L.A. Lewandowski's Blog: The Culture and Cuisine Club, page 13

The Best Irish Coffee

Yummy Irish Coffee

The most recent Culture and Cuisine Club dinner celebrated the cuisine of Ireland. We saw this recipe for Irish coffee in the local newspaper and decided to treat our guests. It was wonderful and well worth the trouble. We do not plan on waiting an entire year to enjoy this smooth concoction again, and neither should you!

This recipe is from the Tampa Bay Times. We used Tullamore Dew, a non-peaty, smooth whisky. I used one teaspoon of regular white sugar instead of the brown or the cubes. I made the whipped cream myself, adding one teaspoon of vanilla and one tablespoon of white sugar. I poured a generous amount of the whipped cream onto the top of the coffee, and garnished with milk chocolate chips.

Irish Coffee

Depending on which version of the “original” Irish coffee you subscribe to, it is sweetened with either 2 sugar cubes or 1 teaspoon brown sugar. For a San Franciscotake on Irish coffee, stir 2 tablespoons of milk-chocolate bits into the coffee at the same time as the sugar. Once the chocolate bits have melted, proceed with the recipe.

Boiling water

Hot coffee

2 sugar cubes or 1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 ½ ounces Irish whiskey

¼  cup heavy or whipping cream, lightly beaten (but still pourable)

Fill a large coffee cup with boiling water to preheat it. Let it stand for about 1 minute, then empty the glass.

Fill the glass three-quarters full with hot coffee. Add the sugar, then stir until dissolved. Stir in the whiskey.

Top the coffee-whiskey blend with the lightly whipped cream. To do this, hold an overturned spoon over the coffee, then slowly pour the cream over it. The goal is for the cream to float on top of the coffee; do not mix it in. Part of the Irish coffee experience is drinking the hot coffee through a layer of cool cream.

Serves 1.

Source: Buena Vista Cafe, San Francisco

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Enjoy a lovely green cocktail!

Shamrock Number Two

Authors Eat …

Author Kathy Rowe cooking her Kentucky Fried Apples.

Author Kathy Rowe gets more done by 9:00 am than most people accomplish in a day. As a retired Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force, Kathy decided to focus her energy and determination toward crafting the multi-genre novels her readers love. Her efforts have produced novels of science fiction, suspense, and romance. And while much of the country drinks their first cup of coffee, she has already attended to her farm and her various pets. Kathy balances the joys of Kentucky farm life with her husband, and pours a life full of adventure onto the page.

Kathy also loves to cook. Farmers have access to the freshest produce and Kathy takes advantage of that. When I invited her to share a recipe with us she had to think for a minute as to what yummy recipe she would make. Kathy free-lances when she cook, like yours truly, but she measured all the ingredients for us to make sure it would turn out great. Thanks, Kathy!

What recipe has Kathy made for us? This month we are treated to her delicious Kentucky Fried Apples. What a treat! And speaking of treats, after you have perused the recipe below, please follow the attached link to Kathy’s Amazon author page and treat yourself to one of her entertaining books. Enjoy!

 

Yummy fried apples waiting for a little whipped cream.

Kathy’s Kentucky Fried Apples

From the author … No, I’m not trying to elbow in on Col. Sanders, I just happen to live in Kentucky and make quite a lot of fried apples. It’s a simple recipe and it can feed quite a few. Great as a dessert, or if you have leftovers, you can top Belgian waffles with it the next morning.

 

Ingredients:

3-4 good-sized Granny Smith apples. If you don’t like really tart stuff, substitute Golden Delicious or Red Delicious. Peel, core, and slice the apples. I cheat, I have a peeler, corer, slicer that does most of the work, then I take an apple slicer and cut them into little chunks.

 

¼ c Bourbon. You can pass if you’re not into the alcohol thing.

Let apples “steep” in bourbon for a few minutes in cold frying pan while you add:

 

2-3 Tbs butter- be generous!

The gadgets that make this recipe a breeze.

3 Tbs Sugar

1 Tbs cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

 

Whipped cream for topping.

Fry apples over medium heat until tender. Serve up in bowls and liberally apply whipped cream. Enjoy! Makes approx 3-4 servings depending on apple size.

 

 

Amazon link:

http://amazon.com/author/krowe

Sherman the gourmet pig gets a treat.

 

 

Ribollita

A casserole of Ribolitta ready to serve.

In some areas of Tuscany, ham fat and bacon rind are added to the vegetables.

Tuscan Ribollita

Preparation:  1 hour

Total time from start to finish:  2 hours and 40 minutes

serves 8 to 10 people

I prepared this delicious, homey soup for the most recent Culture and Cuisine Club. In my version I used 3 cups of dried cannelini beans. I soaked them overnight, adding water once to cover them. The next day I drained the water and picked through the beans. I covered them with cold water, brought them to a boil, reduced the heat and cooked them for 40 minutes.

Ingredients:

3 cups dried cannelini beans soaked overnight for at least 12 hours

1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion

1 medium size leek

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 bunch Swiss chard leaves

8 ounces red cabbage

1 bunch cavolo nero, a speciality item

1/3 cup celery, cut into 1/4″ dice

1/3 cup carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4″ dice

6 ounces (3/4 cup) zucchini, cut into 1/2″ dice

1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes with their juice, coarsely chopped

8 ounces white boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2″ dice

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

A slice of good crusty bread for each serving (optional)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

This version is slightly different from mine, in a good way. My soup did not have enough liquid, and I also was missing some flavors, like tomato and chicken broth.

1.  Put the chopped onion and 3 tablespoons of the olive oil in a 6 to 8-quart heavy bottomed soup pot and place over medium high heat.  Sauté until the onion turns to a light golden color, about 5 minutes.

2.  While the onion is sautéing, trim the leek by cutting away the root end and removing the tough green tops of the leaves.  Cut the leek in half lengthwise and then across into 1/2″ pieces.  Soak the pieces of leek in cold water to loosen any dirt.  When the onion is ready, add the leek and turn the heat down to medium low.

3.  Add each of the following vegetables as you prepare them, periodically stirring the contents of the pot.

Swiss chard: cut off the root end and shred it finely.

Cavolo nero: remove the stalks. Wash the leaves in cold water and chop them very coarsely.

Red cabbage: cut off the root and finely shred.

Celery: peel the back of the stalk to remove the tough strings, rinse under cold water and dice.

Carrot: peel and dice.

Zucchini: scrub under cold water and dice.

Canned tomatoes: chop coarsely or simply break them up with your hand.

Potatoes: peel and cut into 1/2″ dice.  Wash them by placing them in a bowl of cold water as you cut them.

Add the bacon rind and saute with the veggies for 10 minutes or so.

4.  When you have finished adding all the vegetables season generously with salt and pepper. Separate and puree about half the cooked beans with an immersion blender. Add the puree, the whole cooked beans, and the reserved cooking liquid to the pot with the veggies. Pour in the 5 cups of water or chicken stock, cover the pot, raise the heat and, when the soup comes to a boil turn the heat down so that it cooks at a gentle simmer.  Cook for at least 2 hours checking it about every 30 minutes to stir.  The soup is done when the vegetables are very tender, almost creamy, and the beans are soft. There is no such thing as al dente beans!

5.  When you are ready to serve the soup, toast or grill the slices of bread and place them on the bottom of each soup bowl.  Pour the soup over the bread and let it stand for about 5 minutes.  Just before serving, drizzle a little olive oil over each serving and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Cavolo nero on the left and Swiss chard.

Delicious Korean Barbeque

A scrumptious plate of Korean fare.

The spirit of the Culture and Cuisine Club was in evident at the recent dinner.
"Yukgejang"
Hot and Spicy Beef Soup

Ingredients:
1.25 lbs of Skirt Steak
4-tsp of sesame oil
4-tbsp of chili powder
2 garlic clove finely chopped
2-tbsp of vegetable oil
1 cup of bean sprouts
2 leeks sliced
2 scallion sliced
1- 1 oz package of Phillips Mushroom Farms dried mixed mushrooms
4-tbsp Asian/Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

1. Place skirt steak in a medium pot and cover with water. Bring the water to
a boil, cover, and let simmer for 30-45 minutes until tender. Skim the surface
of any fat.

2. Remove steak for the pan and strain the stock into a large bowl. Place the
dried mushrooms into the stock and let reconstitute. This added more mushroom
flavor to the stock...

3. Cut the beef into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add the sesame oil,
chili powder and chopped garlic and proceed to coat the meat.

4. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pan and add the meat with the bean
sprouts, leek and spring onions. Stir-fry for 2 minutes. Strain the stock into
the pan, collecting the mushrooms and the place the mushrooms to the side in a
bowl. Bring the contents of the pan to a boil, cover and simmer for about 30
minutes or so until tender.

5. Add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the Sweet Chili sauce
to taste and serve.
Prepared by our host, the original recipe is from "The Korean Kitchen."
The adjustments made by the cook are included in the above recipe.

Review: The Old Man and the Sea

Ernest Hemingway

This is the second time I have read “The Old Man and the Sea.” I don’t recall much from the first reading, except that I didn’t like it very much. I thought it quite dull. My high school teacher’s desire to demonstrate the courage and the perseverance of the old fisherman was lost on a teenager more concerned with my own daily dramas.

I am writing this review as I listen to the labored breathing of my mother-in-law who is dying of complications from COPD. Her struggle to draw each breath is something we take for granted. The rise and fall of her chest and her valiant fight to suck in enough oxygen to live is not far from the life struggle of the fisherman. He fights the marlin and then the sharks as he wrestles with the cramping of his hands and the fatigue that would defeat a man half his age.

The prose is perfectly suited to a story about an aging man. Hemingway’s ability to cull and edit a sentence to a diamond brilliance is masterful. The meaning comes through in as few words as possible, leaving us to wonder how he did it. His masculinity drips from the page. The parsed words, chosen so carefully, are miraculous, and always from a man’s point of view.

Recently, I followed a thread where a group of authors I admire discussed an article about the “new” suggested length of novels. Their contention was that writing a short novel would be “dumbing down the reader.” Also, that the modern reader should be able to handle an 800 page tome, and that it is foolish to try and write a novella, for example, in order to hold a reader’s attention. I respectfully disagree. After reading this book I think it is infinitely more difficult to write such a “tight” novella. It is much easier to go on and on, failing to edit ourselves, and using fifteen words when five will do.

The beauty of literature is that the language can vary so much. The luscious style of Oscar Wilde is the polar opposite of Ernest Hemingway, yet both satisfy the reader in transporting them to a world created with words. Neither wrote tomes.

Authors Eat …

Author K.S. Brooks cooks with Mr. Pish.

The number one request I receive from Culture and Cuisine Club followers is, “More recipes, please!” Your wish is my command. I thought it would be fun to feature an author each month and ask them to share one of their favorite recipes with us.

What better way to kick off this new feature than to introduce you to author K.S. Brooks and her best friend Mr. Pish. Kat is an award-winning author and photographer, a marksman, a nature lover and an entrepreneur. Kat is also at the center of the Independent Author movement, and a force to be reckoned with. As co-administrator at Indies Unlimited she and Stephen Hise have created a groundbreaking blog that is like a glass of water to a thirsty writer. Personally, although we have never met, I consider Kat to be a friend and a mentor. Her kindness to this newbie author will never be forgotten.

Kat has eliminated all gluten from her diet. She has shared with us her famous recipe for gluten-free chili. Why not pair a steaming bowl with an ice-cold beer? I recommend a Green’s bottle fermented Dark Ale. Green’s is a company that specializes in allergen free beer also suitable for Vegan or Vegetarian diets.

After you have checked out the recipe, please visit Kat’s Amazon author page and treat yourself or someone you love to one of her excellent books  http://www.amazon.com/K.-S.-Brooks/e/B002WKAOVG

 

 

Quick and Easy Gluten-Free Chili Recipe
This recipe is a delicate balance of sweet and spicy.  If you want spicier flavor, add chili powder, cayenne pepper, cumin and red pepper.  This chili is great for freezing in individual serving containers and then heating in the microwave for a nice hot lunch!
INGREDIENTS:
    1.5 pounds of 93% lean Ground Beef (sometimes I substitute 50% with ground turkey)
    1 medium yellow onion, chopped finely or nearly pureed in the food processor
    16 oz Cream of Tomato Soup (please see below for gluten-free)**
    28 oz Delmonte Chunky Diced Zesty Chili Style tomatoes or equivalent
    1 large can of kidney beans (2.5 pounds)
    Chopped fresh parsley as desired
    1+ tbsp Worcestershire sauce to taste (Lea & Perrins is gluten-free)
NOTE:  There are two ways to prepare this – standard stove top or crock pot.  I prefer crock pot because it is maintenance-free.  Instructions for both are provided.
STOVE TOP INSTRUCTIONS:
Brown beef in large pot, drain.  Add remaining ingredients, cook on medium low until it starts to steam and bubble, then simmer for one hour.  I usually let it cool, then put it in the fridge overnight to let the flavors mingle.  The next day I heat it up and serve.
CROCK POT INSTRUCTIONS:
Brown beef in large skillet, drain.  Add beef and remaining ingredients to crock pot, cook on low for up to 10 hours.
Garnish with shredded cheddar cheese and serve!
Serves 6-8 people.
**I can recommend the following gluten-free soups:
Pacific Natural Foods Organic Creamy Tomato (available in stores)
Heinz UK Cream of Tomato Soup (can be purchased online through the Gluten-Free Trading Company
Thanks for sharing, Kat!

 

 

 

Cocktail: The King of Seoul

The King of Seoul

The tradition of a yummy cocktail is one of my favorite things about a Culture and Cuisine Club dinner. At our latest celebration, our host invented a fabulous cocktail he aptly named “The King of Seoul” in honor of Korean cuisine. Delicious!

Fill Scotch Tumbler with ice
1 oz of King's Ginger
1 oz of Sake or Soju
1/2 oz of Pomegranate Juice
Top off with Tonic Water
add one slice of lime
add 3 Pomegranate seeds
Enjoy!

 

 

Death in the Afternoon: Cocktail

The Vampire's Mistress. Natasja Delanghe

We hosted a small get together at our home a few days before Christmas. A friend brought the ingredients for the cocktail below. ‘Death’ has wonderfully rich and complex flavors that build the more you drink it. It is a drink served in the Manhattan restaurant of the same name. Enjoy!

Death in the Afternoon
1 1/2 oz bourbon
1/4 oz Green Chartreuse
1/4 oz absinthe
1/2-3/4 oz spiced honey syrup* (according to taste)
1/2 oz fresh lemon juice
2 dashes Angostura bitters
Shake all ingredients with ice and strain into a double old-fashioned glass filled with fresh ice.  Garnish with a thick lemon twist.
*Spiced Honey Syrup
1 cup water
1 cup honey
4 sticks cinnamon
15 cloves
2-5 cardamom pods
1 whole star anise
Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and simmer for 15-20 minutes over medium-low heat.  (Watch carefully so that it doesn’t boil over.)  Allow to cool, then strain into a glass jar and keep refrigerated.

Napierkowska performs in "Les Vampires"

Chris James Interviews Author Hugh Howey

 

Interview with Hugh Howey





Posted on January 30, 2013 at Indies Unlimited by Chris James

Here’s the scoop: I’m sitting at my work station on the Death Star, flicking dried bits of chewing gum at Carol Wyer, when suddenly I get an alert that Hugh Howey’s ship is cruising past, just out of tractor beam range. Knowing that the Evil Mastermind will be less than happy if I miss this opportunity, I run down to the shuttle bay. With no time to lose, I wind up the rubber band on the back of the shuttle really, really tightly. Then, I get in the shuttle and – ping! I’m hurtling across the heavens on an intercept course with Howey’s ship. I reach it, knock on his window, and manage to ask him these few questions before the rubber band contracts and pulls me and the shuttle back to the Death Star. Phew, that was a close one!

In case you’ve been living under a rock, Hugh Howey is the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde Saga and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling WOOLseries. The WOOL OMNIBUS won Kindle Book Review’s 2012 Indie Book of the Year Award—it has been as high as #1 in the Kindle store—and 17 countries have picked up the work for translation.

Here’s what Hugh had to say:

Hugh, you’ve mentioned that you write in multiple genres. How do you handle different genre projects at the same time? Do you have any difficulty in switching voices and moods?

Man, I wish my moods were more stable! But since they’re not, it helps me to have several projects going at once. If I get stuck or lose energy in a science fiction story, I can pop over to my erotica novel or my memoirs and add a chapter (or write one chapter and copy/paste into both of these).

I think my voice is more suited to the plot and characters than to the genre. I like getting in touch with the mood of a piece, and it colors my vocabulary, my sentence flow, my injection of humor or horror. What I’ve found, incidentally, is that the vast majority of readers are keen to explore different genres with the same author. I get a lot of emails that start off with how much they loved Wool, but that they just read I, Zombie or The Hurricane and enjoyed them even more.

Putting Wool aside for a moment, which of your other titles are you most proud of/satisfied with?

I, Zombie. It’s a book I don’t recommend anyone reading (I even warn them not to in the product description, and this isn’t a marketing trick. I really advise against it). But to me, it’s the most personal work I’ll ever write. It’s my ode to New York City, the only novel in which I directly confront my experiences at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and also a very public internal monologue in which I wrestle with my lack of belief in Free Will. In sum, it’s horrific. But I’m very glad I wrote it.

If you could turn  back  the clock, is there anything you would do differently?

I would wind that clock back until something snapped. I would go back to when I was twelve years old, dreaming of becoming an author, and I would have stuck with all those novels I started and never finished. I would have goofed off less and written more. I would have thirty books published by now. My lack of faith in myself to write to completion is the one thing I wish I could go back and change. It shouldn’t have taken this long to figure out how to stay motivated.

Have you participated in any groups similar to Indies Unlimited, or other writing groups? If yes, were they helpful?

Absolutely. I was part of a writing group in Boone, N.C. called Highcountry Writers. I did workshops in the writing forums of SF World. I stay active on the Kindle Boards Writers’ Cafe. There’s so much to learn from other writers and from their feedback. Writing is an inherently lonely endeavor. Having a place to commune with like-minded people is a blessing.

What would you say to a young, new writer who has a few great story ideas and little else, and who looks aghast at all the things self-publishing involves – what key advice would you give him/her?

Self-publishing involves as much or as little work as you want to invest in it. You don’t need to market your book. You don’t need a website. You don’t need to upload your work to sales channels. If you enjoy writing stories, you can email them to friends for free and see if they are entertained. You can post them to a blog in an instant.

The hard work is self-inflicted. I put in very long hours and work every single day because I love what I do and because I want to put out the best work possible. Don’t feel any pressure to do likewise. If you enjoy writing, do as much of it as you can. There has never been a better time to be a writer, whatever your goals and ambitions are.

Do you think a self-published book will ever win a major literary award? If yes, how far are we away from that day?

Absolutely. There are a few literary awards like the Hugos that are voted on by the fans, and the success of indie breakouts has highlighted how much power fans truly wield. As for awards like the Man Booker, Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc., I would be surprised if we didn’t see a win from a self-published book in the next five or six years. My guess is that the first of these will come from a major author who decides to publish something on their own that was too quirky or non-commercial to be picked up elsewhere. Look at Tinkers. It won the Pulitzer and came from a small press. A book like that could have been self-published and shocked everyone. I can’t wait to see it happen! (The 2013 Hugo Award nominations are open, by the way!)

Final question: Indies Unlimited has quite a few lady writers who, if they can’t actually have your babies, would nevertheless appreciate an opportunity to throw their under-garments at you. Any special message I could convey to them? 

My wife and I live in Jupiter, Florida. So my advice would be to face south and throw away! Granted, your room is going to look like a mess afterward…

Look for WOOL in hardback in 2013 from Random House UK and keep your fingers crossed that Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian will do something exciting with the film rights!

Hugh lives with his wife Amber and their dog Bella. When he isn’t writing, he’s reading or taking a photograph.