The Days and Nights of Tiny Montgomery: October 2012

Monday, October 29, 2012

Tiny Montgomery Kitchen is Open - Black Bean Stew with Sweet Potatoes!

It was a long, hot (so very, very hot!) summer and I am so ready for this wonderful cool autumn weather. And what goes better with cool weather than steaming bowls of slow-cooked soups and stews? I have been thinking about soup for weeks, and I am looking forward to seeing you all again!

For the first soup this season, I think a thick black bean stew is in order. I plan on loading it full of vegetables including carrots, celery, onions, garlic (lots of garlic!), a variety of peppers, a splash of tomatoes, and for a bit of sweetness as a counterpoint to the savory spice, bite-sized chunks of sweet potatoes. I want to keep it vegetarian, so I will add homemade soy chorizo to round out the flavors. This will be a hearty and filling bowl that you can eat as is; but if you want, it will be delicious served over your favorite grain like brown rice, quinoa, or couscous.

The cold temperatures also make me feel like baking, so I you can also order freshly baked crusty round white (and I think I'll throw in a touch of cornmeal for crunch) loaves of bread to accompany your stew.

Since we all need to get back into the swing of things, I'm giving a slightly longer lead time: orders taken until Thursday. Just email me at: cattmkitchen@gmail.com or clp772@gmail.com to order. UPDATE/REVISION!!!!! I am aiming for delivery/pick up on Friday/Saturday/Sunday. When you order, let me know when the best day/times for you. As always, I accept charge, cash, check, and Paypal.

I'm so excited to be cooking for you again! I hope you are excited too!

Soup:1 quart/$8 2 quarts/$15 3 quarts/$21 4 quarts/$28

Bread

$3.50/loaf

What I'm Reading

Complicity by Iain Banks - Continuing my exploration of Banks and Scottish literature I delved into my third Banks novel, this one yet again completely different. The story of drug and drink addicted journo who gets inadvertently involved in a serial killer's revenge murders.
How to Be Good by Nick Hornby - It had its moments, but I got rather bored with it about 2/3 through. I'm not sure ole Nick ought to make his main characters female.
Sunshine by Robin McKinley - This book was recommended by the librarian who goes on NPR all the time and talks about summer books, etc. As it was about vampires, I had to try it anyway. And I kind of loved it. A completely new twist on vampires in a sort of alternate universe now. Unfortunately, the sex, while teased, wasn't what I hoped for. I thought I'd try some of her other titles, but the covers alone had me running away, screaming. Very florid, fantasy-type illustrations. Think I'll just stick with this one and the hoped-for sequel.
The Braindead Megaphone Essays by George Saunders - I'm only a few pages in but I've already belly laughed -- out loud while alone and at work! -- something I don't ususally do. I appreciate, very much, written humor, but it seldom makes me actually laugh out loud. George Saunders is so brilliant and so completely right on and so fucking funny. I love his surreal, absurdist fiction, but this book is so completely perfect.
The Business by Iain Banks - Completely unlike the Wasp Factory, but compelling nonetheless. The female main character doesn't always ring true, but the story turns out to be wotth it, despite my initial reservations.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt - Since she wrote a book I really loved, The Little Friend, I thought I should give this a try. I'm only a chapter or so in, so I'm withholding judgement for now.
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks -- Whoa. This debut novel is like nothing I've read before. I have been known to physically throw books that feature animal abuse across the room in disgust, but this book uses it to further the story in a very effective way. I couldn't put it down.
You Don't Love Me Yet by Jonathan Lethem. Since I originally said I was reading this, I've read it at least three more times. (What? You listen to a record you like more than once, don't you?). I still can't really articulate why I love this book so much. There is just something that really speaks to me. Lethem is to be commended for writing a female character so perfectly.