[Canada_Rockies]

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My Mum recently watched an episode of Rick Stein's TV series "From Venice to Istanbul". One of the dishes he cooked was "Kapuska", a Turkish cabbage stew with minced lamb, onions, tomatoes and red pepper paste. My Mum said it looked delicious, so I searched for and found the recipe online and made it a few days ago. It was a big hit with all of us... very tasty and filling. So, I ordered a copy of the accompanying book, "Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul: Discovering the Flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean". It arrived today and a quick flick through tells me we're going to enjoy some wonderful meals (if I don't screw up along the way, which is entirely possible! )...

Some of my cooking rates as "Failed Experiment"

[SpecialK]

The Illustrated Man: Ray Bradbury

Read a lot of Bradbury in my youth. "TIM" is a good one - I even liked the movie. Ditto the Martian Chronicles. Enjoyed the short story collections R is for Rocket, and S is for Space. Went to one of his talks but found him a little goofy - including talking about getting water out of rocks. He said he hated the movie Fahrenheit 451, but in a later interview said he loved it (royalties must have kicked in?). He never drove a car.

[jcdoss]

Been getting into astrology lately, so some books on the basics here in my house. Mostly on Kindle.
The one book I want to get but haven't yet is Carl Jung's Red Book. Really want the illustrated one.

[RobA_Oz]

My Mum recently watched an episode of Rick Stein's TV series "From Venice to Istanbul". One of the dishes he cooked was "Kapuska", a Turkish cabbage stew with minced lamb, onions, tomatoes and red pepper paste. My Mum said it looked delicious, so I searched for and found the recipe online and made it a few days ago. It was a big hit with all of us... very tasty and filling. So, I ordered a copy of the accompanying book, "Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul: Discovering the Flavours of the Eastern Mediterranean". It arrived today and a quick flick through tells me we're going to enjoy some wonderful meals (if I don't screw up along the way, which is entirely possible! )...

I have a couple of Rick Stein cookbooks, including “From Venice to Istanbul”, which is one of my favourites. His TV shows are very watchable, and he has a very nice presenter style. I can highly recommend the Lamb Kleftiko, if meat’s your thing.

Buon appetito!

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Last edited by RobA_Oz; 09-10-2020 at 01:08 AM.

[BigMackCam]

Some of my cooking rates as "Failed Experiment"

Mine too

I was married for most of my adult life until 2012, and my wife did all of the cooking when we ate at home. Then, I lived in central London for a couple of years, where there were too many excellent and convenient places to buy dinner . It wasn't until I moved back to the North East of England in late 2014 that I started learning to cook properly. I love where I live, but I can't just walk or drive a few minutes to find really good eateries... plus, these days, cost is a consideration, and I'm catering not just for myself but also my Mum and Dad who live with me. My Mum would happily prepare every meal, bless her, but I won't have that... so I've been learning to cook good food we can all enjoy. My tastes are a lot more varied and adventurous than theirs, but to their credit they've been very open-minded in trying a whole bunch of things (with a few "red lines" I know not to cross! ). I usually try out a new recipe every 3 - 4 weeks as a change to my repertoire of known "safe" dishes Sometimes it works, occasionally it doesn't. Thankfully, the successes somewhat outweigh the failures

[kevinWE]

Read a lot of Bradbury in my youth. "TIM" is a good one - I even liked the movie. Ditto the Martian Chronicles. Enjoyed the short story collections R is for Rocket, and S is for Space. Went to one of his talks but found him a little goofy - including talking about getting water out of rocks. He said he hated the movie Fahrenheit 451, but in a later interview said he loved it (royalties must have kicked in?). He never drove a car.

Badbury was born and raised as a youth in Waukegan Illinois, very close to my hometown .His book Dandelion Wine and some other stories were based around his hometown, so the story was very relatable to me, although truly lacking in plot and more of a stream of thought, I still found it worth a read. My all time favorite is Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradburys prose are colorful, his words dance, skip and bounce across the page. Why just walk down the street when your feet can prance and dance like a circus pony?

[RobA_Oz]

Mine too

I was married for most of my adult life until 2012, and my wife did all of the cooking when we ate at home. Then, I lived in central London for a couple of years, where there were too many excellent and convenient places to buy dinner . It wasn't until I moved back to the North East of England in late 2014 that I started learning to cook properly. I love where I live, but I can't just walk or drive a few minutes to find really good eateries... plus, these days, cost is a consideration, and I'm catering not just for myself but also my Mum and Dad who live with me. My Mum would happily prepare every meal, bless her, but I won't have that... so I've been learning to cook good food we can all enjoy. My tastes are a lot more varied and adventurous than theirs, but to their credit they've been very open-minded in trying a whole bunch of things (with a few "red lines" I know not to cross! ). I usually try out a new recipe every 3 - 4 weeks as a change to my repertoire of known "safe" dishes Sometimes it works, occasionally it doesn't. Thankfully, the successes somewhat outweigh the failures

Failure is a learning opportunity, Mike. Those who never fail are doomed to mediocrity. With three small children and a shift-working and then sickly wife, I had to learn the basics early (boys didn’t cook when I was growing up, unless you were going to be a chef). My personal favourite cookbook, though, is Delia Smith’s “Complete Illustrated Cookery Course”, although I confess to being influenced as much by her TV program “How to Cook” that helped me enormously early on, plus I’ve always had a weakness for attractive women with a slight lisp.

[c.a.m]

Speaking of cooking, I opened two books today in my kitchen:

Joy of Cooking, by Irma Rombauer, and

The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook, by America's Test Kitchen.

The first is a well-known classic, now in it's umpteenth printing. It's thick; it's written clearly and presented simply; and, in my opinion, it's essential.

The second is a richly-illustrated paperback of 500 recipes that explains the logic behind each dish and includes many side-bars of helpful information on foods, ingredients, and preparations.

I don't own many cookbooks -- perhaps a dozen plus my clipped recipes -- and these are the two that I'd keep above all others.

- Craig

[BigMackCam]

I have a couple of Rick Stein cookbooks, including “From Venice to Istanbul”, which is one of my favourites. His TV shows are very watchable, and he has a very nice presenter style. I can highly recommend the Lamb Kleftiko, if meat’s your thing.

I love his TV shows for the same reasons, Rob I also really like the deceptive, relative simplicity of his favourite dishes. One can't fault his presentation, of course, but his cooking clearly puts substance firmly above style. It's all about hearty, authentic flavours and his passion for them.

I'm reading through this book sequentially, despite the temptation to do otherwise I haven't got to the kleftiko yet (I'm still in the mezze section!), but I see from the index that it's on pages 140 and 141. I've enjoyed many wonderful vacations in Greece and its islands, and kleftiko - in all its regional, local and family variations - is one of my favourite dishes. My Mum and Dad really like lamb too, so I greatly look forward to making this one. Short of overcooking, I'd hope there's a high probability of success!

Failure is a learning opportunity, Mike. Those who never fail are doomed to mediocrity.

Well said, Rob

With three small children and a shift-working and then sickly wife, I had to learn the basics early (boys didn’t cook when I was growing up, unless you were going to be a chef).

Necessity is the ultimate motivation, no? I'm sure the family were more-than-adequately fed, and sincerely hope that your wife is better.

When I was at senior school in the early 80s, "Domestic Science" (cooking) classes were just being opened up to boys in addition to girls, but very few took the subject. At that time, and especially in primarily blue-collar regions such as mine, cooking was a woman's domain

My personal favourite cookbook, though, is Delia Smith’s “Complete Illustrated Cookery Course”, although I confess to being influenced as much by her TV program “How to Cook” that helped me enormously early on, plus I’ve always had a weakness for attractive women with a slight lisp.

Ah, Delia... I have at least two of her books somewhere around here. I believe my Mum bought me one when I left home in '88, though I don't recall using it 'til many years later That may be a false memory, but I think not...

[timb64]

Delia books are banned from my house.She grew up supporting my local football team (there is even a photograph of her in our colours when we won the FA Cup many decades ago).But......she is now a director of our local rivals.....never to be forgiven!

[BigMackCam]

Delia books are banned from my house.She grew up supporting my local football team (there is even a photograph of her in our colours when we won the FA Cup many decades ago).But......she is now a director of our local rivals.....never to be forgiven!

Ha ha Ah, yes... she will always be remembered not just for her cookery books and TV appearances, but for that (in)famous "12th man" speech...

[Nakedgun]

Recently started H.W.Brands' "Dreams Of El Dorado, A History Of The American West" until seeing the new Dune 2020 film trailer, so I've decided to re-read Herbert's masterpiece before the release. My first time through it was while serving in the U.S. Army during the late 70s. I still remember seeing a paperback copy of it near my grandfather's reading chair in the late 60s and wondering what it was about.

[aslyfox]

just finished up the " Pillars of the Earth ", " World Without End " and " Column of Fire " novels by Ken Follett and am beginning the " prequel " - " The Evening and the Morning "

I had started to read the " Pillars of the Earth " before but never finished it

for anyone who loves good writing and especially historical fiction, I recommend these books

Books – Ken Follett

[paulh]

I recommend these books

I also enjoy Ken Follett's work.

re: historical fiction - I highly recommend "The Gates of the Alamo" by Stephen Harrigan. A masterful work.

Currently reading "Tell No One", by Harlan Coben.

[RobA_Oz]

I’ve recently finished Joe Abercrombie’s First Law trilogy. While it might be compared with George RR Martin’s Fire and Ice series, I wasn’t sufficiently attracted to want to read beyond “A Game of Thrones”. Each to their own, I imagine.

In a similar but more jocular vein, I’ve finally got around to reading “The Colour of Magic”, which puts all the sword and sorcery writing into perspective.