Latest news with #RichardHart
Mint
15-07-2025
- Politics
- Mint
How Did Mexico Citys Restaurants Become the Villain?
(Bloomberg Opinion) -- 'Go back to your country,' shouted the angry mob, hurling threats and insults at terrified diners. A recent protest against gentrification and foreign visitors in Mexico City suddenly turned violent, leaving 46 establishments vandalized and shaking both residents and tourists. The formal excuse may have been protesting against rising rents and unchecked commercial development in the city's trendiest neighborhoods — but the result exposed a more sordid reality: Mexico may not be the oasis of tolerance and friendship to foreigners that we all have thought. While Mexico's capital isn't alone in suffering a revolt against tourism, the xenophobic tone of the early July march — with the inevitable 'gringo go home' as loud leitmotif — left an indelible mark. Less than a year from the start of the World Cup at the Azteca Stadium, the images of helpless eaters and restaurant staff attacked by hordes without any intervention from authorities or security forces is hurting Mexico City's reputation as one of the world's most diverse cosmopolises. This requires quick and effective repair. Unfortunately, the feeble response of the city government, which appears more interested in using gentrification as a political tool to fight the opposition-run borough where the events took place, suggests this conflict is only starting. A second march is planned for July city's food and hospitality industry has been put at the center of the dispute, perhaps due to its visibility compared with other possible 'villains' in this story such as real estate developers. Long a fantastic destination for foodies and cultural tourists, Mexico City emerged from the pandemic as one of the winners of the digital nomad boom. Its restaurants — from haute cuisine to street stands — are not only pillars of one of the world's most exciting food scenes but a growing symbol of Mexico's soft power; they helped draw more than 14 million visitors to the city in 2024. Just last month, Richard Hart, considered one of the top international bakers, opened his first venue outside Europe in the city's Roma Norte district, boasting that Mexico 'is on fire.' That's why punishing restaurants for the city's gentrification, as radical groups did during the march, is not only unfair and wrong: It damages a key industry at a time when Mexico's private investment is nosediving, jobs are being destroyed and more than 30,000 formal firms have disappeared nationwide in the past year. I get the complaints about higher food prices and the displacement of some traditional mom & pop eateries for fancy restaurants catering for visitors looking to discover the next big dining hype. But in a huge city with 60,000-plus restaurants, bars and cantinas, there are options for every budget and palate. In fact, the industry's image is celebrated thanks to its entrepreneurial spirit, creativity and private investment, which have helped it to overcome the daily obstacles imposed by the government. Talk to restaurateurs in the city and you'll hear grumbles about the bureaucratic permitting process, recurrent demands to make payments to avoid arbitrary closures, cost increases and difficulties in finding qualified workers. With the number of international visitors falling 3.5% last year and the hotel occupancy rate hovering around 65%, it's also hard to argue that the city suffers from over-tourism. Despite having more locations, the overall sector still hasn't recovered its 2019 levels, and it faces a difficult combo in the form of lower consumption, faster inflation and a recessionary environment, says Jack Sourasky Olmos, Mexico City's head of Canirac, a restaurant industry association. 'The neighbors' complaints are legitimate, but we can't use gentrification as an excuse to criminalize an entire sector. We were all attacked simply for operating a restaurant in a tourist area,' he told me. 'This will scare tourism away.' With all the big problems that Mexico faces, from insecurity and feeble rule of law to a complex relationship with Donald Trump's White House, some may disregard this conflict as insignificant. Wrong. Mexico ranks sixth among the most visited destinations by international tourists thanks to its beautiful beaches, with the industry representing almost 9% of the country's GDP. Mexico City positioned itself as a cosmopolitan destination, home of top events such as Formula One races and the Day of the Dead celebrations. Reversing that strategy would be bad business and a blow to the city's prosperity. Some of the contempt expressed during the march, particularly against Americans, may be the inevitable backlash of the anti-migrant, anti-Mexican rhetoric dominating the US. As a foreigner living in Mexico City for almost a decade, I always felt welcomed; I have only words of gratitude to my fellow chilangos for their hospitality (well, except when they are behind a wheel...). But polls show that the resentment against foreigners is real: According to a survey by Alejandro Moreno for El Financiero newspaper done before the protests, 51% say the arrival of foreigners is harmful for the city; 41% say it's beneficial. Politicians shouldn't fuel this resentment further or encourage polarization for cheap political gain. Of course, you don't need violent images to realize that the gentrification debate triggers intense passions. Since the march, I must have read in the local press more than two dozen columns referring to it, from nostalgic views of a city that's not coming back to more analytical pieces that provide solid technical arguments. As I wrote last year, the solutions to gentrification require dispassionate analysis: They involve serious urban planning, heavy investments in transportation and better provision of public services. But above all, Mexico City has to build more houses and increase their density by erecting higher residential towers: Last year, only 1,157 homes were produced in this district of more than 9 million people, according to official records. Say what you want about gentrification, but with such low construction levels, it's impossible not to have a housing crisis. None of this is the fault of restaurants, hotels or real estate developers, which are simply used as scapegoats. Instead of giving in to prejudices and parochial impulses or turning a blind eye to the excesses of protestors, those who care about the capital's character need to focus on practical solutions that benefit its general welfare. More from Bloomberg Opinion: This column reflects the personal views of the author and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners. JP Spinetto is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Latin American business, economic affairs and politics. He was previously Bloomberg News' managing editor for economics and government in the region. More stories like this are available on
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
2025 James Beard Media Awards: Full list of winners revealed
The 35th outing for the James Beard Media Awards took place in Chicago on Saturday (June 14). The annual celebration is meant to honor 'excellence in books, broadcast media, and journalism covering food or drink-related content', according to the official website. The event was hosted by the Illinois Restaurant Association and Choose Chicago. Sift: The Elements of Great Baking Nicola Lamb (Clarkson Potter) The Bartender's Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar Emma Janzen, Jim Meehan, and Bart Sasso (Ten Speed Press) Sake: The Art and Craft of Japan's National Drink Yoshiko Ueno-Müller (Prestel) Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking Richard Hart, Henrietta Lovell, and Laurie Woolever (Clarkson Potter) Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch Andrea Freeman (Metropolitan Books) Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook Carolina Gelen (Clarkson Potter) The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans Irina Janakievska (Quadrille) Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves Nicola Twilley (Penguin Press) Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country Rogelio Garcia and Andréa Lawson Gray (Abrams) McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches Gary He (Self-published) Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking (More than 60 Recipes Featuring Gochujang, Doenjang, and Ganjang) Nadia Cho, Mingoo Kang, and Joshua David Stein (Artisan) Our South: Black Food Through My Lens Ashleigh Shanti (Union Square & Co.) Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques Joe Yonan (Ten Speed Press) McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches Gary He (Self-published) Paola Velez Bodega Bakes: Recipes for Sweets and Treats Inspired by My Corner Store (Union Square & Co.) Rose Levy Beranbaum Audio Programming Loading Dock Talks with Chef Preeti Mistry 'Cream Pie with Telly Justice' Airs on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms Post Reports 'Bacon: The Best-Kept Secret in Washington' Airs on: Post Reports La Mera Mera Tamalera Airs on: YouTube MARCELLA Airs on: PBS American Masters World Eats Bread Airs on: National Geographic Channel G.O.A.T. Airs on: MasterClass Relish Airs on: PBS, Passport, TPT, TPT-2 and YouTube Little Fat Boy Airs on: Instagram, TikTok, Substack and YouTube Drink: A Look Inside the Glass Airs on: Apple TV, Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku Mohammed Shaqura Hamada Shoo Airs on: Instagram and TikTok Martha Stewart Beverage 'Want to Make Spirits in Thailand? Good Luck.' Craig Sauers Punch 'The farm bill hall of shame'; 'The essential workers missing from the farm bill'; 'Tribal nations want more control over their food supply' Teresa Cotsirilos, Bridget Huber, and Claire Kelloway Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones 'New tasting menu dinners at Honeysuckle Provisions are provocative and delicious'; 'The enduring, confusing, and always delicious Octopus Cart is still puffing along after 34 years'; 'Loch Bar, a new high-end seafood spot on Broad, swings big and misses' Craig LaBan Philadelphia Inquirer 'Gastro Obscura's Feast' Anne Ewbank, Diana Hubbell, and Sam O'Brien Gastro Obscura 'We Need to Talk About Trader Joe's' Adam Reiner TASTE The Bitter Southerner 'As Detroit sees a future in urban agriculture, some pushback harkens to a dark past' Lyndsay C. Green Detroit Free Press 'Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.' Grey Moran Civil Eats 'The Art and Science of Kimchi' Andrea Geary Cook's Illustrated 'The North Koreans behind global seafood'; 'The Whistleblower' Ian Urbina and the Staff of The Outlaw Ocean Project The Outlaw Ocean Project and The New Yorker 'Etta's Five Bankruptcies Have Left a Collective Mess'; 'White Sox Fans Came for the Losses, Stayed for the Milkshakes'; 'Namasteak, USA' Ashok Selvam Eater Chicago 'The City that Rice Built' Jeff Gordinier and George McCalman Food & Wine 'The Only Constant is Chuck's' Rory Doyle Self-published "My Family's Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza' Mosab Abu Toha The New Yorker 'A Cuisine Under Siege' Laila El-Haddad SAVEUR 'Padma Lakshmi Walks Into a Bar' Helen Rosner The New Yorker MacKenzie Chung Fegan San Francisco Chronicle
Eater
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Eater
Here Are the 2025 James Beard Foundation Media Award Winners
Congratulations are in order for many members of food media: Tonight during a ceremony in Chicago, the James Beard Foundation announced its 2025 Media Award winners, bestowing medals to food professionals working in cookbooks, journalism, and television and audio programming. The awards whittled down winners from a long list of finalists that was announced in early May. Among the winners: Eater Chicago editor Ashok Selvam won the Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award, while Ashleigh Shanti won a cookbook award for Our South: Black Food Through My Lens . In the Emerging Voice categories, Broadcast went to Mohammed Shaqura and Hamada Sho, a content creator based in Gaza; Journalism to MacKenzie Chung Fegan of the San Francisco Chronicle , whose recent story about her experience at the French Laundry was the talk of the town; and Cookbooks to Paola Velez, author of Bodega Bakes . At the ceremony, host Padma Lakshmi noted the importance of the current political moment — with the awards ceremony coinciding with a military parade in Washington, D.C. and anti-Trump protests across the nation — noting that, 'This is our America. All of us. It's important to say that out loud.' Martha Stewart was named the recipient of the inaugural Broadcast Media Hall of Fame Award, designed to recognize a 'visionary individual who has revolutionized the way food is presented and discussed on television, radio, or streaming platforms.' (She accepted via a pre-taped message.) The Cookbook Hall of Fame Award went to Rose Levy Beranbaum, author of The Cake Bible . The final winners in the restaurant and chef Awards categories will be celebrated on Monday, June 16, during a gala ceremony at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Below, find all the book, broadcast, and media winners: 2025 James Beard Media Award Winners Baking and Desserts: Sift: The Elements of Great Baking ; Nicola Lamb (Clarkson Potter) Beverage with Recipes: The Bartender's Pantry: A Beverage Handbook for the Universal Bar ; Emma Janzen, Jim Meehan, and Bart Sasso, (Ten Speed Press) Beverage without Recipes: . Sake: The Art and Craft of Japan's National Drink ; Yoshiko Ueno-Müller, (Prestel) Bread: Richard Hart Bread: Intuitive Sourdough Baking ; Richard Hart, Henrietta Lovell, and Laurie Woolever, (Clarkson Potter) Food Issues and Advocacy: Ruin Their Crops on the Ground: The Politics of Food in the United States, from the Trail of Tears to School Lunch ; Andrea Freeman, (Metropolitan Books) General: Pass the Plate: 100 Delicious, Highly Shareable, Everyday Recipes: A Cookbook ; Carolina Gelen, (Clarkson Potter) International: The Balkan Kitchen: Recipes and Stories from the Heart of the Balkans ; Irina Janakievska, (Quadrille) Literary Writing: Frostbite: How Refrigeration Changed Our Food, Our Planet, and Ourselves ; Nicola Twilley, (Penguin Press) Professional and Restaurant: Convivir: Modern Mexican Cuisine in California's Wine Country ; Rogelio Garcia and Andréa Lawson Gray, (Abrams) Reference, History, and Scholarship: McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches ; Gary He, Self-published) Single Subject: Jang: The Soul of Korean Cooking (More than 60 Recipes Featuring Gochujang, Doenjang, and Ganjang) ; Nadia Cho, Mingoo Kang, and Joshua David Stein, (Artisan) U.S. Foodways: Our South: Black Food Through My Lens ; Ashleigh Shanti, (Union Square & Co.) Vegetable-Focused Cooking: Mastering the Art of Plant-Based Cooking: Vegan Recipes, Tips, and Techniques ; Joe Yonan, (Ten Speed Press) Visuals: McAtlas: A Global Guide to the Golden Arches ; Gary He, (Self-published) The 2025 James Beard Broadcast Media Award winners: Audio Programming: Loading Dock Talks with Chef Preeti Mistry ; 'Cream Pie with Telly Justice'; Airs on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast platforms Audio Reporting: Post Reports ; 'Bacon: The Best-Kept Secret in Washington'; Airs on: Post Reports Commercial Media: La Mera Mera Tamalera ; Airs on: YouTube Documentary Visual Media: MARCELLA ; Airs on: PBS American Masters Docuseries Visual Media: World Eats Bread ; Airs on: National Geographic Channel Instructional Visual Media: G.O.A.T; Airs on: MasterClass Lifestyle Visual Media: Relish ; Airs on: PBS, Passport, TPT, TPT-2 and YouTube Social Media Account: Little Fat Boy; Airs on: Instagram, TikTok, Substack and YouTube Travel Visual Media: Drink: A Look Inside the Glass ; Airs on: Apple TV, Prime Video, Tubi, and Roku More information about Broadcast Media Awards eligibility and criteria can be viewed here. The 2025 James Beard Journalism Award winners Beverage: 'Want to Make Spirits in Thailand? Good Luck.'; Craig Sauers , Punch Columns and Newsletters: 'The farm bill hall of shame'; 'The essential workers missing from the farm bill'; 'Tribal nations want more control over their food supply'; Teresa Cotsirilos, Bridget Huber, and Claire Kelloway, Food & Environment Reporting Network and Mother Jones Craig Claiborne Distinguished Criticism Award: 'New tasting menu dinners at Honeysuckle Provisions are provocative and delicious'; 'The enduring, confusing, and always delicious Octopus Cart is still puffing along after 34 years'; 'Loch Bar, a new high-end seafood spot on Broad, swings big and misses'; Craig LaBan, Philadelphia Inquirer Dining and Travel: 'Gastro Obscura's Feast'; Anne Ewbank, Diana Hubbell, and Sam O'Brien, Gastro Obscura Feature Reporting: 'We Need to Talk About Trader Joe's', Adam Reiner, TASTE Food Coverage in a General Interest Publication: The Bitter Southerner Foodways: 'As Detroit sees a future in urban agriculture, some pushback harkens to a dark past'; Lyndsay C. Green, Detroit Free Press Health and Wellness: 'Florida Banned Farmworker Heat Protections. A Groundbreaking Partnership Offers a Solution.'; Grey Moran, Civil Eats Home Cooking: 'The Art and Science of Kimchi'; Andrea Geary, Cook's Illustrated Investigative Reporting: 'The North Koreans behind global seafood'; 'The Whistleblower'; Ian Urbina and the Staff of The Outlaw Ocean Project, The Outlaw Ocean Project and The New Yorker Jonathan Gold Local Voice Award: 'Etta's Five Bankruptcies Have Left a Collective Mess'; 'White Sox Fans Came for the Losses, Stayed for the Milkshakes'; 'Namasteak, USA'; Ashok Selvam, Eater Chicago MFK Fisher Distinguished Writing Award: 'The City that Rice Built'; Jeff Gordinier and George McCalman, Food & Wine Narrative Photography: 'The Only Constant is Chuck's'; Rory Doyle, Self-published Personal Essay: 'My Family's Daily Struggle to Find Food in Gaza'; Mosab Abu Toha, The New Yorker Personal Essay with Recipes: 'A Cuisine Under Siege'; Laila El-Haddad, SAVEUR Profile: 'Padma Lakshmi Walks Into a Bar'; Helen Rosner, The New Yorker Disclosure: Some Vox Media staff members are part of the voting body for the James Beard Awards. Eater is partnering with the James Beard Foundation to livestream the awards in 2025. All editorial content is produced independently of the James Beard Foundation. Additional photo illustration credits: Getty Images for the James Beard Foundation
Irish Examiner
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Darina Allen: Three recipe highlights from the Ballymaloe Festival of Food
We had the best weekend a few weeks ago at the Ballymaloe Festival of Food. There was so much going on that it's taken until now to fully process the talks, demonstrations, dinners, wine tastings and artisan producer stalls. We were so grateful to the many sponsors including Kerrygold who proudly headline sponsored the event. I've always been a butter fan. As you may know, I was dubbed 'The Butter Queen of Ireland' long before the Simply Delicious series, when the low fat mania was in full swing (hope you know you were duped!). I remember getting a letter from a viewer during my Simply Delicious series accusing me of having no sense of responsibility — didn't I know that butter and fat were detrimental to people's health suggesting that I recommend marge and low fat instead. I don't think so… Needless to say, I stuck to my guns, butter is a truly natural product, the fat of our land. Whereas olive oil is the fat of the Mediterranean, also a super healthy nourishing product. But when I say butter, I mean real butter, that comes in a pound block, I don't think much of the plethora of spreads. If you want spreadable butter, leave it out of the fridge overnight in the time-honoured way! One of the many fun events of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food was the Kerrygold Butter Disco, where we handed out little jars of cream to a bunch of eager butter makers. We shook the jars while we danced to the funky music played by the DJ. Within a few minutes the cream had thickened, then a ball of butter separated from the buttermilk in the jars. Everyone was super excited and amazed — most folks know that butter comes from cream but have no idea how thetransformation occurs — pure magic! Chefs, food writers and activists came from all over these islands and from as far away as New Zealand. Many spoke on the 'Change We Must' stage. They came to cook, share and wax lyrical about the lunches, dinners, chats, exchanging of ideas… Richard Hart, legendary baker and Henrietta Lovell, the Rare Tea Lady, did an afternoon tea with tea pairings in a marquee in the Walled Garden and the sun shone. Other chefs shared their experience and recipes in the Grainstore Cookery Demonstrations. Because of space constraints, I can only share three highlights with you but all the recipes are on Try Jay Rayner's Crispy Duck Salad, Romy Gill's Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani) and Amber Guinness's Pistachio Panna Cotta – enjoy! Romy Gill's Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani) recipe by:Romy Gill There are so many recipes for butter chicken. This is my take. With its silky smooth, gently spiced tomato, cashew and cream gravy, it's a comforting, warming dish that feels decadent. Servings 4 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 50 mins Total Time 1 hours 5 mins Course Main Ingredients 750g skinless, boneless chicken (thighs and breasts), cut into bite-size pieces For the marinade 10g ginger root, peeled and grated (shredded) 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated (shredded) 2 tsp tandoori masala 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp yogurt Juice of ½ lemon 30ml sunflower oil For the sauce 500g tomatoes 50g butter 20g ginger root, peeled and grated (shredded) 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated (shredded) 1 tsp tomato purée (paste) 1 tsp tandoori masala 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 30g ground cashew nuts 30ml cream 6-8 green cardamom seeds, crushed 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaf your choice of Indian flatbreads or rice, to serve Method To make the marinade, mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Prick the chicken pieces with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir well to coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least a couple of hours. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Spread the marinated chicken out on a baking tray and cook in the hot oven for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. If the chicken finishes cooking before you have finished making the sauce, switch the oven off after the 15 minutes and leave the meat to rest in the oven. Blanch the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes, then remove their skins. Cut into quarters and remove the seeds, then roughly chop and place in a food processor. Blitz to a smooth purée. Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the puréed fresh tomatoes as well as the tomato purée and cook for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through, stirring regularly to avoid them sticking and burning. Add all the spices, chilli powder, salt and sugar, mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes until emulsified. Lower the heat, then add the ground cashew nuts and cream, and stir well. Add 500-600ml of water – the quantity you choose to add depends on how runny you want the sauce to be. Bring the mixture to a boil, and when it starts bubbling, add the chicken, lower the heat and cook for a further 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle over the cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving with rice or any Indian flatbread. Jay Rayner's Crispy Duck Salad recipe by:Jay Rayner A while after I'd come up with my version of this joyous salad, I found Hix's original recipe online. It is what you'd expect of a diligent restaurant chef. My version cuts out about two hours of work Servings 4 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 25 mins Total Time 40 mins Course Starter Ingredients 2 confit duck legs 4 tbsp hoisin sauce For the salad 100g watercress or rocket, stalks trimmed (You can also add fresh coriander if you fancy) 6 large radishes, sliced 4 spring onions, trimmed andsliced into batons 1 tbsp sesame seeds For the salad dressing 2 tbsp olive oil 1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar (White wine vinegar is a good alternative) 1 tsp sesame oil sea salt Method Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry cast-iron frying pan, over a medium heat. Keep watch. They burn easily. When most of them are lightly golden brown, remove to a bowl, add a pinch of table salt, and set aside. Wipe down the pan to remove any stray sesame seeds that are hanging about. They don't taste at all nice when burnt. Separate out the duck legs and place them skin side down in the frying pan over the lowest heat. Do not add any oil. They'll produce more than enough fat of their own. Turn every five minutes or so, as they start to colour. After about 10 or 15 minutes, take the pan off the heat. Using a fork and a sharp knife you should be able to pull the meat away from the bone. Break it up into smaller pieces, with the skin down. Put back onto the heat. Use a spatula to continue breaking up the meat into smaller pieces. Attend to any pieces of skin that come away from the meat. They may look a bit fatty but gently increase the heat and it will crisp up but do keep an eye on it all, so it doesn't burn. Once crisped, remove the leg bones and keep them as a chef's perk. Stand by the stove, chewing off the last bits of meat while no one else is watching. You've earned it. When the duck is broken up and crisped, take the pan off the heat. Put the ingredients for the salad dressing in the bottom of a bowl, including a good pinch of sea salt. Pile the leaves and sliced radishes on the top and then toss and turn to coat in the dressing using your hands or, if you're a little uptight, salad servers. Portion out onto four plates or flat bowls. Put the hoisin sauce in thebottom of a mixing bowl. Add the duck and mix to coat every piece completely. Top each portion of the salad with a quarter of the duck. Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds and decorate with the batons of spring onion Amber Guinness's Pistachio Panna Cotta recipe by:Amber Guinness Mixing pistachio cream with panna cotta is an indulgent twist on a classic, bringing a nutty sweetness to the cream as well as acting as a second setting agent, meaning you need less gelatine. Servings 4 Preparation Time 3 hours 0 mins Cooking Time 20 mins Total Time 3 hours 20 mins Course Dessert Ingredients 2 x 2g gelatine leaves 400ml double cream 30g caster sugar 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped 80g pistachio cream handful of unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped handful of raspberries (optional) Method To make the panna cotta, using scissors, cut the gelatine sheets into a small bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes or as instructed on the packet. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar, vanilla seeds and pod. Place over a medium heat and gently warm until it almost comes to the boil, then switch off immediately. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the soaked gelatine and stir into the hot cream until it has completely dissolved. Remove the vanilla pod, then transfer to a large bowl and mix in the pistachio cream until smooth. Divide the panna cotta evenly among four cocktail glasses, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or, better still, overnight. When you're ready to serve, top each panna cotta with a teaspoon of roughly chopped pistachios and, if you like, a few raspberries. Serve directly from the glass. Dynamic Vegetarian Cooking Demonstration, June 18 Vegetarian cooking becomes increasingly exciting and innovative. So, whatever the reason whether you, yourself or family members are vegetarian or are reducing meat for health or ecological reasons, or want to entertain vegetarian guests in style, after three hours you will come away with a host of brilliant ideas and mouth-watering recipes. Also enjoy a walk through the kitchen garden and organic farm at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Congratulations to Cork chefs Local Enterprise Office South Cork FoodProducers award winners (also sponsored the Ballymaloe Festival of Food and following awards). Congratulations to: Chefs Choice: Roaring Water Sea Vegetables — Public Choice Winners: Mushrooms and Love —
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Military families get another extension to ease Tricare West problems
Military families enrolled in Tricare Prime in the West Region have an extra two months, through June 30, to get specialty care without having to get approval from the contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance. It's the second time Defense Health Agency officials have extended their referral approval waiver, which was first announced in late January. The waiver is a move to help ease the problems families have been experiencing since TriWest took over the contract for the West Region at the start of the year. One issue was that Tricare Prime families haven't been able to get referrals approved by TriWest, which is traditionally required before they can get specialty care. 'After assessing the current state of referrals, DHA has decided to extend the referral approval waiver for many beneficiaries,' Richard Hart, division chief of health plan design for Tricare, said in DHA's announcement of the extension. Advocates question how much the extension of the referral approval waiver will help military families and medical providers. Some families aren't able to get specialty care even with a referral from their Tricare Prime primary care manager because of the difficulty finding a specialist who will accept Tricare. 'I don't think [the extension] is going to make a significant difference, because it doesn't address the root problem,' said Dr. Kristi Cabiao, CEO and president of Mission Alpha Advocacy, an organization that works to improve the quality of life for military families within the Exceptional Family Member Program. 'Families are still going to struggle finding providers who will take Tricare.' 'Providers haven't received payment. They don't trust the system. They're either going to minimize the number of Tricare patients they take, or drop Tricare,' she said. 'Families are facing significant barriers.' Many providers still don't have contracts to work with TriWest, Cabiao said. And the lack of payment has caused such financial difficulties that some medical providers have had no choice but to permanently shut down. 'What is the projected timeline for resolution? Have we identified the root of the problem?' Cabiao asked. During a conference March 31, a Defense Health Agency official said he expected the problems would be resolved in a couple of months. In the meantime, Cabiao suggested, one solution would be to have an additional open enrollment period now. 'It's the Tricare Prime people who are really struggling. If [DHA] opened up enrollment so they could switch to Tricare Select, at least they'd get away from this mess. They'd have co-pays, but would have access to specialists,' she said. Tricare snafus cause medical shortfalls for military families Certain military hospitals and clinics have returned to normal referral processing through TriWest, as the company works to improve its referral processing system, DHA officials said. Beneficiaries whose primary care managers are located at these facilities will have their referrals processed by TriWest: California: Naval Medical Center San Diego, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Naval Health Clinic Lemoore and Army Health Clinic Presidio of Monterey Colorado: Air Force Academy clinics, Peterson Air Force Base clinic, Buckley AFB clinic, Fort Carson's Evans Army Community Hospital and Schriever Space Force Base clinic Nebraska: Offutt AFB clinic Nevada: Nellis AFB's Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center Texas: Brooke Army Medical Center Washington: Madigan Army Medical Center, Naval Hospital Bremerton and Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor
