Unravelling Rapture & Blue Demons in Pursuit of Something

“One is not born into the world to do everything but to do something.”
― Henry David Thoreau

 

February 13^th, 2012

At last, I feel words form to my thought . . something dignified.  I believe in God, despite my renouncement of his lacking of late, my everyday curse as one of the living.  This is the second morning that I have risen before that of the Sun.  The sky is so beautiful transcending every shade of blue, maybe the blue of yesterdays poem alludes to the same.  Where the Earth meets “the floorboards” of heaven it is topaz adorned with silhouettes of swaying date palm fronds, then tiffany to majorelle, duke to navy and almost gray but really prussian melded with anubis and dotted by the stars of the Almighty . . . I search, a turn of the head, to capture and gaze at the iridescent moon as it encapsulates my new mood that stirs within.  Yes, I believe in God still . . . Buddhist by nature, by choice . . belief by blood or so it seems.

 This awakening of realization stems from an intercourse in recent fiction – I speak not of the bible or distant church bells that resound here on Marco Island but a book that I’m reading of witches, demons & man in his many incripulous faults and deeply wedded loves.  My reading is titled, Lasher by Anne Rice and whilst it is the primary subject of my thought, knowing each character and hanging on the suspenseful climax, one that I speculate and anticipate with the turn of each page; there is an abundance of Christian symbolism at this time.  I passed over the Grammy’s last night and in it’s place, settled on watching Angels & Demons.  You know the movie with Tom Hanks and the plight of the Vatican’s own meddling of affairs nearly causing the destruction of Rome.  It was this movie and the immediately following cinematic Sci-Fi Channel special that captivated this audience of one (plus dog, but he didn’t offer any input on the channel selection).  The secondary movie, I can’t seem to recall the name, heralded the return of Arnold Schwarzenegger (no longer a California governor and his fortunes divided by divorce – he has returned to Hollywood in true form of action/thriller) in yet another movie with Roman priesthood battling Satan’s return in attempt to breed his spawn with some once in a thousand year born child named Christine.  Of course, it was Arnold who portrayed some Rambo meets Saint Michael character but that is far from the topic of importance here.

All of this religious mumbo jumbo has stirred something more spiritual than a splash of vermouth over iced down Tanquerey gin (I openly admit to having three last night and oh, were the artisan blue cheese stuffed olives delish!).  Whitney Houston’s death, the daughter of one Emily “Cissy” Houston, renowned as one of America’s great gospel singers; the abandonment of Prop 8 and the ongoing battle of belittling the authenticity and legality of legal gay marriage; the conflicted republican GOP racey religious overtones sporting a “Royal Rumble” between Mit “the Mormon” Tyrant,  Newt “the Grinch” Gingrich & Ricky “the Papal Slave” Santorum (again, I leave Ron Paul alone); and my own acceptance of faith and fate spooned over an attitude that hasn’t quite settled on the next move . . . fearing the right as much the wrong.  Am I a Fallen Angel?  

In many ways, I identify with the actors and characters of my recent entertainment escapade – that is to say, “the good guys” with their many flaws flanking their intentions as members of the righteous wing.  And I’m not ashamed to say that I too can find my own corrupted soul entwined with the likes of less angelic heirs . . . perhaps it is the blend of the two that allows one the fortitude to strike out against the hand of evil; the saintly all too reserved, too faithful, too passive as the innocence of a nested dove amidst a torrential storm.  No, no . . I am not passive that is for certain, but I have definitely taken my time these passing months, I’ve taken no real assertive steps in any direction for the very fear of making the wrong choice. 

Is any choice the wrong one?  Or is it simply another path of lessons that unfold in perfect triangular fashion as a Star Spangled Banner Flag is passed to the widow of a soldier no more?  Death comes to us all, it is merely the mode and hour that has to be determined – I have no fear of that darkening moment.   I fear having failed to live life to my fullest potential; I fear my own neglect, whether coherent of unconscious, of my pre-ordained destiny to “change the world” . . that is to be an open-ended concept that continually evolves or shall I say revolves; I fear what most do not . . . I know myself, I know the coming of change has accountability and responsibility that few have but elected to embrace . . . I know, I know . . . I know nothing right at this moment, but that God would have me be something more than that of late.

I am a warrior, often meek in merit, but none the less . . I am fighting everyday with the devil within and by circumstance, or fate . . the demon of Eden.  A chef by trait, by passion, by celestial gift – I am hardly content to settle for such selfish preoccupations of simply garnering a wage.  Money is not the root of all evil, it is what we do with it that harbors such ill elections.  My choices however are limited by the unfortunate absence of funds and therefore the struggle couples and leads me further astray, perhaps to turn my sight in oblivious pursuit to be loved by another . . that escape is ever so appealing.  But at last, I recognize the angel sent to me this past November – a mere memory of what can be, could be, will be . . .  and yet that I need find myself before the latter love can ever fully be honored.  Again, I wonder how much of this makes sense?  I know that I believe in God again and tomorrow my Valentine might just be that of the cross embroidered into my plight of possibilities rendering on the stove. 

With Culinary Blessings & Love,

                  Chef Scotty  

A Valentines Menu

Seared Sea Scallop with Saffron Beurre Blanc & Sun-dried Tomato n’Artichoke Risotto Cake

Wild Rocket Salad with Parsnip & Ciopolleni Confit, Corn Shoot, Baconized-Black Raspberry Vinaigrette, Shaved Ossau Iraty & Pink Peppercorn-Pistachio Praline

Sorbet of Scarlet Champagne

Caramelized Shallot encrusted Lambchop wth Sangiovese-Cocoa Demi-God Sauce, Fingerling Potato-Fennel Gratin, Nasturtium Confetti

Coconut-Cardamom Panna Cotta bathing in Rosewater Seduction Sauce

Diamonds & Pearls, What RU?, Skrimp's-n-Pebbles Recipe

“I say, beware of all enterprises that require new clothes, and not rather a new wearer of clothes.”
― Henry David Thoreau

December 14th, 2011

We begin at 4:14am for no particular reason (well, there was that 2 hour mid-day nap?) and to further complicate my cobwebs, I have Prince’s 1991 smash-hit “Diamonds and Pearls” running through my head like a bad case of “Jingle Bells.” Swimming downstream with this morning madness, I pause in contemplation of these two prized “jemstones.” (I should neglect to tell you that it is now 7:34pm, I’m eating black peppered potato chips, raw ginger-molasses cookie dough, drinking obscene amounts of coffee and yes . . . plowing through one Winston cancer stick after another . . . clearly the American Spirits were wrecking havoc on my Pulmonary vessels)

The most popular gemstone of them all, a diamond (from the ancient Greek αδάμας – adámas "unbreakable") has remarkable optical characteristics attributed to it’s face-centered cubic crystal structure and is renowned as a material with superlative physical qualities (Orange County House Wives cubic zirconia & silicon carbide diamond stimulants not included). In particular, the diamond has the highest hardness and thermal conductivity of any bulk material as well as the relatively high ability to disperse light in different colors.

Wielded from the Earth’s mantel and carried to the crust by deep Volcanic eruptions only to be sliced up by the hand of meticulous craftsmanship . . . we homo sapiens will stop at no expense to procure these little Mary Kay candies! On the opposite, aquatic spectrum of things . . we have our naturalistic, innocent mother of purity – the pearl!

A rare object of true beauty, the pearl is a hard, rounded form of crystalline calcium carbonate produced within the soft tissue of a living shelled mollusk. The most valuable iridescent pearls occur spontaneously in the wild, but they are extremely rare! Cultured or farmed pearls from pearl oysters and freshwater mussels make up the majority of those that are currently sold (for the most part, eco-friendly except for the lost bottom-dwelling creatures of “Ariel & the clam-bam-gang”)

Those earrings right there! Yeah right there, them’s be an imitation, fake, artificial, falsified, knock-off pearls . . . isn’t it obvious? I mean, for reals? Fang’s for mascara, 5” eggplant purple pump’s . . She’s glittered up like a New York hussy, sporting no more than $35 worth of Marshall’s hand-me-downs!

Taking all of this into context: What are you? A diamond or a pearl? Are you auspiciously adorning an ornate, platinum “promise to be there through sickness & health” 24-carat blood diamond? Or is your hair all twisted & torked into a Princess Leah bun prominently exposing two Amrita Singh designed Indonesian “walk on the moon” earrings?

Are you indestructible as the diamond, an eternal prism in the darkest shadows, an unpolished April baby boy enamored with the concept of living in love? Or are you fashioned from the very depths of Poseidon’s inhibitions, a treasure of natural beauty, solid yet flawlessly rounded out to roll with life’s Mohammad Ali moments? (I don’t know what’s with all the character references . . . too much caffeine, entirely too much!)

Consider your surrounding relationship(s)? Two diamonds likely to be jealous of each others radiance and while impervious to any opposition’s attempt to claw at their abrasive pride – they can actually scratch the shit out of each other!

Or how’s about tossing a quarter into the slot, the Flash Gordon pinball game testing your dexterity, your impulsive reflexes to life’s obstacles, blinking lights, pulsating sounds of ding-ding-ding . . ding-ding. One pearl presenting a challenge, but manageable for all said purposes. Now, drop another one in the mix and let’s see how you play, how you respond, how you react?

Review your relationships past , present . . . and future. Under careful evaluation, you are surely to spot the impersonators from the authentic gemstones. Cherish those true to you, hold them dear to your heart, remember them not as yesterday, but as a part of your today. I know where my peeps stand, I know what inherent properties are of earnest value to me . . . I know what I am!

with Culinary Blessings, A emerald in the rough


Recipe for: Skrimps-n-Pebbles
These pearls may not be from the sea—couscous is actually a type of pasta—but their firm texture makes them a natural partner for sautéed shrimp. Recommended wine pairing of a crisp pinot grigio – and yes it is my recommendation that you sip plentifully while you cook your honey this meal!

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup pearl (Israeli) couscous
• 1/2 cup sugar snap peas, strings removed, then halved
• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
• 5 ounces peeled and deveined shrimp
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• 1 pinch of sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped tarragon

Preparation
Cook couscous in well-salted boiling water, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in sugar snaps 3 minutes before couscous is done. Drain and transfer to a bowl, then stir in 1/2 tablespoon butter and salt and pepper to taste.
While couscous and sugar snaps cook, toss shrimp with 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Heat remaining tablespoon butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until foam subsides. Sauté shrimp, turning once, until just cooked through, about 3 minutes total. Transfer shrimp with a slotted spoon to a plate.
Add wine, tomato, and sugar to skillet and boil until tomato starts to fall apart, about 4 minutes. Return shrimp to skillet and stir in tarragon.
Season with salt and pepper. Serve shrimp and pan sauce on top of pearl couscous.