beautiful piece at Whole Foods. Serve with vanilla ice cream on the side.

Caesar and caprese salad

This made a delicious starter.
The Caesar salad, not quite from scratch.

Romaine lettuce leaves, torn in peices. Red are nice for color, if available. Use "enough" per person. As the size of leaves is quite variable, think about large torn or chopped pieces roughly half a palm size, if you have large hands.
The dressing is special for Nancy, as she loves anchovies.
Take two anchovy fillets in olive oil and put them in salad bowl. Mash around bottom of bowl with a fork until they are coming apart. Add 1 minced garlic clove. Add 1 - 2 tsp. Dijon style mustard and stir together. Add 1 tbsp. mayonnaise or mayonnaise substitute - e.g., Vegenaise worked fine (this is the not quite from scratch part.) Mix with anchovy mustard. Stir in 1-2 tbsp good quality olive oil. Check for taste. If needed, add 1 tsp or more lemon juice to taste.
Mix romaine leaves into dressing until leaves are covered. Arrange on a large display plate.

The caprese salad

A sufficiency of fresh mozarella - I used a few pieces collected from the salad bar at Whole Foods. Slice in 1/2 in. pieces.
A fresh, summery ripe, tomato or two, peeled, juicy and bleeding. Cut in wedges.
Scatter in little collections of tomato and cheese around the outer edges of the Caesar salad.
Cut a bunch of basil leaves, again, a sufficiency for quantity of salad being prepared, in chiffonade. In this case, don't stint on the sufficiency. You want plenty of basil. Scatter the basil over the cheese and tomatoes.
Finish by drizzling good extra virgin olive oil over the cheese, tomatoes and basil. You might also sprinkle with a little sea salt or even fleur de sel. A crackle of fresh cracked black pepper makes a nice final touch.

Serve the combined salad with salad plates and either little forks to pick at, or a serving spatula. Accompany with bread and a nice, cold, dry sauvignon blanc.

Crab gumbo

Starting with several recipes I read, I made this up from ingredients at hand. I had bought a couple of pounds of backfin crab from North Carolina at Frank's in the morning - they were having a "buy 1 lb. and the 2nd is half price" special. I also had on hand a couple of pounds of beautiful okra I had just picked at Clagett Farm that afternoon, as well as a plentiful supply of fresh tomatoes and fresh sweet and hot peppers. I also had green beans fresh from the Annapolis Farmer's Market.
Ingredients

1 lb. backfin or claw crab meat, shells picked out

1 lb. fresh okra, tops trimmed off, cut in 1/2 in. pieces
1 white or yellow onion, diced
1 large carrot, sliced
2 sticks celery, diced, with chopped leaves
1 - 2 medium peeled white or yellow potatoes, large dice
1 - 2 lb fresh tomatoes, peeled, chopped coarsely or 1 large can tomatoes, chopped, with juice
1 - 2 sweet peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 - 2 or more hot peppers, to taste, chopped. Include seeds for more piquancy.
1 lb . green beans, (optional), ends snapped, cut in 1-2 in. lengths
1 lb . summer squash, (optional), cut in 1 in. pieces
2 tbsp sweet butter
2 tbsp olive oil
4 cups stock - I made fish stock using Japanese shaved bonito in 5 cg. packets; many recipes recommend beef or chicken stock
1 cup dry white wine or dry vermouth
1 clove garlic, chopped
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
2 tbsp soy sauce or 2 tsp salt
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Prepare the stock: for fish stock using bonito flakes, bring 4 cups water to boil and take of heat; open 2 5 cg. packets of bonito flakes and pour into water. Steep for 5 minutes and strain. Dogs or cats find the strained flakes a tasty treat.
In a deep pan or soup pot saute (braise or sweat over medium heat) onions, carrots, celery and peppers in butter and olive oil until onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add potatoes and garlic and sweat another couple of minutes. Add okra and sweat a couple more minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the tomatoes and stir.
Add stock and cup of wine. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer.
Add bay leaves, Old Bay Seasoning and simmer for 20-30 min. About halfway through add in the summer squash - you want it cooked but still intact. There is no need to overcook the vegetables. Use the green beans as a guide. When they seem done enough, everything else should be about right. If using potatoes, they provide a second check - you want them firm but not crunchy.
Just before serving, add the crab meat. It will be heated by the body of the soup. It is already cooked so needs no additional cooking. Don't overcook or it may toughen.
Check seasoning. If salt is needed, the soy sauce works well and disappears as a separate flavor if you don't use too much. Add Worcestershire sauce now, also, and stir in.
Serve soup in bowls or cups. Sprinkle with chopped parsley or basil. Bread alongside is nice for sopping up the delicious juice. This makes a fairly dense soup. You may want to thin with additional stock, water, or white wine.

Ken's Scallops (I don't know who Ken is. 'tis just the name of the recipe I found.)

I made these for Nancy's birthday using very large sea scallops at just 3 each per our two servings. They weighed about 10 oz. altogether. Excellent just lightly bronze colored. Bought these beautiful scallops that morning at Frank's Seafood, Jessup.

Quick, simple, delicious! What else do you need? Prep
Time: approx. 15 Minutes. Cook Time: approx. 4 Minutes.
Ready in: approx. 19 Minutes. Makes 2 servings.
Printed from Allrecipes, Submitted by Ken Gouge

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped
20 scallops, rinsed and patted dry
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 wedge lemon

Directions
1 Heat oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook
garlic and basil in oil for about 30 seconds, and then add
scallops. Season with salt and pepper, and squeeze lemon over
the scallops. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
I turned scallops over after a minute or so, checking that they had just begun to show some color, then cooked on second side until gold color began to show. Remove from heat as soon as they begin to appear opaque through the center - don't overcook!
The quantity of basil is the indefinite "1 bunch fresh basil leaves." I used a couple of handsful from our kitchen herb garden, cut as a chiffonade.

Some urban topic resources...

2005-06-29T19:06:00.000-04:00

Baltimore: DTI - href="http://www.dtinational.org/">Development Training Institute
2510 St. Paul Street
Baltimore, MD 21218
Phone: 410-338-2512
Fax: 410-338-2751
info@dtinational.org

MIT OpenCourseWare » Urban Studies and Planning

Rockefeller Institute of Government: Urban Studies

Milano Graduate School A division of The New School -- Innovative master's degree programs in professions of critical importance to urban areas; a commitment to racial, ethnic, and gender diversity; and a concern for social responsibility, these are the hallmarks of the Milano Graduate School of Management and Urban Policy.

Center for Civic Innovation

Urban Studies Program @ Stanford

Paris; And tonight, garlic scape Thai fish soup; fresh strawberries from the farm and cheese

2005-06-06T23:05:00.000-04:00

Arrived in Paris, we met the crew during breakfast.

Karl held the baby, who also showed she could stand on her own (almost.)

Her mom and dad joined us, too.

Tombeau de Sartre & de Beauvoir en Montparnasse.

On our trip to Paris we walked one morning after breakfast through the Jardins Luxembourg up to the Montparnasse cemetery. Found Sartre's tomb but could not find Poulenc.

Saturday last, we stayed home: dinner

2005-06-06T10:27:00.000-04:00

For dinner we had pasta, fish, strawberries:

Pasta was a combination lemon-flavored garlic scape sauce arrabiata with penne
Lightly floured haddock fillet sauteed in butter and olive oil with a quick sauce of fish sauce, lime juice, mirin
Strawberries fresh from my last local GSA delivery - outrageously good, cut up on a bed of fresh salad greens with a bit of balsamic vinegar
A bottle of prosecco

Garlic Scape Pesto / Hummus Dip

2005-06-06T10:10:00.000-04:00

Garlic Scape Pesto / Hummus Dip was a huge hit at a Marla's farewell party this past Sunday. Note that only a couple recipes I found on the Internet point out that you should cut off the scapes below the bulge where the flower bud begins. Use the tops as decorations for the pesto / hummus dip. In the recipe certain ingredients are not essential but enhance the result, making it smoother, richer or both. You may omit the spinach or pine nuts, for example, if you don't have them, but they are nice touches.

INGREDIENTS
1-2 cups of garlic scapes
1-1 1/2 lemons
1 can chickpeas, drained.
1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-2 cups extra virgin olive oil
1-2 teaspoons salt
2-3 cups "tender" greens such as spinach, arugula, spicy greens mix
2-3 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 cup or more finely grated parmesan or romano cheese
1 cup pine nuts

PROCEDURE
Remove tops from 1-2 cups of scapes and reserve as decorations; cut in 2 in. lengths. Process with 1/2 - 1 cup olive oil in food processor for 2-3 min. until finely chopped.

Add drained chickpeas.
Add 2-3 tablespoons sesame tahini.
Add juice of 1 - 1 1/2 lemons, seeds removed.
Add 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, to taste. You (I) want it to have an edge, but not to be overtly "Hot."
Add 1-2 teaspoons salt - I use kosher, but any will do. Salt to taste, not too much.
Process until chickpeas are finely ground.

You may want to taste at this point to see if more cayenne is needed. Note that the sauce will "heat up" as it sits.

Add 2-3 cups spinach or spicy greens or arugula, whatever you have, for more green color and to lighten the hummus. Process until finely ground and well integrated in sauce.

I also added 1 cup finely grated parmesan and a cup or so of pine nuts, also all ground in for another minute or two.

You want the sauce to be smooth for dipping. The raw scapes resist chopping so they require a good deal of processing. The end result will still have a little texture from the scapes and the pine nuts - a good thing!

As a dip, finish by putting dip in a bowl and dribbling fine extra virgin olive oil over it. As a future revision I would add some lightly toasted cumin seed: heat 1 teaspoon whole cumin seed in a skillet until it begins to be aromatic; grind it coarsely in a mortar; mix 1/2 in the dip. Sprinkle the remainder over the top.

This sauce / dip could as well be used as a pasta dressing or over a piece of fish to be baked. In this instance I served it as a dip in a bowl with peeled raw kohlrabi sliced thin and cut in half as chips. It got rave reviews.

Posted by: Mark Lindley | June 6, 2005 10:07 AM

Friday dinner, other developments

2005-06-04T08:18:00.000-04:00

Dinner:

Fresh sushi quality yellowfin steaks seared and sliced with ginger garlic sauce - per Pat Wells Bistro Cooking and Pleasures of the Viedtnamese Table of Mai Pham.
Pommes de terre Savonette again, this time with organic russet potatoes more uniformly shaped - some cooked too long in water and were breaking up but still wonderful flavor, texture, the crisp skin on the soft potatoes
Stir fried veggies - thai eggplants sliced and stir-fried with some left-over mixed greens, with soy sauce, hot sauce, mirin,
lovely tossed salad with salad greens, spring onions, vinaigrete ala Jacques Pepin
Nice bottle of merlot

- Good meeting at MCIJ: got list of inmates for next Thu evening discussion
- Met Dr. Peters, Annapolis Gastro Assoc. who will perform endoscopy on me this Thu afternoon or earlier in the week if a cancellation occurs.
- firmed up plans after speaking to Chuch Weikel for discussion group on city planning for Annapolis
- Working with several lenders on refinancing real estate
- Monitoring investments
-

Dinner Monday, Memorial Day: Baked Shrimp w. Feta, Potatoes Savonette

2005-06-02T14:13:00.000-04:00

Visited Loudon Park to review the stone where my family is buried. The inscription for Mother was done correctly. The cemetery seems to be going through a growth period as well as needing better maintenance. Our stone was okay but a number of older stones, of marble, seemed to have weathered badly. In a number of cases they were tumbled over or broken either by weather or vandals, unclear which.

Baked Shrimp w. Feta

Blanch shrimp 1 min. thawed, 1 1/2 min if frozen. Shell the shrimp. Make a tomato sauce. Layer shrimp, crumbled feta, tomato sauce. Top with feta. Bake 5-10 min. until sauce bubbles, feta melts. From Meze, by Kochilas (I think.)
My changes: not enough shrimp, I cut up a fillet of haddock to fill in the holes. Also, adding some minced garlic to tomato sauce was nice. Adding minced mixed herbs when assembling, e.g., on the tomato sauce was a nice add, also. The minutes seemed off - I left in oven for 15-20 min or more. Fish did not overcook and the feta never melted.
Dish was delicious. Could do same just with fish fillets whole or sliced up. Also tasty cold. There was a lot of liquid when I took it out, perhaps a result of too long in the oven. The juice was a great soup - would have been better with bread to soak it up.

Potatoes Navonette:

Julia and Jacques, a recipe by Jacques Pepin. Thick sliced potatoes are boiled with 1 tbsp each butter and peanut oil; covered with a lid to keep in steam. When potatoes are soft through per a knife inserted goes in and comes out with no resistance, let the rest of the water boil off and brown the potatoes on both sides in the remaining oils. Salt and pepper to taste. Be sure to scrape up any fond that sticks to the pan. It is the fried starch that leached into the water and it is tasty. Outstanding result.

Perhaps this could be sprinkled with parsley or other herbs to serve but it works well to soak up the extra juice rendered in the shrimp/fish dish.

Salmon and potatoes for dinner Thursday

2005-05-30T09:43:00.000-04:00

Salmon from Copper River with an orange marinade and a salsa from Legal Sea Foods Cookbook.
Potatoes to die for: sliced with sliced onions, layered in a casserole with plenty of salt and black pepper, slices of butter over the top. A cup of beer (I used Corona) and into a 400 degree oven for 40 min. Then, with 10 min. to go, add over a half cup of heavy cream. Becomes creamy and delicious. From Richard Olney's Simple French Food.

Dinner of Basque dogfish, mixed greens / asparagus

2005-05-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

Ross brought me a couple fillets of dogfish / sand shark from his adventure at Assateague this past weekend - high winds, high tides on Friday, moderating through the weekend.

I found several - not many, but several - recipes online. I then checked Davidson's North Atlantic Seafood. He had a couple and the Basque one caught my fancy, with the ingredients in that recipe not far from what I had in the house. Plenty of garlic, some chopped herbs and hot peppers, in plenty of olive oil, gently cooked atop the stove. I lacked the earthenware pot called for but, cooked in a nice stainless steel skillet with plenty of oil I doubt it was far off the Basque dish. I had a selection of fresh herbs which I chopped together - parsley, oregano - and added a thin sliced chopped shallot, plus the garlic called for and spread over the fish fillets in the already garlic flavored oil. Before serving, crack a good serving of black pepper over. Served simply on a plate with the scented olive oil poured over - delicious.
Greens and asparagus. Finished allotments of asparagus, chard. Cut the asparagus in two inch lengths. Separated chard stems and parboiled them until tender in salted water with a little half and half added to keep the color - it worked! Chopped chard leaves. Stir-fried in oil in lightly smoking wok: first, a garlic clove minced, a chopped, deseeded jalapeno. Then, in order, for a minute or so each (as needed, ) 3 chopped scallions, asparagus stems except for the tips, the chard greens, the asparagus tips, the chard stems. Then add the sauce and stir until sauce thickens and nearly disappears. (Sauce: 2 tb. mirin, 1 tb. soy sauce, a little lime juice or rice vinegar (2 tsp))
Nancy made a wonderful salad from arugula fresh from the farm, strawberries from the local CSA, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper.

Luigi goes to the farm

2005-05-24T18:47:00.000-04:00

Luigi and I had a wonderful first day last Saturday at Clagett Farm. Luigi is a black standard poodle who loves to run free and bark. Only a little more than two years old he is often still a puppy. But there are times when he suddenly appears very adult - and surprises us with some behavior we've only suspected.

After gathering our veggies we went down one of the farm roads on Clagett's land and spotted three or four cows / cattle, with a calf, in a field. When I pointed them out to Luigi, he showed considerable interest. I parked near a place where several barns or cattle sheds stood. We looked briefly into that field, but Luigi appeared to be getting too excited so, to keep from disturbing the bigger animals and the calf, we walked into another open field, away from them.

My wife usually walks Luigi. I brought him with me just to get him out in the open air. My wife has described what she calls his "herding" behavior. She says that when Luigi has been around groups of dogs, as he is often at the doggy park at Quiet Waters Park in Annapolis, on occasion he has tried to "herd" them, circling and barking. The other dogs, of course, not being sheep, pretty much ignore him.

At Clagett, we went into the next field and over the hill. There we spotted, in the distance in yet another field a herd of 20 or 30 or more cattle. At first I wanted to divert Luigi from seeing them, but as we walked through the grass he soon noticed the herd. He looked and looked. Then he bounded across the field in their direction in his amazing light footed gazelle gait. When they spotted him, to my amazement and amusement, they gathered themselves together and rumbled or lumbered over in our direction, toward the fence at the bottom where the hills came together. I was a little concerned about Luigi's ability to maintain some decorum - he likes to bark, a lot. But no, he seemed to know they didn't need his barking. I soon saw quite a number of calves as well as the grown cows. I also spotted a couple of goats. Finally, the herd had gathered under a big shade tree in the hollow of the hills by their watering trough. Luigi and I approached but kept some distance - then Luigi started barking. Several of the calves drew back, startled. The more mature adults nodded their heads at Luigi and looked almost happy - "Ah", they seemed to be thinking, "a herder. Don't be afraid, little ones, he's just a puppy, too. But he knows we're a herd, we know he's a herder, and we're all just doing what we're supposed to be doing." It was as though there was some deep psychic exchange going on, some mutual intuition of innate instinct that drew these animals together in a bond outside my own experience.

As I was a little less confident than the cattle seemed to be, I soon had Luigi follow me up the hill and back to the car. But, running back and forth on the green hills, having herded a real herd for the first time in his life, under the beautiful puffy clouds and ice blue sky, I knew we would have to come back many more times.

Now, when I say "farm", Luigi looks at me with that look that says, "When are we going back? Today? Today? Please!"

Dinner and a show, 49 West

2005-05-22T08:50:00.000-04:00

George Watson joined us last night for soup and salad and then we went for jazz to 49 West.

Dinner:

A lovely fish soup, based on a recipe from somewhere for a haddock soup: chicken stock and white wine, leeks, haddock fillet, some cream. My rendering: a quart fish stock from bonito flakes, 1 or 2 cups white wine, leeks stir-fried in wok plus a garlic scallion, all simmered for 20 min. or more; then added a cup of heavy cream, a cup of coconut milk, several grinds of black pepper, 5 tbsp. of Thai fish sauce; add in 2 medium fillets of smoked catfish to heat through and a cup or two of chopped arugula; at serving, 1/2 - 1 cup chopped basil and mint. Amazingly good soup. It's worth noting that a day and two days later we enjoyed this soup as leftovers. Perhaps even better than fresh cooked. But note that fish was not reheated to boiling, only to quite hot - and quite delicious.
An update from the pasta smoked fish and asparagus salad from the day before: add some freshly stir-fried garlic and asparagus, along with also stir-fried smoked shad, toss in the previous left-over salad into the wok and briefly blend together. Add 1/2 cup dill sour cream dressing from another meal and mix. Serve over fresh salad greens - could have used a little dressing for the greens. It was all delicious.

At 49 West it was Joe Byrd's 72 birthday. Playing with him was a wonderful youngish (July 22, 1955 in Elizabeth, NJ) jazz guitarist, Joshua Breakstone.

Friday Dinner & Rain & Wind

2005-05-21T09:16:00.000-04:00

Big tree limb from locust tree came down in Ausherman's driveway next door yesterday.

Trying to get Ruly and Charlie Boyle together to go sailing this morning.

Dinner last night was too late but also too good. From Peterson's Fish & Shellfish:

Laotian Catfish Soup - excellent, excellent & wonderful soup: used lemon zest as I was out of lemon grass
Grilled fish salad - I used smoked salmon, pasta - very good

Mac fixed! Lots of Rain today + wind; dinner last night

2005-05-20T18:13:00.000-04:00

Mac fixed! Between a new battery and discovering damaged power cord (and getting replacement part) my mac seems now fully able to charge a battery and keep a charge and I have a backup battery - the old one. It probably drains fast, but the new one has about 1/3 more capacity- and its new!

Dinner:

Smoked / Grilled Mako shark steak, using a recipe from James Peterson's Fish & Shellfish. Not one of the fish that Peterson recommended for the recipe I made but fortunately it worked anyhow. The shark was luscious, amazing.

Used dried corn, dry lemon grass stalks, fresh dill for smoke.
Also smoke fillets of catfish and shad.

Khun tom's Pumpkin Soup from Jackum Brown's Vegetarian Thai.
Nancy made a salad.

New wok & New Battery; Dinner

2005-05-18T07:08:00.000-04:00

My new wok arrived from the Wok Shop in San Francisco. It is a 14" carbon steel flat-bottomed wok with two wood handles. I seasoned it using the oven method. I found that cleaning it was more effective scouring with a "green pad" than with steel wool, though this may be because the steel wool was too fine. At any rate, it looked nice and golden after it's fourth cooking in the oven, as the instructions suggest.

My new 4800 mAh battery arrived also and I began using it. It did hold a charge overnight, but it seems to lose charge very rapidly. Instructions suggest resetting the PMU, which I plan to do today. It is done by depressing the little button on the back between the video out and the telephone ports and then rebooting.

To initiate the wok's career, I cooked two dishes and Nancy added a tossed green salad.

Orange Asparagus Stir-Fry Pasta w. Shrimp (tofu) - Serves 4

# 1 pound Mostaccioli, Ziti or other medium pasta shape, uncooked (1/2 lb)
# 2 tsp. vegetable oil, divided
# 12 oz. frozen small shrimp, thawed (or use 1/2 lb tofu)
# 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced on diagonal
# 1 bunch scallions, sliced
# 1 pound asparagus, cut diagonally into 2-inch lengths
# 1 cup fresh orange juice (used frozen, reconstituted with only 1 can water)
# Salt and pepper to taste
## ADDED: some nuts would add flavor, texture: several recipes suggest slivered almonts, pecans, and I think also of pine nuts, all lightly toasted in the wok - used pecans in this instance.
## AND: 1 1/2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil - forgot to add; next time.

- Prepare pasta according to package directions.
- While pasta is cooking, warm 1 teaspoon vegetable oil over high heat in a large non-stick wok or skillet.
- Stir-fry the shrimp until firm, opaque and lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside. (Stir fry cubes of tofu in oil until golden: drain.)
- Add the remaining teaspoon of vegetable oil to the pan and stir-fry the carrots for 2 minutes.
- Add the asparagus and scallions and stir-fry for another 3 to 4 minutes, until asparagus is tender-crisp.

When pasta is done, drain it well. Add pasta, shrimp (tofu) and orange juice to skillet and toss until hot, about 2 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve immediately. (Scatter toasted nuts over dish.)
Broccoli Pad Nahm Man Hoi (Stir-fry w. Oyster Sauce)

A Recipe of Kasma Loha-unchit; Recipe Copyright © 1998 Kasma Loha-unchit.

This recipe is similar to another featured recipe, Stir-fried Asparagus, Oyster Mushrooms and Shrimp in Garlic Sauce (Naw-mai Farang Pad Nahm Man Hoi). Compare the two to see how adaptable a Thai recipe is. In fact almost any vegetable can be stir-fried with Oyster Sauce. Be sure to use Thai oyster sauce, not Chinese. You can order it online from one of the online markets found on the website: look for the "Mae Krua" brand.

Ingredients
* 2 medium-size stalks of broccoli
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2-3 sliced shallots, or 1/2 cup sliced onion (optional)
* 2 Tbs. peanut oil for stir-frying
* 2 -3 Tbs. Thai oyster sauce
* 2-3 tsp. fish sauce (nahm bplah), to taste
* 2-3 dashes of ground white pepper

Cut the broccoli into small bite-size pieces. Use the bottom stem also, after peeling off the tough, fibrous outer skin. Prepare the garlic and shallots or onion (if using). Also, I blanched the broccoli for a minute or so - was not enough as the broccoli was a little more chewy than needed.

Heat a wok over high heat until its surface is hot. Swirl in the oil to coat evenly. When the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic, followed a few seconds later with the sliced shallots or onion (if using). Sauté 10-15 seconds to flavor the oil, then toss in the broccoli. Stir-fry about a minute. If your stove is very hot, add 2-3 Tbs. of water as needed to help steam the vegetable so that it doesn't burn.

Sprinkle in the oyster sauce and stir-fry another minute. Then season to taste with fish sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the broccoli turns vibrant green and is crisply cooked. Sprinkle liberally with white pepper, stir well and transfer to a serving dish. Serve warm along with other dishes with steamed rice.

Recipe is Copyright © 1998 Kasma Loha-unchit.

And for dinner, mushrooms + spinach, fried potatoes, smoked salmon

2005-05-17T06:26:00.000-04:00

Without going into details:

Potatoes were leftovers from "camp" potatoes recently, fried in butter in non-stick skillet until crispy and brown. Served with fresh ground black pepper, fleurs du sel, chopped tb of parsley.

Mushrooms were small portabellos and white cut in half or quarters, stir-fried in oil with garlic and shallots, then sauced with saki, tamarind, fish sauce and cooked, then sauce cooked down, all removed while quick stir of fresh spinach, then all heated together with a couple of tb of chopped cilantro.

Salmon left from smoking a few days ago.

Very tasty, nice and easy meal after evening yoga class that worked the shoulders, straight spine, etc. carefully in adho mukha svanasana, adho mukha vrksasana, sirsasana, and sarvangasana.

Lunch of Veggie Pad Thai Tofu: Thai Basil Research

2005-05-16T16:02:00.000-04:00

Was researching about Thai basil. Began to learn that there are several, at least three, different varieties or species: lemon, holy, another.

Ran across several recipes for pad thai, in various spellings, with various "main" ingredients: shrimp, chicken, beef, vegetarian, tofu. Made up a tofu version for lunch, including eggs which some veggie versions omit. I also used fish sauce instead of just soy sauce, and yellow bean paste in lieu of suggested fermented tofu. It was very tasty. Had to force myself to leave some for Nancy, which she has now enjoyed for her lunch.

Thai Basils: The notes are from scattered references and don't seem to be consistent and therefore not authoritative. As the taste "is the thing," though, I am finding in cooking with these that, short of an overweening need for "authenticity," most seem to work well interchangeably. Just note that varieties will vary quite a bit.

Thai Basil, Thai Sweet Basil, Asian Basil, Anise/Licorice Basil, anise basil, cinnamon basil (bai horapa, hora-pa, Bai horapha, Ho Ra Pha, HORAPHA, Hun Que): Ocimum citriodorum ‘Thai’. Also common in the cuisines of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Used in curries and with steamed mussels. It releases its aroma and flavor only when cooked. Leaves have strong anise smell. Siam Queen (Ocimum thyrsiflora) is good variety for growing. Another is, Thai Basil 'Queenette' (Ocimum basilicum.) OR Thai Basil 'Horapha Rau Que' (Ocimum thyrsiflora)

Holy Basil, hot basil (bai gka-prow, Bai gaprow, Bai Grapow, Bai Krapow, Bai Ka Phrao, KAPHRAO): Green Leaf & Red Leaf. Narrower and often times reddish-purple leaves. Two types: a pale green or white type, and a red type, with purple reddish tinged leaves. Peppery is perhaps the best way to describe this type of basil. Holy basil has a clove-like taste. Popular basil for Thai cooking. The Thai equivalent of sweet basil, which can be used as a substitute if you cannot get holy basil. "Hindus believe that basil is sacred and they like to plant it in religious sanctuaries. " This variety tastes rather like cloves, and is just as pungent. The leaves release their full flavour only when cooked.

Lemon Basil, Hoary Basil (bai maeng-lak, BAI MAENG LAK, Bai Mangrak, bai menglah, Maeng-Lak): Hoary Basil is an annual herbaceous plant with slightly hairy and pale green leaves. It can be eaten either raw or cooked, and used as a flavoring. It is sometimes called lemon-scented basil but definitely has a peppery taste when chewed. Fast growing plant. Has a lemony flavour with tiny leaves and is usually sprinkled over salads or used in soups. Young leaves are used in Oriental dishes. Lemon basil has a real citrus-like aroma and flavor. The leaves have a smell redolent of citrus. Usually eaten raw as an accompaniment to curry.

Now, off to yoga.

Karl; Pentecost; Melissa Cook Wedding, Sunday dinner

2005-05-15T22:37:00.000-04:00

And Karl called this morning, with information about Witte's visit, etc. I need to contact Moog at USNA for possible talk either there or at St. John's. Also, contact SJC about a possible talk in Great Hall or some other low-key venue for interested persons. Finally, I need to send him our approved and sealed itinerary for travel to Paris, so that he can have Angel complete our hotel requirements.

Today was the feast of Pentecost, the Whitsunday of my childhood. It was a high feast day at St. Mark's today, with an extra musician, a gifted trumpeter. There were three baptisms, including the child of a gay couple. And Paul preached a dynamite sermon on what would be sufficient per the Johannine gospel for the day. Afterwards we attended the Pub Lunch honoring Dorothea Hahn's (?) time with us, her departure soon, her graduation from VTS next week, and her ordination to the diaconate a week ago yesterday, Saturday. Also honored new members of St. Mark's, someone's birthday, and other assorted honorings.

After, we came back to Annapolis and then went to the open house at Don and Hollis Lamb-Minor at 107 Northwest St. Saw Phoebe there, whom I must contact. Then, back home, Mike Cahall and Charlie Boyle showed up to work respectively on their boats. Charley and I came up with a scheme to get Ruly Know down to the boat by the end of this week, perhaps out next week to watch the Blue Angels fighter aircraft precision flying team perform next week for the Naval Academy graduation.

We went to Melissa's wedding yesterday. It was held at the ____-____ Mansion on Enterprise Road in PG County. It was quite wonderful. Food at luncheon and cakes were outstanding.

We did not eat dinner last night after the good meal in the afternoon. I ate popcorn instead.

Tonight I made the eggplant with tofu, dried tomatoes, zucchini, and red peppers from the Grace Young Breath of a Wok. Again, simple preparation, very tasty. A little elaborate, though, on the ingredient side for the average cook. Along with, we had leftover greens from a few nights ago, served at room temperature with a vinaigrette.