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Time to Cook the Books a la Grecque
by
The Crispy Cook
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.%20%20With%20Cook%20the%20Books,%20we%20have%20read%20many%20kinds%20of%20foodie%20non-fiction,%20novels,%20children's%20literature%20and%20biographies,%20and%20traveled%20the%20world%20reading%20about%20different%20culinary%20traditions,%20but%20we%20have%20never%20examined%20the%20wonderful%20food%20culture%20of%20Greece,%20so%20I%20was%20excited%20when%20Johanna%20picked%20this%20book%20for%20our%20current%20CTB%20selection.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EDavis%20tells%20the%20story%20of%20her%20courtship%20and%20marriage%20to%20a%20Greek%20immigrant%20and%20the%20cultural%20clashes%20between%20her%20first%20generation%20Italian-American%20family%20and%20his.%20Eventually,%20she%20and%20Gregori%20and%20their%20son%20Nick%20move%20to%20Greece%20and%20her%20descriptions%20of%20her%20new%20life%20there%20were%20the%20most%20interesting%20part%20of%20the%20book%20for%20me.%20I%20enjoyed%20the%20translations%20of%20various%20Greek%20words%20and%20expressions%20(%22She%20can%20make%20a%20donkey%20die!%22%20means%20someone%20is%20stubborn%20beyond%20words)%20and%20loved%20her%20prose%20about%20about%20Greek%20Orthodox%20rituals,%20the%20complex%20dance%20of%20the%20biscotti%20and%20coffee%20at%20Greek%20funerals,%20and%20comparisons%20of%20American%20and%20Greek%20attitudes%20towards%20children,%20stray%20dogs,%20and%20education.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EThough%20the%20word%20%22Food%22%20is%20given%20preeminence%20in%20the%20title%20of%20this%20book,%20there%20is%20not%20so%20much%20discussion%20of%20Greek%20cuisine%20as%20there%20are%20descriptions%20of%20how%20Davis'%20marriage%20weakens%20and%20ultimately%20unravels.%20And%20this%20is%20not%20what%20I%20thought%20the%20book%20would%20be%20about,%20so%20unfortunately,%20I%20would%20find%20my%20thoughts%20drifting%20away%20through%20yet%20another%20recitation%20of%20a%20marital%20argument%20or%20fight%20with%20a%20passive-aggressive%20in-law.%20I%20flipped%20ahead%20through%20many%20pages%20seeking%20out%20the%20nuggets%20about%20Greek%20culture%20seen%20through%20an%20American's%20eyes%20or%20about%20the%20love-hate%20relationship%20that%20first%20generation%20immigrant%20families%20have%20with%20US%20pop%20culture%20and%20societal%20freedoms.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMy%20favorite%20character%20in%20the%20book%20is%20Patricia's%20mother,%20a%20chain-smoking%20philosopher,%20whom%20she%20unfortunately%20becomes%20estranged%20from%20after%20too%20many%20Gregori%20incidents.%20%20I%20absolutely%20loved%20Mama%20Nancy's%20theory%20of%20comparative%20religion.%20When%20young%20Patricia%20came%20home%20from%20Catholic%20school%20one%20day%20and%20asked%20how%20one%20knows%20that%20their%20religion%20is%20%22the%20right%20one%22,%20Mom%20replies:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E%22All%20religions%20are%20the%20%22right%22%20religion,%20if%20they're%20right%20for%20the%20person%20following%20them.%20They%20all%20teach%20basically%20the%20same%20things:%20to%20love%20one%20another,%20be%20the%20best%20people%20we%20can%20be,%20to%20never%20deliberately%20harm%20someone%20else.%22%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EWhen%20her%20daughter%20asks%20why%20there%20are%20different%20religions,%20Mom's%20educational%20metaphor%20comes%20back:%20%22The%20best%20way%20I%20can%20describe%20it%20is%20that%20it's%20like%20decorating%20a%20house.%20Some%20have%20furniture%20that%20might%20seem%20strange%20to%20you,%20but%20the%20people%20who%20live%20there%20are%20happy%20with%20it.%22%20(p.%2081)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAfter%20my%20reading,%20I%20was%20inspired%20to%20filch%20a%20Greek%20cookbook%20from%20our%20bookstore%20shelves,%20Perfect%20Greek%20(London:%20Parragon,%202006)%20and%20perused%20many%20a%20delicious%20recipe%20for%20various%20mezze,%20sweets%20and%20salads,%20but%20ultimately%20I%20settled%20on%20a%20recipe%20for%20a%20tomatoey%20Greek%20Fisherman's%20Soup%20which%20I%20adapted%20to%20be%20much%20more%20stew-like%20and%20which%20made%20for%20a%20wonderfully%20fragrant%20meal%20served%20over%20rice.%20I'm%20glad%20I%20made%20a%20big%20pot%20of%20rice,%20because%20this%20concoction%20had%20terrific%20juices%20and%20we%20sopped%20up%20every%20bit%20at%20dinner.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHere's%20a%20Fish%20Stew%20fit%20for%20a%20Harlot%20or%20Fisherman%20or%20whomever%20shows%20up%20at%20your%20table:%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EGreek%20Fisherman's%20Stew%20(adapted%20from%20Perfect%20Greek)%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EHeat%20olive%20oil%20in%20large%20soup%20pot.%20Add%20onion,%20celery%20and%20garlic%20and%20cook,%20stirring%20often,%20until%20softened,%20about%20five%20minutes.%20Add%20fish%20and%20shrimp%20and%20cook,%20stirring%20often,%20another%205-7%20minutes,%20until%20shrimp%20are%20pink%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EAdd%20white%20wine%20and%20tomatoes%20and%20bring%20to%20a%20boil.%20Add%20orange%20peel%20(I%20used%20a%20tangerine%20and%20squeezed%20in%20the%20juice%20too),%20thyme,%20parsley%20and%20bay%20leaves.%20Cook%20another%2015%20minutes%20at%20a%20simmer%20until%20seafood%20is%20thoroughly%20cooked%20and%20the%20fish%20has%20flaked%20up%20and%20into%20your%20wonderful%20stew%20juices.%20%20Season%20with%20salt%20and%20pepper%20and%20serve%20over%20hot%20cooked%20rice.%20The%20citrus%20in%20the%20sauce%20really%20picks%20up%20the%20sweetness%20of%20the%20fish%20and%20shrimp.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EMakes%204%20dinner%20servings.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3EJohanna,%20our%20resident%20Athenian%20Cook%20the%20Book%20hostess,%20will%20be%20posting%20a%20roundup%20of%20all%20the%20blog%20entries%20about%20Harlot's%20Sauce%20after%20tomorrow's%20deadline,%20so%20hop%20on%20over%20to%20Cook%20the%20Books%20later%20this%20week%20to%20see%20all%20the%20posts.%20Our%20featured%20author,%20Patricia%20Volonakis%20Davis,%20will%20also%20be%20serving%20as%20our%20guest%20judge%20to%20select%20a%20winner%20from%20the%20blog%20entries%20so%20that%20should%20be%20entertaining%20reading%20as%20well.%3C/p%3E%3Cp%3E**Next%20up%20on%20the%20Cook%20the%20Books%20reading%20list%20is%20John%20and%20Matt%20Lewis%20Thorne's%20collection%20of%20food%20essays%20%22Outlaw%20Cook%22.%20%20It's%20a%20fantastic%20book%20and%20I%20invite%20you%20all%20to%20join%20us%20in%20reading%20the%20book%20and%20then%20blogging%20up%20your%20thoughts%20and%20any%20Outlaw-inspired%20recipes.%3C/p%3E){kind=link}