Grapefruit and Drugs Often Don't Mix

Grapefruit Interacting Drugs and Associated Oral Bioavailability, Adverse Event(s), Risk Ranking and Potential Alternative Medications

Kashmir - Led Zeppelin

Pool Water Chemistry Cheat Sheet

Posted by John Keene

 Understanding pool water chemistry is an essential part of maintaining your swimming pool. You should be familiar with how different factors like chlorine, pH, total alkalinity, calcium hardness and cyanuric acid affect your water, pool structure and equipment.
Below is a table of recommended chemistry levels divided by pool type. Save or print this table and keep it with your water testing and pool supplies for an easy reference. Click the table for a saveable or printable view.

Free Chlorine (FC): Chlorine is a disinfectant that kills harmful bacteria and other organisms in your pool water. High levels can cause skin and eye irritation, and low levels harm sanitation.
pH: The pH in a pool measures the level at which your pool is acidic or alkaline. High levels will lead to cloudy water, scale deposits, filtration issues and reduced chlorine effectiveness. Low levels cause acidic water which can lead to eye irritation and corrosion.
Total Alkalinity (TA): The measure of your pool water’s ability to resist change in pH. High levels cause a stronger resistance to change and lower levels can cause rapid pH fluctuations.
Calcium Hardness (CH): Measures the amount of dissolved calcium in your pool water. High levels can cause cloudy water and scale deposits, while low levels can lead to corrosion.
Cyanuric Acid (CYA): Also known as stabilizer or conditioner. It forms a bond with free chlorine in pool water, protecting it from the sun’s ultraviolet rays that cause chlorine loss.

Steve Jobs: Ten Secrets for Great Presentations

Holy Smokes, Bullets Kill! (And Other Presentation Tips) Before planning your presentation, according to Carmine Gallo, it is critical to know the question that matters most to your audience: "Why should I care?"1 You need to think about how to inspire your audience. Simply trying to sell them something doesn't cut it. As Carmine writes, "Your widget doesn't inspire me. Show me how your widget improves my life, and you've won me over."2 Here are Steve Jobs' ten secrets for insanely great presentations.3 Plan in analog. Brainstorm in advance of creating your presentation. You can use pen and paper, a whiteboard or, better yet, a mind map. DO NOT use PowerPoint®to create your presentation—it will be used only in the final step! (More on this later.) Create Twitter-friendly headlines. Describe your product or service in 140 characters or less. Preferably, a lot less. Steve introduced the MacBook Air® as simply, "The world's thinnest notebook." About the first-generation iPod®, he tweeted: "It's one thousand songs in your pocket." Introduce the villain. Steve saw a presentation as a three-act play that must tell a story, but what is a story without a hero and a villain? Before he introduced the famous 1984 ad to a group of Apple salespeople, he set the stage, casting "Big Blue" as Goliath. "IBM wants it all," he warned, and defiantly asserted that only Apple stoodin its way. His dramatic moment sent the crowd into frenzy. While the villain doesn't have to be a competitor, it must be a common foe that your audience will want to join with you in rallying against. Your product is then revealed as the conquering hero. Create visual slides. As Carmine writes, "Neuroscientists are finding that the best way to communicate information is through text and pictures, not text alone." As for bullet points, Steve never, ever, used them and neither should you. Carmine has a section in her book titled, "Bullets Kill" that describes why you should avoid using PowerPoint to create your presentation. "Think about what happens when you open PowerPoint. A blank-format slide appears that contains space for words—a title and subtitle. This presents a problem. There are very few words in a Steve Jobs presentation. Now think about the first thing you see in the drop-down menu under Format: Bullets & Numbering. This leads to the second problem. There are no bullet points in a Steve Jobs presentation. The software itself forces you to create a template that represents the exact opposite of what you need to speak like Steve!"4 Take a look at the following comparison of bullet-point slides compared to the same information, presented visually. Practice, a lot. Most people read their presentations off of their PowerPoint slides. This is why most presentations are boring. Steve treated every slide as piece of poetry and every presentation as a theatrical event. He wasn't a natural presenter; he worked very hard at it. Rehearse your presentation, toss the script and look at your audience. Practice at making it look effortless. Obey the ten-minute rule. It's a scientific fact that the brain gets tired after ten minutes. Steve's presentations typically lasted an hour and a half. He would break them up into short intervals of ten minutes or less by interspersing videos, demonstrations, or guest speakers. Don't let your audience get tired or you'll lose them. A great way to keep your audience's attention when presenting information is though sequencing, which builds the story within a visual one step at a time, making the information much easier to digest. Dress up your numbers. We often deal with large numbers or data that an audience can't comprehend without context. Breaking them down and presenting numbers visually can overcome this. Notice how much more effectively the chart below illustrates sales figures as opposed to a matrix of data. Reveal a 'holy smokes!' moment. Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them fe el." Steve Jobs always produced a memorable moment in a pre sentation. When he introduced the MacBook Air, he told his a udience that while everyone had seen manila envelopes floating around the office, what they had never seen was someone pulling a notebook computer out of one—which is precisely what he did. The audience went wild and images of that moment remain emblazoned in people's minds four years later. Sell dreams, not products. When it looked at the iPod, the world saw a music player. What Steve Jobs saw was a tool to enrich people's lives. Howard Schultz of Starbucks didn't have a passion to sell coffee; his vision was to create an experience: a 'third place' between home and work where people would want to gather. The dream met the customer's need and the product sales took care of itself. Have fun! When was the last time you saw someone enjoying giving a presentation? Steve Jobs had fun in every keynote. He made jokes at his own expense. While most people give presentations to deliver information, Steve always created an experience that his audience would enjoy and remember. Most importantly, he sold them on becoming a part of his dream, not his product.

All About Potatoes, by Elizabeth Schneider

One Potato, Two Potato, Three Potato, More...

Elizabeth Schneider / September 1994

An unusual panoply that goes beyond the basics.
 
Ten years ago, I assembled a group of food professionals to evaluate major potato varieties in the United States. We slogged our way through eleven types each prepared five ways—a total of 55 tastes apiece. Description glowed: "smoothly rounded," "pinkly beautiful," "warm fawn color," "satiny skin." Flavor notes read: "hint of potato," "nothing but starch," "dismal, dull, damp." Our response was unanimous: Bring back old-fashioned potato flavor!

At last, this may be happening. While not yet in the mainstream, flavorful potatoes are now available through specialty distributors, farmers markets, and mail order. Many are heirlooms, some are improved versions of familiar varieties. Most are fairly small and "irregular" in shape. They have distinct characteristics and names. Consequently, once you've enjoyed a Ruby Crescent or Yellow Finn, you can ask for it again, rather than root around an ambiguous terrain of "round reds" or "long whites"—terms with little culinary meaning.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

The term "new potatoes," on the other hand, does have significance, which is regularly ignored. I see red nearly every time I order them—because that's what arrives instead: small red potatoes. Size, color, and shape do not signify newness. "A new potato is one that has tender skin and has just been harvested from a plant with still-green foliage, unlike mature potatoes, which are harvested when the vine yellows and dies," explains Jim Gerritsen, owner of Wood Prairie Farm in Bridgewater, Maine. They can be the first crop of any potato variety. Some are small, but more often than not they are the same size as mature, stored potatoes. The very small percentage of true new potatoes may appear several times during the year, depending upon the location. (I'd like to see a change to "fresh-harvest" or "first-crop" potatoes to make the distinction, rather than an opposition to "old potatoes.")

Once stored, a potato is no longer new—no matter how small, what color, or how thin-skinned. Almost all potatoes are "cured," that is, held in a humid environment about two weeks at 50˚F to 60˚F to heal cuts and bruises and toughen the skin. The temperature is then lowered gradually to suitable storage conditions at which potatoes may remain up to nine months without appreciable loss (according to growers). Improperly stored, they shrink, darken, and develop spots.

SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE

When it comes to cooking these unfamiliar potatoes, it helps to adopt and experimental attitude. Borrow a "baking-potato approach," for example, for purple fingerlings. Roast the pearly pink round that looks like a typical "steamer": it can transform a simple roast chicken. Mash little "boiling" potatoes with their skins. Steam starchy "bakers" for salad. Different varieties have different qualities worth discovering.
Do not be seduced by appearance. Blue potatoes—and other eye-catchers—may lead you astray. Ravishing colors in the raw may not translate to rainbows on the plate. Baby blues chosen for a vivid salad may be dull-white beneath the colorful skin, or may turn cement gray when cooked. Cooking techniques affect colors dramatically. Microwaving preserves color best, but degrades flavor and texture. Steaming maintains a minimum proportion of color, flavor, and texture—but the skin may taste metallic and develop an unappetizing texture. On the other hand, they are easily slipped from steamed potatoes. With few exceptions, skins are sweeter and meld more closely to the flesh when potatoes are baked.

SMALL POTATOES: AN UP-TO-DATE GUIDE TO OLD-FASHIONED VARIETIES

Guided by growers and distributors, I sampled 31 potato varieties (twice each, usually from different farms) considered significant in the marketplace or having future potential. Each was both steamed and baked; some were also mashed and/or made into salad. For speedy visual reference, groupings are determined by appearance: fingerlings, peach-to-rose, blue-to-purple, and golden-to-tan potatoes. "Up-and-coming, heirlooms, novelties" embraces a wide assortment from all groups.

FINGERLINGS

"Fingerling" is an informal term for many narrow, small tubers. Although the Old English word describes anything tiny, it commonly refers to tiny fish and, more probably, to multi-knuckled fingers, which many fingerlings resemble.

As a group, fingerlings are generally knobby, fairly skinned, comparatively low in starch, difficult to peel, and above all, flavorful (nutty, fruity, earthy are paramount). They are also firm, creamy-smooth, and appealingly waxy. Most excel steamed, roasted, and tossed in vinaigrette. Steamed are best peeled, which is easily once cooked. Thinnest-skinned, teeny fingerlings are incomparable slow-cooked, covered, with a little butter and rosemary.

Banana/Russian Banana: Narrow tapering, quite smooth; tan-cream skin, buttercream flesh. Rich, refined, old fashioned potato flavor. Firm, fine-textured when steamed, baked, boiled, in salad. Steamed is silkiest; baked is sweetest. Color remains close to same as raw.

Ozette/Anna Cheeka's Ozette: Maintained by the Makah/Ozette Indian tribe in Washington since introduced by Spaniards, via Peru. Narrow, knuckly; tissue-thin, pale gold skin; yellow flesh. Steamed is creamy, slightly nutty, pleasantly floury and waxy, with delicate skin; visual effect is pale, clean. Baked, less attractive; skin toughens a bit , flesh compresses somewhat—but flavor is fine.

Purple Peruvian: Knobbed, deep purple/ navy irregular rounds and teardrops; flesh pale at perimeter deep purple at center. Cooked, flesh turns lavender-to-blue, skin remains dark. Thick, tough skin difficult to peel; unbalanced flavor with soil predominant. This relatively well-known specialty is, to my taste (six samples), overrated. Baked is most acceptable: nice earthiness, starchy/mealy texture.

Rose Finn/Rose Finn Apple: Long, narrow, oblong, with knuckly protrusions; satiny pale pink-buff, thin skin; yellow flesh. Steamed, roasted, braised, in salad—an altogether elegant, versatile, rewarding potato, sweet, but balanced yellow flesh is both waxy and creamy, drier than some. Rarely requires peeling.

Ruby Crescent: Neither ruby nor crescent-shaped, but wavy oblong; thin, pale peach skin; yellow-cream flesh. Steams and bakes equally well to a complex blend of earthy, sweet, milky. Waxy, moist, consistent texture; skin rather tough. Develops a slight fishiness when cold; not for salads.

PEACH TO ROSE

In this group of nonfingerlings, skin color is the grouping criterion. Flesh color, however, is at least as important, because virtually all yellow-fleshed varieties offer more flavor than white.

Cherry Red: Small to medium, round, with coarse, magenta-pink skin; ivory flesh. Cooked, skin darkens, but color remains close. Baked (and baked, then mashed) best; flavor minimal, pleasant; texture creamy and flaky/floury; skin tough and rather bitter. Good butter-holder.

Desiree: Medium-size, symmetrical oval; thin, pale golden-pink skin; cream flesh. Europe's favorite pink potato. Best steamed to pearly alabaster; texture is waxy stain, with smooth sliceability. Pristine, delicate flavor with a high note. Remarkable staying power in flavor. Cooks fine, all ways.

Red Cloud: Medium-size, rounded; pinkish, fairly smooth skin; ivory, fine-textured flesh. Cooks well all ways. Steamed, keeps shape, character, well-balanced long flavor; holds up nicely for braising; bakes creamy, with sweet excellent, rich flavor and balance—at once waxy, starchy, crumbly, with concentrated firmness.

Red Dale: Medium-large, round, neat, and uniform; pretty pink-rose, smooth skin; cream flesh. Bake, braise, gratiné for mild, pleasant flavor with potato chip aroma; even, slightly mealy texture. Steamed, moisture distributes unevenly, flavor slightly bitter.

Rose Gold: Small, rounded; pale pinky gold, slightly rough skin; yellowish flesh. Steams beautifully: tender skin; silky, tacky texture; golden flesh; delicate flavor. Keeps shape and flavor in braises, roasts, salad. Baking develops starchy side, sweetness, glowing golden color, attractive firmness.

BLUE TO PURPLE

People tend to lump blue and purple potatoes together, as if there were only one variety, but there are many each of which has its own characteristics. Some are mealy, some moist—but most grown in this country are bland. Color generally changes for worse with cooking.

All-Blue: Medium, oblong smooth: midnight blue skin; deep purple flesh. Steams to deep lavender with pale rim; moist, smooth consistency, slightly waxy; fairly thin skin. Bakes deep lavender violet; soft, even texture between starchy and moist waxy; well-balanced taste, texture. Most versatile of blues tasted can be cooked many different ways.

Caribe: Large, rounded; speckled to uniform lavender/violet/slate-grey skin; white to grayish flesh. Steamed ranges from creamy and smooth with sweet, delicate potato flavor to ordinary. Baked, pleasant one-note. Mashes to quite light, fluffy consistency both floury and moist. Skin offers no advantages—turns gray with metallic flavor.

Kerry Blue: Large and quite smooth russet/baker form; stunning indigo/grape skin; cream flesh with violet perimeter. Best baked—light, creamy, almost fluffy. Cooked, the blueness vanishes, leaving only a blue-gray trace in the skin. Works well mashed, too. Steamed is light, starchy-mealy fresh. Jim Gerritsen of Wood Prairie Farm says, "Many experts believe Kerry Blue and Purple Chief are the same potato. In any case, they look and cook alike."

GOLDEN TO TAN

Tawny-skinned potatoes with yellow flesh almost invariably offer superior flavor, whether starchy or waxy in texture. Their tacky, firm consistency and sweetness make them perfect accompaniment "vegetables."

Bintje: Medium-large, round to oblong; pale gold thin skin; creamy yellow flesh. Extremely popular worldwide, versatile. Changes little in appearance when cooked, but skin toughens. Steams has firm, waxy-starchy texture; warm balanced flavor. Equally good flavor baked; slightly firmer textures, starchier mouthfeel.

Carole/Carola: Small to large, round to oval; smooth tan skin; fine-textured yellow flesh. Steams golden, with warm creamy-smooth yellow flesh, sweet scent, and sliceable texture for salad, too. Skin needs to be removed. Bakes golden-skinned, yellow-fleshed, at once moist and flaky, smooth and fluffy; balanced, rich flavor, sweet-dough aroma. Thinish, chewy skin. Cook all ways.

Yellow Finn: Medium-small with slightly rough, pale gold thin skin; yellow flesh. Among most well known of "specialty" potatoes. Baked most appealing—solid, even, texture, smooth and creamy; sound, even texture, smooth and creamy; sound, traditional potato flavor; nice accompaniment to roasts, in braises. Steamed is bland and damp.

Yukon Gold: Medium-large, round; yellow-tan skin; yellow-flesh. Great variation among samples. Baked is best, a good replacement for usual "round whites." Some have attractive strarch-wax balance, rich yellow flesh, warm aroma, sweet, even flavor (skin too). Some are ordinary on all counts. Steamed is damp, all-purpose; skin unpleasant. Buttery color, but not flavor, as often described.

UP-AND-COMING VARIETIES, HEIRLOOMS, NOVELTIES

With the current interest in potatoes, some of the following may well be standards before long. And beyond that, if the trend continues, you may find a Blue-Eyed-Russian, Newfoundland Elephant, Irish Cobbler, Viking Red, Yukon Purple, or Alaska Sweetheart alongside your Yukon gold, Yellow Finn, or Red Bliss.

All Red: Large, elongated; deep magenta skin; pink-lavender flesh. Baked turns stunning pink throughout with bland pleasant flavor, lightish texture, damp flesh. Steamed is slippery, pulpy, dull—but gorgeously pink. Needs flavor lift: sauté or bake with seasoning.

Australian Crawler: Small, rounded or irregular; pale, pink-beige thin skin with pink-splashed eyes; cream flesh. Steamed or baked, flavor is unusually sweet, smooth. Elegant effect; begs for dollop of caviar.

Charlotte: Small to medium, oblong; smooth, thin, pale golden skin; yellow-cream flesh. Baked has long, warm, sweet flavor, tender skin. Steamed is satiny soft, flavorful, but skin is less pliant.

Cherries Jubilee: Small to medium, oblong bright magenta skin and lightly veined; pale magenta flesh. Steamed has warm pink skin, mottled pink-beige flesh; flavor is mild, lightly sweet; texture is moist, waxy; skin is virtually nonexistent, melts in the mouth. Bakes pinker, with similar flavor; skin less delicate. Serve hot.

Early Rose: Small to medium, rounded; pale peach pink skin; warm-toned flesh. Steams best, to palest peach; flesh lightly tinted, with rich consistency, mild flavor; pleasant skin. Baked flesh is lighter with less delicacy; light potato flavor, fine balance. An improvement on red all-purpose rounds.

German Butterball: Small to medium round; smooth, very thin pale gold skin; yellow flesh. Bakes and steams to unique textural and color blend of potato and rutabaga, both moist and flaky, sunny yellow. Mild, lightly earthy flavor; supple skin.

Kasaan: Looks like fat beige fingerling or skinny Jerusalem artichoke. Neither steamed nor baked has much flavor, although white flesh has appealing waxy/starchy/moist texture. Baked is creamier. Less distinction, refinement than other fingerling types.

La Rote/Larota: Largish fingerling; satiny pale gold skin; very fine-textured yellow flesh. Steams sweet, creamy with rich flavor, appealing waxiness. Bakes equally well, with full flavor, light creamy flesh. Cook all ways.

Mandel: Prettily formed, small, smooth crescent or kidney-shaped; rose-beige skin; yellow flesh. Steams pale pink with tender skin; fresh, moist, fingerling style; makes attractive presentation. Bakes smooth and delicate with cream-colored flesh; somewhat bland. Good multiuse.

Norwegian: Medium-size, knobby fingerling; thin, pale pink-beige skin, buttercream flesh. Skin steams pearly golden with pink blush, smooth (a little tough); rich yellow gold flesh is warm, bland, sweet, a tad earthy Creamy and firm at once. Baked look is less attractive, slightly crumply, but color same ; nice waxy texture, flavor concentrated. Cook all ways.

Nosebag: Medium-large, elongated, smooth, uniform oblong; thinnest rich-rose skin; fine yellow flesh. Steams pearly pink-gold with yellow-cream flesh; unusually satiny texture and melting skin—almost not recognizable as potato; waxy, moist, buttery, balanced. Baked has lingering sweet-dough aroma; flesh less silky, but has creamy/flaky texture, similar flavor. The unlikely name for this elegant tuber derives from its hiding place in a horse's nosebag, smuggled from France, according to sales literature.

Purple Viking: Medium-large, rounded, fairly smooth, uniform; stunning midnight-purple on magenta background; white flesh. Steamed, skin very earthy; quite smooth smooth, dull-white flesh; thin flavor, mostly earth. Baked gains some balance and sweetness, but still thin. The amazing skin turns various shade of purplish brown or brown.

Ratte: Small fingerling, peanut-or-sweet-potato-shaped; very thin golden skin; creamy yellow flesh. Steamed, the fine-textured flesh is creamy, waxy, silky; flavor is mild, buttery, balanced between earth and sweet. Baked had vanilla aroma, slightly rumpled hide; very waxy, smooth flesh. All ways, tastes more vegetable than starch.

Seneca Horn: Medium, elongated, tapered crescent; intensely violet skin; white flesh. Skin steams silvery lavender, flesh dull white; floury, flaky, dry; no sweetness. Baked, skin is crumply beige-lavender, flesh off-white; flavor a bit sweeter, but primarily starch—although oddly more moist than steamed. Looks more exciting than it tastes.

HOT POTATOES

Mixed Potato Terrine (Kerry Sear, Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, Seattle): Line terrine with the cleaned skins of baked russets. Boil small yellow fingerlings, small red and blue potato varieties, and small golden sweet potatoes; cool, peel, and reserve. Add gelatin, mint, and chives to the cooking liquid; layer this with the whole potatoes. Top with russet skins, weigh lightly, and refrigerate overnight. Serve chilled slices with calendula vinaigrette (cook petals in white wine vinegar, strain, and blend with olie oil and pepper); garnish with calendula petals.

Fennel-Stuffed Potatoes (Kerry Sear, Four Seasons Olympic Hotel, Seattle): Bake small red potatoes and split them. Scoop out flesh and mix with soft fennel puree; fold in fine-chopped fennel greens. Pipe back into potato skins; brown lightly. Serve with lamb.

All-Potato Plate (Waldy Malouf, Husdon River Club, New York City): Roast dYukon Golds, scooped from skin, blended with horseradish, shallot, and olive oil; whole Bintje potatoes roasted with garlic cloves anad rosemary; steamed Ozette fingerlings tossed with tomato dice and tomato oil; salad of pur[le potatoes on mixed greens with light vinaigrette and shredded fresh white farm cheese. Serve with Pinot Noir.

Roasted Potato Salad (Waldy Malouf, Husdon River Club, New York City): Roast, peel, and slice fingerlings; toss with red wine/shallot marmalade, a touch of red wine vinegar, oil, and fresh thyme. Serve warm with grilled venison chops.

Basil Gnocchi with Wild Mushrooms (Peter Hoffman, Savoy, New York City): Bake Yukon Golds (to intensify flavor); peel and rice when hot. Bind with a little flour, then fold in chopped basil. Poach a few at a time; hold until serving with a touch of oil. To serve, cook chanterelles in butter; add gnocchi to reheat.

Warm Root Vegetable Appetizer (Peter Hoffman, Savoy, New York City): Roast Desiree potatoes, baby carrots, shallots, and Chioggia beets; split the potatoes and serve all with chestnut honey vinaigrette on a bed of greens.

Wild Mushroom & Potato Napoleon (Eric Stapelman, Luma, New York City): Line individaul stainless-steel molds with rounds of grilled eggplant; top with puree of celery root, Yellow Finns, and Yukon Golds; top with sauteed chanterelles, then thin-sliced roasted Finns and Yukons, more puree, chanterelles, and eggplant. Cap with portobello mushroom. Bake; serve with fish.

Warm Potato & String Bean Salad (Eric Stapelman, Luma, New York City): Roast small, oval, yellow-fleshed ptoatoes ("creamers"). To serve, warm in a little stock; add a touch of balsamic and red wine reduction, Toss with kalamatas and blanched string beans; serve with roasted pheasant.

Baked Egg with White Truffles & Baby Potatoes (Wayne Nish, March and La Colombe d'Or, New York City): Top baked egg with sautéed Ruby Crescents, herbs, and grated white truffle. Serve at once.

Potato & Prawn Appetizer (Reed Hearon, Lulu, San Francisco): Roast Banana fingerlings and Alaskan spot prawns on sea salt in a wood-fired oven. Serve with romesco sauce.

Halibut & Potatoes in Saffron (Reed Hearon, Lulu, San Francisco): Halve or slice tiny Yellow Finns, cook in an intense saffron/fish broth. Drain, then bake with halibut, a little broth, olive oil, tomatoes, bay leaf, and thyme.

Gunea Hen with Herbed Potato Salad (Roy Breiman, Restaurant at Meadowood Resort, St. Helena, California): Blanch and slice small, narrow white potatoes; marinate in olive oil and rock salt, then grill ("this procedure develops the true potato flavor"). Miz with sprigs of parsley, chervil, basil, tiniest spinach leaves, chives, and vinaigrette with shallots and balsamic. Serve warm with crisp breast of guinea hen, sliced and fanned with foie gras slices between.

Elegant Potato Salad (Lydie marshall, A Passion for Potatoes): Steam small round potatoes or fingerlings. Peel, slice, and sprinkle with white wine, salt, pepper, and minced tarragon. Sauté drained, soaked, dried morels in butter, adding soaking liquid, and reduce; toss with potatoes. Add very thin strips of radicchio, fennel, and Gruyère; toss with vinaigrette. Garnish with arugula and watercress lightly glossed with walnut oil and a touch of vinegar.

Potatoes with Shellfish (Lydie marshall, A Passion for Potatoes): Steam mussels, then clams; set aside. Strain broth add olive oil, red wine vinegar, and shallots; reduce by half. Steam Yukon Golds or Ruby Crescents; peel, slice, or cube, then toss with parsley and vinegar. Heat broth; pour shellfish and potatoes.

Creamed Potatoes with Peas (Lydie marshall, A Passion for Potatoes): Steam fingerlings until tender; meanwhile, boil half-and-half with tarragon sprigs; skim. Add fresh peas and simmer until tender. Discard tarragon, add potatoes, and heat through.

Peppery Pub Potatoes (Maggie Waldron, Cold Spaghetti at Midnight): Coat small red potatoes wit softened butter and dip into a mixture of equal parts of salt and sugar and a considerable quantity of coarsely ground black pepper; bake until tender in a moderate oven. Serve warm, as an appetizer.

Baby Potatoes Coated with Almonds (Yamuna Devi, Yamuna's Table): Steam new potatoes the size of large marbles until just tender. Combine almond oil, minced jalapeño chiles, grated fresh ginger, blanched almonds ground to a powder, and minced cilantro. Add the potatoes and toss well, seasoning with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Spear with toothpicks and serve hot or warm.

CHOOSE WISELY, STORE BRIEFLY

Look for relatively smooth, rock-hard potatoes, free of soft spots or sprouts. Avoid those with holes or cuts, which hasten spoilage through bacterial penetration. Stay clear of green-tinged potatoes (and dealers who market them), which may contain solanine, a bitter alkaloid poisonous to some allergic people.
Uneven color, flaky skin, and muddiness are more often sighs of freshness than inferiority. If potatoes are coated with a dusty soil layer, do not wipe it off, as it helps keep skins dry and protected.

Potatoes are generally summer and early fall crops. Unless you have a root cellar with ideal storage conditions, do not stock up. Small thin-skinned potatoes are more delicate and perishable than is general understood and sprout and spoil rapidly when storage is poor. Keep in a cool, dark place, but not in the refrigerator, where they darken and develop a high sugar content.

Good Food on a Tight Budget

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/fruits.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/vegetables.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/grains.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/protein.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/dairy.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/fats.php

http://www.ewg.org/goodfood/spices.php

Tomas Tranströmer and Lena Endre

Tomas Tranströmer and Lena Endre held the full house in the Church of Leksand captive with strains of truths onto which we struggle to hold.
Sweden's greatest poet makes his return to Tällberg a musical event by performing 3 pieces for the left hand on piano. He was joined by Sweden's leading stage and screen actress, Lena Endre, who brought her own delicious Swedish to the phrasings. Lena read in Swedish at the concert in Leksand and in English during the opening session of the Forum. In this Tällberg Moment, Tomas plays the music of Frederico Mompou, III Para la mano izquierda, and Lena reads Part IV from Schubertiana, by Tomas Tranströmer.

SHOOT THE MOON - restaurant scene

George and Faith Dunlap fight and make up in this hilarious scene from Alan Parker's "Shoot the Moon." Starring Albert Finney and Diane Keaton. 1981.

Paella Valeciana from The Rice Book by Sri Owen

In July 1991 I had lunch at El Delfin, a restaurant facing the sea at Malva Rosa, just outside Valencia. You eat in a large, white room, with black furniture and a stone floor, a bar at the end near the kitchen door, a breeze just lifting the corners of the white tablecloths; when a particularly fine dish comes to table, other patrons are likely to walk across and comment on it appreciatively, praising the cook, Señora Cesar. It is, of course, a family business. I was allowed into the kitchen to watch the Senora prepare this dish in the traditional way, in a shallow iron pan - a paella - over a wood fire. The fire heats the bottom of the pan evenly, so that the bottom layer of rice is nice and crunchy but not actually burnt.
I give here the original ingredients that I saw Señora Cesar use, and I have also suggested some alternatives which I have tested and which produce practically the same result, though the people of Valencia, who are rightly proud of their cuisine, might not like you to call it a Paella Valenciana.
The Valencia way to eat this dish, among family or friends, is just to put the paella in the middle of the table and let each person eat their way from the edge into the centre. I'm told that 10 or 12 people, or more, can eat this way at a big round table, and after seeing some of the old paella that are still in use, I can well believe it.
The best rice to use is of course the short grain rice that has been grown around Valencia and Murcia since the time of the Moors, who built the irrigation canals that are still the basis of rice farming in the region today. In Calasparra, in the hills above Murcia, they grown rice which is stamped Denominación de Origen as if it were a fine wine, and a few farmers still grow a low-yield traditional variety called Bomba.
If you're not able to get Spanish rice, use the best short grain you can find: Japanese or Korean, or Italian Arborio. If you use dried butter beans, soak the overnight first.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking: 40 minutes
Serves 4-6

3 tbsp olive oil
2 chicken breast portions and 2 chicken thighs, cut into small chunks with the bones and skin
225 - 340g rabbit meat, cut into small chunks
1 small onion, finely sliced
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
1 tsp cayenne pepper
2 large tomatoes, skinned and chopped, or 2 tbsp tomato purée
112g fresh butter beans, or reconstituted dried butter beans, or fresh broad beans
170-225g flat green beans or runner beans, but into 5cm pieces
2 pinches saffron strands, crushed in a mortar, or ½ tsp turmeric
16-20 snails, cleaned (optional)
1.1 litres hot chicken stock or hot water
Salt and pepper to taste
450g short grain rice
Heat the oil in the pan, and when it is hot add the chicken and rabbit pieces and fry them, turning often, for 3 minutes. Add the onion, garlic, cayenne pepper and tomatoes or tomato puree. Stir all together for 1 minute. Add the beans and saffron, and stir again. Cover the pan for 2 minutes. Uncover, and add the snails (if used), and stir; then put in the hot chicken stock, water, salt and pepper. Cover the pan and let this simmer for 18-19 minutes. Up to this point, the dish can be prepared several hours in advance.
By now the liquid should be just enough to cook the rice. If you are doubtful about this, transfer the solids to another container; then measure the liquid - it should be just about 850ml. If necessary, add some more hot water. Bring the liquid back to the boil and put in all the solids and rice. Stir the whole thing well, adjust the seasoning and cover the pan. Lower the heat and leave it all to cook undisturbed for 15 minutes.
Turn off the heat and let the pan rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot from the pan, or transfer to a warm serving dish. Scape the thin crust from the bottom of the pan and scatter it over the top so that everyone gets a fair share.
• This extract is taken from The Rice Book by Sri Owen (Frances Lincoln, £9.99)

Provençal beef stew (daube Provençale from The Complete Robuchon Joël Robuchon

Serves 6
Preparation: 30 minutes (marinade) plus 30 minutes
Cooking: 4 hours
The marinade should be prepared at least 4 hours in advance, the day before if possible.
At one time, this traditional beef stew would have simmered for hours in the corner of a Provençal hearth or stove. This version uses cubed beef for braising; the cheek is the best part for this purpose.
In Provence they also make a daube from the Camargue bull, using the same proportions, and from lamb shoulder or neck chopped into 50g morsels. The recipe is very much the same, but with lamb one uses dry white wine instead of red, and lemon zest instead of orange, does not lard the meat, and does not use the pork rind or dried orange zest. Lamb daube spends less time in the oven: 3 hours should be enough.
Like most stews, this daube improves with time and is better reheated or even cold. If you plan to serve it cold, you might add a chopped up veal foot to the pan when you add the stew meat, which will encourage a jelly-like consistency.
20 stems flat leaf parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
7 cloves garlic, one peeled and degermed and finely chopped, the other 6 peeled
100g lardons
1.5kg beef stew meat (cheeks if possible, or shoulder or chuck), cut into 5 cm cubes
1 bottle robust red wine (cotes du rhone or syrah)
50ml cognac
3 whole cloves
9 tablespoons olive oil
1 bouquet garni (5 stems parsley, 2 sprigs fresh thyme, 1 bay leaf, 2 small celery branches, 2 pieces dried orange rind, and 1 sprig fresh sage, wrapped and tied in a green leek leaf)
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
250g fresh pork rind
800g new carrots, peeled and sliced into thin rounds (less than 0.5 cm thick)
1 heart of celery, washed and sliced into thin rounds (less than 0.5 cm) thick)
Grated nutmeg
500g small tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced (p.91)
200g small new onions, peeled
Zest of 1 organic orange, free of bitter white pith, chopped into 2 cm x 1 cm slivers
100g black olives, niçoise if possible
200ml beef broth, home made or from a bouillon cube
500g flour
Salt and pepper
The night before, mix the finely chopped parsley and finely chopped garlic. Roll the lardons in this mixture. Use the tip of a knife to make an incision in each cube of stew meat and slip lardons into these little pockets. Put the stuffed cubes into a terrine or large bowl with the wine, cognac, cloves, and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the bouquet garni, peppercorns, and the rest of the garlic. Mix, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours but preferably overnight, stirring 2 or 3 times.
The next day, put the pork rind in a saucepan with 1 litre of water. Bring to a boil and let the water bubble for 2 minutes. Use a skimmer or slotted spoon to remove the pork to a colander and rinse it under cold water. Let it drain in the colander, then line the bottom of your stew pot with the blanched pork rind. (The pot should be large enough to hold all the rest of the ingredients, too; a daubière or clay casserole would be ideal, but lacking those you could use a cast-iron casserole or other heavy pan).
Drain the beef cubes in a colander set over a bowl; do not discard the marinade. Carefully pat the cubes dry with paper towels. Heat the remaining tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over a high heat. When the oil is hot, add the stew meat and brown all over, about 5 minutes. Remove the meat to a dish with the skimmer.
In the same pan, sauté the carrots and celery over a medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and stir in 2 pinches of grated nutmeg.
Preheat the oven to 250F/120C/gas 1/2. Build the daube layer by layer in the pan lined with pork rind. First put down a layer of meat, then tomato, then carrots, celery, baby onions, orange zest, and olives. Pour the reserved marinade and beef broth over the whole thing; if the vegetables are not completely covered, top off with water. Taste the liquid and season if necessary, but be careful: the dish will cook for 4 hours, the salt will concentrate, and you will not be able to add water while the pan is sealed.
Prepare the sealing pastry (pâte à luter): combine the flour with 200 ml of water in a small bowl, mixing until it forms a dough. Roll it out with your hands into a long 'snake' of dough. Put the cover on the pan of daube and seal the lid to the pan by pressing the dough all around their seam and joining it at the ends.
Bake for 4 hours. Remove the pan from the oven, remove the sealing pastry in front of your guests, and then take the pan back to the kitchen to degrease the surface of the broth. Remove the bouquet garni and, if you can find them, the whole cloves. Serve very hot.
• These recipes are taken from The Complete Robuchon (Grub Street, £25)

Ragù (Bolognese sauce) From Marcella Hazan's The Classic Italian Cookbook

A properly made ragu clinging to the folds of home-made noodles is one of the most satisfying experiences accessible to the sense of taste. It is no doubt one of the great attractions of the enchanting city of Bologna, and the Bolognese claim one cannot make a true ragù anywhere else. This may be so, but with a little care we can come very close to it. There are three essential points you must remember in order to make a successful ragù. 1)The meat must be sautéed just barely long enough to lose its raw colour. It must not be brown or it will lose delicacy.
2) It must be cooked in milk before the tomatoes are added. This keeps the meat creamier and sweeter tasting.
3) It must cook at the merest simmer for a long, long time. The minimum is 3½ hours; 5 is better.
Serves 6
chopped onion 2 tbsp
olive oil 3 tbsp
butter 40g
chopped celery 2 tbsp
chopped carrot 2 tbsp
minced lean beef, preferably chuck or the meat from the neck 350g
salt
dry white wine 250ml
milk 8 tbsp
nutmeg ⅛ tsp
tinned Italian tomatoes 400g, roughly chopped, with their juice
An earthenware pot should be your first choice for making ragù. If you do not have one available, use a heavy, enamelled, cast-iron casserole, the deepest one you have (to keep the ragù from reducing too quickly). Put in the chopped onion, with all the oil and butter, and sauté briefly over a medium heat until just translucent. Add the celery and carrot and cook gently for 2 minutes.
Add the minced beef, crumbling it in the pot with a fork. Add salt to taste, stir, and cook only until the meat has lost its raw, red colour. Add the wine, turn the heat up to medium high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the wine has evaporated.
Turn the heat down to medium, add the milk and the nutmeg, and cook until the milk has evaporated. Stir frequently.
When the milk has evaporated, add the tomatoes and stir thoroughly. When the tomatoes have started to bubble, turn the heat down until the sauce cooks at the gentlest simmer, just an occasional bubble.
Cook, uncovered, for 3½ to 5 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and check salt. (If you cannot keep an eye on the sauce for such a long stretch, you can turn off the heat and resume cooking it later on. But do finish cooking it in one day.)
Ragù can be kept in the refrigerator for up to five days, or frozen. Reheat and simmer for about 15 minutes before using.
If you are using fresh tomatoes, peel and deseed them and cook in a little water for 10 to 15 minutes. Then pass through the finest blade of a mouli-légumes, or a sieve, and proceed with the recipe.

Stockholm, Sweden

Stockholm, Sweden, a set on Flickr.

Stockholm, Sweden part 2

Stockholm, Sweden part 2, a set on Flickr.