(Dolen Perkins-Valdez, hardback). From the title you might think this is a book about the s-x word. It’s not. By a long shot. But the story, set in about 1852, is about a black slave woman, and her somewhat misguided “love” for her master. About the children she bore him, under the eagle eye of the master’s wife. But it’s all tied together with a yearly journey made to a place called Tawawa House, a rural inn of sorts in southern Ohio (a free State), that for some years allowed white slave owners to stay at the resort in rustic cottages with their black slaves, as couples. This place existed, according to the author’s afterword, and finally closed because some of the regulars (white couples who stayed in the main house) didn’t fancy this concubine business going on out in the woods. It’s about Lizzie’s relationships with the other slave women, about their desire to run to safety through the local underground, about them secretly meeting some free blacks, finding out more about abolition, and about the hardships all these black mistresses endured, and how little their lives were valued. A real stunning book. (I was sent this book as a perk from Harper Collins – because I had mentioned The Help. No strings attached – I could choose to mention this book, or not, here on my blog. I’m glad to because it’s a very good read.)
(Jamie Ford, on my Kindle). A poignant story about a Chinese-American, growing up in Seattle at the beginning of World War II. Henry falls in love with a young Japanese girl before her family is interned in a relocation camp. It a very secretive relationship because his parents would highly disapprove. The story goes back to the 40’s and forward to the 1980’s when Henry is in his 50’s and his wife (not the Japanese woman) has just died of cancer. The story pulls you in from the first page, especially when some artifacts are found in the basement of an old hotel which contain personal belongings from several Japanese families who were suddenly taken away back in 1942. You can see where it’s going, can’t you? I heard criticism of this book that it was just a little bit contrived. Halfway through I’m enjoying it very much.
(Kathryn Stockett on my Kindle, an excellent read); 
by Jetta Carleton (Kindle edition, eh); 
by Susan Richards (Kindle edition, good book); 
by Sally Gunning (Kindle edition, very good read)
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(Mario Batali & Gweneth Paltrow); 
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Oh yum. Yes. Ever so good. I didn’t have the ingredients on hand to make the full Calabacitasrecipe that we luv so much (I lacked the poblano/pasilla chiles, fresh corn and zucchini). But I DID have yellow crookneck squash, frozen corn and cilantro, so I created a quick and easy southwestern style calabacitas.
A bit of onion was sauteed, then the squash was added, along with some salt, pepper, some Chilean seasoning called Merken Mapuche Spice, a bit of ground cumin, then corn was added, and a tad of fat-free half and half. At the very end I sprinkled in the chopped cilantro.
The MerkenChile/Mapuche Spice was something I picked up recently at an upscale market. Had never seen it, so therefore I had to try it. According to the label, it’s unique to the Mapuche indigenous people of Central and Southern Chile. The bottle is actually a spice combo: powder derived from the cacho de cabra chile peppers (also called goat’s horn), coriander seeds, cumin and salt. The story of how they make this unique spice is delightful – the Mapuche are rural people in Chile, and every cook has her/his own combination for merken (sounds like curry powder in India). A small business has sprung up in cooperation with the Catholic Church in Chile to help these indigenous people distribute their organic products. If you’re interested, it’s imported through the Chilean Gourmet. They don’t yet have any recipes at their website, but I’ll keep checking back for them in the future. (They also sell honey and olive oil in case you’re interested!) The photograph of the bottle is from their website.
The merken, though, is fairly spicy, so this Chilean chile pepper must be some hot stuff! But I like it, so I leave it out near my stovetop so I can sprinkle it on other things if I’m so inclined.
What I don’t know is how they use this spice in their cuisine, other than as a sprinkle on just about everything (kind of like we use pepper, I think). Perhaps my use of it in a squash and corn concoction would meet with their approval!
Our son-in-law, Todd, is visiting for a week, and I thought he might just lick this vegetable dish right out of the frying pan it was made in, he liked it that much. It was easy. Really easy, especially if you have frozen corn on hand. I suppose you could even use canned corn, but I wouldn’t recommend it. But make it you should, if you enjoy these kinds of flavors . . .
Quick Southwestern Squash & Corn
Servings: 5
1/2 small onion — diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 whole yellow squash — cubed
1 pound sweet corn — (frozen works fine)
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon Merken Mapuche spice (or substitute chile powder)
3 tablespoons fat free half-and-half — or heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
1. Heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add olive oil and onion. Saute for about 4 minutes, then add the yellow squash and continue cooking for about 3-4 minutes.
2. Add the corn, cumin, chile powder and salt and pepper and stir frequently for about 5 minutes until corn is fully cooked.
3. Add the cream or half and half, and taste for seasonings. Serve hot.
Per Serving: 83 Calories; 3g Fat (34.4% calories from fat); 2g Protein; 12g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 0mg Cholesterol; 17mg Sodium.
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A year ago: Mustard & Herb Chicken
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