Thursday, April 4, 2013
Stevie Parle's warming spring lamb recipes
The late winter/early spring period – or the ''hungry gap''– is the worst time for a cook. Even now it is still too early to find many British-grown spring ingredients, so I'm relying on tiny sweet peas and fresh broad beans from Italy and Spain.
Easter is early this year, and winter still seems to have us in its claws. But if you follow my advice you can work round the dearth of ingredients, and cock a snook at the bitter weather at the same time. My recipes will lend a fresh twist to the turbocharged Sunday roast that most of us have on Easter Day.
I've taken ideas from some of my favourite food cultures. This Mexican lamb shoulder recipe is a bit like a classic American pulled pork, but with lamb – it works really well and it's worth adding the chillies (coolchile.co.uk), though paprika also works well.
The lamb stew is delicious, too – the first of the peas (or frozen of course), slow-cooked with the lamb. Don't worry when they lose their colour, they'll taste all the better for it.
Lamb raan is a perfect Indian-style roast. I cook mine a bit less than is traditional, so that the delicate spring lamb is still a little pink. The cauliflower salad is far from traditional, but it makes the whole thing sing – you only need to open some lime pickle and cook up some rice and it's a real feast.
Or, for a more traditional approach, try my rack of lamb with potatoes dauphinoise. The anchovies might sound strange if you haven't used them like this before, but they are a classic combination with lamb and bring a wonderful savoury depth to the dish.
None of these recipes are much harder than a normal roast, so it's worth giving them a go – you'll still be able to spend time doing what is important, sitting and eating with friends and family.
Easter is early this year, and winter still seems to have us in its claws. But if you follow my advice you can work round the dearth of ingredients, and cock a snook at the bitter weather at the same time. My recipes will lend a fresh twist to the turbocharged Sunday roast that most of us have on Easter Day.
I've taken ideas from some of my favourite food cultures. This Mexican lamb shoulder recipe is a bit like a classic American pulled pork, but with lamb – it works really well and it's worth adding the chillies (coolchile.co.uk), though paprika also works well.
The lamb stew is delicious, too – the first of the peas (or frozen of course), slow-cooked with the lamb. Don't worry when they lose their colour, they'll taste all the better for it.
Lamb raan is a perfect Indian-style roast. I cook mine a bit less than is traditional, so that the delicate spring lamb is still a little pink. The cauliflower salad is far from traditional, but it makes the whole thing sing – you only need to open some lime pickle and cook up some rice and it's a real feast.
Or, for a more traditional approach, try my rack of lamb with potatoes dauphinoise. The anchovies might sound strange if you haven't used them like this before, but they are a classic combination with lamb and bring a wonderful savoury depth to the dish.
None of these recipes are much harder than a normal roast, so it's worth giving them a go – you'll still be able to spend time doing what is important, sitting and eating with friends and family.
Easter 2013: the best wines to drink with chocolate
Chocolate and wine? Never been sure about this. There are some wines that actually taste of chocolate; super-rich, oaked cabernet francs from Argentina, for instance, can be reminiscent of milk chocolate, and there is a bitter cocoa nib note in some of the carmenère and cabernet sauvignon that comes out of Chile.
Putting these two important food groups (which is how I think of them) together, I sometimes fear it is too much of two good things. A direct route to a migraine? A distraction?
Yes, well. Very many people seem to crave both at once. And it is Easter. There are chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs to be nibbled (or melted down and turned into desserts). So all right – off we go.
First of all, with sweet food of any kind, look for sweet wines. Many claim that dry red is good with chocolate. In reality it's not just that dry with sweet can feel uncomfortable (the sweet element makes the other seem withered and fatigued); the tannins in the wine emphasise those in the plain chocolate. The result is violent: the oral equivalent of an emergency stop in the outside lane of the motorway at 90mph.
"Tannin in chocolate plus tannin in wine is vile," says the wine and chocolate expert Sarah Jane Evans (yes, I know, and before anyone gets ideas, that job's taken). "But the disaster can be mitigated if you choose a bar or a chocolate that has texture, i.e. nuts, possibly sea salt or a very fine layer of fruit jelly.
Putting these two important food groups (which is how I think of them) together, I sometimes fear it is too much of two good things. A direct route to a migraine? A distraction?
Yes, well. Very many people seem to crave both at once. And it is Easter. There are chocolate bunnies and chocolate eggs to be nibbled (or melted down and turned into desserts). So all right – off we go.
First of all, with sweet food of any kind, look for sweet wines. Many claim that dry red is good with chocolate. In reality it's not just that dry with sweet can feel uncomfortable (the sweet element makes the other seem withered and fatigued); the tannins in the wine emphasise those in the plain chocolate. The result is violent: the oral equivalent of an emergency stop in the outside lane of the motorway at 90mph.
"Tannin in chocolate plus tannin in wine is vile," says the wine and chocolate expert Sarah Jane Evans (yes, I know, and before anyone gets ideas, that job's taken). "But the disaster can be mitigated if you choose a bar or a chocolate that has texture, i.e. nuts, possibly sea salt or a very fine layer of fruit jelly.
Blackberry posts surprise profit
BlackBerry returned to a profit last quarter due to a radical cost-cutting plan the once dominant smartphone maker is undertaking alongside the launch of a new deviceThe surprise fourth-quarter profit came as BlackBerry said it had sold 1m of its new Z10 phone, which went on sale in the UK shortly before the quarter finished on March 2.
While Wall Street has welcomed the retrenchment from a company that invented the multi-billion pound smartphone market in the late 1990s, it is the reception its new phone receives from consumers and businesses that will determine its future.
Thorsten Heins, the German who has run BlackBerry since January last year, insisted that the its new phone and operating system is the "most innovative mobile computing platform in the market.”
Given the phone only went on sale in major markets such as the US last week, analysts said it remains too early to judge whether the device will be enough to wrestle back share from Apple and manufacturers that use Google's Android software such as Samsung.
Blackberry said it had sold about 1 million of its new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone in the fourth quarter.
The latest results did show that the $1bn (£660m) cost-cutting programme embarked on last year is polishing the company's margins.
The Canadian company posted a profit of $98m for the quarter compared with a loss of $125m in the same period a year ago. Analysts had forecast a loss. BlackBerry had cash of $2.9bn at the end of the quarter, little changed from a year earlier.
However, revenues dropped 2pc to $2.7bn for the quarter, trailing the $2.83bn that Wall Street has forecast. The mixed performance reflects the twin pressures on Mr Heins to both grow sales with a new phone while keeping a tight rein on costs.
While Wall Street has welcomed the retrenchment from a company that invented the multi-billion pound smartphone market in the late 1990s, it is the reception its new phone receives from consumers and businesses that will determine its future.
Thorsten Heins, the German who has run BlackBerry since January last year, insisted that the its new phone and operating system is the "most innovative mobile computing platform in the market.”
Given the phone only went on sale in major markets such as the US last week, analysts said it remains too early to judge whether the device will be enough to wrestle back share from Apple and manufacturers that use Google's Android software such as Samsung.
Blackberry said it had sold about 1 million of its new BlackBerry Z10 smartphone in the fourth quarter.
The latest results did show that the $1bn (£660m) cost-cutting programme embarked on last year is polishing the company's margins.
The Canadian company posted a profit of $98m for the quarter compared with a loss of $125m in the same period a year ago. Analysts had forecast a loss. BlackBerry had cash of $2.9bn at the end of the quarter, little changed from a year earlier.
However, revenues dropped 2pc to $2.7bn for the quarter, trailing the $2.83bn that Wall Street has forecast. The mixed performance reflects the twin pressures on Mr Heins to both grow sales with a new phone while keeping a tight rein on costs.
Mr Heins took the top job early last year after BlackBerry investors lost patience with the company's co-founders Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, who were joint chief executives.
BlackBerry, which changed its name from Research in Motion last month, said on Thursday that Mr Lazaridis is stepping down from the board in a move that severs any official connection with the company he co-founded in the Canadian town of Waterloo.
BlackBerry said it will spend 50pc more on advertising the Z10 phone – that will available with a touch-screen as well as a keyboard – in the current quarter as it tries to capitalise on an initial launch that impressed some analysts. Its results for this quarter should deliver a "break even" financial performance, BlackBerry said, without giving more detail.
Despite Mr Heins's confidence, the scale of the challenge facing BlackBerry was underlined by Thursday's results. They showed that over the last 12 months revenues collapsed 40pc to $11.1bn, as it swung to a loss of $628m for the financial year from a profit of $1.2bn the year before.
Beats Executive headphones review
Beats brands targets the frequent flyer crowd with noise cancelling and muted design.Beloved of Premier League footballers, Beats headphones, with their distinctive red wires, have become a familiar sight on the streets. The hip-hop cache provided by their creator, Dr Dre, has been a big part of that success.
With Beats Executive though, the brand is targeting an older, less flashy market. They are aimed squarely at the frequent flyer, corporate crowd and offer a serious challenge to Bose's QuietComfort range by incorporating active noise-cancelling electronics.
Aesthetically, Beats Executive are a great success. The shiny plastics and garish branding of ordinary Beats headphones are gone, replaced by subtlety and an all-over quality feel. There's no mention of Dr Dre anywhere.
All brushed aluminium and soft leather, they look and feel tailored for globe-trotting executives.
The materials used mean this is not a light headset, but enough care has been taken with the padding and adjustability that once you have them on it's easy to drift off to music on a long haul flight, or settle in for a movie in relative seclusion without feeling weighed down.
The noise cancelling, powered by two AAA batteries, is excellent, and as good as that offered by Bose. It can be turned on or off via a switch on the right earpiece, and used without listening to anything, if silence and sleep is all you crave. Beats claims the batteries last 25 hours and I achieved about that on two recent trips.
The sound has that distinctive Beats quality - plenty of bass - although it is nowhere near as unbalanced as on their standard headphones and is generally excellent.
With Beats Executive though, the brand is targeting an older, less flashy market. They are aimed squarely at the frequent flyer, corporate crowd and offer a serious challenge to Bose's QuietComfort range by incorporating active noise-cancelling electronics.
Aesthetically, Beats Executive are a great success. The shiny plastics and garish branding of ordinary Beats headphones are gone, replaced by subtlety and an all-over quality feel. There's no mention of Dr Dre anywhere.
All brushed aluminium and soft leather, they look and feel tailored for globe-trotting executives.
The materials used mean this is not a light headset, but enough care has been taken with the padding and adjustability that once you have them on it's easy to drift off to music on a long haul flight, or settle in for a movie in relative seclusion without feeling weighed down.
The noise cancelling, powered by two AAA batteries, is excellent, and as good as that offered by Bose. It can be turned on or off via a switch on the right earpiece, and used without listening to anything, if silence and sleep is all you crave. Beats claims the batteries last 25 hours and I achieved about that on two recent trips.
The sound has that distinctive Beats quality - plenty of bass - although it is nowhere near as unbalanced as on their standard headphones and is generally excellent.
They're not cheap, but the sound is almost on a par with Bose's offerings, and for my money, the hardware is better put together and looks nicer.
The in-line remote control offered the only disappointment, as although perfectly well made and serviceable, it is cast in plastic and just not as nice as the headphones.
Such a minor gripe would not stop Beats Executive headphones becoming an essential part of my travel kit, however.
Battlefield 4 preview
As a preview of Battlefield 4 gameplay is released, Phill Cameron is impressed by the new singleplayer focus
'Battlefield' isn't a name that lends itself to heroics. It's workmanlike, sparse, matter-of-fact. It's nothing to do with Duty, or Honour, or Courage, concepts that inspire and evoke in equal measure. Battlefield games have never been about the actions of an individual, but rather the sense of a place, and a moment. Championed by their huge multiplayer, they're about being in the middle of the fight, with buildings crumbling around you as jets careen overhead, engines vomiting thick plumes of smoke as they go down. It's about the chaos of war, and being just one soldier among many.
It's not about any one story, but Battlefield's developers DICE would really like it to be. As much as it's a game that's always been defined by its multiplayer, they're still leading with the singleplayer narrative, so maligned in Battlefield 3, now back with a vengeance in Battlefield 4. The reason? Karl Magnus Troedsson, CEO at DICE, shrugs and puts it simply: "We feel like we have more story to tell."
Or, to put it another way, they're looking to improve and expand, create a singleplayer story that's worthy of the frenetic, brilliant, chaotic multiplayer that's always been the trademark of the Battlefield games. They don't fit the linear mould that's served Call of Duty so well for so long. They're not about funnelling you down a ratrun while fireworks explode overhead. And it seems that DICE has learned that lesson.
The demo starts with Bonnie Tyler, and the kind of dead end that only Bonnie Tyler is appropriate for. Four soldiers trapped in a sinking car, with only Total Eclipse of the Heart for company. It's claustrophobic, and deliberately so. Over the course of twenty minutes, the level moves through one location after the other, each one giving the player a little more freedom, and placing a little more emphasis on the player's choices.
The idea is to emphasise the new direction that Battlefield's singleplayer is taking, giving you bigger environments that offer more choices. In Karl Magnus' words, "there are some signature components of multiplayer that we want to bring into singleplayer. It's not about copy and pasting, but it's going to be a mix. There will be times where we control the player, and we dial the action up to eleven, but there will also be times where we bring the multiplayer values in, and it's really up to you at that point."
There was only one time in the demo where those ideas were allowed to manifest, when the player stumbles upon an abandoned building site, all bleached sand and weathered breeze blocks with rebar thrusting accusingly out at the sky. That's it's all but a sandbox doesn't feel like an accident, and the with it being so large, it wasn't hard to imagine all the different ways you might approach the situation.
Still, it's difficult to imagine it'll ever quite achieve the highs of surprise and excitement that has always been such a compulsion when heading into the multiplayer side of things. AI is still AI, and a singleplayer story is always going to be facing forward, chivvying you along in one way or another. Whether DICE have cracked the code is still very much up in the air.
More importantly, what will carry over into the multiplayer are all the improvements inherent in the constantly evolving engine that powers all the impressive graphical effects and even more impressive destruction that the Battlefield has become so known for. We're on the third iteration of the 'Frostbite' engine now, and rather than charging forward with ever more flashy and eye-catching effects, DICE are focusing more on the nuance and finesse of the engine, to really sell you on the reality of the game, both in the world you play in, and the characters you play with.
"It's not the amount of polygons that matters any more. What matters is the experience you convey to the players." Back in the sinking car, you're confronted with the face of Michael K Williams, most famous for playing Omar Little in The Wire. He's lost his recognisable facial scar, but the veracity with which his face is realised is nothing short of astounding. More than that; the animations run with a natural flow that's difficult to notice. It's hard to tell what's canned, specific to the single player campaign, and what's more of a result of what's happening around you, but if half of what you see can make it into the multiplayer, it's going to be close to uncanny.
That extends to the world, too. The wind buffets and billows around cloth and leaves alike, making the smoke from explosions and fires furl and swirl around itself in exactly the way you would imagine it would. Even the explosions have depth and power to them, the black plume shot through with a ferocious orange. Everything feels tangible, which was true enough of Battlefield 3, but it's as though the lamination has worn through here, and the grits getting between your toes.
There's never going to be enough information in 20 minutes of footage to tell you everything you need to know about a game as large as Battlefield 4. But it's enough to give you a taste, and to give you a feeling of the tone and intention that DICE are going for, and as far as the singleplayer goes, they're headed ont he right track. Battlefield should be about freedom, and extolling the virtues of the multiplayer. If they can carry that through the entire campaign, while at the same time throwing out enough set pieces to keep things interesting, and enough meat to the story to make you care about what you're doing, there's no reason Battlefield 4 couldn't be strutting around the first person shooter genre with the best of both worlds.
But, well, that's a lot of ifs.
'Battlefield' isn't a name that lends itself to heroics. It's workmanlike, sparse, matter-of-fact. It's nothing to do with Duty, or Honour, or Courage, concepts that inspire and evoke in equal measure. Battlefield games have never been about the actions of an individual, but rather the sense of a place, and a moment. Championed by their huge multiplayer, they're about being in the middle of the fight, with buildings crumbling around you as jets careen overhead, engines vomiting thick plumes of smoke as they go down. It's about the chaos of war, and being just one soldier among many.
It's not about any one story, but Battlefield's developers DICE would really like it to be. As much as it's a game that's always been defined by its multiplayer, they're still leading with the singleplayer narrative, so maligned in Battlefield 3, now back with a vengeance in Battlefield 4. The reason? Karl Magnus Troedsson, CEO at DICE, shrugs and puts it simply: "We feel like we have more story to tell."
Or, to put it another way, they're looking to improve and expand, create a singleplayer story that's worthy of the frenetic, brilliant, chaotic multiplayer that's always been the trademark of the Battlefield games. They don't fit the linear mould that's served Call of Duty so well for so long. They're not about funnelling you down a ratrun while fireworks explode overhead. And it seems that DICE has learned that lesson.
The demo starts with Bonnie Tyler, and the kind of dead end that only Bonnie Tyler is appropriate for. Four soldiers trapped in a sinking car, with only Total Eclipse of the Heart for company. It's claustrophobic, and deliberately so. Over the course of twenty minutes, the level moves through one location after the other, each one giving the player a little more freedom, and placing a little more emphasis on the player's choices.
The idea is to emphasise the new direction that Battlefield's singleplayer is taking, giving you bigger environments that offer more choices. In Karl Magnus' words, "there are some signature components of multiplayer that we want to bring into singleplayer. It's not about copy and pasting, but it's going to be a mix. There will be times where we control the player, and we dial the action up to eleven, but there will also be times where we bring the multiplayer values in, and it's really up to you at that point."
There was only one time in the demo where those ideas were allowed to manifest, when the player stumbles upon an abandoned building site, all bleached sand and weathered breeze blocks with rebar thrusting accusingly out at the sky. That's it's all but a sandbox doesn't feel like an accident, and the with it being so large, it wasn't hard to imagine all the different ways you might approach the situation.
Still, it's difficult to imagine it'll ever quite achieve the highs of surprise and excitement that has always been such a compulsion when heading into the multiplayer side of things. AI is still AI, and a singleplayer story is always going to be facing forward, chivvying you along in one way or another. Whether DICE have cracked the code is still very much up in the air.
More importantly, what will carry over into the multiplayer are all the improvements inherent in the constantly evolving engine that powers all the impressive graphical effects and even more impressive destruction that the Battlefield has become so known for. We're on the third iteration of the 'Frostbite' engine now, and rather than charging forward with ever more flashy and eye-catching effects, DICE are focusing more on the nuance and finesse of the engine, to really sell you on the reality of the game, both in the world you play in, and the characters you play with.
"It's not the amount of polygons that matters any more. What matters is the experience you convey to the players." Back in the sinking car, you're confronted with the face of Michael K Williams, most famous for playing Omar Little in The Wire. He's lost his recognisable facial scar, but the veracity with which his face is realised is nothing short of astounding. More than that; the animations run with a natural flow that's difficult to notice. It's hard to tell what's canned, specific to the single player campaign, and what's more of a result of what's happening around you, but if half of what you see can make it into the multiplayer, it's going to be close to uncanny.
That extends to the world, too. The wind buffets and billows around cloth and leaves alike, making the smoke from explosions and fires furl and swirl around itself in exactly the way you would imagine it would. Even the explosions have depth and power to them, the black plume shot through with a ferocious orange. Everything feels tangible, which was true enough of Battlefield 3, but it's as though the lamination has worn through here, and the grits getting between your toes.
There's never going to be enough information in 20 minutes of footage to tell you everything you need to know about a game as large as Battlefield 4. But it's enough to give you a taste, and to give you a feeling of the tone and intention that DICE are going for, and as far as the singleplayer goes, they're headed ont he right track. Battlefield should be about freedom, and extolling the virtues of the multiplayer. If they can carry that through the entire campaign, while at the same time throwing out enough set pieces to keep things interesting, and enough meat to the story to make you care about what you're doing, there's no reason Battlefield 4 couldn't be strutting around the first person shooter genre with the best of both worlds.
But, well, that's a lot of ifs.
Nuclear plant accident
One dead, three hurt in Arkansas nuclear plant accident
An industrial accident at an Arkansas nuclear power plant killed one worker and injured three others on Sunday, but there was no release of nuclear material, authorities and the operator said.
A generator fell as it was being moved out of the turbine building at Entergy Corp's Arkansas Nuclear One plant in Russellville, Entergy said in a statement.
"There was no nuclear release of any kind," said Ed Barham, a spokesman for the Arkansas Health Department.
The injured workers were transported to a hospital, Entergy said.
The plant's Unit 1 was off line for refueling and Unit 2 automatically shut down and there is no danger to the public, it said.
The accident is classified as a unusual event, the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Entergy said.
An industrial accident at an Arkansas nuclear power plant killed one worker and injured three others on Sunday, but there was no release of nuclear material, authorities and the operator said.
A generator fell as it was being moved out of the turbine building at Entergy Corp's Arkansas Nuclear One plant in Russellville, Entergy said in a statement.
"There was no nuclear release of any kind," said Ed Barham, a spokesman for the Arkansas Health Department.
The injured workers were transported to a hospital, Entergy said.
The plant's Unit 1 was off line for refueling and Unit 2 automatically shut down and there is no danger to the public, it said.
The accident is classified as a unusual event, the lowest of four emergency classifications by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Entergy said.
Vatican will not recognize Kosovo
The Vatican will not recognize Kosovo, claims Serbian Foreign Minister Ivan Mrkić, adding that some countries could rescind their decisions to recognize Kosovo.
Ivan Mrkić (Beta, file)
Commenting on a fact that Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci attended Pope Francis’ enthronement, he said:
“The ceremony of the pope’s enthronement is in a way an act that surpasses politics. So Thaci was a guest just like all other guests, thousands of them. This can probably be explained with the nature of the event, general Christian messages.”
Mrkić told daily Večernje novosti that Serbian officials had been assured that the Vatican would not change its stance on Kosovo.
Ivan Mrkić (Beta, file)
Commenting on a fact that Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci attended Pope Francis’ enthronement, he said:
“The ceremony of the pope’s enthronement is in a way an act that surpasses politics. So Thaci was a guest just like all other guests, thousands of them. This can probably be explained with the nature of the event, general Christian messages.”
Mrkić told daily Večernje novosti that Serbian officials had been assured that the Vatican would not change its stance on Kosovo.
Tirana: Fire in a parking
A large-scale fire involved today evening the parking lot of an 10-story building in the of 'Don Boskos'. Fire allegedly dropped in the parking lot of the complex 'Vision Plus' burned several cars.Parking guard initially claimed to have seen at least two cars burned. According to police burned cars are a Ford AA plate 081 CJ and another vehicle Mitsubishi tip.
The decline of the fire has caused panic to residents of the complex after the fire in all the surrounding area ceased electricity for safety reasons.
Personal address statistics Facebook
Facebook Fan Pages have special applications that show statistics on the number of users, comments and all other activities that take place in it.
For personal addresses is a little more difficult to obtain accurate data for statistics.
A successful application for this type of information is the service offered on Wolfram Alpha.
By clicking on this page, once you are registered and have accepted the terms of use can get statistics for your site.
Key data for the average age of your friends, their location, number of comments to be made and what effect they had them to your friends.
Also there is a lot of data on your clocks stay on Facebook and commented photos and more money from friends.
For personal addresses is a little more difficult to obtain accurate data for statistics.
A successful application for this type of information is the service offered on Wolfram Alpha.
By clicking on this page, once you are registered and have accepted the terms of use can get statistics for your site.
Key data for the average age of your friends, their location, number of comments to be made and what effect they had them to your friends.
Also there is a lot of data on your clocks stay on Facebook and commented photos and more money from friends.
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