BUSINESS
May 4, 2013 | By Shan Li and Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times
Occidental Petroleum shareholders ousted Chairman and former Chief Executive Ray Irani in a dramatic annual meeting that signaled the end of an era for the storied oil and gas producer. It concluded a nearly three-decade run as a director of the Los Angeles company for the 78-year-old Irani. He first took the reins as CEO in 1990 from oil industry legend Armand Hammer. Back then, Occidental was considered something of a joke in the industry, with far-flung holdings in such odd areas as film production and horse and cattle breeding.
CALIFORNIA | LOCAL
April 29, 2013 | By Dawn C. Chmielewski, Los Angeles Times
Stanley A. Dashew, an inventor and entrepreneur who helped revolutionize the credit card industry, died of natural causes Thursday in Los Angeles, according to a family spokesman. He was 96. Dashew held 40 patents in fields as diverse as credit card processing, mining, mass transit, medical equipment and offshore oil transportation. He also was an avid sailor, writer and photographer who late in life wrote for the Christian Science Monitor and the Huffington Post. At 94, he distilled his insights about life and business in a book, "You Can Do It: Inspiration and Lessons from an Inventor, Entrepreneur, and Sailor.
FOOD
April 27, 2013
As much as I love great olive oil, I also recognize that depending on how you're using it, you don't always need the most expensive. As a general rule, I use good olive oil for cooking; great olive oil for making salad dressings; and the very best olive oil when it is being drizzled over an item as a "finishing oil. " Some of my favorite brands are: Alziari, Capezzana, Castello di Ama, Fontodi, Monini DOP, Núñez de Prado and Olio Verde. When shopping for olive oil: Look for olive oil that comes in a non-clear bottle; a good oil's herbaceous qualities are destroyed by heat and light.
FOOD
April 27, 2013
Dario's olive oil cake 1½ hours, plus soaking time. Serves 20 to 24 (2 cakes) 1 cup (5 ounces) plump raisins (preferably flame raisins) 3/4 cup Vin Santo 3 whole oranges 3 extra-large eggs 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 20 grams Italian leavening (substitute: 10 grams, or about 1 tablespoon, baking soda and 10 grams, or 1 scant tablespoon, baking powder) 3 1/2 cups (14 ounces) pastry flour 2/3 cup toasted pine nuts Fresh rosemary sprigs, for garnish 1. Bring the raisins and the Vin Santo to a simmer in a small saucepan, then immediately remove from the heat.
FOOD
April 27, 2013 | By Nancy Silverton and Carolynn Carreño
Call me old-fashioned, but I am not a fan of the current trend wherein bacon, avocado and other ingredients normally considered staples of savory cooking are used to make desserts, instead of, say, a BLT. The only exception to this rule, and it's an exception I make more than once, is olive oil. Although we normally think of olive oil as something to use to make a vinaigrette, sauté soffrito or season meat, when used in a dessert, the flavor of...
FOOD
April 27, 2013
Olive oil gelato 1 hour, plus refrigerating and freezing times. Serves 8 6 extra-large egg yolks 1/4 cup cornstarch 3 cups whole milk 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 cup nonfat dry milk powder 2 tablespoons light corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup heavy whipping cream 3/4 cup finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil 1. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set a smaller bowl inside....