Archive for May, 2009

On Friday, I received the latest (and last) book in the Percy Jackson series: The Last Olympian.  I’ve been waiting for almost a year for this last book in the series.  I’m almost done with it and if I hadn’t fallen asleep reading the past two nights (no fault of the book…it’s great.  I blame my sleepiness on the NBA playoffs) I would be finished by now.   I have this weird ritual involving the end of a book series, ok pretty much any new book, but I take special joy in celebrating the end of a series.

First I have to hold the book for a few minutes.  For as techie oriented as I am, I’ll always choose to physically read a book in lieu of reading it on the computer.  There are too many experiences involved in reading a book.  I love the scent of a new book, and knowing that I’m the first person to open the cover and flip through the pages.

After just holding the book for a while, I start analyzing the cover art trying to identify any foreshadowing or symbolism. As terrible as this is for anyone (especially a librarian) to admit, I do occasionally judge a book by it’s cover.  Don’t cringe, I know….it’s a flaw.  The artwork on some books (the US versions of Harry Potter — THANK you Mary GrandPre) are almost as delectable as the story inside.

I’m a font freak.  I love looking at them, analyzing why a particular font was chosen.  I like the shape of letters and the structures of words.  I like looking at different text and seeing the impact of the typesetting and how it can alter and affect the tone of a book.  I love when authors use different styles of fonts to indicate other speakers or change in time or setting.

I need a quiet spot to read, most of the time I need to be alone in a room or in my bed with just my reading light on.  Ever since I was a little girl, I would read late into the night.  My mom used to have to take my books away so I could go to sleep.  Even now, I’ll read until the wee hours of the night just so I can finish a chapter or two.  I’m a little obsessed with finishing a book.

When I was ready to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, I sat in a recliner with a huge bottle of water, some snacks and a blanket.  I held that book for at least 30 minutes before I even opened it.  This was it.  The end of it all.   Soon, I would have all the answers I thought I was waiting for.  12 hours later I learned that wasn’t true…darn you JK Rowling!!

When I read the last page and closed the book, I remember blowing out a huge sigh of relief.  Relief that I had finished the series and that I saw something to completion.  I had major surgery 5 months before the book was published and I remember trying to calm myself down on the way to the OR by repeating “things will be ok.  I have to be around to find out what happens to Harry” over and over.  Inside my head…otherwise they would have taken to the psych ward instead of the OR.

I’m a disgustingly fast reader and I continually have to force myself to read slowly so I can enjoy a book more, but it’s a losing battle.  I’ve always been a fast reader and would often read 2 books a day when I was growing up.   I’ve been reading since a very early age and can’t remember going a day without reading a book. I’m so very lucky to have the financial means to feed my love of books.  I’m pretty sure I spend more money on books than I do on clothing.  Is that wrong?

what about you my fellow book lovers.  Do you have any weird book rituals?

This dish is another meal that I’ve copied from a restaurant.  There’s a quaint Italian place where I enjoyed many meals while in college.  I used to alternate between two dishes: rigatoni with ricotta and baby shells with tomato bechamel.  After graduation I moved away and when I would go back I found that the quality of the food was decreasing.  For years I mourned the loss of my baby shells until one day I learned how to make bechamel sauce and the light bulb went off that Yes! I could make this dish!  I’ve been recreating it for about a year and it’s not perfect yet, but it’s pretty close.

Original dish

My Version (a little thick…should be thinned out; also I changed type of tomatoes after this test run – see recipe)

A few months ago I made dinner for three of my friends in lieu of Christmas gifts.  It was a delicious dinner which consisted of the Alouette mushrooms, a provolone garlic bread, a nice green salad with homemade balsamic dressing and this pasta dish. The dish was a big hit and one of my friends asked for the recipe.  My problem is that when I’m experimenting with food, I never use measurements.  I just improvise.  This is not always a good decision when trying to create a recipe that you want some consistency with. So I actually wrote down what measurements I used when I made this latest batch.  I don’t know what to call it since baby shell bechamel is such a long non descriptive title.  I’m taking suggestions for a name if you’re up for a challenge.

Baby Shell Bechamel

Feeds 4-6 hungry people

Ingredients:
2T butter
1T olive oil
3T flour
1/4t Salt,
1/8t pepper (white pepper if you have it is a nice touch)
pinch of nutmeg
1 large shallot or medium onion – finely chopped
2 cloves garlic – finely chopped
2 cups chicken stock ** see notes at the end
2 cups half and half, whole milk, or 2% ** see notes at the end
1 small can of crushed tomatoes (tomato sauce in picture, but crushed works better.  14 oz can)
1 box baby shells (or other small pasta)
freshly grated parmesan or romano cheese for garnish
freshly chopped basil for garnish

Start boiling water for the pasta.

Heat butter and olive oil in a skillet with deep sides over medium heat. You’ll be adding the pasta to this pan, so make sure it’s large enough to mix everything.

Add onions and garlic and cook for a few minutes until clear and soft.  Don’t brown them!

The base of the bechamel sauce is a roux which consists of equal parts flour and butter/oil.  Sprinkle the flour over the onions and garlic and stir together. Allow the mixture to cook for a few minutes, being careful not to let it turn brown.

It will look thick and lumpy.

When the flour has had time to cook, start to slowly add the chicken stock and wisk the mixture.  It will start to thicken up.

Add the half and half/milk and continue to wisk.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg and continue to wisk.  Taste to adjust seasonings.  The sauce should be thick and bubbly at this point.  Adjust the heat if necessary so it does not come to a full boil.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and wisk together.  The sauce is just about done so you can taste again for seasoning and add more salt/pepper if you like.  You can also sprinkle in some grated cheese or wait and allow that to be done at the table.

Cook the pasta a minute or two less than recommended, since it will continue to cook in the sauce.  Drain pasta and add to the skillet.  Mix together until sauce and pasta are combined and serve.  It’s a saucy dish, so a good crusty bread is recommended.

Sprinkle with basil and grated cheese if you’d like.

Recipe Notes:

1. The pictures show a halved recipe.  It does make a lot of food.  Due to the cream sauce it reheats OK..not great, but not terrible either.  Add a few sprinkles of water when reheating to make it creamier.
2. A traditional bechamel sauce does not use chicken stock as part of the liquid. It uses the full amount of milk or half and half.  I try to make my recipes as healthy as I can without compromising the integrity of the dish.  If you want to be completely authentic, use 4c of milk/half and half instead of the chicken stock.  I’d actually suggest you make it both ways to see if you can even tell a different.  My version is not as thick as the original dish, which I attribute to the chicken stock substitution.  I am planning on playing around with the amount of flour to adjust the thickness via the roux, too.  Let me know what you think.
3. I’m a creature of habit and I prefer baby shells in this recipe.  I was out of them and had to use rotini.  For other people, this may not matter so much.  For me, the baby shells are integral to the success of the recipe.

Enjoy!

(I will adjust this as I tweak the recipe, so your comments are welcome)