Food

The artwork has been done by the author  of the article

Name some of your favourite dishes in the world and you’ll find a warm, spicy sweet and familiar fragrance and flavour that brings a smile to your face and many health benefits to your body. 

Hello Cinnamon!

One of the highest in antioxidants and the queen of my spice world, Cinnamon is the inner bark of an evergreen tree that grows mainly in the Malabar coast of India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh,Myanmar and Indonesia.

Thin strips of this bark are tightly hand-rolled like cigars and sun dried into beautiful long quills. They are sweet and mild in flavour. After watching this time consuming process in Sri Lanka I could never again bring myself to just break a cinnamon quill without appreciating the loving work these harvesters put into each perfectly hand-rolled quill.

 

An image clicked by the author 

As my friend rightly said. When you actually make or watch a product being made, there is a lot more appreciation and less criticism for what is and it’s price rather than when you just buy it off the shelf.

So what about that thick bark you’ve been picking up from the supermarket?

Used mostly in savoury dishes Cassia comes from the Cassia tree. This cheaper stronger variety is the more popular find all over the world. Nothing wrong with it, but it always better to investigate into where your ingredients come from and buying good quality and local if available, is always the best move. Like most ingredients in our world, cinnamon has its place  and is to be consumed in moderation. Health fads begone! 

Savoury or sweet?

Think breakfast and you’ve can add it to cereal, yogurts, toasts, pancakes,etc.

Lunch /dinner and you’ve got curry’s, stews, roasted vegetables, roasts, soups, rice dishes, biryanis, couscous, etc.

Desserts! It’s more like -Where do I stop? …..

Deliciously warm cinnamon rolls, sweet breads, poached fruit, cakes, baklava, meghli, cookies, etc.

Add it to drinks like mulled wine and cider, tea and coffee, smoothies or that warm glass of milk just before bed. The Ancients Mayans and Mexicans today use it wisely in their chocolate drinks, chocolate mixes and Mole.*

In spice blends (Chinese 5 spice, Garam masala, Sri Lankan  curry powder, Ras el Hanout) or preserves, marmalade’s, pickles, jams and fruit jelly.

So store it wisely in a tightly closed jar away from the sun, buy only what you need and powder it freshly when required. And if you ever get tired of consuming it in food (which I doubt is very likely to happen) burn some cinnamon oil in your home or find out how it’s used to deter pests in the garden or gift it in a simply decorated jar to a loved one.

* Mole is a traditional marinade and sauce originally used in Mexican cuisine.

Cinnamon Puffs
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Art/ Heritage

LUCA SIGNORELLI: The Elect being called to Paradise and the Damned being plunged into hell, 1499 – 1502, Fresco, Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto

 The zebra-lined interiors of the mighty Cathedral of Orvieto stirs a strange sense of peace. Peace amidst the storm-of-art it holds in its Chapel dedicated to San Brizio. As we step beyond the metallic gate, we are embraced by the great theatrum mundi. It is here that history, mystery, faith and reality collide. It is a thrilling play of the unimaginable universe. The author of this sensational script is the amazing Signorelli. His tool was his burning brush and his source of inspiration was the scriptures and the spirit of the Renaissance.

The last painting in this series is titled ‘The Elect being called to Paradise’ and ‘The Damned being plunged into hell.’  The fresco covers the south wall pierced by three lancet windows. Within the embrasures of the windows are painted the angels and the saints namely St Brizio, St Constantius, Archangel Michael crushing a demon and Archangel Raphael guiding Tobias. The central window divides the scenes into two principal parts.

The former to our left is a continuation of the previous painting. Angelic beings are seen guiding the faithful towards heaven. The golden skies glow with glory while a choir of angels rejoice with song and dance. The medieval musical instruments they play are both string and wind based.

As we move to the second fresco, the rapturous melodies are stifled by the shrilling shrieks. Two archangels, sadly and silently, bear witness to divine tragedy. The setting is striking. The scene is derived from Dante’s ‘Inferno’ taken from his ‘Divine Comedy’.

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Food

White peas (chana) in Dhansak masala

While cooking pulses learn to variate the masalas you use. Be bold and go beyond your four or five spice mixes that you have. You can mix and match. There are however some masalas  that are designed to compliment the pulse; an example being kabuki chana, which has a nutty flavour when cooked and is perfectly complimented by a  robust masala . However the same masala can be used when cooking meat and veggies together as the flavours compliment each other. Today I used a Parsi dhansak masala, anoter robust masala which compliments pulses, vegetables, grain and meat. 

If you live in Mumbai and can get your hands on this brand then I strongly recommend you do as the combination of masala in this brand are down to science. I purchase my dhansak masala from Gangar stores, Dadar T. T. The masala is packed by A.A. brothers and the telephone number is 24166299, 24128561. A hundred grams packet costs you Rs 60 but this is worth the money. This brand was recommended to  me by a Parsi in Dubia( of all places).Today, I used this masala to cook the white peas to give this dish a distinct dhansak flavour.

Ingredients
White peas – 150 grams
Onions – 2 large
Tomatoes – 4 medium size
Cinnamon – small stick
Cardamom- 2
Cloves – 2
Mustard seeds – 1 teaspoon
Dhansak masala – two tablespoons
Fresh coriander- one handful

A few tips and the method of cooking

Soak the peas overnight. Drain water and add fresh water enough to cover the peas. Place this in a pressure cooker, add salt and cook for seven whistles. Reserve any pea stock. if you wish to alter the colour of this dish to a darker colour then add a tea bag while pressure cooking the peas. Use the same stock to get a deep brown colour. You can use the same hack when making your kabuli chana dish. Do not worry, the tea flavour does not change the taste of the dish.

In a pot, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. When they crackle add the cinnamon, cloves and cardamom. They will puff up with the heat of the oil  while releasing their own flavourful oils. Now add the thinly sliced onions. Fry this till the onions are golden brown. Add the tomatoes and half a cup of the pea stock. Cook this till the tomatoes have broken down. Now add two tablespoons of the dhansak masala and quarter cup water and cook this on slow fire for five minutes. Add the peas and stock as required and continue to cook this on slow heat for twenty minutes. If you are running out of stock add water. After twenty minutes add a handful of fresh chopped coriander. If you find you have too much stock in your pot then squish the peas with the back of  cooking spoon. This will help thicken the gravy. Allow this dish to rest for at least two hours before reheating and serving.

 

for more food recipes click on this link http://www.pottypadre.com/category/food/

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Opinion

Do you have 48 hours to your day?

I have often been asked this question, how do you manage to do so much in a day? The answer is twofold; because of the person I am and because of the work ethics I have been brought up with. As a person I am a man on the move. A desk job in any form would kill me. But what also compliments this energy is the work ethics I was brought up with; work hard. While we were not poor as church mice we clearly were taught to do our own chores and contribute to the house work. As a school boy, I woke each day at five thirty am to go and stand in the milk line and then there was the government sponsored ration lines. We grew up queuing up for everything and doing everything manually.

Our maxim in those ‘good old days’ was, “work hard”. Today you need to work hard and smart and though I am still the old fashioned pen and notebook man, I make sure that I learn enough from the modern world to compete with the big boys.  Here are a few tips for working smart and hard.

  1. Make a list of the chores you have to do: Making a list is the smartest thing you can do and for heaven’s sake do it the good old fashioned pen and paper way. I have a book! The list should have a date at the top. Anything not done on one day gets moved to the top of the next day’s list. I colour code my list with highlighters; the most important ones are orange and the least important ones are yellow.

  2. Prioritize your list. While you may have colour coded your list into important and least important you also need to prioritize this list into urgent and ‘can do later’. While washing your car may be important because it looks like a mess it may not be urgent considering that you are locked down during the pandemic and can’t take your car out.

  3. Tackle achievables: Having made a list and prioritized the items, look for what in this list is achievable for you. You may hate cleaning and yet your closet needs to be arranged. The tornado you wrecked searching for your shirt or blouse now stares you in the face. Most people are overwhelmed with tasks that are difficult or complicated. Begin with achievables! Perhaps today you can do a shelf and that is a great start. Don’t overwhelm yourself to the point where you take on more than you can chew. If one shelf is achievable for you today then that’s what you should take on.

  4. Mix fun work with serious work: I love cooking; it however is also one of my chores for the day. On the other hand I don’t really like study time and yet I have to constantly upgrade my skill sets  which honestly I love to put off. To do this I intersperse cooking with study. This way I do one fun task and one challenging task.

  5. Re-visit your list: Mid-day is a great time to revisit your list. Perhaps you stuck to your scheduled list but an emergency did come up. Your day has now gone into a tail spin. Take some time off during the day and revisit your schedule to see how you could reprioritize your list. Remember our days are fluid and anything can come up.

  6. Give yourself a treat each time you achieve a major target. The operational word here is ‘major’. If your annual financial goal has been met because you worked smart and hard then you can go on your planned vacation as a treat. However your day could be peppered with many minor tasks that you achieved. Treat you self proportionately to the task achieved. I have a cup of black coffee.

  7. There is nothing like a victory score card: Twice a day, at noon at before bed time, scratch off all the things you have done. There is great joy in drawing a line across a task achieved. Rate yourself; if you have achieved even six out of ten major tasks you are an achiever.

  8. Social media is the biggest time waster in your day: My IPhone tells me how many hours I spent on social media and while it is true that much of our work is transacted via our phones it is also true that the same gadget is a honey trap of wasted hours.  Limit your social media viewing to restricted times. I set a time twice a day to deal with whatsap messages and other social media platforms. Don’t convince yourself that you are so important that every buzz on your phone warrants your urgent attention. Within this time I also set an alarm that reminds me to stop and move on with my tasks. Also, every time your phone rings it does not mean you have to answer. If engaged with a task that must be completed I politely ask my caller to call me an hour later or I return their call when I am done. Don’t let your day be hijacked with social media or unnecessary phone calls.

  9. Learn to delegate: Your list may have several items that don’t require you to do it. The problem with perfectionist is that they want everything set at right angles and hence end up doing everything leaving them with a sense of being overwhelmed. Delegation helps you focus on tackling those concerns which only your skill sets can get the job done.

  10. Take some me time off: ‘Me time’ does not mean you’re selfish; it’s a time to recharge your battery and sharpen your axe. If your axe is blunt because you are tired and worn out then no matter how hard you work your achievables won’t show. Your productivity decreases and you’re working hard but not smart. ‘Me time’ can be a mix of prayer, exercise, meditation, recreation.

To sum it up, stop living a 48 hour day, enjoy the 24 hour schedule God created.

Fr Warner D’Souza

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Art/ Heritage

LUCA SIGNORELLI: The Crowning of the Elect, 1499 – 1502, Fresco, Chapel of San Brizio, Duomo, Orvieto

 ‘For now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for His appearing.’ – 2 Timothy 4:8

The next painting in this series is titled ‘The Crowning of the Elect’. To the terrified observer of the Chapel of San Brizio, this fresco instantly ushers in a sigh of relief. No longer does fire flood down from heaven nor meteors pelt the earth. The deadly demons have departed with the damned and the horrors of the ‘final hour’ have now fallen still.

We are welcomed to a scene of celestial bliss. Unlike the previous frescos, the star studded golden glow flows-forth from the heavens to touch the horizons of the earth. The nine choirs of angels surround this glorious arch. They are seen seated over billows of little clouds making a joyful noise unto the Lord. They sing out in chorus: ‘This is the day of celebration. This is the day to rejoice. The Lord our God is our deliverer. Let’s praise His Name.’

Notice the marvellous medieval instruments they orchestrate. This includes – the organistrum (?), timbrels, lutes, the Latin guitar, the Guitarra Morisca (?), the medieval vielle and the violins. Dressed in flowing robes and noble wings, they sing praises to our Lord and King. At the centre we encounter two angels spraying white petals over the elect.

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