A Meal in Winter is a novella following three Nazi soldiers, Bauer, Emmerich, and the unnamed narrator, in the midst of the Holocaust living on an army camp in rural Poland. To avoid being forced to shoot and kill captured Jews they go out on patrol searching for Jews hiding in the surrounding countryside and forest. Mingarelli paints a picture of a cold, brutal landscape that seems fitting considering the horrendous nature of what the characters are forced into doing. However, the rest of the book was lacking.
Both Mr BWFT and I are politics junkies, and as such were up until 5AM Friday morning watching the general election results come in (and then were up again at 7AM to go into work).
Before falling asleep on the couch we spent the beginning of the evening at an election party. I hate showing up to a party without bringing something along, and as this evening called for coffee and caffeine rather than alcohol, I decided to bring along snacks instead.
These antipasti skewers proved to be the most popular of the absurd volume of food we had amassed considering the number of people present.
This is, I suppose, less of a recipe, as it requires no cooking, but more inspiration for assembly.
Recipe
Semi-hard cheese (I've used Monte Veronese)
Cherry tomatoes
Basil
Salami (I've used Spianata Romana
Fresh, pitted olives
Toothpicks or short skewers (I picked these up in my local Chinese grocer)
Instructions
Cut cheese into small cubes. Slice salami into strips, if possible. String ingredients on skewers. Serve and enjoy!
Risotto was the first "real" food that I learned how to cook. After discovering a bag of Arborio rice hiding in the back of a cupboard I decided that at 15 years old, I probably ought to be able to make something other than mac 'n cheese, hot dogs, and tuna sandwiches.
Learning to make risotto inspired me to learn more about cooking, and the rest is history, or so they say.
Due to these beginnings risotto retains a special place in my heart. It's also damn delicious, and its versatility has meant that I have been able to adapt the dish as my palate has become more sophisticated.
Pulgia, Italy
£10, Cornelius Beer and Wine
I've had this bottle sitting on my wine rack for a little while and have been meaning to find time to open it. Watching the election pundits try to predict what was going to happen yesterday evening before the polls actually closed proved an opportune time.
Fresh calamari is nothing like the chewy pre-cooked or greasy deep-fried version that most people are familiar with. It has a sublime, very slight seafood taste to it and a texture that has a bite to it without being rubbery. Its soft, delicate flavour means calamari in many ways is a blank template for whatever flavour you want to add.
This recipe incredibly simple, allowing the flavour to shine through without overpowering the dish with too many things at one time. It's great as a starter or as a tapas dish.
I can easily see how this book would not be to everyone's taste. The story has a unique twist- it tells the story of the many different ways the protagonist's life could have unfolded based upon her own choices, the choices of others around her, impulsive decisions, the mood she is in when certain events happen, and simply pure fate. The way in which the book is written results in scenes being repeated, although usually from a different perspective and often with a different outcome. I quite liked the way in which the book was written, and found it a refreshing change from the norm.
Life After Life follows Ursula, who is born during a blizzard in 1910 into a well-off family living outside London. She experiences WWI as a child and WWII as an adult. She dies many times, only to be "reborn" at various points in her life just prior to a critical junction in time wherein she takes an alternate path to the one chosen prior.
I love sea bream. Flavour and texture wise it's quite similar to sea bass, but I find it's much easier to eat around the bones due to the difference in shape. Sea bream is known as having a sweet, firm texture. It's not fishy in the way that other white fish, such as haddock or cod are.
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| The finished product |
Baking fish in foil helps keep all of the flavour in, which means you can use just a few ingredients to achieve a really flavourful dish. The foil method often, such as in this recipe, creates a sauce in the bottom of the foil packet during cooking, which means less additional work. It's also incredibly versatile, and you can really put whatever you want in the packet. If you want your fish spicy, add some chili. I used thyme and rosemary, which are fairly hardy herbs cooking-wise, but if you prefer different ones go ahead and swap them out. Want to use butter instead of olive oil? Go for it!
