One of the unexpected pleasures of reading Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews which I reviewed in my last post was
the inclusion of a recipe at the end of each chapter for a dish that had been
eaten earlier in the chapter.The recipes were for all types of food. As an example the recipe at the end of Chapter One was for Old Lady’s Beet Soup:
Melt butter in a large pot; add a chopped onion and
sauté until translucent; stir in three grated beets and one chopped tomato.
Pour in beef stock, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Broth shoud be tart and sweet.
Bring to a boil, then simmer for an hour. Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream
and chopped dill.
The recipes come from different ethnic cuisnes. One of the most interesting to me was Afghan Pumpkin.
I came to look forward to seeing what food what would be featured in each chapter.
As I was reading the book I thought back to a mystery or thriller I had read over 30 years ago that also included recipes through the book.
With a bit of research I found the book, The Monte Cristo Cover-Up also published as It Can’t Always be Caviar by Johannes Mario Simmel. It turned out not be menus to start each chapter with recipes throughout the book.
WW II Spy Thomas Lievens is a gourmand, a word far more elegant than foodie, who provides the menus.
One of the menus is:
Lady Curzon Soup
Paprika Chicken
Clara Salad
Rice
Apple Hedgehog with Wine Custard
Toast and Cheese
Paprika Chicken
Clara Salad
Rice
Apple Hedgehog with Wine Custard
Toast and Cheese
The spies ate very well in each book.
Bill - Oh, that's interesting! I've often heard of or read cosy mysteries with recipes, and there are some other mysteries too - not so much thought of as cosies - that have recipes. But I've never heard of a spy thriller with recipes. Yet more reason for me to check this one out.
ReplyDeleteMargot: Thanks for the comment. Spies and recipes are words I often think of in the same sentence.
ReplyDelete