Fettuccine with shrimp sautéed in garlic and olive oil

by Amy

“Gabri approached carrying a tray with four steaming plates. Within minutes they were sitting around the fireplace eating fettuccine with shrimp and scallops sautéed in garlic and olive oil. Fresh bread was produced and glasses of dry white wine poured.”

This isn’t the first time Gabri finds a culinary solution for an awkward moment. There’s a meal for every occasion and he is a master at producing them. I was looking forward to this one. I love pasta.

Once again, this project introduced an ingredient I had never cooked before. I like shrimp. I order shrimp at restaurants, but had never made any at home. The main reason is that I live far from the coast and sea-food isn’t as fresh or as affordable here.

The other ingredients were easier. I picked some basil, marjoram, and grape tomatoes from my backyard garden. I didn’t have scallops, but I had leeks and I absolutely LOVE leeks. So I used that instead. I cooked the fettuccine al dente while I made the sauce. I’ve actually made this meal numerous times – without the shrimp. Sometimes I’ll add chicken or sausage or some other meat, but I’ll usually make vegetarian pasta and make some kind of meat on the side for my husband.

This meal matches the scene in the books perfectly. It’s pretty effortless in terms of mental engagement. It gives the cook a chance to think about other things and listen in on conversations.  I’m sure Gabri was listening with at least half an ear (even if he was all the way in the kitchen) while Olivier and Gamache talked. I was cooking while my husband sat at the table nearby and shared tidbits on his day. In the meantime, my eight-year-old was pacing and talking non-stop about the new characters he’s invented to compose the Marvel universe and what adventures they – and the regular heroes – got into. I confess that I only listened to that conversation with half an ear myself. It was a very convoluted plot.

The only secret to this meal is that you cannot prepare it in advance. This is the kind of meal that you make minutes before you’re to eat it and, preferably, have the table set and everyone hungry before you’re halfway into cooking it… AND, ideally, there are no leftovers. I hate leftover sea food.

I sliced two cloves of garlic, 1 red chili (I removed the seeds, but I’m sure some people prefer to use them for a bit more bite), and half a large leek. I chopped the basil and marjoram leaves (I usually leave the thinner stalks as well). Then I halved the grape tomatoes.

In a large pan over medium heat, I placed a bit of olive oil and fried the garlic, chili, leeks, basil, marjoram and tomatoes. I added some white wine (about 2/3 of a glass) and the juice of one lime. I let it simmer for a couple of minutes, then added the shrimp and cooked it all for about 5 minutes. I didn’t add salt to the sauce because I’d cooked the pasta in very salty water, but I think some people might need an extra pinch of salt.

Toss the pasta with the sauce and you’re done!

“Chaos is coming, old son. It’s taken a long time, but it’s finally here.”

In a previous post we talked about secrets and the little lies we tell ourselves. I can only imagine how it felt like to be Olivier right then. He had so many secrets and lies… but he had questions, too. He knew the Hermit and he knew he’d been killed. But he wasn’t the murderer and he wasn’t the one who placed him in the bistro. On the other hand, he had so many of the answers that were crucial to the investigation and he wasn’t willing to share his information because it would compromise his secrets. He shared many of their questions, too…

“People lied all the time in murder investigations. If the first victim of war was the truth, some of the first victims of a murder investigation were people’s lies. The lies they told themselves, the lies they told each other. The little lies that allowed them to get out of bed on cold, dark mornings. Gamache and his team hunted the lies down and exposed them. Until all the small tales told to ease everyday lives disappeared. And people were left naked. The trick was distinguishing the important fibs from the rest. This one appeared tiny. In which case, why bother lying at all?”

This paragraph is the core of this book, in my opinion. Lies were exposed. Olivier was left naked and vulnerable. But the main question, for all of us, is “why bother lying at all”?

I wonder how frequently our little lies are an attempt to make us look better – even if the only ones judging are ourselves. Frequently they are reinterpretation of motivation and significance, not of facts. They are tiny lies when it comes to the facts of a murder investigation, but they might be crucial when it comes to our understanding of ourselves.

All quotes from The Brutal Telling. Page 33 in the paperback edition.

A Dinner of Interactions - Fettuccine with Basil, Tomatoes, and Brie

by Amy

“What does that piece of wood mean?” Gamache asked his team as they ate.“Well, it was just about the only thing in the cabin that wasn’t an antique,” said Lacoste. “And what with the whittling tools I’m guessing he made it himself.”
Gamache nodded. It was his guess as well.”
[…]
“Why would someone carve that for himself?” Gamache put down his knife and fork. “And you found nothing else in the cabin that looked as though it had been whittled?” (The Brutal Telling)

I love watching Gamache and his team interact. I love how they share the evidence that they’ve uncovered and then they speculate, interpret, and add to each other’s ideas. They seem to talk their way towards conclusions.

They all feel free to share ideas – even when they turn out to be far-fetched ones like going to the Charlotte Islands. Sometimes they fill in the gaps in the other’s line of thought with evidence that supports it. Sometimes they question a conjecture and will add their own reasoning and why they disagree. As a team, they complement each other.

These conversations might be a writer’s strategy to give us, the reader, important information regarding the mystery itself. Usually we move forward in the investigation by “listening in” on the team’s conversations as well as their interviews with suspects and witnesses. Louise Penny has mastered the craft. The conversations don’t read like information dump. You don’t have people monologuing about their findings. Even in these conversations, which could be a plot-advancing strategy, we are given a wealth of feeling and deep interactions.

“He liked the food, but what he mostly loved were the conversations with the Chief. Just the two of them.” (A Trick of the Light)

We can all empathize with Beauvoir here. That’s what this blog is all about, in fact. We all love the food. The mention of their menus frequently has me salivating (except for Beauvoir's meals in the earlier books – I’m not much of a meat eater). But what we really love most are the conversations interactions between the characters. The menu is less important than the company. Or is it just me (and Beauvoir)?

Some people think out loud. Others need time to process their ideas alone, and then they share them. Some people can easily switch from one train of thought to another and can go back and forth between ideas and contradict themselves and question themselves and easily incorporate other people’s ideas. Others have to follow a straight line and need time to digest and ponder over new lines of thought before they are ready to modify their own.

Gamache not only allows himself to use both strategies, he also encourages other to use either or both. Time and again he takes long walks after an interview with a suspect. I believe he uses that time to silently gather his thoughts. He organizes his ideas, but he doesn’t cement them. He values interactions with his team and is open to reordering his initial conclusions. I believe he asks his agents the questions he has asked himself already. He listens to their answers and adds their thoughts and impressions to his own. It is in this interaction that he gains a broader view. He is a better Chief and investigator because he is willing to listen. I think that's one of the things that makes Lacoste a good successor - she's a bit like Gamache that way. (Although  I think Beauvoir, in his own way, would have been just as great.)

On a tangent here, I'm kind of glad Gamache as the chief (and Louise Penny, as the author) had such a solid reason not to have Jean-Guy as the next chief. Beauvoir is still kind of growing up as a character. It's the growing up that makes him interesting... and I like that there's still so much that could happen to him! So many roads he could follow. That kind of potential is attractive in a character (in real people, too).

“It struck Gamache like a ton of bricks. Why hadn’t he thought of that? He’d been so overwhelmed by what was there, he’d never even considered what might be missing.”

I know exactly how he feels! Time and again someone will say something and I think, “WHY DIDN’T I THINK OF THAT?” Of course, once it’s been pointed out, it seems so obvious!

Isn't it great how one comment prompts another? This is true not only of this scene. It’s not really an argument or a discussion. It’s more like they’re trying to find a path and it is in their wording and working through their impressions – out loud, sharing – that they slowly find their way together.

I understand Gamache’s need for alone time because I, too, need time by myself (preferably in silence, which is why running or walking is a good option) to process and organize thoughts. Once I do, they’re still kind of spread out and confusing even to me. It is in trying to verbalize them that I am able to actually explain things to myself.

There are few things I enjoy more than talking to someone who contributes to the process. I value the colleagues and friends that are able and willing to converse like this. Professionally, it is a blessing to have people to “think out loud” with. Frequently it is in interacting with other professionals, particularly those with different backgrounds, that we reach a better understanding of a patient’s needs. And in any role - personal or professional - it is always enriching to broaden my ideas through contrasting and complementing my perceptions with other points of view.

Books can play a role in this. In my life, at least, they do. Like I said in the Myrna post, I believe in the magic and therapeutic power in books and stories. However, there is a different (not better or worse) power in the interaction between people.

A friend told me recently that one of his two criteria for finding a life partner is “good conversation”. I think he has a point.

“The main courses had arrived. A fruit-stuffed Rock Cornish game hen, done on the spit, for Gamache; melted Brie, fresh tomato and basil fettuccine for Lacoste; and a lamb and prune tagine for Beauvoir.”

Lacoste and I make similar food choices. Sometimes it's the same choice because she is choosing a lighter meal (although there have been a few times where she’s drooled over Gamache’s dish while eating a salad). Usually because it is truly the one that most agrees with my own taste buds. This is one of those times. It didn't hurt that it was also the easiest of the three to make.

Versions of this meal are a staple in my home. Pasta is usually quick to put together and pleases most people. I have two versions here. One is the way I usually make it (the spaghetti pictures) and the other is from allrecipes.com. I think I like my own version better – it’s less oily and I prefer the brie on the side. But then, the reheated left-overs of the allrecipes version tasted awesome. I think it has to do with it absorbing the tastes longer. I'll have to keep making them to reach a decision...

This is one of the recipes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/11932/fettuccini-with-basil-and-brie/. If I were to make it again, I’d keep the brie, but I’d probably use grape tomatoes and leave in the seeds. I’d also use half the amount of olive oil they recommended.  I did enjoy the touch of red wine vinegar. 

My own version involves chopping fresh basil and halving grape tomatoes. I cook the pasta (whichever one I have in the house) and once it’s cooked, I drain it. In a large pan I add a few tablespoons of olive oil and throw in the tomatoes and the basil and usually a squeeze of lemon juice (a couple of tablespoons, probably). Then I add the pasta. If necessary I add a bit more olive oil. I don’t like it too oily which is probably why I didn’t enjoy the other recipe as much. I sometimes add garlic and fry it a bit in the olive oil. Usually not. I prefer the lemon taste. I usually add some cheese. Sometimes on the side, sometimes mixed in. Usually Parmesan.

Which of the three main courses would be your choice if you were at Olivier’s Bistro?

In your line of work is conversation and interaction and important tool for problem solving?

Lunch at the Bistro...Secrets and Lies

by Libby

‘Secrets,’ said Beauvoir. ‘More secrets.’ (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.223)

The Surete team have gathered at the Bistro for a generous lunch (main course and dessert) as the evidence builds that Olivier is a man who is something of a fiction. Lacoste reveals what she has learned from Olivier's former employers and his estranged father, and it is apparent that his life is shrouded with secrets, including that he has somehow acquired a huge fortune, and bought up much of Three Pines.

And where there are secrets, there are lies. And where there is betrayal of trust, there is loss of a sense of security with what is real, what is true. 

Much of Olivier's life had been built on a foundation of secrets and lies. Residing with kind, thoughtful Olivier was another Olivier who was fearful, secretive, greedy, calculating and vindictive. How else could he have kept the Hermit 'captive' all that time, implicated the Gilberts in the murder, and so profoundly betrayed the trust of Gabri, their friends and their lives together. He had picked up on the trail of lies and greed that the Hermit had brought to Three Pines, and then blazed a trail of his own. 

‘Why didn’t you tell us you knew the Hermit when the body was found?’ ‘I should have, but I thought you might not find the cabin.’ ‘And why would you hope that?’...‘Because there were things in the cabin I wanted. For myself.’ (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.325) 

I think we all have secrets. And we can all, at times, be evasive or lie. Isn't that what we do when we say what we think the other person might want to hear? It might be a case of not wanting to upset someone or worry them, or trying to be kind. Dominique Gilbert lies to her husband about a horse's name. She senses some connection between the difficult, wounded nature and reactions of that beast and her husband. So for her a 'small' lie seems more prudent, kinder, than to tell her husband that the horse is also called Marc!

Sometimes lies can be about avoiding conflict, or fear of disapproval or just because you want to avoid doing something. And for some it's a matter of exaggerating things to 'beat their own drum', in terms of their accomplishments and influence. Lying to themselves, deceiving themselves they are better than others, is part of it. Sadly, Peter Morrow is something of a case in point. 

It was, he liked to tell art critics at his many sold-out vernissages, an allegory for life. ... They ate it up. But this time it hadn’t worked. He’d been unable to see the simple truth. Instead, he’d painted this. When Clara left Peter plopped down in his chair and stared at the bewildering piece of work on his easel and repeated silently to himself, I’m brilliant, I’m brilliant. Then he whispered, so quietly he barely heard it himself, ‘I’m better than Clara.’ (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.242) 

Having secrets can be about protecting ourselves, or to protect others. It can also be a matter of desiring privacy or being guarded, just not wanting to share some things. 

Beauvoir had lied to the Chief. He didn’t do it often, and he had no idea why he’d done it this time. He’d told the Chief he’d thrown them all out, all the stupid words Ruth had tacked onto his door, shoved into his pocket. Given others to give to him. He’d wanted to throw them out, but even more than that he’d wanted to know what they meant. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.496) 

Some secrets we keep completely to ourselves out of guilt or shame, or because they're hidden desires and pleasures. Some can be carried from childhood, as Olivier has done. 

It was about a little boy with secrets. Who became a big boy with secrets. Who became a man. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.446)

Some secrets we are prepared to share with a trusted significant other/s. I guess it depends on the 'secrets' and the connection with the person. Certain trusted girlfriends come to mind, those very few special ones with whom you feel you can 'unload' just about anything...the 'Myrnas' in your life. At its heart is mutual trust and honesty (sometimes brutal). And that can be a wonderful thing.

 

At this Bistro lunch the team's only distraction, from Olivier's secrets and lies, was the food.

... she looked with envy at the steaming plate of Portobello mushrooms, garlic, basil and Parmesan on top of homemade pasta in front of the Chief. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.222)

The garlic is missing!!

Gamache's lunch choice was mine, too. I have always loved mushrooms and find them hard to resist on a menu. This dish was easy to recreate as there were no secrets about the ingredients! 

My version included frying the mushrooms with white salad onions (that quickly soften) and garlic to make a buttery sauce that clings to the pasta. 

Hand-made pasta ingredients

Fresh homemade pasta is very easy and has a silky finish unlike dried pasta. I used a hand-cranked pasta making machine that rolls out the dough effortlessly. A rolling pin also works. I make pasta with just flour and eggs for a tasty, nutritious result.

Homemade pasta

440g/14oz durum wheat flour or Italian '00' flour

4 to 5 eggs

1.  Make a well in the sifted flour and add 4 of the eggs. 

2.  Mix in with a fork and work through the flour by hand. Add the fifth egg only if the mixture is too dry. It must not be sticky.

3.  Knead and then wrap the dough in plastic wrap and leave on the bench to rest for 30 minutes.

4.  Break off small sections, sprinkle with flour and roll with a rolling pin and then feed through a pasta machine several times (or roll by hand), until the desired thickness and texture is achieved. Cut to shape. I cut it roughly into short ribbons. 

5.  When the mushroom sauce is ready, cook the pasta in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes and drain. Fresh pasta is very quick to cook.

Mushroom sauce

500g/ 1lb 2oz large open portobello/Swiss brown mushrooms, sliced thickly

2 brown shallots

2 to 3 large white salad onions, sliced thinly

8 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil plus an extra 2 tablespoons

3 tablespoons of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of chicken stock

1/2 cup of dry white wine

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

bunch of fresh basil

shavings of Parmigiana Reggiano

1.  For an intense mushroom flavoured sauce, very slowly sauté a couple of finely chopped portobellos and brown shallots in one tablespoons of unsalted butter and two of extra-virgin olive oil. 

2.  When cooked right down so that maximum flavour is extracted, deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of dry Marsala or sherry.

3. Finish with freshly ground black pepper and a little sea salt. Set aside to add to the mushroom sauce later. 

4.  Sauté the sliced mushrooms, salad onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/4 cup of oil until the mushrooms have browned.

5.  Add the chicken stock and wine and reduce to a saucy consistency. Add the cooked, finely chopped mushroom and shallot mix. Finish with a little sea salt and grinding of black pepper.

6. Generously spoon over freshly cooked pasta. Toss through a cup or two of basil leaves and plenty of Parmigiana Reggiano or other parmesan cheese. Finish with a little drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and another grind of black pepper.

When secrets are revealed and lies uncovered, there comes a loss of trust, and that's something not easily regained. How can you possibly know when someone is telling the truth if they repeatedly lie. Even Olivier recognised this.

‘No, I didn’t kill him.’ But even as Olivier said it he realized the disaster of what he’d done. In lying at every turn he’d made the truth unrecognizable...I didn’t take the last cookie, I didn’t break the fine bone china cup, I didn’t steal the money from your purse. I’m not gay. All lies. All his life. All the time. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.334)

Significantly, The Brutal Telling reveals that secrets and lies abound.

Who had done worse? While Louise Penny asks this question about the Gilberts, Marc and his mother Carole, it could apply to others.

Who had done worse? Carole by lying to her son for years, and telling him his father was dead? Or Marc by moving a dead man down to the bistro, and in one gesture ruining their chances of being accepted in the small community. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.280)

While Peter Morrow jealously guards and keeps his work a secret, the thought of Clara's imminent success fills him with fear and causes him to advise Clara to take a course of action that he knows will most likely be the undoing of her career opportunity. In that moment he breaks any trust that exists between them. It's a defining moment for their relationship. It was not without a battle of conscience.

He’d gone into his studio last night to think, and finally to stop thinking. To clear his mind of the howl that had grown, like something massive approaching. And finally, just before sunrise, he knew what he had to say to Clara. ‘I think you should talk to him.’ (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.355)

Such a betrayal of trust will inevitably be accompanied by guilt, shame, hurt and even misery. We are horrified at Peter's behaviour. But perhaps we are not so horrified with Beauvoir as he withdraws to his basement...we might even be excited about what is emerging? Both are betrayals of trust, but 'who had done worse?'

And he imagined her there. Maddening, passionate, full of life. Filling the empty, quiet corners of his life. With life. And when the case was over he’d slipped the lion into his bag and brought it down here. Where Enid never came. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.497)

Probably the most astounding thing was learning that Olivier was the one behind 'the brutal telling', the stories that inspired the Hermit's carvings. Ironically, what emerged was the truth of those stories.

But what Olivier hadn’t appreciated was that his stories were actually true. An allegory, yes. But no less real for that. A mountain of misery was approaching. And growing with each new lie, each new tale. A Hungry Ghost. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.491)

Enough! Back to that lunch!

‘Who’ll share a profiterole with me?’ asked Beauvoir. They’d have to solve this case soon or he’d need a whole new wardrobe. ‘I will,’ said Lacoste. The pastries filled with ice cream and covered in warm chocolate sauce arrived. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.222)

Well I'm with Lacoste, resisting a whole dessert but happy to share one, which somehow always seems less indulgent (Is this a case of lying to yourself?)! I love to make icecream so it was no chore thinking of one that would go with the choux pastry puffs and warm chocolate sauce. I love honey and orange together and thought that a subtle spicy note might be a welcome addition.

Profiteroles with orange, honey and star anise icecream with warm chocolate sauce

The icecream recipe is an adaption of the one in the August 31 post, In Search of a Licorice Pipe.

Icecream ingredients

For this recipe the cream and milk are infused with 2 tablespoons of grated orange rind that has been pounded with a teaspoon of sugar, and seven star anise.

Infusing the cream/milk with grated orange and star anise

The egg yolks are creamed with two thirds of a cup of honey (instead of sugar) until thick and light.

The cream/milk infusion is added to this and cooked while stirring over low heat for 10 minutes.

The cooled custard is best refrigerated overnight, and churned the next day once the star anise have been removed. I add 2 tablespoons of Cointreau in the final 5 minutes of churning. This very creamy icecream has a subtle fragrance to it that works perfectly in this dessert. And it can be made well ahead of time.

Choux puffs

These crispy creations provide a nice texture contrast to the icecream and sauce.

Choux puffs' ingredients

1 cup of water

85g/3oz unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon of sugar

a pinch of salt

1 cup of all purpose flour, sifted

4 eggs, at room temperature

1.  Heat the water, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan until the butter is melted and then bring to the boil.

2.  Remove from the heat and immediately add all the flour and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon until combined. Return to a moderate heat and stir continuously until the dough forms a ball.

3.  Remove from the heat and beat in one egg until it is completely absorbed. Add each of the other eggs, one at a time, in the same way. This is a great workout for your arm and shoulder.

4.  Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes before placing spoonfuls, about the size of an egg, onto a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Leave space between them for puffing.

5.  Bake in an oven that has been pre-heated to 220C/425F for 25-30 minutes, depending on the size.

6.  When puffed and golden brown, remove from the oven and place a small slit in the side of each puff. Return to the turned off oven and leave for 10-15 minutes with the door open. This helps to dry out their centres.

7.  Cool on a wire rack.

Warm chocolate sauce

With a dessert like this it's important not to skimp on the sauce. It needs to be rich, thick, luscious and chocolatey without being sickly sweet. This sauce works! The bittersweet chocolate makes all the difference.

Chocolate sauce ingredients

125g/4.5oz bittersweet chocolate (70% cocoa mass), cut into small pieces or grated

1 cup of pouring cream (pure cream with 35% fat content, also known as single cream)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon honey

Place all ingredients into a small saucepan and gently heat. Stir until fully melted and combined. Keep warm for serving. 

Assembling the profiteroles 

Cut the choux puffs in half. Spoon out and discard any moist pastry still inside the puffs.

Fill with quenelles of the honey, orange and star anise icecream. Sandwich with the top of the puff and pour over warm chocolate sauce. Worth the calories!!

Gamache regretted not ordering some himself. He watched, mesmerized, as Beauvoir and Lacoste took spoonfuls of the now melting ice cream mixed with pastry and the warm, dark chocolate. (The Brutal Telling, Kindle, p.222)