The Kremlin, Moscow, Russia

I loved the Kremlin.  That realization came as a shock to me.  I hadn't expected to love Moscow, but it turned out that I did.   Moscow's modern  history began around 1147, when Yuri Dolgoruky, Grand Duke of Kiev, built a wooden fort at the point where the Neglina and Moskva Rivers converge. The city grew rapidly, but wood was just not the best structure to defend.   It was  razed by the Mongols in 1208, however the city recovered.  The city was soon powerful enough to attain primacy among the Russian principalities, acknowledged in 1326 when the seat of the Russian Orthodox Church moved there from Vladimir.

At the same time, stone buildings began to appear in the Kremlin and, by the end of the 14^th Century, the citadel was fortified with stone walls. Under Ivan the Great (1462 - 1505), the Kremlin became the center of a unified Russian state, and was extensively remodeled, as befitted its new status. Meanwhile, Moscow spread outside the walls of the citadel, and the Kremlin became a world apart, the base of the twin powers of state and religion.

Peter the Great moved the capital to Petersburg in order to strengthen ties with Europe. It wasn't until after the 1917 Revolution, the Kremlin regained its rightful place as the seat of the Russian government, and the legacy of the Communist era is still visible in the large red stars that top many of the defensive towers, and in the vast, modern State Kremlin Palace, originally the Palace of Congresses.

Ratatouille

This recipe is different from the Mark Bittman approach and produces a dish with the same basic ingredients and spices, but a different texture and therefore a very different dish.  Bittman advocates cooking the component parts of ratatouille separately, because they need differing amounts of time to achieve the same consistency.  This recipe (which also adds peppers, a non-traditional component of the classic dish).  This one is very tasty, and a good uses of the end of summer supply of vegetables.

• 1 eggplant
• 3 zucchini or summer squash
• 2 onions
• 2-3 bell peppers
•  1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt to taste, if desired
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons finely minced garlic
• 4 cups tomatoes, chopped 
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• ½ cup drained capers
• ½ cup finely chopped parsley

1. Trim off the ends of the eggplant and zucchini. Do not peel. Cut each into cubes measuring about one inch or slightly larger. There should be about nine cups of eggplant cubes and six of zucchini.
2. Peel the onions and cut into one-half-inch cubes. There should be about one and one-half cups.
3. Core, seed and devein the green peppers, and cut them into one-inch pieces. There should be about two and one-half cups.
4. Heat the oil in a large heavy casserole and add the eggplant and zucchini. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, over high heat until the vegetables start to brown, about five minutes.
5. Add the onions, green peppers and garlic. Cook, stirring, over high heat, about two minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, and stir to blend. Add the bay leaf, thyme and capers. Add salt and pepper. Bring to the boil and cover closely. Reduce the heat and let simmer 30 minutes. Stir in the parsley and remove from the heat.

Did You Ever Have a Family? by Bill Clegg

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This is the first novel by the author, and the book was long listed for the Booker Prize, so a great accomplishment in and of itself.  It is a story about a community of people connected by either love or family to a tragic event.  The book shifts from one voice to another in the aftermath of a house having exploded on the morning of a wedding.  June is the mother of the bride, and she survives the explosion, but her much younger lover, Luke, does not, nor does her daughter, who was the bride.  For complicated reasons, she vanishes and does not answer those who try to contact her.  Luke’s mother has a complicated relationship with June and her own path through grief is explored.  The other characters that have a voice in the book reveal what lies behind the events that set the cascade of events in motion. 

The best part of the book is the exploration of the ties that bind parents and children.  The mothers who have lost their children had imperfect relationship with their offspring.  In different ways, the mothers have favored the men in their lives over the best interests of their children, and can serve as life lessons to parents who want to do things that are in the best interest of their offspring.

Being Part of Community Sustained Agriculture

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We have been a part of a CSA off and on over the past two decades.  We have been in our current CSA for two years, but we have had a relationship with the Jutz farm in Solon going back many years when we bought pigs from them.  Their kids raised them through 4H and our kids grew up eating their pork.  We still think those are the best brats, and I haven’t really eaten them since because those were the gold standard and not much has been commensurate.  The same is true for the breakfast sausage.  But their vegetable CSA has been a new and great experience.  It has spawned innovation in our kitchen.  We have expanded our repertoire for summer squash as never before.  Every New York Times recipe that highlighted squash was on our table within a week or two.  We have regularly had dinners with three to four side dishes made entirely with local produce.  Everybody wins with that.  Not only does it keep us knee deep in vegetable dishes all summer, we also got a homemade loaf of bread and a dozen eggs every week.  That can be a meal in itself.  The CSA partners with others to provide options that they cannot.  We get chickens and fruit that are fantastic too.  So we can round out our table with one stop shopping.  In the summer, the traditional market shopping lists are short and our visits are few and far between.  What is not to love?  We are tapering off to every other week for the fall, and all too soon it will come to an end until spring (I live in Iowa after all), but while it is something to miss, it is also something to look forward to as well.  

Greens and Corn Gratin

Yet another way to have greens!  In the summer it becomes impreative that one have a multitude of ways to eat ones greens and this was delicious, and it takes advantage of the summer corn that you  might have stored away.  It is an easy dish to throw together at the last minute, and one that the vegetarian in the crowd can enjoy along with others.

• 1 generous bunch greens
• Salt
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Black pepper
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup milk
• 2 to 3 ounces Gruyère or other strong flavored cheese, grated (1/2 to 3/4 cup)
•   1 1/2 to 2 cups of corn
• 1 ounce Parmesan, grated (1/4 cup)

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Oil a 2-quart baking dish or gratin.
2. Blanch greens: Bring a large pot of water to a boil while you stem and wash the chard leaves. When the water comes to a boil, salt generously and add chard leaves. (Set aside stems for another use, or discard.) Blanch 1 to 2 minutes, until tender but still bright. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, then drain thoroughly and squeeze out excess water; chop medium-fine.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute, then stir in rosemary, thyme and chopped blanched greens. Season with salt and pepper and stir over medium heat until chard is nicely coated with oil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
4. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Stir in chard mixture and Gruyère. Stir in corn and mix well. Scrape into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Parmesan over top and drizzle with remaining olive oil.
5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until nicely browned on the top and sides. Allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before serving.

The Encomium of Helen by Gorgias

One of the perks of having children in college is that I have been exposed to lots of great works of writing that I missed in my youth.  My youngest is an auditory learner and a classics major, so I have spent countless hours reading writings from the ancient world to him.  Many of the works of ancient Greeks and Romans have been lost forever or are only known because other writers have paraphrased their work.  Gorgias was luckier than that.  He was a Sophist of the 5^th century BCE and four of his works survive to the modern age.  His defense of Helen is an interesting example of rhetoric that is disconnected from a moral and ethical stance.  The Sophists were slammed by Socrates and his acolytes for just this problem—no moral compass.  The good news is that his rhetoric is very accessible.

Helen was at the center of the disastrous war with Troy.  It went on for ten years,  led to the destruction of Troy, and spawned three epics (The Iliad, The Odyssey, and The Aeneid).

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Gorgias’ contended that Helen could have been bewitched by the gods so that it was her fate to leave her husband and go with Paris.  That is my assessment and I was surprised to  find out that she was blamed in the ancient world.  The other options that Gorgias considers are that she was forced to go against her will, that she fell in love with Paris (which he argues leaves her blameless—others might disagree) and then most interestingly, he argues that she might have been deceived by Paris’ rhetoric.  He gives a discourse on how a good persuasive speech can be dangerously effective.  He says that Helen should be forgiven if she fell for such a persuasive speech, because such rhetoric is overwhelmingly seductive to the point of being witchcraft.  I was initially quite skeptical, and then I thought about the current Republican candidates for president, and realized that Gorgias could easily be talking about Donald Trump.

The Joys of Travel Do Not Necessarily Include Airports

I love to travel.  I am not even sure what it is about it.  I love seeing new places, eating new food, seeing art that speaks to me, watching the scenery go by from my car or train window, visiting architectural sites, and so much more.  I love to learn new things.  Planning a trip to a destination, be it 50 miles or 5,000 miles away, gets me to learn more about it in anticipation and to carve out time while I am there to learn even more.  I love walking around new places, seeing them up close. 

So that’s the good news.  The bad news is that air travel is worse than ever, with the exception of safety.  That is the best. Timeliness and comfort have gone by the wayside.  The trip I just took had relatively few problems, as these things go, but both flights were delayed.  The first delay was not off set by the second one, because we were on the plane for the second one, of course.  I ameliorate the baggage issue whenever I can by packing a pack that can fit into the overhead bin on even the smallest of regional jets, so it has been a while since I have had to wait plane side for my gate checked bag or spending a night without my checked bag.  But those experiences are all part of the problem.  

The last problem is the nutritional opportunities at airports.  It is expensive and largely inadequate.  Increasingly I bring my own food to avoid a lot of processing.  Unfortunately, two things that are excellent foods for plane travel are peanut butter and yogurt.  These are variably considered liquids by TSA.  So cross those off your list.  I bring nuts, fruit that travels well (oranges and apples, not bananas), long lasting vegetables like celery and carrot sticks, hard cheeses that I have pre-sliced, crackers that are good when broken, sliced cooked meats, especially smoked meats, all of which can be purchased for a price that is less than the cost of one sandwich at an airport.  There is no sign that this will improve in the future, and climate change is upon us, so until we have good high speed train travel in the US, come prepared emotionally and physically to not enjoy the nuts and bolts of air travel.

Carmel Frosted Brown Sugar Cookies

These cookies are described as strangely addictive, and while I was quite skeptical of this, especially since I am not a fan of the caky  cookie, it turns out there really is something strangely addictive about them.

• 2¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
• 1⅓ cups packed light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
• ⅔ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup chopped pecans

Caramel Frosting

• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut in chunks
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2½ tablespoons hot water
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1½ cups powdered sugar, sifted after measuring
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• Chopped pecans for garnish

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease 2 baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. Sift flour and baking soda together into a bowl. Add salt. Set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar and butter until fluffy.
4. Add eggs one at a time and vanilla extract. Beat until evenly mixed, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
5. Lightly beat in half of flour mixture.
6. Beat in sour cream until blended well.
7. Add remaining flour mixture and pecans and beat until mixed.  Let dough sit in refrigerator overnight.
8. Using a ⅛-cup measure cup or 50 scoop, drop dough in even mounds on prepared sheets, leaving 2½ inches between cookies. Lightly flatten the tops of cookies using your hand or the back of a spoon.
9. Bake 1 sheet at a time placing in the upper third of the oven for 9 to 12 minutes. Edges should be turning light gold and center should be just barely firm. Let cool on pans for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.
10. For frosting, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer butter, stirring occasionally until it turns slightly golden and smells very fragrant, about 3 minutes.
11. Add brown sugar and cook 1 minute while stirring.
12. Stir in hot water and corn syrup until well mixed and sugar dissolves.
13. Vigorously stir in powdered sugar and vanilla extract until completely smooth. Add sea salt.
14. Frost cookies before frosting sets and sprinkle with pecans

The Fishermen by Chigozie Obioma

This book was short listed for the Booker Prize this year, which is how I picked it up to read.

This book focuses on the relationship of four brothers growing up in Nigeria.  They are growing up on the brink of change, where the move away from a traditional society has been accomplished in law, but the traditional ways continue.  The boys have strict rules to live by, but they largely ignore them.  Their mother wants to keep them safe, but there is just not enough to keep them occupied and they spend time by the river fishing.  There they get exposed to some dark magic, and it is the beginning of the end of their childhood.  Their father has been working to get the boys to North America, where he sees that there are more opportunities educationally as well as professionally.  He has assigned each of his boys an aspirational job for the future, but he has no way to help them do that in Nigeria.  Sadly, while he manages to find a way out, none of his boys are ultimately able to take advantage of that.  Instead, it is an unraveling that starts with a curse and ends with exile, death, and jail.  It is not a happy story, but it is beautifully told.

Reflections on a Middle Child

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It is one my two middle children’s birthday today and since it coincides with the Days of Awe this year, I am taking a moment to reflect on the middle child experience.  As an eldest child who has had two siblings who both had essentially a youngest child experience, my first hand knowledge of this comes exclusively through my children.  I like the T-shirt meme that has been on Facebook that goes as follows: “I am the Oldest.  I Made the Rules”, “I am the Middle.  I am the Reason there are Rules”, and “I am the Youngest.   The Rules Don’t Apply to Me.”  I think this about sums it up.  The eldest sets the standards, the youngest ignores them, and the middle kids are left to make a lot of noise.  On the up side, sometimes the noise can be spawn creativity, it can make opportunities happen for them in the end.  On the down side, it can get them into trouble.  And it can breed discontent and a feeling that life isn’t fair.  Well, being in the middle is good training for life.  You are always in the middle.  There are always things you are responsible for and there are always people that you are responsible to.  And life is most certainly not fair.  So to my middle children I say make the most of what you have learned from your sibship, and make the most of it.  And have a wonderful new year while you are at it.