Sunday Spices - Cinnamon

Anyone who lives or has lived in the United States probably associates the smell of cinnamon almost exclusively with that time in mid-November when it starts pumping madly out of every imaginable place as the non-descript, agnostic time called 'The Holidays' approaches. It's syrupy, gloopy, warm, comforting, and ruins millions of cappuccinos year-round. But I find that it's really a brilliant spice for flavouring meat. So I did so for some comfort-food on Sunday I made youvetsi, which is a beef stew with cinnamon and tomatoes and orzo pasta. Delicious!!!

Recipe on request.

Sunday Spices - Mustard

Somehow we never really touched mustard in my house growing up. I was always scared that it was too strong, or something, and so it has arrived on my palette/plate rather later than really it should have. We ate plenty of pork, ham and hot dogs over the years, and I must raise a teaspoon to all those meals that might have been enlivened by the addition of a little bit of mustard!

I think I first must have tasted it in Eddie Rockett's on their burger, with its delicious house sauce. (The sauce is really only mayonnaise with a bit of mustard thrown in, but regardless, it's phenomenal.) This prompted me to go looking for other ways to get the flavour, or the sauce, and now I'm quite a fan. I definitely was treated to some amazing applications when, late at night, MS would order deliveries of astonishingly good souvlaki and things to her elegant apartment in Athens. Mustard makes everything sing! It's brilliant for marinating meats, dressing salads, or as a dip for sweet potato fries, or a sauce for hot dogs, but truly its finest application yet was in the sandwich I had last Sunday from Bay Cities in Santa Monica.

My current boss cut a swathe directly through the huge crowd of people and marched straight up to the counter, where there was a basket of ready-made hot sandwiches. (The crowd were all having theirs made to order, but PK knew better!) I am still quite a novice in the world of deli-based eating, but these sandwiches were remarkably put together - wonderful bread, excellent cuts of meat piled very high within, and then just enough mustard to make the whole arrangement sing without scorching one's mouth. Add in some Pellegrino and a few very fresh mini-macaroons, and you have a pretty spectacular lunch.

Got any mustard recipes that I should try?!

Movie Monday: A Touch of Spice

I must confess that much of my interest in spices - and particularly their emotional and physiological effects - came about from a Greek film called 'A Touch of Spice'. It's not particularly new, but it might be new for some of you readers. And it's my Movie Monday choice for the week!

It's a story of a Greek family who were forced to leave their home in Constantinople when the Greeks were all deported from the city. The Greek-language title of the film is 'Politiki Kouzina' (πολίτικη κουζίνα), which is quite a nuanced play on words - it could simply mean 'political kitchen' or 'cookery', but in Greek the word 'politikos' or politiki' always implies THE city, Constantinople. Indeed, it still bugs many modern Greeks that the name of the city is now Istanbul.

Throughout the film, it is food, cooking, spices and shared broken bread that brings and keeps families and relationships together. It's very beautifully observed, with great acting, and a beautiful score by Evanthia Reboutsika.

Here's a trailer:

30 Before 30 #3 - Soda

I went to see a play at the end of the summer holidays last year and spent the entire first half craving a Diet Coke. I felt like Elaine Stritch having an attack. (But without the vodka stingers and the lifetime of Sondheim and hooch.) Having ascertained that I wasn't diabetic, and having sated myself with a 7 Up during the intermission of the play, I spent the second half still craving more soda. After the show I had dinner with some great people, and probably drank enough Diet Coke to fill a hip-bath. And this was at DENNYS. Shame squared.

The following day, feeling unwell after so much carbonated sugar, I pronounced (to myself) that I was going to go cold turkey. Mainly just to see if I could. Boy has it been rough. It's only when you stop acquiescing to the constantly-available nectars that you realise just how omni-present they are. Coca Cola advertising becomes immediately more visible and distasteful when you stop drinking it. (Despite REALLY wanting to.)

I had heard many years ago that Sprite is officially 30% sugar - I suppose it's no wonder that it was my favourite drink, for which I was notorious in Greece. My friends there were ashamed that I would order it, nearly every night. It's still delicious, I'm sure - it'd want to be - but I'm done with it. When I turned 29 last summer I toyed with the idea of stopping drinking sugary sodas at some point in the future - but now that it is fully a quarter of a year since I touched a drop of it, at all, I am happy to put it out there as another of the 30 Before 30 achieved. I do not drink soda any more.

30 BEFORE 30 #2

I have had a book published. Well, it's ready to be published. My aim was to have it in my hand by the end of 2010, but the timing of these things seems to be somewhat elastic. I'll DEFINITELY have it by the time I turn 30, and my work on it seems to be complete. So it can go on the list.

If you would like to buy a copy, email me! ;)