Twofers—Books, Movies, Recipes

My friend Steve asked if I'd read 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami because he was itching to talk about it. I hadn't—so he sent it to me! All 3 volumes, almost 1200 pages! I was very skeptical at first because it is most definitely not my usual fare; although I love a bit of magic realism here and there, this is decidedly more surreal and dystopian, with parallel universes and some other sci-fi stuff I won't reveal. But I loved it! It's hard to say what it's about, but it's got love and loss and philosophy and murder and a religious cult and a lot more. The two main characters, plus a small but fascinating supporting cast, really engaged me and held my interest throughout. And although this alternate world is a crucial part of the book, most of the "action" is about everyday life—what people are eating and wearing and reading and doing and, especially, thinking. Yes, it was long, but I didn't mind one bit—I looked forward to digging in a little more each evening. I highly recommend it, even if (or maybe especially if?) you don't think it's up your alley.

I had a book on my TBR pile for a while, and then it happened to be chosen for my book group's discussion in March. It was Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb, and I loved it. It's a memoir by a therapist about being a therapist and also going to a therapist. The author has a fascinating story about how she ended up becoming a therapist—it was most definitely not a straight path—and about what happened in her life that made her feel that she ought go to therapy herself. According to the intro, she got permission from her patients and therapist to use their stories with fake names and with identifying details obscured, so the book is filled with funny anecdotes and pain and epiphany and, really, just about everything that real life is filled with. Gottlieb writes with great warmth and humor and insight, and I was really sorry to see this book come to an end. Although some parts were sad, it was overall an uplifting read.

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Last week we watched another Safdie brothers movie (the first was Uncut Gems, reviewed here) called Good Time. It was worth watching but not a good time. As with Uncut Gems, it was quite bleak and disturbing in many ways. However, Robert Pattinson was absolutely fantastic! It's about two brothers and a botched bank robbery, and that's all I'll say. I saw that it got some rave reviews and some total pans, and I don't consider either of those extremes deserved. 

We also watched CODA, about which I have mixed emotions. On the one hand, I thought that the cast was fantastic. Emilia Jones is very appealing and has a lovely singing voice. She plays Ruby, the only hearing person in her family of Gloucester fishers. Troy Kotsur, who won Best Actor for playing her dad, was outstanding. And Marlee Matlin and Daniel Durant were also really good as the mom and brother. However, I just don't see this as a Best Picture winner. The story is about as formulaic as you can get—there is not a single surprise in the entire plot. Should Ruby follow her dream or stay loyal to her family? Take a guess. And the rest of the characters were straight out of central casting—the quirky but stalwart best friend, the popular boy who is actually a mensch, the Mean Girls, the prima donna music teacher who really cares about his students, etc. And on top of all that, the humor was almost entirely dumb sex jokes that either missed the mark or went on for too long (or both). So although I'm glad I saw it, and I'm thrilled that these Deaf actors were recognized for their work, and it was really interesting to see a story of what it might be like to be a CODA (hearing child of Deaf adults), it was just too predictable and shallow for me. YMMV as they say.

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Here's a recipe I've made a couple of times that is very quick and easy to throw together when you want something different for lunch than another turkey sandwich (who, me?). It's not terribly photogenic, but very tasty. I like to eat this on crackers; it's kind of messy to eat as a sandwich, so I recommend you stuff it in a pita if you're going that route—and do a better job mashing the chickpeas than I did.

Pesto Chickpea Salad

¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup basil pesto
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon seasoned salt* (This was not called for in the recipe, but I found it kind of bland otherwise—maybe the pesto I got wasn't up to par? You could obviously use any seasoning you like here, or nothing.)
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
¼ cup finely chopped red onion
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Stir together the mayonnaise, pesto, lemon juice, optional seasoning, and pepper in a bowl. Add the chickpeas, onion, and parsley and mix well.  You can serve this as is or slightly mash the chickpeas so it stays on the crackers better.

*I've fallen in love with Johnny's Seasoning Salt! It is yummy and has no MSG. I put it on everything now.

This next recipe was originally served as a the starchy side for roast chicken and asparagus. We loved the texture but found the flavor kind of lacking. Well, the next day I ate a wedge cold for lunch and it was excellent! The texture was even better, and it somehow even seemed more flavorful. If I make this again, I might add more seasonings, or perhaps even some chopped veg, or else I'll just plan for it to be served cold for lunch. Another day when I can skip the turkey sandwich!

Crunchy Couscous Galette

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
½ cup thinly sliced shallots
2 cups couscous
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
7 ounces Gruyère cheese, shredded (about 2 cups)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

In a large saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the shallots and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the couscous and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the broth and a pinch of salt, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes, until the liquid has been absorbed.

Fluff the couscous and scrape it into a large bowl. Let it cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the eggs and cheese and season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler with the rack 8 inches from the heating element.

In a large oven-safe nonstick skillet, melt another 1 tablespoon butter in the oil. Spread out the couscous mixture in the skillet. Cut the remaining 1 tablespoon butter into little bits and scatter them over the top. Cook over moderately high heat until golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes. (I stuck a silicone spatula underneath and just kind of peeked. I think mine went for closer to 8 minutes.)

Stick the skillet in the oven and broil the galette for about 5 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Using oven mitts, invert a large plate over the skillet. Carefully flip the galette out onto the plate (ta-da!), cut into wedges, and serve.

Comments

[Margaret]

I see many possibilities for that galette. I like your idea of adding vegetables. I agree 100% about CODA; it reminded me of "Mr Holland's Opus" and was very predictable. I didn't think the Best Picture or Best Actor award were warranted. If anyone deserved an award, I think Marlee Matlin did. I asked a good friend (who is a CODA) what her parents and she thought of the movie and she rolled her eyes. Although Emilia tried to learn ASL, her sign wasn't good and deaf people needed subtitles to understand her. My friend was not very impressed by the film in general.

[Tonya Watkins]

Yes, Yes, YES!! about Johnny's seasoning!! Its origin is very local to the Pacific Northwest and we have used it for years (based on the Johhny's seafood restaurants and seafood shops in the area). When my parents were living in Maine and I'd moved back to WA in the mid-70s, my mom would have me mail her Johnny's because she couldn't get it there, and nobody had ever heard of it. I'm glad to see they've expanded across the country after all this time.

[Beth F]

I'll pass on both movies. I didn't like Uncut Gems, so I'm not eager to watch another. CODA interested me, but two friends of mine who are professional career ASL interpreters said it was really bad.

Both recipes look good. I've never heard of Johnny's--not available at my Wegman's, so I'll have to mail order. Budget Bytes has a good chickpea salad, and I had the same issue trying to eat in a sandwich (https://www.budgetbytes.com/scallion-herb-chickpea-salad/)

As for 1Q84 -- I *know* I'd love it, but haven't yet committed to the length!