Ali does... Risotto

The other night my husband returned from a business trip to Bahrain so I decided to welcome him home with the ultimate comfort food – Risotto! The recipe I use is from Jamie Oliver’s book – “Jamie does… Spain, Italy, Sweden, Morocco, Greece, France.” This recipe is quite labor intensive and requires a great deal of patience, so do not try and rush it – trust me it will be worth the time and effort! I actually took a very long run right before I began cooking. I am too hyper to stand over a stove for over a half hour constantly stirring otherwise.

 Not only are the recipes excellent in this book, but so are the pictures. All the photos are by Jamie's friend, photographer – David Loftus, his images are half the reason to buy the book. I bought this book right after moving to Dubai because I stupidly did not bring my many cook books with me. I immediately fell in love with the travel theme of the book, the pictures alone will make you want to start booking flights - which is one of Jamie’s goals with this book. Not only to excite the reader about delicious recipes but also to encourage travel! I am fortunate enough to be in a situation where I live abroad so my husband and I are traveling frequently to other countries and taking advantage of being close to so many interesting places. This not as easy for most people, but Jamie has some great quotes in the book that struck a chord with me and hopefully you will find equally inspiring…

“I want to in inject you with a bit of impulsiveness, because the whole point of this book is to show how easy, how valuable, how exciting, it can be to hop in your car, on a train, bus or plane and fill up on other cultures. It doesn't have to be a long holiday, but I genuinely believe just a few days out of your comfort zone will give you the optimism and positivity and get you ready to face the daily routine once you're back… You can spend less money than you would if you were getting trashed for the weekend in your own home town, and you’ll have a head full of amazing memories.”

 Risotto Bianco – this is the base and if you choose you can continue to add other ingredients as I did.

4 ¼ cups vegetable stock preferably organic
Olive oil
½ and onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 stick celery, trimmed and finely chopped
1 1/3 cup risotto rice
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup white wine
A knob of butter
A large handful of freshly grated parmesan cheese

Pour your stock into a pan and leave on low heat. Get an appropriately high sided pot on a low heat and add a good lug of olive oil, the chopped onion and the celery. Cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft but not coloured. Turn the heat up to medium, add the rice and a pinch of salt and stir for 2 minutes, so that the rice sucks up all the lovely flavor and develops a nutty taste. Pour in the wine and stir until absorbed.
Add a ladleful of hot stock, stir, and wait until it’s been fully absorbed before adding more. Cook for 16 to 17 minutes, adding more stock every minute or so and stirring regularly, until the rice is al dente. This means it should be soft and a pleasure to eat, but still holds its shape. At this stage the risotto should be slightly looser than you want it to be finally, as it will thicken as it sits. Take the pan off the heat, stir or beat it the butter and parmesan, then season to taste. At this point, you’ve got an absolutely delicious risotto bianco, which is simple, lovely comfort food. You can either tuck in, or you can take it a few steps further by adding different cheeses or vegetables. Once you’ve taken it as far as you want, pop the lid on and let it sit for 2 minutes before serving. The most important thing to keep in mind is that risotto must always be oozy.

Pea and Herb Risotto

A knob of butter
1 1/3 cup frozen peas
A small bunch of fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
A small bunch of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and chopped
Tablespoon or so of goat cheese
Parmesan cheese
Extra virgin olive oil

Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat and add the peas, fresh herbs and a splash of hot water. Put the lid on and cook for 4 minutes. As you’re finishing the risotto bianco with butter and parmesan, stir in the herby peas, then put the lid back on for 2 minutes. Divide between your plates and pop a slice of goat’s cheese in the centre of each portion. Serve with some grated parmesan and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

My finished product!  I am the furthest thing from a food photographer, but it was delish!

Goth Rocks

I attended a fabulous event the other night hosted by jewelry designer Stephen Webster to promote his latest fine jewelry collection “In Deep.” His style is Gothic and very dramatic, perfect for any girl going for the “glam rock” look. I think the images will speak for themselves! 

Although his pieces are not necessarily my style, I absolutely loved his presentation of the jewels and his references to aquatic life and crustaceans. The room was decorated with massive framed images combining the underwater world and his jewels, which added to the drama of the moody lighting and goth-rock jewelry displays. There was also a designated area to try on a few pieces, which of course my friends and I could not resist! I did fall in love with his glam cocktail rings which represented the “seven deadly sins.” “Gluttony,” was my favorite – very Dubai appropriate!

Mideast Magnolia

I had a little taste of New York in Dubai the other day with my first visit to Magnolia Bakery here, (a NYC institution) located in Bloomingdale's within the Dubai Mall. (Largest mall in the world.) It's hard to believe that I have been here for quite some time and just made my first visit to the bakery here! How did it measure up to the NYC version? I thought it was even more delicious! Maybe it's because I am not spoiled here by a cupcake shop on every corner. However, that being said, Dubai is quickly becoming a little cupcake capital with several trendy cupcakes shops popping up all over town. Although there is an ocean, two continents, and a short 14 hour flight between DXB and NYC, sometimes I forget that I am so far away. One thing Dubai excels at is giving it's expats many of the comforts of "home." I guess for me that means having a Magnolia Bakery in town.

Bikini Glamour

I have to admit that one of my guilty pleasures is reading celebrity gossip magazines. I know they are cheesy and half of the articles are not even true, but whatever I still love them. In Dubai we still have some of my old favs, such as Us Weekly, Life & Style, and In Touch, however they aren’t easy to find. Normally these can only be found at the large bookstores that import international magazines, and frankly aren’t available at the checkout counter in the grocery store. However, we still have plenty of other options that I think are actually better – Ahlan and Gazia. These rags are better in my opinion because in addition to the usual nonsense they also cover more Dubai-specific social happenings and fashion articles. You can imagine my excitement when I grabbed Ahlan at the grocery store the other day and it came with the annual edition of “Ahlan’s Hot 100 Bars & Clubs.” The “Hot 100” is focused specifically on bars and clubs in Dubai and our lovely sister city, Abu Dhabi. So I was reading through all the “hot spots,” and started laughing to myself as I read the dress code at the bottom of each bar’s description. Normally, (and by normally I mean in NYC) I would not have found this funny or would have even found myself reading through each dress code description, but they are truly quite entertaining and yes these people are serious. So now when you visit me in Dubai you will be fully prepared for each night when we go out to the bars or clubbing!
I hope you find these dress codes as hilarious as I did, and no I do not know what the difference is between “outdoor glamour” and “beach chic.” I have been to many of these places and never noticed people dressed any differently from place to place. I am also pretty sure that New York City invented the need for dress codes due to the ridiculous tourists with Hawaiian shirts and/or socks with sandals look, yet I never recall encountering descriptions as interesting as these…

 Bar /Club Name - Dress Code

1897 – Stylish and trendy
Amatisa – Fun and fashionable
Apres - Relaxed après-ski style (one of my favorites)
Aquara – Relaxed
Bar 44 – Smart casual
Barzar – Cool casual
Barasti – Beach chic
Belgian Beer Café – Relaxed at the weekend
Bidi Bondi – Relaxed and sporty
Blends – Glamorous
Buddha Bar – Chic and trendy
C-Bar – Sleek and stylish
Calabar – Urban trendy
Caramel – From boardroom to bar
Cedar Lounge – Outdoor glamour
Cloud Nine – Sophisticated and understated
Cubes – Chic and trendy
Horizon Lounge – Poolside chic
Ikandy – Trendy casual
Koubba Bar – Stylish yet comfy
Locker Room – Casual cool
Nelsons – Easy chic
Okku – Designer chic (Good thing I wore a Ralph Lauren dress that night and not anything from Forever21 – can you imagine the embarrassment if the hostess checked my label? Ha!)
One to One – Dress to Impress
Pearls & Caviar – Smart and elegant
Rush – Club chic
Sho Cho – Terribly trendy (another fav)
Skyview – Suave and sophisticated
Y Bar – Very stylish
400 – Lanvin and Louboutins
Alpha – Indie cool
Boudoir – Chic and cheerful
Plastik – Bikini glamour
Divaz – Boat chic
Submarine – Funky and trendy
Triology – Club cool
Cavalli Club – Cavalli glamour… naturally!

Timeless Touch

"A monogram makes something your own and endows it with weight in a world full of random things"- Isaac Mizrahi

My bath towels from Pottery Barn

Maybe it’s the Connecticut prepster in me but I love anything with a monogram. I think there is something so stylish about adding a little personalization. A monogram adds the perfect finishing touch to any gift or room. Give me a stylized font on anything from stationary to bath towels and I am in LOVE.
Here are a few of my favorite monogrammed items which includes a few of my own!

Elegant napkins from Leontine Linens

My bedding: Pottery Barn, accent pillows: West Elm, space age bed frame: came with my place, looks like it's from another planet.

Love these lamp shade from Shades of Light

These are the adorable cupcakes we enjoyed at my wedding!  Photo by my amazing wedding photographer Alissa Dinneen.

I just bought this monogrammed bangle set by Danielle Stevens for my sister in law with her new baby's initials on it - so cutie!

Ladies Only

 Before moving to Dubai I read a lot of books and websites on the region to try and educate myself on the culture and what to expect upon my arrival. One topic that I kept coming across was designated days for ladies and children at the beach, ladies only fitness centers, ladies only salons, ladies night at bars/restaurants. In Saudi, according to my husband who is frequently there for business, they have ladies-only lines at airport security, passport control and takeaway restaurants. Of course we have many of these options in the US, but what we do not have is a ladies only section on the metro, bus, or doctor’s office waiting room. I am bringing up this topic because I had a funny thing happen to me the other day. I had a doctor’s appointment and found myself waiting in the “Ladies & Children” area not even realizing it, just out of instinct. This was not the first time I have been in a waiting room here. I remember the first time being so aware of the signs and sitting in the mixed gender section out of principal and feeling, oddly enough, that it was not appropriate for me to sit in the ladies only section, like it was not intended for a western woman. Funny how seven months here changes a person! If I am not with my husband now, I ALWAYS locate myself in the “Ladies and Families” section. Do not get the wrong idea I am not an “anti-feminist.” Have you met my mother? (Art student in the 70’s, just recently took my father’s name after 25+ years of marriage) Born and bred liberal here! However, about 80% of this city is populated by expatriates, and most of these expats are not from western countries and in many cases these cultures have had little interaction with the female gender besides immediate family. Therefore many women here feel much more comfortable amongst themselves and also some men just stare. It is totally harmless (I think), just innocent curiosity. Dubai is a very safe city. There is very little crime because penalties are severe for even a minor offense. However, whether male or female, no one likes to be starred at…
One of the many things I have learned here is the importance of not only respecting a different culture but also in many cases embracing it. You may think I am encouraging “segregation” and not agree with sitting in the Ladies waiting room, but when you are offered a free glass of bubbly because it’s Tuesday night and ladies drink for free, are you going to deny that?