The Immemorious
FAKE NEWS!
Wednesday, November 29, 2017
Monday, November 27, 2017
Half-deaf
Sitting at the PC last night I suddenly found that I had lost my left hearing-aid. I couldn't figure out when or where it had happened. Normally the only time it falls out is when I comb my hair, take off my glasses, pull a shirt over my head, or scratch my ear -- and I always notice at the time.
I searched all over the house, but it's a damn small thing and intended to be practically invisible for cosmetic purposes.
I couldn't remember the last time I had actively known both were in my ears, so it could have been practically anywhere: On the lawn, when I was mulching leaves; at Whole Foods; when I was taking a blanket chest out of the car?
These things cost a bloody fortune; they're Starkeys and intended to work with an iPhone, and were about $3K apiece when I got them. Although I now have a cheaper and better source, and my health insurance covers part or most of the cost, I still didn't relish the time and money a replacement would take.
But before I called Auditory Services, I gave the car a second once-over in the light of day. And there it was, on the floor of the front passenger seat. How it got there, godnoze.
Saturday, November 25, 2017
Moving
We’re lightening load. Given away books, furniture, cooking equipment, framed prints, excess staples (legumes, grains, pasta, flour). Recycled electronics, shredded papers, had College Hunks Hauling Junk carry away three large loads. Took household toxics to the recycling center. Dumped the Britannica.
And yet: Here we are today, going to antique stores to replace a chandelier and a blanket chest that we’re not taking with us.
Go figure.
Friday, November 24, 2017
Obsolete
Threw out the Eleventh Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica today. The leather binding was disintegrating, Second Story Books wouldn't accept it as a gift, we have no room for it in our new apartment, it's available online at Gutenberg.org and other places.
It was the last time that essentially all of human knowledge could be summarized in one set of books. It had articles by Swinburne, T. H. Huxley, Kropotkin, James Jeans, Bertrand Russell, and Ernest Rutherford.
Still I feel a good deal of sadness at seeing it just trashed.
Thursday, November 23, 2017
Things to be thankful for today
A family dinner without any fights,
A cat and a parrot to lighten my mood,
The start of a season of festival lights,
Tomorrow night's supper of South Asian food.
A Kindle that's brimming with genre diversions:
A roaring space opera, a serial killer,
A fantasy set in a world ruled by Persians.
And special counsel Robert S. Mueller.
Side dishes for today's Thanksgiving meal: Julia Child's celery remoulade, and a cranberry-red pepper relish.
1 lb celery root (3 to 3½ cups when cut)
1½ t salt
1½ t lemon juice
4 T strong Dijon-type prepared mustard
3 T boiling water
⅓-½ cup olive or other salad oil
2 T wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2-3T chopped mixed greens or parsley
Peel the celery root and cut it into julienne matchsticks [a 3 mm Cuisinart julienne disk is perfect for this; a mandoline is even better]. Toss in a bowl with the salt and lemon juice, and let steep for 30 minutes. Rinse the pieces in cold water, drain, and dry them in a towel.
Warm a 2-quart mixing bowl in hot water. Dry it. Add the mustard and beat in the boiling water by droplets with a wire whip. Then beat in the oil by droplets to make a thick creamy sauce. Beat in the vinegar by drops, and season to taste.
Fold the celery root into the sauce, and allow it to marinate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Decorate with herbs before serving.
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 cu. cranberries, picked through and coarsely chopped
⅓ cu wine vinegar
¾ cu sugar
1 habanero, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
¼ t salt
1 T juice from grated fresh ginger
Mix all ingredients except the chopped habanero, bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick and jam-like (15-30 minutes). Add chopped habanero to taste. Cool and serve. Can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.
Céleri-Rave Rémoulade (Celery Root in Mustard Sauce)
1 lb celery root (3 to 3½ cups when cut)
1½ t salt
1½ t lemon juice
4 T strong Dijon-type prepared mustard
3 T boiling water
⅓-½ cup olive or other salad oil
2 T wine vinegar
salt and pepper
2-3T chopped mixed greens or parsley
Peel the celery root and cut it into julienne matchsticks [a 3 mm Cuisinart julienne disk is perfect for this; a mandoline is even better]. Toss in a bowl with the salt and lemon juice, and let steep for 30 minutes. Rinse the pieces in cold water, drain, and dry them in a towel.
Warm a 2-quart mixing bowl in hot water. Dry it. Add the mustard and beat in the boiling water by droplets with a wire whip. Then beat in the oil by droplets to make a thick creamy sauce. Beat in the vinegar by drops, and season to taste.
Fold the celery root into the sauce, and allow it to marinate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Decorate with herbs before serving.
Cranberry Red-Pepper Relish (heavily adapted from Cook’s Illustrated, Nov/Dec 1994)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely diced
2 cu. cranberries, picked through and coarsely chopped
⅓ cu wine vinegar
¾ cu sugar
1 habanero, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
¼ t salt
1 T juice from grated fresh ginger
Mix all ingredients except the chopped habanero, bring to a boil and then simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes thick and jam-like (15-30 minutes). Add chopped habanero to taste. Cool and serve. Can be refrigerated for at least two weeks.
Sunday, November 19, 2017
Tonight: Jigae (Kimchi soup)
David Tanis, New York Times, January 21 2015
Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 pound fresh pork belly, cut in ½-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups kimchi, aged if possible, squeezed dry and chopped
3 tablespoons Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 cup kimchi juice
8 cups water (for a richer soup, use chicken, pork or beef broth)
8 ounces soft or silken tofu, cut in large cubes
8 scallions or Korean chives, chopped, for garnish
Preparation
1. Put pork belly in a bowl. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and fish sauce. Toss well to coat and let marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Set a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter, then add pork belly mixture and let it cook gently for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium high and add kimchi, gochujang and gochugaru. Let mixture simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Add kimchi juice and water (or broth, if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a brisk simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
4. Just before serving, add tofu and stir gently to combine. When tofu is heated through, ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions.
David Tanis, New York Times, January 21 2015
Time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 pound fresh pork belly, cut in ½-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon fish sauce
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cups kimchi, aged if possible, squeezed dry and chopped
3 tablespoons Korean red pepper paste (gochujang)
1 tablespoon Korean red pepper flakes (gochugaru)
1 cup kimchi juice
8 cups water (for a richer soup, use chicken, pork or beef broth)
8 ounces soft or silken tofu, cut in large cubes
8 scallions or Korean chives, chopped, for garnish
Preparation
1. Put pork belly in a bowl. Add garlic, ginger, soy sauce, sesame oil and fish sauce. Toss well to coat and let marinate for 10 minutes.
2. Set a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Melt butter, then add pork belly mixture and let it cook gently for 5 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium high and add kimchi, gochujang and gochugaru. Let mixture simmer for 2 minutes.
3. Add kimchi juice and water (or broth, if using) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a brisk simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
4. Just before serving, add tofu and stir gently to combine. When tofu is heated through, ladle into bowls and garnish with scallions.
Sunday, November 12, 2017
Enough politics for today
Dinner. Fuchsia Dunlop's Pock-Marked Ma’s Bean Curd.
1 block bean curd (about 1 pound)
4 baby leeks or 2 leeks
½ cup peanut oil (¼ cup will do)
6 ounces ground beef
2½ tablespoons Sichuanese chili bean paste (Toban Jian)
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
2 teaspoons ground Sichuanese chiles (hot, but not really optional)
1 cup “everyday stock” or chicken stock
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
salt to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water
½ teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan pepper
Cut the bean curd into 1-inch cubes and leave to steep in very hot or gently simmering water that you have lightly salted. Slice the leeks at a steep angle into thin "horse ear" slices 1½ inches long.
Season the wok, then add the peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. Add the minced beef and stir-fry until it is crispy and a little brown, but not yet dry.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the chili bean paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the oil is a rich red color. Add the fermented black beans and ground chiles and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds until they are both fragrant and the chiles have added their color to the oil.
Pour in the stock, stir well, and add the drained bean curd. Mix it in gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok—do not stir or the bean curd may break up. Season with the sugar, a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the bean curd has absorbed the flavors of the sauce.
Add the leeks or scallions and gently stir in. When they are just cooked, add the cornstarch mixture in two or three stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling glossily to the meat and bean curd. Don't add more than you need. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, scatter with the ground Sichuan pepper, and serve.
Serves: 2-3 as a main course with rice and a vegetable; 4 if several other dishes are served.
Dinner. Fuchsia Dunlop's Pock-Marked Ma’s Bean Curd.
1 block bean curd (about 1 pound)
4 baby leeks or 2 leeks
½ cup peanut oil (¼ cup will do)
6 ounces ground beef
2½ tablespoons Sichuanese chili bean paste (Toban Jian)
1 tablespoon fermented black beans
2 teaspoons ground Sichuanese chiles (hot, but not really optional)
1 cup “everyday stock” or chicken stock
1 teaspoon white sugar
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
salt to taste
4 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 6 tablespoons cold water
½ teaspoon ground roasted Sichuan pepper
Cut the bean curd into 1-inch cubes and leave to steep in very hot or gently simmering water that you have lightly salted. Slice the leeks at a steep angle into thin "horse ear" slices 1½ inches long.
Season the wok, then add the peanut oil and heat over a high flame until smoking. Add the minced beef and stir-fry until it is crispy and a little brown, but not yet dry.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the chili bean paste and stir-fry for about 30 seconds, until the oil is a rich red color. Add the fermented black beans and ground chiles and stir-fry for another 20-30 seconds until they are both fragrant and the chiles have added their color to the oil.
Pour in the stock, stir well, and add the drained bean curd. Mix it in gently by pushing the back of your ladle or wok scoop gently from the edges to the center of the wok—do not stir or the bean curd may break up. Season with the sugar, a couple of teaspoons of soy sauce, and salt to taste. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the bean curd has absorbed the flavors of the sauce.
Add the leeks or scallions and gently stir in. When they are just cooked, add the cornstarch mixture in two or three stages, mixing well, until the sauce has thickened enough to cling glossily to the meat and bean curd. Don't add more than you need. Finally, pour everything into a deep bowl, scatter with the ground Sichuan pepper, and serve.
Serves: 2-3 as a main course with rice and a vegetable; 4 if several other dishes are served.
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