
Pamela Osborne
I once had a friend, now cooking in heaven, who served exactly the same meal every time I went to his house. He was pretty offended if anyone remarked or complained about it, which I gathered had happened. He had all the steps down pat though, could put it together in his sleep, and had no plans to make any changes. His wife had no plans to take over, either, dish duty was her niche. I was fine with all this, since I never had that meal anywhere else, but I have to ask: Weren’t they bored?
I’ve been thinking about this as spring and various holidays approach. One thing I’m pretty sure of is that when it comes to what they expect to see on the festive table, most people sitting around it don’t exactly have open minds. How else to explain the cries of shock and horror that mark the absence of, at Thanksgiving for example, a casserole of canned sweet potatoes sloshed with orange juice and topped with a blanket of melted marshmallows? Which, okay, has earned its place and its admirers, people like it and I’m not here to say never.
I have a vintage “Joy of Cooking” that has little poems and quotes at the start of every chapter. “A definition of eternity: Two People and a Ham”, says one. Ham, lamb, turkey (again?), and so it goes. People expect them to be on their holiday table no matter what because they always have been, and they probably always will be. Eyes may glaze over, eyes may roll, nothing will change: we know what we want and we’re sticking to it. What’s on the side, I would suggest, is your only chance to ring in anything different. With that in mind I offer the following, which I first had in a Persian restaurant, Mohsen, when I was visiting a friend in London a few years ago. Mohsen is a very modest restaurant, sort of a luncheonette, but it’s full of Persians and the food is terrific. The name of this dish means “sweet rice,” but it isn’t particularly sweet. It is offered at weddings and other special celebrations, and is Really Good. It will go well with the ham or lamb or whatever other main dish is on your table. You’ll like it, I promise, and, best of all, you can do most of the work ahead of time.
Shirin Polo
Oranges Buy several, let’s say half a dozen. Organic only, you’re going to eat the peel.
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. water
1/3 c. slivered blanched almonds
1/3 c. slivered unsalted pistachios - you’ll have to sliver them yourself
1 and 1/2 c. uncooked basmati rice
Optional: saffron, an onion, raisins or sultanas
Using a vegetable peeler, cut just the (washed) orange-colored peel from the oranges. Don’t cut into the bitter white pith, just the outer layer is what you want. Flatten the pieces onto a cutting board and cut them into very fine slivers with a very sharp knife. You want a cup of slivers, lightly packed. It will take a while to do this, and it’s worth it.
Put the zest into a sauce pan, cover with water and bring to a boil. Cook at a medium boil, uncovered, 5 to 7 minutes; drain. Do this again with fresh water; drain again.
Put the sugar and 1 c. water into the emptied saucepan, bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the zest, reduce the heat to low medium, and cook until the liquid is reduced to about three tablespoons, stirring occasionally. Using a slotted spoon, remove the zest — which should look fairly transparent at this point — to a plate. Spread it out and let it cool. This can be done the day before; keep it refrigerated until you need it. Let it come to room temperature before adding it to the dish. If you keep the syrup, you can add it to ice cream, etc.
If you want an onion in your dish, sauté it, thinly sliced or chopped, in a mixture of a few tablespoons of butter and oil, until it is lightly browned and softened. If you want saffron, dissolve a pinch in a few TB. of water, keep aside. If you use raisins or sultanas they should be fresh, not hard and dry.
Mohsen did not use any of these optional ingredients. I called them a few times when I was figuring this out, because online recipes for shirin polo use a host of other ingredients, carrots in particular. But no, they said, only the ingredients listed above. I have used some of the optional ingredients listed and they were good, but the dish stands very well on its own without them. I usually don’t fiddle.
Cook the rice, mix in the onion (and its butter/oil) and raisins, if you’re using them. Put this into a buttered serving dish and, if you’re using the dissolved saffron, drizzle it over the rice. At this point, a few hours before serving, you can cover this and keep it on the counter. Later, put a few dots of butter onto the rice — a tablespoon or so, more if you’ve doubled the recipe, but don’t go crazy — and recover. Heat at 300 to 350 degrees for about half an hour or so. It should be hot. Before serving. spread the orange peel over the surface and sprinkle with the almonds and pistachios. You will want sea salt (Maldon) and pepper at the table.
This recipe will serve five or so, depending on what else is on the menu. The photograph shows a double recipe, more than enough to feed ten. If you double it, use only one and a half times the orange peel and nuts. I think you will be surprised to see how so few ingredients can synthesize into something so very good.
Pamela Osborne lives in Salisbury.
Former President Joe Biden and his family dined at The Woodland in Lakeville Thursday, May 22.
LAKEVILLE — A fleet of black SUVs maintained a watchful perimeter outside The Woodland Thursday, May 22, as a former president dined inside.
After attending his grandson’s graduation at Salisbury School, Joe Biden and his family shared a meal at the Lakeville eatery.
Brandon Scimeca, owner of The Woodland, said the reservation was made a few days in advance. The day of the dinner, Secret Service agents arrived in the afternoon to review a security plan with Scimeca.
“They told me where he would enter and exit from, where he would sit, where Jill would sit,” said Scimeca. Later that evening, he said, 10 agents were stationed inside the restaurant with about 15 more outside.
Scimeca said Biden “treated the busboy as nice as the waiter. He was so nice to everyone.”
He ordered a hamburger well done with extra tomatoes and a cola.
Other patrons, able to avoid Secret Service, snapped selfies when Biden got up to go to the restroom, but for most of the meal he and his family quietly enjoyed their dinner.
That is, until dessert arrived at the table next to him.
Billy Sheil, who was dining with his wife and three of his four children, said Biden raised his fork and gestured at the arrival of sweets, “suggesting he wanted to sit with us or come over and take a bite,” Sheil explained.
Sheil scooted to make room in the booth and waved him over. “No fanfare. He just introduced himself and started chatting as a regular guy.”
Biden had a bite of ice cream from Sheil’s daughter Islay’s plate and chatted for about 15 minutes.
Sheil said he shared wisdom, spoke of family, the importance of siblings and the role his sister played throughout his political career.
“He spent real time with us, asking thoughtful questions and sharing in our evening like a grandfather would,” recalled Sheil. “We told him and Jill that we have four kids too — just like them — and mentioned that our second, Quin, was ironically in Washington, D.C., on a school trip. I told them, ‘He’s going to be bummed when he hears what he missed tonight!’”
The family took a photo with the former president before parting ways. Sheil noted, “When we got in the car afterward, Aerin turned to me and said, ‘Dad… was that a dream?’ It kind of felt like one.”
The Sheil family made room for Biden in their booth at The Woodland May 22.Photo provided
U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy walks through Sharon on the first day of his annual statewide walk.
Decked out in a blue T-shirt, khaki shorts and a UConn cap, the man walking along Route 41 in Sharon Wednesday morning looked like others who just enjoy getting out to commune with nature. But U. S. Sen. Chris Murphy (D) had some other thoughts on his mind.
For the ninth year, he was walking across Connecticut to connect with citizens of the state. This year’s route began May 28 in Salisbury and took him to Sharon and Kent for the day.
People along the way wanted to chat with the lawmaker, and despite some gentle prodding from his staffers to keep on pace, Murphy took time to converse with those he met covering a variety of topics. On Route 41 between Lakeville and Salisbury, he encountered longtime friend, former State Rep. Roberta Willis, of Salisbury, who along with her sister Sherie Berk, greeted him with a sign stating “Chris, We’re proud of U.”
Continuing his walk, he made a stop at Sharon Center School where he spoke with sixth- and seventh-graders. Then he met with some of the younger children, who, he said, “had a million ideas about what they could do for our country.”
Sharon First Selectman Casey Flanagan, left, speaks with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy outside Town Hall.Photo by Ruth Epstein
Following a stop at Standard Space art gallery, he proceeded to Town Hall, where First Selectman Casey Flanagan presented him with a tiny step counter. Pleased with the gift, he said he had been wanting to get one but never got around to it.
At Town Hall, the subject of Mudge Pond came up, with the selectmen telling him how important that natural resource is to the town. Selectman Lynn Kearcher said so far, its condition is not too bad, but the threat of an invasion of hydrilla is a constant worry. “Lynn and I both grew up on that lake. We want to save it for generations to come,” said Flanagan.
Kearcher asked what the citizens of Sharon can do to combat the current administration in Washington. Murphy recommended joining activist groups and getting involved. “All that can make a difference.”
He acknowledged the latest big bill proposed by the Republicans which was approved by the House of Representatives is bad for Connecticut. One of its features calls for reducing Medicaid payments in blue states by 10 percent. It will throw millions around the country off the plan, he said. The bill will also result in adding $3.5 trillion to the national debt.
“It’s an ugly bill,” said Murphy.
As he headed off to Kent, he was met by some Sharon Playhouse employees who excitedly told him about this year’s productions. The walk to Kent proved to be a strenuous one, with a long steep mountain to climb. Once in the center of Kent, he crossed over the Housatonic River on the bridge next to Kent School.
From left, former State Rep. Roberta Willis and Sherie Berk talk with U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy in Salisbury.Photo by Ruth Epstein
Murphy explained the purpose of the walk, which over the nine years has touched all areas of the state. “My job is to listen. I can’t do my job well unless I listen to what people are saying.”
On this trip, he found the issues of housing and Medicaid were what people were talking about. The push and pull between conserving land and the need for housing was also on people’s minds.
In Kent, he made a stop at Motoriot, where owner Jason Doornick explained he refurbishes vintage 4 x 4s. Murphy was impressed with what he saw. He also visited Kent Wine & Spirits and the Mobil station and convenience store where customer Tom Connors approached him and asked, “When did bravery go out of fashion?”
Murphy planned to walk another four days with the aim of reaching Long Island Sound.
SHARON — Marion J. (Cookingham) Pedersen of Sharon, passed peacefully on May 20, 2025, at the age of 91.
Born in Pine Plains, New York, she lived a life of love and unwavering strength. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and wife known for her cooking skills.
Her greatest joy was taking care of and feeding her family. For over 50 years she knew most of the children in Sharon, either by driving them to and from school on the bus or by feeding them lunch in the Sharon Center School cafeteria. She will be missed by so many.
She is survived and missed by her husband of 74 years, Niels (Pete) Pedersen, her two sons Niels (Peter) Pedersen Jr., and wife Lori of Sharon, Dennis Pedersen and wife Bonnie of Winchester, and her daughter, Deborah Pedersen of Winsted. She will forever be cherished and remembered by her granddaughters, Hollie Boyuk and husband Michael, Sarah White and husband Michael, five great-grandsons, Dylan and wife Ashley, Brandon, Caleb, Christopher and Jacob, and numerous other family members who will miss her dearly.
Marion was the youngest of 12 children and predeceased by her 11 siblings.
All services are private.Memorial contributions may be made to the donors choice. Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
LIME ROCK — Eleanor Anne Sternlof (née de Guise) of White Hollow Road passed away on April 25, 2025 at Geer Village in North Canaan, Connecticut. She was 94 and the loving wife of the late Paul William Sternlof, who died on August 12, 2005.
Calling hours will be held on Saturday, May 31, from 11am to 1pm at The Kenny Funeral Home, 41 Main Street, Sharon, CT.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.