
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.
The 40th Classic Road Race began with a kids fun run.
SHARON — On Saturday, May 3, runners hit the street of Sharon for the 40th Classic Road Race.
The day started with a fun run for kids two through seven years old.After that, the eight- to 12-year-old competitors ran the “Not Quite a Mile” road race.
At 10:15 a.m. sharp, runners lined up for the 5.3 mile Classic.
Held on a peaceful and scenic out-and-back course, starting on Veterans field, proceeding out Sharon Valley Road, and then a beautiful stretch along Mudge Pond.
The turnaround on Drum Road gave runners a chance to enjoy the course again on the return to the finish.
Returning Road Race winner William Sanders, who won in 2023, took the immediate lead and was never even closely challenged.
Running a blistering five-minute mile pace, he won again with a time of 28:51 minutes.
Nora Blodgett, of Boston, was the women’s winner with a time of 36:35 minutes.
Complete results are available at sharonclassic.org
Nora Blodgett finishes.Lans Christensen
SALISBURY — The Pope Land Design Committee is preparing plans for the proposed Pope Land affordable housing development for a state-mandated review by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
The 8-24 review, in which P&Z determines if a proposal is in alignment with the town’s Plan of Conservation and Development, is required for any proposed sale, lease, or major use alteration of municipally owned land.
Jocelyn Ayer, director of the Litchfield County Center for Housing Opportunity, presented a plan for next steps for the project at the Committee’s May 1 regular meeting. She said the P&Z audit is an important step to take before expending resources in developing a full permitting application.
The review will examine the general proposed usage of the land, which in the case of the Pope Property is a combination of affordable housing — leased, owned, or a combination of both — recreation and conservation.
Once P&Z issues its report, the Board of Selectmen will call a Town Meeting for residents to vote on whether to allow the sale or lease of the land for the proposed usage.
Committee Chair Ray McGuire cautioned that voters may be wary of voting on a proposal with such limited detail, but Ayer reassured that this process is not without precedent in Salisbury — both the Undermountain Road affordable homes site and Dresser Woods development have undergone the 8-24 referral.
“The detail will come,” said Ayer, explaining that the full permitting applications before P&Z and the Inland Wetlands and Watercourses Commissions will follow the 8-24 process, outlining the site and proposal specifics. She emphasized that the referral and initial town vote are preliminary steps, and the public will have many more opportunities to provide input throughout the process.
The Committee is awaiting the results of a study — commissioned by the LCCHO and conducted by wildlife biologist Michael Klemens, who also chairs Salisbury’s P&Z — on the state-listed wood turtle habitat before it finalizes the usage proposal to present to the selectmen.
Ayer said the turtle study is set to be completed in June. She suggested the Committee present its usage recommendation to selectmen over the summer, so it can then refer the project proposal to P&Z for 8-24 review by the fall.
First Selectman Curtis Rand said he would relay the updates to his board so that it is ready to act when the time comes.
Jane Bevans, of Cream Hill, with her young Burnham Sweet tree that she bought at the lecture May 3.
CORNWALL — Attendees of Cornwall Library’s apple history talk Saturday, May 3, had the opportunity to take home a piece of town history.
The talk, titled “Discovering Cornwall’s Apple Heritage: Past, Present, and Future,” was given by three local apple detectives whose efforts successfully reproduced a heritage apple tree unique to town.
Peter Del Tredici, a horticulturist retired from Harvard where he worked in the Arnold Arboretum and the Harvard Forest, and Ian Ridgway and his father, Gordon, of Ridgway Farm, shared their findings before guests were able to buy the unique trees.
Inspired by a book titled “Uncultivated” by Andy Brennan, the Ridgways began searching Cornwall for old apple varieties, also called heritage apples, to grow and use in their future cidery.
Ian explained that in colonial times, “Cider was vital to survival,” since water was often nonpotable. Records indicate Cornwall, a town of about 1,500 people at the time, produced 1,500 barrels of cider in the year 1800.
In early America, apple varieties became localized to states and regions. Cornwall developed its own unique heritage apples over time.
In the 1880’s apple varieties from Europe began to be imported. This caused the market to be driven to specific varieties, ending the hyper-localized varieties.
Then, during Prohibition thousands of apple trees were cut down due to the alcohol content of hard cider, making the older varieties hard to find.
In the group’s search for Cornwall apple varieties, they have discovered “Baldwin’s, Maiden’s Blush, Esopus Spitzenburg, Fameuse, St. Lawrence and Transcendent Crabapple.”
Del Tredici said that DNA can’t be used to identify apples, since they are all hybrids made from grafting. Apples could have DNA from their root stock and from the scions — cuts from the growth of the tree — taken from other trees, resulting in no pure strain.
In Maine, more apples survived through Prohibition. John Bunker of Fedco Nursery, known as “the Sherlock Holmes of Maine apples,” began to hunt for the old varieties. He authored the book “Apples and the Art of Detection.”
“He’s an icon,” said Ian. If Ian, his father, or Del Tredici have an apple they can’t identify, they send it to Bunker.
A very old apple tree on Cream Hill had Del Tredici puzzled. The apple was bitter. “I was not impressed by it.” He noticed that it “had fruit very late in the fall and one year on Jan. 27 there were still apples falling from it.On Christmas of 2015, it still had apples.”
Even Bunker could not identify it. In 2020, Del Tredici took some scions to Bunker for propagation.
Referencing old books, such those by the American Pomological Society and the Connecticut Agricultural Board and old nursery catalogs, they began with location, Cornwall.
Examining the traits of the apple including color, size, productivity, flavor, and how long it keeps, they finally identified the tree as Burnham Sweet, named for Oliver Burnham, a revolutionary war soldier, who had lived on Rattlesnake Road.
T.S. Gold of West Cornwall propagated, introduced, and named the Burnham Sweet apple. It was recorded in 1869 at his farm.
The old tree is on its “last legs now” said Del Tredici. But it will now live on in the trees grafted by Bunker.
Twenty-seven young Burnham Sweet trees made the trip down from Maine.Five of them went to Ridgway Farm, one is to be planted at the Cornwall Historical Society. Others were sold after the lecture to benefit the Cornwall Library.
The Burnham Sweet’s return to Cornwall was welcomed.
Olympic Rings at Bergisel stadium and ski jump in Innsbruck, Austria.
Thanks to funds raised by Northwest Corner: Students Without Borders, and with additional assistance from the 21st Century Fund and the HVRHS Alumni Association, 31 Housatonic Valley Regional High School students and seven teachers spent seven days during April break traveling in Italy and Germany.
We started right out of the gates in Munich, Germany’s welcoming environment. Under the lead of our lively tour director, Artin, we explored Munich, seeing culture reflected in its people and beauty.
We then moved on to Dachau, a solemn but enlightening and historical place. For me and the other students, the camp wasn’t just something to mourn but something to learn from.
Travelling south, we expected to wake up from naps in Austria but were surprised to still be in Germany. Our bus pulled up to Neuschwanstein Castle, a 19th-century palace that served as inspiration for Disneyland. This was an unexpected addition to our itinerary, courtesy of our chaperones, who helped us scratch off this bucket list destination.
We then visited Innsbruck, an Austrian city nestled in the Alps, to see the famous Bergisel Olympic ski jump.
Above the vineyards of San Gimignano, Italy.Provided
Next, we found ourselves in Verona and then Florence. In Florence, we stood in awe at the immense size of the Duomo, the Uffizi and the many statues scattered throughout the city, truly understanding that Florence is an artistic and architectural wonder in Italy.
We then journeyed to my highlight of the trip, San Gimignano, a hill town among the vineyards of outer Tuscany. Not many tours hit this city, making it void of tourist traps and crowding — just historical architecture, amazing views, and great food.
Ending off the week with the leaning tower of Pisa and then landing in Rome, seeing where Julius Caesar died and the Colosseum, was surreal to me and many others. We were all so grateful to the sponsors and fundraisers who put us on the planes, making it possible to experience these amazing opportunities.
Ayden Wheeler is a junior at HVRHS. His parents got engaged 30 years ago in Germany, and he was excited to visit the region where they had traveled. Ayden hopes to travel to France and England with the HVRHS International Travel Club next year.