We Can Strive For Truth, Functionality and Beauty

Esoteric, ,

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It has been said that if something is neither functional, nor beautiful, we should not keep it in our homes.  We can extend this to say that if something is neither functional, nor beautiful, we should not keep it written down, or in our brain.   Similarly, somebody said that if something is true, that is good, and if something is beautiful, that is also good.   If it is  true and beautiful, then that is fantastic!

We can strive in these directions, because then it will help us as individuals, and help those around us.  Our healthy brains in our healthy bodies record everything, and leave records wherever we go.

Tomato Salad (Hungarian)

Kitchen, ,

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This is a very simple salad.  Serves four.  The vinegar and salt “pull” some of the liquid out of, especially, the tomatoes.  Keeps well for up to three days in the refrigerator.  Hungarians consider that we need to eat something sour with our main courses.   The fat free dressing is very healthy.    Vary amounts and proportions according to need and taste.

Ingredients:

  • 2 tomatoes, halved, and sliced thinly
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and sliced thinly
  • 1/4 red onion, or other onion according to your preference, sliced thinly
  • 3 tablepoons vinegar
  • salt  and pepper to taste

Assembly:

  • Place salad vegetables into a glass casserole
  • pour on vinegar
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste
  • Chill for a few minutes before serving

 

Steamed Plantain Shoots, A Trial to Harvest Another Vegetable from Our Garden

Kitchen,

Plantain shoots DSC00516Collected plantain shoots.

No difference was noticed after cooking.

Plantain shoots, cleaned DSC00519Cleaned up plantain shoots.

Put water into the steamer, and bring to a boil before slicing up the plantain shoots.  We have to slice with a good knife rather than with a food processor.  It is quick, and the fibers in the shoots cover over the food processor slicing blade.

Plantain shoots, sliced DSC00521

DSC00523  Add shoots to the steaming pot as soon as they are sliced, as we go along.  This keeps the slices from darkening, which they do very quickly.

DSC00528We ate these as a side with butter, salt and pepper.

We are saving the rest for a salad.

Raw, the plantain shoots seemed like a cross between celery and asparagus.  They must be cooked as soon as they are sliced, because unlike the actual plantains, these turn dark very quickly.  Cooked, they have a bland, very slightly bitter taste, similar to a very mild bitter green.  They are definitely edible, and are a by product of our very well producing plantains.  Within a few days of chopping them off they shoot up again, so they can probably be harvested from a single corm several times.