Bananafish & Aloo Chana for Nikkie

I was reading something Paul wrote and it made me go out to the livingroom searching for my books.  

I went out searching for my Salinger and realized we had no good way of organzing anything.  I had to remember – visually- what the books looked like.   Happily, Nine Stories looks like Catcher in the Rye and Franny and Zoey and everything I’ve ever bought that he wrote:  Thin white volumes, with rainbow detail.

I found them, but sadly, I haven’t looked at these books in  years.  Nine Stories deserves a re-read.  As do the rest.

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I made some food last night and it was good.  To share:

ALOO CHANA (for Nikkie)

-2 cups cooked rice
-1/2 cup frozen peas

-1 large red onion chopped large
-3 cloves garlic minced
-1-2 serrano peppers chopped

-2TB curry powder
-1tsp allspice (*if you have it)
-1tsp black pepper
-2TB oil or ghee

-3-4 red potatoes, peeled and chopped into inch-size pieces
-1 can chickpeas, drained
-1 LARGE can chopped tomatoes

-1/2 cup chopped cilantro

1. In a large sauce pan, heat the 2TB of ghee or oil over medium-high heat.  Add the spices and mix until pastey.

2. Add onion and pepper and after a few minutes, add garlic and reduce to medium heat.  Sautee for a  minute or two.

3. Add potatoes and sautee for 5 minutes.

4. Add chickpeas and sautee for 5 minutes.  Add a bit of water if dry.

5. Add canned tomatoes and all the juice. Stir and lower heat.  If not covered, add a cup of water.

6. Cover and let cook for 30-35 minutes.  Stir occasionally. (check after 10 minutes…etc.)

7. Put peas in the microwave for 3 minutes – covered in water.  Drain.  Add to rice.

8. Check the potatoes/chickepeas and make sure they are cooked through – nice and soft.  If not – cook for 5-10 minutes longer.

9. Dish out rice/peas and enough potatoes/chickpeas/sauce.  Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top.

Serves 4-6.

Living on 500K

I was sitting in Family Court waiting for a case to be called (one of my seven for the day).  I forgot to bring reading material and sought out the NY Times on my Treo.  I do this often and check immediately for the “most emailed” articles to amuse me while I’m waiting to see the judge on behalf of my child clients.

Today, I read the Most Ludicrous Article Ever:

You Try to Live on 500K in This Town .  Apparently written in response to President Obama’s decree that banks shouldn’t pay folks more than $500,000 per year, this article seeks to demonstrate how “difficult” this will be for those folks in New York City.

A few under-75K /year women were sitting with me in court and I showed them the article.  They chuckled when I scrolled down to this quote:

“Few are playing sad cellos over the fate of such folk, especially since the collapse of the institutions they run has yielded untold financial pain.”

We agreed that we were not playing any string instruments for these folks.  Not lamenting about their losses and no sadness, but most of us nodded – we get it.  PEOPLE MAKE SO MUCH FUCKING MONEY IN NEW YORK!

“Sure, the solution may seem simple: move to Brooklyn or Hoboken, put the children in public schools and buy a MetroCard.”

Sadly, the writer followed up with a weak explanation about how the majority of  financial executives who have to deal with this limitation are men “whose identities are entwined with living a certain way in a certain neighborhood west of Third Avenue: a life of private schools, summer houses and charity galas that only a seven-figure income can stretch to cover. “ 

Really?  Repeat

“… move to Brooklyn [or QUEENS] or Hoboken, put the children in public schools and buy a MetroCard.”

It’s not the end of the world.

i tried

She likes to tell me I’m a good cook. 

 

 

 

 

 

Or at least, that she likes what I cook for her.  I try, I do.  But yes, I AM cooking for her…

(I mean really, who’d not want a woman cooking for her who has a variety of curry powders, fresh veggies, and ghee at her her fingertips?  Let’s not forget the willingness to make her Special Beef Stew…)

On New Year’s, I was determined to make this recipe and I did.  I had David to cook for – and Nikkie does like her chickens… I found it because I was home and was watching the Food Network – not my usual practice, but…

But I was sure not to make it as bland as it was shown. 

From what I know, Fricassee refers to how the chicken is cut – not how it is prepared.  Every other recipe I found for this was either bland or spicy, but nothing told me how to make it for David and Nikkie.

So, this is what I did.

Ingredients

• 4  chicken breasts, cut into large pieces
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1.5 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 serrano chili peppers (or one jalapeno) chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground madras curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 (11.5 ounce) jar white asparagus in water
• 1/3 cup capers, drained and rinsed
• thinly chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions

Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. Place the chicken pieces in a large pot with the broth, onion, garlic, chili peppers, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest, cumin, curry powder, and oregano.

Cover, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, until the chicken is cooked through, about 15  minutes. Strain and transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl -reserve liquid.

Add  liquid to the pot and simmer over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking to avoid getting lumps. Bring the sauce to a simmer stirring constantly so it doesn’t stick or burn, until it has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes.

Remove the asparagus from the jar, reserving the liquid, and cut the stalks into thirds. Whisk the asparagus water into the thickened broth. Add capers, stirring to combine.

Add the chicken and asparagus to the sauce and stir to coat. Cook a couple of minutes to heat through and bring the flavors together. Transfer the chicken fricassee to a decorative platter or bowl and garnish with chopped scallions.

Serve  over amazing rice/lentils.

 Kiss your girl.

Chana Dal with Mustard Greens

 

 

 

 

 

 

 (Should look something like this – Thanks, Vitalita)

Chana Dal with Mustard Greens (or Collards or Kale or Spinach)

1.5 cups split chana dal (dry)
5 cups water
1 TB turmeric
1 TB salt
* Peeled Ginger Slices

2 TB peanut or vegetable oil (or ghee)
1 TB mustard seeds
1 head of garlic, minced (or like 6 TB of pre-minced garlic)
1 TB garam masala
1 TB madras curry powder
1 tsp ginger powder
1 tsp red chili powder

1 small onion – chopped or sliced

2 TB ghee or butter

8-10 oz or so of frozen Mustard Greens (or Collards or Kale or Spinach

1/2-1 cup washed, chopped Cilantro (Coriander Leaves)

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Rinse the dal and drain – wiping out any debris in the pot.  Put dal, water, ginger slices (as many or as few as you like – most recipes call for 2-4), and turmeric into the pot and bring to a boil.  Skim the pot if necessary.  Simmer at a low boil, covered for about an hour.

(If your greens are frozen, I put them in some water in a bowl and let them defrost while the dal cooks down.)

After an hour, remove lid and continue boiling and stirring to prevent any sticking.

In a small skillet, heat 1 TB of oil and fry mustard seeds.  It is best to use medium heat and cover – when you hear the seeds pop, remove from heat. Empty seeds into small bowl.

Stir dal.  Heat the other 1TB of oil in the skillet and fry the garlic, garam masala, curry powder, ginger powder and chil powder until fragrant.

Add mustard seeds, and garlic mixture to large pot and stir through.  Add onions and Greens.  Stir to combine.  Add ghee or butter.

Stir in Cilantro (Coriander Leaves), chopped or whole.

Serve with hot naan or other indian bread and/or rice.

Spice Infused Sangria

  

I make this every year for my birthday/Halloween party.  Other whole spices work just as well in the syrup if you don’t have all of them.  I highly recommend that you make it the night before or at least in the morning to let the flavors combine.

SUGAR SYRUP

1. 2 cups water
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 4-6 star anise pods
4. 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
5. 1 teaspoon whole cloves
6. Two 3-inch cinnamon sticks
7. 1-inch slice of fresh ginger
8. 1 tsp of cardamom

SANGRIA

1. One – 1 1/2 750-ml bottles dry red wine, such as Grenache, Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon
2. 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
3. 1/2 cup light rum
4. 1/4 cup brandy
5. 1/4 cup Cointreau or Triple Sec
6. 1 1/2 cups club soda
7. 2 navel oranges—peeled, halved, seeded and cut into large dice
8. 1 lime—peeled, seeded and sliced thin 
9. 1 Granny Smith apple—halved, cored and cut into large dice
10. 1 Bartlett pear—halved, cored and cut into large dice

Directions

1. MAKE THE SUGAR SYRUP: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, star anise, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon sticks and ginger. Bring to a simmer over moderately high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil until reduced by one third and slightly syrupy, about 15 minutes. Let the spice syrup cool, then strain into a glass jar.
2. MAKE THE SANGRIA: Pour the red wine into a 3-quart pitcher. Stir in the orange juice, rum, brandy, Cointreau, club soda and 1/4 cup of the spice syrup; add more syrup if you prefer a sweeter sangria. Add the diced oranges, lime, apple and pear and refrigerate overnight. Serve the sangria in tall glasses over ice. Garnish with a tablespoon of the diced fruit.

Make Ahead

The sangria can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. The spice syrup can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/spice-infused-sangria

kingdom issues

Tonight I found myself searching and reading internet blah-blah-blah about Republicans and/or Christians who are voting for Obama.  I was intrigued to learn a new term called Kingdom Issues.  Pastor Tony indicates that Kingdom Issues are Abortion and Homosexuality. 

Growing up born-again Christian, I hadn’t heard this term and I am intrigued by it.  (I also grew up with a Pastor Tony, so I was drawn to reading the 400+ comments on his blog.)   He wanted to hear why Christians would be voting for Obama/Biden and he got tons of replies.  Many folks wrote in who were Pro-Life and likely anti-gay (hard to tell, Abortion was the top issue) yet prioritized the deaths from war, suffering/death from poverty and human error in the application of the death penalty.

To me, this was incredibly fascinating.  Especially good was that Pastor Tony continued to respond to folks who commented.  That is how the term, Kingdom Issues came up.

I did a cursory google-search on the term and came up with very little except blog entries and the expected references to The United Kingdom:  Issues.

Why are Abortion and Homosexuality deemed “Kingdom Issues?”  Many responders on Pastor Tony’s blog proffered that it was due to the Religious Right’s rhetoric.  Some folks actually pointed out that increased relief to poverty will decrease the abortion rate.  That was not something I expected to read at that blog. 

Interestingly, the Death Penalty was treated as biblically sound, yet all the other bizarre mandates (one woman points to scripture about women covering their heads) were ignored by the Pastor.

The variety of Christian voices on that blog was refreshing.  Certainly, some of the comments were offensive, but it was fascinating to read.  As much as I cringe sometimes, I am still very pleased that I had that experience as a young child.  That I held a pro-life banner at a rally, that I openly stated disgust for LGBT folks at youth group meetings, and that I was taught to view non-Christians as a threat to my own security.

If I hadn’t done all of those things, I may never have had the drive to seek the knowledge I have now.  The knowledge that civil rights extend beyond outdated arguments about slavery being a one-issue election issue, that women’s bodies are their own, and that in general, people have the right to self-determination and the freedom to believe OR NOT believe in a god.

Particulary – that the government has not right to interfere with any of that.

some cilantro

I’m listening to Swati and I’m doing OK.

Cause I would do anything for you, I wish there was someone who felt the same way. I’m feeling unusually free for the first time in a long time.

David came by for some random cooking (recipe below) and the rockstar is on the verge of something good.  And me – something good might just be in the works.  Not sure – for sure – but maybe I just might be OK.

It’s Friday and I still left work after 7pm.  On my way home, I was walking into the grocery.  I had this idea for maybe some sort of paella – some cilantro – maybe some lemons – I wasn’t sure and then…

Who did I see?  A couple from one of my cases.  A man, easily recognizable by the shoulder-length black hair coming from his cap and his tiny woman with her hair pinned up.  I found them in the produce aisle.   I felt bold and tapped the lady – “Hola!  Como estan?” as I pointed to the both of them.  They smiled and touched me – the both of them.   “Hello, Miss!  THANK YOU.”

The City had brought a case against the man- and after a year and half of trial - the city LOST.  The man was the boyfriend of this woman.  A woman with 3 children.  He had gotten drunk at a party – she had, too - and they had fought in the early morning.  Someone called the police.  White folk showed up and this guy – he did not understand.  This woman, she didn’t understand it either.

Kids may or may not have been there – so a Family Court case was filed.  I picked up this case.

My clients were 9, 11, and 14 at the time.  All the kids said to me, it was just an argument.  “He does not drink so much – it was just the party.  Miss, they got upset.”

The man’s lawyer presented evidence.  The man, the woman, my oldest client – they all testified – OVER  A YEAR to tell the judge that what happened was a one time thing.  That the children were not there.  IT WAS NOT NEGLECT.   The man is really sorry, really sad that this happened.

The whole time, the man could not live in the home, he was not allowed to have unsupervised contact with the children who had come to love him.  The woman felt like she was breaking the law when she came near him.

The judge listened and she evaluated and she thought – and she dismissed the case. The man was allowed to FINALLY come home. 

After a year and half. 

The judge was LIVID.  She had kept the man away with her order.   The woman and the man – they embraced in court.  Tears in their eyes.  Tears in my eyes.  The judge almost had tears in hers. She threw down her hands when she gave that decision.

I saw this man and this woman in the grocery store tonight.  She was picking over produce, he was holding the hand basket at her side as she put in apples, carrots, and lemons.  They saw me.  They thanked me for believing.  Believing that SHIT HAPPENS.  And that people should not be separated for over a year because someone got angry just once and they had it out.  The kids had gotten mad because they did not like seeing momma cry.   (That is how things like this gets reported to social services.) Had everyone spoken English, I doubt this would have happened this way.

I see tonight, that after all of this, this man loves her.  She loves him.  Those children, my clients – they told me that. 

And L——?  Age 14?  She got on the stand and told the Judge, “Sometimes people fight, Your Honor, but they still don’t want to hurt each other.  He is really, really sorry.  I believe him. He is the only father I have ever had…”

Get away from these people, I just don’t feel safe. Get out of this place. Cause I would do anything for you, I wish there was someone who felt the same way. Whatever happened to honesty?

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RECIPE
CHICKEN AND RICE

INGREDIENTS

- 3 boneless chicken breasts - rinsed and patted dry – cut into bite-sized pieces
- SEASON ALL (or salt/pepper) to taste

- 1 large onion - chopped
- 1 red bell pepper – chopped
- 4 cloves garlic – chopped
- 2 small serrano peppers – chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/4 tsp turmeric
- 1 tsp Curry powder
- 1 tsp thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 2.5 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 cup rice
 - 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- salt/pepper
- 2 TB Olive Oil

-Fresh cilantro for garnish

DIRECTIONS

1.  Season Chicken with Season-All or salt/pepper in a bowl.  In a large pot, heat Olive Oil over medium heat and sautee chicken for 5 minutes.  Wash the bowl out  and set chicken aside.

2. In reserved oil/juices (add more oil if dry), sautee onion, garlic, bell pepper, and serrano peppers – until fragrant.

3.  Add Turmeric, Curry, Thyme, and Cilantro.  Stir well for about a minute.

4.  Add peas, stir.  Then add broth and tomato sauce.  Stir well for 3-4 minutes.

5.  Add rice and stir for a minute.

6.  Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat to a simmer for about 30 minutes.

7. Check pot and if too watery, cook for 5-10 minutes more, covered.

Serve in a bowl with cilantro – chopped – on top.
Be thankful for the legal process, but understand the injustice.  Salt/Pepper to taste.

Serves 3-5

i wish everybody was as easy

I have spent most of August worrying about moving, packing up, worrying about packing up, moving, worrying about unpacking, and/or unpacking.

Lucky is me who gets to take some days off in August to do these things. (Worrying included.)

Right now I sip on my white wine (courtesy of Cocoyea) and put silly things up on Freecycle.  I highly recommend it.  Not only do you get rid of stuff, you get this nice feeling inside about it.  (Don’t be scared – another woman’s trash is, well… you get it.) 

I spent most of today shopping around for various kitchen appliances (yes, I did get a microwave at Target for 47 bucks and I still need a food processor) and dealing with curtains.  In a pre-war rental building in Queens, that means lot of crappy walls that do not take to my lady-drill or any kind of nail.  Nothing like tension rods.  I love ‘em and I wish everybody was as easy. 

I’ve been cooking a bit at my new abode – bigger kitchen and all – but I’ve got some stuff on my list.  (Isa - I’m all over Veganomicon in such a new way).  The kind of stuff that I wanted to make back when I had the tiny kitchen.  Stay tuned.  (and BEWARE Lover!)

If only I had a vegan chef to make my reception dinner…and um, all that other stuff they have! (Yay for them, of course.)

they’ll be back

from:  governor@govmail.ca.gov
to:  fishes

date:  Fri, Aug 1, 2008 at 9:12 PM
subject:  Re:Supreme Court Decision on Same Sex Marriage
mailed-by:  govmail.ca.gov

Thank you for writing to share your thoughts on the California Supreme Court’s ruling on same-sex marriage.  I appreciate hearing from fellow Californians about the issues that are important to them.

In 2000, voters approved Proposition 22 – also known as the California Defense of Marriage Act – which stated that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.  The California Constitution says that initiatives cannot be amended without another vote of the people, and so I vetoed all recent legislative efforts to amend the marriage laws without another vote of the people or a court decision.  But I have always said that I would abide by the rulings of the state’s highest court.  On May 15, 2008, the California Supreme Court held that Proposition 22 is unconstitutional.  I respect the Court’s decision, and as I promised before, I will uphold its ruling.

Again, thank you for taking time to write and share your comments.

Sincerely,
Arnold Schwarzenegger

left work early

I left work at about 5:45 tonight.  This is unusual for me – usually I’m making phone calls, putting away files or emailing folks until 7 or so.   Tonight I was on a mission though.   Friday, the rockstar and I have two going-away parties to attend.  Both sad, but for people we adore.   Saturday, we leave early to drive south to my cousin’s wedding in my homestate.  So, I left early form work today and got some things accomplished.

I rode the subway for 20 minutes.  Stopping off at New Menka salon, my eyebrows were threaded beautifully for 5 dollars in a salon where everyone was speaking Hindi.  I then stopped at Patel Brothers.  I got 2 big boxes of incense (Shiva and Vishnu), a mango that reminds the rockstar of home, Kuma (or fried dough pieces sprinkles with sugar), and 2 small boxes of candied tamarind.

Afterwards, I walked 4 blocks to get a pedicure where everyone spoke either Korean or Spanish. 

In this hour and a half, not one person spoke English to me and I spent a grand total of $28.  My eyebrows and feet look amazing.  My Spanish is improving.  The rockstar, though processing her demons, was quite pleased with the treats I brought home to her.

She’s looking for new projects.  Listen.