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Sformato di Spinaci (Spinach Flan)

IG Michael Horowitz: ‘Text Messages’ Contained Evidence of ‘Political Bias’ at FBI

Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz on Wednesday left the door open to the possibility that political bias played a role when FBI officials launched a probe—codenamed Crossfire Hurricane—into a Trump campaign aide in 2016. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the head of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, questioned Horowitz about his probe into the FBI’s FISA application to surveil former Trump campaign aide Carter Page for as long as a year. Johnson noted that Horowitz’s report found that Bill Priestap, the former FBI assistant director of counterintelligence, didn’t show any political bias when he opened the investigation. He said Horowitz, however, found evidence of political bias during his yearslong investigation. “We found through the text messages evidence of people’s political bias, correct,” the inspector general told the panel. Earlier…

Sformato di Spinaci (Spinach Flan)

Whether made with spinach, green beans, or artichokes, a flan is always a staple on our Christmas table. The most traditional and loved is sformato di spinaci, a spinach flan made with pureed spinach and bechamel sauce, which would suit equally well a whole roasted salmon, stuffed roast chicken, or stuffed pork loin. It is soft, rich, and festive, as expected from a Christmas side dish.

Serves 8 as a side

  • 3 1/3 pounds fresh spinach
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 3/4 cup whole milk
  • Salt
  • Grated nutmeg
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons grated Parmigiano Reggiano 
  • Butter and breadcrumbs for the ramekins

Rinse the spinach and blanch in boiling water for a few minutes, until soft. Drain and squeeze well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 

Prepare the bechamel sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan: Add the flour and whisk to toast it. When the flour gets brownish, with a delicious nutty smell, pour in the milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a whisk to avoid lumps.

When the bechamel sauce has thickened, after about 5 minutes, season with salt and add a generous pinch of grated nutmeg.

In a blender or food processor, blend the spinach, then transfer into a large bowl. Add the bechamel sauce, 2 beaten eggs, grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and an extra-good pinch each of grated nutmeg and salt, if needed, and mix well.

Butter 8 round ramekins and dust them with breadcrumbs. Distribute the spinach mixture among the ramekins and sprinkle the surfaces with breadcrumbs, then scatter a few knobs of butter on top.

Bake the flan in the oven for about 30 minutes, until golden brown.

Giulia Scarpaleggia is a Tuscan-born and -bred food writer, food photographer, and author of five cookbooks, including “From the Markets of Tuscany.” Find her online at her blog, JulsKitchen.com

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Trump Order Gives Federal Employees a Day Off for Christmas Eve

President Donald Trump issued an executive order this week giving federal employees a day off on Christmas Eve, or Dec. 24. “All executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government shall be closed and their employees excused from duty on Tuesday, December 24, 2019, the day before Christmas Day,” Trump wrote. “The heads of executive departments and agencies may determine that certain offices and installations of their organizations, or parts thereof, must remain open and that certain employees must report for duty on December 24, 2019, for reasons of national security, defense, or other public need.” Christmas Eve is not a federal holiday so without the order, federal employees would have been expected to report for work. American presidents sometimes give federal employees half a day or a day off…