Bourdain Remembered

I missed commenting on Anthony Bourdain in June, the month that he was born in and then 62 years later it is the month he died in. I am not a big Bourdain fan, unlike many people that I know and some of them I even love. However, his voice and perspective on food and the people who make it is a huge loss to us all. I can totally get behind a lot of things that he promoted and was big on before it was cool. I really admire his accessibility as a person. People could connect with him when he was on camera, but word has it that that is who he was when the camera wasn't rolling as well. He liked to break bread with strangers and hear their stories. When he was in a new place he sought out the best food--not the most expensive of most carefully prepared food but rather the most flavorful and interesting food. Bonus points if it served a regional delicacy. He was a big advocate for those who have little or no voice. He spoke out about service staff needing the support of diners. He advocated going to places that aren't on everyone's radar, that every place has greatness, you just have to find it. So take a moment this summer and add an experience you wouldn't have done, but that Bourdain would have loved he inspired you to do. Or at least raise a glass and toast his gusto about food and the people who make it.

Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum

Do not miss this book. It is a compact 200 pages that meanders through out Europe looking at the current swing in the direction away from democracies and towards totalitarian regimes. She starts off with her adopted country of Poland, where the process began a bit earlier and ther is less of a history of democracy deep within the culture. What is deep in the culture is religious and reacil prejudice in general and antisemetism specifically. The swing towards autocratic and also inexperienced government, while openly practicing cronyism is well known by now, but her story is intimate and compelling. She is American, but living in Poland for 25 years as the wife of a former Poland defence and foreign minister and a Jew. She then goes on to delineate fractures in democracy in Europe and of course in the United States as well, with the GOP openly resorting to voting restrictions, virtually admitting they cannot be assured of a win in a fair and open vote. This is by no means a wake up call, but rather an assessment of a situation well in progress.

Sheet Pan Orange Chicken

I am about to embark on a sheet pan chicken craze. 1 ½ - 2 lb chicken tenderloins ▢ ⅓ c honey ▢ zest of one orange ▢ 2 T freshly squeezed orange juice ▢ 2-3 garlic cloves, minced ▢ ¼ tsp crushed pepper ▢ 1 inch grated ginger ▢ ½ tsp pepper ▢ 2 large broccoli heads ▢ 3 T olive oil (separated) ▢ 2-3 garlic powder Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, whisk together honey, orange juice, orange zest, 1 T olive oil, ginger, garlic cloves, red pepper and sea salt (about ¼ tsp or to taste) and pepper. Place chicken in a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder as desired (I like garlic, can you tell??) Pour marinade over top and toss to evenly coat. Cut stems from broccoli and break into florets. Toss 2 tablespoons olive oil, dash of sea salt ½ tsp garlic powder and cracked pepper together so that broccoli is coated. This should double as oiling the sheet pan as well. Spread the broccoli out to the edges of the pan. Add the chicken to the center of the pan and pour remaining marinade over top. ** Short on time? Line the chicken straight onto the pan and pour the marinade right on top before popping in the oven. Place in oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until chicken reaches 165°F internal temperature. When you pull out the pan, some extra liquid may be on it. Blot it with a paper towel or pour it gently off the side. Serve with rice or as desired! I like to add an extra drizzle of honey and a garnish of red pepper when serving. If you are planning ahead, you can mix the orange marinade together and toss it with the chicken in a ziplock bag and allow it to really marinate until you are ready to cook. That definitely kicks up the juicy flavor but is not necessary. These meals are supposed to be simple, so keep it that way! Sunday meal prepper?? Make this and dish it out into your Tupperware so you are set for the week! Add more red pepper or kick up the heat with a bit of siracha or hot sauce. The last time I made it I went all in on the spice and got a high rating from the hubby for that one.

The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste

This book, short listed for the Booker Prize last year, is both brutal and beautiful to read. It is set in the second Italo-Ethiopian war, when Benito Mussolini invaded Ethiopia and waged was on Haile Selassie. Occasionally the thoughts of the men involved in the fighting are told, but this is mostly a the book depicting the role of women in the Ethiopian resistance, illuminating hown the story of war is not only a a masculine story. There are four central female characters: Hirut, the young orphaned servant for whom the novel is a kind of coming of age in a war; Aster, Hirut’s jealous and violent employer who gloriously leads the Ethiopian women into battle. Then there is the Cook, a Madame Defarge–like mastermind, and Ferres, an Ethiopian prostitute employed by an Italian colonel who is also a spy for the Ethiopian army. This is a bloody and brutal story, but also one that glides along through the violence and emerges on the other side into a new way of thinking. It is magical and difficult.

Parmesan Peppercord Dressing

For reasons that truly escape me, I have done almost no cooking out of the Food 52 cookbook this month, Simply Julia this month beyond several dressings that have all been easy to make and two out of three have been winneers. This one I could see having in the fridge often, especially over the summer when there is an endless array of vegetables to have in a myriad of ways, so as to mix it up in a delicious way. I served it with a spinach and romaine salad, but I could see it over spiralized zucchini or a tomato salad, or even just cucumbers. Ingredients 1/2 cup whole milk yogurt 1/2 cup real mayo 1-2 tablespoons freshly cracked peppercorns, depending on how spicy you like it 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt Thin with buttermilk, start with 2 Tbs. Instructions Roughly crack the peppercorns by placing in a heavy duty zip tight back, sealing, then hitting with a rolling pin or meat mallet to break them up into coarse pieces. Or grind them, as you like it. Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk together well. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to combine.

GOP versus American History

I hope these ludicrous attempts to bury the truth about racism being alive and well in America today go down in flames. Certainly we either become an autocracy where books are burned whole sale, Nazi Germany style, or history will judge them badly--for one, I am pretty sure when Nazis were doing the book burning they were not thinking they were going to become the poster perfect example of just how evil they were. That is my hope for the GOP, that people will hide that they were once Trumpo style Republicans, that they actively and publically supported white supremacists and tried to silence those who spoke out about what is in fact happening in front of our eyes. In the mean time it will be an exhausting time for all of us, where we avoid those who support hate and support those whop voice their hopes for tolerance, that we fight like hell for voting rights and the Republicans get defeated in their attempts to go back to white men voting and no one else. It will be ugly, and the GOP will do a scorched earth campaign, all the while wailing that the so called left isn't trying to build a coalition with them when they are in the minority. After all, McConnell is already saying that if the GOP takes the Senate they will not vote on a Supreme Court nominee that Biden puts forward. They are evil autocrats who fleece everyone to maintain power and control. Their maker will judge them and find them wanting.

The Hitman's Bodyguard (2017)

I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed this straight ahead shoot them up chase movie. I do love Samuel L. Jackson and I am fond of Ryan Reynolds, so that could have been a clue, but it wasn't. The dialogue is smart and snappy, and they play off each other very well in between the voluminous gun fire and the occasional bombs going off. The car chases are fun in a slap stick kind of way, and all in all, it was a very enjoyable, if very bloody movie. I can only hope that the sequel, which is of course why we watched this when we did, holds up in comparison. The beauty of this sort of 'take two' movie is that all the acting elements that made this fun are in place, so as long as the script isn't second rate, it should be fun. On top of that there will be people like me who missed this the first time around who will seek it out in advance of watching the newer version. I highly recommend this for the genre.

Green Beans with Mustard Seeds and Ginger

My version of these could have used more ginger, so do not be afraid to pour it on. 1 Tb vegetable oil 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds 1 Tb sesame seeds 500g fine green beans, topped and tailed a thumb of ginger, peeled and grated 1 Tb tomato paste 1/4 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper Blanch the beans ahead of time if you want this to come together quickly. Heat the oil in a lidded frying pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and sesame seeds. When the mustard seeds begin to pop, add the beans. Stir fry for a couple of minutes, then add the ginger. Stir fry a couple of minutes more, then stir in the tomato purée, turmeric, salt and pepper. Cover the pan, lower the heat and cook for another five minutes, or until the beans are tender.

Take PRIDE

I cannot even say just how much I love this photo, featuring Dr. Kevo Rivera! I am so proud to work with them! So many great things have happened in my work place this year, and all in the year of COVID, which was very bad indeed, so a true rainbow, sun shining through clouds as the rain storm passes. My only regret is that it has taken me this far into June to say how proud I am of what has happened in my life time to protect the civil rights of LGBTQIA+ Americans. Writing this on the heels of Juneteenth, and seeing where we are vis-a-vis the civil rights of the descendents of slaves, it is sobering how poorly we have done in that realm, and even more impressive the strides forward, all the while recognizing that it took altogether too long. I know that I make mistakes, I use the wrong pronouns sometimes, I am not always aware of my biases and how my language affects others, but I am working on it and I am excited to see what is coming. I know it will be colorful.

Real Life by Brandon Taylor

I read this as part of my annual quest to read all of the Booker Prize long list in the time between when it comes out and when the next is announced. Some years I am lucky enough to have read one or two already, but the one constant is that I am almost never successful in this goal. This book was short listed. The author of this book, his first, spent time in Madison and Iowa City as part of his path to becoming an author. That is relevant because the book is set in an unnamed university town in the American Midwest, where Wallace – a gay Black man from Alabama – is a graduate student in biochemistry. This isn’t strictly a "campus novel" but the academic environment which surrounds Wallace is absolutely central to the story and where it is going. Department politics, the grudges, rivalries and friendships between him and his peers, Wallace’s fraught relationship with his own supervisor are all part of what pulls him downwards. The book chronicles a single weekend, from Friday evening through to early Monday morning. It is almost like reading in real lime. Wallace gets embroiled in a series of confrontations: some professional, others personal, each fraught with tension, miscommunication and the high-pitched hum of barely repressed violence. At moments, Wallace’s apparent apathy is exasperating – his refusal, for example, to level indictments of his own at a classmate who accuses him of misogyny. Every now and then, however, he lashes out, inflicting pain, sometimes seemingly at random, to assuage his own suffering . He is human, suffering what even the most privledged of us suffer, but then piled on that is being black, being poor and all that entails, being gay, and being completely out of his element. It is exhausting, and the reader feels that. Well done.