This is essentially a risotto with peas and prosciutto, I made a couple of small changes based on practicality and our own preferences, and the recipe on food.com doesn’t actually quite reflect the cooking technique.

The result is quite satisfying, and well-balanced between the sweetness of the peas and the smoky/savory flavor of the pork.

Items

• 4 TB olive oil, or 2TB olive oil and 2TB bacon fat (yum!)
• 3oz prosciutto crudo (that is, the dried-cured ham available at most delis), sliced very thin,and cut into 1/2″ pieces
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 4 shallots, finely chopped
  
• 12 oz (1.5 cups) aborio rice
• 48 oz (6 cups) chicken stock, brought to just under the boil (I like Kitchen Basics chicken stock for this, as it is a lot richer in flavor than, say, Swanson’s Organic stock.  I don’t make my own, are you kidding?)
• 2 cups of freshly-shelled peas, or 2 cups frozen baby peas (they’re sweeter I think), thawed
  
• 4 TB butter
• 1oz (1 cup) freshly-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• Kosher salt and freshly-ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat/melt the fat over medium heat in a large chef’s pan.  Sautee the prosciutto, shallots, and celery for 8-10 minutes, making sure that the mixture is very soft but not brown.
2. Add the rice, and cook, stirring, for two minutes.
3. Add enough of the stock to cover the rice, turn the heat up to high until it boils, and immediately turn down to low, just enough heat to keep the rice simmering but not boiling. The point here is to minimize the damage to the outer bran of the rice kernel, yielding a firmer grain with less “creaminess” in the final dish.  This is all about texture.  If you want a really creamy risotto turn up the heat.
4. Keep adding the broth in 1/2 cup increments to keep the rice just submerged in the liquid, stirring often.  Taste the rice for doneness at 15 minutes.  It should start to have softened but still be a bit hard.
5. Add the peas, and continue stirring and cooking for another 5 minutes.  The rice should be al dente:  not overcooked, with a bit of bite to it without being hard.  If not done, add a bit more stock (or water if you have to), and keep cooking, but 20 minutes is typically how long rice takes to cook.
6. Add at least 1 Tsp of salt and a few grinds of pepper, or to taste.
7. Add the butter, stir to combine, and add most of the cheese reserving a bit for serving on top of the rice at the end.

Serves 6.

My first computer was a Mac IIsi that my great-aunts paid for.  In theory I wanted/needed the computer to do electronic music, as I was all fired up after my freshman year to enter the School of Music at U-M and study electronic music, composition, or something along those lines.

My time at the School of Music was a rather unhappy one in my life, and in lots of ways I wasn’t prepared to be a music student at U-M, which sees itself more as a conservatory school than a public institution.  There was lots of drama on my part, and I was never actually admitted to the School of Music.

But I still had the Mac IIsi, and along the way got a job at the University doing all sorts of computing-related support:  helpdesk support, mainframe stuff (I was a semi-competent tapes consultant for the Michigan Terminal System at one point if you can believe it), all sorts of Unix-y stuff.  Heck, I even convened the rather short-lived but useful WWWSIG (special interest group) at U-M in the early days when the Web meant “Mosaic”.  My trusty Mac IIsi was there, if not by my side, at least on my desk, and having a computer allowed me to work half-time, be a full-time student, and still find time to write papers.

Actually I’m not the guy you want to pick the upcoming Next Big Thing.  I remember, after having downloaded and compiled an early version of NCSA Mosciac (I knew how to type “make” back then), saying something like “well, this isn’t really that interesting since there isn’t anything to look at, and who is going to get a browser if there isn’t anything to look at on this thing?”.  We call that problem “network externalities” now but I obviously didn’t get it.

After the Mac IIsi, which eventually I gave to my now-husband as a second computer for a while and we eventually got rid of, I had a series of laptop computers provided by my various employers.  There have been a long series of IBM ThinkPads, which in general I have liked a great deal, and my Mac/Unix skills have withered somewhat as the realities of jobs, layoffs, and paychecks turned me into a corporate “MIS” guy (for now).

The most recent ThinkPad, a T42, was entering its fifth year of service when its fan died.  And we had been talking for a while about buying me a new computer.  But the notion of spending $2500-$3000 on myself just seemed silly, and so I’ve been putting it off.  So finally, for my birthday this year I took the plunge and ordered myself a MacBook Pro.

Its awesome.

First of all the hardware package is great: very light, durable, thin as heck, with a beautiful, glossy backlit LCD display.  Turn the brightness down a bit and you’ve got a good 4hours of battery time (or 8 since I bought a second battery).  Plenty of ports, an integrated optical drive, and the magnetic power connector is brilliant.  Power management works very well, and doesn’t require the constant management of hibernation vs. sleep that my ThinkPad required.  My only complaint is that it runs rather hot on the bottom.

MacOS is also a great operating system.  It is a Unix-based OS, so all of the command-line goodness is there if you need it.  The UI components are derived from NeXTStep/OpenStep (I used to have a color NeXT computer on my desk at U-M, which was really fabulous) with real vector graphics everywhere.  It just looks beautiful and everything works together very smoothly.  I don’t spent a lot of time having to work around the obstacles the OS puts in my way.  I love Spaces and Expose, and the multitouch features on the trackpad are addictive (I’ve always eschewed the trackpad in favor of the ThinkPad little pointing stick, but I guess that’s because the trackpads I’ve used sucked).  I just find myself working very efficiently and enjoying the “flow” that the system creates.  TIme Machine works perfectly, and gave me the perfect name for this system: Gallifrey.  Yeah, my backup drive is called, you guessed it, Tardis.  I am a geek by trade you know.

I’m really not an Apple maven like my husband is.  I tend to hate all computers equally (a problem given my current chosen profession), and there’s lots to hate in every computing environment I’ve encountered.  But I hate MacOS a little less than everything else I’ve used.

I still have Windows-platform tools to deal with, so I bought a copy of VMWare Fusion (although with 4GB RAM to be able to run XP and MacOS side by side).  It works quite well, and my only complaint is that I wish it would restore the guest OS to a running state when I come out of sleep mode instead of requiring me to click on it every time.  But that’s not a major hassle.

And I have MS Office 2008.  Lots of little complaints there.  It doesn’t understand Spaces, so I wind up with the Word formatting pallette orphaned on a different desktop from the one where my document is.

So count me back among the Apple fold.  They’re expensive machines, but well worth it if you’re someone who works with your laptop constantly, and tends to be demanding in terms of quality and ease of use.

I’ve become increasingly interested in the whole idea of local foods, both because of the environmental benefits, and just the notion of combatting the increasing homogenization of our food and culture.  So every Saturday I can I trundle down to our local farmer’s market and buy what’s fresh and good.  Since its August, that means zucchini, and there’s more of the bright green and yellow squash than anyone could possibly know what to do with.

Here’s one suggestion. This is based on a modified version of a recipe I found at Epicurious.com, with my own simplifications.

Items

• 2 large zucchini, halved lengthwise, seeds and pulp scooped out to 1/3″ thickness
• 3/4 lb ground chuck (not too lean)
• 1/2 cup long grain white rice
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3-4 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 Tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 3 tsp salt
• few grinds of black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
• 1 tsp ground allspice

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Halve the zucchini lengthwise, scoop out the pulp with a spoon, leaving 1/3″ or so as the hull of your little boats.
3. Saute the onion in a little olive oil for 5-6 minutes, then add the garlic, and saute another minute.  Remove from heat and let cool for a couple of minutes.
4. Take half the onion and put it in a separate bowl.  Add the rice, 2 tsp of the salt, allspice, and a few grinds of black pepper.  Mix thoroughly with your hands, and spoon into your zucchini.  Place the  zucchini in a 9×13″ glass baking dish.
5. Bring the remaining onion back to the heat.  Add the tomato paste and cook over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes, stock, remaining salt, red pepper flakes, and some more black pepper, and cook for 6-8 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
6. Pour sauce over zucchini, and cover tightly with aluminum foil.  Cook in the oven at 350F for an hour. Remove foil and finish under the broiler, spooning the sauce over the zucchini a couple of times to keep from drying out.  The dish is done when the rice are tender.

Serve with hommous and toasted pita wedges.  Serves 4.

Turns out Moore is something of a “cult literary sensation”, at least according to the press on his book jackets.  I hadn’t heard of him, but that doesn’t mean anything since I still really don’t know who Kylie Minogue is or why I should care, so I’m hardly a good bellweather for the tends of popular culture.

These are short, funny, breezy novels that live somewhere between fantasy and general popular fiction.  Fiends features a young girl who is attacked by a venerable (if attractive and young-looking) vampire who is looking to find a suitable companion, and then has to figure out how to maintain a reasonably normal life.  Apparently most vampire-spawn don’t last very long as they’re too stupid to deal with the rigors of life as the undead, go figure).  Demonkeeping features a guy who raises an amazingly bloodthirsty demon in his youth and stumbles across an opportunity to jettison his wretched (and ravenous) traveling companion.  Both novels worked well for me, and I was suitably caught up as the story action builds to the necessary climax.  Maybe a little formulaic — Moore likes to poke around in the spaces where the fantastic intersect with the mundane — but fun.

Actually I find it interesting that the arbiters of literary genres decided to classify these as general “literary” fiction instead of “fantasy/sci-fi” given that the tone, setting, and content these books would sit alongside plenty of authors in that genre, but the whole classification and marketing of books and music is a big game anyways.

Definitely enjoyable, fluffy summer reading.

Items

• 2 oz premium vodka (Grey Goose is a nice choice)
• 1 oz lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp sugar (simple syrup is probably better but I’m going to make this at home)
• two thin slices of fresh cucumber

Method

1. Shake one slice of cucumber with the sugar, vodka, and lemon juice in a shaker with a handful of ice.
2. Strain into a chilled martini glass.
3. Serve with the remaining slice of cucumber floating in the glass.
4. Share and enjoy.

As befitting such an occasion, we celebrated with the traditional three days of festivities: Friday night at Cafe Felix with the combined Ann Arbor and Jackson contingents of friends (some of whom had never met, which I find a little shocking) and dinner at Palio; Saturday with a fabulous meal at Eve (the Restaurant); and Sunday with many of the same friends at Portage Lake (which unlike the rest of my birthday events doesn’t have its own web site, thank heaven).

The meal at Eve was particularly memorable - I had the lamb in brik, which features nicely spiced ground lamb with pinenuts in a phyllo-like pastry, topped with a generous salad of baby spinach and mint. The spicing on the lamb was excellent, and the overall dish was balanced, enjoyable to eat, and very satisfying. Alan had the tenderloin chimichurri - I tasted the chimichurri which was also very nice. We started the meal with a “Spa Martini” (which I’ll provide a recipe for tomorrow), and ended with their fabulous pots de crème.

All in all an excellent meal, and combined with the time with many great friends, the flowers from my mother, and the dozen cards wishing me well, a perfect birthday weekend.

I’m now finally contemplating the replacement of my aging ThinkPad laptop with a MacBook Pro. Dare I take the plunge back into Apple’s beautiful if closed garden?

P.S. - My husband and I apparently do actually share a brain. He penned this entry on our weekend celebrations pretty much at the same time as I did this one.

One thing that I love about living in Chelsea, MI is that we have a great little community of folks who grow and sell organic produce, meat, flowers, and other good stuff. So most every Saturday I get up a little early and head down to the Bushel Basket Market on Park Street right outside Jeff Daniels’ Purple Rose Theater.

My favorite producer there is Tantre Farm, and Alan and I feast on their bounty from May through November. I considered buying a share in their harvest, but our ability to process and store food is somewhat limited (no big freezer in the basement), so I’ve held off on that commitment. They grow fabulous heirloom varieties of tomatoes (stuff you’ll never find in the grocery store as they’re way too fragile to survive the rigors of industrial agriculture and long travel). Spring is asparagus season, and as much as we love asparagus, it is possible to overdo it (my husband asked me for a respite this week).

One thing I’ve seen at the market several times but haven’t used until now is garlic scapes, which are the green, curly tops of the garlic plant. I bought a bunch for a buck, and took them home and made a simple pesto out of them. The color is beautiful, and the flavor is savory and garlicky, but without the intense metallic bite that one associates with raw garlic. This works beautifully on pasta, or as a spread for bread or crackers. There are lots of recipes out there, but this one is mine.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Items

• One bunch of garlic scapes (about 8 stems), washed and cut into thirds
• Handful of pine nuts (1/4 cup, maybe 2oz)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or Peocorino Romano, or your favorite hard, dry grating cheese)
• About 4oz extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp lemon zest, or a few drops of lemon oil

Method

1. Add the scapes to the food processor and pulse a few times until chopped. Add the pine nuts and process for a few more pulses.
2. Remove the lid and add the cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon zest or oil.
3. Put the lid back on and turn on low and process.
4. Drizzle the oil in slowly with the motor running. You’ll see the pesto tighten up as the first of the oil goes in, then loosen up into a smooth paste as you continue to add oil. Add enough oil to get to the texture you’d like.
5. Test for seasoning and adjust to taste.

Makes about a cup of pesto, which is enough for a pound of pasta (thinned with a little of the pasta water) and a bit leftover for some bread the next day. This would double or triple easily, but you may want to pay attention to the salt and oil and adjust as needed.

I think I’m on the other side of things now.  Unfortunately my laptop’s fan decided it was “time to die” finally (it has been spinning more or less happily for four years now, so I forgive its new reluctance to keep it up), so I am sans computer.  Well, not entirely true given the Dell laptop at work (which never leaves the dock), and the Compaq Evo at home which is mostly a terminal to access the Internets and e-mail.

Here are the guts of my ThinkPad T42, which has been a very fine laptop despite its current challenges.  The heatsink fan (the copper-colored component) is quite a piece of engineering.  A bit of egg-carton-style packing foam makes a great screw holder.  Thanks to this site for notes on how to remove the palm rest.

I’ve been contemplating a new computer for a year or so, and thinking of taking the plunge back to Apple.  My first computer was a Mac IIsi, which my wonderful great-aunts funded despite its hefty price tag.  I loved that computer, and I wouldn’t be the big professional geek keeping my husband in the lifestyle he’d like to become accustomed to without that gift.  Apple is unlikely to rev the MacBook Pros anytime real soon, so now is probably as good of a time as ever.  And with Parallels I can have my MacOS goodness and my Windows XP work stuff all in one easy shiny package.  W00t!

Steingarten himself is a Harvard-trained lawyer turned food writer for Vogue, and the book is a collection of his erudite and witty essays, mostly from the late 80s and mid 90s. He’s a very fine essayist, and his ironic humor pervades these little essays on topics such as how to make the perfect pie crust, finding the best barbeque in America, fruitcakes, and my favorite, the essay on the artificial oil Olestra, titled “A Fat of No Consequence”.

A taste (not for the faint of heart):

The [...] current version of Olestra has been manufactured to stay quite thick at room temperature — it looks something like Vaseline until it is headted– which is why [Proctor & Gamble] always demonstrates Olestra melted.

Why did they formulate Olestra this way? Because the early, more liquid versions caused gastrointestinal problems. One of these–”anal seepage”, or, in my preference, “passive oil loss”–occurs when fully liquid Olestra separates from the food with which it was cooked and slips along the inner walls of people’s intestines, bypassing everything in its way. Drops of Olestra show up on their underwear or floating in their toilets. (The FDA actually abbreviates this as OIT, or “oil in toilet”).

There are some wonderfully laugh-out-loud moments throughout, and some useful tips and recipes and I’d definitely like to try.

In Tolkien’s Middle-Earth, March 25th, 3019 T.A. (Third Age, also 1419 in Shire Reckoning) is the date of the destruction of the One Ring, and the defeat of Sauron and the downfall of Barad-dûr. I know this because I’m a total geek (albeit one with an imprecise memory). One year later Frodo and his friends returned home to the Shire, and year after that Sam and Rosie celebrated the birth of their daughter, Eleanor.  You’ll find these and other useful and entertaining facts at theonering.net.

March 25th is also the celebration of the Feast of the Annunciation, in which Mary, the mother of Jesus, is informed by the Archangel Gabriel that she is to bear the Messiah.  Mary’s response of obedience and praise to God is known as the Magnificat, or the Song of Mary:

My soul doth magnify the Lord.

And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. [Luke 1:46-55]

The timing of this feast conveniently aligns with nine calendar months before December 25th, when the Church celebrates the nativity of Jesus.

We will celebrate tonight with a feast of our own, and raise our glasses both to Frodo and Mary, whose obedience and faithfulness helped to liberate their people.