Drinking improves memory !

There it was at Terra.com from the news agency EFE. (sorry, could not found a link in english).


A study in New Zealand proves that the moderate consumption of wine stimulates memory. The classic one or two glasses of wine a day, besides being good for the heart, can help memory.


This does not knock down the belief that one drinks to forget, because two servings of wine are nothing!


But then came the "matador".


Sadly, the study atests that the immoderate consumption harms the neurons, not news. But in contrast with popular belief, only proves that getting hammered does not erase memory. Only the ones from the miscues that one makes when lush (works for me).
Therefore, one does not drink to forget. He drinks (a lot) to get drunk.


What sounds logical in any place in the world but Islamic nations and Utah.


Once again contradicting “Drinking to forget”, the study proves that booze
strengthens BAD memories.


Again, not so surprising since explains why all boozers are so boring!


The study hopefully will lead to the development of new treatments for memory problems and Alzheimer's.


Meanwhile, I that firmly believe that the human being learns more from its errors. Will continue my quest for self improvement. Making an effort to learn with my former problems and commit myself to even more wrongdoing helped by ethylic panacea.

So many racing so little time. Part 1

So many stuff, have to in parts.
Saturday in Ascot has Darjina vrs. the boys. Again
In the the Quenn Elizabeth II mile. George Washington is forfait and French filly is the odds on favourite in the group I.
The second force is Excellent Art, who came in second for Ramonti and is in great form. Ramonti, was shellacked by Darjina in the Moulin. But one must pay attention that he is third force in the board in the bookmaker's but it is second in the e exchange.

Difficult to go against the filly after the victory in Longchamp.
Lokked like that her major obstacles were George Washington and the “going'. Since the french star has its only defeat in soft ground. What also a downside for Ramonti and can favor Excellent Art, who has victory in heavy going.
Another plus for Excellent Art and (Cesare), that they like to come from behind over, is pace will be probably strong and can kill Ramonti and Darjina.
Duke fo Marmalade is another noteworthy name in a strong race, that attracted more five suitors. Duke of Marmalade comes from a second to Dylan Thomas in the Irish Champion Stakes and lost a mile for neck for Excellent Art.


It seems that Darjina only loses if the things goes wrong for her and Excellent Art would be the benefited. Ramonti front running front and Cesare stalking for whom are looking fr better prices.

There still it has the Kentucky Gold Cup in Turfway Park and the Jockey Club Gold Cup in Belmont.


Will be a shortage in eyedrops to take the blood away.

Iced water Lettuce

When I posted the recipe of the Carpaccio Wrap, gave the tip to put the lettuce in the water and later in the water with ice and put one “Why” that  would be a link to  future post with the explanation. The future is now....


I saw the tip for the first time in the Jose Andres t.v. show and later in the Chef at Home of canadian chef Michael Smith, both in the Casa Club TV. The first one first explained that the water rehidrates and the ice activates the chlorophyll.
At least it was what I understood of the spanish. The second one , simply it said to hidrate and leaving it crunchier. But I did not obtain good explanations, at least for the ice usage.


I made the experience in my home and was incredible. Of the same lettuce,some leaves “had been treated”and others not. The ones that had been treated were crunchy and sweet and the others were dull. Then it works. So it must have a scientific explanation for such. This is essence of the molecular gastronomy,hardly I will coagulate apple juice-alginate mix in an acid one to make caviar of fruits style El Bulli in my house, but I am eating much more flavorful lettuces in house.


The hidratation is an obvious thing, the lettuce stops of feeding when it is harvested. E starts to lose the water to the environment. Sometimes, when buying the lettuce in the market it is rough to the touch and although to have color of new, already it seems to lose firmness. So submerging the lettuce in water, it will start to recoup for osmosis the water that had lost. Until it is all good.


But and the ice. Snooped around google and my “vast” bibliography on culinary science (not to spend the molecular term…. And I did not find an explanation. My vast bibilography is the first book of the Hervé This and What Eisntein said to its cook (vol. 1 and 2) of Robert Wolke.


To such activation, for me it does not make sense. Because chlorophyll functions with light (of the sun) and this means energy absorption. E when ypu put in ice, it “removes” energy from the lettuce. The old law of the thermodynamics. But the guy is a chef and has TV program.


However the cold has the capacity to compact and compress cells, and I, that once fished in frozen river in pierced waders, can confirm it.


Perhaps that makes more sense, the cellular structure of vegetables, cellulose if I well remember, with its temperature suddenly lowered gets firmer nad crunchier. But I am speculating.


It works, tough!


But some precautions are needed. The water expands when lower of four degrees celsius, and can “blow up” the cellular structure of the vegetable and get mushy. So it must not be conserved in excessively low temperatures. Therefore the drawer of vegetables is in the part of low of the refrigerator. And also one must not to leave much time in the water with ice. It mostly to startle it!


The lettuce must not be a thousand of hours absorving water because it can saturate, blow up some cells (as a balloon) and wither.


The lettuce must be not cut to store because the ascorbic acid acts and starts to disarrange the lettuce. To keep then, the lettuce whole preferably and to clean it at time of making the salad. But now I do not find link with these explanation.


Finally you must dry the lettuce well so that I dressing sticks in it walls and not slide to the bottom deep of the plate.

La Fernandez Fierro- Canción Desesperada (Discépolo)

They are all young, talented and love retal tango.
They call theirself La Orquesta Tipica Fernadez Fierro.
The "tipical orchestra". Great rendering of the classics.
Excellent compositions and arragements.
El Chino sings with the heart in the throat.
Check more of it their YouTube user page. or in their
home-page.

Carpaccio Wrap

For bloggers/foodies that are spending too much in front the pc.

Easy, fancy and delicious

If don't leave home for buying groceries, order via internet :

Carpaccio, frozen, sliced, ready to go.

Pizza dough for skillets/saute pan cooking.

Lettuce.

Dijon Mustard, olive oil , parmeggiano cheese.
( Or anything you want, only top two are required.)

Of course, ready to go carpaccio is more expensive than your do it
yourself. But we are going for simplicity.

The dough can replaced by tortilla, pita bread, nori algae ou lettuce leave.
I use this pizza dough that are easy to find here in brazil and I use to do
besides pizza, wraps and quesadillas.

How it is made :

Take a serving of carpaccio from the freezer and let it rise to room temperature.

Take a slice of dough, get rid of the plastic wraps.

Put some clean lettuce leaves in water.

Get back to the p.c., t.v. or to your book reading.
Book, you know. That paper thing...

Twenty minutes later or the time for the carpaccio set.

Take the lettuce from water and put in iced water

Heat the dough in both side in the skillet.

Take the lettuce from water and dry very well.

Smear mustard in the bread.(Now it is a bread)

Assembly the sandwich: lettuce, carpaccio e grated cheese.

It might be those already grated cheeses because simplicity has
priority. But good parmeggiano, hard pecorino or grana padano freshly
grated can make the all difference in the world.

Wrap it!
And you can eat it in front of the computer drinking a cold beer !
Just watch to not spill in the keyboard!

Grêmio Sweeps Internacional in year series.

Grêmio gets the bragging rights with the second win in the Brazilian
footbal championship. Altough neither teams are much of challenge to
São Paulo's title drive, it is safe to say the Grêmio is having a waaaay
better season than his hatred rivals.
Brilliantly lucky last season the red shirted "colorado" Internacional
is back to his normal losing self.
Meanwhile the glorious "tricolor" is its way back to its greatness.
In a season that Grêmio won the state championship, was runner-up in
Libertadores da América and it is very much alive in the National
Champion. You probablily can say that the best award of the year is having
beated his city rivals back to back in the only two matches of this years.
Since Inter dismal playing never carried itself to playoff stages in the
others competitions. Btw, the Brasileirão is a round-robin competition.
If you things this a partial report, you're right. I am Gremista and I am LMAO.
Now, seriously, this all part of the GRe-Nal mystical experience of being a
brazilian football fan in the most hatred, traditional and best rivalry.
Very few compares to it. Once inquiried about how bad was being involved in
the Buenon Aires River-Boca(one of the greatest ones, for sure), Cesar Luiz Menotti suposedly said :
"- It could be worse. It could be GRE-NAL."
In american professional sports thr is nothing comparable, since team in
the same town don´t competes each other in the same leagues. So it you can
go to intercity or interstate rivalries. Wich it is not the same thing.
Even Boston - New York.
Maybe some college rivalrys, due to some historic value.
Maybe Mississipi State-Ole Miss.
But all the good ones are in football.
The Glasgow Celtic Rangers come to mind.
River Plate and Boca Juniors.
Palmeiras and Corinthians.
Flamengo and Vasco.
Greece, now we are talking bussiness.
Panathinaikos versus Olympyakos.
Besides that, since will be teams not for the same town. I am sorry.
No Civil wars. As much Barcelona versus Real Madrid is great.
They are indeed teams form different nations jailed in the same country.
Ther is no way Catalan kid grow to be a merengue supporter.
Here in south brazil families are friendly separated forever.
Gre-Nal is the best.
And Grêmio is this winner king.

Three stories !

Tood Pletcher will saddle three horses for mega owner Michael Taber
in Belmont today. They costed an aproximate average of six and
a half million.
Rags to Riches cost a measly million  nine hundred thousand dollars,
but it already paid itself, as a champion 3 year filly that won the
Belmont Stakes. B.t.w. that was her last start,  she had some
setbacks in her training but is back. Let's see how she shakes the
layoff in the Gazelle, a otherwise easy victory.
The Leopard, a Storm Cat colt out of a Mr.Prospector dam,
bought for two and a half million, will run the Futurity Stakes,
 a gr.II for two years old. With two races a second and a big win,
it wil not the favorite due the presence of Kodiak Kowboy. The Steve
Asmunssen trained colt that show four wins in five races, plenty of
speed but only costed 70.000 dollars.
I would keep my eye open for the Wayne Lucas
stable colt, Mythical Pegasus. I dont see many Lukas racers, and they
always a threat. The colt son of Fusaichi Pegasus out of stakes winner
Lily Capote (Capote), that all sons are winners.
The Leopard showed talent and  that he is a little green. But it is
trained by Pletcher.
And speaking of green ( sorry).
The Green Monkey finally will run, a FIFTEEN MILLION DOLLARS
purchase that is making its debut late at three years old.
No way in saying how many eyesbrows were raised over the last year
with his absence as two year old and out of the Triple Crown.
The handsome looking son of Forestry out of Unbridled dam will
always carry his price tag like a parachute.
The odds makers thinks The Green  Monkey will break its mainden in
the first try, as even money, supported only by its looks, pedigree,
a really big workout and specially the awareness his value created.
At least, with the colt fullfill its promise, he will have to run as four year
old and probabily at five. To build a value as stud, for sure. But it may give
a chance for the fans watch  more of best horses, as the triple crown stars 
are all set  to stud after  the end of the season.
 And sadly will not run next
season.

The Faceless Fisherman

So we started fishing the Silveiro River in the Chico and Nilda's Pousada Potreirinhos in 1996-97.
And we started to get the hang of it. Casting, presentations, nymphing...
Caco Fleck tried bamboo rodmaking. I build my own rods of graphite blanks.
Tita Kroef became an fixture in North Patagonia.
Ruy Varella started writing for national circulation fishing magazines.
Varella coined our trademark mantra.
In the first time we get there he got early and the river and he caught one after another with watching his casting prowess. Every time he got one hooked he yelled:
"- Rainbow."
As much a celebration as a brag. And the thing caught !
Guides from Argentina like Diego Guglielmi, the late
Roberto 'Tati' Tachinni and in special Alejandro Klap came to Brazil to teach us.
We made contact with the legendary brazilian flyfisherman's the started to came to fish "our" river. I became friends with Beto Saldanha, an extraordinaire bamboo rod builder who spent some years away from flyfishing from lack of companion.
Well, we were here !
Meanwhile...
I have a few photos hanging in the wall here, of some trophy fish that I caught over the years. A trend I started because the shop were developed the pictures I took of a fishing trip for Dorado in Esquina,Argentina gave me some blown up copies for free.
Than I caught a hefty 13 pound peacock bass, so beautiful a have to put two photos in the wall. And then I added a photo of big boga I caught with light tackle.
I had my wall of trophies, but no trouts. My prefered game fish.
I was waiting for the right one.
....

In the winter of 2000, Tita asked me if a could go for more days then our usual extended weekend of fishing in Ausentes.
Hell, yes !
So we set for a weekend to weekend, whole week of trout fishing, cigar smoking, wine drinking, never forgeting the Laphroaig bottle and the great, great food that Nilda fixed up for us.
I was very cold. And the fishing was very, very good.
After some days we found ourselves happy and acomplished.
So how about some invention.

We usually fish the Silveiro some three kilometers down of its confluence with the Marco river. And when we were feeling charged for a hike we would go to Marco river bridge to fish its way down to the confluence and then all the way to the inn.

In a homage to the Malleo river, we called that fishing Marco abajo.

But we never tried Marco arriba, where we ever wondered if there was any fish waiting for us.

A Chico's cousin Helio had stretch of the river that was said to be beautiful. So after another truckload of a breakfast we took our rods and went Marco arriba.

We planned to fish near each other, but not the same spots, to increase our possibilities but to be able to help each other.

I recall a big pool surrounded a thick vegetation that we weren't able to fish, so we started to fish faster waters, the topography built a river that were a sequences of a small fall, a run, a small pool, four or five of those as river steped domn the mountain into the valley.

We were all set with olive wooly buggers, because we meant bussiness.
After an hour or so we were as happy (for fishing and not working) as we were skunked.
No yelling, yet !
In matter of fact is was so silent that we did not have make any noise to comunicate. And for the most time, we signaled each other to not screw our chances to get the get one.
If there was any trout there.

Enough of all this building up !

I made a cast down and across the end of the run, and let the fly swing into the pool.
In the second time a stripped the line I felt tug...
Hey ! I felt a tug.
Let me set this hook and tell to the world, but with elegance, no need to scream....

"- Rain... ( then I felt second tug, but not like others, this was a strong fish)
....BOOOOOOW !"
Some much for elegance, I could not control myself, seriously, was a genuine adrenaline rush!

And the fish jumped the perfect jump. Yes, it was a big fish !

Tita saw this and crossed the river so fast he looked a cartoon running over water.
" Do not lose it ! Do not lose it !" He screamed.
"C'mon, Tinho. Do not screw this one !" I tought.
We need this photo.
Ah ! The photo.
Finally I would have a trout in my wall. This is the one ! Look at the agreggated value of this whole story !
Bragging rights forever !
And I would use my brand new water proof camera and do some under water shots.
After the longest fews minutes of my life, there it was. In Tita's net.
That was by far the biggest, most beautiful, fat, developed trout we ever saw there !
At least at that point in history.
Tita was concerned with the fish, so he handled to release ( as if I would not be as caring).
I took some under water shots. Ans when he was about to release , I said :
"- Hey, give me the fish and take photos!"
I was almost forgetting.
"- Be careful !" I could not believe he said that but I understood that was hsitory in the making.
One photo,and a second one... Just to be safe.
And the we released it.
So good a moment that after seven years, a month and nine days, I can recall everything as if it was yesterday. ( Better, considering some "yesterdays"...)

Even considering that was just a fish I felt like painted a masterpiece.

That was in the distant times of photo sensitive chemical film imprinting.
So only a week later I would see the photo.
The one for the wall.
There it was...
I did not believed my eyes.
It was all blurred... My face... I did not have one.
The best trophy trout ever made for a busted photo because I took the undewater shot and forgot to clean the lens.
There was a drop of water that that distorted the light and made me faceless.
Perfection ruined forever.
Maybe the river found a way to teach me humilty. As it ever and once again does to all fishermen.
So the photo never got to the wall, because I did not looked well in the photo. So vain.

I got a big brown in Argentina and at the right time my buddy, Paulo 'el viejo' Schreiner, camera failed, and he got it set. That beautiful fish slipped throught my hands.
Maybe a curse, maybe another river lesson.
I caught trouts that fought more, I caught that 4 pound brown in a size 18 b.h. prince nymph in the Norquinco.
And that one Marco Arriba was the best.
If I ever catch a 10 pounder in Boca Chimeuhuin or a huge steelhead or a giant running salmon. It will never be as good.
And for all the things that are good in fishing, the game, the friendship and that emptiness that fullfills my mind and awashes my soul with tranquility can not be described in a picture.
Words barely can do it. What, if you are still reading this mumblings, can realize.

And now as remember all this things and think about that moment Marco Arriba and how
I felt elated and accomplished. I realize that the only really perfect photo was that of the counfounded image of myself. I may put it in the wall to remember these feelings more often.
Or maybe I will just take down the other ones.

Darjina c'est magnifique ! Look at the jumbotron to see if you believe this time!

Photo by Le Sorcier Cardinet ! Exclusive for TTKOS !

Darjina wins the mile in the Qatar Festival at Longchamp !
And was easy, overing the mile in 1'36″80.
After the start, longshot Archipenko jumo into the lead, closely fllowed by french favorite Ramonti. Christophe Soumillon positioned Darjina third, 3 wide and stalked the pace. After them came Turtle Bowl and longshot Linngari. Then George Washington and Golden Titus further behind.
In this order they came into the stretch with Archipenko get relieved of his well acomplished mission e what the good attendance in Longchamp stands expected was the domination by Ramonti. Altough, what they witnessed was Darjina domination of Ramonti. With rare ease !
George Washington came strong late to fish a third position honors. The big disillusion was Turtle Bowl performance, he never was in the race and finished next to last !
In the Qatar Total French Arabaian Breeder’s Cup (Gr.I), only 3 runners in a fighted race. Victory by AL FATIH do Sheik Abdullah Bin Califa AL Thani, beating Jarnin and Paris Gagner

Le Sorcier made presence felt in the Prix de La Rochette.
Victory by Young Pretender,number 4, taking down odds on favourite Shediak.
Another sourcerer move.


By Le Sorcier Cardinet

Young Pretender attacks to win the Prix de La Rochette !

Photo by Le Sorcier Cardinet
The two old year colt owned by the HRH Princess Haya of Jordan storms
from behind to beat odds on favourite Shediak.

Un jour aux courses ! *

* A day at the races !
Exclusive photos by Le Sorcier Cardinet of the Longchamp reunion
Setember, 9th, 2007.
The day that filly Darjina shocked the older males in Prix du Moulin !

The Faceless Flyfisherman - A history bit

Some 30 years a go the government of Rio Grande do Sul introduced rainbow trout to the Aparados da Serra rivers trying to improve fisheries of its rivers.
It was a time of less concern with exotic species "invasions" and I guess it was sincere iniciative to improve the life of the citizens of that region.
Away from surfcasting, amateur sport fishing was far from been popular. Much less the use of artificial lures and flies.
Without a better management the fisheries disapeared with the years of overfishing and the lack of a better water conditions.
Altough it is the coldest part of Brazil, climate and altitude does not produces enough cold water year round to support a major spread of the fisheries, comparing lets say to Cordoba in Argentina. That stands in similar latitude but wich mountains are much higher.
But with good management, it showed it had potential.
In 1995 sports fishing was booming in Brazil.
Peacock Bass reached to the status of "The Amazon Ambassador", the Pesca e cia. tv show host was becaming a celebrity, new magazines popped in the stands. And of course, A River Runs Through It coined a new generation of flyfshermen that were all waiting with the "hope that a fish will rise".
The closest place people here was doing their flyfishing for trout was San Martin de Los Andes.
Two friends, decided to hunt the original late seventies trouts going fishing the mountain rivers of Bom Jesus and São José dos Ausentes.
They did not found much trout but did found a river. A place to start again.
These two heroes, Irineu Rocha and the legendary brazilain cartoonist Iotti, of Radicci fame, are our modern days Lewis and Clark.
The Silveiro River in São José dos Ausente in the lands of the Fazenda Potreirinhos and the Fazenda do Cachoeirão (the big waterfall) dos Rodrigues are for most brazilians flyfishermen , home away from home.
The fisherman started their pilmigrage winter after winter in raising numbers.
The farms jumped to the status rural tourism farm/hotels becaming lucrative bussiness in a ecomically depleted region.
The fishery, a fly only, mandatory catch and release, sustained itself with the management of the land owners and fishermans alike. Surviving years of hot , dry winters and blossoming in cold winters with fair precitations.
I started talking about that because I could not fish there these season after 10 years. And Its breaking my heart.
But its stories is worth been told and I don't want to loose these memories.

Spanish tortilla for lazy cook ! The novel.

I actually learned this recipe with Ferrán Adria...
In a video, of course. There, he gives credit for the guy that have the idea.
It might be Jose Andres, but I never understood what de El Bulli  chef said because of his hoarse voice and catalan accent.
As shown in the the video, Andres do a lovely tortilla in the way the any blogger that stand too many time at the computer can handle.

For the ones that can not get the spanish  :

• A bag of potato chips. (100g or a quarter pound)
• 5 eggs.
• A skillet and oil.

As taught by the mighty Andres :

 Mix for four lightly beaten eggs and to the chips in a bowl. Let it rest for a while, maybe 5 min.
 Heat skillet with oil.
 Beat the last egg and mix to whole thing.
 To check the salt, since the chips are salted. Drip a little of the egg in the oil, cook and taste.
 So you can  add salt and pepper to taste.
 Put the mix in the pan. 
 Fry each side and serve.
 
It is brilliant in its simplicity.
I used to slice and a sauté the potato now I use industriliazed junk food to make a gourmet meal !
Of course, Andres uses a artisan newly fried chips.
Does not show in the video excerpt that I found in Youtube.
But I watch his program in  cable and he's always buying crazy good fresh stuff in this great market in Spain. (Barcelona , I wonder!)
The beauty is if the potato looks to dry you can add more egg.
The trick is add the last at cooking time to keep the tortiilla moist, if its of your wish.
I love the spanish cooking revolution.
Viva colesterol !

Spanish Tortilla for a the lazy cook ! The movie

With the great spanish chef Jose Andres, the tapa king.
Of spanish tv show "Vamos a cocinar" e his award winning restaurants in D.C. fame



He made a very funny appearance at Letterman last month, he handled Dave's antics very well.

Horse Racing still. But how about that for a second opinion

Lawyer Ron with a rail trip. Making look easy.
Did not even got dirt, to look good in the photo


More videos at World Horse Racing blog