Roger's View of the World, Love and Seafood Gumbo!
Seize the Day! Put no trust in the morrow! — Horace
It was really hard to avoid Kale this year. It seemed to be everywhere. It appears in recipes and packaged salad mixes. I even found a Kale salad mix at Costco … But in their hurry to get a product out it was chopped stems and all!
Kale is a relative of cabbage so one would expect it in various stews… Like a Swedish Lamb Stew.
Hopefully, chefs will find something less of a stretch to do with Kale in 2014.
It’s nice to see the “behind the scenes” material which accompanies a video. The various themes revolved around the central concept of resisting an abusive authority.
I seem to remember that the books and this the film was inspired by all the increased security efforts of President Bush’s administration . I think the word they used was ” regime “. There appeared to be an acknowledgement that things had gotten worse.
In search of a better understanding of the authors perspective … I have been reading her books I am finding her third book “mocking jay” a particular easy read.
The ” Hunger Games” trilogy seems to resonate with many today. It is more than books, but an expression of frustration with government. Is government there to serve and protect… Or as some believe, to be served.
I witnessed this phenomenon once before, it was the late ’70’s’ and a move chronicled brave souls fighting to establish a better world. The world changed dramatically… “Star Wars” was the catalyst .
Some of the simplest things to make can be the most satisfying. Bagels are just one of those things!
Here’s what I doHere’s how I make them!.
Just a small hint: I find a stiffer dough works best and maintains the bagels shape throughout the process.
When I was young, I found sauces — particularly French inspired — to be overpowering and a distraction from the simplicity of the dish. Somewhere along the line, I discovered how sauces can offer a perspective and a background that accentuates and mellows the flavor of the primary ingredients .
Stews can be fairly complicated — not in the preparation , but in the number of distinct flavors presented. A good sauce helps to pull it all together… With remarkable results.
My sauce in the lamb stew would be referred to as “brown sauce” or “espagnole”… One of my favorite of the famous five “mother” French sauces. Commonly this sauce combines a beef stock, mirepoix ( onions, celery and carrots — also know as the “trinity” ), tomato and seasonings.
There is plenty on line to explain the composition and usage of the other four sauces. Here is a brief explanation:
Bechamel sauce is a wonderful and useful sauce that serves as the basis for many other sauces… Rich and creamy with butter, flour and milk. Add cheese and we have a Mornay sauce! Much to the annoyance of others, Bechamel was an advisor to the King of France and popularized the sauce.
The tomato sauce recipe is often accented with bacon. It was developed by the French based on how they though the Spanish made their sauces ( like saffrito) .
The remaining two sauces are Hollandaise and Velouté … Which most Americans have some familiarity.
Sauces are well worth the effort… Take some time and find one that accents your meal. It will raise some smiles.
Dennis Witzel is in my not so humble opinion… A master chocolatier ! We go back roughly 40 years… And every once in a while he gifts me with some of his superb chocolate.
At those times when I open the mailbox, I feel like one of the luckiest folks on Earth!
There isn’t much about confection that Dennis doesn’t know about. He’s the go to guy in chocolate!