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.