But I Digress… | a blog by mari gold, on food, travel & life

Mole, Cactus and…Zumba

Posted on February 27, 2015 by marigold

Oaxaca was fabulous with mid-day temps about eighty degrees, wonderful food and a variety of things to do and see. We stayed at Casa Ollin, a charming B&B on a lovely, quiet street, with other guests who were fun and interesting and breakfasts that were truly terrific. The coffee was a miracle, the fresh fruit delicious, the breads wonderful and each day brought a different, Mexican-inspired main dish like Oaxacan tamales, rich with mole, or tortillas served with a spicy sauce and long, skinny nopales (a kind of cactus) on the side. (One day we had omelets stuffed with chopped chapulines– that’s grasshopper to you. Can’t say they taste like chicken but they’re good.)

Woman selling fried chappulines at market

Woman selling fried chapulines at market

Early on during the week’s stay, we went to the Botanical Gardens for the docent-led tour in English. For two and a half hours we looked at plants arranged by ecological and cultural themes, almost all indigenous to the area. There’s a section for plants that are foods and an area for many kinds of cacti including the nopali that host the parasitic cochineal bug — when squeezed this produces the prized crimson color. It’s used to dye yarn and, per our docent, is also in Starbuck’s Strawberry Frappe and a

squeeze cochineal for brilliant natural red color

Dole fruit cup product.)

Our B & B was very near what we’d call a shopping plaza.. The plaza houses ATMs, a laundry (many people come to Oaxaca for several months to get away from winter) a small, very well stocked mini-market and… a space devoted to zumba. Classes were held several times a day most days–the only reason I didn’t dive in was that I’d neglected to bring the right workout clothes.
Wandering through town, I saw zumba advertised in several other spots. Apparently this fitness boomlet is doing big biz in Mexico with classes and instructor training all over. Every class I saw was packed with people having a great time, loving the music and working off some of that terrific food. Mole ole!

I’m not crazy enough to suggest chapulines (even if we could get them here–who knows?) or even mole (takes too long and has far too many ingredients) but this comes close to an actual beef fajita. Yes, there are a few cheats here and there but it will taste good.

Beef Fajitas

3 small yellow onions, peeled and halved lengthwise
3⁄4 cup plus 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1⁄4 tsp. liquid smoke (how Mexican!)
1 bay leaf
1 1⁄2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Salt
1 2-lb. skirt steak, cut into 3″ pieces
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, cored, and thickly sliced
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, cored, and thickly sliced
12 scallions, trimmed
1 tomato, cored and quartered
6″ homemade or store-bought flour tortillas (home made? Not in my home.)

Finely chop 1 of the onion halves and put into a large deep glass or ceramic dish. Add 3⁄4 cup of the oil, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, bay leaf, black pepper, and salt to taste and mix well. Add meat to dish and turn in marinade until well coated. Cover dish with plastic wrap and marinate meat in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

After steak has marinated, heat a charcoal grill until coals are hot. Remove meat from dish, discarding marinade. Grill meat over hot coals, turning once, 4–6 minutes for medium rare. (You may also cook meat in a grill pan on the stove over high heat.) Transfer meat to a cutting board and set aside.

Thickly slice the remaining 2 onions lengthwise and set aside. Heat the remaining 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onions and bell peppers, season to taste with salt, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are lightly charred but still crunchy, 3–4 minutes.

Thinly slice meat against the grain, add to skillet with vegetables, and stir until heated through, 1–2 minutes. Divide fajitas equally among four large heated plates; garnish with scallions and tomato wedges. Serve with warm tortillas, if you want to make it seem more authentic.

You should start with a shot or two of mezcal (more on that later.) Tequila makes a good sub. Beer, especially a Mexican brand, would also be excellent.

Posted in Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Read On…

Posted on February 6, 2015 by marigold

Leaflet from Grolier Club exhibit

Lucky me! I was among a very small group on a guided visit to the exhibit One Hundred Books Famous in Children’s Literature at The Grolier Club. The books, printed between 1600 and 2000, are deemed “famous” because they were popular in their day and have stood the test of time. Books are shown in their original language and in English–our guide was quick to explain the selections are not “the best books” but ones that have demonstrated literary merit and enormous, on-going popularity.

Robert Baden-Powell

As a result, Scouting for Boys, written and illustrated by Robert Baden-Powell, the organization’s founder, is there. Stuart Little is not because a decision was made to display only one book per author so E.B. White is represented by Charlotte’s Web.

The exhibition, (which you’ll probably miss as it closes February 7), is divided into categories: Fairy Tales & Fables; Faith; Learning; Nursery Rhymes; Poetry; Girls & Boys; Animals; Fantasy; Adventure: Novelties and Toys. The oldest book shown is Orbis Pictus, published in Nuremberg in 1658, which was used by children throughout Europe for centuries.

I read (or had read to me) about ninety-five percent of the titles on view and practically fell apart seeing The Little House, (not the one on the prairie–the book in which the city grows up around the house and she despairs until moved back to the country and re-inhabited by a family.)

I remember loving The Story of Ferdinand for the narrative and character of the flower-loving bull. Apparently it’s been re-interpreted as an anti-Fascist work but clearly not by kids. That very un-PC book, Little Black Sambo is in the show, opened to a page showing the tigers–we learned that displaying illustrations of people has lead to hate mail and nasty threats. Here is a link to the glowing New York Times review of the show.

The Grolier Club, long may it wave, was founded in 1884 and devote itself to books and the graphic arts. Four free exhibitions are held each year–now that I’ve finally been to the Club, I look forward to returning.

Piglet with Winnie

One of my favorite literary characters from childhood is Winnie the Pooh, a Bear of Very Little Brain, with a huge fondness for honey. (He’s in the exhibition.) This recipe isn’t very Pooh-ish but includes honey and is even (more or less) healthy, You can substitute apple juice for bourbon if you don’t want kiddies mixed with alcohol.

Honey Roasted Carrots from Southern Cooking
2 pounds baby carrots with tops (just get small, real carrots, not those tiny things that are really big carrots cut small)
2 teaspoons olive oil
3 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon chicken broth or water
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1. Place a small roasting pan in oven. Preheat oven and pan to 500°.
2. Cut tops from carrots, leaving 1 inch of greenery on each carrot.
3. Stir together olive oil and 1 Tbsp. butter in preheated pan. Add carrots, salt, and pepper; toss to coat. Bake 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, melt remaining 2 Tbsp. butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallot; sauté 1 minute. Remove from heat, and stir in bourbon and next 2 ingredients. Return to heat, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium, and cook 5 minutes or until mixture is syrupy.
5. Drizzle syrup over carrots; toss to coat. Bake 5 to 7 more minutes or until carrots are crisp-tender. Transfer to a serving dish, and sprinkle with thyme.

You could sing “Tiddley Pom,” known to Pooh fans although it owes more to Disney than to A.A. Milne, Pooh’s author. Maybe better: Somewhere Over the Rainbow which although not in The Wizard of Oz (included in the exhibition) is at least a better song.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged books, children, honey, Winnie the Pooh | 3 Comments

When Mexico is Next to Croatia

Posted on January 24, 2015 by marigold

The Umbrellas of Thailand, NYT Travel Show

Just back from the New York Times Travel Show which, although not nearly as grand as it used to be, is still interesting. It’s at the Javits Center, a trip of its own–a lot of new apartment buildings have been built nearby or are in the works but currently there’s nowhere in the area to shop, eat or have your dry cleaning done.

I collected info on places I’m going to or at least tried. Oaxaca, MX, coming in February, was not represented at the Mexico area but the rep-in-charge promised some specialized skinny (maybe.) Italy, up in May, had various vendors on hand although nothing for the country as a whole or even specific geographic areas. I grazed destinations on my “let’s think about it” list including South Africa; Prince Edward Island,

Summer with lupines, PEI

(near yet very far when you try to actually get there); Malta and Croatia. Anyone with a yea or nay on these, I’d love your input.

The seminar on maximizing the travel dollar was reasonably interesting with a few websites and tips I didn’t know. Later, the program by restaurateur Bill Telepan

Bill Telepan

morphed into something about Expo Milan with a panel –I left as it began as did the person next to me, both of us disappointed not to hear the chef expound on his eponymous restaurant I’ve eaten there numerous times and always loved it.

Since I can’t replicate the cooking at Telepan, this recipe is something I made recently and adored. Spoiler alert: one of the key ingredients is kale which some loathe as it’s so popular it’s about to turn up as soap (or maybe has.) Don’t be put off by either the healthiness or complications factors: you can eat it ignoring that it’s good for you and it’s really not that difficult. AND, once made, it keeps, undressed for quite a while in the fridge.

The Mighty (Overhyped) Kale

Kale, Cabbage and Brussels Sprouts Chopped Salad (full amount would feed an army. Halve or even quarter amounts for two.)

For the greens:
• 1/2 pound curly kale (about one small bunch, or half of a larger bunch)
• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1 pound green cabbage (about half a medium head or a quarter of a large one)
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
For the dressing:
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil, optional
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, for assembly
• 2 tablespoons toasted pistachios, for assembly
1. Wash and spin dry the kale, and then cut it, plus the Brussels sprouts and the cabbage, in small squares, about 1/4-inch by 1/4 inch. For the kale, it works best to rib the leaves, roll them into fat cigars a few leaves at a time, then chiffonade them. Keeping the slices together and uniform, turn them 90° counter clockwise and make even slices lengthwise, about a 1/4-inch apart. (The same method works for the cabbage.) I started and it was
2. fussy to just roll and chiffonade kale as best you can. )
3. Halve the Brussels sprouts lengthwise, cut each halve in half, and, with them lying cut-side down on the cutting board, slice them like you would an onion. Don’t stress about technique too much here — the important part is that everything is roughly the same size — if it’s easier for you to just chop and mince like you would a pile of herbs, go ahead and do that.
4. Place all chopped vegetables in a large bowl, add sugar and salt, and massage the greens slightly until they no longer feel raw. This salad will only improve if you do this a few hours ahead of time, but it’s not necessary. (At this point, the salad can sit for up to 2 or 3 days. It will lose water, so drain each time you dress and eat/serve it.)
5. To make the dressing, combine the vinegar, mustard, salt, sugar, and Worcestershire sauce in a blender, and blend until the color lightens and everything is combined. (You can also use a whisk and a strong arm for this.) Slowly stream in the olive oil, and then the hazelnut oil, if using — you’re looking for everything to be thick and emulsified. (This dressing will last for 2 weeks in the fridge.)
6. Add dressing to greens, a few spoonfuls at a time — you want a well-dressed salad but not a soggy one. (Keep in mind you will have leftover dressing, so no need to use it all.) Fold in the sesame seeds and pistachios, and serve.

You could drink something very unhealthy like Diet Coke or white sangria (my vote) with this and serve as a meal at lunch with bread and cheese or a side salad at any time. Think of it as the gym in a bowl,

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brussels sprouts, Italy, kale, Mexico | 7 Comments

Let’s Zydeco

Posted on January 14, 2015 by marigold

Steve Riley

It’s cold and rainy in New York so what better time to travel to warm Cajun country with hot music? Let’s Zydeco runs evenings with top bands at an otherwise undistinguished Irish pub on West 45th Street. It’s a lot of fun with people of all ages (many on the not-so-young side, many that are) and types dancing their feet off. Sunday night the featured band was Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys, a group that’s been making music together for twenty-five years. The evening began, as all do, with a lesson in the basic steps–waltz, two-step and what’s called jitterbug but has a very Zydeco take. At eight Steve and the boys took the stage and the room exploded with about one hundred people having a fabulous time. Steve, a recent Grammy winner, plays several different accordions as well as the fiddle; he also sings and is backed by four other guys. This link takes you to Cajun/ Zydeco dancing (elsewhere) for a sense of its enthusiastic style.

Zydeco music incorporates R&B, reggae, blues and whatever else the people playing or dancing to it come up with. The genre evolved in southwestern Louisiana via French Creole speakers; it’s heavy on the button accordion, fiddle and often a “washboard.” Most numbers are up-tempo, catchy and easy to dance to as people add their own touches. One of my partners said that when dancing fast it feels like you’re flying–how true. He’d come from Philadelphia where he had danced to the same band two nights before–a tribute to how good these musicians are and how great the experience is.

This year Mardi Gras falls on February 17th. If you want to dance and don’t feel like heading for New Orleans, you can go to Connolly’s. Check out www.let’szydeco.com

If you want to eat traditional Mardi Gras food, make classic red beans and rice.

Red Beans & Rice
Serves 6
1 pound dried red beans (small red or kidney)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound andouille sausage (you could substitute smoked sausage but andouille is the real deal), sliced and quartered
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 – 3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large smoked ham hock
2 – 3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Cooked white rice, for serving
Pick over beans and discard any odd-looking ones. Rise in cold water. In a large bowl, cover beans with 3 inches of water and set aside at room temperature for 6 – 8 hours. Drain and rinse.
Put olive oil in a large heavy pot. Add sausage and cook until it starts to brown, about 5 – 7 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside. Over medium heat, add onions, peppers, and celery and cook until softened, about 5 – 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or so.
Pour 6 cups water into pot. Add beans, ham hock, bay leaves, Cajun seasoning, and Tabasco. Bring to a gentle boil, skimming off any foam as that collects on the surface. Reduce the heat to low/medium-low and cook at a gentle simmer, uncovered, for one hour. (Stir occasionally to ensure no beans are stuck to the bottom.)
Return the sausage to the pot. Continue cooking until beans are soft and creamy about 1/2 – 2 1/2 hours. (If you want a thicker texture, mash some of the beans against the side of the pot.) Season generously with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with cooked white rice and hot sauce.
Toss on those Mardi Gras beads and serve.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged accordion, beans, dancing, Mardi Gras | 4 Comments

On Dasher…

Posted on December 28, 2014 by marigold

Clement Clarke Moore (whose personal land became today’s Chelsea)

In my unofficial capacity as cheerleader for quirky New York City events, I’d have to go far to beat the annual Clement Clarke Moore festivities, billed as “New York’s oldest Christmas tradition.”
The proceedings take place at the Church of the Intercession at 155th Street and Broadway, an easy ride on the #1 subway. As I entered the Church, officially a chapel of Trinity Wall Street Church, someone handed me felt antlers. There I was, seated in a huge church with a good three quarters of the people–all ages, all ethnicities– wearing antlers.
The program’s centerpiece is the reading of A Visit from St. Nicholas, known to many as The Night Before Christmas, written by Moore in 1822. This year’s reading was done by Rev. James Cooper of Wall St. Trinity who is retiring. He began by telling a cute story about coming home late Christmas Eve because of being a cleric– instead of the traditional milk and cookies, he and his wife typically returned to a snack of cheese and crackers with “something that looked a bit like apple juice.”

Before the poem we were treated to a procession, carols, handbells and more music. Then the Reverend sat in a large chair, the children in the audience were invited to sit around him and he read. Following more music, we removed our antlers, put on hats and coats and walked across Broadway down to the Trinity Church cemetery to Moore’s grave. A wreath was laid, we sang Silent Night and then repaired inside the adjoining mausoleum for coffee, hot chocolate, sandwiches, cookies and wine. Truly a charming event.

I managed to acquire–and shed–what I’m calling the Twenty-Four Hour Flu that felled me Christmas Eve but whatever it was bowed out in time to enjoy friends and family Christmas Day. I wore my antlers and was very grateful to the family members who pitched in to help cook, serve and clean up.

Making a first appearance at Christmas this year were these meatballs which I initially encountered at the house of a friend. I made them and stuck them in a covered dish in the fridge before flu hit; on Christmas all that was needed was to drop them in the sauce, fish them out, insert toothpicks and serve.

Christmas (or any time of the year) Meatballs

makes about 3 dozen cocktail meatballs

2 lbs. ground meat (I used beef but you could substitute turkey)
1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I used half panko and half Italian-seasoned–doesn’t matter)
about 1/2 cup Heinz chili sauce
about 1/2 cup grape jelly

Mix meat and breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Shape into golf-shape-sized balls. Put on a cookie sheet. Heat oven to 350 and bake for about 20 minutes, turning once. At this point you can put them on paper towels to drain and keep in fridge.
When ready to serve, combine chili sauce and jelly in saucepan. Bring to just under a boil. Put meatballs in; let them sit in sauce a while (meaning anything from fifteen minutes to longer.) Remove with slotted spoon; insert toothpicks and serve.

Tiny Tim said, “God Bless Us Everyone.” I say yes to that with a glass of bubbly in hand.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged antlers, Christmas, meatballs, Moore | 1 Comment

Sugar Plum

Posted on December 17, 2014 by marigold

Sugar Plum Fairy as ballet sees her

It’s Nutcracker season but I’m sort of sugar-plumed out. I first saw the NYC ballet when my daughters were little; have taken other kids other times and recently went to a production with a recital flavor put on by the Valentina Kozlova Dance Conservatory. That, I thought, was that for 2014.

Then I stumbled upon the “new holiday musical comedy,” The Nutcracker and I, conceived and created by Gerard Alessandrini (of Forbidden Broadway fame with an Obie, two Lucille Lortel’s, seven Drama Desk awards–you get the idea) and Peter Brash, (thirty years writing every soap you ever heard of and then some, also with an Emmy, Writer’s Guild and other awards.) Their concept uses the music in Tchaikovsky’s ballet set to words to advance a plot revolving around a high school leading lady who breaks her leg when a Christmas tree runs amok; her family who ply her with painkillers; a horny, almost-Olympian snowboarder and a guy who starts as a geek and ends as a dashing Nutcracker /prince who takes our heroine to Sugar Globe City, aka Manhattan. The cast of six, (five adults and a ten-year old), sang the numbers including Song of the Sugar Rush Fairy and the NYC Multicultural Tour Medley –the ballet’s Act ll divertissements set for the Hindu Cabbie’s Christmas and A Jewish Chinese Christmas numbers (with a shout-out to being politically incorrect.) There are a lot of clever patter songs, as though Gilbert and Sullivan had been put in a blender with Tchaikovsky and re-orchestrated. The whole thing was an utterly delightful, topical romp–oh, and it was free (and at the auditorium of the New York Library for the Performing Arts.) I’ve paid a lot more to be far less entertained for an hour and a half.

Here’s a link to the fully-staged version as performed at the George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, MA in 2011. (Click gallery to hear some of the songs.)

There will be no sugar plums at my holiday table but there will be this dessert which, in the past, has garnered applause. (It’s delicious and you can make it a couple of days ahead.)

Chocolate Amaretti Torte

1 oz unsweetened chocolate
3 ozs bittersweet chocolate
6 large double amaretti (or about 1/2 cup crushed amaretti (these are the Italian cookies that used to come wrapped in crinkly paper in an orange and white tin –today they are available in a bag at fancy food stores.)
3/4 c. sliced almonds (technically blanched but I never have)
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. sugar
3 large eggs at room temperature
Confectioners’ sugar or cocoa for dusting

Preheat oven to 350
Butter an 8 inch round cake pan. Line bottom with waxed paper; butter the paper.
Dust inside of the pan with flour and tap out excess.
Melt the chocolates in a bowl in the microwave and set aside.
Place amaretti and almonds in food processor and pulse several times until mixture is evenly ground. Turn out onto waxed paper and reserve.
Put butter, sugar, eggs into processor bowl and process until mixture is satiny smooth and no longer grainy, about 2 minutes. Stop to scrape bowl occasionally.
Add amaretti, almond powder and melted chocolates. Pulse until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in oven on center rack for 25-30 minutes. (Top will look dry and maybe cracked; center will be moist)
Cool on cake rack for 30 minutes. Run blunt knife around edge of the pan and turn out the torte. Peel off waxed paper, invert and cool on a rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar or cocoa.
Slice thinly and serve at room temp with whipped cream or ice cream.
Makes 10-14–very generous– servings.
Pass the Prosecco. Or espresso. No food fights, please.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged ballet, chocolate, Nutcracker | 4 Comments

Over the River and Through the Woods

Posted on December 9, 2014 by marigold

Allegheny County in red

My family and I went west–way, way west for the post-Thanksgiving weekend. New York State is bigger than I realized especially “upstate,” which seems composed of small churches, farms and roadways with impressively little travel. The drive is easy, as it’s relatively uncomplicated but dull as you’re mostly on major highways for the (theoretically) five-plus hours. Italian highways are dotted with gas stations that have unexpectedly good food spots attached; these roads, not so much.

At the Wellsville, NY YM/WCA, we had a riotous time in a Zumba-esque aerobics-cum-calisthenics class led by the daughter of our host.

This is SO not the family

The following day we visited Willow Creek, an organic dairy farm. I have always been fond of cows (don’t ask); these live a cow one-percenter life (until they no longer give “sufficient” milk at which point they get demoted to pet food). The cows can graze outdoors and get milked on their own schedule. The entire operation is automatic. Cows get a grain treat while being milked so they form a line that is far less unpleasant than human behavior on Black Friday. There are a gazillion cats living in the barn as companions and, um, pest control.

Calf (note “designer” blanket with cat friend

Classical music is piped into the barn for cow appreciation. Cows near their delivery date are in special areas and filmed via cow-cam so the farmer can turn up when needed and not waste time waiting. It’s all ideal if the idea of dairy farming appeals to you.

All those cows means a non-beef recipe. Do not be put off by the ingredients or what looks like Julia Child-ish number of steps. This chicken Parmesan n recipe is a cinch, especially as it can be done in parts with the final steps taken before you serve it.

Chicken Parmesan

4 skinless, boneless halved chicken breasts. ( I added 4 skinless boneless thighs which I find tastier. Rest of amounts I kept pretty much the same. )
salt and pepper
2 eggs (or 3 if you have a lot of chicken)
Panko bread crumbs
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 Tbl flour
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (to coat chicken)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (to sprinkle on before baking)
1/2 cup tomato sauce (or jar of good store brand)
1.2 c mozzarella cut into cubes
olive oil
1/2 cup grated Provolone cheese (if you omit it won’t make the slightest difference)

1. Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F .
2. Place chicken breasts between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound chicken with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of 1/2-inch. Season chicken thoroughly with salt and pepper.
3. Beat eggs in a shallow bowl and set aside.
4. Mix bread crumbs and 1/2 cup Parmesan in a separate bowl, set aside. (I used part Panko and part Italian and added dried parsley -fresh even better–and oregano)
5. Place flour in a sifter or strainer; sprinkle over chicken breasts, evenly coating both sides.
6 .Heat about 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Cook chicken until golden, about 2 minutes on each side. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
7. Put chicken in a baking dish. This is where you can stop, cover dish with foil and resume next day. I’d take dish out a few hours before to bring it to room temperature and then move on.
8. Top chicken with about 1/3 cup of tomato sauce (or a whole jar of bought). Layer chicken with equal amounts of mozzarella and provolone cheese (if using) Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of Parmesan cheese on top and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
9. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is browned and bubbly and chicken breasts are not pink in the center, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the thickest piece should read at least 165 degrees F.
If you’re a stickler, you could serve with angel-hair or other pasta. If not, a salad and/or green veg and you’re home free.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged cats, chicken, cows, gym | 4 Comments

Pins and Needles

Posted on November 27, 2014 by marigold

The Anatomy Lesson

Perhaps you have seen a reproduction of this painting or even the original that resides in the Mauritshuis Museum, The Hague. Done in 1632, it is one of the earliest works Rembrandt signed with his first name. Shades of modern medicine, it’s said that many doctors paid the artist to be included.

I felt very much like a live version of the man on the table when I took part in Grand Rounds at a school that teaches acupuncture. Let’s skip over my reason for seeking treatment and just say that I wanted it badly enough to participate in a teaching situation until I could land an appointment with one of the main practitioners. There I was (fully clothed) lying face up under fairly bright lights with about thirty students, not one Asian among them. I’ve had acupuncture several times before, always with a Chinese practitioner and have had results ranging from amazing to none. The jury’s out on this one as I’m told it will take a few treatments to have an effect–or not.

Both my primary care doctor (Japanese/Chinese) and another physician (Indian) applaud adding acupuncture to the regimen. How far we’ve come from the days when non-traditional medicine was summarily dismissed or raised eyebrows. Today, acupuncture is so in vogue it’s used on cats and dogs (and, for all I know, horses and other animals). Full disclosure: in previous acupuncture experiences, the needles were totally painless. In this case, I felt a few as they were inserted but it was in no way unbearable or even truly “painful.” If pain results in gain, I’m all for it.

Thinking about needles….voila, a recipe for chicken satay on skewers. If this makes you feel squeamish, stop here. Otherwise, consider this a pretty quick, no-fail appetizer.

Chicken Satay Martha Stewart

Use 12 metal or wooden skewers. If wooden, soak thoroughly in water so they don’t burn. Recipe says this amount serves 4; I’d say more like 8 as most people will eat two (unless it’s the main event.)

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter, preferably natural
3 tablespoons mango chutney
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 clove garlic, coarsely chopped
1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut across the grain into 1/4-inch-wide strips
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

In blender, combine peanut butter, chutney, lime juice, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, garlic, pepper flakes, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 cup water; blend until smooth. Set aside.
Thread each chicken piece onto a skewer (fold the pieces slightly as you work so the skewers go in and out of the meat). Place skewered chicken in a shallow dish; season with with salt and pepper. Drizzle oil and remaining tablespoon soy sauce over chicken; turn to coat.
Heat broiler or grill to high (if grill, lightly oil grates; if broiler, place on foil for easier removal.) Grill chicken until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Be sure it’s not pink inside. Transfer to a platter and serve with chutney sauce for dipping.

Meanwhile, enjoy your turkey leftovers–almost my favorite part of the meal!

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged chicken, Chinese, needles, Turkey | 5 Comments

Dancing in Your Underwear

Posted on November 8, 2014 by marigold

“Stays” aka a corset that must have been hell to wear

What a pleasure to go to a museum where the exhibition doesn’t leave you in need of oxygen. The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology (F.I.T.) is a little gem with free admission, generous hours and never an overwhelmingly large show as the space doesn’t permit it. Exposed: A History of Lingerie is in the upstairs gallery. It examines what is coyly referred to as “intimate apparel” from the 18th century to the present beginning with the corset, a garment I’m glad I never experienced first-hand. One item this otherwise very complete show has overlooked is the Merry Widow, a item from my tortured teens that encompassed a bra and body-shaper, linking the latter to garters that held up stockings (the item currently re-branded as a “corselet” to make it sound hotter.) My MW recollections are not pretty–it was fairly uncomfortable but a must wear.

A Merry Widow of the 60s

Some of the lingerie, like the bustle, is hilarious; some is erotic and some, like the 1924 cami-knickers, could be worn today as a sort of dress-cum-shorts item. If you want to see the exhibit, get a move on–it closes November 15th.

Downstairs, the Dance & Fashion exhibit explores the relationship between the two forms. A video is a bit of a self-promo for the New York City Ballet’s costume shop but, in fairness, it’s the only one of its kind and produces fabulous work. As the New York Times writer, Siobhan Burke, pointed out, it’s a little weird seeing clothes made for dance totally still but then again, how often can you get a close look at what dancers wear? Click here to read the whole review.

Several pairs of pointe shoes are exhibited including ones worn by Anna Pavlova as well as costumes designed by boldface names such as Balenciaga, Schiaparelli, Oscar de la Renta, and even Ralph Lauren though thankfully not in his “American Wasp perfection” mode. The Martha Graham Company loaned dresses reminding me that, upon arriving at my first dance class, probably at age three, the story goes that I looked around and shrilled “Mommy, why are these ladies wearing rags?” I bet my mother did a lot of shushing.

Dancers, as we know, subsist on coffee and cigarettes with an occasional performer who admits to actually ingesting food.

This recipe has absolutely nothing to do with dance (especially as it contains half-and-half) and everything to do with the weather getting colder. It’s for an easy, delicious soup that everyone–even those who profess to dislike curry– loves.

Curried Butternut Squash and Pear Soup

1 2 lb butternut squash
3 tbls unsalted butter
1 onion diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp minced fresh ginger root (you can buy this pre-made or buy a small piece of ginger and grate)
1 Tbls curry powder
1 tsp salt
4 cups low salt chicken broth
2 firm ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and diced
½ cup half and half
Preheat oven to 375. Put a little olive oil in pan. Cut squash in half long way and put cut sides down in pan. Roast until very soft, about 45 minutes.
Melt butter in large soup pot. Stir in onion, garlic, ginger, curry powder and salt. Cook and stir until onion is soft, about 10 minutes. Pour in chicken broth and brim to a boil. Stir in pears and reserved squash and simmer until pears are very soft, about 30 minutes.
Pour soup into blender, filling it only halfway full. Hold down lid with a towel. Puree in batches until smooth. Return soup to pot, sit in half and half, reheat and serve.
Up on those toes folks. It’s showtime.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged butternut squash, corset, dance, soup | 1 Comment

Hallo Berlin

Posted on October 28, 2014 by marigold

The only locally-produced items I found in Berlin were wurst (more later) and marzipan. That said, the city has wonderful museums, a lively art scene, great music in numerous venues and KaDaWe, (‘Ka-da-vay’); Europe’s biggest department store with a food hall that rivals Harrod’s in London. And a lot of very interesting history.

There is a lot of “apologizing” for the Holocaust in various museums and exhibitions. Far more moving to me are are the stolperstein (in German this means ‘stumbling blocks”) created by artist Gunter Demning to commemorate individual Holocaust victims. Each Stolperstone is a small concrete cube covered in brass with information about the dead person including name, birth date and what happened if this is known.

Stolpersteine outside a building

Perhaps it is apocryphal, perhaps not, but it’s said that, prior to the Holocaust, when a non-Jew stumbled over a stone, he said “there must be a Jew buried here”–hence the name.

Many apartment buildings undertake research to learn about their former inhabitants and then invite residents to contribute to the stolperstine, order the tributes and see that the installation is carried out properly. It’s not unusual to see a building with five or more blocks, usually placed in front so they are noticeable but not where they will impede foot traffic.

These little remembrances are a lot more personal than the more formal stelae at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (click here to read a fairly scathing New Yorker article criticizing this museum) and the Jewish Museum Berlin, much of which was designed by Daniel Liebeskind.

Not to become frivolous when writing about such a profound subject but I did start with wurst and will end on that note. Never mind the plethora of fabulous German sausages–blood sausage, bratwurst, weisswurst and others. The only sausage I ate was currywurst, a fast food dish of steamed, then fried pork sausage, usually cut into pieces and topped with a ketchup-like sauce seasoned with curry powder. The whole thing is usually served with French fries. I will spare you a recipe because it’s not likely you’d want to reproduce this but it wasn’t as bad as it sounds.

Instead, this recipe is for the ubiquitous German potato salad, here made with yogurt which I ate a few times with great pleasure.

German Potato Salad with Yogurt

Serves 6
1 egg
3/4 pound fingerling potatoes (don’t use Russets–Yukon Golds are fine)
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/3 cup chopped celery
3 tablespoons chopped red onion
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1. Place a saucepan filled two-thirds with water over high heat; add egg, and cover. Cut potatoes into 1-inch pieces. Add potatoes to pan; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-high; cook 5 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Combine remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; add potatoes. Peel and coarsely chop egg; add to potatoes.

I serve this at room temperature. Just be careful not to leave it out for too long in a very warm room. Raise your beer stein–it’s still October.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Berlin, German, Holocaust, potato, wurst | 2 Comments

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