Monthly Archives: January 2006

The Bird Lady Says “Shoo!”


The Bird Lady and I keep the same schedule, and most mornings as I am walking to the office, I pass her. When I took her photo today, she stared to yell at me, so I figured I’d better go over to talk with her and make friends.

It turns out that she thought I was taking the pictures to turn her over to the Department of Health. Seems like some folks in the neighborhood are against the Bird Lady because she is attracting the pigeons to their apartment window sills, terraces and gardens. “They reported me to the DOH and said I was a health hazard, but the judge says there is no law against feeding the poor birds.”

In an East European accent, through a mouth missing half its teeth, she told me that someone actually knocked her over recently and landed her in the hospital with a pulled shoulder. Which explains why she cowers up against the wall whenever someone passes,


and why now she doesn’t trusts anyone, including me. She actually said that. “I don’t trust you.”

I tried to explain that I was not going to turn her in, I just wanted to talk to her and write about her in my blog. (Try explaining to the bird lady what a blog is…) I had this idea that I’d write a bird lady profile, you know, how she became a bird lady, what she did before, why she feeds the birds, that sort of thing.

No go. She treated me like a regular papparazi. “Just go away,” she told me, turning her head away and putting her hand into my camera. “Leave me alone.” Clearly, the interview was over.

Lesson learned: If you want to get to know someone, don’t start out by taking their picture without asking. It’s rude. Who the heck did I think I was, anyway?

Category: Considerations

Ovarian Cancer Screening – Telling It Like It Is

A very well-written article in USA Today honestly tells readers why an Ovarian Cancer Test Remains Elusive.

I spend a lot of time discussing ovarian cancer screening with my patients who come in anxious about the disease. Most of that time is spent explaining that, unfortunately, we still don’t have a good screening test for ovarian cancer.

I aggressively screen with ultrasound and CA 125 in women with a family history or personal risks factors for ovarian cancer. And I don’t hesitate a second to get a pelvic ultrasound in any woman complaining of the vague, non-specific symptoms associated with this cancer – bloating, early satiety, abdominal pain. (I don’t wait for other tests to be negative before ordering an ultrasound, because even though ovarian cancer is not common, it is usually rapidly growing, and won’t wait for me to finish my workup.)

But for low risk women without any complaints, I really have no screening test to offer, and this article does a nice job explaining why.

Unfortunately, what the writer does not tell women is that there is something they can do that will actually lower their risk of getting ovarian cancer in the first place. What’s that? Go on birth control pills. As little as 3 months of use imparts protection, and long term users can expect up to an 80% reduction in risk. Now that’s something to write about.

If you want more information about ovarian cancer screening and prevention, see these great web sites:
National Cancer Institute
The OvarianCancer Coalition
Contraception Online
Johns Hopkins Pathology

The Gene for Ear Wax

Today’s NY Times tell us that Japanese researchers reporting in Nature Genetics have identified a single gene responsible for determining whether a person has wet or dry ear wax (cerumen).

I remember reading a few years back that there may be an association between cerumen type and breast cancer risk. I decided to read the article itself in Nature Genetics to see if the Japanese researchers had also remembered this connection. They did, only to dismiss it as “controversial”, based on a reference from 1971. However, more recent articles I found, including these studies from 1975, 1981 and 1990, appear to support the connection.

The researchers hypothesize in their article that because folks with dry ear wax also produce less sweat, the genetic variation found may be due to an adaptive mutation that allowed survival in cold climates.

Interestingly, the countries with the highest incidence of breast cancer are Sweden and Denmark, both Northern countries with colder climates. Hmm… Maybe this gene will turn out to be more important than its discoverers realize.

Ear Wax & Breast Cancer

Today’s NY Times tell us that Japanese researchers reporting in Nature Genetics have identified a single gene responsible for determining whether a person has wet or dry ear wax (cerumen).

I remember reading a few years back that there may be an association between cerumen type and breast cancer risk. I decided to read the article itself in Nature Genetics to see if the Japanese researchers had also remembered this connection. They did, only to dismiss it as “controversial”, based on a reference from 1971. However, more recent articles I found, including these studies from 1975, 1981 and 1990, appear to support the connection.

The researchers hypothesize in their article that because folks with dry ear wax also produce less sweat, the genetic variation found may be due to an adaptive mutation that allowed survival in cold climates.

Interestingly, the countries with the highest incidence of breast cancer are Sweden and Denmark, both Northern countries with colder climates. Hmm… Maybe this gene will turn out to be more important than its discoverers realize.

It’s Mozart’s 250th Birthday…

and that’s got me thinking about beef broth. (See? I can turn any topic into food…) But really, it’s true. Because thinking about Mozart gets me to thinking about Salzburg, and thinking about Salzburg makes me remember my visit there a few years ago, and that gets me thinking about a very special broth I had one night….

I do recall that wherever I had broth while in Salzburg, it was delicious. Very unlike broth here, which we tend to use as a base or a container for the good stuff. In Salzburg (and I suppose in Austria in general, though I did not make it out of that fair city), the broth itself is the star and what’s in it mere adornment.

But the broth on that night…I was in Salzburg as the guest of a private foundation, and we “Professors” (I loved how they called us that, no one does that here) were invited to a reception at the private home of one of the foundation’s patrons. And it was at this very lovely, low key and warm dinner that I had the most incredible broth I have ever eaten. It was served as a first course, as I recall, with just a few noodles (or was it dumplings? I really don’t remember.) The broth was absolutely crystal clear and light, yet utterly satisfying all by itself. With flavor unlike any broth I have had before, or since. Other than the company, I honestly don’t remember anything else about the meal itself.

I came home and began making broth, trying to recreate what I had in Salzburg. And though I taught myself to make a nice broth (I even made a veal stock once), I have never achieved anything near in flavor or clarity to that which I had enjoyed in Salzburg. I suspect by its clarity that the broth may have in fact been a consomme (although they called it a broth), and that making it would involve learning to float a raft.

At this point, anyone having the nerve to call their blog a food blog would give you a blow-by-blow of their attempt to make said consomme, complete with photos of ingredients on the counter, pots on the stoves, pre-and post-strained broth, and final product laid on a beautiful table. You’ve got it all imagined right? Good – keep that thought. Because that’s all you’re getting here. (Except of course, the soup can, of which I am quite proud.). Because it is 9 pm on a Friday night, and only because my husband took the kids out to a play at his school that I had the time to write this missive. And now they are home, and my 10 year old wants me to come and lay in bed and read Raul Dahl’s “The Witches” to her. (We are on chapter 5.) So I am taking the lazy blogger’s way out and pointing you to a very nicely done lesson on making consomme here at e gullet, where you will learn tons more than I can ever show you anyway.

But as it turns out, I’ve been invited back to Salzburg again in June. And I am making it my mission while I am there to find out who made that broth, and get them to teach me how to make it myself. If it involves floating a raft, well then so be it. A raft I shall float. And I promise I’ll tell you all about it then, pictures and all.

Happy Birthday, Mozart!

Shrimp Broth with Lemongrass, Chili and Ginger

I have to admit right off that other than finding the recipe on Epicurious and cooking the rice, I had nothing to do with this dinner. My husband made the whole thing. (Did I mention he’s a good cook?)

We both agree that the soup is delicious, and makes a wonderful first course. We added Basmati rice and served it as our main course tonight. (Tomorrow night, we will use rice noodles).

A few modifications I suggest to the recipe as written below: (1) This recipe makes a lot of broth. Next time we will use half the liquid, and I believe the flavors will be even more intense. (2) We added about a half tsp of lime juice to each bowl at serving and it really made it better. Next time, I’ll just add a little more lime juice to the pot. (3) Finally, we felt it needed a little more salt, and for our spicy palates, could have used a little more chili pepper. But, all in all, a great recipe.

Shrimp Broth with Lemongrass, Chili and Ginger

3/4 pound uncooked large shrimp
6 14 1/2-ounce cans low-salt chicken broth
1 cup finely chopped carrot
1/3 cup thinly sliced fresh lemongrass
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
1 small serrano chili, stemmed, thinly sliced into rounds
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
6 thin lime slices

1. Peel and devein shrimp; reserve shells. Halve shrimp lengthwise. Transfer shrimp to small bowl. Cover and chill.
2. Combine reserved shrimp shells, broth and next 4 ingredients in large pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 20 minutes to blend flavors, stirring and skimming surface occasionally. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.)
3. Strain broth into large bowl, pressing on solids with back of spoon to release as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Return broth to pot. Bring to simmer. Remove from heat. Add shrimp, herbs, chili and lime juice. Cover and let stand until shrimp are opaque, stirring once, about 2 minutes.
4. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with lime. Add a little more lime juice if you want (we did)

Serves 6
Category: Food

And Now for Something Completely Different: Cafe Lalo

Click on the “cheese” links for a little tidbit…

The Set Up
We had dinner at Cafe Lalo on West 83rd St. last Saturday night. Now, I love this restaurant. It feels very Parisian, but also says “Upper West Side” to me. It was in “You’ve Got Mail”, one of my favorite movies. It’s across from the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, one of my kids’ favorite haunts when they were little. The crowd is always fun to watch, a great mix of young and old. The waitresses are really, really nice. And, I love the women’s bathroom.

So, let’s talk about the food. Overall, it’s a casual menu, heavy on veggie choices, and that’s fine with me. We’ll start with the desserts, because that’s the best part. Simply, they are to die for. The breads, pastries and tarts? Equally delicious. (Great brunch place, by the way.) The drinks? Good choices. Great coffees, teas, Italian syrup drinks, wonderful spiced hot cider, and I really like their big coffee cups. Sandwiches? Excellent. (My daughter had an avocado, cheese and veggie sandwich on good bread with a nice house vinaigrette.). Interesting salads and sides, nice fish plates. My husband had a goat cheese and onion tart with a salad – it was yummy.

The Let Down
All of which is to set you up for just how unexpectedly disappointed I was with my own dinner at Lalo that night. I ordered the cheese plate, which is presented on a separate menu card, so I assume it is a house specialty. A plate for one includes 3 cheeses that you get to select from 20 or so, a tiny glass of homemade house wine, a pressed fig, some quince jelly and bread. The cheese selections include several goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses, which I like.

First they served the blackberry wine, which was delicious and came in an interesting little wine glass, my only complaint being that the thimble-sized serving was too small. The cheese plate itself was attractive. The quince jelly and fig were really tasty. The bread was fresh and warm, and came sprinkled with spices and drizzled with olive oil. I liked that.

So what was the problem? They served the cheese right out of the fridge! It totally ruined what could otherwise have been a marvelous food experience. A “buttery” cheese I selected was buttery, all right. Just like hard butter from the cooler, but worse, in that it crumbled when I cut it. The hard sheep’s milk cheeses were flavorless – no shiny drops of dew glistening on the surface, no odor to enhance the palate, just cold hard cheese.

I asked the very sweet waitress to at least have the chef pop the buttery cheese in the microwave for just a sec to take off the chill. The chef refused, telling her to tell me that “cheese has to be served at 41° Fahrenheit”. (I knew he didn’t mean Celsius, because 41°C is 107°F.) The waitress apologized profusely, and I just finished my dinner, thinking that maybe I was wrong.

The Critic’s Analysis
I was not. From the California Cheese Makers site, this info: “For restaurant service, cheese is best when served at room temperature, so it needs to be removed from refrigeration an hour or so before serving. (The exception is fresh cheeses, which should be treated like fresh milk and kept refrigerated until use.) Whether a cheese selection is offered at the beginning or at the end of the meal, the kitchen staff should estimate how many cheese courses will be served and set out the cheese to allow it to come to room temperature (but not hot kitchen temperature).”

Max McCalman, New York’s cheese maven and author of “Cheese: A Connoisseur’s Guide to the World’s Best” is quoted in Newsday Magazine recommending to “always serve at room temperature, 65 to 75 degrees. Take cheeses out of the refrigerator at least an hour before serving.” He bemoans that “Restaurants often dish out precut cheese plates straight from the fridge, a temperature at which little can be tasted.”

My Analysis
Here’s what I think happened at Lalo. The chef was more worried about food spoilage than serving great food. It’s hard to keep cheese at the right serving temperature in a restaurant and stay ahead of the food inspectors. One has to estimate correctly the amount of cheese to be served, or keep up with the demand by moving cheese frequently out of the fridge to sit on the cutting board. Who knows, there may even be a requirement to waste uneaten cheese that has come to room temperature.

I understand the dilemma, but as a diner, I have no sympathy. If you are not prepared to serve a cheese course properly, it may be best to take it off the menu. Christ, did I just write that? Somebody stop me – I’m becoming such a goddamned gastric snob… What I meant to say was that I still love Cafe Lalo, and that you should not hesitate to eat there. Just don’t order the cheese plate unless you like your Cleese (I mean cheese) served cold.

Category: Food

Unexpected guests

You should have seen my blog Monday night – draft posts scattered everywhere and me in the midst of playing with categories and font colors.

Around 11 pm, for some reason I check out KevinMD and realize – Holy…! I’m in Grand Rounds! Then – Oh no! I can’t let them see my blog like this! It’s a mess!

What can I say? I panicked. I spent the next 3 hours fiddling, tweaking, editing, tagging, switching font colors, hiding draft posts from the blog search…You know, frantically getting my blog ready for all that company.

At around 2 am, my nerves got the best of me. What the hell kind of blog have I made anyway? What kind of idiot blogger tries to mix food with medicine? What was I thinking??? I was sure that none of the doctors were going to take my medical posts seriously in the midst of posts about blog love and photos of chocolate chip cookies named Bob. You know how doctors are – they’re a very conventional crowd. They’ll think I’m a lame brain.

Then I remembered that I had just posted a restaurant review earlier that evening. Big problem. I couldn’t have that up there when the docs arrived, they’ll think they’ve come to the wrong blog. Now I had to do a new post for them. Yeah, but what if the food bloggers come too? Will they get along with the doctors? What if no one stays? Worse yet, what if no one even comes?

At that point, I check stat counter. What the…? It is racking up hits, more hits than I have ever gotten in a whole day. And it hits me. Oh my God, they’re already here! (Doesn’t anyone sleep anymore? What ever happened to being fashionably late?) I must have made some sort of strangled cry at that point, because my husband groaned, rolled over, glared at me in the dim glow of the laptop screen and kicked me out of bed, laptop and all.

And at that point, I just gave up. I took my laptop downstairs, tore down the restaurant post, threw up a welcome post and hit the sack.

And now it’s over. Over 500 hits so far today, 274 new viewers. I’m exhausted. I just hope they all had a good time.

Listen, do you wanna’ come over tomorrow? I have a bunch of food posts leftover, and I thought I’d pull that restaurant review out – I hear it’s better the second day anyway.

Category: Considerations

Getting Categories into my Blog

Now that my blog is a little over a month old, it’s time to do some straightening up. (Have I mentioned that I am a neat freak?)

Since Blogger doesn’t have a way to create categories, I looked at several possible work arounds:

Old Cola’s solution involves creating separate blogs for each category, then taking advantage of Blogger’s send-to-blog email function to send the post from your catagory blog to your main blog. Then all you have to do is make links to your category blogs in your sidebar. Cute, huh? Only problem for me is that I would have to maintain 4 blogs, too much trouble as far as I am concerned.

Phydeaux has posted a 3 part work around that uses something called del.icio.us. It really seems to be the most eloquent solution, because it allows you to hide the category name in the post title, keeping everything behind the scenes. This is the one I want to try, but it’s clear I will need a weekend to play with the template, and I really am a novice at this.

DanChong has a simple solution, one of several that take advantage of Blogger’s search functions. I liked his best, because he has created a script generator that writes the html code specific to your blog. It’s simple, and that’s what I am going to use. Because I don’t want to have categories in my titles, I am putting category titles as techorati tags at the end of my posts. (Just have to be careful to keep those category names out of my post body…)

Okay, let’s see if this thing works… To test it with me, just click on the “Considerations” Category in my sidebar, and it will show a link to this post. Neat, huh?

Thanks, Dan!

Category:

The Good News about Birth Control Pills

I’ve been bitching lately about the absence of positive news about birth control in the media. So today, on Blog for Choice Day, I am going to stop bitching and do something about it. Because choice is about more than just abortions – it’s about helping women control their reproductive destinies. In my opinion, we can do that best by providing safe and effective means of pregnancy prevention, and by helping women make informed and individualized choices about birth control. And that means letting them know not only about the risks, but about the benefits of birth control.

Here’s a list of all the good things oral contraceptives can do. Pass it on to a woman you love:

  • Prevent Ovarian Cancer: Research has consistently shown that taking oral contraceptives reduces the risk of ovarian cancer. As little as 3 months of pill use confers protection, but the longer you use pills, the greater reduction in risk. Protection occurs in both younger and older women, with or without a family history of ovarian cancer. I prescribe pills frequently in my practice for this indication, mostly in women with a family history of ovarian cancer.
  • Prevent Uterine Cancer: Up to a 40% reduction in this risk with long term use of the pill. I prescribe the pill for this reason in high risk women (those with irregular periods, family history, or other risk factors for this cancer.)
  • Treat Acne: Although only a few brands have bothered to get the FDA approval to be marketed specifically for acne treatment, we docs have been using pills for this indication for years. Almost any brand of pills will do; I recommend ones containing the progestins norgestimate, norethindrone, drosperinone or desogestrel. I prescribe pills frequently for this condition, and trust me, it really works!
  • Treat Hirsutism (excess hair growth): By lowering testosterone levels, the pill effectively reduces new hair growth. You will still need electrolysis to treat the hair that is already established, and you have to be patient. But if you are, you will see real improvement in 6 months to a year.
  • Reduce Menstrual Cramps and Menstrual Flow : The best treatment I know of for this condition. And, if you take your pills the right way, you can eliminate your period altogether (an advantage if you are traveling, have finals, or just need a break.)
  • Prevent Ovarian Cysts: The pill is a great treatment for women who experience reccurent functional ovarian cysts. Higher dose pills, the patch or the vaginal ring are more effective than lower doses, and continuous use works best.
  • Treat PMS: Some women find that the pill reduces the physical symptoms of PMS, although for most, other medications are often needed. A new formulation of a pill containing drosperinone and estrogen (currently marketed as Yasmin) has been shown in research studies to be effective for PMS. It has not yet been FDA approved for this indication.
  • Improve Fibrocystic Breast Disease: Surprised by this one, aren’t you? It’s true.
  • Treat Endometriosis: The best way to use the pill for treatment of endometriosis is to take it continuously, that is, without allowing the monthly break for a menstrual period.
  • Prevent Mittleschmertz: Great word, huh? It’s German for “middle pain”, and refers to the pain of ovulation that some women experience every month.

Oh, and one more –

  • Prevent Pregnancy (and abortions): When used properly, oral contraceptives are almost 100% effective at preventing pregnancy. They also reduce the risk of ectopic pregnancy (pregnancy in the fallopian tubes or ovary). Women who need to avoid estrogen (such as those with increased risks for blood clots or stroke, women with active liver disease, or smokers over age 35) can still use progesterone-only birth control pills (we call the POP’s). POP’s have just a slightly lower efficacy than estrogen-containing pills, making them an extremely safe and more effective method than non-hormonal methods like condoms or the diaphragm.

If you want to read more about the benefits and uses of oral contraceptives, or about any method of contraception, check out these sites:Update on Oral Contraceptives (American Family Physician) , Planned Parenthood, Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, Contraceptive Information for Teens

Category:

I Love my Blog Redux

Apparently, I am not the only one in love with their own blog. Brendan (whose blog was a major site for Katrina Information) seems to have it even worse than I do.

Read an interesting discussion about blog love (or is it addiction?) at Brendan’s wife Becky’s site The Valkyrie of Discarded Thought, where she commented about my post I Love my Blog. These two comments stick in my mind:

“… s/he was worried Brendan had just..disappeared and become his blog and now exited only virtually.”

“I know the computer has had a huge impact on our family’s relationships, as well as most people I know. We definitely do not do things together as often as we did before…the internet entered our lives.”

That one got me worried, so I asked my husband if truly my blogging has had an adverse effect on the family (Do you see how my Catholic guilt can be brought in at a moment’s notice? It’s like the National Guard…) He said he sees it as just my hobby, so I guess I am still all right.

Category:

Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bob

Chocolate Chip Cookies tbtam

My daughter, age 10, made her first solo batch of chocolate chip cookies today with her friend. (This photo is indeed her cookies.) All we did was set the oven and remove the hot cookie sheets for her. Oh, yeah. And help clean up the mess. I forgot to tell her the rule my mother gave me when she first set me loose in the kitchen – “You can make anything you want, as long as you clean up after yourself.”

In addition to the usual cookies, she made a cookie she likes to call Bob. Like a chip-off-the-old blogger-Mom block, she went and took a picture of it before she baked it. (Excuse me a second, while I wipe away a little tear.)

If you want to make your own Bob, it is very simple. Just arrange the cookie dough on the cookie sheet like this, making sure that you spell his name out on top of his head:

 

And when it is baked, Bob will look like this:
Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bob
Recipe from the back of the Toll House Bag. We leave out the nuts.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-ounce package) Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.
2. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
3. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets. Make Bob.
5. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. (Be careful with Bob – he is fragile!)

Category:

Chicken Salad Susan

“Am I the only one who sees the irony of this activity in relation to your determination to lose weight?” writes my friend Susan. “Reading this blog has made me go up a dress size! Paul has brought home great bread in at least two entries. How can you resist that?”

Of course, she is right. Having spent most of my post-childbearing years at a weight unspeakably higher than that at which I was married, I spend much of our mutual conversation bemoaning my condition and planning weight loss strategies. And then I go and do a food blog. With bread.

Fortunately Susan, never one to wallow in a situation, has a solution to the issue at hand: “I’d like to introduce you to the Cooking Light website. Make these recipes look as good as the one in your blog and we will surely be svelte in no time.”

So, Susan, I am taking your advice. Tonight I made the chicken salad that we made at your beach house this summer. It is the best chicken salad I have ever had, and it is low fat. Even better, the recipe is adapted from one in Cooking Light Magazine. So there.

I renamed it Chicken Salad Susan in your honor. And before you make another comment, I only put the roll in the picture to make it look pretty. (Actually, that’s a lie. I ate it.)

Chicken Salad Susan (adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)
I never liked non-fat mayo, but I swear in this recipe you cannot tell. I think it is because of the cilantro. And, for those cilantro non-lovers out there, it doesn’t really taste like cilantro in this. I have no idea why, but I promise you’ll like it.

3 cups chopped cooked skinless chicken breast (about 3/4 lb)
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup fat free mayo
1/4 cup fat free yogurt
1 tsp chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Combine ingredients. Serve.

Category:

Carrot Fritters and Basa with Yogurt Sauce and Harissa

harissaI saw this jar of Harissa at Fairway last week, and decided to buy it, mostly because it is such great label, don’t you think?

Harissa is, according to the label, “an essential ingredient in Moroccan cuisine. It has a variety of uses which range from marinating olives to enhancing the flavor of a broth or served on the side.” The ingredients of this particular brand are hot peppers, salt and olive oil. But I suspect there are as many recipes for Harissa as there are Moroccan cooks. A quick perusal of the web found these at Gourmet Sleuth and CD Kitchen.

I combined elements of these two recipes (1 and 2) for carrot fritters on BBC’s food site (a great source for ethnic preparations, by the way), and used Harissa instead of the chiles called for in the recipe. I also made some Basa, and used the yogurt sauce forboth that and the fritters. Coriander found it’s way into both the fritters and the yogurt sauce.

My husband and I had a good time sharing the stovetop for this dinner. He cooked the fritters, I did the Basa, side by side and we didn’t even fight once. Of course, this means that neither of us felt it was our duty to do the dishes, so the kitchen is still a mess…

 

carrot fritters pic

Carrot Fritters
These were absolutely delicious. The yogurt sauce and harissa worked well as accompaniments. Next time, I think I will increase the carrots a bit. Maybe try to find a way to make them without oil, although the amount we used was really not that large.

1/2 cup flour.
4½fl oz soda water
1 egg, lightly beaten
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp turmeric
1 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp Harissa Sauce
4 large carrots
8 spring onions (scallions), finely sliced
1 tbsp chopped cilantro
2¼fl oz vegetable oil
Yogurt Dressing (recipe follows)

1. To make the carrot fritters, preheat the oven to 315 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the flour, soda water, egg, cumin, coriander, turmeric and salt in a bowl and mix well. Add the Harissa, carrot, spring onion and coriander and stir to combine.
2. Heat a frying pan on a medium-to-high heat, add the oil and heat until hot. Cooking in batches, add two tablespoons of batter per fritter and cook for two minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Cook the remaining fritter batter, adding extra oil if necessary. Place the fritters on an ovenproof plate lined with paper towels and keep warm in the oven while you cook the scallops.
3. Place three carrot fritters on each plate, top with more cilantro and scallops and drizzle with the yoghurt dressing. Serve with Harissa on the side.

Basa
Basa is a mild tasty fish that my husband calls the poor man’s Telapia because it is cheaper and we enjoy and use it in the same ways.

2 Basa fillets
kosher salt
pepper
1 tbsp flour (optional)
2 tbsp peanut oil

Wash and dry fillets. sprinkle generously with salt and pepper (or mix the salt and pepper with the flour and dust lightly). Heat the oil in saute pan. When hot, add basa fillets and cook about 3-4 minutes per side till nicely browned and just done. Drizzle with yogurt sauce, and top with a dollop of Harissa.

Yogurt Dressing
4½oz plain yoghurt
1 tbsp lime juice
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
chopped cilantro, about 2 tbsp

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.

Category:

Words from a Great Man

Don’t let anybody make you think God chose America as his divine messianic force to be a sort of policeman of the whole world.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church, April 30, 1967

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

I’m convinced that if we are to get on the right side of the world revolution, we as a nation must undergo a radical revolution of values….When machines and computers, profit motives and property rights are considered more important than people, the giant triplets of racism, militarism and economic exploitation are incapable of being conquered….”
Martin Luther King, Jr. Ebenezer Baptist Church, April 30, 1967

We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

I am not interested in power for power’s sake, but I’m interested in power that is moral, that is right and that is good.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in the struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolute night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The time is always right to do what is right.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy
Martin Luther King Jr. Strength to Love, 1963

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