Eats/Reads

This was great. Super writing - quiet, reserved, very Scandinavian. Made me want to visit Norway - those cold, running rivers, those thick forests. Left so many things unanswered at the end, but nicely.

This is a brief biography of Darwin's Origin of Species - its significance within Victorian England, how it came about, who Darwin was and the ramifications his work has had up to present day. Great for someone who's forgotten most of what she learned about this in university. What really got me was not the evolutionary science - though highly relevant politically today, the science of it is pretty much taken for granted - but the story of how great works happen. Darwin was mostly unaware of the significance of what he was writing. Many friends/colleagues helped him develop his ideas, gave encouragement etc - and especially gave council around when he had to publish. It was not created in isolation. Then there's the reminder that the current reaction to a work has little relevance to its long-term significance (though 'Origin of Species' made a splash, it was not nearly as popular as some other, now unknown writings on evolution at the time - and then there's M...

Paprika chicken is a longtime favourite in our home. It's a tasty, quick, warm meal when you don't have a ton of ingredients on hand. This recipe is based on a dish I saw on Food TV ages ago. Just today I made the mistake of putting in chili powder instead of paprika - and it was yummy - so now thanks to this happy mistake it's also our chili chicken recipe. 3 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1-6 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how garlicy you want it) 2 Tbsp paprika or chili powder 1 28oz/800ml tin of chopped tomato 4 chicken breasts, thighs or legs, skin on and bone in 1/2 cup broth or water 1 1/2 tsp flour 2-3 Tbsp yogurt, sour cream or creme fraiche Handful of fresh parsley, chopped Salt and pepper In large frying pan with lid, saute onion in oil at medium heat until tender. Add garlic and saute a minute or two. Add paprika/chili powder and stir for one minute. Add tomato and broth/water and bring to a simmer. Add chicken, meat side down, and return to simm...

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.