– by Neil White (on my Kindle) – a really, really interesting book. It’s a memoir about the year the author spent in prison in Louisiana. About his sanctimonious attitude when he arrived there (he was convicted of kiting checks trying to keep his publishing business afloat) and what he learns during his year. But as much as it’s about his life as a prisoner, it’s more about the other residents of the prison – the last remaining lepers (Hansen’s Disease) who are provided for in the facility. Neil White is quite a character and I wondered more than once if he was ever going to “get it,” that he was greedy and egotistical. The book wasn’t published for about 10 years after his release, so at least he didn’t profit immediately by telling tales. The epilogue was so sad – listing the deaths of many of the leprosy patients and some of the inmates he came to call friends. One person at amazon commented that it was not worth reading because the author profited from his incarceration, and that he didn’t appear to have redeemed himself. I disagree – I think he did. If he didn’t, then he knows how to spin a good yarn. I choose to believe he learned a whole lot about himself and where his life took a (wrong) left turn, and that he’s trying to atone for his failings by publishing the book. You decide.
- by P.D. James (on my Kindle) – if I hadn’t read about this book in the Los Angeles Times a week or so ago I’d never have pursued this book. It’s nothing even close to her wealth of books of the mystery genre. But yes, it IS a mystery (not something I normally read) but it takes place about 5 years after Pride and Prejudice leaves off. That was the hook for me. An entertaining read and a way to keep in touch with all the lovable (and not-so) characters from Jane Austen’s classic. It’s not a page-turner in the true mystery-murder style, but it’s fun to read.
– by Judith Ryan Hendricks – I picked up this book at a lending library I use now and then. I have to laugh, though – the collection of books (probably numbering about 350 or so) is divided by paperback and hardback. And then by color. COLOR? I find that so ludicrous. But anyway, the title caught my eye. It’s definitely a novel, about a youngish woman who’s been a baker and a chef, but who is suddenly single. It’s about her struggle to find herself, to find a new rhythm of life. In the telling of the journey some recipes are included (baked goods, including bread-bread), which are available on the 
– by Ree Drummond (The Pioneer Woman) – most everyone who reads blogs knows about Ree – the Pioneer Woman, from Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She’s always entertaining, whimsical and enjoyable to read. A couple of years ago she wrote a memoir of her romance with Ladd, her now husband. I can’t count how many times, as I was reading this, that I was LOLing (Laughing Out Loud). She is such a witty writer and knows how to tell a story. Even though I know she married Ladd and has since had 4 children, I was caught up in her story from the first page. I wrote it up in more detail on
– (on my Kindle) Michael Tucker (from L.A. Law some years ago) and his wife, on a whim almost, buy a home in Umbria. An old, old, old house with two bedrooms, a kitchen, living room, I think, and a nice terrace (where a lot of living goes on in Italian homes and families). It’s the story of the purchase itself, the friends they meet, the neighbors, how Michael finds the best butcher(s), bakers and candlestick makers. It made me long for another trip to Italy, actually. They enlarge the home, although they’re not there for most of the construction. It’s a similar tale to Frances Mayes’ books and Peter Mayle’s books too, but it’s different. Tucker is a TV star; his wife’s a stage actress. They live on some higher plane than I do, for sure, with lots of friends with connections. But it’s a cute story and I enjoyed it clear to the end.
(Stacy Schiff); 
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Oh, yum. Oh yes, another winner of a soup. I think the recipe came from Gourmet Magazine, but am not sure, since I made no note on the clipping. (These food mags change their format so frequently lately that I no longer recognize the arrangements or layouts anymore.) I wasn’t able to find it online, so can’t confirm, however the paragraph with it says the origin of the recipe is Estela Salas Silva who runs a Mexican cooking school in Puebla, Mexico. If you search for her name online, you’ll find mention of her in several places.
One of my very favorite vegetable combos is Southwestern Calabacitas. I wrote up a post about it last year. I like it so much I could easily make it my entire dinner. So when this recipe went across my radar as a soup, well, I thought, how perfect. Calabacitas (cal-a-bah-see-tas) is/are actually a Mexican squash, very similar to zucchini, but normally smaller, a bit more squat in shape, and have a more mottled green and yellow skin. But taste-wise, they’re almost the same. However, when you say “calabacitas” in Southwestern cuisine, it means a mixture of corn, the squash, probably onion and poblano chiles. They’re one of those combinations that represent a food marriage, to me anyway.
Ideally you’ll make this in the summer when zucchini and corn are in season, but surely it would be good with frozen corn, especially the frozen grilled corn sold at Trader Joe’s, for instance. You will need access to the poblano (also known as pasilla) chiles, and at least some kind of hotter type like Serrano or jalapeno. I used jalapeno because the serranos at my market didn’t look all that great.
There is a bit of chopping and mincing, but if you don’t care about the size of the chopped stuff, do it in the food processor, and it would take no time at all. I was experimenting with my new Alligator chopper. It’s immensely cool. And easy. Love this new toy (except for finding a home for it in my kitchen since it’s a tad bulky). I took a photo of it – with a small red onion inside. First you peel the onion and I only put in a half an onion at a time, but with the slam of the chopper you have a bunch of perfectly chopped vegies. I’ve used it for onions, small celery stalks, squash, shallots, garlic, peeled fresh tomatoes, radishes, bell peppers and apples. As you chop, the chopped stuff goes up into the clear plastic box on the top. Once you’re done, or it’s full, you turn the whole thing over and flick the box off and empty the container into your pot, or salad, or whatever. In case you wonder – why do you need one of these? If you want perfectly cut minced squares of things, this is it. As wonderful as a food processor is, it doesn’t chop things up uniformly, which is fine in most cases, but if you want exactly 1/4 inch cubes, the Alligator is your answer.
Anyway, this is a simple soup, really: onions, zucchini, poblanos (that have been grilled, skins removed), garlic, corn, cilantro, some cream at the end, and a tad of dill. And, if you happen to have them, some squash blossoms to garnish the soup bowl. I made this full recipe – which says it serves 8 – well, maybe 8 small servings. We had it for dinner last night, and with our hungry son-in-law Todd on hand, the entire pot of soup disappeared. My DH said – please make this again. Soon. Okay by me, but I’m going to double the recipe and freeze half.
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Sopa de Calabacitas (Mexican Zucchini & Corn Soup)
Recipe: Estela Salas Silva, and I think via Gourmet Mag.
Servings: 8
Cook’s Notes: Usually poblanos (also called pasilla) are not hot, but in some months of the year they may be warmer than usual. Likely any hotter chile will work for the Serrano or jalapeno, but this is not supposed to be a truly spicy hot vegetable. Leeks were added by me, just because I had them on hand but they’re not typical for this dish. I’d add them next time anyway. I didn’t have epazote, or squash blossoms, so used dill, and added crushed up tortilla chips on top to give the soup some added texture.
1/2 pound poblano chiles — 2 or 3
1 1/2 pounds zucchini — or calabacitas squash, cut in 3/4 inch cubes
1 cup onion — chopped
2 small leeks – chopped [not in the original recipe]
3 whole garlic cloves — minced
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
2 cups fresh corn kernels — about 3-4 ears
3 tablespoons cilantro — or more to taste
2 tablespoons fresh dill — or epazote leaves, chopped
1 teaspoon serrano pepper — minced, or 1 jalapeno, minced, seeded
1 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste — or to taste
1 cup squash blossoms — coarsely chopped, optional
1. Roast poblanos: roast on their sides on racks of gas burners, 1-2 chiles per burner, on medium-high heat (or on rack of a broiler pan 2 inches from broiler), turning frequently with tongs, until skins are blistered and lightly charred all over, 4-6 minutes (6-8 if broiling). Transfer to a large bowl, then cover with a plate and let stand 20 minutes. Peel or rub off skin. Slit poblanos lengthwise, then stem, seed and devein. Cut poblanos in 1/2 inch squares.
2. Soup: cook zucchini, onion, garlic and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in butter in a wide 4-6 quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened. Add broth, water, poblanos and corn and simmer, partially covered, until corn is tender, about 5 minutes.
3. Puree 2 cups soup in a blender with cilantro, epazote (or dill) and serrano or jalapeno chile until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids). Return to pot.
4. Stir in cream, the squash blossoms (if using, using remainder for garnish), salt and pepper to taste. Return to simmer, then serve garnished with blossoms.
Per Serving (based on eight 1-cup servings): 200 Calories; 15g Fat (60.3% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 16g Carbohydrate; 3g Dietary Fiber; 49mg Cholesterol; 29mg Sodium.
jancd
said on April 17th, 2008:
This looks delicious. Do you think it will freeze well with the cream?
Carolyn
said on April 17th, 2008:
Yes, no problem with freezing this soup. I’ve made hundreds of different soups with milk and cream in them, and they seem to defrost just fine. Buttermilk, no, because it definitely does separate once frozen. Milk, no problem. If the entire soup liquid was made up of milk I’m not sure sure it wouldn’t separate, but when milk or cream are mixed with broth (as in this case) freezing doesn’t do any damage.
saulie
said on February 11th, 2009:
This recipe is yummy. My mom’s mom is from Puebla, MX, where this dish hails from, so my family eats poblano based dishes regularly. We make a dry dish variant with pork meat, corn, calabacitas, poblano and cream that rocks too. You can follow the above soup recipe but leave out the water / blending as well as the epazote and like spices and add minced pork loin at the second stage. Pretty straight forward. Eat with warm tortilla and avocado in a taco form for extra yumminess ! . . .
Saulie – that sounds really good. Do you add raw pork to it, then? Or is it already cooked pork roast? I’m always wanting to find different things to do with leftover pork. I llike the idea of eating with a warm tortilla and avocado too. Thanks for stopping by . . . Carolyn T