Delicious by Ruth Reichl & Recipe By Tori True
Let’s talk about Septembers Read and its author Ruth Reichl!
To be clear about the following details, I’ve taken it all from the information centre that is Wikipedia, so if there is anything you’d like to add to it, let me know?
Ruth is an American chef, food writer and editor.
In addition to two decades as a food critic, mainly spent at the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, she has written cookbooks, memoirs and a novel.
She’s been co-producer of PBS’s Gourmet Diary of a Foodie, culinary editor for the Modern Library host of PBS's Gourmets Adventure with Ruth, and editor-in-chief of Gourmet magazine.
As if thats not enough for our author, she’s also won six James Beard Foundation Awards.
Ruth has written a series of foodie memoirs all critically acclaimed, with Delicious being her first book.
Raised in Greenwich Village, as a young girl she spent time at a boarding school in Montreal.
She attended the University of Michigan where she earned a degree in sociology, this is where she met her first husband, the artist Douglas Hollis.
In 1970 she earned an M.A. in art history, also from the University of Michigan.
Moving to California where her interest in food led to her joining the collectively owned Swallow Restaurant.
As a chef and co-owner from 1973 to 1977, she played an important role in the culinary revolution taking place at the time.
Reichl began her food-writing career with Mmmmm: A Feastiary, a cookbook, in 1972
A bit of a warrior where food is concerned, she was known for her ability to "make or break" a restaurant with her fierce attention to detail and her adventurous spirit.
Her mission was to "demystify the world of fine cuisine" (CBS News Online).
She has won acclaim with both readers and writers alike for her honesty about some of the not-so-fabulous aspects of haute cuisine.
Through an outsider's perspective, she harshly criticised the sexism prevalent toward women in dine-out experiences, as well as the pretentious nature of the ritziest New York restaurants and restaurateurs alike.
Despite her success and tales of how she used to disguise herself to mask her identity while reviewing, she is quite open about why she stopped.
"I really wanted to go home and cook for my family," she says.
"I don't think there's one thing more important you can do for your kids than have family dinner".
From 2011 to 2013, Reichl appeared as a judge on seasons 3,4, and 5 of the Bravo reality television show Top Chef Masters.
Ruth Reichl
Let’s talk about Septembers read
Delicious is about Billie Breslin who travels from California to take a job at a food magazine in New York, Delicious
After the magazine is shut down, all the friends Billie has made at the magazine move on to get on with their lives, not Billie.
Billie stays behind at the magazine working on the public relations hot line for complaints and recipe enquiries.
This leads her to a life changing discovery.
Billie finds some letters from twelve-year-old Lulu Swan, written to Chef James Beard during WWII.
The letters lead Billie to a deep understanding of history and the history of food.
The courage and loss of this young girl helps Billie come to terms with her ever increasing occurrence of panic attacks which happen when she thinks about cooking.
She learns to deal with other issues which have been holding her back from opening her heart to love as well as finding the truth about the big sister who she adored.
I liked this book and give it a 3-egg rating.
Delicious
by Ruth Reichl
I give it a 3 egg rating
Let’s talk chefs and recipes!
Tori True Author of Chilli & Mint
Chef Tori True
Torie True has gifted us the recipe for Keralan Fish Molee for September.
I usually do a lot of research to find out what I can about our guest chef, but I didn’t need to this time.
I asked Torie if she had anything written down about her cooking and what it’s all about, this is directly from Torie:
“Torie True is a food writer, home cook and cookery teacher of Indian food.
She learnt her craft over the past 20 years from her travels to India, as well as her husband’s Indian family who are based in the UK and Kolkata.
She is passionate about cooking with spices and aims to instil this love and enthusiasm in those who attend her popular Indian cooking classes.
In many respects she acts as a bridge between East and West cuisine, helping the uninitiated to navigate Indian cuisine and encouraging everyone to bring a little more spice into their diet for flavour, health, and happiness.
For the last 11 years, Torie has written the food and travel blog Chiliandmint.com to chart her forays into cooking with herbs and spices, as well as her travels overseas.
She has written articles for a range of food magazines, newspapers and online publications and is a member of the Guild of Food Writers.
Her book was shortlisted for the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards 2021.
You can also find her on Instagram @chilliandmint.
Torie lives in London with her husband and two daughters.” Tori
Find out more about Torie True and follow along with her on Instagram, Facebook and her travel blog, Chiliandmint.com
Find Toris Book Chilli & Mint on Amazon
Find Chilli & Mint on Amazon
Keralan Fish Molee
This is my Keralan Fish Molee. It is so versatile and perfect for warm summer months or as the weather cools towards autumn and winter.
For vegetarians or vegans fish can be replaced with bronzed cauliflower, tofu or paneer.
If you can source fresh curry leaves this is ideal as it really gives the dish authentic flavours. Curry leaves are great to freeze and then cook straight from frozen, the same goes for chillies.
It's quick and easy to prepare and is always a great family/crowd pleaser.
Molee (also known as molly or moilee) literally means stew and is commonly found in Keralan cuisine in South India. The fish, or in some cases meat, is stewed in coconut milk and is delicately spiced so as not to overpower the fish. It’s quick to prepare and cook and the results are always very pleasing.
Tip - It’s important not to move the fish around too much once it is in the pan as you do not want it breaking up.
Keralan Fish Molee
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 20-25 minutes
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
600g filleted white fish (such as cod, sea bass, sea bream, tilapia)
3⁄4 tsp ground turmeric
1⁄2 tsp ground black pepper
1⁄2 lemon, juiced
1⁄4 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp brown or black mustard seeds
1⁄4 tsp fenugreek seeds
Keralan Fish Molee
2-3 fresh green chillies, halved diagonally
15 curry leaves
2 medium white onions, finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1⁄2 tsp ground black pepper
1 x 400g tin of full-fat coconut milk
50ml water
1 tsp brown sugar or jaggery (optional)
1 large fresh tomato, thinly sliced 8.
Fresh coriander, to serve
Method
Chop the fish into approximately 7.5cm (3 inch) pieces.
If they are too small, they will break up during cooking.
Place the fish in a bowl and add the ground turmeric, black pepper, lemon juice and salt. Stir gently, then cover the bowl and leave the fish to marinate for 10 minutes while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
Heat the coconut oil in a pan on a low heat.
When hot, add the mustard and fenugreek seeds.
They will begin to pop immediately so keep them moving around the pan.
2 tsp finely grated or chopped fresh
ginger, or ginger paste2 tsp finely grated or chopped garlic, or garlic paste
Stir in the ginger and garlic, followed by the green chillies and curry leaves.
Move them around the pan for a minute before adding the chopped onion and salt.
Sweat the onions for around 4-5 minutes so that they soften, but do not bronze, and then add the ground turmeric, coriander and black pepper.
Mix everything together well.
On a low heat, add the thinner part of the coconut milk along with the water and move around the pan.
If your coconut milk hasn’t separated, just add the whole tin at this point. Simmer on a medium-low heat.
Continue to mix well, then cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
The coconut gravy will have thickened slightly so now add the fish pieces and simmer.
Add the thicker part of the coconut milk (if you have not already added the whole tin) and then turn the heat down.
You do not want to boil the creamier coconut milk.
Place a lid on the pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes.
After 5 minutes, gently stir and cook for the remaining 5 minutes.
Add the sugar, then taste the gravy and add more salt or lemon juice if required.
Place the sliced tomato on top a few minutes before the cooking time is up.
You want the slices to keep their shape and begin to soften but not collapse.
Chilli & Mint a cook book by Tori True
