I've changed my mind

Days ago, I wrote about a mystery that I was reading without exactly knowing why:  The Last Enemy, by Grace Brophy.  I didn't particularly like it, didn't find it suspenseful, and felt that it was a sign of my general state of lethargy, following a batch of great books that I had read throughout the course of the summer.

I stand corrected.  The story got better and better and I really got very hooked by the characters.  The end was surprising for a number of different reasons.  I'd have to say that I liked Brophy's Italian mystery more than the Venice-based books that I've read by Donna Leon (that said, I love Venice and will therefore keep reading Leon's mysteries for a long time, I suspect).  

But, as for Brophy, forget about what I wrote earlier.  I recommend this and will hope that she has written other books that I'll be able to throw myself into.  But first -- War and Peace, as I prepare for the fall session of my reading group.  It's September.

Summer movies

There are some movies, it's fair to say, that Todaysfrase would never see if they weren't playing in Montauk's movie theater (for enough weeks that they gradually become more and more enticing). "Tropic Thunder" falls into this category.  I thought that it would be incredibly stupid.  So it wasn't hard to resist during the first week of its run.  But eventually, sometime during the second week, I succumbed and, TF-ers, I am happy to report that it's remarkably funny.  I urge you to see it.  Like "Iron Man," it is a very fun if brainless summer flick.

One of the best parts of "Tropic Thunder" is a hilarious performance by Tom Cruise -- who I didn't even recognize until I was practically hit over the head  by my movie companions.  (Yes, I was not as with-it as I might have been.  To be perfectly honest, I completely failed to appreciate that the spoofy beginning of this movie was indeed the beginning of the movie and not just another couple of awful previews.  That was a nice touch.)

Since this reminds me of just how good Cruise can be when he's not talking about you-know-what or acting in duds like "Lions for Lambs,"  I'd like to take this opportunity to recommend another film,  "Magnolia."  One of my alltime favorites, it has many great things going for it, most especially a terrific soundtrack by Aimee Mann and a superb, over-the-top performance by Cruise as a woman-hating self-help guru.   Add it to your Netflix list if you haven't yet seen it.

Another cookbook I love

As you know by now, I'm very fond of Mark Bittman's cookbooks.  FISH: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking is a terrific addition to any recipe collection and buying it would be a great way to keep the spirit of summer going strong.   I'm heartsick to think that I'll soon be leaving Gosman's seafood store (which I'm convinced is the best place to buy fish in the Hamptons - not just Montauk).  But I'll take this book back to Manhattan with me, because it is full of wonderful ideas and recipes.  

One of my favorite recipes in the book is for Broiled Bluefish with Lime Mustard, although I usually make it with flounder, fluke, sole, or tilapia instead.  Ingredients:  1/2 cup Dijon or coarse grained mustard (go coarse if possible); juice and grated zest of 1 lime; salt and pepper to taste; 1 tbsp olive or peanut oil (I always use olive oil); 1 1/2 pounds fish fillets; 1 medium to large ripe fresh tomato, seeded and coarsely chopped; lime wedges (I usually leave that out, but it sounds good all the same).  

Mix together the mustard, lime juice and zest, salt, and pepper.  Preheat the broiler.  Brush a cookie sheet or broiler pan with oil and lay the fish on it.  Brush it with the mustard mixture.

Broil about 6 inches from the heat source for 6 to 10 minutes (depending upon the thickness of the fish - but you knew that).  Sprinkle with the tomato and return it to the broiler for one minutes.  Serve immediately with lime wedges.  I like to serve this with whole wheat couscous but it could also be good with Israeli couscous or brown or white jasmati rice.  

Leftover Chicken

As I may have failed to mention, Todaysfrase tries diligently to follow in the footsteps of all those thrifty French cooks who never turn their backs on the possibilities presented by leftovers.  

The highlights of last night's dinner were chicken breasts in olive oil, lemon juice, and kosher salt and sauteed string beans (charred to a really nice crisp).   Today, I made a terrific chicken salad. While this recipe can (and should) be adapted in all kinds of ways, here's what I did with those leftovers:  To the diced chicken and string beans I added sliced fresh peaches, dried cherries, toasted almonds, and avocado.  I sprinkled it with olive oil (a delicious Greek oil called Ariston) and added some more kosher salt. The general response was euphoria.

TF-ers, do you have any favorite recipes for leftovers?  What about recipes for peaches?

A great little cookbook

Actually, this is a book that I recommend for many reasons, not only the recipes:  Chef's Secrets:  Insider Techniques from Today's Culinary Masters ("as told to Francine Maroukian"). It's a tiny fun and useful book, published by Quirk Press.

 You may not want to know how to peel a tomato with a blowtorch -- in fact, I'm hoping that you don't -- but there are a lot of good tricks in this book.  It's also really interesting to read about the convoluted paths that many chefs took before they ended up in the kitchen (maybe there's hope for Todaysfrase yet!!!).  I also recommend this as a gift, because odds are overwhelming that people won't have it.

I'm going to make the guacamole recipe as soon as I say goodbye for now.  Ingredients:  3 tbsp chopped white onion, divided; 1/2 tsp chopped serrano chiles; 1 1/2 tsp finely chopped cilantro (I know that this is an abomination, but I am forced to leave this out because my significant other is a cilantro hater from way back); 1/2 tsp salt (I use sea salt); 1 ripe Hass avocado; 1 small tomato, chopped with seeds and center removed.  

In small bowl, thoroughly mash 1 tbsp of the chopped onion, the chile, 1/2 tsp cilantro, and the salt with the back of a wooden spoon (actually I don't have a wooden spoon in Montauk, but I doubt that this really matters in the larger scheme of things). 

Scoop out the avocado, place it in the bowl with the onion paste.  Stir thoroughly to coat with the paste.  Add the remaining onion and cilantro (if only I could) and the tomato.  Gently fold to incorporate all ingredients.  Add more chopped chiles and salt to taste.  TF-ers, I love avocado and eat it at least once a day.  Do you have any good recipes to share?

Here's the big mystery

Yes, TF-ers, there are times when I keep reading books that I'm not particularly in love with, mainly because of a depressing kind of lethargy (or else, a hope that things will get a little better).  So, at the moment, I'm reading a mystery by Grace Brophy (The Last Enemy), which was recommended by the booksellers at the wonderful Greenwich Village store, Partners and Crime.  It takes place in Assisi, and, as you know, I love mysteries that take place somewhere other than the U.S.  And, there are lots of great quotes on the cover (I know, I shouldn't even be mentioning that).  

But so far, I contemplate throwing in the towel every night.  If there were even an evocative description of an Italian meal it might get me motivated.

The problem is, this book is following The Road, which was unbelievably great.  And, waiting ahead of me is War and Peace, which I am reading -- or, should be reading --  for my reading group (one day, I'll tell you all about this group).   There's something very offputting about embarking on W&P during the last week of the summer.  

So, that's where I find myself.  Are there any Grace Brophy fans out there to send me some encouraging words?

A great day for gardening

Finally, success.  I'm happier than I can say to report on today's crop:  two eggplants, 13 cherry and yellow grape tomatoes, 27 string beans (actually, a couple were pole beans), 4 strawberries, plus a very good amount of parsley and basil.   One large tomato is showing signs of moving (slowly) from green to orange.  That only leaves about 250 to go.  Still, this is a big development, since the three green tomatoes that are the subject of my paper bag in the closet experiment are, so far, failing to display any sign of progress.

In honor of this bumper crop, plus some special dinner guests, I am cooking a feast:  pan roasted chicken; eggplant parmesan; vegetable paella (with brown rice - it's not really paella even though that's the name); roasted asparagus and broccoli; and flourless chocolate cake (the first recipe that I gave you)  with strawberries for dessert.

I'm also happy to report that 3 out of 4 disks for Season 5 of the Wire have arrived.  It will now take a great act of will to focus on all other activities.  TF-ers, I hope that this has been a very good day for you as well.   

Tonight's dinner was great!

The internet connection here is still shaky, so I will be short and sweet.  Here is a terrific recipe for striped bass in a shitake mushroom broth.  The original recipe comes from Bon Appetite.  I have made it twice and can't believe how good it is.  I'm going to try to leave out my usual parenthetical insights because I'm afraid that I'll be thrown off my connection any minute.

Ingredients:  2 cups water; 4 tbsp red miso (I'm not sure if that's what I bought, but it has worked beautifully all the same); 4 large shitake mushrooms (stemmed, thinly sliced, I use more than this); 3 green onions, diced (up to this part is the list for the broth - what follows is for the fish):  4 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger; 2 6-oz skinless striped bass filet; 1/4 cup panko.  Chopped fresh cilantro.

Whisk 2 cups water and 2 tbsp red miso in medium saucepan.  Add mushrooms and simmer over medium heat until mushrooms are soft, about 5 minutes (I go longer).  Stir in most of the scallions.  (This is my big addition:  Sprinkle in some soy sauce - I think that the broth is a little bland without it.)  Cover to keep warm and set aside.

Mix 2 tbsp miso, remainder of scallions, 2 tbsp vegetable oil and fresh ginger in small bowl.  (Actually, I leave out the ginger because I need to be in the right mood to eat it.  Instead, I add a little more soy sauce.)  Sprinkle fillets with salt and pepper, spread ginger (that is, non-ginger) mixture over fillets.  Dunk into the panko on both sides.  

Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in medium nonstick skillet over medium high heat.  Saute until brown and crisp (about 6 to 8 minutes).   Place fish fillets in bowl, pour some or all of the brothand mushrooms around it.  Sprinkle with cilantro if you like that.   

TF-ers do you have any good fish recipes to share?  Thanks.

Cable down, car fixed and other (minor) catastrophes

TF-ers, I must apologize.  Although I had many plans for a long and involved post about all kinds of important occurrences, this one will be short and sweet.  I was delayed, today, by the complete and utter breakdown of my cable-based phone and internet service.  It lasted all day and I have yet to figure out how to communicate with you via text messaging or my blackberry.  I will tackle that lesson, one of these days.

Here's a short and sweet plug for Woody Allen's new movie, which is pretty funny (not Annie Hall or Bananas, but still fun).  I learned to love Penelope Cruz when she appeared in Volver and she, again, outdoes herself.  I wouldn't see this ahead of Don't Tell Anyone, but if you've already followed up on that suggestion (or if it's not showing anywhere near where you live) then I would see this.

And, as for the car, I've been meaning to mention this as the latest (and most devastating) derailing of my summer of fiscal austerity.  Something to do with oxygenation broke down.  $1300 for the part to be ordered and replaced.  That doesn't seem fair.  But it's in keeping with a summer in which the chimney cap rotted away, the dryer collapsed, and the water heater fizzled itself into a total breakdown.  What's the point of a budget anyway?

Gardening, part 2

TF-ers, I was a little bleak yesterday and I apologize for that.  While it's true that my tomatoes haven't (yet) turned out the way I expect them to, there are plenty of other great things going on in my garden.  And I've got some ideas on the tomato front.

First, the good news.  The eggplants that I've been growing are phenomenal.  They formed the basis, today, of a perfect sandwich for the beach.    I sauteed eggplant slices (dipped first in egg and then in bread crumbs), while broiling strips of red pepper (which I had tossed in olive oil and kosher salt).  I sliced open a baguette and made a sandwich of thinly sliced tomatoes (ouch -- they didn't come from my garden), eggplant, red pepper, and fresh mozzarella, with some olive oil and balsamic vinegar drizzled on top.   And also, some fresh basil, which also came from the garden.  At the moment of ecstasy, eating these terrific sandwiches with dear friends on the beach, it was hard to remember that I had anything to be depressed about when it came to the garden.

But, one can't repress bad memories forever.  And, since I am well aware that there isn't a ripe tomato anywhere in my backyard, I needed to come up with an alternative plan.  In fact, I've got two of them.  I have turned off the sprinkler and hope to really dry things out in the garden.  After all, water may be the problem.  Meanwhile, in the spirit of scientific experimentation, I have picked 3 good-sized (but green and pretty much hard as rocks) tomatoes, put them in a brown paper bag, and hidden them in a cabinet.  Maybe they'll manage to ripen that way.  Even if this doesn't work, a miracle may happen (some, or even one, of the tomatoes still growing on my plants might actually ripen without the help of brown paper).

I will keep you up-to-date on more exciting developments in the garden.  If you have any good recipes for either eggplants (my success) or tomatoes (which I will purchase elsewhere, if absolutely necessary), I'd love to hear them.

The heartbreak of a tomato gardener

I've been so busy gadding around writing posts about movies I've seen and books I've been reading that I have failed to talk about my garden, which sometimes sends me into fits of happiness and other times into pure despair.  There have been a variety of bean-related successes, for example.  Also a bumper crop of basil, some tiny but good radishes, a little rosemary and a single (so far) perfect eggplant.  So that's great.  We've kept the deer and the rabbits away and there's no (knock on wood) sign of bugs. 

But although I have about a dozen apparently robust tomato plants -- each one as tall or taller than I am (okay, Todaysfrase is a little on the short side, but all the same, these are good sized plants), there have been only a handful or so of ripe cherry tomatoes.  Nothing else.  Tomatoes are growing, but they are green and they are tiny.  The days (and weeks) go by and nothing gets ripe.  The situation is getting a little depressing because, after all, the summer is close to over.

TF-ers, do you have any ideas about what could be happening here?  I have been fertilizing (organically) like a maniac.  Weeding.  Watering daily.  But something has gone wrong.  Is it all those horrible thunder and lightning storms?  Too little water whenever there hasn't been too much?  The cold?  What else could it be?

To end on a happier note, let me reiterate my call for favorite tomato recipes.  Any good ideas?

What, no brownies?

TF-ers, I must apologize.  First, I string you along with the promise that I'm going to bring you an entire series of blogs about brownies, one of my cooking obsessions.  Then I fail to follow up on my first (admittedly, great) brownie recipe.  And, now, I am going to zig zag in a totally different direction, by offering, instead, a second flourless chocolate cake recipe.  Don't despair.  I will return to the brownie theme eventually.  

But, first, a recipe for a cake that I baked today in honor of two of my very favorite weekend guests (you know who you are).  Let me preface the recipe by pointing out that flourless chocolate cakes potentially have three really strong advantages.  They're the perfect, non-matzoh oriented dessert for Passover dinners (this is a huge advantage, actually).  Also, these cakes are relatively quick to bake, since you don't need to worry about icing.  And, as may go without saying, the best of these recipes are very very good.

This one appeared in Cuisine At Home, which I must confess, is a magazine whose subscription I have allowed to slide.  That might have been a mistake.  It's a deceptively low-key magazine.  But I bake this cake with some regularity -- compare that to some of the cookbooks that I practically sleep with, which look great but have yet to yield a single dish that I've actually prepared.

This is called Nick Malgieri's Flourless Chocolate Cake.  No, I don't know who that is.  I'm one of those annoying people who tear parts of pages out of magazines, so that I keep the recipe but none of the larger context.    I apologize.  

Nick doesn't like to list the ingredients at the beginning of the recipe, so I'm not going to do that either.  More apologies.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees; prepare an 8 inch round pan by buttering it.  Then cut a piece of parchment or waxed paper to fit on top of this, and then butter that.  This is a good idea, so don't skip it (normally I go for waxed paper).

Bring to a boil:  1/3 cup water and 1/2 cup sugar; stir to dissolve. Remove from heat.  Then add:  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces (however many you have the patience to cut); also add 12 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate, chopped into pieces (I usually go for all bittersweet, or a mixture of both).  Stir until smooth.  Whisk in 6 eggs, one at a time.  Nick adds 1/3 cup orange liqueur, such as Cointreau (to be honest, I omit this because I haven't had any Cointreau in the house for a really long time).    Pour batter into prepared pan; place this pan in a roasting pan, then add warm water to the roasting pan.  Don't spill the water on the batter. This is very important.  Don't slosh it all around as you bring the roasting pan to the oven.  

Bake the cake for 40 to 45 minutes.  Cool, unmold it. I usually sprinkle confectioners sugar on top.  This is good served with strawberries and fresh whipped cream.

The Road

TF-ers, I have hurtled my way through The Road, by Cormac McCarthy and I cannot recommend it strongly enough.  Reading it is an amazing experience -- you're filled with over-the-top dread; such a palpable sense of what life looks, smells, and tastes like in this nightmarish, post-apocalyptic world; and such an overwhelming longing for things to somehow work out for the father and son who are making their way along the road, in the hope of stumbling across something worth moving towards.  I couldn't stop reading it, yet at the same time, I constantly thought about giving up on it, for fear of what awaited me.   The emotional horror and the heartbreak of it all.  

What an experience.  There are moments in the book that will stay with me for a long time as will the extraordinary yet very realistic relationship between the father and son.  While I don't feel that I could handle anything else by McCarthy anytime soon, I actually feel changed by the experience of reading this one.  

Moir Noir

Yes, I'm crazy about film noir, even in English.  On the assumption that you might just be too, here's a really good movie that I saw last night (I'm not quite sure how I came up with it, and I don't even know who any of the actors are, but it had a really fascinating set of plot twists).  It kind of reminded me, in a small way, of "The Usual Suspects" (which was another great noirish suspense film that you should add to your Netflix list, if you haven't seen it already).

Sorry.  Enough of a build-up.  "Kansas City Confidential".  One of those perfect-heist movies, in which the heist goes wrong, except it doesn't really go wrong, but then again, maybe it does.  Very hard to predict where the movie is going.  And, although some of the acting is over-the-top, it all feels just right.  

Apocalyptic diversions

I've just started reading The Road, by Cormac McCarthy, and I can see from the first 30 pages that it is going to be very special.  The vision of the father and son, walking along a road to nowhere in a post-Apocalyptic environment is bleak, but irresistible.  I like the structure and style (very short scenes, sometimes just a paragraph or two).  Frightening, right from the beginning.  I can't stop thinking of the description of their joy over finding a can of coca cola (at first, just the father's joy over being able to give his son some type of pleasure).  Or, the father's feeling that dreams of the past are a seduction that he needs to wake up from fast.

 

While it's too soon to say more than this, the book reminds me of three movies I've been meaning to recommend to TF-ers:  Apocalypse Now (I know you've probably seen it, but if you haven't, do so very soon); Children of Men (I was really rooting for that to win the Oscar for Best Picture of the Year); and 12 Monkeys (great, great, great -- proof of what Bruce Willis is capable of doing, completely fascinating in terms of its plot twists, and about as bleak as it gets -- you won't forget the underground scenes).   

By the way:   Children of Men, the book (by P.D. James) is pretty good too, fairly different from the movie but a good read all the same.  That said, I'd choose the movie over the book for any number of reasons, including Clive Owen's great acting job.

Chocolate and entrepreneurism

It's a (relatively) well-known fact that Todaysfrase is obsessed with a wide variety of entrepreneurial fantasies.   Bakeries and restaurants figure prominently in many, although not all, of these.

But, since I'm not taking any giant steps -- at least for now -- in this general direction, I have no choice but to fulfill my fantasies by baking fabulous desserts instead.  Tonight, I made an excellent and remarkably simple flourless chocolate cake.  This is the kind of recipe I love.  I got the idea in my head at about 5 o'clock.  Had the cake in the oven by 5:30.  Twenty-five minutes later it was done.  By 9 p.m. most of the cake was a goner.

I should note:  This recipe appeared originally, a few years ago, in either Gourmet Magazine or Bon Appetite.  I'm not sure which.  But since I love both magazines, I am using this as an opportunity to urge all TF-ers to subscribe to them, if they haven't already done do so.  It's true that I'm a magazine fiend.  But these are my absolute favorites.

Ingredients: 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (go for the really good stuff); 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter; 3/4 cup sugar; 3 large eggs; 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, plus additional for sprinkling (actually, I recommend sprinkling confectioner's sugar instead).

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and butter an 8 inch round baking pan.  Line bottom with a round of wax paper and butter the paper.

Melt butter and chocolate in a double boiler over simmering water, stirring, until smooth. Remove from heat and whisk sugar into the chocolate mixture.  Add eggs and whisk well.  Sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder over the chocolate mixture and whisk until just combined (I must confess that I skipped the sifting, because I'm in Montauk where I don't have a sifter and I think this step is a little unnecessary).  

Pour batter into pan and bake in middle of oven 25 minutes or until top has formed a thin crust.  Don't overbake.  Cool cake in pan on a rack 5 minutes and then invert on a serving pan.  (This is important - if you wait too long, it's the type of cake that will stick to the wax paper and then there will be hell to pay.)  For appearance's sake, I urge you to invert it a second time on another plate, so that the original top is back where it should be.  Sprinkle with cocoa powder or confectioner's sugar.

When eating it, here's the thing to think about:  Wasn't Todaysfrase really born to be running a bakery?  (And if I were ... do you have any good chocolate recipes to share????)

Sunday in Hurleyville

Yes, Dear Readers, TodaysFrase has a family.   And that family has reunions, as all families should.  As a result, I spent a perfect Sunday in Hurleyville, N.Y.  (By the way, "Kitchen Challenged," thanks to your email about farro, I decided to bring along a cold farro salad.  Farro, chick peas, red onion, radishes, yellow pepper, dried cherries and toasted pecan, dressed with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper.  The response was very good.)   

I am a little pooped right now, though, so I will leave you with three quick thoughts.  First, don't miss your own family reunion, if you're lucky enough to have one anytime soon.  Second, to all those TF-ers who just happen to have been at my family reunion, thanks for a great time -- I wish we were all still together.  

Third (this is so that even the most self-absorbed and apparently irrelevant of my blogs can deliver value to all visitors, blood relatives or not), I'd like to recommend an offbeat but very funny movie that was easy to overlook last summer.  It just happens to have a family reunion as one of its elements:  Death at a Funeral.  It's fluffy, but enjoyable, and is definitely worth adding to your Netflix list if and when you feel the need to move away from French film noir.

Montauk, good and bad

It occurs to me that, since I'm currently here in the heart of the very hot Hamptons, I'm failing the ever-expanding community of TF-ers by not providing recommendations of places to go or avoid.  So here are three:

Purl By the Sea.  Some of you may be stunned to learn that Todaysfrase is a passionate knitter. (Okay, this may not be quite as stunning as learning about some of John Edwards' passions, but I confess it, all the same.)  Purl By the Sea is an amazingly well-stocked knitting store, with a wide range of gorgeous and unusual yarns including my current favorite, Manos del Uruguay, which is a pure Peruvian kettle-dyed cotton -- I know, I know, that's more than I needed to tell you.  But, trust me, it's great.  Best of all, there's a 25% off sale going on throughout the month of August.  That's irresistible.

Purl By the Sea is owned by the woman who used to own Montauk's Four Oaks deli during its heyday as a purveyor of truly great home-made baked goods.   They're pretty mediocre, now.  But I will confess that I would trade PBTS with all its kettle-dyed yarns for the recipe to Four Oaks' long-gone prune danishes.   The owner tells me that she doesn't have that recipe anymore, though, so I have accepted the necessity of moving on.

The place to avoid, under any and all circumstances, is a loathsome (trendy, but truly loathsome) place called Surf Lodge.  Because this new restaurant/bar clearly has a team of publicists flacking for it morning, noon, and night, Surf Lodge is filled to over-capacity all the time. But it is the total antithesis of everything that makes Montauk great.  Women go to it wearing high heels and cocktail dresses.  Rumor has it that people get chosen from the waiting line based on what they look like.  That says it all.   If you come to town and decide to give this a whirl, you're probably not born to be a TF-er, after all.   That thought hurts me.  It really hurts me.

I can't believe that's the case, though.  So instead, I'll tell you about a secret place (a fairly secret place) that's worth a detour:  The Walking Dunes.  If you're heading east, between Amagansett and Montauk, turn left at the Hither Hills tennis courts (if you get to Cyril's, you've gone too far).  Take the road until it dead ends.  This is a breathtaking place for a small hike, with dunes that shift each year along with the winds.  The dunes are surrounded by Napeague Bay and the Long Island Sound.  You'll love it here.  

TF-ers, any recommendations from you?  I'm always looking for new ideas.

Report (and recipe) from the Weather Catastrophist

Last night, it's fair to say that Todaysfrase was in a weather-related tizzy.  There was a wild-and-crazy thunder and lightning storm, which lasted for what felt like forever (and practically was forever).  Making matters worse, right in the middle of that storm, I needed to cook dinner (requiring me to stand near and actually use the kitchen sink and electric stove -- two things that I am completely committed to avoiding like the plague during a lightning storm).  

Needless to say, it was hair-raising.  And, this morning, I awoke to find my vegetable garden in a state of near catastrophe.  I spent most of the afternoon cleaning things up and restoring tomato cages to their proper positions.  (Yes, TF-ers, it's true.  After all this time, there are still things that you might not know about me.  And one is the fact that I love to garden almost as much as I love murder mysteries and French movies.)

In honor of my tomato plants, I'd like to give you a recipe for a fabulous pasta in a tomato and sauteed pepper sauce.  The recipe comes from one of my favorite people:  Marco, who has come to Manhattan by way of Milan (so you can tell that this recipe is authentic and probably has a very descriptive name that I'm not sure I ever knew).  It doesn't take all that long to make, so before you begin, start bringing a big pot of water to a boil.

Cut up a few red peppers (thin slices, cut along the diagonal).  Saute these in a few tbsp. of olive oil, over medium heat, in a large pan.   Meanwhile, peel lots of fresh, ripe tomatoes (Marco says that you should scald them in boiling water, then remove the peel -- my own thought is that this is an unnecessary step, but I always do it because he tells me to).  How many is lots?  I don't think you could use less than four large ones, but you could use a lot more and I'd recommend this, since leftovers are very good.

After about ten minutes, the red pepper slices should be soft and at least slightly browned.  At this point, add the tomatoes (peel, quartered); cook them over moderate heat until the tomatoes dissolve into a sauce.  Of course, stir occasionally. You should get to the dissolved-tomato stage about 30 minutes after starting the recipe.

Commonsense tells you that there was a point before now when the pasta water came to a rolling boil.  Take action:  Salt the water and add whatever type of pasta you choose.  Cook until al dente, then drain.   (You have a choice here: You might come to feel, now or later, that you need a little extra liquid in your sauce.  Either you could add some of the pasta water -- if that's your preference, reserve a cup of water when you drain the pasta -- or you could add some good-quality olive oil, which is my preference. )  When your tomatoes have dissolved, add 1 - 3 tbsp. of ricotta cheese (depending upon how much cheese you like in a sauce), stir to blend. Proceed cautiously and you can figure this out for yourself.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.  

At this point, mix the pasta with the tomato and pepper sauce, lower the heat to simmer, stir, and cover the pan.  Cook for at least 15 minutes, so that the pasta will absorb the taste of the sauce.  If necessary, add a little of the pasta water or olive oil, stir to blend.  

TF-ers, my tomatoes will be ripe pretty soon  Do you have any good recipes to share?

Tell Everyone

Sorry, I couldn't resist.  "Tell No One," the French movie that I saw last night after getting the water heater repaired and paying much too much for a tank of gas, was the cinematic high point of my summer (my regrets to Batman, Iron Man, and Genghis Khan).  This movie is so good it's hard to believe -- high suspense with an amazingly intricate plot that somehow managed to make sense by the end, although only at the end.   

It's based on a novel by Harlan Coban, whose novels I have never read (TF-ers, am I missing something here?).  Yet the characters and story line feel just right being French (the only thing in English is a wonderful soundtrack).  

The NYT's reviewer said that the movie is even better the second time around.  I'm really tempted.  That said, I'm wondering what the rest of you would choose as your favorite film of the summer.

Down, down, down (my mood, that is)

Todaysfrase has been on an austerity budget since the true extent of the U.S. economic collapse began to reveal itself.  But for me -- as for many of you, I suspect -- sticking to this austerity budget has proven to be more difficult than I could have imagined.

No, I'm not alluding to all those fun things that I'd love to be spending money on this summer. Just breakdowns, and plenty of them.  Of all bizarre events, the chimney cap blew off the roof about six weeks ago (naturally, it turns out that, for reasons I can't quite understand, this was a custom chimney cap, meaning it cost twice as much and took about 4 weeks to order).  Then the hot water heater started malfunctioning, first by producing incredibly scalding water, then - once that process had managed to burn out various heating elements -- no hot water at all.  Those two repairs alone cost about $500.  

The hot water heater was enough to put me in a really pissy mood today.  But then I went to get gas at the only affordable place within about 45 minutes of Montauk (the Getty station, just west of East Hampton).  Not surprisingly, it's now so well know that this is the only affordable place to buy gas on the entire East End of Long Island that it's pretty much impossible to actually buy gas there.  I gave up on a line that was so long that it practically reduced me to tears and drove back to Montauk, where I paid $4.79.9 a gallon, about 35 cents more a gallon than I would have paid if I'd only had the stamina to stick to the line.

Is there any point to having an austerity budget if life will keep conspiring to defeat it?  On that note, Todaysfrase is heading for the movies this evening to see a French film that sounds great:  Tell No One (rotten tomatoes rating:  92%).  I'll let you know if it manages to save the day.

My favorite things, List #1

As may be obvious from our occasional forays into recipes, TodaysFrase loves to cook.  In fact, if I ever achieve the true entrepreneurial success that I dream of, I plan to knock down a wall of my kitchen and, among other things, add an entire wall of bookshelves to hold the cookbook collection that I plan to buy, if I only had enough room to house it.

In the meantime, though, these are two of my current favorite cookbooks.  Think of this as a mini-list: Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" (which I love because it's good at prompting general ideas, and never leaves you feeling that you need to stick to the letter of his law); and Dorie Greenspan's "Baking" (the exact opposite - one must adhere exactly to the recipes, but they're really terrific).    

I'm especially fond of Greenspan's sweet cream biscuit recipe, which I will quote while urging all TF-ers to immediately go out and buy this book (that is, after they go out and buy The Vanishing Child, which you will recall is my favorite mystery of all time).  A great thing about this recipe is -- it is incredibly quick to make.  You can decide you want biscuits and pull this together fast, impressing all those people who think that biscuits are hard to make.

Ingredients:  2 cups all purpose flour (there's also a flour variation, but I've never tried it); 1 tbsp baking powder; 2 tsp sugar; 1/2 tsp salt (Todaysfrase always uses sea salt when baking); and 1 to 1-1/4 cups cold heavy cream (I always use the larger amount).

Center rack in the oven; preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Greenspan suggests lining a baking sheet with parchment or a silicon mat but I use a nonstick cookie sheet (heavy duty) that I really like.  Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a bowl.  Pour the cream over the dry ingredients, then stir (lightly) to mix.  Don't overdo it.  Aim for a nice, soft dough but get there fast.  Then knead it very very briefly (3 or 4 turns).

Lightly dust a work surface with flour and turn out the dough.  Roll it with a pin until it's about 1/2 inch thick.  Don't make it too thin - this is important.  Greenspan suggests using a biscuit cutter to cut as many biscuits as you can.  I use a glass because I don't have a biscuit cutter.  (Since I make a lot of different kind of biscuits and have never had a biscuit cutter, I suspect that this is an unnecessary implement and I will put off buying one until I break down the wall of my kitchen and have lots of extra room.)  Bake the biscuits for 14 to 18 minutes.  

Anyone, favorite biscuit recipes to share?  Thanks.

Struck by lightning

With all the storms we've been having this summer, this may be the right time to mention: TodaysFrase comes from a long line of women who have been hit by lightning.  Okay, it's a short line - just my mother and grandmother - but that's just a little too long for me.  During thunder and lightning storms, I always stay away from running water, telephones, electrical appliances, and golf courses (true, I don't play golf, except the occasional round of miniature golf, but I am especially happy that I don't play non-miniature golf whenever there's a T&L storm in the weather forecast).

This brings me to Alice Hoffman, a novelist whose novels I almost always enjoy.  The only exception is The Ice Queen, which was a little too painfully close to home since a number of characters in the book were indeed hit by lightning (this kept adding to my list of activities and appliances to avoid doing during adverse weather conditions).   

On a happier note, my favorite of Hoffman's books is Here and Now, which is a completely irresistible retelling of Wuthering Heights.  I read it in one day and night and scarcely remember taking time off for meals.

Along these lines, another truly great take on one of the classics is Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea.  Written in a hypnotic, elegant, very spare style, it's the story of the first Mrs. Rochester (as in, the crazy lady in the attic in Jane Eyre).  This is Rhys's best book by a mile.  After WSS, I read all the others, despite my growing sense they all move in the general direction of a bog-down in some type of depressing, usually sodden, incredibly tedious love affair.

I can't endorse the re-tell genre, as a whole, because so many of these books are just plain trashy.  But I'm wondering if any TF-ers have books like these that they'd recommend?

What I'm reading now

Yes, I'm in a mystery obsession at the moment.  So I've just started Exile, by Denise Mina, which is the second book in her Garnethill Trilogy.  

Throwing yourself into Mina's style is kind of like getting hit by a mack truck (I mean this in the best way).  Her characters are damaged goods -- rage-filled, ironic, funnier than might seem possible.  

Although I'm not yet very far into Exile, I'm strongly optimistic.  After all, I was blown away by Garnethill, the first book in the series, which had a strong sense of place (Glasgow) and very unexpected feel to it.  Maureen, who's at the heart of the book, is a powerhouse of an anti-heroine.  My only caveat:  I did figure out "who did it" as the end was getting somewhat close.  But that never bothers me in a mystery with strong writing and compelling characters. 

Two for Netflix

If you like old movies, don't miss these:

Baby Face (Barbara Stanwyck's first major role - sleeping her way to a Park Avenue apartment, mink coat, butler, and the most awful set of outfits you could ever imagine)

Killer's Kiss (Stanley Kubrick's first movie - great film noir, wonderful chase scene on the rooftops of a string of NYC apartment buildings).

Proof, yet again, that true genius reveals itself early and unmistakably.  (Should that be inspiring or demoralizing for the rest of us?)

Brownies, Part 1

In another life, I will almost certainly be the author of multiple brownie cookbooks.    After all, as I think we're all in agreement,  one can never have enough brownie recipes.  So, in the spirit of making Todaysfrase a truly memorable blog, I'm now launching what will be a multi-faceted (although occasional) series on brownies.

I begin this series with a great recipe that was generously shared with me, some time ago, by Paul from Park Slope.  Thank you, Paul.  I have no doubt that my fellow TF-ers will agree that this is a keeper.

Paul calls these "Chunky Fudge Brownies" -- an accurate description, but one that sounds too much like many other brownie recipes.  I prefer to call these "3-Chocolate Brownies" (boldly highlighting their only potential downside, which is that you need to have three different types of chocolate on hand, making it less likely that some of us will be able to spontaneously decide to hurl ourselves into the kitchen and whip up a batch without first making a quick detour to the grocery store).

Ingredients:  1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter; 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped; 1-1/4 cup sugar; 2 eggs; 1/2 cup all purpose flour; 2/3 cup coarsely chopped toasted pecans (Sorry, Paul, I always leave those out); 2 oz. bittersweet (yes) or semisweet chocolate chunks; 2 oz. milk chocolate chunks.  I think this may be obvious, but you need to actually chop the last two types of chocolate into those chunks.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Butter and flour a 9x9 pan with 2 inch sides (don't go crazy over this requirement); melt butter and unsweetened chocolate in a heavy pan over low heat, stirring constantly (I never stir constantly, but I do stir frequently); pour chocolate mixture into a large bowl; whisk in sugar and eggs; mix in flour, then nuts (if necessary) and chocolate chunks.  Pour batter into prepared pan.  Bake until tester comes out moist, approximately 30 minutes.  Enjoy.

Today's essential question:  Does anyone have any other great brownie recipes to share?  

I ask, you tell & vice versa

Thanks to all for a great 1st week of TodaysFrase.  To celebrate, let me share some comments/suggestions that visitors sent by email during the past few days.

KP, a longtime Pelecanos fan, urged me to stick with The Night Gardener.  I'm glad that I did.  The final few chapters were really worth the wait.  I also like the way the Washington, DC based plot moves back and forth between today and 1985 (that's because TodaysFrase actually lived in DC in 1985!  This seems like a good time to confide that TF almost always moves in the direction of omens when they present themselves.  I also save highly positive fortune cookies).

KP says that her favorite Pelecanos novels are the Stefanos books (I'm not quite sure what that means, but it sounds good):  Down By the River; A Firing Offence; and Nick's Trip.  Thanks for the suggestions, KP.  I hope that other TF-ers will recommend favorite books too.  KP, did you try The Vanished Child yet?

MAFFIE confided that my love of Aveeno's SPF 70 sunblock could seem to some people to be a little over-the-top.  MAFFIE, I must respectfully disagree here.  After all, I once got an incredibly painful sunburn on the upper half of my fourth toe on my left foot -- just because I managed to overlook it when reapplying suntan lotion (that was back in the day when 15 was about as high as anyone went).  Now, I always pay special attention to my toes and I urge others to do the same.

That said, I take MAFFIE's point.  In my effort to be relevant to as many TF-ers as possible, let me mention that, on somewhat cloudy days, I switch to Neutrogena's 30 Body Mist Sunblock SPF 30.  But I'm always a little nervous when I go that route.

Finally, thanks to all TF-ers who sent in recipe ideas.  More more more!

Close encounters of the annoying kind

Three painful hours on a Hampton Jitney traveling from Manhattan to Montauk.  The guy across the aisle caught my attention about 5 minutes after I got on the bus, when I heard him tell the teenage girl sitting next to him, "I'm going to leave you alone now" -- for the third time. The rest of the ride went something like this:

(Girl ignores him.)  Guy:  Do you always answer questions in monosyllables?

(girl ignores him) Guy:  I'm a national writer for the internet.  You've got to give me something to work with.

(girl ignores him) Guy:  You're so British.  And I don't mean that in a good way.

(Bus attendant comes down the aisle to sell tickets).  Guy:  Are you a Ruskie?

Ditto, ditto, ditto.  More obnoxious and annoying comments.  By this point, I have started taking notes on everything he says so that I don't feel compelled to hurl myself out of the bus window.

Guy (turning his loathsome attention to Todaysfrase herself):  You write so small.  You must be a writer.  You don't live on 80th and 3rd, do you?

Todaysfrase:  You're right.  I don't.

Guy:  I thought you were a world famous writer who lives two floors above me.

Ditto, ditto, ditto.  Cell phone calls.  More annoying comments.   The only relief was two strange trips that this man made to the bathroom, one right after the other.  Silence for approximately 15 minutes. 

Suddenly he turned his attention back to the teenage girl.  Guy:  Did you see the movie "The Queen?  (silence - the rest of us were probably all asking ourselves, Where the hell did that come from?).  

Guy:  Do you like your book?  (silence)  What is your book?  (silence)  All right.  I won't bother you.

(He makes the last in a string of about 15 cell phone calls).  Guy:  Hello.  Is the Outback restaurant open tonight? Who's the bartender?  Ralph?  Good. (General eye-rolling throughout the bus, as we find someone else to feel sorry for, instead of ourselves).  

The loathsome one then turns his attention back to Todaysfrase.

Guy:  How close do you live to the Village?

Todaysfrase:  What village?  (Was he wondering if I was a different world-famous writer  -- from Greenwich Village, this time?)

Guy:  Oh.  You're not getting off in Southampton?  I was going to make you an offer you couldn't refused.  (silence) Of course, you might have refused.

Here's a simple question for all of you:  Where are you most vulnerable to a close encounter of the annoying kind -- and why?

My relatively obscure but most favorite mystery

Yes, all mystery lovers have them.  I'm so completely attached to this book that it's the one mystery I never loan to anyone, because I'm afraid that even my friends or relatives won't give it back to me.  And I just like having it around.

"The Vanished Child", by Sarah Smith.  If you haven't read it, stop whatever you're doing and buy this book.  Now.  It's perfect.  She's a great stylist (actually, I read another book by her that I didn't really like, so maybe it's just the case that this was the one mystery she was meant to write).  The mystery is really suspenseful.  It's easy to get hooked on the main characters, even the unpleasant ones.  There's even a very moving love story attached.  

Don't trust me (yet)?  Here are the opening lines from the first page, and I hope you'll agree that they're absolutely irresistible:

"The Baron Alexander von Reisden went mad after his young wife died, and in five years he had not gotten himself sane.  His friends were concerned about him.  He had tried suicide once, early on, and had not succeeded; this was encouraging in a man who was usually both well-prepared and lucky..."

What's your own favorite, least-well-known mystery?  Please share.

Cook This

Great side dish - endless possible variations.  Prepare fresh brussel sprouts (cut off the bottoms, then halve them and flake off as many of the leaves, or whatever you call them, as possible); saute the halves/leaves in olive oil and Kosher salt until very well done (yes, Kosher salt, olive oil, and charred vegetables are major themes in my cooking).  Add this to wild rice (cooked in either water or vegetable broth).  Top with toasted pecans.  

I'm not sure how much wild rice is costing these days because I've been working my way through a large box for a while now.  But if it's pricey, I think this would work just as well with brown rice or a mixture of wild and brown.  My favorites are brown basmati or Whole Foods' organic short grain brown rice.  Also, even though I said pecans, I think it would also be great with toasted almonds or walnuts.  I also think that adding dried cranberries or cherries would be terrific.  

Other brussel sprout recipes?  Thanks for sending them along.

Enjoy.

GK "30"

Although I begin by paying homage to "The Wire" ("30" being the name of the final episode of the final season of this great TV show), I'm actually reporting the end of my commitment to "Generation Kill" (which shares the same creators as "The Wire" but has left me completely and utterly cold).  

It's hard for me to walk away from anything with David Simon and Ed Burns attached to it (from afar, I even like Nina Noble, who is apparently their executive producer for life, even though I don't exactly know what she does).  But after two mediocre episodes, I want my Sunday nights back.

Does anyone out there disagree?  I'm not attached to any of the characters (except the somewhat over-the-top Marine who's played by the same actor who played Ziggy during The Wire's second, magnificent season -- he's talented and really eats up the camera in every scene that he's in -- but, to be honest, maybe I only like him because of Ziggy).  And as a longtime journalist, I completely loathe the embedded reporter who apparently went on to write the book that "Generation Kill" is based on (does being embedded really mean that he doesn't do anything other than scribble on a notepad, grin, and occasionally roll his eyes or mouth a "wow"?  He's making me wish that Judith Miller would ride in on a tank, just to stir things up a little bit).  

This is a disappointment.  But, fortunately, The Wire's 5th season will go on DVD in a few weeks and I'll really be able to throw myself into that instead.  Is anybody else watching anything good this summer?

The clock and the pocketbook

Back in the day, before the economy started tanking, I never had much doubt about what I would prefer to save when it came to time and money.  But as prices keep rising, I'm rethinking those priorities ... at least when I can figure out how to do that.

After all, it's easier said than done, right?  Today, I went shopping at CVS where I saved big bucks on sales of Aveeno suntan lotion (I'm hooked on the SPF 70 spray) and Listerine (which was great since you can practically go bankrupt in the  pursuit of dental hygiene).  Then I filled up my 2001 Subaru with gas at $4.33 a gallon, which felt like the biggest bargain on the planet, since I haven't seen a price that low for more than a month.  

What a day.  I felt great.  But because I was racing around like a maniac, I took a short cut to get the shopping done, which involved driving over a toll bridge ($2.75).    By the time I got home, I realized that, mathematically speaking, I'd blown it, yet again.   Probably I would have been better off skipping the drugstore sale, buying gas in the neighborhood, avoiding the toll, saving mileage and time (or maybe this would have taken more time -- and it might have ended up costing more in some other way).  And, after all, do I even deserve to feel pleased with myself about the CVS sale when I didn't bite the bullet and buy CVS suntan lotion?

How do people make these kind of calculations? And learn from their experiences in a way that actually might make a difference, moving forward?

Mysteries and other mysteries

At the moment, I'm immersed in George Pelecanos's "The Night Gardener," which I am liking, but not loving anywhere near as much as I expected, given how fabulous his scripts were for "The Wire" (my true obsession of all obsessions).  That said, I am hoping for the best, given the pages of over-the-top blurbs and reviews for this book and some of his others.  Plus, I like the Washington, D.C. setting.

The problem may be that "Gardener" is following one of the great reads of my lifetime:  Peter Matthiessen's "Shadow Country."  I would recommend this book to anyone with a pulse and the willingness to stick with 892 pages of a completely haunting character profile and a really effective, looping and relooping stylistic approach.    Any recommendations of other Matthiessen novels or nonfiction to read????

Here's the real mystery:  How can a book be so good that after reading all those pages I went back and re-read the first 250 or so again, because I'd learned so much by the end that I felt compelled to revisit the beginning?  I'm in awe.

I've always loved Daniel Auteuil

Since this is a new blog, it seems important to make the point quickly:  I'm not all about cans of tuna fish.  So I'd like to mention my Daniel Auteuil obsession.  Aside from Jeff Bridges, he may be my favorite actor.  He's got incredible range and I've never seen a movie with him in it that was anything less than great.

Last night, I watched Un Coeur en Hiver, which I couldn't recommend more strongly.  It's a very moving story of the relationship between a kind of genius violin-maker (actually, a violin repair-person, but I don't think the distinction is worth dwelling on here), his business partner, and a beautiful violinist, who's the smoldering type.  Autueil is his usual brilliant, complex self.   Just watching what he does with his eyes is worth an hour and 41 minutes.  (If you like classical music, that's an added plus.)  I'd put this at the top of your netflix list.

Two other great, very different Auteuil movies that I recommend:  Apres Vous (very funny) and Cache (especially good if you like mysteries, which I really do -- a theme that I plan to return to with great regularity).   Actually, I might put Cache at the top of netflix, with Un Coeur in the number two spot.  By the time you see both of them, you'll be obsessed too. 

Anyone else have an Autueil movie to recommend?  Or another French actor/actress that you're really crazy about?

Tuna fish, anyone?

I like tuna fish.  Eating it has made me feel happy since I was a little kid, especially when it was mixed with mayonnaise and served on white bread, hopefully with a bag of potato chips on the side, and washed down with a glass of chocolate milk.  I try to resist urges like this these days, but still love to cook with (canned) tuna, which, after all, is about as cheap as you can get and doesn't have all those mercury problems that you have to worry about with fresh tuna.  I especially like to make Salade Nicoise with it (my secret ingredient is rice, instead of potatoes) or tuna with chick peas, charred red peppers, red onions, radishes, olive oil and kosher salt.

Here's what I recommend: Tonno Genova, solid light tuna in olive oil.   It's great and, if you're lucky, you can find it for $1.89 a can (usually at Fairway on the Upper West Side - I also found it recently at Cromer's in Montauk, where I bought out the entire supply because everything in Montauk is so expensive and I figured they'd sell out fast anyway).  Don't go crazy and buy it for more than $2.50 a can - just wait and look around.  If you've ever seen it for less than $1.89, let me know.

Today, I'm looking for:  A recipe for pasta with tuna and tomato sauce.  I once ate this at Penne's, which is a really nice restaurant in Philadelphia near U. of Penn.  The sauce was very light (practically more olive oil than tomato) and the pasta was whole wheat.  I've tried some recipes that sound similar in cookbooks but can't find anything that I like.  Any ideas?