Marsha Mehran escaped the Iranian revolution and the heroines of her stories have done the same.  I was drawn to this book and it’s sequel (unfortunately I read them the wrong way around) initially because of the culinary theme but found many other connections to the narrative.  Both stories are about three sisters and their sometimes opposite reactions to the same circumstances of life.

They run a little cafe together in a community in western Ireland, a place that I fell deeply in love with when we traveled through it a couple of springs ago.  Our most northern stop was Galway which is still south of County Mayo where the action takes place.

But wandering the streets of Galway and experiencing their commerce and culinary scene has allowed me to create what I think is a realistic mental picture of life for the sisters.  Here are a couple of my favourite excerpts from the first of the two novels.

Chapter 4, page 62

At only nine in the morning the kitchen was already pregnant to its capacity, every crevice and countertop overtaken by Marjan’s gourmet creations.  Marinating vegetables (torshis of mango, eggplant and the regular seven-spice variety), packed to the briny brims of five-gallon see-through canisters, sat on the kitchen island.  Large blue bowls filled with salads (angelica lentil, tomato, cucumber and mint, Persian fried chicken), dolmeh, and dips (cheese and walnut) yoghurt and cucumber, baba ganoush, and spicy hummus), which, along with feta, Stilton and cheddar cheese, were covered and stacked in the enormous glass-door refrigerator.  Opposite the refrigerator stood the colossal brick bread oven.  Baking away in its domed belly was the last of the sangak bread loaves, three feet long and counting, rising in golden crests and graced with scatterings of poppy and nigella seed.  The rest of the bread (paper-thin lavash) crusty barbari, slabs of sangak as well as the usual white sliced loaf) was already covered with comforting cheesecloth to keep the freshness in.  And simmering on the stove, under Marjan’s loving orders, was a small pot of white onion (not to be mistaken for the French variety, for this version boasts dried fenugreek leaves and pomegranate paste), the last pot of red lentil soup and a larger pt of abguhst.  An extravaganza of lamb, split peas, and potatoes, abguhst always reminded Marjan of early spring nights in Iran, when the cherry blossoms still shivered with late frosts and the piping samavors helped washed down the saffron and dried lime aftertaste with strong, black Darjeeling tea.

And then just further along on Page 64

So this was how love was supposed to feel, Layla thought, like the ecstatic cries of a pomegranate as it realizes the knife’s thrust, the caesarean labor of juicy seeds cut from her inner womb.  Like the gleeful laugh of oil as it corrupts the watery flour, the hot grease blending the batter to its will and creating a greater sweetness from the process-zulbia, the sugary fried fritters she loved so.  Falling in love was amazing.  Why hadn’t anyone ever told her so?

Kath’s quote: “And beneath upon the hem of it thou shalt make pomegranates of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, round about the hem thereof; and bells of gold between them round about: a golden bell and a pomegranate, a golden bell and a pomegranate, upon the hem of the robe round about.” –Exodus 28:33-34

Love-that is all.

D and I are currently on our annual two week stretch at our little beach house on Lake Winnipeg.  The days have a lovely familiarity: in the morning the sun works its way over the thick, tall pines and starts to filter through the poplar leaves.  In the first sun of the day, D and I enjoy coffee together on the deck before he leaves to meet the guys at the tennis court.  On these mornings, I go back to bed with my second cup of coffee and read.  After the dog is walked and last night’s dishes are placed in scalding, sudsy water, (so that I do not have to work very hard to wash them), I write.  As my reward for getting some work done, I will go for a bike ride and perhaps collect heart stones on the beach.  In the afternoons, various projects are accomplished or persons visited.

When I plan our menus, I try to keep the new harvest of garden produce in mind and things that will make great leftovers and picnic lunches.  D doesn’t mind what I have planned as long as he gets to cook it on the barbeque.  For him, the routine of choosing a beer and firing up the grill, is an integral part of our lake life.

We have tried everything on the barbeque from a rotisserie turkey to seafood pizza with varied success. In the end, our greatest achievements are vegetables and chops of some description. We recently enjoyed Certified Angus Sirloins, grilled mushrooms and tri-coloured peppers.  About a month ago, I received a lovely wine package, which we strategically hid away to be packed up for our time at the lake.  That evening we opened a precious bottle of Montecillo Reserva Rioja.  It is clean and brilliant and went beautifully with our grilled steaks.  Crafted from tempranillo and viura grapes and oak-aged, the multiple award-winning Bodegas Montecillo wines are wholesome, well-balanced and fruity with a touch of oak.  We long to travel to northern Spain where the wine originates.

Another evening we paired a wine appropriately called Place in the Sun Sauvignon Blanc with Thai Grilled Coconut Chicken.  The South African wine originates from Stellenbosch, a place that we know much about even though we have not visited.  Daughter #2 and The Frenchman have had the pleasure.  She has photos of the vineyards and of their wine tastings.  Surprisingly, Place in the Sun Sauvignon Blanc, is only available only in Manitoba.  With an upfront aroma of passion fruit and tropical notes, and a palate that’s crisp with a hint of pineapple, the sauvignon blanc was perfect with our tropical chicken but would also work well with green salads, fish and pasta dishes made without cream.

Last evening we uncorked the Place in the Sun Cabernet Sauvignon which is also only available in Manitoba. It is a big-hearted wine with a refreshing juicy berry palate tempered by gentle oaking.  The cabernet sauvignon has an aroma of succulent red and black berries.  It paired well with our flame-grilled pork chops, pita bread and hearty Greek salad.

We are heading into the city for a family celebration dinner tonight but will drive back out this evening so that we can start the familiar days all over again.

Kath’s quote: “Tell me what you eat and I will tell you who you are”. -Anthelme Brillat-Savarin

Love-that is all.

Hello Readers.  I have some lovely news: our first grandbaby was born this past weekend and life seems to have an entirely different meaning as a result.  The Wee One burst into our lives with an urgency which had me thinking all about food: “What will we serve the family members that are coming over for a impromptu celebration?” and “Do I have enough groceries to get cooking for the freezer?”  But most importantly, I was praying that the Wee One would learn to latch and would be a good nurser.

While pregnant, J2’s tummy went straight out in front and many of us concluded that she was carrying a sturdy little boy.  The opposite turned out to be true.  Wee One has the littlest face and a long, strong neck. I have yet to see her legs totally unfurled and they seem impossibly long.  It is no wonder that J2’s tummy entered a room ahead of her, as those legs and knees have been pointing the way.

Whenever I think of her feet, I have to suppress a little giggle because they seem almost as long as mine are now.  I have ridiculously short feet.  D often refers to them as my “Yubba Dubba Do” feet because they look like I used them to stop Fred Flintstone’s car!  Wee One has the graceful feet of a dancer, just like her amazingly beautiful Mom.

I have yet to hear about what her second night on this earth was like.  Her first night though was a long one for her and her Mommy and Daddy.  J1 was so exhausted that he managed to sleep in spite of the ruckus that Wee One was making to exercise her singing voice and make her presence known.  I understand she and J2 finally slept at 6 am and that all she wanted was skin to skin contact with her Mom and to nurse all night long.  In spite of J2’s own exhaustion she lovingly accommodated.

Here she is telling me a thing or two!

Last evening when we went back to the hospital and got to hold the little miracle again, we heard her piercing cry in full force.  J2 has trying to get a little bit of rest behind a drawn curtain, but giggled every time Wee One squawked, sounding like an exotic bird.  I would not be surprised if J2 spent another long night, giving literally of herself to Wee One.  If there was ever a more natural Mommy and Daddy and this earth, I have yet to meet them.  J1 and J2 are approaching their exhaustion with good humour and tenderness for each other.

I could sit here and enjoy my first thoughts on this, but there is so much to do: stock the fridge of the new parents, keep on cooking for their freezer and ensure that all that they have to be concerned about is giving the Wee One as much nutrition and love as she can absorb!

Kath’s quote: …a little child, born yesterday, A thing on mother’s milk and kisses fed… –Homer

Love-that is all.

“Devour the District” is a restaurant walking tour offered by the Exchange District BIZ in partnership with Tourism Winnipeg’s Peg City Grub blog.   The tour commences from Old Market Square at 133 Albert St. The first stop on our “mini”-tour was the Underground Café.  We learned a bit about the history of the Silpit Building which is home to the Café (down a flight of basement stairs at 70 Albert St., hence its name).  I think that I first sampled the Café’s Spicy Tuna Melt about twenty years ago, which has become a family favourite.  Wendy, the chef and owner confirmed that is how long that they have been around.  This recent sampling was of their famous “Sun-Burger”, said to be so popular because it doesn’t “pretend to be meat”.  Only the shape is the same as a burger. The compilation of toasted sesame and sunflower seeds, two kinds of cheese, Jasmine rice, eggs and various spices is delicious even it wasn’t packed with nutritious ingredients.  Wendy describes her menu offerings as “comfort food with a twist”, comfortable indeed.

Next up was Deer + Almond where we were met by the vibrant owner and chef Mandel who embraces the “new twist” on traditional dishes, too.  His inventive West Coast Caesar Salad was made with marinated kale, tangy granny smith apple slices and big salty, shards of parmesan cheese.  He guessed correctly when he thought that we might be sampling charcuterie at our last stop and chose the refreshing and nutritious salad to complement our last course.

At the Peasant Cookery, we were greeted by two staff members and award winning chef Tristan. The Peasant takes “from-scratch” to a whole new level and is the only restaurant in Winnipeg where they do their own smoking, hanging, curing and drying of the meats on their charcuterie board.    We sampled Berkshire pork smoked salami, a Spanish-style chorizo sausage and a spicy pepperoni.  My favourite was the buttery pate, with meats still chucky rather than emulsified, so that individual flavours shone out individually if you selected a small nibble, or beautifully melded, if you take a larger chomp. 

 A daytime Devour the District tour, takes place on Tuesdays from 2-5 pm and the evening tour steps out from 5-8 pm on Thursdays.  The cost for each is $58 per person which is a very economical package.  The tours are a unique opportunity to learn some of the colourful history of the Exchange District AND sample tastes from the best bites that Exchange restaurants have to offer.  The results are a “progressive” dinner, like no other.  Recommend the tour to visitors, or take one yourself and enjoy all the historic and culinary adventures that our beautiful city has to offer. Call 204-942-6716 to arrange a tour. 

On the day that I wrote this for the Canstar community newspapers, I took along my camera without a memory card, hence my lack of photos. Thank you for the continual grace that you demonstrate towards me and this space. 

Kath’s quote: “I rose at 5 o’clock in the morning and read a chapter in Hebrew and 200 verses in Homer’s Odyssey. I ate milk for breakfast,
I said my prayers…I danced my dance. I read law in the morning and Italian in the afternoon. I ate tough chicken for dinner.”-Diary of William Byrd, 1709

Love-that is all.

I turn 58 today.  I am going to celebrate by writing and gardening and then have a glass of wine with my precious husband and our kids.  I have a very early morning (3:45 am) so it will not be a late one.  But I want to also spend the day counting my blessings. Here goes (from my stream of consciousness, that is to say in no particular order):

1. For the simple luxuries of my home-a hot shower this morning in a brightly illuminated room.  With Daughter #2 just having returned from Central America I know that this is truly is a luxury.
2. For social media, especially Facebook.  I woke up to so many birthday greetings that there are 35 waiting for me, that I can’t even see.  Sometimes I get frustrated by not being able to figure these little blips out, so I suppose FB is a bit of a curse too.  But suffice it to say, the birthday greetings make me feel remembered and loved.
3. For the internet so that I could file a story and photos due this morning, before I even had my second  cup of coffee or walked the dog.
4. For my good health-for normal blood pressure and cholesterol and blood sugar.  For clear mammograms and colon screens.
5. For still being able to work in my garden and then run over to J1 and J2’s and do some weeding for them too.  My hips do sometime get sore but perhaps that is from sitting rather than exerting.
6. For our first grandbaby who will be welcomed into our family this July.
7. For having a modest income that allows us to contribute to the post-secondary education of all three of our adult children.
8. For my husband.  He is such a good man for so many reasons.  He has spent this week running around trying to find the hard top gazebo that he knows that I would love for our deck at the lake.  He is also trying to replace our lawn-mower because he knows that all the time that I spend in our gardens is not showcased until the lawn is cut and neatly trimmed.
9. For my Mom who at 86 sits and waits patiently (ususually) for visits from her family.  She gave me birthday money that I spent on bedding plants and an extra little something because she knows that our big old hairy dogs needs to spend hours at the groomers.
10. For my sisters.  There are my very best friends.
11. For our little beach house.  I will be away in the Sates this weekend and not able to be there but I will imagine it the entire time that I am away.  I sleep better there, than anywhere in the world.  I get more sunshine and the most exercise there.  It is the epitome of who I am and what I cherish most.  AND I LOVE THAT WE FINALLY HAVE AN INDOOR BIFFY!
12. For the fruit tress in our yard and next door that always seem to bloom on my birthday.
13. For my perennials that appear every spring to remind me that it is not my doing but God who brings life.
14. Specifically for my “forget-me-nots” that were gifted to me when my dear friend Melinda moved away from Winnipeg, some 20 years ago now.  We are still close friends and she remembers the colours that give me joy and we share an obsession with hearts.  Her birthday package arrived yesterday-a glorious scarf in turquoise and pink and a hand made card with a wire heart on the front.
15. For my work.  Tasks that excite me and some times stress me out but always something new to think about and learn and exercise that muscle called my brain.
16. For the creative aspect of my work too.  I did not even know that I loved to write until this blog created a forum for me to do so.
17. For the gift of travel-sometimes mind-boggling; to be able to awake in my own bed and be on our precious Isla Mujeres for a late lunch.  I leave for Philadelphia in the early morning and have the adventure of Tuscany this fall.   I could never have dreamed of a life this full.
18. For my Dad, gone now, but the lasting memory of his love for the soil and the ground.  He was the gardener in our family and I think of him whenever I plant annuals along the edge of a sidewalk or path.
19.  For thrift shop stores.  I love a good deal like the never been worn Clark’s sandals that I got today for $4!
20. For the spring rain.  I know that it means that mosquitoes are coming but I transferred a whole bunch of perennials this morning and now I know that they will flourish without my extra attention.
21. For the free things that I am sent as gifts because of the work that I do.  I received a $500 Delta handsfree kitchen faucet this morning!
22. For friends that share their recipes and food with me.  Yesterday Lori brought be a forcocia starter.  We had it for last night’s dinner with soup and I just toasted a couple of slices now.  Oh my.
23. For Daughter #1-an amazing person from the instant that she was born.  An inspiration to me and so many people, every single day.  I am humbled to be here Mom.
24. For Daughter #2.  She is my baby girl no matter how grown up and worldly and savvy she becomes.  She has such an enormous heart for the suffering in this world and she is going to make a difference, some way, some how.
25. For our son-  He is the most fascinating person that I have ever met.  How many people can say that about their own child?
26. For Daughter #3-she isn’t really my daughter as most of you know, but I love as if she were.  Thank you for loving our guy as you do.
27. For the Frenchman.  You are a significant member of our family and I don’t know what life was like before you joined us.
28. For the access to healthcare that we have in this province and this country.  Spending a couple of hours each week at the children’s hospital, I see miracles occur.  The system is far from perfect but I would not live in any other country in the world.
29. For the babies that I cuddle each week.  This week I spent two whole hours gazing into the navy blue eyes of a 23 day old baby girl.  They give me, more than I could ever give them.
30. For PBS-I am serious.  We love Call the Midwife and Downton Abbey.  The writing, acting and art direction is absolutely stupendous and we are hooked.
31. For books.  I have two currently on the go and another downloaded to my tablet for this weekend’s trip.  My Mom quotes her Dad when she says: “You are never alone, if you have a good book”.
32. For my big brother who is awaiting knee surgery.  I can’t wait until he can cross country ski again.  His courage in pain and patience in anticipation of the surgery, is an example of endurance for us all.
33. For my “little” brother who works so hard with such cheerfulness.  I get to holiday with him every year and I do wish that I could spend more time with him.
34. For my sister-in-laws.  Thank you for putting up with my brothers, I know that it is not always easy to live with one of us, but you would never know it by your grace and patience.
35. For my Sister #2’s husband.  He mentors and supports me in so many ways.  I love him like a “real” brother.

I could go on, in fact I thought that I might get to 58 to mark the number of years that I have been on this earth, but life is calling me to make a couple more phone calls and tidy up some loose ends.  Suffice it to say-I am blessed.

Have you counted (literally) your blessings lately?