Ottolenghi Inspired

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5vtUb9e4T1i8XIsTELEOss35BfrPdxrP_gmtKztAMX0U2yhpZe8QB0W9zKG8Le77gYiypFYrE8pIylj0msP_rIHdLmfAAIgEJRwVfZszrM3lApb937Ayyt4RLKyzuMYgKjTj6_smIio4/s1600/photo+(1).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS5vtUb9e4T1i8XIsTELEOss35BfrPdxrP_gmtKztAMX0U2yhpZe8QB0W9zKG8Le77gYiypFYrE8pIylj0msP_rIHdLmfAAIgEJRwVfZszrM3lApb937Ayyt4RLKyzuMYgKjTj6_smIio4/s400/photo+(1).JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br />If you were surprised a couple days ago to learn that I carefully followed three entire recipes from my new cookbook, so was I. (For details, see my last post, <a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2013/01/jerusalem-cookbook.html">Jerusalem: A Cookbook</a>, in which I described how I made authors Ottolenghi and Tamimi's recipe for spiced carrots, Pilpelchuma pepper and garlic spice blend for the carrots, and chicken with fennel and tangerines.) I continued reading this cookbook, and today during a visit to Barnes and Noble I even looked through Ottolenghi's other cookbook, <i>Plenty</i>, a vegetarian cookbook -- lots of recipes for eggplant, salads, and grains. He's quite an inspiring recipe author.<br /><br />Tonight for dinner, I intended to make even more recipes from <i>Jerusalem</i>. I thought I was ready. I ended up just taking some inspiration and following my own ideas, however. I expected that this would happen eventually but didn't realize it would be so quick. I have reasons.<br /><br />First of all, I had bought some lamb chops, which I thought would be a good choice for middle eastern food. As it happens, all of the lamb recipes in <i>Jerusalem </i>are for lamb meatballs or similar dishes using ground or minced lamb, not whole chops. So I had to improvise, and use some of the Pilpelchuma as a rub, adding a bit of lemon juice and rosemary. I braised them with a bit of really good red wine that Lenny got out of the wine cellar.<br /><br />Second, I planned to make roast potatoes with prunes -- a delicious-sounding recipe which Ottolenghi says is inspired by the Ashkenazi dish <i>tzimmes</i>. Oops, I waited too long and there wasn't enough time to boil then roast potatoes and to make caramel as the recipe calls for. If I'm in a hurry caramel is too scary since it can burn up if you so much as look the other way at the wrong moment or have some bad result if you mess up when adding the ice water to it. Please, Mr. O, could I be a coward and just use honey? Oh, never mind, I want to try the real recipes.<br /><br />Tonight, though, I just made mashed potatoes, using the microwave to cook them in their jackets and then mashing them while the lamb simmered. Instead of using prunes with the potatoes, I put them in the pan with the braised lamb chops. The result was actually quite delicious. Pipelchuma is quite a nice spice rub, and the prunes were a nice taste contrast with the meat and potatoes. The photo shows how I put the potatoes on a platter surrounded by chops, prunes, and sauce. Inspired, I felt.<br /><br />I definitely plan to select, shop for ingredients, and try other recipes in detail. I mean it. Honest.<br /><br /><br />

Ottolenghi Inspired

If you were surprised a couple days ago to learn that I carefully followed three entire recipes from my new cookbook, so was I. (For details...

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Jerusalem: A Cookbook

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>526</o:Words> <o:Characters>3002</o:Characters> <o:Company>University of Michigan</o:Company> <o:Lines>25</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>6</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>3686</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument></xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles></xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]><style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style><![endif]--> <!--StartFragment--> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Z1FJT7wUG6fMhFFq9dzp8CD5Oglf2aEimH0vwMl6hA7U4dj6gijlKibbigxklOuxHIaFbVOEAYTvC2Wo9BwP0IXaVwi0-73tH08vgcfeYbOGtqIdn3yk3LjWMMclHsNLajVOaV5AyZ88/s1600/jerusalem1827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Z1FJT7wUG6fMhFFq9dzp8CD5Oglf2aEimH0vwMl6hA7U4dj6gijlKibbigxklOuxHIaFbVOEAYTvC2Wo9BwP0IXaVwi0-73tH08vgcfeYbOGtqIdn3yk3LjWMMclHsNLajVOaV5AyZ88/s200/jerusalem1827.jpg" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli Jew, and Sami Tamimi, an Israeli Arab, work together at Ottolenghi’s restaurant in London. Their recently-published cookbook presents the foods of their native city: Jerusalem. They describe the era of their childhood as a much more peacful and harmonious time than the present, and hope for peace which they think might come through a shared love of hummus. I wish they would prove to be right.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">The book is beautiful. Abundant photos illustrate a variety of Jerusalem city scenes, restaurant interiors just as I remember them from past trips, and totally appetizing recipe presentations. Narratives about the foods and the relationships (often troubled) between the many communities mingle with the recipes.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">One recipe particularly appealed to me because its ingredients are so perfect for a winter dinner in the frozen north -- though thanks to a perturbed upper atmosphere, Jerusalem has received far more snow this year than my home Ann Arbor, Michigan. I made the recipe this afternoon, and we ate it for dinner -- fresh fennel, clementines, and chicken marinated and roasted with a delicious sauce. Anise-flavored liqueur and fennel seeds, along with the chicken and produce, emphasize the flavor of the fresh fennel bulbs. The recipe calls for Arak, an anise liqueur made in Beiruit, Lebanon; or Ouzo, the Greek version; or Pernod an anise-flavored French apéritif. I chose Pernod.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1cy4yQHGgNWePkW8G9XBgBQ69nUpJYuvQ7r4xSy3RuocIHFXUygPYtrGBj1Vks6FxXGRu7ab3j4mhLxzdXgVAntRVpkggVSfbE9ENUNFS56TRt5d6trxPvXBd-HdzZOiYjvapwzHUaor/s1600/jerusalem1821.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO1cy4yQHGgNWePkW8G9XBgBQ69nUpJYuvQ7r4xSy3RuocIHFXUygPYtrGBj1Vks6FxXGRu7ab3j4mhLxzdXgVAntRVpkggVSfbE9ENUNFS56TRt5d6trxPvXBd-HdzZOiYjvapwzHUaor/s400/jerusalem1821.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Here’s the chicken recipe as I made it.</div><h1>Ottolenghi and Tamimi’s Roasted Chicken with Clementines</h1><h2>Ingredients</h2><div class="MsoNormal">6.5 Tbsp (100 ml) Pernod </div><div class="MsoNormal">4 Tbsp olive oil</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 Tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 Tbsp mustard (I used Dijon, orig. calls for mustard with seeds)</div><div class="MsoNormal">3 Tbsp brown sugar</div><div class="MsoNormal">2.5 tsp salt</div><div class="MsoNormal">1.5 tsp fresh-ground black pepper</div><div class="MsoNormal">2 medium fennel bulbs (1 lb) trimmed & cut in 6 to 8 wedges</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 chicken cut in 8 to 10 pieces</div><div class="MsoNormal">4 clementines (skin included) cut in ¼ inch slices</div><div class="MsoNormal">1 Tbsp thyme leaves</div><div class="MsoNormal">2.5 tsp fennel seeds, lightly crushed</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Chopped flat-leaf parsley as a garnish</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><h2>Method</h2><div class="MsoNormal">Mix first eight ingredients together. Whisk well to make marinade. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FbWBOVwSSBMZyJZfshe03wZCJkHBRYkkc0cAvdtoe0tmeoBSgfpm-E6aKwi7wj6Qp5xmPkZy00B_jV7IcAYFeDgRyT4O8bClsoV4qjRiaCocx64mRMbhkoLJqkIrAJyMQxe3lSs4OIma/s1600/jerusalem.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8FbWBOVwSSBMZyJZfshe03wZCJkHBRYkkc0cAvdtoe0tmeoBSgfpm-E6aKwi7wj6Qp5xmPkZy00B_jV7IcAYFeDgRyT4O8bClsoV4qjRiaCocx64mRMbhkoLJqkIrAJyMQxe3lSs4OIma/s200/jerusalem.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">In large bowl place marinade and all other ingredients except parsley garnish. Combine well with your hands. Optional: marinate for several hours or overnight. I did so for around 4 hours.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Preheat oven to 475 degrees F. Place chicken skin-side up and all other ingredients in a single layer in a large roasting pan (around 12 by 14.5 inches).  Place in preheated oven and roast for 35 minutes. At this point, my chicken was cooked through but pale -- to obtain the color shown in the book’s photo, I put it under the broiler for another 5 minutes to get really brown. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">Remove chicken, fruit, and vegetables from pan to a serving dish, and boil down the sauce a bit. I put the sauce in a separate serving bowl from the chicken, though the recipe says just pour it over the chicken. Garnish with parsley.</div><h1>Side Dishes</h1><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMI9DPpK1I76MKTxpQamkrZH9xxxxnalMs6rnYyCL0Xjd8zuz9J0_8pnRQalZ6UT8YNTsu81Sm4kIeghqEWOcqphFbFiumRYcSbLVv9tJS98k13WNeHppdLJya2llI1MZeB5tbQcE1FK0/s1600/jerusalem1823.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwMI9DPpK1I76MKTxpQamkrZH9xxxxnalMs6rnYyCL0Xjd8zuz9J0_8pnRQalZ6UT8YNTsu81Sm4kIeghqEWOcqphFbFiumRYcSbLVv9tJS98k13WNeHppdLJya2llI1MZeB5tbQcE1FK0/s320/jerusalem1823.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I tried a couple of other recipes from the cookbook for tonight’s dinner as well. I made a spicy carrot dish, which I believe I once ate in a restaurant in Tel Aviv where our cousin Janet took us. It contains carrots (serendipity: I was making stock from the chicken trimmings so I cooked the carrots in the stock), fried onion, sugar, cider vinegar, and a spice blend called Pilpelchuma (recipe in the condiment section). The carrots are served with arugula.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUjEm9AqWL-aSNAfI_8dCIEQPWie4dt8KNNBpcXWDkGkvW0gcW0ucnuKH_vl7Mz1X9UaG4W-zqpcJGv4bq2LiipJmrPEWWU-bG7GZq9Wd6QqkV3OB7z_xU3Oqi_gRImCd9KBznsqXw_Zf/s1600/jerusalem1817.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUjEm9AqWL-aSNAfI_8dCIEQPWie4dt8KNNBpcXWDkGkvW0gcW0ucnuKH_vl7Mz1X9UaG4W-zqpcJGv4bq2LiipJmrPEWWU-bG7GZq9Wd6QqkV3OB7z_xU3Oqi_gRImCd9KBznsqXw_Zf/s320/jerusalem1817.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I also served some cucumbers with Greek yogurt sprinkled with some newly-bought zaatar spice blend, and I put out some mixed Mediterranean olives since I have never been to an Israeli restaurant that didn’t serve some olives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal">I just love this cookbook!</div><!--EndFragment-->

Jerusalem: A Cookbook

Yotam Ottolenghi, an Israeli Jew, and Sami Tamimi, an Israeli Arab, work together at Ottolenghi’s restaurant in London. Their recently-...

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Hooray for Ellen and Alec!

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jLXf4A_YQ3hvs094aGXai-GtrHvdPLG-gwf3f7P7HSxfCUwVihPpZAngUjK5wj0bKOZ_QNYrqBjleMK_F5liyK4_e-2DXXfzCeIrf1rEjdrLsaburQXx6bb53Lfwft4bREVVmGpDGa9U/s1600/chili0023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="528" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_jLXf4A_YQ3hvs094aGXai-GtrHvdPLG-gwf3f7P7HSxfCUwVihPpZAngUjK5wj0bKOZ_QNYrqBjleMK_F5liyK4_e-2DXXfzCeIrf1rEjdrLsaburQXx6bb53Lfwft4bREVVmGpDGa9U/s640/chili0023.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Dinner tonight: Alec and Ellen's Award-Winning Chili, made according to their recipe, using their special Texas chili seasoning mix. I'm so glad to have more of this great spice blend. As shown in the photo, I also made cornbread (using a New York Times recipe) and a salad of avocado and grapefruit sections from TEXAS grapefruits.<br /><br />I followed the recipe carefully -- it makes enough for 8 or 10 servings, but I only warmed up enough for the two of us. As instructed I did not put any beans in it!<br /><br />Link to first post on Texas Red: http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2006/11/texas-red.html

Hooray for Ellen and Alec!

Dinner tonight: Alec and Ellen's Award-Winning Chili, made according to their recipe, using their special Texas chili seasoning mix. I&#...

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And later, a movie...

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNur5XKCYZ3TZOMLDqFAkeQzlF9c8L89hXbraMtqRiCPjr6exOnuLPIYtgpCrV_LickW7Caa7ecFbrvGUq1nTzZC1ZfF0xr3wFG0jFCm6LHVqSWHAtfqJqPZkrHTgy8wgOSBofZW96ElQ2/s1600/christmas1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNur5XKCYZ3TZOMLDqFAkeQzlF9c8L89hXbraMtqRiCPjr6exOnuLPIYtgpCrV_LickW7Caa7ecFbrvGUq1nTzZC1ZfF0xr3wFG0jFCm6LHVqSWHAtfqJqPZkrHTgy8wgOSBofZW96ElQ2/s400/christmas1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6VGpm2wO6hi8yCemrZl3Orb2KxqxEW7Cfz-rLIjdWgZ0hy4gLVxqCEK7zLMUY7CxKABx5bD6EtdsS_rJbLTPQcEeRcS1s76-0xovudXGbH7nTmX5iADcI1C_g6bT6ke4R1tLHZC9xQzU/s1600/christmas2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6VGpm2wO6hi8yCemrZl3Orb2KxqxEW7Cfz-rLIjdWgZ0hy4gLVxqCEK7zLMUY7CxKABx5bD6EtdsS_rJbLTPQcEeRcS1s76-0xovudXGbH7nTmX5iADcI1C_g6bT6ke4R1tLHZC9xQzU/s400/christmas2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;">Jay and Ruby</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsMYrr0UWL0zGiobdF1595Ts6PGDaSJnhHGo0Tln7WfzctS0D-V4UMzZtqqBZFH8HSzBKL6km1lPltbtQmCMk1jZ-UWBhCuuwCpY9p8NJ_mp9046zBfHF-JNPJazDTUN2kk8yGHZQTrEw/s1600/christmas3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwsMYrr0UWL0zGiobdF1595Ts6PGDaSJnhHGo0Tln7WfzctS0D-V4UMzZtqqBZFH8HSzBKL6km1lPltbtQmCMk1jZ-UWBhCuuwCpY9p8NJ_mp9046zBfHF-JNPJazDTUN2kk8yGHZQTrEw/s400/christmas3.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYm9vKB4-V0EfbsncjedIbVUYBzgfGam26qKSHoQ_2FPXpPwrKtwqx3HqpYtH8jTVwdWXbdAvh3MvFGPHOKKj8DAyUCie9MT1ril-EUIEu7HykJtapRydiQ5Cy7qUWZRIG0xNuF7eAUsD/s1600/christmas4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitYm9vKB4-V0EfbsncjedIbVUYBzgfGam26qKSHoQ_2FPXpPwrKtwqx3HqpYtH8jTVwdWXbdAvh3MvFGPHOKKj8DAyUCie9MT1ril-EUIEu7HykJtapRydiQ5Cy7qUWZRIG0xNuF7eAUsD/s400/christmas4.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />Other things we selected from the dim-sum carts: potstickers, pork buns, almond and mango pudding, three kinds of shrimp dumplings, red-cooked pork, cucumbers in vinegar, sticky rice. Things we wished we could have eaten too: greens, chicken feet, lots of other kinds of dumplings...<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjA3gEZu_9HpgwE_iCjBt4WW_b-P-mKTyfXMQYdsp4LYIPksavIRReXHTC-3QLswOwAurYIjgYvmfHoqRgvLQU8JuSrtRUAywrCvovPMKOyB9BK3U5t_7PTWcrYqlG_sCsbHbpvt0-olP/s1600/christmas6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzjA3gEZu_9HpgwE_iCjBt4WW_b-P-mKTyfXMQYdsp4LYIPksavIRReXHTC-3QLswOwAurYIjgYvmfHoqRgvLQU8JuSrtRUAywrCvovPMKOyB9BK3U5t_7PTWcrYqlG_sCsbHbpvt0-olP/s640/christmas6.jpg" width="456" /></a></div><br />LuLu's Chinese seafood restaurant near Olivette, Mo. Note that the dragon's eye is a Christmas light.

And later, a movie...

Jay and Ruby Other things we selected from the dim-sum carts: potstickers, pork buns, almond and mango pudding, three kinds of shrimp dumpli...

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Tequila!

I am reading <i>Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History</i> by Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata and Gary Paul Nabhan. Science and poetic description combine beautifully as the author describes the taxonomy of the agave plant used in the beverage, its long history beginning in prehistoric Mexico, and the lives and traditions of the Mexican agricultural workers who plant, cultivate, and harvest the agave crop. Valenzuela-Zapata describes their hard physical labor and the taxing heat and aridity of the fields, the simple meals they cook and eat while working, and their "quixotic" oral tradition.<br /><br />"Mescaleros are forever spinning yarns about mescal -- the plant and the spirit -- while working in fields or resting in the nearby shade, and while jiving on the street corner or drinking in the cantina on the village plaza," writes the author. "They keep up their running commentary while bolting for cover during a sudden downpour, or cursing the sun as it bakes the plants they have tended for seasons." (p. 31)<br /><br />The labor continues in the distilleries where huge harvested "pinas" are roasted and their liquid fermented, possibly with sugar, into a variety of tequilas. The lore continues, backward and forward in time, in many traditions of eating and drinking the fruit of this very widespread plant.<br /><br />Two images kept recurring in  my mind. One was of a worker taking care of huge agave plants at Lotus Land, an eccentric botanical garden in Santa Barbara that I visited in 2003; you can see the large pine-cone-like agave bulb similar to that used to make tequila:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMi40OfqYJ46Ub_Pb6k0yU-F89G0zce3PwcvF_FV1Ra7h-T4Fko5f8NJsbsRAqjtAfsXyc6RW4SKX7lxMubxWmFTJD0D93mLmBU3fUZhByjJDKfOdgnKv9kXHzzdN4FZlDv5fTXhGF-DU_/s1600/114_1403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMi40OfqYJ46Ub_Pb6k0yU-F89G0zce3PwcvF_FV1Ra7h-T4Fko5f8NJsbsRAqjtAfsXyc6RW4SKX7lxMubxWmFTJD0D93mLmBU3fUZhByjJDKfOdgnKv9kXHzzdN4FZlDv5fTXhGF-DU_/s400/114_1403.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />The second image is of Mayahuel, Aztec goddess of agave, mentioned at various points in the book:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUwFnllBjcnhBYZnvPy8d-hi-w_SWnLLNdXbIjVChCIgDLJCFPvfwQ8K3DiyxbZ1HXG_y7Y53wnuH3eNF16c8NwN8YkLuDP_uA9pZNfDlZfboRY8jWFMack4n7fCL1yOdQ_MfHrO_qMUu/s1600/mayahuel-goddess.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="530" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhUwFnllBjcnhBYZnvPy8d-hi-w_SWnLLNdXbIjVChCIgDLJCFPvfwQ8K3DiyxbZ1HXG_y7Y53wnuH3eNF16c8NwN8YkLuDP_uA9pZNfDlZfboRY8jWFMack4n7fCL1yOdQ_MfHrO_qMUu/s640/mayahuel-goddess.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />I'm looking forward to a lively discussion of the book in my culinary book club next week.

Tequila!

I am reading Tequila! A Natural and Cultural History by Ana G. Valenzuela-Zapata and Gary Paul Nabhan. Science and poetic description combi...

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Turkey Sushi

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVVOHb00E6KhCuGl8ZqX0M-pJwmHcXhPrW8ZWlFdzBfFPV5IETrWroUB_0oPSF8coSmGIMqBcvQ6dhOdlsX7q1n46eft0nMNFQh99Jso0DnOOHgg7EjgAEER1CXqaEjs2hzClbHXJDtPk/s1600/turkeysushi1615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOVVOHb00E6KhCuGl8ZqX0M-pJwmHcXhPrW8ZWlFdzBfFPV5IETrWroUB_0oPSF8coSmGIMqBcvQ6dhOdlsX7q1n46eft0nMNFQh99Jso0DnOOHgg7EjgAEER1CXqaEjs2hzClbHXJDtPk/s640/turkeysushi1615.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />For lunch, we couldn't go out for sushi since we still had a lot of turkey and other leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. So I made Thanksgiving sushi, as illustrated above. Then we got in the car and drove from Lafayette to Ann Arbor where we are safely home. We have no leftovers here so maybe we'll have fish sushi or some other not so Thanksgiving-y dinner.

Turkey Sushi

For lunch, we couldn't go out for sushi since we still had a lot of turkey and other leftovers from Thanksgiving dinner. So I made Thank...

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Fresh Eggs

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNcVpdE2yyRzNw_3IMamNIJo5t7hyfodzCjdtSaIMTY9gOT-RVhrvR-ZO6UkzUtsdAMzckoVFMIFaCeO4hDdopyVw-YIZEMp_0b2j46NAj91uqWyQQjNGX2d6lJoGRKx5-YX3sDZkCcGB/s1600/IMG_1608.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcNcVpdE2yyRzNw_3IMamNIJo5t7hyfodzCjdtSaIMTY9gOT-RVhrvR-ZO6UkzUtsdAMzckoVFMIFaCeO4hDdopyVw-YIZEMp_0b2j46NAj91uqWyQQjNGX2d6lJoGRKx5-YX3sDZkCcGB/s320/IMG_1608.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />The whitish green eggs are from a hen named Jello and the brown eggs are from a hen named Marguerite. Jello and Marguerite and another hen all live in the back yard of our neighbors, who gave us these wonderful eggs. We brought them along for our Thanksgiving visit to Lafayette.<br /><br />When I cracked them open, I could see how fresh they looked:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhxeUpKamASvMQcIfxh6aMC9zPmMw7mrDsGJgdEFAWVOEyDNfBujaIXv9-v4NBMg-eCOxomgkvb_dqyeiayNOmI_KLV5gCq5zbqQ9P1YHyKUfuSDRxxjaZpM4gERu9UliIhZiPkM59Jnc/s1600/IMG_1610.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVhxeUpKamASvMQcIfxh6aMC9zPmMw7mrDsGJgdEFAWVOEyDNfBujaIXv9-v4NBMg-eCOxomgkvb_dqyeiayNOmI_KLV5gCq5zbqQ9P1YHyKUfuSDRxxjaZpM4gERu9UliIhZiPkM59Jnc/s320/IMG_1610.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />I made them into a tortilla espanola, that is, a potato omelet.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN38fIR1n7lKmtmATvXXaPPXNeCUcxKyGA_QEryz5g3PgPtiMV7sBeWIHQM6145ch4YrawyjJbOA8tJA1wTRXbBjO_YkRurdw6s7vKYrpAXPz59LbwcSQUwVrz-KI7qywMBnYthPEThy0c/s1600/IMG_1613.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN38fIR1n7lKmtmATvXXaPPXNeCUcxKyGA_QEryz5g3PgPtiMV7sBeWIHQM6145ch4YrawyjJbOA8tJA1wTRXbBjO_YkRurdw6s7vKYrpAXPz59LbwcSQUwVrz-KI7qywMBnYthPEThy0c/s320/IMG_1613.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />We have eaten it all! We are thankful to our neighbors for the lovely eggs.

Fresh Eggs

The whitish green eggs are from a hen named Jello and the brown eggs are from a hen named Marguerite. Jello and Marguerite and another hen a...

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