A Life, Lived

How Clean are You?

This story caught my interest . . .

Cleanliness linked to moral judgment, U of T study finds

A University of Toronto researcher has found in a new study a connection between cleanliness – real or imagined – and an ability to pass harsh moral judgments on issues and people.

Chen-Bo Zhong, an assistant professor of organizational behaviour at University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management, has been examining the links between morality and cleanliness for a number of years.

“When people think themselves as immoral, they perceive themselves as dirty or impure which is why they need to feel physically clean,” explained Zhong in an interview with the Star as he discussed his recent research in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.

“This study is trying to show what will happen when people feel clean. We argue it makes them feel morally superior, untainted and pure. We basically tested the prediction when people feel clean they feel morally superior and allow themselves to make harsher judgments about others.”

And Zhong’s prediction turned out to be right on the money.

Now you know - those who are clean see themselves as morally superior to others.

Thank gooness I am a slob.

Now what does this say about my colleague who purchases hand sanitizer in giant jugs? hmmmm

Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

Oh my . . . the heat has returned and my desire to cook has flown the coop.

Happily I found this recipe in the latest edition of Cooking Light magazine. It uses fresh ingredients that I had on hand, is low-fat (coming in at 13 g and most of the 'good fats'), and ready in less than 20 minutes. It sounded perfect for a day where all I wanted to do was pretend I was 6 again and run through the sprinkler.

Generally a tomato sauce can cook for hours, filling the kitchen with heat. This one cooks for less than 5 minutes and if I'm fortified with a glass of bone dry rose I am able to handle the heat.

Paul declared it delicious - suggesting that it tasted 'fresh' and like 'summer'.

Now I know what summer tastes like.

YUM

Pasta with Fresh Tomato-Basil Sauce

1  (9-ounce) package refrigerated fresh fettuccine
2  tablespoons  olive oil
3  garlic cloves, minced
4  cups  cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1  cup  fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
2  ounces  Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, shaved (about 1/2 cup)

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; place pasta in a large bowl.

While pasta cooks, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add tomatoes and salt; cover and cook 4 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in basil and pepper. Add tomato mixture to pasta; toss well to combine. Top with cheese.

Lemony Moroccan-Style Chicken Kebabs

Paul made these for dinner last Sunday to go with his Moroccan Quiona salad. It was a bit of work to get it all ready but definitely worth it. We loved the marinade and sauce! The layering of spices was divine without any one being particularly overpowering - as you would expect with Moroccan food.

The recipe is from the good folks at Fine Cooking, originally published in 2005. I suspect given the fact that preserved lemons are relatively easy to find today the recipe could be updated by just adding a preserved lemon or two for the marinade and decreasing the salt. We'll be trying that next time.

If you're looking for a delicious recipe to add some flavour of Morocco to the table you won't go wrong with these kebabs.

Lemony Moroccan-Style Chicken Kebabs

2 lemons
6 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/8-inch-thick slices peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
Pinch saffron threads
1 tsp. light brown sugar
2-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil

2-1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 sweet onion (like Vidalia), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1 seedless cucumber, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cups plain whole-milk yogurt
Kosher salt

Make the marinade:

Cut four deep, lengthwise gashes, equally spaced, into each lemon. Put the lemons and garlic cloves in a small microwavable container. Cover and microwave on high until the lemons are soft and juice has exuded from them, about 4 min. (If not soft, continue to microwave in 30-second intervals). Strain the juice into a small container and let the lemons and garlic cool briefly. When the lemons are cool enough to handle, separate them into sections. Scrape the pulp and most of the white pith away with a spoon; discard. Put the scraped lemon peels, garlic, lemon juice, and remaining marinade ingredients in a blender and purée to make a coarse, soft paste. Set 2 Tbs.aside to use for the yogurt sauce.

Marinate the chicken:

Put the chicken into a 1-gallon zip-top bag; scrape in the remaining marinade. Massage the bag to coat all the chicken pieces and marinate for 1 to 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Grill the kebabs:

Build a medium-hot charcoal fire or heat a gas grill to medium high. Dump the chicken into a bowl, but don’t scrape off any excess marinade. Put the onion and peppers in the marinade bag and massage them to coat with the marinade (it’s fine if the onion pieces break apart). Transfer to another bowl. Thread the chicken onto skewers, positioning a piece of onion and pepper between the pieces of chicken. If there’s extra pepper or onion, thread them onto separate skewers, if you like.

When ready to grill, oil the grill grate. Grill the kebabs over direct heat (uncovered for charcoal; covered for gas), turning the skewers every 2 to 3 min. until the chicken is firm and shows no redness when cut into, about 10 to 15 min. Check several pieces of chicken to be sure.

Make the sauce:

Combine the reserved 2 Tbs. marinade with the cucumber, cilantro, yogurt, and 2 tsp. salt. Mix well. (Make the sauce no more than an hour before serving or it will be too watery).

To serve:

Remove the chicken and vegetables from the skewers and serve them in a mound with the yogurt sauce on the side.

Photo Hunt - Framed

 

This week's Photo Hunt theme is framed. I took this picture while I was in Chicago in July. I love the way the sinuous metal pieces frame the stage!

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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
• Postcards from the Trail
• Cooking at the Whistlestop Cafe
• Candi's Corner
• Trekcapri's Blog  

 

Revenge of the Cat!

Yesterday I posted about the woman from the UK who was caught on video tossing a cat into the dumpster. Today I'm posting a subsequent video that shows a cat taking its revenge . . .

Is This the Most Hated Woman in England?

You may have seen this making the rounds . . . a woman approaches a cat, pets it, looks around to see if anyone is watching, and picks it up and tosses it in the trash!!

Fortunately for the cat it was all caught on a security video. The cat was rescued and she was splashed all over the media - she now requires a police escort to leave her house.

I get that some folks don't like cats but this is just silly!

Moroccan Quinoa Salad

The other day Paul came home with a recipe cut out of the Metro paper, the rag he reads on the bus to work. This was a first for him. The recipe was for a Moroccan Quinoa Salad.

Metro wrote:

We’ve been bowled over by the popularity of our Moroccan Quinoa Salad. Maybe that’s because quinoa is the grain du jour, and no wonder: It’s incredibly versatile, easy to make (it’s cooked like rice) and is so healthy — it’s full of protein, vitamins and minerals.

I can see why Paul waned to try it . . . the salad sounded wonderful.

He whipped it up on Sunday and we discovered that there was a reason why this was the most popular recipe on the Metro news site - this was amazing! It does make a large salad so if you don't want to eat it for a week you might want to cut it in half. We didn't but we sure were happy for the delicious leftovers!

Moroccan Quinoa Salad

3 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup dried)
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1-1/2 cups canned black beans, rinsed
1-1/2 cup corn kernels (about 2 cobs) or defrosted frozen
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup chopped green or black olives
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh coriander

Cook quinoa, according to package instructions. While quinoa is cooking, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, salt and sugar into a vinaigrette in a small bowl.

Combine quinoa and all remaining ingredients, except fresh herbs, into a medium-sized bowl.

Drizzle with vinaigrette. Toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least one hour to allow flavours to combine. Add fresh herbs just prior to serving. May be served at room temperature.

Strawberry Raspberry Rosé Sorbet

I believe I have commented before on my 'market madness' the desire I have to buy all of the fruits and vegetables that I see at the local farmer's market. I blame this on the fact that the season for said fruits and vegetables is so damn short here that I want to eat my fill of everything prior to the season being over for another year.

The result is two very full refrigerators!

I decided to made a version of a sorbet that I had originally posted about back in July or 2007 - Raspberry Rosé Sorbet from David Lebozitz' wonderful cookbook The Perfect Scoop. I decided to make it with both raspberries AND strawberries.

I didn't think that it would be possible to improve upon the recipe that we had enjoyed so much but I believe that I did. It may have been using a better wine this time or it may have been the addition of the delicious strawberries at the peak of their game. Whatever it was this was a refreshing way to finish off dinner tonight!

Strawberry Raspberry Rosé Sorbet

2 cups Rosé wine
2/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups raspberries (fresh or frozen)
2 cups strawberries (fresh or frozen)

I used a Rosé wine from a local winery that was clean and crisp. You wouldn't want to use a wine that was too sweet as it would seem cloying with the fruit.

Place the fruit in a non-reactive bowl large. In a medium, nonreactive saucepan, bring the Rosé wine and sugar to a boil.

Remove from heat and pour over the raspberries. Allow to cool to room temperature.

Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.

Press the puree through a strainer to remove the seeds.

Chill the mixture thoroughly.

Freeze it in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

David warns in the book that because of the amount of alcohol in the mixture it will not freeze very firmly in the ice cream maker. It was quite soft when I put it into the container to go into the freezer.

Gorgonzola Sauce for Pasta

The other day I realized that I haven't said anything about a project that I've been involved with since March! Apparently it had slipped my mind. Or my mind has slipped reality.

I've joined a group of cooks from St Louis, Palm Desert, Tallahassee, Alaska, New Jersey, Alabama, and Ontario in cooking our way through Marcella Hazan's cookbook 'The Essentials of Italian Cooking'. Now before you say 'It's been done' (thinking of the Julie/Julia tale) I do believe that we're different!

For one we don't whine as much as Julie Powell. BAH

We're not searching for something to fill an existential void in our lives. Well, at least I don't think that we are anyway.

We're not looking for a movie deal, although if you have a multi-million offer please call us!

We're just a group of cooks who love to cook. Love many things Italian, and have come to admire Marcella Hazan and her well-written recipes.

Perhaps more than any other person, Hazan is responsible for bringing Italian cuisine into the homes of American cooks. We're not talking spaghetti and meatballs here--Hazan's cuisine consists of polenta, risotto, squid braised with tomatoes and white wine, sautéed swiss chard with olive oil and garlic.... Thirty years ago, when Hazan first exploded into the American consciousness with The Classic Italian Cook Book and More Classic Italian Cooking, such recipes were revolutionary. With time, however, these classic dishes have become much-beloved family favorites.

One of the interesting things about this cook-a-thon (my day is Saturday BTW - a day I share with my friend Palma), is that Marcella has joined in. She comments on our posts daily, lets us know what we've done wrong, and cheers us on like the best of cheerleaders. You can follow the blog at Pomodori e Vino and even follow us on facebook!

One thing about the challenge that bugs me is that I only get to make my assigned recipe - meaning that there are many wonderful ones that sail by without a 'Jerry' attempt. Over the weekend I decided to correct that with one particular recipe. Earlier both Beth and Sandi made Hazan's gorgonzola sauce and raved about it. I had a hunk of gorgonzola in the fridge and decided to make the sauce for myself.

Thank goodness. This stuff was amazing! So good that I was caught eating it our of the pot with a spoon! Next time I shall make a double recipe so that I can 'taste' and still have ample left over for serving.

One of Marcella's excellent pieces of advice with this sauce is that you should NOT used cold gorgonzola as the cold 'stunts its flavour and aroma'. Trust me when I say that you want all of that flavour and aroma to shine through! MMMMM

Gorgonzola Sauce

1/4 lb gorgonzola, at room temperature
1/3 cup milk
3 TBSP butter
pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 1/4 pounds pasta
1/3 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano

Choose flameproof serving ware that can subsequently accommodate all the pasta. Combine gorgonzola, milk, butter and salt over low heat. Stir with a wooden spoon, mashing the cheese and incorporating it with the milk and butter. Cook until sauce has a dense, creamy consistency. Take off the heat until you are nearly ready to drain the pasta.

Just before draining the pasta, add the heavy cream to the sauce and stir over medium-low heat until thickened. Add the cooked drained pasta and toss. Add the grated cheese and toss until melted. Serve immediately from the pan with additional grated cheese on the side.

Megalomaniac and Organized Crime Wineries

I've got a number of events coming up over the next few months at work that require presenter gifts so yesterday Paul and I hopped in the car and headed to Niagara for some winery visits. It seems odd that we haven't been down to Niagara for a visit since May but I guess that speaks to the kind of summer we've had - BUSY!

Yesterday was one of those perfect days to visit the wineries - cloudy, and threatening with rain. Now you're likely thinking 'why would that be a perfect day to visit wineries?' Because the weather keeps the crowds at bay! *smile* There were many Americans who were up for a weekend of theatre, food, and wine but the local folks like ourselves who just hop in the car for a day of fun generally stay home on days like yesterday.

We selected 5 wineries to visit: Chateau des Charmes, Coyote's Run, Megalomaniac, Daniel Lenko, and Organized Crime. Two I've written about before. Two were brand new to us.

The grapes were full on the vines and the workers were out covering the vines with nets to keep the migratory birds at bay.

After visiting two wineries in the Niagara-on-the-Lake area we popped back on the highway to Jordan. We were getting hungry so we stopped for some picnic provisions which we ate on a large rock outside the next winery we were to visit.

Megalomaniac

John Howard was a Niagara pioneer when he opened Vineland winery a couple of decades ago. The stunning location on the escarpment in Beamsville is still one of the area’s main attractions. Howard sold out early on and went into semi-retirement, but now he’s back in the business (next door to Vineland) with a new winery called Megalomaniac. Named after himself, of course.

Megalomaniac is a classic cellar door winery, but this is no ordinary cellar. John owns a chateau in Bordeaux and has brought French sensibility and splendor to his Niagara winery. For sure, a must visit. Sue-Ann Staff makes the wines here, and also at her own winery close by.

We walked into the cellar and headed to the bar to taste. Unlike other wineries we've been to there was no separate tasting room - apparently that will come later but for now one enjoyed the wines in the cellar.

Enjoy we did.

I knew that the company had won international awards for their labels – which means their packaging is pretty impressive, but I wondered 'what about the wine inside?'

Our two favourites were the Narcissist Riesling: Riesling is a staple down Niagara way so to stand out you’d better be impressing somebody somewhere along the line. This Riesling has lots of peach qualities both on the nose and in the mouth, the finish is limeade with a touch of sweetness. Velvety smooth so it glides right down and you’re ready to sip again – goody.

The second was Major League: A classic Bordeaux blend (and named after John's dog Major League) this smooth red had a wonderful nose and a better taste! We were lucky to scoop six of the last bottles they had.

Organized Crime

This winery is not a typical tourist trap, it’s a small winery privately owned and operated. The story behind the name refers to a bit of local folklore: the story goes, back in the day the local Mennonite church had purchased a pipe organ. There was considerable rivalry with another nearby church over this organ. Indeed, late one night men from the one congregation broke into the other church, stole the organ, loaded it up on their wagon, and drove to the edge of a cliff where they dumped it over. Hence the name 'organized crime'. The Organized portion of the name has to do with the actual organ. Cool story, Even cooler name! 

When Jan and Krystyna Tarasewicz opened their boutique winery in 2006 in the heart of the Beamsville Bench, they turned heads with the name on their label—and with the lively, fruit-focused wines in the bottle. 

Consulting winemaker Andrzej Lipinski crafts whites and reds that catch a pure expression of their grapes, with 2008 Gewürztraminer and Riesling taking Silver Medals at the Canadian Wine Awards. Don’t miss the 2007 Chardonnay Reserve, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

By the time we left Organized Crime we had 4 and a half cases of wine int he car, some for work, some for us to enjoy at home. It was back on the highway to home and a well-deserved NAP!