Monthly Archives: March 2012

How to Cook Without Recipes

I borrowed this book from the library. I haven’t read it from cover to cover as it’s more of a reference book. I have however read enough to like it enough to add it to my Amazon wishlist. It contains invaluable information for the enthusiastic cook, such as the difference between taste and flavour and how to create ‘flavour trails’ to successfully create your own recipes. There is an excellent chapter on cooking methods. It’s the kind of knowledge I wish I’d had years ago e.g.to mop up liquid fat sitting on top of a stew that is to be served straight after cooking place a piece of kitchen roll carefully over the surface.

It’s not all good – there is an unnecessary chapter towards the end dedicated to the author’s opinions on celebrity chefs – but even there Glynn Christian is trying to guide you towards being a better and more creative cook. That comes through from beginning to end: he sincerely wants the reader to make the best food that they possibly can according to their own preferences.

I’m Not Scared

I seem to have fallen out of the habit of watching a film in the evenings. I tend to read books or watch programmes these days. The last film I watched was Hanna, which is action-packed and good-looking but somehow lacking substance.

Tonight I watched I’m Not Scared, which was most absorbing and very touching. Set in rural southern Italy in the 70s, it is a thriller showcasing the bravery and loyalty of a ten year old boy. As well as the dreamy scenery the cameras captured lots of fantastic wildlife: a baby hedgehog, several owls, a frog and a snake to name but a few. The child actors were completely believable. I cried at the end. A splendid way to spend a Friday night in.

Oliver!

Went to watch Oliver! at the Hippodrome last night. Really enjoyed it, in particular the sets. Some of the scenes of London were breathtaking.

I wasn’t sure whether a Fagin by Neil Morrissey would work but he pulled it off by making it his own. He isn’t the greatest of singers, nor quite as menacing as the film’s Fagin, but he was funny and his acting was good. The children were delightful and Nancy had an amazing voice. The production was quite saucy, especially Oom-Pah-Pah. All very good fun.

Photography isn’t allowed in the theatre so here are a couple of images from the website:

One Day

I just finished reading this and I loved it. It was easy to identify with, because 1) it’s of my time and 2) I am also a female geeky sort. DN has got the balance just right: romantic without being too mushy, cockiness muted by self-doubt, elation and misery in equal parts. I feel like I’ve lived the twenty years with Dexter and Emma; I’m now older and wiser. Wonderful book.

David Nicholls talks to the Guardian book club about One Day.

(14th in 2012)

Whatever You Love

This book was part of a display at the local library. My eye was drawn by the ‘Costa Book Awards, Shortlist 2010’ sticker on the front of it so I thought I’d give it a try.

It was easy read and I got through it very quickly. It’s a story about a woman who loses a child and the blurb on the back promises that she takes revenge. Well, the revenge was a complete anti-climax. There was also an unrealistic sub-plot with anonymous letters. I felt that the whole book lacked a certain depth, as if the tale was told in a hurry. I couldn’t relate to or sympathise with any of the characters. There’s a recommendation on the front from the Observer: ‘ A brilliant and brutal novel that continues to unsettle long after the final page has been turned.’ But that is the complete opposite of what I feel on completing the book; I’ve almost forgotten about it already. Maybe I’d relate more if I had children. But isn’t that the author’s job, to take me into a different world?

Having said all that, the depiction of grief is very good: truthful and convincing. This book had a lot of potential but, for me, it didn’t live up to it.

(13th in 2012)

We Need To Talk About Kevin

Two days ago it was Mothers’ Day. I was halfway through We Need To Talk About Kevin. While friends posted happily on Facebook about their special day celebrating the unique love between a mother and her children, my mind was full of the ‘worst case scenario’.

I had been warned by someone that the book was mostly boring until the end when it was horrific. Someone else told me that that the book was hard work until the last third. But, only halfway through on Sunday, I was affected enough to have a nightmare that night influenced by what I’d read so far.

‘Kevin’ is one of the best books I’ve read. With the exception of the mentions of American politics, I didn’t find it hard work. It’s powerful, disturbing and convincing. Although it’s extreme, I’m grateful that someone has written about motherhood without censoring the unpleasant parts. I get tired of the flawless depictions of motherhood in society and the media. This book is a breath of fresh air.

To try to answer the book’s central question of who was to blame: I think that the problems started because Eva was not willing to deal with a difficult child by putting that child before herself. Yes, Kevin was unpleasant but as a potential parent you have to be prepared to deal with that. (But it’s easy for me to say that since I’m not a parent.) The interactions between Eva and Kevin became a hideous game rather than a mother bringing up her son. I don’t think that that absolves Kevin of all responsibilty for his actions though- even if you’re not as bright as he is, at fifteen you must know, no matter how awful your mother is, that it is wrong to kill.

The most chilling aspect of the book is that Eva is so intelligent and articulate, charming even, but her actions are manipulative and selfish. Kevin takes after his mother, so which of them is the monster?

Lionel Shriver talked about the book for the Guardian book club when ‘Kevin’ was the book of the month.

(12th in 2012)

Case Histories

I read this book twice; as soon as I reached the end I started it again. The story flits between past and present and is narrated by different characters. Sometimes the same segment of the story is told by different characters. On the first reading I was kept wondering what the connections are between the past and the present. On the second reading, knowing how things turn out, it was delicious to discover all the clues left by the author en route. There is so much stuffed into this book: memories, happenings in the present and loads of characters. An added bonus is that the book is set in Cambridge and the area surrounding it; most of the places mentioned are familiar to me.

This is the first Kate Atkinson novel that I’ve read. I was impressed at how well the characters, particularly the females, are written. They all seem so real, possibly with the exception of Julia who is completely OTT. They are of all ages and temperaments and I was glad to read a book about women and it is definitely a book about women, in spite of the main character being male. I loved KA’s liberal use of echoes between different characters, which adds further connections between the interweaving plot strands. A few examples: Baking and knitting are done by both Michelle and Josie (after she took up with David). Brodie and Caroline independently don’t believe in ‘The One’ and think even if such a person existed they might never find them. Rosemary and Theo both have a favourite among their children.

So this book certainly held my attention, right through till the end. However, as a mystery, I don’t think it’s as good as some of the others I’ve read and loved, e.g. Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris and even The Behaviour of Moths by Poppy Adams. Case Histories isn’t particularly atmospheric so I wasn’t able to get completely lost in it, though I think it will lend itself well to the TV adaptation, which I look forward to watching. The only other downside was that I wasn’t satisfied with the conclusion to two of the three cases. One seemed highly improbable, the other seemed like a a bit of a cop out. Apart from that, a decent read and I hope to watch the programme if it’s repeated.

(11th in 2012)

Atul’s Kochar’s simple recipes

Most of the Indian cooking I do is based on my mum’s recipes. The problem is that they are guidelines rather than recipes so I don’t get consistently good results. Besides, I’ve eaten my mum’s food for most of my life. It’s time I tried something a bit different. I found some easy Indian recipes by Atul Kochar. I made his coconut fish curry and home-style lentils and sauteed some sprouts in an Indian style.


18 Oct 2012
Curried sprouts
Remove outer leaves of sprouts as usual, then parboil until they are about a minute away from becoming tender. Drain off, and when they are cool enough to handle, cut each sprout into 1-2mm thick slices. Take a non-stick pan with a lid and pop some mustard seeds in oil, then add tumeric, chilli, garlic and ginger paste. Stirfry the slice sprouts in this tempering, adding a little water to help with coating properly. Add salt to taste and knob of butter.

Onion Soup

Usually onion soup is made with a dark stock such as beef, but the recipe I used called for chicken stock.


The recipe was from this book:

Dinner at Simpsons

We wanted to go out for a meal on a Monday night so were quite limited for choice of restaurant – most of the best are closed on Sunday and Monday. Surprisingly the Michelin-starred Simpsons was open. This was our second visit and the food was marvellous. It wasn’t quite as imaginative as at L’Enclume, which is still the best one-starred restaurant I’ve been to, but Simpsons is local so defintely worth an occasional visit.