The Bohemian Manifesto - Laren Stover

“Bohemianism is a way of life, a state of mind, an atmosphere.  It’s about living richly and irreverently, beyond convention.  It’s about being uninhibited, unbuttoned, creative and free”

Subtitled, “A Field Guide to Living on the Edge” Laren Stover’s Bohemian Manifesto is a light-hearted investigation into how to spot, or adopt, a Bohemian lifestyle.  She looks at many aspects of modern Bohemia, including clothes, food, art and homes and provides insight into how these may be used to help define and differentiate between different types of modern bohemians.  Stover identifies five different types - the Zen, the Nouveau, the Dandy, the Gypsy and the Beat and provides a quiz at the back so you can determine which type you, or your friends, are.

The book is a great inspiration on small ways you can embrace bohemian culture.  For instance, I may never live in a tree house, become an eco-warrior or keep goats to make my own cheese. However, I ended up with pages of notes on books and movies to seek out. One of the writers I will be looking for is Arthur Symons who Stover says has been called “the poet of cigarette smoke, of temporary relationships and of sad goodbyes”.   I also enjoyed the section on Bohemian bon mots which included quotes from Rimbaud, to Picasso, to Thom Yorke.  There were also great quotes and poetry scattered through the book.

The Bohemian Manifesto is also beautifully illustrated by Izak whose watercolours bring Stover’s words to life and are as much a part of the book as the words themselves.

The main shortcoming of this book was the lack of an index.  I found myself constantly flicking back and forth trying to find quotes I wanted to remember, references to things I wanted to search out etc. Having an index would have made finding these items a lot easier!

The perfect accompaniment to the Bohemian Manifesto would be this Moroccan Coffee with Orange Flower Water.  This is an exotic combination which smells as delicious as it tastes.  The dark roasted coffee and the light, floral loveliness of the orange flower water combine to create a flavour that is like nothing I have tasted before, it made my tastebuds not only come alive but do a little dance!   Stover says that this is a favourite drink of the Dandy Bohemian (which was my Bohemian type).  It would be the perfect drink to sip when penning one’s own manifesto in a cafe in Paris.

In true Bohemian style, the first time I made this, I just splashed some orange flower water into a cup of coffee.  Then, I found this recipe which includes cinnamon.  The first batch was a lot more floral than the version with cinnamon.  The cinnamon tones down some of the fruity, floral tones from the orange flower water to give a more rounded flavour. I also experimented with, and without, sugar, and using vanilla sugar which added another layer of flavour.  I also tried it with and without milk. My preferences were for the versions with sugar and milk but this is possibly because this is how I normally have my coffee.

This would not be my choice of a morning coffee but it would be lovely with some brioche in the afternoon or with some dark chocolate in the evening.  A novel way of serving this coffee at a dinner party would be to borrow an idea from absinthe, another favourite bohemian tipple.  Guests could add a few drops of the orange flower water to sugar cubes which could then be dropped into the coffee.  The La Perruche brown sugar cubes would be great for this.  Using vintage absinthe spoons and glasses for serving the coffee would only add to the bohemian feel.

Moroccan Cinnamon Coffee with Orange Flower Water 

½ cup ground coffee or espresso beans

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 cups water

2 tsp orange flower water

Sugar – vanilla, cubes or normal (optional)

Milk, warmed (optional)

Add the cinnamon to the ground beans.  Brew the coffee.

Stir in the orange flower water

Serve hot with milk and or sugar according to your taste.

Drive - James Sallis

To be honest, I would have never read this book if it wasn’t for the movie as neither the book nor the  author were on my radar at all.  Like the film, the book follows the story of Driver, a movie stunt car driver who moonlights as a getaway car driver. The central story of the book involves a heist which goes horribly wrong; one from which the normally disengaged Driver cannot walk away.

The writing in Drive is taut, not a word is wasted. The scene where Irina is killed, for instance, is an absolute masterpiece of minimalism and is all the more powerful for being so. There are also some marvellously evocative lines such as “L.A. became a different beast by night.  Final washes of pink and orange lay low on the horizon now, breaking up, fading, as the sun let go it’s hold and the city’s lights, a hundred thousand impatient understudies stepped in”.

There is also a dry sense of humour prevalent in the book.  “Driver found the book in a second hand store out on Pico, wondering whether the old-lady proprietor’s sweater or the books smelled mustier.  Or maybe it was the old lady herself.  Old people had that smell about them sometimes.”   There is also a very dark but also very funny running joke where, as Driver kills the people Bernie Rose (a pizza shop owner) sends to kill him, he circles phrases like “We deliver”  on the pizza shop fliers and leaves them with the bodies.

Sallis also writes really well about food.  Mouth watering references to food such as “ steaks smothered in a slurry of onions, peppers and tomato, sides of black beans, pimento studded rice”, “fries crisp on the outside and meaty beneath, coleslaw creamy and sweet”  pepper the pages of the book.  Much of the food mentioned is Mexican so my chosen dishes are loosely Mexican in nature.  And technically could be eaten with one hand whilst driving.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am thankful that the  film brought it to my attention.  I have just finished reading another one of James Sallis’ book, “The Killer Is Dying” which was equally well written and I am looking forward to the sequal to Drive which comes out later this year.

Chillies Stuffed with Corn and Crema (loosely based on the recipe by Lourdes Castro in Simply Mexican, my changes in pink)

• 6 poblano chillies  ( I used long yellow sweet peppers as I could not find poblanos  and added chilli to the mix to make up for the heat lost)  


• Kernels from 5 ears fresh corn or 3 cups frozen


• 2 tablespoons olive oil


• 1 red onion chopped


• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped


• ½ tsp salt. Black pepper


• 2 cups cheddar cheese


• ½ cup Mexican crema (I used Crème Fraiche, however there is a recipe for crema in the Mercedes Castro book)


• 1 red chilli chopped finely


• Coriander, chopped (a small handful)


• Can of tuna – after stuffing the first two chillies, I realised I would not have enough mixture for the remaining two so I added a can of tuna to the mix to bulk it up.  These were also delicious!  Lourdes Castro suggests adding mushrooms, ground meat or chorizo to the mix if required.  Chicken would also be tasty.

Over an open flame or in a dry cast iron or non-stick skillet, roast the chillies over a high heat until they are charred on all sides.
Remove the chillies from the heat and seal in a plastic bag for 5 minutes.  This will create steam and help to loosen the skin from the flesh.
Peel away the skins.  Cut a slit down one side of each chilli, starting just under the stem and going all the way down to the tip.
Remove all the seeds and as many of the veins as possible, being careful not to rip the chilli.  Set aside.
Remove the kernels from the cobs if using fresh corn.
Add the oil to a large sauté pan set over a medium high heat.
When the oil is hot, add the onions, garlic and chilli and sauté until the onion becomes translucent (about 2 minutes).
Add the corn kernels and cook until the corn begins to turn a golden brown.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
Stuff ½ cup of sautéed corn mixture into a chilli.  This is trickier than it seems as the chillies can tear quite easily.  Castro suggests using a piping bag.
Top the corn with 1 ½ tablespoons crema, then 1 ½ tablespoons cheese.  The chilli should be fat and full.
Place the stuffed chilli, slit side up in a baking dish and repeat with the remaining chillies.
Bake for ten minutes.  Then grill for 10 minutes until the cheese turns golden brown and bubbly.
These are best eaten hot, or at least warm.  Would be Drivers could cook up a batch before going on a heist.  They can be eaten whilst the robbery is taking place.

MUSHROOM AND SPINACH QUESADILLAS

Driver needed nerves of steel; the spinach in this could provide the iron required for this.

I made this by combining a number of recipes, hence quantities are hazy and can be modified according to taste – this is for 2 quesadillas. You could easily add meat to this if desired, some chopped cooked chicken would be delicious, salami, ham, pancetta would also be tasty.

I served this with a salsa made from chopped up tomatoes, chilli, red onion, lime juice and coriander.

• A few good handfuls of spinach


• ½ leek, finely sliced (you could use onion, I just had ½ a leek I wanted to make use of)


• 1 clove of garlic sliced finely


• 4 portobello mushrooms, sliced


• 4 tortillas (I used wheat and rye)


• 1 cup cheese – I used a mixture of cheddar and mozzarella in this iteration this can be modified – Swiss would be lovely and I also made a version with goat’s cheese which was also delicious


• 1 chilli chopped finely


• Olive oil, salt and pepper

Sauté leek and garlic in olive oil until soft.  Add the chopped chilli and mushroom and sauté until mushroom is soft.
Add spinach and allow leaves to wilt.
Spread ½ the mixture onto 2 of the tortillas
Add meat if using
Top with the cheese.
Top with the remaining tortilla.
Press down
Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat.  Place quesadilla in the skillet and cook 3 minutes in each side or until brown.
Repeat for the other quesadilla
Cut each quesadilla into 4 wedges and serve.

RASPBERRY & ORANGE FRAPPE (makes 10 Cups)

Unlike the above, this should definitely NOT be consumed behind the wheel! The colour of this is absolutely gorgeous and the mixture of raspberry and orange reminds me of James Sallis’ description of the L.A. sunset above. 

Also, whilst the original recipe did not specify this, when I make this again, I would strain the raspberry and orange mixture to get rid of the raspberry seeds.  Unless you want to pick them out of your teeth with every sip!

• 600g frozen raspberries


• 1.25 l (5 cups) orange juice ( you could add some lemon or lime juice for extra tanginess)


• 250ml tequila


• 125ml orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier)


• Crushed ice

Place the raspberries and the orange juice in a blender and blend until well combined.
Strain to get rid of the raspberry seeds
Pour into a large jug.
Add the tequila and orange liqueur to the jug and stir well.
Quarter fill each glass with the crushed ice and add the frappe.
Serve immediately.

And finally, my version of the famous meme:

Watermelon - Marion Keyes

I went through a phase some years ago where Marion Keyes was my favourite writer and I read her books obsessively.  I rather overdid it on the “chicklit” during this phase and like any recovering addict vowed never to return.  I then gave away, sold or swapped most of the books I had from this genre, keeping only all of the Marion Keyes. However whilst lightweight in most respects, these books run to several hundred pages each and actually take up a lot of highly desirable shelf space.  So, in the interest of freeing up some prime book case real estate, I decided to start the process of re-reading them in order to decide whether they could be given to the local charity shop. I began with Watermelon because...well because it was called Watermelon and I thought it would provide good food fodder.



Watermelon is the story of Claire who has it all until, on the day she gives birth to their first child, her husband James informs her that he is leaving her for their dumpy next door neighbour.  Devastated, she takes the baby and returns to her family home in Ireland.  There, with the help of her somewhat dysfunctional, and often hilarious, family Claire regains her sense of self, finds a new love interest and ultimately lives happily ever after.  I can’t remember what I thought of Claire when I read this the first time round.  There were moments this time where I actually winced at the way she behaves and almost felt sorry for her husband who is clearly meant to be the villain of the piece.  Nevertheless, this was an enjoyable, romantic and often funny romp which would be a perfect beach or poolside read if you were looking to while away the hours without having to think too much about what you are reading.

Also perfect for poolside sipping would be my watermelon margarita.  This is just gorgeous to look at with the watermelon giving it a lovely pink colour and it tastes delicious too – sweet from the fruit, the lime adds some sharpness and the tequila and cointreau bring a nice alcoholic kick.

Watermelon Margarita (makes enough for 4) Caster Sugar 3 cups chopped seedless watermelon 60ml tequila 20ml Cointreau 80ml fresh lime juice 3 cups crushed ice Pour the sugar onto a plate.  Wet the rim of the glass and dip into the mixture.  Set aside. Combine the remaining ingredients in a blender and process until well combined. Pour into the prepared glass and serve immediately.

Equally lovely to eat during summer would be this delightful watermelon salad, based on Nigella Lawson’s recipe which also uses a combination of watermelon and lime. I was hesitant about making this at first as I wasn’t sure about the mixture of watermelon and cheese which seemed odd to me. However, part of doing this was to try new and different foods so I decided to give it a try.  One bite and I was a fan!  I also made it for my family and it went down a treat at a backyard bbq on a swelteringly hot summer day.



The colours of this salad are amazing, the deep pink of the watermelon, the bright purplish red of the red onions, the dark purple-black of the olives all set against the creamy whiteness of the feta cheese and the bright green of the mint.  The flavours and textures are also awesome, the crunchy sweetness of the watermelon, the tanginess of the limes, the bite of the onions the saltness of the olives and the creamy, salty smoothness of the feta cheese combine to create a taste explosion in each mouthful.

The verdict?  I think I can bear to let go of Watermelon (the book) and will be offering it on BookMooch very shortly.  I will however be keeping both recipes and am already thinking about minor variations I can make next time I prepare them. Maybe some salt on the rim of the margarita glass, a little chilli in the salad....

Watermelon and Feta Salad (for 8) 1 small red onion 2-4 limes (depending on juiciness) 1.5 kg watermelon 250g feta cheese Fresh mint, chopped 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 100g pitted black olives Black pepper Peel and halve the red onions and place in a bowl with the lime juice. Cut the rind from the watermelon then cut the flesh into bite size chunks. Cut the feta into similar sized chunks and place both into a bowl. Add the mint, olives, and the onions and lime juice into the bowl along with the olive oil. Toss very gently.  Add pepper to taste.