Maldita

Rouille (Spicy saffron mayonnaise)

Make your own rouille (spicy saffron mayonnaise)? The foodie in me can't wait to try this in my kitchen... From the NY times recipe: Grilled Lamb Chops with Rouille and Cherry tomatoes).  I can imagine using the rouille to spice up an otherwise bland grilled chicken sandwich or as a dipping for sweet potato or regular french fries.... yum!

Large pinch saffron

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste

Large pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste

1 large egg yolk

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, more for serving

Using a mortar and pestle or food processor, pound or pulse saffron until bruised and fragrant. Mix in a half teaspoon of boiling water and let sit for 5 minutes. Add garlic, salt and cayenne and pound or pulse until a paste forms.

 Mix in the egg yolk until thoroughly combined. While pounding and stirring constantly (or with food processor on), slowly drizzle in the olive oil. When oil is fully emulsified, stir in tomato paste. Add more salt and cayenne if necessary.

Tips to improve your productivity

Perhaps, recent studies are right and multi-tasking really isn't all that great. These days, everyone I know seems to be completely overwhelmed by the demands at work. This blog gives some very practical advice on how one can work smarter and improve personal productivity. My personal favorites are #1- focus on one item at a time, and #3- breaking up a big project into several finite tasks.  With regards to #3, I find that instead of a very large 100-page report, people are better able to consume information when they are published into a series of shorter documents.

Recessionista chic hand bags

I wandered into one of the shops at the Gaylord-on-the-Potomac shopping complex in between meetings  today, and discovered Big Buddha,a San-Diego based handbag designer.The handbags are made from synthetic material; but the finish is very clean and well-made. The designs are also quite trendy and unusual (although they remind me a lot of the products from the high-end brands). I ended up getting the grey-toned version of the Mia (shown below). Now granted, this handbag doesn't have the soft buttery feel of a high-end leather purse from Marc Jacobs or Botkier (two of my current favorite brands) but for $80, i think it is a steal...

Crazy busy inside the regulatory and legal storm

How is it possible that it's only the end of august and the project managers at work are taking over my October calendar. It feels very strange to have a strong pipeline of engagements when the rest of the economy is still hurting. 

The Nine- by Jeff Toobin

I received this book as a present from one of my clients (an eDiscovery technology consulting company). It is heavy reading and it took me a while to finish this. But I thought it was timely to re-read this book in light of the recent Sotomayor supreme court nomination. 

Jeffrey Toobin's The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court provides a fascinating view of how the modern US Supreme Court came into being. As a non-lawyer, there were some sections where I struggled with understanding some of the more nuanced legal discussions. But still, it is riveting. The book gives the readers a peek on the inner workings of the Supreme Court, as well as, provides a mini-biography on the Supreme Court justices. This is a well researched book- the author conducted thousands of hours of interviews and reviewed case laws and legal opinions- to give the readers a portrait on how each Justice's life experience shaped his or her philosophies.

Sandra Day O'Connor is one interesting example.  It seemed like the former republican senator from Arizona was expected to side with the conservatives during all the critical votes; yet her philosophies and views were crucial in tipping the Courts in the direction of what was perceived as "liberal" values.  "Roe v. Wade" and the subsequent challenges to it were just some of the more critical decisions where her vote was the critical "swing vote".

In reading this book, I learned 3 things regarding the US Supreme Court:

First, the philosophies of the Justices (which heavily influenced, at their very core, how they would vote on cases) can be grouped into 2 major ideologies:

- the federalists who believe that the constitution should be interpreted to the letter in the manner in which the founding fathers meant it to be.

- those who believe that the supreme court should evolve and reflect the complexities and challenges of the modern society

Second, I learned that the abortion issue (Roe vs Wade) and the supreme court nomimee's views are always going play a crucial litmus test during any candidate's confirmation.

Third, when it comes to Roe v Wade, opposing sides will find it difficult to come to an agreement or compromise because of the way in which each side couches their argument. Prolife supporters see it as a a discussion on the definition of "life"- when does life begin?  The Pro-choice supporters believe that government does not have the right to subsume a woman's individual right and privacy to make decisions about her body. In the Pro-choice's camp, banning a woman's right to choose is viewed as a violation of privacy and individual rights. 

It doesn't matter if you are a conservative or a liberal, this book is a fascinating read,  I highly recommend it.

Hafez- (Peach champagne cocktail)

I learned about this drink at Lala Rokh. It's very easy to make and makes a refreshing accompaniment to a salad. I would serve this in lieu of Bellinis during sunday brunch. 

2 oz. peach liqueur

prosecco (italian fruity sparkling wine)

peach slices for garnish

Place  a couple small slices of peaches at the bottom of the glass. Pour the peach liqueur in a chardonnay wine glass. Pour the prosecco all the way.

 

Sunday Brunch- Couscous with cherry tomatoes, sweet corn, asparagus salad (w/ greek feta cheese on the side) + blueberry and pineapple smoothie

I tend to sleep in till 11am on  Sundays and wake up really, really famished.  It's still very hot and humid in Boston, so I continue to make tons of salads and smoothies.  To keep myself from getting bored I vary the combination of spices, fruits, and veggies.

This couscous recipe is something I picked up from my colleague in Singapore, Cara Tan.  Her husband, Keith, is an Iraqi-Brit. I tasted this dish during one of their dinner parties. Today, I made some slight changes since I was missing a couple of the ingredients from Cara's recipe. Plus, she and her mother-in-law encouraged substitution. The thing I noticed about middle eastern cooking is their penchant for combining sweet (dried fruits, for example) with the savory (such as lemon and saffron).  

Today, In lieu of raisins or dried cranberries and roasted cashews, I used fresh grape tomatoes, feta cheese, and fresh basil. I also took out the zucchini (i didn't have any today) and used frozen sweet corn and grilled asparagus instead.This recipe serves 6 as I  had some friends over for brunch.

Cara's recipe does not call for feta cheese, I accidentally discovered this combination, as I was munching on greek feta cheese while I was tasting this dish. BTW, I highly recommend using the feta cheese soaked in brine instead of the dry package.

Also, if you use raisins or dried cranberries or dried nectarines (julienned) and roasted cashew nuts; then I recommend you exclude the tomatoes, fresh basil, and feta cheese.

Savory Couscous with Fresh Tomato, Basil & Feta Cheese:

1/2 lb of fresh asparagus

2 cups cherry tomatoes

6-8 leaves, fresh basil (chopped)

1/2 vidalia onion (chopped into large chunks), (optional if you don't like onions)

1 c. frozen sweet corn

1 cup. fresh greek feta cheese (cut into 1/4 inch chunks)

1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin

2 cups couscous (uncooked)

2 cups low sodium chicken broth

fresh lemon

saffron strings (a pinch)

1- In a pot of boiling water, cook the asparagus for 4 minutes. Take out the asparagus and place in a colander and let it cool under running water. When it's cool, slice into 1 inch pieces. Set aside.

2- Slice the cherry tomatoes in half. Place in a separate bowl, cover with plastic and chill in the refrigerator.

3- In a separate pan, caramelize the onion in olive oil. Add the frozen sweet corn kernels and the sliced asparagus until the skins look a bit seared and golden. Set aside.

4- In a separate pot, pour 2 cups of chicken stock until it starts to boil. Add a few strands of saffron and cook until it has dissolved.

5- Put 2 cups of raw couscous into a large mixing bowl. Slowly pour the chicken stock into the bowl. Stir and fluff the mixture constantly for 5-10 minutes. When the couscous is cooked, add the mixed vegetables. Toss this mixture lightly and transfer to a serving dish.

6- Serve cousous with the raw cherry tomatoes and fresh basil on top. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the mixture.  Serve with fresh feta on the side.

Note: This makes a great side dish for grilled chicken, grilled tuna, or burger steaks.

Blueberry + pineapple Smoothie: (For each person). In a blender, process the following for a few seconds (15- 20 secs)

1/2 cup blue berries

1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks

1 cup soy milk (light vanilla soy)

1 cup ice water

Very Easy Mango Lassi

Mango Lassi is an Indian smoothie and is a very popular drink in India during the extremely hot summer months. In Boston, Indian restaurants tend to serve this extremely sweet and heavy concoction so I usually dilute my order with 1/2 a portion of very cold ice water. Otherwise, it tastes more like an large ice cream mikshake and not the refreshing healthy drink it is suppose to be.

The original mango lassi recipe calls for rose water, natural yogurt, and cardamon- not exactly easy to find in your regular supermarket/grocer's, right? I use to make this drink using a greek yogurt and ice water mixture.  But ever since my friend Noemi told me about buttermilk, I discovered that I can skip the yogurt.

Here is my simple recipe for mango lassi.

1/2 cup frozen alphonse or mexican mangoes (you can also use fresh ones if they are available).Frozen mangoes maintain the nutrients just as well as fresh ones without all the fuss and mess of peeling and slicing them into chunks.  Plus, they are available all year round. I can make lassi in the winter if I have the hankering for it.

1/2 cup low fat buttermilk

1 cup cold water (If rose water is available, use 1/2 c. rosewater + 1/2 c. cold water)

fresh cardamon seeds (optional) (Note: you need to crush the cardamon pods and take out the seeds and add these into the lassi mixture. The cardamon balances out the tanginess by adding a hint of spice)  

1 tsp brown sugar (optional)

fresh mint leaves for garnish

Put all the ingredients in a blender and process until you get a creamy consistency.  Pour into a tall glass and garnish with mint.

 

Pineapple-blueberry breakfast smoothie

Another breakfast concoction resulting from my Thurs evening trip to the neighborhood farmer's market.

1 cup fresh blueberries

1 cup pineapple (cut into chunks)

1/2 cup buttermilk (you may also use vanilla soy milk if you prefer a naturally sweeter taste)

1 cup ice water

1 TBSP flax seeds (optional)

Mix in a blender for a few seconds.  That's it. :-) Very easy, very healthy.

Aussie style burger steak with asparagus, tomato, basil, mangoes, & sweet corn salad

Rough week workwise, but in a good way. Decided to reward myself with a burger. It's an aussie style burger- something I picked up from my Aussie ex-flatmates, Shel and Sam. The recipes serves 4 (or two very hungry ones)

Salad mix:

10-12 stalks of asparagus, grilled and sliced into smaller 1 inch strips

1 cup sweet corn, grilled

1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half

10-12 fresh italian basil leaves, stems and stalks removed

alphonse mangoes (1/2 cheek, sliced into small chunks)

1TBSP of crumbled goat cheese

Toss salad mix in a dressing of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar, kosher salt and pepper (according to taste. Use olive oil and dressing sparingly).  Makes 4 appetizer-sized salad/side dish.

Aussie burger (makes 4)

1 lb. lean ground beef

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

dash of worcestershire sauce

1/4 piece of a vidalia onion, minced

1 egg

2 TBSP flour

Mix everything. Divide into 4 portions. Make patties. Chill for 15 minutes. Then grill until medium to well done. 

 

Burger accompaniments:

4 eggs, cooked sunny side up (1 for each burger)

1 cup beets, grilled

 1 medium vidalia onion, cut thin slices and caramelized

ciabatta bread, sliced in  half and toasted on grill  (I chose to eat the burger as a steak and skipped the ciabatta)

Dressing:  I used yellow mustard.

Some use a combination of equal parts ketchup and mayo

Spread the dressing on the lower ciabatta, add cooked burger, spread the dressing, garnish with beets and caramelized onions.

Serve the salad as a side dish.