Pizza bianco 500g strong white bread flour

For the base

500g strong white bread flour, plus extra for dusting 

1 x 7g sachet fast-action yeast mixed with about 150ml warm water 

1tbsp clear honey 

3tbsp olive oil 

2tsp salt

For the topping

200-250g potatoes, very thinly sliced 

1 medium red or white onion, thinly sliced 

150g Taleggio, sliced

Pizza bianco

To make the pizza base, mix all of the ingredients together in a food processor (with the dough hook attachment) for 2-3 minutes to form a stiff dough, adding a little more water during mixing if the dough isn't coming together. Cover the bowl with clingfilm; leave to prove in a warm place for a few hours, until the dough has doubled in volume.

Remove the dough from the bowl and knead it back to its original size on a lightly-floured table. Using a floured rolling pin, roll the dough out to form a circle roughly 25-30cm in diameter. Transfer the pizza base to a piece of lightly-floured greaseproof paper. Leave the dough to rise a little under a tea towel in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Preheat your oven to its maximum heat and place a circular pizza stone or baking tray inside to heat up for 20 minutes. Take your pizza base, arrange the topping ingredients over it evenly and slide it on to your stone or tray. Bake in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and the crust is golden brown.

Beer Politics drink Sam Adams

At the red end of the spectrum, Republicans are more likely to drink Sam Adams, Amstel Light, Leinenkugel and Coors Light. But the most Republican beer of them all? Shiner Bock. From what I remember from a GOP convention way way back, the bottled water of Republican choice is Fiji.

On the blue end of the spectrum .

Beer Politics drink Sam Adams

... MGD, Corona, and to a lesser degree, any microbrew or hard cider. The bluest of the blue donkey brews, though, is Heineken. (Not included in the study: beer-politics-playing President Obama's White House suds.) I don't remember what bottled water Dems like.

Undecideds and neutrals? Busch, Natty Light, Foster's, Henry Weinhard's, Miller High Life and Bud Light. Be sure to include Dos Equis drinkers in that number, because the Dos Equis fans don't like being lumped in with the World's Most Interesting Man -- an Obama booster.

The poll, graphed out by the conservative National Journal, also looked at which beer drinkers were most likely to go to the polls and actually, you know, vote, and which were most likely to stay home and, well, probably drink beer.

The most vote-motivated beer drinkers, by far: Sierra Nevada fans (who are solidly Democratic).

The lazier beers drinkers, at least when it comest to going to the polls: Corona drinkers (Dem) and Lone Star fans (Republican).

Quinoa Cuisine by Kelley Sparwasser

(You may also have the sensation of something heavy pressing on your head: That would probably be a rock, which you may or may not live under.)

There are a handful of good quinoa cookbooks out there celebrating the superfood, but Quinoa Cuisine by Jessica Harlan and Kelley Sparwasser offers a refreshingly relaxed approach to quinoa. While the authors are obviously aware of quinoa's many health benefits, there's very little of the breathless, starstruck tone that people so often seem to adopt toward quinoa. The 150 recipes don't assume that you're a health-food-store-shopper, or on a diet, or undertaking some obsessive quest to eat only superfoods for a whole year. Instead, they're just...good recipes. Using quinoa. Imagine that.

Quinoa Cuisine by Kelley Sparwasser

We connected with the authors to get their take on the quinoa craze, three recipes from the book, plus tips for cooking and baking with quinoa. 

Recipes to try:

Quinoa Salad with Kale, Pine Nuts, and Parmesan

Quinoa, Bacon, and Blue Cheese Fritters with Horseradish-Yogurt Sauce

Honey-Glazed Duck with Fig and Pistachio Red Quinoa

Epicurious: Quinoa is consistently among the top 20 search terms on Epicurious, and we were surprised to see how many of the recipes submitted for our Healthy Lunchtime Challenge contest contained quinoa--and these were recipes from 8 to 12 year-old kids! Why do you think this pseudograin is suddenly winning the popularity contest?

Jessica Harlan: It really does seem to be everywhere these days, doesn't it? I think people know that eating whole grains is good for them, but they're getting bored with brown rice and some of the other typical grains. Quinoa has a neat texture (it pops in your mouth, almost like caviar), a versatile and relatively mild flavor, and it's so quick and easy to cook--white quinoa can be ready to serve in less than 15 minutes. Plus it's got an amazing nutritional profile--it's a complete protein, high in fiber, calcium, iron and a whole list of other nutrients. It is so good for you that at one point NASA was considering it as a potential crop to grow on a space station.

Kelley Sparwasser: I agree. I feel that pseudograins, quinoa in particular, are rapidly gaining popularity. With more people turning to a gluten-free diet, quinoa offers an array of options with three varieties of the grain

Jersey race to post poned organizers

The waterfront Grand Prix of America, with the New York skyline as a backdrop, had been penciled in for June 16 next year with an asterisk against it.

It would have followed a weekend after the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal as a North American double-header.

Ecclestone had raised doubts about the Jersey race in September when he said organizers had not complied with the terms and conditions of the contract, which he added had subsequently lapsed.

Organizers issued a statement on Friday saying construction issues included needing additional time for the development of facilities along the Hudson Riverfront and for finishing the second pits and paddock garage on the site.

"We are going to be racing at Port Imperial, unfortunately just not as soon as we hoped and expected," said promoter Leo Hindery, Jr.

"We remain 100 percent committed to the Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial."

The New Jersey race would have given the United States a second round of the championship after this season's inaugural grand prix at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, next month.

Formula One has not raced in the United States since 2007, when the U.S. Grand Prix was held at Indianapolis, but teams are eager to return to a country that is a key market for sponsors and car manufacturers but one that the sport has found hard to crack over the years.

When the 10-year-deal for New Jersey was agreed a year ago, state governor Chris Christie said the three-day race weekend was likely to attract upwards of 100,000 people a day with a significant economic impact.

Injury Real Madrid international break

Left back Coentrao dropped out of the Portugal squad with a muscle complaint, and with the versatile Arbeloa also being substituted out of Spain's 1-1 home draw against France with a muscle problem, Jose Mourinho may have gaps to fill at full back in upcoming games.

It looks pretty black, Spain and Real midfielder Xabi Alonso told reporters at a promotional event on Wednesday.

It's really bad luck that in seven days we have lost all three (full backs). I am sure the boss is working on finding a solution.

Injury Real Madrid international break

Khedira missed Germany's 4-4 draw at home to Sweden after picking up a muscle injury against Ireland.

Forward Higuain suffered a knock to his ankle while helping Argentina to a 2-1 win in Chile, while his strike partner Benzema hobbled out of France's draw at the Calderon clutching his left knee.

I hope it only looks bad and that we haven't suffered any bad luck with the strikers, Alonso added.

I hope they will both be ready for Saturday. The Spanish champions host promoted Celta Vigo in La Liga on Saturday as they look to close the eight-point gap on leaders Barcelona.

Feature Gameplay Total Control Passing

TOTAL CONTROL PASSING

Passing is more important than ever in the realm of collegiate football, and NCAA Football 13 has taken great strides to give users unparalleled control over this element of the game. Total Control Passing allows quarterbacks to lead their receivers into open space, and reconfigured passing trajectories to allow QBs to drop their passes in between layers of coverage without leading receivers out of bounds and while also maintaining a realistic throwing velocity.

Feature Gameplay Total Control Passing 

READ & REACT DEFENSE

Passing isn’t the only revamped element of NCAA Football 13; pass coverage has been overhauled as well. Gone are the days of “Psychic DBs” and “Super Linebackers,” as the new Read & React Defensive AI system requires defenders to see the ball before they make a play on it. This means defenders will react in a much more realistic manner, only making plays on the ball when they actually see it in the air. Now well-executed pump fakes or play action plays are more dangerous than ever, and defenders who lose track of the ball will be hard-pressed to contain their offensive counterparts.

Lord Coe British Olympic Association chairman

A BOA committee is drawing up a list of candidates to replace Lord Moynihan, who announced last month he would be stepping down after seven years.

Lord Coe, who was recently made the UK's Olympics legacy ambassador, said: "I am happy for my name go to forward."

Lord Coe British Olympic Association chairman

The 55-year-old, a 1500 metres Olympic gold medallist in 1980 and 1984, led London's successful bid for the 2012 Olympics and was subsequently made chairman of Games organiser Locog.

As legacy ambassador, he has been asked to advise Prime Minister David Cameron on how to best secure long-term benefits for the UK following the London Games.

Mr Cameron said Lord Coe had "done a brilliant job delivering the best Games ever", adding: "Now I want him to help me deliver the best Olympic legacy ever."

Former Zimbabwe football for life

"The dark episode should now be consigned to history's dump site and it is incumbent upon the entire family of football to jealously safeguard the beautiful game from its enemies."

Others hit with life bans include players Method Mwanjali, Thomas Sweswe, Edmore Sibanda, Danisa Phiri and Guthrie Zhokinyu, ex-ZIFA official Jonathan Musavengana, player agent Kudzai Shaba and former national team fitness trainer Thompson Matenda.

football

A former coach of top-flight club Monomotapa, Rodwell Dhlakama, an official at the same club, Hope Chizuzu, and Robson Sharuko, the sports editor of Harare newspaper The Herald, were also barred for life.

The bans follow an independent investigation headed by retired high court judge Ahmed Ebrahim.

Rushwaya, who sent the national team to play unsanctioned friendlies in Thailand and Malaysia, and a Singapore-based betting syndicate allegedly fixed the results.

Ebrahim said exact details of how the Zimbabwe teams were involved in the match-fixing may never be known, but claimed those behind the scam were driven by greed.

"I don't subscribe to the view that the root cause of it (match-fixing) is economic hardship," the former judge stressed.

"I believe the motivating factor is greed and making a quick buck."

Judge Orders SEC to Explain

How Citi is getting off easy

That last one is a doozy because it highlights a major weakness in the settlement -- its narrow scope. The SEC limited its legal case against Citi to a single transaction, a CDO dubbed "Class V Funding III" that the financial giant assembled in 2006-07 as the roof was caving in on the housing sector. The investment defaulted in a matter of months, while the bank made $160 million in profits and fees.

n other words, Citi appears to have left lots of bodies in the ground, but it's paying the price for only one of those hits. And even there it's getting off lightly. The SEC charged only one Citi banker under the settlement, a lower-level executive named Brian Stoker who was gracious enough to stick his head in the noose with a series of incriminating emails.

This is a matter of will and leadership. Its chairwoman, Mary L. Schapiro, while deserving credit for pushing investigations of structured investments, is sending the signal that she does not want to lose. Her agency is meekly willing to get token settlements when the situation calls for Old Testament justice.

Someday, the SEC will have to go up against a top executive who has resources to fight, and who was too sophisticated to put anything rash in writing. This seems to be our fate: our bankers took reckless risks, but our regulators take none.

Explain deals and Selangor told

Chua added that his check showed the Talam annual report disclosed that on March 12, 2010, and April 9, 2010, the Selangor government purchased assets worth RM676mil from the company.

“Before the deal with the Pakatan Selangor government, Talam was still under PN17 with lots of debts.

“When a company is under that category, that means financially it is not in good shape and can be de-listed 

which will be detrimental to the shareholders.

“The shares of Talam cannot be traded in the stock exchange before the deal with the Selangor government.

“It is shocking that the state started out trying to recover a RM392mil debt and ended up with questionable deals amounting to more than RM1bil,” Chua said.

“The Selangor government should explain the acquisition of RM676mil worth of assets and the use of the RM392mil grant.”

He also noted that RM266mil was paid to Talam's bankers, according to the company's financial report.

Citigroup chairman Michael resignation

Everyone from analysts to insiders pointed to the 65-year-old banking veteran as the man behind the move that rattled Wall Street yesterday.

“Recall, in April Michael O’Neill replaced Richard Parsons as chairman of the board. This could have facilitated this move,” Barclays analyst Jason Goldberg said in a research report.

O’Neill’s ties to Citi’s new CEO, Michael Corbat, go back to Corbat’s days as head of Citi Holdings, the “bad bank” division that held the bank’s toxic assets in the aftermath of the financial crisis.

O’Neill had been chair of the Citi Holdings Oversight Committee since joining Citi’s board in 2009.

“They work well together,” sources say about the relationship between Corbat and O’Neill.

The Citi chairman has also made no secret about his desire to get his hands dirty in his new gig — a far different approach from his predecessor Parsons.

Court papers reveal RFK Jr financially

Mary Kennedy, mother of four and estranged wife of RFK Jr, committed suicide when she hung herself in a barn this May. Many said she was in the grips of a long-lasting battle with depression.

A petition filed last week in Surrogate’s Court in Westchester County by Mary’s former divorce attorneys, who say Robert F. Kennedy Jr. failed to pay them a promised $278,000 in legal fees, shed light on RFK Jr’s tactics during the divorce.

The petition papers detail RFK Jr’s “scorched-earth litigation approach” that left his wife cut off from a $20,000-a-month, court-approved credit card, leaving her unable to buy groceries, gas or even medical care for their son.

“Somebody living in a fifth-floor walk-up in The Bronx with cash could do more than she could,” said the source close to Mary Kennedy.

The petition said, “Unfortunately, the last months of Ms. Richardson Kennedy’s life were full of daily financial challenges, directly attributable to Mr. Kennedy’s litigation tactics executed through his family office.”

According to an agreement made in October, RFK Jr. was to continue paying his wife’s household and legal expenses. Mary and Robert F Kennedy Jr were supposed to have a $20,000-a-month limit on a joint credit card, with the bills to be paid by the Kennedy clan’s money manager, the Park Agency.

Financially cutting off his estranged wife was a  tactic meant “to squeeze her and make her panic,” said the source. Cutting Mary off came during a time when many important issues were being decided upon following the divorce, including custody and division of assets.

Judge to SEC Explain your $100M

Why should the court impose a judgment in a case in which the SEC alleges a serious securities fraud but the defendant neither admits not denies wrongdoing?” Rakoff asked the parties in a letter that set the Nov. 9 hearing.

“Given the SEC’s statutory mandate to ensure transparency in the financial marketplace, is there an overriding public interest in determining whether the SEC’s charges are true?” the judge added.

Citi ultimately pocketed $160 million in fees and trading profits off the sales of the product and its failure, while Citi’s customers were left holding the bag for the default, the SEC said.

The allegations are similar to charges the SEC brought against Goldman Sachs last year, which resulted in top Goldman execs being dragged before Congress and a $550 million fine -- the largest ever.

Rakoff also questioned Citi’s fine in comparison to Goldman’s, noting that Citi’s penalty portion is just $95 million, or “less than one-fifth” Goldman’s $535 million penalty.

“How can a securities fraud of this nature and magnitude be the result simply of negligence,” Rakoff asked.

Citigroup declined to comment.

“We look forward to responding to the questions raised by the court,” said SEC spokesman John Nester.

It isn’t the first time Judge Dread has put the brakes on the SEC’s efforts to cut a deal with a bank accused of serious wrongdoing.

In 2009, the judge made headlines when he called Schapiro on the carpet for a $33 million pact with Bank of America over allegations the bank misled shareholders about details of its Merrill Lynch acquisition.

Rakoff said the fine was paltry compared to BofA’s alleged misdeeds, and he demanded documents from both the SEC and the bank explaining the fine. He ultimately accepted a $150 million settlement with BofA, but not before criticizing the process as “half-baked justice at best.”