by Katie Curtis
Marie smiled at her. “Don’t feel guilty, I am so happy for you! For the test results and the engagement,” she added laughing.
“You just had a baby and you’re still worrying about me,” she laughed. “If you’re trying for the big sister of the year award I think you’ve got it,” Anna smiled.
Marie reached out as Andrew handed her Therese back just as she began to start fussing. “I know it is so morbid, and it is probably just crazy hormones, but last night as I stared at her, I started to worry for her that she might, you know… that Therese might face this horrible thing in her future. But then I realized, we McAllister woman are tough as nails. She’ll get through it just fine if she does have the faulty gene. She has all of us to help her. And thanks to modern medicine, she will have a very alive mother with a great boob job. She’ll be fine.”
Anna’s eyes filled with tears. She thought of her mother’s letter to her. I don’t think dying means I am not there. I think it means I am there in a different way. Of course, we don’t want it to be this way. We want it to be so that I can help you get dressed on your wedding day. That I can hold your children just like I held you. She suddenly felt such an ache for her mother it was palpable, like a punch to the gut. How much would Tessie miss not knowing her grandmother? How much would Marie miss not sharing her daughter and son with her mother? Some losses were not quantifiable; they stretched out like time, or space, and were infinite. Then she remembered the rest of her letter -
But I believe that love is more powerful than death. It has to be. I hope you can picture, like I do, that way down deep inside your heart, in the very fabric of your soul, there is a connection to another world. Love is a thread. A river. It connects those two worlds between your heart and Heaven. Even though I am going to be somewhere else, our love will still bind us together.
Anna smelled the roses in the room, and smiled. Her mother was right. Of course she was there. She would always be there.
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
Food has been such a big part of helping me tell this story, and of sharing the world that Anna and Andrew inhabit. No doubt this was because it has always played such a big role in my relationships, having grown up in a large family with a mother who was an amazing cook. Because it has been such a passion for me, I started a food blog, www.thehumbleonion.com to share the everyday art of food with others, and it has been so much fun. I wanted to share a few recipes that were the dishes I imagined them making in this story, some I created and some of which are family favorites.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy these dishes as much as I do.
Katie Curtis
March 2017
Tuscan Butter Basted Swordfish with Onions, Tomatoes and Capers
This recipe is one I created at home based on the dish that I imagined Stephen making for Anna when she goes to visit his restaurant. I can picture him showing Anna the butter basted fish technique (which I learned from reading Rick Moonen’s book, Fish), swirling the brown butter in the industrial pan with a white towel, while the simple Tuscan flavors of tomato, capers, wine and lemon reflect his clean style of cooking. Tuscan cooking leans more heavily on olive oil then butter, but the end result of butter basting fish is so flavorful I think they would make an exception. You can substitute any white fish for the swordfish and cook it the same way, adjusting the time for thickness of the filet.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 ripe tomatoes, diced
Salt & pepper
½ cup white wine
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons of capers
2 swordfish steaks
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided (this is for the butter basting; don’t worry, you leave most of it in pan)
Directions:
To make the Onion, Tomato & Caper Sauce: Heat olive oil in pan on medium heat. Add sliced onions and a small pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and another 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, then add wine and lemon juice. Cook for 10 minutes, then add capers and stir. Keep warm in pan to until ready to serve under fish.
To make Butter Basted Swordfish: Have a large spoon, spatula, and paper towels next to pan. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a pan on medium-high heat (watch closely so butter doesn’t burn, but you are looking for a nutty browned butter flavor so browning is good). Pat dry swordfish and season with salt and pepper. When the butter has melted, place in the far side of the pan and, using a spatula, press down on fish for the first 30 seconds, which helps the fish start to brown. Cut the other 4 tablespoons of butter into pieces and add to the pan. Tip pan toward you and using large spoon, continuously spoon butter on top of fish. Continuously tip, baste and set down pan again over heat, so that butter becomes nutty brown and top of fish is cooked, for 6 minutes. Then turn fish over, turn off heat, and let it sit in butter for 1 minute. Set on paper towels and use another to blot the top. Serve on a bed of the onion-tomato sauce, and sprinkle lemon and salt, if desired, on top of fish.
Chicken & Spinach Casserole with Bacon and Caramelized Onions:
This next dish I imagined Abigail bringing over to Marie’s house when she gets the genetic test results back. Comfort food at its best. I wrote the recipe for my husband, whose love language is bacon, but it reminds me of the casseroles my mom would create for us growing up.
Ingredients:
3 cooked chicken breasts, cubed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 onions, sliced
2 tablespoons thyme
1 pound of penne
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons flour
3 1/2 cups milk
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup shredded asiago cheese
4 cups fresh spinach
6 bacon strips, crumbled
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350. Place chicken on tin-foil lined cookie sheet with salt, pepper and olive oil on top, then put tin foil over the pan (this keeps the chicken moist). Cook for 30 minutes, let cool 5 minutes before cubing.
2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Placed sliced onions, ¼ teaspoon salt and thyme in pan and stir until caramelized, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne for 2 minutes less than package directions (since it will be cooked again in oven)
4. In large frying pan, cook 6 strips of bacon. Remove when cooked and lay on paper towel, reserving 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings in the pan
5. Add spinach to bacon drippings with a ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until wilted, about 4-5 minutes.
6. In the same pot used to cook pasta, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add flour and whisk together to make a roux, cooking for 1 minute. Then add milk, stirring constantly until sauce starts to thicken and there are no lumps. Add 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, then add mozzarella and asiago and stir until cheese is melted.
7. Combine the pasta, chicken and spinach to the cheese sauce. Divide caramelized onions and bacon into two piles. Chop up half the onions and bacon and mix into pasta.
8. Spray a casserole pan with cooking spray and spoon mixture into pan. Put remaining caramelized onions and bacon crumbs on top and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until golden and bubbly.
Jacques Pépin’s Red Wine Beef Stew:
This is the dish Marie makes for dinner at her house. It is the most delicious beef stew I have ever had and I make it for special occasions. I felt her pain when Anna and her dad had ruined the meal because of their fight. It is truly memorable.
Ingredients:
tablespoon unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds trimmed beef flatiron steak or chuck, cut into 8 pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pe
pper
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
One 750-milliliter bottle dry red wine
2 bay leaves
1 thyme sprig
One 5-ounce piece of pancetta
15 pearl or small Cipollini onions, peeled
15 cremini mushrooms
15 baby carrots, peeled
Sugar
Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, melt the butter in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Arrange the meat in the casserole in a single layer and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, 8 minutes. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, 5 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the meat with it. Add the wine, bay leaves and thyme, season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve any brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
2. Cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven. Cook the stew for 1 1/2 hours, until the meat is very tender and the sauce is flavorful.
3. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cover the pancetta with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain the pancetta and slice it 1/2-inch-thick, then cut the slices into 1-inch-wide lardons.
4. In a large skillet, combine the pancetta, pearl onions, mushrooms and carrots. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1/4 cup of water and a large pinch each of sugar, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until almost all of the water has evaporated, 15 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat, tossing, until the vegetables are tender and nicely browned, about 4 minutes.
5. To serve, stir some of the vegetables and lardons into the stew and scatter the rest on top as a garnish. Top with a little chopped parsley and serve.
Adapted from www.food&wine.com
Indian Lamb and Spinach Curry (from Williams Sonoma):
This is such a foodie dish. I first saw it in my Williams-Sonoma Slow Cooker cook book, then it was reproduced in Oprah magazine after it has already become a favorite of mine. The perfume of flavors created between the lamb juices, garlic, ginger, cumin and turmeric are simply heaven.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup canola oil
3 yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
2 cups beef broth
3 lb. boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 Tbs. salt, plus more, to taste
6 cups baby spinach
2 cups plain yogurt
Directions:
Sauté the vegetables and spices
In a large fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add the onions and garlic and sauté until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ginger, cumin, cayenne and turmeric and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds more. Pour in the broth, increase the heat to high and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape up the browned bits from the pan bottom. When the broth comes to a boil, remove the pan from the heat.
Cook the curry
Put the lamb in a slow cooker and sprinkle with the 1 Tbs. salt. Pour in the contents of the fry pan. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
Finish the curry
Add spinach to the slow cooker and cook, stirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir 1 1/3 cups of the yogurt into the curry. Adjust the seasonings with salt. Spoon the curry into shallow bowls and serve immediately, passing the remaining 2/3 cup yogurt at the table. Serves 6 to 8.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, Slow Cooker, by Norman Kolpas (Oxmoor House, 2007).