Eats/Reads

Read this for the great dialogue - as recommended by ' Reading Like a Writer ' - and was not disappointed. Lovely storytelling, unconventional ending and nice to read something older and so not so cinematic in its scope.

In the quest to consume root veg, I tried this soup recipe and was pleased by the results. I added more ginger and garlic than it called for, and it could have had even more. But it was nice, especially with a dollop of Greek yogurt. 1 tablespoon oil 1 cup chopped onion 2 lbs root veg, chopped (I used 1 lb beets, 1/2 lb carrots, 1/2 lb swede) 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced 2 large garlic cloves, minced 6 cups stock (I used chicken) 1 teaspoon grated orange rind About 1 teaspoon salt Freshly-ground black pepper Sour cream or yogurt In large soup pot, heat the oil. Saute the onion until it is translucent. Add the carrots, ginger, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add beets and other root veg and water or stock. Simmer the soup, covered, for 50 minutes. Add orange rind, and stir well. Puree the soup in batches (I used blender). Then season with salt and pepper. Garnish with dollop of sour cream or yogurt.

Wild Boar Korma Curry Notes: This was good but next time, more fresh garlic and ginger. The paste isn't that zesty. And add chilis or chili sauce at the table (didn't add chilis because sharing with toddler). 2 Tbsp oil 1 onion, chopped 6 mushrooms, sliced 3 Tbsp korma paste 1/2 c yogurt 1/2 c milk 1/4 c water 400 g wild boar 4 dried apricots, chopped 1 cup peas About half a ripe mango, chopped. Saute onion and mushroom in oil until soft. Add korma paste and cook for 1 minute. Add milk, yogurt and water. Add boar and apricots. Bring to simmer, cover and cook about 1 to 1.5 hours, until boar is soft. Mix in peas and mango. Cook about 5 minutes until peas are done. Serve with rice or noodles. -- 15/2/10: Finally got this right! Yummy Fish Korma Curry. 1 onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, minced 1 inch fresh ginger, minced 3 Tbsp korma paste 3 mushroom, sliced 1 tin coconut milk 1/4 c plain yogurt One large fillet pollock, cut into large chunks (10-12 ounces) 1/2 cup fresh mango, d...

Only cracked the cover on this one because the book club is reading it (despite my protests). Just managed to get through the intro without exploding with hatred at the shallowness. Then tried to push through the first section (so I'd have something to say at the club) but got so bored at her talking about finding an apartment, eating, making cool arty friends, I had to put it down. It makes me angry just writing this blurb, just thinking about the book. Blech.

Finally finished this a couple weeks ago. Got distracted by many things, and then lost the book. It was great. Perfect example of the book that would be hard to 'pitch' or workshop but is oh so worthwhile. Melds the everyday world with an extraordinary one effortlessly - and without unnecessary explanation. You are led and you follow.

This was the result of banging together what we happened to have in the fridge, rather than buying ingredients on purpose. The result was quite tasty. Notes: It was a little light on sauce, and the sauce might have been better with some lime juice. Also next time, dress the lettuce lightly too. 400g grilled salmon, flaked 2 small carrots, grated 4 scallions, chopped Fresh basil and mint, chopped About 1/4 mango, in small cubes 1 head of lettuce sauce: 1 tbsp fish sauce 1 tbsp light soy sauce 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp brown sugar 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 1 chili, minced Thai jasmine rice Mix the salad ingredients together. Mix the sauce ingredients together. Then mix the sauce with the salad. Make a bed of lettuce on a plate, put the hot rice on top, then put the salad on top of the rice.

We finally broke down and made Mexican food at home. Our nice Aunt Sarah had sent us some enchilada sauce (tasty - thanks!) so all we had to do was make tortillas and the filling. Result: Very tasty! Need to work on making tortillas softer. It could also have been spicier (maybe add more chili to beef?). If we get this recipe down, we're really never returning to the States! The tortillas: If you live in the sort of glorious locale where good tortillas (i.e. no additives and very tasty) are available at the store, by all means skip this step and just buy a pack. 250g plain white flour 150ml water 5g (about 1 tsp) salt Knead ingredients together until smooth. Let sit for about 30 mins. Divide into eight. Roll each portion into a ball. Roll until 2-3mm thick. Place frying pan on medium height. Cook for about 1 minute on each side. Wrap in tea towel to steam. [Note: Mine were a little tough. Not sure if they were too thick, or needed to be kneaded more/less. Will investigate purchase ...