season of the green

Deborah
Each season brings a specific dish or preparation that defines that particular year for me.

Beautiful things are popping up everywhere!

This year my springtime culinary obsession has already taken form. Sauteed baby greens served cold, as a salad with pickled red onions are going to be part of my weekly if not daily diet for the next month or two. This dish came together while I was cooking lunch in the school kitchen this week. On hand was an abundance of fresh spinach, but not enough to serve as a side dish to 200 children, so I turned it into a salad we could put on the salad bar. It was a long shot, especially when I considered how most children feel about spinach, but the students put a dent in it I am happy to report!

Knowing that all sorts of baby greens would be hitting the farmer's markets just about now I headed over to Union Square and scouted out a vendor who was very excited about her overwintered broccoli rabe, touting it's sweet flavor and warning that it was only available for a few days, maybe a week or two at most. SOLD!

 

Overwintered broccoli rabe has been planted in the fall and harvested in the early spring. 

Baby greens cook so quickly, you really only have to get them to the wilted stage. This recipe will work equally well with tender spinach, kale, chard, mustard greens, and of course broccoli rabe. Use good quality extra virgin olive oil and add lots of garlic for flavor.

Pickled red onions are easy to make. Plus, they add great color and an acidic pop to this dish.  Make a large batch (a whole onion) to keep in the fridge, it is perfect to top sandwiches and other salads all spring long. 

Tender Spring Greens Salad with Pickled Red Onions

for the greens:

1 large bunch of young greens- either one variety or a mix (about 3 cups)

4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbs. red wine vinegar

1/4 cup pickeled red onions

Wash greens carefully in cold water to remove any dirt or sand. With the water still clinging to the leaves, roughly chop them into bite sized pieces. Heat the oil in a saute pan and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for about five minutes. Add the damp greens and stir to coat them with the garlic and oil. Cook over medium heat for another five minutes till just wilted. Season with salt and pepper and the red wine vinegar, stir and remove from heat. Put greens in a bowl and stir in the pickled red onions (recipe below). Serve at room temp or serve cold after chilling for 4 hours

Pickled Red Onions

1 red onion, thinnly sliced

2 cups cold water

1 teaspoon salt

4-5 Tbs. red wine vinegar

Put the sliced onions in a large bowl and cover them with the cold water. Let the onions sit in the cold water for 10 minutes, then drain. In a small bowl, combine the onions, salt and vinegar, tossing the ingredients to combine. The onions can be ready to use in as little as 10 minutes. The longer you leave them in the vinegar the more wilted and tart they will become (a good thing)

Use the onions right away or store them in a covered container in the fridge for up to a week.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Have a Happy Passover everyone!

a spring braise

Deborah
The fruits and vegetables of Spring are coming at us at long last and I can't keep my hands off them!

This week I have been making a lot of Mediterranean inspired menus, both for myself and for clients. A light braise of tender spring vegetables is perfect this time of year and goes so well with the Moroccan tagines, spiked with preserved lemons, that keep obsessing me. Artichokes, spinach and fava beans make a great combination and really bring the season to the table.

Fresh fava beans are not always easy to find, even when in season. The average supermarket will probably not carry them. I found a bounty at Whole Foods at Union Square yesterday and grabbed them up. A pound of favas in their pods will yield about a cup and a quarter of beans. Not much. The work piles up when in addition to removing the beans from their fleshy pods, they then have to be blanched and skinned. The skinning requires a pinch and a push for every bean. Not difficult, but certainly time consuming.

Is it worth it? Well, the flavor is delicate. Favas are similar in flavor, looks and texture to young fresh lima beans or edamame, and you could substitute either of those for the favas in a recipe. But fresh favas can be considered a delicacy and so I urge you to go for it if you have the opportunity.

I cheated on the artichokes, buying frozen and saving my busy work for the favas. Fresh, tender spinach leaves melt down quickly in this dish and pull all the flavors together.

Artichoke Hearts, Spinach and Fava Beans Braised in White Wine 

1 lb. fava beans in their pods

3 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 lb. frozen artichoke hearts, defrosted

1 lb. young spinach leaves

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup chopped mint

salt and pepper to taste

For the Fava Beans:

Remove the beans from their pods and discard the pods. In boiling salted water, blanch the beans for five minutes, till tender. Strain the beans from the pot and set aside to cool. When the beans are cool enough to handle, gently remove the skin and reserve the beans.

For the Braise:

Heat the oil in a saute pan, add the onion and garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes, till the onion is soft. Add the artichoke hearts to the pan and season with salt and pepper. Cook the artichokes, stirring ocasionally, for about 10 minutes. Add the spinach to the pan and add an extra drizzle of olive oil if the pan seems dry. Stir the spinach until it is coated with oil and the ingredients are combined. Add the white wine and cover the pan. Cook at a low temperature for 6-7 minutes until the spinach has wilted. Add the fava beans and the chopped mint and stir to combine. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes till the beans are warmed through.

Serves four.

Amanda
This just might be my dinner tonight! But since it is Book Fair night at the elementary school and time is a factor, I might go for the edamame idea. But I do have one question: If I decided to go with fava beans, and did not take the time to remove the skin, would this negatively affect the outcome of the dish? I have not worked with fava beans before, so just curious...

Artichokes are one of the notorious "difficult-to-pair-with-wine" vegetables. They have a tendency to make wines taste more sweet than they actually are. I have read that adding lemon to the dish and pairing with a wine with high acidity is a good remedy for this problem. So Deb, how do you think adding fresh lemon juice to the braise would affect it?

Going this route would have me adding a little lemon juice (pending Deb's response...) and choosing a crisp Sauvignon Blanc. Buy extra, and use the same wine for the braise. The Sancerre region is located in the Loire Valley of France, and the wines are made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. They are bone dry, have racy acidity, and typically have very little oak influence. Winemakers tend to focus on bringing out the best, most pure elements of the Sauvignon Blanc grape as well as the terroir.

Sancerre is typically more expensive than the "everyday" category, but you can easily find great wines in the $15-$20 price range. Pascal Jolivet is a big name in Sancerre, and his wines are very readily available. One of my current favorites, though, is the Domaine Laporte Sancerre ($19.99). It offers zippy acidity combined with wonderful citrus, honey flavors, and a fine minerality.

a seasonal frittata

Deborah
With Spring now firmly in the air my thoughts are turning towards the highly anticipated arrival of spring vegetables. 

Tucking a few forced branches cut from my backyard adds seasonal charm to a $3 bunch of daffodils from the corner deli.

Asparagus can be found anytime of year these days, but I like to wait until Easter is in sight before busting them out on the menu. The cool nip still in the air this week stirred me to come up with a more substantial preparation for them. I was thinking about a way to serve these tender green spikes as a finger food for guests to nibble on while sipping wine before a meal. Spanish Tapas were my inspiration, a frittata specifically, one loaded with asparagus.

This is a bit of a variation on a classic frittata, almost more of a quiche, but without the crust. It was served to friends last night and appeared to be a hit!

Asparagus Frittata

1 bunch of thin asparagus

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 med. potato

3 eggs

1/4 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated fontina cheese

salt and pepper

1 Tbs Butter

Trim the ends off the asparagus and cut them into 1" pieces. In a pot of boiling salted water, blanch the asparagus for no more than 3 minutes, drain and season with salt and pepper and lemon juice, then set aside. 

Cut the potato into cubes, put pieces into a small pot, cover with water add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cooking for 10 minutes, till potato is tender. Drain, season the potato with salt and pepper and set aside. 

In a small bowl combine the eggs, cream and grated cheese and whisk to combine.

In a nonstick pan melt the butter. Spread the potatoes in a flat layer over the butter in the pan. Add the asparagus on top and then pour the egg mixture on top. Keep heat at a low even flame and let the egg mixture set. 

Using a spatula push the edges of the frittata towards the center as it is cooking, allowing the egg mixture to seep down through the vegetables. When the frittata seems to be well set on the bottom, get a plate, the same size as the pan. Lay the plate on top of the frittata and quickly flip the frittata onto the plate. Gently slide the frittata back into the pan and allow it to cook until the egg is set on the bottom side, for another minute or two. Slide the frittata out of the pan and on to a serving plate. Allow the frittata to cool to room temerature before cutting into small serving sizes. 

Sever 4-8 at room temp.

Contributors wanted:
If anyone is feeling inspired, there is a Wiki page called MyCityCuisine that is looking for contributors. The project is creating a resource for travelers looking to sample the best of local cuisines. Check it out at: MyCityCuisine.org

Amanda
While Spring may not be in the air just yet, it is still Spring. I have been so eagerly awaiting the change in produce! Twice in the past two weeks I have made dinner for friends, and both times opted to include asparagus in my dishes. And, both were pasta dishes. At first, I had planned to blanch the asparagus. Then, I considered roasting it. I finally decided to cut it into 1 inch pieces, tossed with shitakes and baby bellas with a little salt and pepper, and olive oil, and threw it in my grill basket. I let it cook on the grill for about 3 minutes, till bright green with some grill marks, but still very crunchy. I absolutely love the smoky flavor the flames give to the vegetables. Outrageously delicious. Deb's fritatta sounds wonderful. I wonder how grilled asparagus would work here? Would the grilled, smoky flavor be too overpowering? I think it could work...

Gruner Veltliner would be my wine of choice. It's one of my favorites to enjoy this time of year. Well, maybe if it was a tad bit warmer. And sunnier. And not so gloomy outside. Gruner is the most widely planted varietal in Austria. The wines typically exhibit wonderful citrus flavors and a distinct aroma of white pepper. While previously Gruners had been made in a "simple" style, today Austria's more serious winemakers have discovered that the grape can actually produce stunningly intense, complex wines. Vegetal aromas are common, like that of asparagus, and the more complex wines show beautiful tropical fruit characteristics. Extremely versatile, Gruner can pair with notoriously "difficult" foods like artichokes and asparagus. The high acidity of the wine provides a great contrast to the rich, creamy flavors of the fritatta. A perfect match for Deb's dish!

One of my current favorite Gruners is the Loimer Lois Gruner Veltliner. A steal at $11.99, it has beautiful perfumed aromatics and a spectacular spiciness on the palate. Bright, fresh and crisp, it is an ideal warm-weather wine.

spring ahead

Deborah
Sometimes you have to go backwards in order to move forward. That was the idea, at least, when my husband and I drove up to the Berkshire Mountains of Massachussets last weekend. MA is about three weeks behind us in NYC as far as weather and the seasons go.

There is still snow on the mountains and nary a bud nor green shoot in sight. What we did see was plenty of raging streams which are a real Northern springtime phenomena caused by all the melting snow.

 The water was moving so quickly if you fell in you would be whisked out of sight in a blink.

While in the Berkshires we hiked in a state forest, went to visit two museums and ate in a couple of very nice restaurants.

Beartown State Forest offered up this pristine trail around frozen Benedict Pond. The air was so pure and the silence so profound I wanted to weep. While on the trail we met a group of young hikers on their way down the mountain from where they had spent the night camping outdoors to witness the Super Full Moon. We were very impressed!

The Clark Institute in Williamstown had a European Portraits show in addition to their fantabulous nineteenth century European and American paintings collection.  MassMOCA, the gallery and performance space in North Adams, dazzled us with an over the top installation of taxidermy and plastic flower sculptures by Petah Coyne.

I couldn't resist posing in front of this delightful site-specific spray painting by artist Katharina Grosse at MassMOCA. The colors just scream SPRINGTIME!

Dinner at  Castle Street Cafe in Great Barrignton was a warm respite from the cold. They have live jazz on the weekends and we caught the tail end of a set while we ate Linguini Provencal and French Onion Soup. On Saturday night we splurged and had an elegant meal at The Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough. With a rustic yet formal simplicity, the decor, worthy of Emily Dickinson, transported us back a few centuries. It was about half way through the meal when I realized the entire dining room was lit solely by candle light. Dinner was nothing less than perfect, if perfection is your thing. I swooned over an appetizer of a single seared scallop topped with a chunk of lobster and surrounded by an insanely rich lobster sauce. Pretty darned good.

All this eating and drinking and hiking kept me too busy to think much about my own cooking. I am offering up this link to my friend and fellow chef Katie's recipe for Vegetable Stew cooked in Guinness. The idea really grabbed my interest. The stew slow cooks for four hours and the Guinnesss reduces down to a syrupy gravy. Sounds amazing!

Amanda. What would one drink with a vegetable Guinness stew if one was not drinking Guinness?

Amanda
Deb, the pictures are beautiful and it sounds like you had an amazing time! The Old Inn on the Green sounds spectacular. I fondly remember a trip I took to Great Barrington with a friend and her family when I was 14. Many, many moons ago!

For Katie's Vegetable Stew cooked in Guinness, I would definitely stick with red. The Guinness I'm sure produces a wonderfully rich, flavorful sauce. So I would opt for something medium to full bodied with plenty of depth and complexity to complement the gravy. The gravy's syrupy texture combined with the full-flavors imparted by the Guinness call for a wine that is "big" enough to not be overpowered by the sauce. Cabernet Franc has a flavor profile I think would be perfectly suited to this stew. It is one of the main grapes used in Bordeaux. It is also used in other regions to produce Bordeaux-style wines, (Meritage) when blended with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. This relative of Cabernet Sauvignon is widely planted in the Loire Valley, specifically Anjou, Saumur Champigny, and Chinon.

Typical aromas and flavors include tobacco, green pepper, raspberry, chocolate and cassis. While the most "classic" Cabernet Franc examples can be found throughout France, there are a plethora of fine domestic Cab Francs as well. The cooler French regions produce lighter versions of the grape while warmer regions such as California produce wines with greater alcohol and therefore more body. I'm thinking domestic for Katie's stew. St. Francis McCoy Vineyard Cabernet Franc is a reasonably priced ($19.99) jammy, spicey wine with hints of chocolate and a medium body.

So if Guinness is not what you're craving, ask you local wine shop for a recommendation on a great Cab Franc!

infusions

Deborah
We are on the edge of Spring and I am bouncing with joy. The longer days mean the growing season can really begin. I had the incredible good fortune to be invited to tour a NYC public school's new rooftop greenhouse, courtesy of Wellness in the Schools (WITS) and New York Sunworks. WITS worked tirelessly to get the (massive) funding for this fantastic project. The pictures tell the whole story. I will only add that we were also invited to taste the crops, picking cherry tomatoes right off the vine and plucking tender baby greens from their hydroponic homes. Heaven!

 

Isn't this sublime!? This pristine space is used for growing and teaching. What lucky students. The blue tub in the center is a fish pond that houses tilapia. Not for eating! They do something nutritious for the plants with the waste.

 

Cherry Tomatoes!

 

Cucumbers!

 Snap peas!

Hydroponically grown greens and herbs.

Everything was so fresh and green. The air made you woozy from all the Oxygen.

In case you were wondering if worm poop was good for anything.

A nibble on this kale confirmed that it was as tender as any lettuce I have ever eaten. Now this is a kale salad I would be interested in.

As a Wellness in the Schools cook I was invited to work with a few of our other cooks to come up with a harvest tasting menu to present to the entire school next month- eight hundred servings! We naturally thought of salads and are now planning the details for this exciting event. In order to showcase the leafy greens we are preparing a selection of vinaigrettes to dress them with. One way to get some variety into a standard oil and vinegar emulsion is to create some fruit infused vinegars. The fruit will give the vinaigrette a distinctively perfume-y yet subtle fruity flavor.

 

To pursue this thought and in an experimenting mood I picked up a ripe mango at my corner grocery store. Mangos come into season in May (in the Caribbean, that is) so I am pushing things a bit, but we in NY are the lucky recipients of the imported crop, so mangos in their season are worth seeking out, even here. Strawberries, again I'm pushing it, will be everywhere soon (ish) and citrus fruits are on the way out from the winter season. So stradling all this and common sence be damned, I made a few infusions for my own consumption and I would be happy to share them with you if you would like to come over for a salad.

 Get yourself some tender leafy greens; they will soon be flooding the farmers markets.

Infused vinegars: mango, strawberry and tangerine

Fruit Infused Vinegars

•Use 1/4-1/2 cup of fruit to 1 cup of cider vinegar. 

•For citrus fruits use just the peel and add a tablespoon of the zest.

•Wash and chop the fruit and smash it a bit with the back of a spoon or the side of a knife to bruise it a bit.

•Put the fruit and the vinegar in a clean jar and cover. Leave in a cool dark place or fridge for at least 24 hours.

•Strain the fruit out before using.

The strawberry vinegar is my favorite. The sweet springtime flavor really comes through. The tangerine vinegar has a beautiful bouquet. The mango vinegar had the more subtle flavor. I suggest using the ripest mango possible. Young tender salad greens will be elevated to a fragrant high when you dress them with these vinegars.

Amanda

I am in awe of all that WITS is accomplishing. Any plans for Mr. Telepan to launch it nationally??!! What an incredible gift he (and his staff) are giving to the children.

These infused vinegars sound wonderful! And simple! You can choose your wine based on the choice of fruit. For example, for a vinaigrette using strawberry, or cherry infused vinegar, pick a bright Rose with lot of ripe fruit flavors. The wines you choose should have good acidity to stand up to the acidity of the vinegar. For citrus infused vinegars, opt for a crisp Sauvignon Blanc with the characteristic citrus flavors. A bright, bubbly will work also, like Prosecco. Rieslings are also know as being highly acidic wines, and work very well with salad too. In fact, this would be a great option for a vinaigrette using mango-infused vinegar.

The main thing you want to do when pairing a salad with wine is to create flavors that are in balance. If your wine does not have enough acidity, and the dressing is to overpowering, it will fall flat. It might be a good idea to use a little more oil when making your vinaigrette - this will soften the acidity thus making it more wine-friendly. The fruit, too, will soften the acidity of the vinegar. Adding a bit of cheese to your salad is also a great idea! Cheese serves as a great neutralizer for vinegar's astringent acidity. These tips should make your wine and salad pairing much easier!

Here's to Spring and all the beautiful, healthful gifts nature has to offer us!

And congrats, Deb, for all the wonderful things you and WITS are achieving together! You are truly making a difference.

What's that green?

-DeborahWalking across Central Park this Friday afternoon I was floating on air; the promise of a new season had me elevated. Good fortune found me with my camera. Bad fortune showed the battery quickly dying. I managed to shoot a few Springtime sightings before the camera went black.

Daffodils are beginning to pop up at the 69th Street entrance on Central Park West.

Buds!

and more buds!

The grass is doing its damnedest to make an appearance.

Even the sea lions at the zoo were taking advantage of the blast of sunshine.

My giddy mood altered quickly when I got home to discover my sweetie hubby sick and cranky with a wicked head cold. SOUP was all he wanted, so I got down to business, looked into my empty cupboard and fridge and improvised a simple miso soup to soothe his throat and warm the belly.

Miso soup is so easy to make and it can handle a variety of ingredients. The miso paste itself comes in several types. I like a medium flavored miso (red) for soups rather than the dark versions (barley) or the light (white) misos. I'm not a connoisseur, but I find the medium color the most versatile. It is fun to sample different misos to see which you prefer.

MISO SOUP
Preparation:
•Heat up a quart of water or vegetable stock in a saucepan.
•When it comes to a boil add a cup of thinly sliced or grated vegetables
-some possibilities are scallions, carrots, winter squash, summer squash, mushrooms, sprouts, leafy greens, tofu, green beans, sea vegetables
•cook for about five minutes until the vegetables are tender.
•add a swig of soy sauce.
•add a small bundle of rice noodles, stir and cook five more minutes.
•place a quarter cup of miso into a stainer and lower the strainer into the soup pot stirring to dissolve the miso into the broth, do not let soup boil once miso has been added.
•taste and adjust seasoning
•serve

My husband was grateful for the steaming savory liquid, but seriously questioned what the green stuff was. SPINACH, eat it!

Amanda I would love a glass of wine right now. Forget the miso soup. What will make me think of Spring?

Amanda
In the wine world, nothing shouts "Spring" more than a beautiful, crisp glass of Rose! I haven't gone that route yet. Rather I am waiting, ever so patiently, for that first perfect Spring day. I don't want my first sip of Rose for the year to be wasted on a not-so-great day. I wait too long for that moment to have it thrown away if the weather is not "just right". So I will continue to wait.

There's nothing like sipping a glass of Rose outside, on a warm, sunny Spring day. Extremely versatile when it comes to food, pair a pretty pink wine with barbeque, grilled vegetables, salads, fish, and even omelets. There are so many wonderful values out there, and a plethora of styles to choose from. For a bigger, bolder style, seek out a Rose from the Bordeaux region of France. The Chateau Fontenille Bordeaux Clairet is a fine example, and only $11.99! A blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this Rose is full of fresh fruit and fine character. For something more crisp and light, France offers plenty of options. Look for something from Tavel, or Cotes de Provence. Domaine Ott, while pricey, can offer beautiful representations of Provence. Their Les Domaniers is a spicey blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. At around $22 it's not necessarily an "everyday" wine - but it is worth the price! Looking for something with loads of fruit? Check out a Rose from Chile, Spain or Argentina. One of my perennial favorites is the Crios Rose of Malbec from Susanna Balbo. This Argentine gem can be found in the $10 price range.

Roses are fun, warm-weather wine. Remember, these are meant to be enjoyed when young - do not cellar these. Make sure the ones you are buying are recent vintages too - look for 2010's. Stay away from anything like 2008 or before. So, go stock up on some Roses! Crack open a bottle on the first perfect Spring day that comes your way!

popped!

I kind of find it therapeutic, actually. Put on some music, have a little drink.  It's very different to cooking in a school kitchen. It's like having a massage, really.

-Jamie Oliver speaking about cooking at home for his family 

(from interview with Patt Morrison LA Times)

-Deborah

The music is on, the drink is poured. Let the massage begin! Jamie Oliver cracks me up. He is a very earnest bloke and I really admire his work. His heart and soul are truly in the right place. I am trying to imagine cooking at home as a massage and while I would not quite phrase it that way I get what he means. It is relaxing and keeps you loose and toned, both stimulated and at peace. On a good day at least! 

This week my cooking mind went blank. End of winter ingredient options are not that exciting any more. I don't know where it came from exactly, but I started having a craving for popcorn. Not the stuff you make in the microwave, but the stove top version made from whole kernels. 

This is the way I made it as a kid, in a wide pot with a coating of vegetable oil at the bottom, heated high until the three or four test kernels I had thrown in would pop. My rule of thumb then is to cover the bottom of the pot with a single layer of kernels, cover and shake. If the popping gets too frenzied and you are concerned about burning, move the pot off the flame for a few seconds periodically to allow the heat to come down. 

Popcorn can be found in farmers markets and health food stores.  It would probably be worth going organic on this one if you can. My Grenada spice mix (sea salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves and bay) was still beckoning me so I sprinkled that on top of my popped corn with a little drizzle of melted butter. What a treat! Surprisingly, the cloves in the spice mix really stood out and tasted amazing on the popcorn. I could not stop eating it. (Maybe that is not such a good thing?)  Other spice mixes would work equally well. Try curry powder or chili powder or even a blend of dried herbs. 

Popcorn with wine? Why not? It makes a great snack or party appetizer. The seasoning can be whatever you want and you could make the case that it is healthy or at least not heinously UNhealthy, so enjoy!

Amanda
I totally agree with Jamie Oliver. I find cooking extremely therapeutic - the chopping, dicing, mincing, etc. It's hypnotic. It relaxes me and just puts me completely someplace else, mentally. It's my "go to" drug so to speak.

I am tired of microwaving popcorn. In fact, I use the microwave less and less and would just love to get rid of the thing already. Next time I make popcorn, I will definitely use this method, especially since it means I don't have to go out and buy a new popcorn maker. I never would have thought of just cooking it on the stove, in a pot. Love this idea.

I would not get crazy over a wine pairing of course. Anything will do - just decide what you are in the mood for, and what the setting and occasion are. For a night curled up with a good book or movie, I would sip on something comforting - red perhaps that's rich and "warm". I might even pour myself a snifter of cognac or armagnac, especially if it is a chilly night. If this is part of party starters, I'm drinking Prosecco or Cava. If the boys want to enjoy it for their poker night or baseball game with the guys, a seasonal beer might be fun, e.g. Sam Adams Summer Ale on a warm night.

For this particular fun snack idea, I would not pair with the ingredients but rather with the context of the setting, the company, and your frame of mind!