"This principle may be stated in various ways but they all amount to this: that it is wrong for a man to say that he is certain of the objective truth of any proposition unless he can produce evidence which logically justifies that certainty."


--On Agnosticism, by Thomas Henry Huxley

Remarkable Read

“Ask anyone in Israel to name a wholly Israeli dish and the answer will be turkey schnitzel.” (Claudia Roden) 
I was catching up on GOOP, when I came across a Kosher menu which included a recipe for Turkey Schnitzel.  The note that the flour had been removed from the Turkey Schnitzel recipe so that it could be Kosher for Passover set me to find out why. 
About.com came up with my first answer via Ask the Rabbi, Rabbi Shraga Simmons in Jerusalem.  He explains the laws of the Torah forbid certain grains be eaten or possessed during passover.  There are a couple of flours that can technically be eaten, but to be safe, most Kosher cooks avoid flours of any kind, to eliminate the possibility of eating the forbidden grains inadvertantly.  I had to keep looking to find out why Matzo flour was allowed, when it is pretty clearly flour.  Wikipedia shed some light on that question.  The Jewish law that prohibits eating grains has a clause, the flour can not have touched water for more than 18 minutes, the time at which the resulting bread would be considered levened.  So, Matzo is made from flour and water, but it is mixed up and cooked well before the allowed 18 minutes.  This bread can then be ground up, made into flour, and used to coat the thinly sliced turkey breast to make Turkey Schnitzel.  Of course, I've simplified the issue; debates continue about the use of Matzos made with liquids other than water, and other subtleties which are thoroughly examined on many websites. 

Today's Quote

"What matters is that you do good work."

--Dave Eggers

Flats

Today I remembered why I named this blog Running in Flats.  I had started to wear heals to work.  I was basically used to some foot fatigue, but Ihad to walk as fast as possible and get a lot of stuff done, all day long.  From about 5:45am to whenever, I basically jog.  My thighs ache, my calves ache, the bottoms of my feet and toes are sore, my shins burn.  So, I am going to allow myself an extravagant purchase.  The time has come for Nike Shox, for the end of the quarter rush to get everything done.  These shoes spring me into the day.  I got all black, so they're discreet.  Good shoes can make the difference between a bad day and a good day; although sometime you have those crazy-haired days no matter what shoes you wear. 

Sunchokes

On a whim, I bought sunchokes; something I have never tried before.  I have been hearing good things about them lately, nutritionally speaking.  Turns out they are ugly and small.  I haven't determined yet if they need to be peeled, but I hope not, they are small and oddly shaped; they look really hard to peel.  In cooking, I have found success by following recipes as closely as possible the first time I prepare them.  But, I have been getting better at intuitive cooking.  So, today I am wimging it with sunchokes.  The name and appearance of these roots should turn anyone away.  But I'm trying to be more adventurous.  I am going to prepare a recipe like the one listed on this link, herb sunchoke au gratin.  I have all of the ingredients, except that I am going to use rutabaga instead of potatoes.  Any my thyme keeps dying, or getting eaten by bugs, so I only have oregano and rosemary, maybe cilantro.  We'll see how it turns out.

**UPDATE:  They do not need to be peeled, but they should be cooked thoroughly.  This version turned out hard and dry. It was not good and most of it got tossed out...next time I will parboil them before I do anything.

Greens and Rice

I became a vegetarian at the New Year.  I try not to call it a New Year's Resolution, because those are rarely kept, and hardly maintained.  But, I try to eat better: less meat, more vegetables, I joined a CSA to get some inspiration.  I wouldn't say the CSA is cheaper, and I probably won't do it for long, but it is more adventurous, it forces me to eat more greens than ever, and it reminds me that my ancestors ate these weeds, so they must be good for me.  I get things like mustard weed, or was it mustard greens...whatever, its leafy, and it looks like it would grow in a crack of the sidewalk.  But, I also get purple carrots, dwarf blue kale, kohlrabi, avocados and citrus.  The avocados alone are almost worth the weekly fee.  So, tonight I mixed up greens and rice, short grain brown rice simmered slowly with sauteed onions, swiss chard, spinach and kale.  I threw in a couple cloves of garlic, fresh oregano, salt and pepper, and a little soy sauce.  Serve with grated parmesian.  Quick, vegetarian, hearty, and full of healthy vegetables.  Load it up with brocolli, asparagus, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, sausage and/or shrimp. Its easy to make lots and it reheats well the next night. 

Revenue Goals

As we approach the end of the quarter, I find myself constantly refernecing "the revenue goals".  An entity at work who guilts me into taking a later train, just so I can get in one more experiment.  "Guilts" isn't really the right word, its more like goads, goads me into wanting to finish my project.  I want to succeed, I want my boss to be proud and I want to be able to say "I did it, like I said I would."  Because what more is meeting a deadline, than keeping my word.  I said I would have my project finished, so I have to do everything possible to have my project finished, right?  For now I chose to stay, to work as hard as I can right up to the deadline.  Revenue goals.