B's brioche

B's been making all kinds of breads lately. from Guinness molasses loaf, to baguette, to orange cranberry scones and finally her amazing brioche. mmmmmmm.

breakfast 'o champions

got up this morning and went for a slow run. overnight runoff caused miniature frozen rivulets on the sidewalks and streets. most were easy to avoid but on the hill descending from my neighborhood there we so many frozen patches that it was like running around land mines. I ran slow, focusing on my foot falls and form. it was a good run.

then I took a shower and made breakfast while Moe sat in his rubber chair and bopped to the reggae blasting from the morning speakers. on the menu: course corn grits with cheddar and a little bacon, fried eggs, bacon, and toast with some good locally roasted French roast coffee.

give thanks

florida in december

sunny and green. the big oaks bearded with gray spanish moss. on my run yesterday a four-foot-long otter crossed the road in front of me on his way to greener pastures and less slime covered lakes. cows. stray cur dogs in the yard. cans of assorted American beers fillin bags and crate. full belly bloated from too much of everything. uncle R. Grannie. pops and mom. Jack the furry dog lickin Moe's foot bottoms with love. brother and I winnin at bolas criollas. me talkin shit to my Dad as he smokes me on the court 12 to 3. beers with brother and sister. dominoes smakin the fold out card table and me gettin yelled at about "wakin the baby!" Matina making us all laugh to tears with pure charisma. fresh OJ from the trees in the yard. family. big oaks. spanish moss. no surf in the middle of the orange groves and forgotten phosphate mines.

diy IPA & heirlooms

my sweetest B got me a beer kit for my birthday. here is the first batch. it's an IPA and all the measurements before and after were good. tasted right too. two to three weeks in the bottle for the final sugars to give it some fizz and its testing time.

second fermentation at a steady 67F.


clean


final racking


puttin a cap on 'em


and today we picked our tomatoes. a cold north wind has been blowing for several days and the nightly temperatures are getting really low. we'll put this batch in the basement to see if they rippen. a big thanks to the man with my same name and birthdate for sprouting these beautiful heirlooms tomatoes. thanks Blacks for kickin down a few starts. sorry the summer was so foggy out your way eh.

Open Letter to America: on sloth and gluttony

Dear fellow Americans,

I am writing in the hopes that my words will perhaps trigger a slight sense of self preservation within your psyche as well as release within you the once famous American pragmatism that created the nation. You must be aware that there are two major issues plaguing our long term well being; two issues that are really quite embarrassing when you think about it and yet not so inordinate in many a literary tale about human failure. I am talking about gluttony and sloth.

First of all I'll address the current state of the educational system. We are failing our youth with the current educational system, and for those who finish high school and choose to pursue a higher education the price to pay is more often than not grotesque. Now I am not a specialist in education nor do I have an answer as to how to fix the problem (I'm sure there are plenty of people who could do that). However, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that an undereducated population will not be economically successful. And at this time in our great country people are our greatest assets. So if you think a little ahead you may note that there may be a looming disaster in the making.

The other issue which is obvious to any foreigner landing on our great shores for the first time is the state of our health. Our gluttony and sloth has created a ticking time bomb of ill health. Some studies state that over 64% of the population is over weight or obese. Don’t get me wrong here; I am not talking about matters of self image or narcissism. I am referring to the basic need for a living organism to maintain a balanced health system in order to function properly and avoid disease. This is not some esoteric idea. What we consume defines our makeup, just as we are defined by how we spend our time. If we spend our time sitting then our bodies are not able to run. Simple. If we consume unhealthy foods and too much of them then our bodies will be unhealthy and big.

This is really not a matter of ethics or religion or even politics. It is a matter of economics and self preservation. Imagine if you will 20 years from now –70% of the population suffering from preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease because they wouldn’t eat healthy. Imagine an entire nation of under educated people, to unhealthy to be productive in the labor force and too illiterate to be productive in technology and finance. What would such a nation look like? How will the books balance? Who will take care of you?

I merely pose the problem. It is up to all to individually and collectively tackle the issues. Sure government can create policies, etc. But ultimately each individual has the major stake in their own well being. What will you do?

Sincerely

Ricardo

que comida!

simmering rice with saffron, shrimp, and chicken stock with white wine


finished and cooling with digby scallops, squid and shrimp. under the seafood is chicken, fresh spicy chorizo, olive, capers and other secret goodness. this was a dinner request for Blacks birthday. we had a few beer as well.


my little B is making her favourite wrapped food. chicken tamales. we had to scramble all over town to find the husks.




food weekend

chinese new year dinner for E

shakas, aloha and the responsibility of the I(ndividual)

the shaka sign is often used to symbolize the spirit of Aloha. "Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, love, peace, compassion and mercy."

as for the new American president I think it can be said that he brings a lot of hope and intelligence to government. but let us not forget those famous words from JFK "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country." and what is it that WE can do?

-reconsider our personal relationship to wealth and things. for it is our hunger for consumption which is in no small part responsible for inequity around the world as we gather others resources either with small dollars or by force when necessary.

-reconsider our personal relationships to "happiness" and health. for hapiness is not found in fast and "convenient" foods and hundreds of TV channels but rather in the feelings of self reliance and strong body which in turn feeds our mental health.

-and our personal relationship to social responsibility at home and abroad. let us not stand aside and watch as the genocide continues in Darfur. let us demand the end to the unjust occupation and war on Iraq. let us not let our own people suffer from poor health by allowing corporations to feed them rubbish while maintaining medical care out the financial reach of most. let us make our own things again and re-establish our traditions of craftsmanship and ingenuity. let us think for ourselves and use our voices.

to meat or not

lately I've been questioning my personal meat consumption for environmental and ethical reasons -which I won't go into here. some things are best dealt with on an individual level. it's funny though because it seems that the world conspires so that we see coincidences everywhere (I realize some may call these coincidences smart marketing). regardless, Banksy's latest art project poses the meat consumption question in a new and darkly humored way in the form of a pet store in New York City. Check out the clip.


you can read more about it at Wooster Collective

DIY: Jerk Pork

Friend asked me in a an email how to make jerk pork so I thought I'd share what I know. The real thing is cooked over green Pimento (or Allspice) branches. We can't get those round here.

You need:

allspice aka pimento in Jamdown (must have)
ginger (fresh)
bunch green onions (must have)
garlic (must have)
hot peppers (you can get habaneros or thai chillis -if it ain't hot it ain't jerk)
black pepper
salt
olive oil
lime juice
thyme (must have)

combine all -finally chopped or in a blender -stab the meat or make deep cuts with a knife - rub on the meat with your bare hands to make sure it gets everywhere - wash your hands well afterwards and especially before touching your face or taking a piss (trust me on this one, you don't wanna know) and let stand for at least over night.

BBQ slow and low -try not to let it char. Burnt meat is carcinogenic; don’t wanna add that to the sneaky tobacco and beers.

Tenderloin can be dry sometimes so you may consider not adding salt at all to the mix and putting on coarsely ground sea salt when it's almost done. Otherwise you could get some nice chops - fatty chops make for better jerk -or ribs too and chicken of course (dark meat).

If it's really hot then you know it's good. Get some Red Stripes from the LC to cool the heat.

Nova Scotia Dinner

Lobsta photos by Baldiri

updates

The last few weeks have been nutty. My cousin Baldiri is staying with us while he takes some intensive English classes in preparation for his PhD. The last time we saw each other was fourteen years ago. We’ve been having a blast and he’s even had a chance to paddle out a couple of times and experience the beauty of Canadian surf, although his feet have frozen both times.

My parents are also in town. B and I live in the city centre and it’s usually quite nice. However, this weekend there was the Tall Ships Festival and the Atlantic Jazz Festival begun on Friday. It’s crazy in downtown Halifax. But with all the family in town we’ve been making some amazing food. Photos to come soon.

On top of everything, B and I bought a house last week! Woo hoo. Now I can have somewhere to store my surfboards and bikes that’s not the living room. Oh, and I can park my car at home instead of walking six blocks in 10 degrees below freezing in a wet wetsuit up icy hills.

Surfing has taken a bit of a back seat lately as the waves are inconsistent and any little bump draws hordes of fair-weather surfers and herds of beginners complete with flying soft tops and crowding on the inside. However, I’ve been lucky since my arrival to get in with some cats that have forecasting dialed and know the spots to go to. Mostly I surf with the good doctor and he is always up for first light sessions. By the time the crowds show up we’ve usually already surfed two hours or more.

On Saturday morning we saw a remarkable red sunrise at the Dog House. The waves we’re less than perfect but I pulled off my first frontside fins free over the lip since I lived in Hawaii. The Doctor pointed out to me a few weeks ago that I seemed to have a narrow skateboard stance. So I tried to surf with a wider stance and it made a huge difference. I had an easier time at generating speed and the wider stance lowered my centre of gravity - giving me more control. I feel like I am progressing really fast right now and it’s a good feeling.

I will be starting a house blog soon to document the biggest purchase of my life. I’ll post the link soon for those of you who are interested.

All photos by Baldiri taken over the last 72 hrs.

Salad Rolls

Thanks to the good Dr. for the education on this great and healthy dish. And to Baldiri for the creative photos. Yes, we do always eat like this.