The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donahue (2020)

I found the author's first book incredibly painful to read, and yet it made me think through the natural sequence of trauma and also the public's appetite for scandal and intrusion into places they are not wanted or welcome.  While it was a darker corner of humanity, the prevalence of human trafficking and the boundaries of what can happen are not even close to the edge of what we know men do to women.

So, here we are at her second book.  It is set in a maternity ward in a Dublin hospital during the Spanish Flu.  Overwhelmed hospital staff are bedding patients on the floor, and stores have run out of disinfectant (sounding at all familiar yet). The pandemic is simply a backdrop for a memorable portrait of women’s lives scarred by poverty and too many pregnancies in a society that supports neither them nor their children.  The Catholic Church is called to judgment, as well it should be.   Her hero is Julia Power, a maternity nurse striving to save the lives of pregnant women at even greater risk than usual during labor and delivery because they have the flu. She has to care for them in a converted supply room barely big enough for three cots.  Equipment and personnel are both scarce.  All of this is set, for me, against the back drop of our current pandemic, where we are no better prepared to distance and protect both ourselves and others.  A powerful read.
 

Five Spice Roasted Carrots

My spouse was left to make the bulk of the Thanksgiving meal, and he chose this recipe from the New York Times to make with our CSA carrots--quite delicious!

• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon five-spice powder
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds carrots halved lengthwise if large
• ¼ cup  almonds
• ¼ cup sliced chives 
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1. Arrange one oven rack at the top and one at the bottom of the oven. Place a baking sheet on the bottom rack and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. In large bowl, stir together 2 tablespoons olive oil with the five-spice powder, garlic and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Transfer carrots to the hot baking sheet and arrange in an even layer and roast, on the bottom rack, until the carrots are tender and browned all over, 20 to 25 minutes, flipping halfway through.
3. While carrots are roasting, toast almonds on a separate baking sheet, on the top rack, until golden brown, 7 to 8 minutes. Allow to cool, then finely chop and transfer to a large bowl or serving platter. Add the chives, vinegar, ginger and remaining olive oil to the almonds, and season with salt. Add roasted carrots and toss to coat. Serve hot (we did room temp and they were great).

 

Sound of Metal (2020)

Our friends, for a holiday treat, rented an independent theater out for 10 of us (three bubbles, spaced far apart), and it was great to hear this movie about loosing your hearing in a space with state of the art sound.  This is a poerful story incredibly told.

Ruben and Lou are drummer and singer in a metal band, on the road, performing and living in their motor home.  Shortly after meeting them we’re watching the drummer realize that his hearing is drastically disappearing. This is not a mere ringing in the ears or minor hearing loss. At his first meeting with a doctor, he gets word after word wrong, and he’s told that he’s lost 80-90% of his hearing, and the rest will likely soon follow. With a few exceptions, Riz Ahmed plays it subtle, conveying the quietness that often comes with fear and denial. He can play through it (even though the doctor tells him absolutely not). He can get surgery. Everything will be fine. Let's ignore it and go to the next show.

However, Lou knows there’s another problem to consider—Ruben is a recovering addict. He’s been clean for four years, but she knows that trauma often leads to relapse, and knows that Ruben needs focus or he will destroy himself.  This movie will be classified as a drama about deafness, but addiction is a notable part of this story, and just as accomplished. 

So this is incredible.  The sound track is told largely from the perspective of Ruben, so we get a glimpse of the world from a deaf person's perspective.  There are some hearing people in the movie, but the lead actor worked hard to learn ASL and the other main actor playing a deaf person is the son of deaf parents and has been signing his whole life.  Do not let the music genre dissuade you from this movie.

 

Open Kitchen by Susan Spungen

This cookbook is the December featured cookbook for the Food 52 Cookbook club.  I had it out of the library over the summer, and on a casual look through thought that it was not for me.  Then I made a recipe, and reading the directions and the context and then tasting the food, I thought, well, it is a pandemic, and we need inspiration to continue to thrive on the food that we are making, so why not?

There are several things that I love about this book, not the least of which are the photos, but a cookbook that has an extensive salads section, on top of vegetable sides is a cookbook for me.  There is plenty of meat in here, but there are quite a few recipes with none, and then others where it can be omitted or is optional.  The book identifies recipes that are projects rather than week night dishes, and there is a break down of when you can do what ahead, so that is you are transporting the dish, or prepping for a week night meal that is elaborate ahead of time, you know exactly what works, at least from the author's point of view.  A nice addition to my collection.
 

Roasted Squash and Lentils

I have a whole refrigerator full of winter vegetables, and while Yotam Ottlenghi has a new cookbook, this one is from his last, Ottolenghi Simple.  I love the format of the cookbook, which is to address what can be done ahead and what needs to be done day of, and this was a nice contrast for squash--not to mention very easy on the prep end.  Weeknight option (although I did on a Saturday).

• 1 large butternut squash—unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons or wedges
• 2 red onions, cut into 1 1/4-inch-wide wedges
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra to serve
• 1/2 cup sage leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (100g) Puy lentils (or 3 cups if starting with ready-cooked)
• 1 large lemon, finely zested to get 2 teaspoons and juiced to get 2 tablespoons
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1/4 cup parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
• 4 oz. blue cheese crumbled

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

2. Place the squash and onions in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the sage leaves, ¾ teaspoon salt and plenty of pepper. Mix well, then spread out on a large parchment-lined baking sheet. Roast until cooked and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. 

3. While the squash is in the oven, fill a medium saucepan halfway with water (if starting with dried lentils rather than ready-cooked) and place over high heat. Once boiling, add the lentils, decrease the heat to medium and simmer until cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain, set aside to cool slightly, then place in a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, mint, tarragon, ¼ teaspoon salt and remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.

4. Add the squash and onions to the lentils and stir gently. Transfer to a serving bowl, dot with cheese, drizzle with olive oil and serve. 

 

 

 

 

Over The Moon (2020)

I may not have been in the exact right mood to watch this but I thought it was a miss when it comes to animated movies.  Which is a real shame, because there is a lot to recommend it.  First, it revolves around a Chinese fable that is associated with the Moon Festival, which is the traditional Autumn Festival.  It is not as well known as the Spring Festival, also known as the New Year's Festival, so there is something to learn about another culture, which is a good thing, especially if your home base culture is a bit xenophobic.  Unfortunately, there just isn't the plot or the story line to propel this to greatness.  

The story is this.  Fei Fei has lost her mother, and after four years of just the two of them, he is looking to remarry.  Fei Fei thinks that means that he has forgotten her mother. She wants the fable of Chang'e, the Moon goddess who is waiting for he husband Hou Yi (who is not actually such a great guy in the legend, but here comes off well), to be what her father does as well.  So here is where it gets wacky--she goes to the moon to talk to Chang'e, and she is escorted there by two lions, which are also part of the traditional festival.  The animation is not up to the best of the best either. 

One thing that is highlighted is that moon cakes are a traditional part of the celebration and that they are different in different parts of China.  At movie's end I was thinking maybe I need to try them (even though we are closer to the Spring Festival than the Autumn one).
 

Happy COVID Vaccine

YES!!  THIS!!  It is the brightest end to an otherwise difficult year, both for those of us in health care, who largely stayed employed, or could be employed, and those who are not, which was a very mixed bag of what choices and options there were.  Some refused to alter their routine, but even they encountered limitations because family and friends might not have agreed with them, and whole states banned their entry.  You certainly cannot enter public buildings without a mask in at least the majority of the country.  So we all suffered, to a greater or lesser extent.  And some died.  Others have health consequences that will be with them for a very long time, and for some, the rest of their lives.  So when both Pfizer and Moderna received emergency approval for their vaccines, there is a reason to be hopeful for the first time in months.  The vaccine is built on a delivery systems that has been used in other areas of medicine but not in vaccines, and we are just all very lucky that we have such innovative scientists in our midst at this crazy time in our global history.  The plague did not end until everyone learned to stay at home.  Recent events have shown that we have not changed much, despite all the technology and information we have about past pandemics, no we are destined to repeat history, and so the vaccine offers the first glimmer of real hope. Merry Christmas!
 

Hasselback Potato Gratin

I had eye surgery just before Thanksgiving, which rendered me fatigued and sight impaired, and not the least bit able to really cook much, so instead of what we usually have (as well as who we usually have it with), my spouse went with this recipe from the New York Times Thanksgiving ideas article, and like almost all think Kenji Alt-Lopez creates, these were delicious.

• 3 ounces finely grated Gruyère or comté cheese
• 2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 4 to 4 ½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick on a mandoline slicer (7 to 8 medium, see note)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Transfer 1/3 of cheese mixture to a separate bowl and set aside. Add cream, garlic and thyme to cheese mixture. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add potato slices and toss with your hands until every slice is coated with cream mixture, making sure to separate any slices that are sticking together to get the cream mixture in between them.
2. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish with butter. Pick up a handful of potatoes, organizing them into a neat stack, and lay them in the casserole dish with their edges aligned vertically. Continue placing potatoes in the dish, working around the perimeter and into the center until all the potatoes have been added. The potatoes should be very tightly packed. If necessary, slice an additional potato, coat with cream mixture, and add to casserole. Pour the excess cream/cheese mixture evenly over the potatoes until the mixture comes halfway up the sides of the casserole. You may not need all the excess liquid.
3. Cover dish tightly with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until the top is pale golden brown, about 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove from oven, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake until deep golden brown and crisp on top, about 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve.

 

Operation Holiday Drop (2020)

This is my last Christmas movie post for a long time.  Never say never, but lets just say I think I have done vanishingly few of these over th more than ten years that I have been blogging.I watched this one while I was recovering from retinal surgery, when I had to lean forward for a period of time in order to promote healing of a hole that had developed right in the middle of my vision.  So it had to be light fare, because after all, I was just waking up from general anesthesia and wasn't up to a thinking man's movie.

This fit the bill for me.  It highlights one of the things about the season that I loved as a child,which is the giving to others.  Strangers especially, to share what you have with those who cannot afford luxuries, like chocolate and oranges, or even necessities, like food and medicine.  This movie, which is a cookie cutter formula of a Christmas movie, don't get me wrong, you would never watch it because it has an excellent script, highlights some of the realities about the South Pacific Islands, included here is one of our very own territories.  Do if you are up for light fare in the season of lights and giving, this may fit the bill for you.

 

Happiest Season (2020)

I have been on a holiday movie streak of sorts.  It is nothing like my Oscar streaks of years past, only a few movies deep, but it is happening all the less.  Usually at this time there would be the shortlists released, and I would be working on those, in particular the documentaries, which I have loved many of the shortlisted documentaries that don't make it to the Academy Award list more than some that do.  This year all of that is pushed back.  Short lists in February, the nominees announced in March, and the awards themselves in late April.

So, I dive into holiday movies!  This one is about being truthful to your family about your sexual orientation.  Harper brings home her girlfriend for a family Christmas that is clearly steeped in a lot of traditions, one of them being that the siblings are encouraged to compete with each other.  Jane is just clearly the out and out loser in this battle, but Harper has a shot at being the favorite--except that she is gay in a family that doesn't openly support that.  So while Harper jumps through a lot of hoops to not reveal the truth, she is about to loose her true love, who just cannot manage it any longer.  The ever fabulous Dan Levy is part of the gay support network and swoops in to provide help.  A warm and fuzzy movie.