Soupe au Pistou #recipe @lucyburdette

 

**The winner of Leslie's Karst's memoir is Flora Church! Flora, please contact Leslie at ljkarst at gmail dot com to send her your address. Congratulations!

LUCY BURDETTE: If you're tired of Paris after this week, you will still enjoy this soup which is perfect for spring! This recipe is based on one from the fabulous David Lebovitz's newsletter. If you like reading about Paris and French food, I recommend you subscribe. He was a chef at Alice Water's restaurant Chez Panisse in Berkeley, but many years ago moved to Paris and is excellent at translating French ways for Americans.

Lucy with Notre Dame Gargoyles

I remember eating a soup like this when I was a student in the 1970s in France and terribly homesick. A French family used to invite my roommate and me to Sunday dinner every week because they knew we were lonely for home--wasn't that sweet? The mom would sometimes serve this soup so making it brought back some fun memories. John says I'd choose France for every vacation if I could--he's not far off! Anyway, back to soup...

I veered quite a bit from David's recipe and you can move back to his or further away from both of ours – the recipe is very flexible.  I used the vegetables that I either had in the garden or saw at the weekly farmers market. But you could also add potatoes, tomatoes, celery...

Ingredients for the soup

Two medium zucchini
2 to 3 leeks, well washed
Carrots, either three large or five or six smaller
Green beans
3 to 4 cloves garlic
1 cup dried white beans (I used Navy)
1 32 ounce box low sodium chicken broth

Handful of small pasta, if you like
Chopped tomatoes if you like

2 sprigs thyme (which I forgot, darn it!)

The day before you plan to make the soup, soak the white beans overnight in water. Rinse them, and then cover them with water in a large pot and simmer until soft with two bay leaves. (This could take an hour or so.) When the beans are soft, add the chicken broth to the pot and keep simmering.

 

Chop the leeks. Chop the green beans into bite-size pieces. Chop the zucchini likewise. Chop the garlic cloves. I used my food processor to chop the carrots, and didn't even rinse it before starting the pistou. And that explains the little flecks of orange you will see later.

In a large frying pan, heat some good olive oil and sauté the leeks, the garlic, carrots, onion, zucchini and saute until soft. Add the green beans and sautéed them a bit too. Scrape this mixture into the bean pot and simmer everything until soft, about 20-30 minutes. You may if you wish add a handful of pasta at the end, but you may have to add more liquid too.

For the pistou

One clove garlic
One small bunch basil, cleaned and leaves removed (my favorite veggie guy at the market had Thai basil so that's what I tried)
1/4 cup good olive oil
About an ounce Parmesan cheese

 

Chop the garlic in the food processor, then add the olive oil. Add the Parmesan cheese in smaller pieces and chop that in. Finally add the basil and pulse until everything is combined.

 

 

Serve the bowls of soup with a heaping tablespoon of the basil mixture dropped in the center. Then each diner can stir his or her pistou/pesto into the soup.

 Or pass the pistou in a separate bowl if you have concerned eaters...

Is there a soup or other food in your life that brings memories of an earlier time ?

Lucy writes the Key West food critic mysteries.  Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

Tips for the Travel Panicked

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  I think I am now the only one out of the Jungle Reds that has not traveled since the beginning of the pandemic. I did take a little two day jaunt to the antique show in Central Texas last March, but I'm talking about serious travel, on an AIRPLANE, and for more than a couple of days!

But in two and a half weeks I am flying off to London for a three week stay, and I am panicked! I thought I'd be prepared so far in advance, wardrobe organized, new shoes broken in, phone replaced, research planned, but–

NONE OF THOSE THINGS

Life and work intervened. I don't even remember what my luggage looks like, and those shoes I bought back in August are still in the box…

My daughter is coming with me for most of the first week, and she at least has made us some restaurant bookings. She is a super-organized person! And she bought me an absolutely gorgeous cashmere wrap to wear on the plane!!

But over what? I really don't think American will let me wear my pajamas...

I have bought this absolutely yummy coat and scarf (no one will be hitting me in the zebra crossing!)

And I picked up one little travel tip from David Lebovitz's newsletter: If you can't tolerate smelly laundry detergents (that's me) pack eco-friendly unscented laundry sheets. I don't know why I never thought of that, as I have a terrible time finding unscented detergent in London, and having to buy a big jug for a few loads of laundry is a pain, too.

Dear World Adventurer REDs, I need help. What are your tips for getting back in the travel game?

LUCY BURDETTE: L O L on the pajamas, Debs!! I don’t think the airlines care, it’s a matter of whether you do. I have a pair of habitat yoga/sweatpants that I always wear for overnight travel. 

The only other thing I can say is do wear your mask in the airport. I know 80% of the other travelers won’t have them on but it’s no fun to be sick out of town! I also kept mine on the plane except when eating or drinking. And my new theory is forget about the dinner, I’d rather get a little bit more sleep than some marginal airline food. It will be such fun to have your daughter with you for a week!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I just flew from Portland (ME) to Tampa via JFK on Wednesday, for the Novelist’s Inc. conference, and I’ll echo Lucy - I put my mask on before hitting the airport and didn’t take it off until I was out of the Uber in Florida. Travelers were dressed SO slovenly that the few who wore fitted stretchy pants and a top that wasn’t a T-shirt or hoodie (with locations and brand names on them, of course) looked like they should have been featured in Women’s Wear Daily. 

One thing I noticed from a lack of travel in the past 2 ½ years: my toiletries kit, which I always kept topped up and ready for me to simply grab and go, had been seriously depleted. Some items were well past the sell-by date (sorry, 3 oz sunscreen from 2019) and some I had raided when I didn’t have a chance to shop for replacements (Q-tips, floss, nail polish remover pads.) Check what you have and stock up on the travel sizes!

JENN McKINLAY: I have flown so much during the pandemic, truly, it’s been ridiculous (family in crisis, what can you do?). So, I don’t have much advice except… be advised that the airports are insanely crowded now (I actually liked flying during the pandemic more because the airports were ghost towns), the cost of everything seems to have quadrupled, and wear a mask, wear a mask, wear a mask. Everyone I know who hasn’t worn a mask while at the airport or flying has gotten Covid…just sayin’. 

HANK PHILLIPPPI RYAN:  Yup, mask mask mask. I went to Nashville, because when I agreed to be GOH at Killer Nashville two years ago, Covid was certainly going to be over, right? NO ONE in the airport  had on masks, or on  the plane, hardly, and I stolidly kept mine on, sneaking pretzels underneath. I felt like I was the crazy one, but I was NOT.

At the convention, again, I was one of the tiny few in masks. And one woman actually sneered at me about it!  I did not care, I kept it on except for speeches and very fast photo shoots. I did NOT get Covid on that trip.

 

And oh, yes, my pre-stocked travel kit, I realized, had items that were three years old, and my tube of toothpaste was rock hard. And my deodorant had turned from gel to gloppy water. 

A shawl/pashmina/wrap is essential. ESSENTIAL. 

I  praise the universe and am grateful, DAILY for Pre-Check and Global Entry and Mosaic.

And Debs, seriously, if you wore pajamas, you would be BETTER dressed than most. It was all I could do not to gawp and threaten to call their mothers.

RHYS BOWEN:  On the flight to London I did not mask for the first time since 2019. We were in Upper Class on Virgin , in my own little pod, and the only person anywhere near me was John. But I did wear my mask on the train and a bus. Nobody else did. London and Paris are clearly post pandemic but a man on my riverboat tested positive the first day!

As for travel kits: agree with the pashmina. Planes are always freezing. And I have to admit I had completely forgotten what items I usually travel with!  But it was fun buying new travel size toothpastes etc. One new thing for me: I’m trying a shampoo bar. Easier to carry. It seems really nice and lathers easily.

DEBS: Hank, I am laughing! I promise I will be presentable! My big question is what to do with the crazy wool coat, as I don't want to wear it on the plane and it will take up half my suitcase. And what am I thinking, taking a wool coat to London instead of my perfectly good Land's End all weather coat...

How about it, well-traveled readers? How did you get your groove back?

Lucy‘s having a moment with Julia (Child, that is)

 

LUCY BURDETTE: No one would ever accuse me of being a trendsetter, including my recent obsession with Julia Child. I did watch the movie Julie and Julia (twice) and absolutely adored the performances of Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci as Julia and Paul. But I don’t own Mastering the Art of French Cooking, either volume one or two. I do have a lot of other books about Julia Child but until now I hadn’t read them.

But things changed as we watched the new mini series called Julia, focusing on the launch of her television career. Sarah Lancashire is brilliant as Julia. And now I’ve become officially obsessed.

 

 If you’ve seen it or if you decide to see it and you become infatuated with the show and the characters as I have, here are some other fun places to dive deeper.

A podcast about the making of each episode. You might think this is a dull topic, but it's not, it’s so interesting! (Including one for you Hank, about the inclusion of the black woman producer, who is one of the few completely fictional characters in the show.)

Here's Adam Robert’s interview with the Director, Daniel Goldfarb, in addition to a chat with Dorie Greenspan.

French pastry chef David Lebovitz wrote a long article in his newsletter about what the show got right, and what wrong—he has met and worked with a lot of the big name chefs under discussion so it’s fascinating to hear his take. 

Baker and cookbook author Dori Greenspan has two recent articles, one about Julia’s influence on her, and the other about the food stylist for the TV show, Christine Tobin. Both fascinating!

Because we had a discussion behind the scenes of our blog about what was real and true in the show, I finally read My Life in France by Julia Child (written with her nephew Alex Prud’homme.) Amazing book! She was an incredible woman, indomitable and totally unflustered by roadblocks in her cooking career, or in her life. It’s also a primer on having a good marriage.

And I forgot to add this photo earlier--celebrating Julia Child's birthday in 2012 with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law Lisa, who is always on trend!

Over to you Reds. Do you own or use Julia's Cookbooks? Have you watched the show? What did you think?

A (Not So) Tiny Cookbook Obsession @LucyBurdette

LUCY BURDETTE: I have been obsessed with cookbooks for as long as I’ve been cooking, starting back in my 20s. If you looked at my shelves, you'd be tempted to say I have enough, especially considering the fact that I often use the New York Times cooking app to find the recipe I will make next.

But consider that I am (and probably lots of you are) cooking more than ever because of the pandemic. And besides, I'm on a mission to continue to support indie bookstores. And finally, most of these are tax-deductible because I honestly do use them in my work. So I keep buying, somewhat to John’s chagrin. I thought I’d share some of my recent scores and get your suggestions.

Alison Roman's NOTHING FANCY is a new favorite, worth the price of admission if only for her perfect and amazing slow roasted chicken. Lots of other great recipes here too that don’t require gourmet cooking skills to produce.

DRINKING FRENCH by David Lebovitz is mostly all about beverages as you can tell by the title. I bought it as soon as it came out because I follow David avidly. I haven’t used it yet but my friend and fellow Francophile Carol worked her way through many of the recipes during the pandemic. I might start with a tangerine twist...and I suspect we could find our Jungle Red Writers Christmas cocktail in this book.

While we were in Scotland, I saw the OUTLANDER KITCHEN in a gift shop, which bases recipes on Diana Gabaldon's series. Of course I needed it because Hayley Snow would need to cook from it for her report on Scottish food. Besides, it’s a beautiful book and has snippets from all the Gabaldon books that fans will especially enjoy.

Our Jungle Red friend Grace mentioned Diane Mott Davidson‘s cookbook, GOLDY'S KITCHEN COOKBOOK, based on her caterer Goldie's mystery adventures. That reminded me that I probably needed this. I’m really enjoying reading the text, as it’s very personal and gives a good sense of the author behind this series.

Okay that's all the damage I've done recently, though I'm almost ready to order Melissa Clark's DINNER IN FRENCH. How about you guys? Any new or particularly beloved cookbooks to add to this list? 

Back from France, and Yes, I Brought You Chocolates

LUCY BURDETTE: My first trip to Paris and Provence was during my junior year in college. I have always regretted that I felt too homesick and shy to really take advantage of the experience. So I embrace any chance for a do-over. 

And last week, I was very fortunate to travel to France for a trip focusing on food in Paris and Bordeaux. The week was curated and led by David Lebovitz, who writes a blog about food in Paris and also tries to translate the unusual customs of France for Americans. For many years David was the pastry chef at Chez Panisse, the restaurant founded by Alice Waters in Berkeley, CA. So he knows food.

My friend Carol and I decided we better get to Paris a couple days early so we’d be acclimated to the time change and not miss a trick. We spent those two days walking the city and also visited two museums that I had not been to before – the Picasso museum and the Musee d’Orsay. It was utterly astonishing to stand in front of works of art in person that I had only seen in books.

Picasso's goat

Vincent van Gogh's Bedroom

For the next five days, we made the rounds of chocolatiers, bakers, grocers, sommeliers, and cheese mongers in Paris and later in the week, Bordeaux. I won’t describe everything I saw and learned – you’d be here until next Friday with eyes glazed over. But I’ll show you some of the highlights, and yes I brought enough chocolate home for all of you!

This is one of the more famous bakeries in Paris, called Poilaine. We were invited downstairs to see the bread baking in a massive wood-fired oven that’s been in service since 1932.

Next, on to visit artisanal chocolatier, Jean Charles Rochoux, famous for his chocolate figurines.

Fabulous lunch at Cafe Nemrod, for me a croque madame complet...

That night, more food and wine: Here was the opening salvo of a six-course tasting dinner at Verjus. I could’ve made a meal out of the appetizers, including this exquisite chickpea pancake stuffed with fresh herbs.

You can see it was a good thing we walked a lot, because the next morning brought more chocolate demonstrations at Fouquet.

Lucy with David and chocolatier Frederic

Lunch involved a wine tasting and tapas at O Chateau. We learned that wine and food are deeply affected by terroir, meaning the exact climate and soil where the beans or wheat or grapes are grown.

I also made a lovely new friend who welcomed me to her houseboat on the Seine...maybe Hayley Snow will visit?

The next morning, we took the high-speed train to Bordeaux... where we joined Jean-Pierre Moulle, executive chef at Chez Panisse for thirty years. First we enjoyed the chocolates made at Saunion. This woman adored her job!




The chocolates were followed by a visit to the cheese cave of Jean d'Alos...

Then we were invited to dinner at a country farmhouse, hosted by Jean-Pierre and his lovely wife, Denise. 

I wondered what made the potatoes so exquisite. The answer, they are simmered in duck fat.




During our last day, we went to the farmer's market, where we watched Jean-Pierre choose ingredients for our lunch. The lunch took place at Chateau La Louviere, belonging to Denise's family, still actively producing wine.

Jean-Pierre working on a pear clafoutis with tips from David

an amazing salade Nicoise with fresh tuna and anchovies

France under any circumstance feels wondrous to me, but meeting these artisans, including David, and hearing about their love for food and their work was very, very special. 

I could wax on and on, but I'm off to ditch some chocolate calories with a high-speed walk. And maybe puzzle out how I might use some of this in another book...

I'll leave you with another famous chocolate shop scene...

Book Look

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: As the last days of summer (reading at the shore or the lake) slide into early fall (book clubs pick up again) there are some terrific books being released, like Hank Phillippi Ryan's TRUST ME, coming out August 28, and Jenn McKinlay's latest Library Lover's mystery, HITTING THE BOOKS, on September 11!) We're assuming you're already stocking up on the latest Jungle Red releases, including FOUR FUNERALS AND MAYBE A WEDDING and DEATH ON THE MENU, and you'll be racing out to get Hank and Jenn's newest (if you haven't already pre-ordered.) So what other books should you be reading? We've got you, fam, as Youngest would say. We're each going to suggest one book, fiction or nonfiction, that we're looking forward to in the coming weeks, and then ask you to do the same in the comments.  Just one, you guys!

My pick is VOX, by Christina Dalcher, coming out on August 21. Here's the description: 

On the day the government decrees that women are no longer allowed more than one hundred words per day, Dr. Jean McClellan is in denial. This can't happen here. Not in America. Not to her.

Soon women are not permitted to hold jobs. Girls are not taught to read or write. Females no longer have a voice. Before, the average person spoke sixteen thousand words each day, but now women have only one hundred to make themselves heard.

For herself, her daughter, and every woman silenced, Jean will reclaim her voice.

It's getting crazy good reviews, and of course, being described as THE HANDMAID'S TALE for this generation.

Reds? What are you looking forward to?




LUCY BURDETTE: This is not brand-new, but it's a delightful memoir for Francophiles or anyone who would find a train wreck of home renovation entertaining: L'Appart--The Delights and Disasters of Making my Paris Home. David is a former pastry chef at Chez Panisse who lives in Paris now. He has a hugely successful blog and many cookbooks, and I find him endlessly entertaining.

Bestselling author and world-renowned chef David Lebovitz continues to mine the rich subject of his evolving ex-Pat life in Paris, using his perplexing experiences in apartment renovation as a launching point for stories about French culture, food, and what it means to revamp one's life. Includes dozens of new recipes.

When David Lebovitz began the project of updating his apartment in his adopted home city, he never imagined he would encounter so much inexplicable red tape while contending with the inconsistent European work ethic and hours. Lebovitz maintains his distinctive sense of humor with the help of his partner Romain, peppering this renovation story with recipes from his Paris kitchen. In the midst of it all, he reveals the adventure that accompanies carving out a place for yourself in a foreign country—under baffling conditions—while never losing sight of the magic that inspired him to move to the City of Light many years ago, and to truly make his home there.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: I cannot wait to read BAD BLOOD, by John Carryrou, the non-fiction inside story of the crash of the multi-billion dollar biotech start up that turned out to be a fraud.  (You know I am a pushover for journalist books.)

The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of Theranos, the multibillion-dollar biotech startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end, despite pressure from its charismatic CEO and threats by her lawyers.

In 2014, Theranos founder and CEO Elizabeth Holmes was widely seen as the female Steve Jobs: a brilliant Stanford dropout whose startup "unicorn" promised to revolutionize the medical industry with a machine that would make blood testing significantly faster and easier. Backed by investors such as Larry Ellison and Tim Draper, Theranos sold shares in a fundraising round that valued the company at more than $9 billion, putting Holmes's worth at an estimated $4.7 billion. There was just one problem: The technology didn't work.

A riveting story of the biggest corporate fraud since Enron, a tale of ambition and hubris set amid the bold promises of Silicon Valley.

(Doesn't that sound great??)


JULIA: It does! I'm fascinated by the Theranos story - I'll have to get this.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Well, I am holding my breath for TIME'S CONVERT by Deborah Harkness, the long-awaited follow-up to her DISCOVERY OF WITCHES trilogy. It's out September 18th and I have it pre-ordered. I suspect I'll have to hide in a closet or something and binge read.

"On the battlefields of the American Revolution, Matthew de Clermont meets Marcus MacNeil, a young surgeon from Massachusetts, during a moment of political awakening when it seems that the world is on the brink of a brighter future. When Matthew offers him a chance at immortality and a new life free from the restraints of his puritanical upbringing, Marcus seizes the opportunity to become a vampire. But his transformation is not an easy one and the ancient traditions and responsibilities of the de Clermont family clash with Marcus's deeply held beliefs in liberty, equality, and brotherhood.

Fast-forward to contemporary Paris, where Phoebe Taylor--the young employee at Sotheby's whom Marcus has fallen for--is about to embark on her own journey to immortality. Though the modernized version of the process at first seems uncomplicated, the couple discovers that the challenges facing a human who wishes to be a vampire are no less formidable than they were in the eighteenth century. The shadows that Marcus believed he'd escaped centuries ago may return to haunt them both--forever.

A passionate love story and a fascinating exploration of the power of tradition and the possibilities not just for change but for revolution, Time's Convert channels the supernatural world-building and slow-burning romance that made the All Souls Trilogy instant bestsellers to illuminate a new and vital moment in history, and a love affair that will bridge centuries."

INGRID THOFT: I can’t wait for the newest installment in Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series, LETHAL WHITE.  We all know by now that Galbraith is really J.K. Rowling and that her literary prowess is not limited to a boy wizard.  This P.I. series is terrific, and I highly recommend it.

"Lethal White is the fourth book in the Cormoran Strike series from the international bestselling author Robert Galbraith.
“I seen a kid killed…He strangled it, up by the horse.”

When Billy, a troubled young man, comes to private eye Cormoran Strike’s office to ask for his help investigating a crime he thinks he witnessed as a child, Strike is left deeply unsettled. While Billy is obviously mentally distressed, and cannot remember many concrete details, there is something sincere about him and his story. But before Strike can question him further, Billy bolts from his office in a panic.

Trying to get to the bottom of Billy’s story, Strike and Robin Ellacott—once his assistant, now a partner in the agency—set off on a twisting trail that leads them through the backstreets of London, into a secretive inner sanctum within Parliament, and to a beautiful but sinister manor house deep in the countryside.
And during this labyrinthine investigation, Strike’s own life is far from straightforward: his newfound fame as a private eye means he can no longer operate behind the scenes as he once did. Plus, his relationship with his former assistant is more fraught than it ever has been—Robin is now invaluable to Strike in the business, but their personal relationship is much, much trickier than that.

The most epic Robert Galbraith novel yet, Lethal White is both a gripping mystery and a page-turning next installment in the ongoing story of Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott."

HALLIE EPHRON: I'm in the middle of two nonfictions: EUNICE: THE KENNEDY WHO CHANGED THE WORLD, the biography of Eunice Kennedy, a force to be reckoned with, a truly underestimated Kennedy by Eileen McNamara. Also reading THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS by Sy Montgomery all about the 'intelligent alien.' Standing by is an advance copy of Joseph Olshan's BLACK DIAMOND FALL, and the wonderful Lori Rader-Day's UNDER A DARK SKY.

JENN MCKINLAY: October 23, 2018 - don't call me, don't text me, don't email me, because I won't answer. I will be reading KINGDOM OF ASH the final volume in Sarah J. Maas's fantastic A Throne of Glass series.  I can NOT freaking wait! Aelin is the most badass heroine I've ever read. Love her and I'm not a huge fantasy reader.

Years in the making, Sarah J. Maas’s #1 New York Times bestselling Throne of Glass series draws to an epic, unforgettable conclusion. Aelin Galathynius’s journey from slave to king’s assassin to the queen of a once-great kingdom reaches its heart-rending finale as war erupts across her world. . .
Aelin has risked everything to save her people-but at a tremendous cost. Locked within an iron coffin by the Queen of the Fae, Aelin must draw upon her fiery will as she endures months of torture. Aware that yielding to Maeve will doom those she loves keeps her from breaking, though her resolve begins to unravel with each passing day…
With Aelin captured, Aedion and Lysandra remain the last line of defense to protect Terrasen from utter destruction. Yet they soon realize that the many allies they’ve gathered to battle Erawan’s hordes might not be enough to save them. Scattered across the continent and racing against time, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian are forced to forge their own paths to meet their fates. Hanging in the balance is any hope of salvation-and a better world.
And across the sea, his companions unwavering beside him, Rowan hunts to find his captured wife and queen-before she is lost to him forever.
As the threads of fate weave together at last, all must fight, if they are to have a chance at a future. Some bonds will grow even deeper, while others will be severed forever in the explosive final chapter of the Throne of Glass series.

RHYS BOWEN: The book I'm really waiting for is Louise Penny's next Inspector Gamache novel, KINGDOM OF THE BLIND. Alas this year it doesn't come out until November! Usually she's late in August but now I have three months more to wait.  

But a book that has blown me away this year is Robert Dugoni's THE EXTRAORDINARY LIFE OF SAM HELL. So different from his usual mystery books, and based on the personal experience of his brother born with Down's Syndrome, it is the story of a boy born with Ocular Albinism... with red pupils that make other children call him Devil Boy. It is a moving tale of the quest for belief, for meaning in life. It should also silence the critics who label us as "genre writers" and think we are not capable of more!

JULIA: All right, dear readers, now it's your turn. What's the one book you'd like to put onto everyone's TBR pile?