A Capital Idea

I was privy to a conversation between a dominating diva and her audience of like minded ladies at a recent festive social do. It was quite endearing to note that no matter how hard a person tried, especially when he/she is at the pinnacle of fakeness, there will be a slip or change in situation which will show up the real face hidden behind pounds of foundation and strings of baubles and which kind of ideates to water splashed on a white cloth. That very moment is priceless.

Dominating Diva or DD was headily conversing about her latest splurge on a vacation to Brussels a few days ago, she went on about how she had to travel first class as her husband was away on business and had taken the jet. She was quite perturbed with the fact that she could not sleep on this nine odd hour flight and insisted that a bottle of champagne be kept right next to her to wallow in her self-piteous insomniac situation.

The conversation veered to her checking in at the top end suite at Brussels most luxurious hotel Le Dixseptième and plopping onto the bed for the better part of the trip to catch up on the sleep she missed on the flight. This one sided talk droned on till she had virtually relived the holiday right down to her latest acquirement, an ostrich leather handbag. The sudden realization of this bag’s presence created a bit of a flutter between the other ladies who discreetly tucked their Coach and Prada’s which were conspicuously visible a moment ago.

I was momentarily sidelined into slyly tuning into this tirade by pretending to go through the hosts music collection and was about to join the men outside when something happened which changed the air hovering above the kitty group. DD was on an animated explanation of how she had gone about procuring her bag (especially now that she had successfully managed to create one-upmanship in lieu of the other ladies handbags) when her champagne glass decided to take a dip and spill half its contents right onto her bird bag. What followed was a gasp, not because a couple of thousand pounds seemed to take a bath in imported bubbles but the fact that there was a streak of yellow spreading virally through the light cream chiffon of DD’s dress.

In a matter of seconds it became obvious that the bird bag was a fake. A few of the audience who were cultured enough excused themselves, probably to go someplace else and bitch, while the others stared openly at the horror unfolding on DD’s face which had, by now, turned a shade matching her dress. This was not the end of her woes as she gathered herself (her brain whirring mechanically on a suitable explanation / excuse about her bag after she decided to stop shrieking and behaving as though the world had come crashing down) when within moments she received a call on her cell phone which invariably decided to switch to speaker the moment she answered. Failing to meddle with the buttons to set it right, it was too late as by that time, her secretary on the other end of the line excitedly squealed “ma’am your missing luggage on your flight from Goa has arrived”.

Brussels, Ostrich Bag, First class holiday, every single aspect of the discussion was a dreamy creation of her ‘alleged’ outrageous lifestyle. Yes, I know of people who live this lifestyle, but I fail to understand the immoral ‘creation’ of a situation just to get attention or hold a place above the others in a crowd. Is this what money does to you? Understandably at one point she probably enjoyed the wealth and splendor which the husband showered her with, but can the ‘supposed’ lack of the same really corrupt you to such a level?

I know of people who are doing extremely well, they are good souls and work hard to earn their worth. The standard of living is drastically escalating, especially in a place like Mumbai with luxury brands, high-end food establishments and good living thriving and increasing exponentially. While it’s good to indulge in the good things in life it’s also important to grasp that there will be rainy days and times when you might just have to make do with the good life you have / had acquired.

It is vital to remain grounded and not get swayed to leave an impression at every given moment. You will be found out and it is just not worth the fall. At the end it’s very important to be a good human being. Money and materialism will come and go, you have got to remember that you are here to stay and complete your life, no matter what. Think about it, isn’t this what life’s capital idea should be?

One of my recent favorite vegetables from the Belgian capital Brussels is the Brussels Sprout, this veggie is a delightful and fun ingredient to play around with. Brussels sprouts resemble tiny cabbages and they are usually steamed before using in dishes. These tiny veggie-orbs are easily available at most high-end grocery stores or grocers. There are many ways to use Brussels sprouts but this is a signature creation of mine which highlights the flavors of the vegetable with the perfect balance of sweet and salty. Especially since this vegetable is more of an acquired taste considering not a lot of people like the flavor of cabbage, thus intermittent flavors somehow make a boring dish exciting. On the plus side this is one dish even your kids will wallop in one go.

Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Parsley Pesto & Candied Pepper Walnuts

Ingredients

For the Sautéed Brussels Sprouts

• 100gms Brussels Sprouts
• 2 tablsp Butter
• 3 cloves Garlic (crushed with a knife)
• ½ tsp Mustard Powder
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• Sea Salt to taste
• Crushed Pepper

For the Parsley Pesto

• 1 small bunch – flat leaf Parsley
• ¼ cup Walnuts (lightly roasted)
• ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
• 1 clove Garlic
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice
• 1 tablsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Candied Pepper Walnuts

• ½ cup Whole Walnuts
• 1 tsp Crushed Black Pepper
• 1 tablsp Honey
• 2 tablsp Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp Red Chili Flakes
• 1 tsp Orange Zest

Process all the ingredients of the parsley pesto in the mixer until smooth and keep aside; you may want to check for salt as the parmesan already contains salt and different brands have different levels of saltiness.

For the candied pepper walnuts, dry roast the walnuts on a flat griddle. In another small bowl melt brown sugar with a teaspoon of water and add the zest, chili flakes and crushed black pepper while the mixture comes to a boil. Season with honey and mix well.
Once the walnuts give out a fragrant smell, toss into a metal container and spoon the warm sweet honey pepper sauce onto the walnuts. Mix till well coated and lay out separated on a metal plate till it cools and the sugar caramelizes.

For the Brussels sprouts – steam the Brussels sprouts in a steamer or a pan with a wire mesh on the top for about four minutes. In another pan, heat the butter till it melts. Add garlic and sauté for about a minute till the garlic starts to brown, toss in the Brussels sprouts straight from the steamer and add the lemon juice, seasonings and mustard powder, sauté well for a minute. Add the candied walnuts and give it a good stir.

To serve, spoon out the parsley pesto on a plate and add the Brussels sprouts and walnut mixture over it. Serve immediately with crusty bread.