A Life, Lived

Greek Salad - Courtesy of Elise at Simply Recipes

We love a good Greek Salad but make a lazy one - bottled salad dressing . . . toss in some romaine, etc. When I saw this recipe on Simply Recipes I thought it was time to tackle a more traditional Greek Salad. By the way - a Greek Salad in Greece is often called a Village Salad (guess who has been reading for out up-coming trip to Athens?).

Elise writes thatthis salad is her dad's creation. While it may not be traditionally Greek it is fresh and delicious. We loved it! One of the things that I like most about salad recipes is that they are so forgiving - you can really toss anything and everything in and as long as the basic proportions are maintained  . . . end up with a delicious treat.

We liked this - crisp, fresh veggies, salty olives and feta, all tied together with a wonderful dressing. It was easy to make which is even better.

All in all - if you're looking to break the bottled Greek Salad dressing habit you can't go wrong here!

Greek Salad

6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon fresh chopped garlic
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 large plum tomatoes, seeded, coarsely chopped
3/4 cucumber, peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, peeled, chopped
1 bell pepper, seeded, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pitted black olives (preferably brine-cured), coarsely chopped
3/5 cup crumbled feta cheese

Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, vinegar, oregano and dill weed together until blended. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. Re-whisk before using.)

Combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives in a bowl. Toss with dressing. Sprinkle cheese over and serve.

Serves 6.

Fun at the Office

This is the scene (taken with my new Blackberry - woo hoo) that greeted me when I got off of the subway on Monday. University Ave - one of the busiest streets in the city . . . home to businesses, three major hospitals, research facilities, and the Ontario Legislature had been closed by a protest.

Truth be told the protest had been going on since last week. Toronto is home to the largestTamil population outside of Sri Lanka. 100s of Tamil-Canadians were protesting outside the US Embassy (three blocks south of the office) in hopes that the US and Canadian governments could somehow stop the attacks on civilians inthe Sri Lankan civil war.

What struck me particularly though was the respectful and peaceful nature of the protest. Despite the brutality of the fighting int he civil war there was no hint of violence here (well, until today but those hooligan youths were arrested and the chanting continued). It was a very Canadian protest -- remembering origins but recognizing that here protests are orderly and lawful at all times.

It has been odd to be working away in my office overlooking the protest or up in the gym (it is on the top floor of the building) running on the treadmill and observing the yellow-vested police officers patrolling. All day long there is the sound of chanting, whistles, the odd siren, and the drumming coming from helicopters as the hover over the street.

Sure it is a bit annoying. It will likely be VERY annoying tomorrow because I have to drive to the office but at the end of the day I am happy that I live in a country where people with concerns can take to the streets and engage in a democratic protest. There are lots of countries where blood would have been spilled by now of the tanks sent in to crush things.

Heck - I have taken part in my share of protests myself. Thank goodness for democracy!

Spring Awakening

I debated in my mind about this post - it seemed silly given that the play had left Toronto the day after we saw it. However, I note that the tour heads to Boston, Pittsburgh, Louisville, Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, and Chicago over the next four months so I thought 'what the heck'. Besides - it was quite the play.

First up - this isn't your grandmother's musical. There are no cheerful choral songs sung in the South Pacific, kings falling in love with the school marm or seven brothers falling for seven sisters. This is a hard hitting, in-your-face slice of reality.

I can only imagine what the response must have been with the producers first pitched the idea . . . 'I'd like to take a obscure German play set in the 1890s. There are a lot of social 'taboos' in the play. Abortion, rape, teenage sexuality, masturbation, homosexuality, religion, generational strife, education, nudity, child abuse, death, suicide, crime . . . Oh . . . did I say I'd like to make it a musical?'

Improbably this musical hit Broadway in 2006 to overwhelming acclaim and cleaned up at the Tony awards the next year, winning 11.

Happily we knew what to expect so we weren't shock by it . . . too much! LOL

This is a brilliant show that has you on the edge of your seats. Spring Awakening, based on a play by Frank Wedekind, was so unlike anything else I'd seen that previously. It was just thrilling to watch. I loved the rock 'n' roll score by Duncan Sheik and Steven Sater. The characters and story were memorable, I know I wasn't alone as many in the audience were moved to tears. I left the theatre feeling drained and exhilarated.

As the story unfolds one comes to appreciate the challenges faced by Melchior, Moritz and Wendla. Throughout the musical, these teenagers and their classmates explore their sexuality and face pressures both at home and at school in brilliant but brutal reality.

In a compelling story where nothing goes right for the characters, this is a musical staging where few things goes wrong. Sharp vocals combined with stunning choreography gives the production vast audience appeal. All of which takes place on an exquisitely minimalistic set design draped with a rock concert style lighting strategy.

Altogether, Spring Awakening is a refreshing piece of musical theatre for our time. Perhaps, like the characters in which it portrays, it's finally coming of age.

This sanitized clip from the Tony Awards gives you a sense of the heard hitting energy of the show:

What did Paul think? His first comment was 'I'd like to see it again!"

Sadly, by the time we were home the touring cast had started packing up for the next stop on the tour!

WHB - Asparagus Risotto

Weekend Herb Blogging - one of the longest running food blog 'events' on the web. This week it is being hosted by Maninas from Maninas: Food Matters. Weekend Herb Blogging was created by Kalyn and is now organized by Haalo, WHB is now in its 4th successful year of showcasing every week delicious (and often unusal) foods prepared using herbs, fruits and vegetables by bloggers around the world.

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With the arrival of spring I have started craving asparagus. As a child it was on the rather longish list of vegetables I'd rather not see appear in my plate (all but peas and corn were on the list, in case you're wondering). Happily, as my palate has matured, I've come to appreciate its many wonders.

A few weeks ago I spied this recipe in Cooking Light magazine and made plans to make it for dinner. Tonight was to be the night. Then I read the recipe in more detail . . . WHIPPING CREAM? I was directed to add 1/4 of a cup of whipping cream at the end?

Italians the world over cringed.

Yes, risotto should be creamy . . . this comes from slowly cooking the rice so that it releases natural starches. It sure the heck shouldn't come from a container of whipping cream.

So back to GOOGLE I went. I soon found this recipe that Mark Bittman posted on the New York Times site back in May 2007. It is adapted from a recipe by Mario Batali . . . now he should know a thing or two about risotto. I liked that this recipe had two shots of asparagus in it - tips and chunks are added near then end but a beautiful, green puree of asparagus is added to finish it. Better yet? No whipping cream is needed.

The CL recipe was put on the shelf and this one took its place.

The verdict?

YUM

This was a brilliant risotto - delicious with the one of the season's first vegetables. Paul agreed - he had a second plate of the stuff. The asparagus flavour was subtle. The colour - mostly from the pureed asparagus - was beautiful.

Asparagus Risotto (Adapted from Mario Batali)

Time: 45 minutes

1 pound asparagus, peeled, trimmed and cut into one-inch-long pieces, tips reserved
4 to 6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 medium red onion, diced
1 1/2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
Salt to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add half the asparagus stalks and cook until quite soft, at least 5 minutes. Rinse quickly under cold water. Put cooked asparagus in a blender or food processor and add just enough water to allow machine to puree until smooth; set aside.

Put stock in a medium saucepan over low heat. Put oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large, deep nonstick skillet over medium heat. When it is hot, add onion, stirring occasionally until it softens, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is glossy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add white wine, stir, and let liquid bubble away. Add a large pinch of salt. Add warmed stock, 1/2 cup or so at a time, stirring occasionally. Each time stock has just about evaporated, add more.

After about 15 minutes, add remaining asparagus pieces and tips, continuing to add stock when necessary. In 5 minutes, begin tasting rice. You want it to be tender but with a bit of crunch; it could take as long as 30 minutes total to reach this stage. When it does, stir in 1/2 cup asparagus puree. Remove skillet from heat, add remaining butter and stir briskly. Add Parmesan and stir briskly, then taste and adjust seasoning. Risotto should be slightly soupy. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 to 4 servings.

Sunday Salad Samplers # 1 - Eden's Foraging the City Salad

A little more than a year ago a group of slow travel community members decided to participate in a weekly cooking experiment. We would all try the same recipe and then blog (or post in the slow travel food and drink forum for those who don't have blogs) about it on Sunday.

We started off as bakers. . . examining Dolce Italiano by the uber talented Gina dePalma (also a slow travel community member).

Then we became scoopers as we learned how to make ice cream . . . using the Perfect Scoop by the wonderful David Lebovitz.

Then we started ladling soups- just in time for the return of cold weather. We didn't use a single cookbook for this, rather we all selected a tried and true recipe that we enjoyed. The soup making lasted five months! We never got bored nor did we have a recipe that made us go 'ewww'.

I've had a few readers ask 'what next . . .?'

Well, as of today we are exploring salads. 18 of us have signed on for this which means I'll be tossing a salad every week until August 23rd. Most of the group have posted their selections and I'm really looking forward to this! Again we decided not to go with one cookbook - which is good because I own more than 100 as it is  . . . most of which I never open up any longer.

Maria'tossed' togetherr the logo  . . based upon a photo that Diana - owner of the Best B and B in Italy, if not the world, posted a few weeks ago. 

First up is a lovely salad selected by Eden. Eden created this salad and writes: The salad that I made was inspired by Palma and Jerry's creation using blood oranges, so I could call this Palma and Jerry Salad... or use the one up there because it involved my hunting for my main ingredient... Blood Oranges. The recipe is one of those wonderful flexible ones - you can add of subtract depending upon your tastes and what is on hand.

If you're wondering what salads I've made using blood oranges the recipe is here. Palma has a great looking salad using blood oranges posted here - it looks from her post as if her friend Jan brought it over during the Xmas holidays. YUM We all need friends like that!

Happily I didn't have to forage very far at all to find the blood oranges!

Eden's Foraging the City Salad

Some greens - use your favorite or a combination of favorite greens
Blood Oranges - at least two or three if they are  small
Berries - whatever is fresh 
Dried Cranberries
Crumbled cheese
Roasted candied pecans
Croutons (optional)

Eden's really simple put together method:

I found out that slicing the blood oranges and then peeling them with a knife going around the circumference of the slice was much easier than peeling and segmenting them. This will take the most time, so start with preparing the blood oranges.

On your salad plate or your serving bowl, start with a bed of greens. Continue by assembling the ingredients on top.

Just before serving, you can add the cheese and your favorite salad dressing.

I had croutons on the side but no one used them.

Photo Hunt - Protection

Today's photo hunt theme is protection. My selction is a picture of religious paintings that were commisioned to thank for protection. . .

These votive paintings are in the the Santuario della Consolata, which is often described as the most loved church in Torino. The Sanctuary of the church houses a collection of over 2000 votive offerings, which are tangible evidence of the gratitude of the devotees of the Madonna for favours received. This series of paintings, known as "the sorrows," have been placed by parishioners and depict the series of life-threatening scenes from which they have been saved by prayers to the Madonna. They thank the Madonna for her benevolent protection.

It was fascinating for us to view the various scenes that ranged from laying ill in a hospitable bed to being tortured by Nazi agents in World War II.

More on votive paintings . . .

An ex-voto is an offering made as part of a promise to a holy personage in expectation of or in thanksgiving for an answered prayer. The practice of offering a votive object to a god or other sacred entity dates back, at least in Europe, to the ancient Greeks. Such practices were common in other parts of the ancient world as well, such as India and pre-Columbian America. The term ex-voto is Latin, meaning “from a vow,” indicating that these offerings are related to a promise made to a sacred personage, whether god or saint.

Votive paintings were typically commissioned as the result of an answered prayer; perhaps, for example, by a mother who had prayed to the Virgin for the recovery of her child from an illness. After the prayer was answered, the petitioner sought out a local folk painter and described to him the problematical incident (the illness, injury, etc.) that stimulated the prayer. The painter would then use his imagination to depict the scene described. The number of details included in the picture was partly dependent on the client’s ability to pay.

Lots of the slow travel  community members also photo hunt when they aren't traveling. You can find their posts by clicking the links below. 

• Old Shoes, New Trip
• Eden's Wanderings and Wonderings
• My Place in the Sun
• Churches in Venice – Mosaics, Marble, and Miracle-Working Madonnas
• Palmabella's Passions
• What I Really Think
• shave Ice and Gelato
• Jerry's Thoughts, Musings, and Rants!
• Keep your Feet in the Street
• Baked Alaska
• That's my story...and I'm stickin' to it!
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog
• A Wine Lover's Wanderings
• Destination Anywhere

About Face by Donna Leon

Donna Leon has long been one of my favorite mystery authors. In her Commissario Guido Brunetti police procedurals, she captures the city of Venice, interweaving the social scene and internal politics. Her mysteries aren't action thrillers driven by events, rather they are well-crafted stories that are more character driven.

'Her' main character, the melancholic police commissioner Guido Brunetti confronts crime in and around his home town of Venice. Each case in this 18 book series, is an opportunity for the author to reveal another aspect of the seamy underside of society. The fact that Brunetti can only go so far in attacking the endemic corruption of the system leaves him deeply cynical, although it does not prevent him from trying again and again.

Brunetti finds solace in the company of his wife, Paola, a hereditary contessa born to one of Venice's oldest families, as well as their growing children, Raffi and Chiara. Paola teaches English literature in the public university system and, despite her background, is very much to the left, still fueled by the spirit of 1968. The domestic warmth of the Brunetti family contrasts with corruption and cruelty that Brunetti encounters at work.

Venice's head of police, Vice-questore Patta, serves as the vain and self-serving buffo, while Sergente Vianello and the all-knowing and well-connected Signorina Elettra, Patta's secretary, assist Brunetti on the ground and through research.

I started reading the series in 2006 when I was planning a trip to Venice. When I finally got to Venice I was amazed at how accurately Leon brought the city to live; she didn't try and romanticize it - Venice was presented for the shining, corrupt, brilliant, fading jewel that it is. Yes, Leon captures the dichotomy.

Before Easter I and read that the latest Leon mystery was in print . . . and guess what the Easter Bunny delivered to my house and placed in MY Easter basket. Others can have their chocolate, I will take a Leon mystery any day.

This is how the mystery is described on the cover flap:

At a dinner party given by his parents-in-law, Comissario Brunetti meets Franca Marinello, the wife of a prosperous Venetian businessman. He's charmed - perhaps too charmed, suggests his wife Paola - by her love of Virgil and Cicero, but shocked by her appearance.

A few days later, Brunetti is visited by Carabinieri Maggior Filippo Guarino from the nearby city of Marghera. As part of a wider investigation into Mafia takeovers of businesses in the region, Guarino wants information about the owner of a trucking company who was found murdered in his office. He believes the man's death is connected to the illegal transportation of refuse - and more sinister material - in his company's trucks.

No stranger to mutual suspicion and competition between rival Italian police departments, Brunetti is nevertheless puzzled by the younger man's paranoid behavior. Eventually Guarino agrees to email a photo of his suspect, but by the time the photograph arrives, he himself is dead. Was he killed because he got too close? And why is it that Franca Marinello has often been seen in company of the suspect, a vulgar man with Mafia connections and a violent past?

Donna Leon's new novel is as subtle, gripping and topical as ever, bringing the sights, sounds and smells of Venice flooding to life.  About Face has everything you'd want from a Donna Leon novel: enchanting descriptions of and on the city of Venice, the ever morally questionable picture of police work and politics, and the beautiful respite of the happy family life of Brunetti.

The two story lines that make up this solid Brunetti Italian police procedural sort of come together in a final confrontation, but the heart of the tale is the insightful look at the relationships of the hero especially with his cherished wife and children, the change in Brunetti's relationship with his aristocratic in-laws, and the unabashed respect from the cops who work for him.

The underlying theme here is that humans are turning the third planet from the sun into a toxic dump that needs action now. Fans will enjoy Donna Leon’s cautionary environmental whodunit that focuses on the garbage wars - very topical for anyone who has read Italian news over the past few years.

About Face is a superb entry in Leon's wonderful series. I enjoyed every page of it and the ease with which she writes. It is, I think,  one of herbest, and the ending should even satisfy those among her reader's who dislike her tendency to ambiguous, messy endings, as here you get the impression that, while it ends unclearly, everything important is revealed at the same time.

As long time visitors will know, I enjoy reading mysteries set in a location I have visited or will visit. Now, Grove Press has published Brunetti's Venice, Walks with the City's Best-Loved Detective, by Toni Sepeda, with an introduction by Donna Leon. This was simultaneously published with About Face. Tourists and armchair travelers can follow in the footsteps of Brunetti as he traverses the city he knows and loves. There are over a dozen walks, encompassing all six regions of Venice as well as the lagoon. This is a must have companion book for any fan of Donna Leon's series.

I guess now I have to plan another trip to Venice to experience the joy of Brunetti's beloved city all over again!

Chicken-Ham Lasagna

I was inundated with leftover ham after Easter and this was one of the recipes that I selected to help use up all of that delicious ham. It is from the fine folk at Cooking Light and was part of their series they do where they take a high fat recipe and 'trim' it down. The original recipe had 735 calories and 47 g of fat! OUCH This slimmed down version weighs in at 235 calories and 7 g of fat. What a difference.

Now you might be sitting there thinking - when you loose the fat you loose the taste. I know who you are - I've said that myself. Believe me when I tell you that this is delicious and you'd never know it was low-fat. Not at all. This lasagna has all the comfort food qualities without the guilt!

 Chicken-Ham Lasagna

2 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-sized pieces, divided
3 cups 1% low-fat milk
1/3 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 ounces)
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Cooking spray
12 no-cook lasagna noodles (8 ounces), divided
8 ounces thinly sliced 96% fat-free deli ham, chopped, divided
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Place broth and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large skillet over medium-high heat, and bring to a boil. Add chicken; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; set aside.

Combine milk, flour, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a bowl; stir well with a whisk until smooth. Add milk mixture to broth in pan. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Cook 1 minute or until mixture thickens, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add 1 cup cheese and parsley, stirring until cheese melts.

Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 3 lasagna noodles over sauce. Spoon 3/4 cup sauce evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third ham and one-third chicken. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.

Cover with foil very lightly coated with cooking spray; bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove and discard foil; bake 10 minutes or until the cheese lightly browns. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.

Commuter Intelligence

By now most of the world is familiar with the concept of intellectual intelligence. Further, more and more folks are aware of emotional intelligence. But there is another intelligence that few folks out there are aware of.

Today, on April 22, 2009. Earth Day. I am announcing that there is another mysterious intelligence . . . commuter intelligence. See mom - I told you my learnings from psych 101 (24 years ago - ARGH) would assist me at some point in my life. Today is that point!

What is commuter intelligence, you ask?

Well. It refers to the ability of some folks (myself included, of course) to commute to work without being a complete annoyance to those around them. Now some folks may scoff and say 'Jerry, you silly twit. That is just emotional intelligence!'

They would be wrong. Emotional intelligence can be learned. Apparently commuter intelligence can not br learned because these cretins can't seem to grasp that they are annoying the rest of us to the point that we want to pull the emergency brake and toss them out into the ditch.

Let me present a few folks who do not have commuter intelligence. None whatsoever. They are amongst my research subjects.

The 4 young 'ladies' this morning who were eating a large bag of Hickory Sticks at 7 a.m. A granola bar can be excused. A bag of Hickory Sticks can not. I don't care of you have the world's worse hang over - leave the bloody Sticks at home.

The woman who will always be known to me as 'Brazilian'. As a man I do not want nor need to know about the particulars of waxing. The whole process sounds too gruesome for words. Unfortunately today this woman found the words to discuss her waxing of a rather sensitive and personal area in gory details over the phone. Loudly. I doubt that I shall sleeo this evening.

Boss from Hell is another such boob.  . . . he was on his cell phone this afternoon, presumably talking to his assistant. Given the way he was speaking to her I can only hope thats she spits in his coffee. His tone and commets were atrocious. I was embarassed for her AND him.

My fourth example is known as 'the Baritone'. This guy's crime wasn't his incessant phone chatter -- he only spoke for 10 minutes, which doesn't even get him into the VIP room at Club Rude. Indeed, on the GO train that makes him only a minor, selfish putz, and not a full blown cretin. However, his voice was this enormous booming Baritone -- LOUD -- and he could easily do voice overs for bad game shows or commercials.

My final example is not for the 'weak stomached'. This red haired harpy gets on the train at Oakville, whipped out her hairbrush, and proceeded to fill the car with her scalp cells. If the rest of her fellow commuters were dust mites or bed bugs, we'd say "thanks for the protein, dear."  Since we are mere humans, perhaps we might suggest a good dandruff shampoo . . .

Orecchiette with Sausage, Peppers, and Feta

A few weeks ago Kim posted a recipe that looked like something we might like. Here is how it works: pasta (check), olives (check), feta (check), low-fat (check). Once I realized that the recipe had four things going for it I was bound and determined to get it into our menu 'rotation'.

This was part of Cooking Light's Pasta Presto recipes from 2003 - this is an annual collection of recipes that are ready and one the table really quickly - generally in less than 45 minutes. The speed makes it a perfect thing to make after a long, draining day at the office. - basically everything is ready shortly after the pasta is cooked.

We both really enjoyed it - both for its ease and for the taste. I used hot turkey sausage so it had a nice heat to it. If you used sweet turkey sausage you might want to add some red pepper flakes. All-in-all a great meal - thanks so much Kim for posting the recipe in the first place and giving me inspiration!

Orecchiette with Sausage, Peppers, and Feta

8 ounces uncooked orecchiette
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper, each cut in half crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces turkey Italian sausage, I used hot
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the orecchiette according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 2 minutes. Remove casings from the sausage. Add sausage, oregano, and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes or until sausage is done, stirring to crumble sausage. Add pasta, reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheese, olives, and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

CALORIES 393 (29% from fat); FAT 12.8g (sat 5.3g,mono 4.6g,poly 2g); IRON 3.4mg; CHOLESTEROL 67mg; CALCIUM 137mg; CARBOHYDRATE 48.6g; SODIUM 947mg; PROTEIN 21.6g; FIBER 3.6g