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.

An Italian Education : Tim Parks

I first discovered Tim Parks when I read "A Season With Verona" where he spoke about Italian culture through the lens of football, specifically his local team Hellas Verona. Parks is an English expat who resides, with his family in a small town outside of Verona and, whilst I have little interest in football in general, and even less in Italian football, I thoroughly enjoyed his keen observations and his sense of humour. Based on this, I was keen to read "An Italian Education" which again offers insight into Italian culture but this time through the lens of children and family.

Whilst the previous book spoke to issues of nationalism and racism, the subjects of "An Italian Education" are more domestic – childbirth, education, buying property, fishing, adultery, family and seaside holidays to name a few. The strength of the this book, as with the "A Season With Verona" is that whilst Parks has a sharp eye for detail, he has a gentle wit so that whilst being acutely aware of the foibles of Italian culture he is perceptive and often very funny but never mocking.

 

 

I particularly enjoyed the chapters on the seaside holidays where Parks' descriptions of the beachgoers, the rows of deck chairs and umbrellas and the kiosks were absolutely reminiscent of my own experience of an Italian beach holiday. I was very tempted to match this book with a pizza pie recipe I have adapted from a Delicious magazine which really matched the casual beach mood of my favourite chapters. Their recipe uses shortcrust but in my version I use a sheet of shop bought puff pastry. I mix up tomato paste, olive oil, garlic and brush this over the pastry. I then score the pastry into 9 equal squares (3 x3). From here, you can pretty much do what you want. A circle of salami topped with a few rings of red onion and some black olives can fill one square, a cross of anchovies and some more black olives on another, sliced mushrooms and bocconcini on a third, sautéed leeks and gorgonzola on another.....or just sprinkle your favourite toppings over the entire surface, top with cheese and into the oven until the pastry is puffed and golden, the cheese melty and delicious. This is a great dish if you have kids or even grown up fussy eaters – each person can design their own squares!

In the end though, as risotto is a staple dish in the Veneto and Verona and I had a recipe I wanted to try I decided that my "primo piatti" would be a mushroom risotto – this recipe adds all the liquid at the start which, I had some doubts about, but worked quite well. To make this more "beachy" you could take any cold left over risotto and roll it into small balls. Then roll these in breadcrumbs and fry in hot oil until the crumb is golden and crispy. Serve these piled high in a bowl with lemon wedges and some chilli aioli. With a glass of ice cold beer or a crisp Soave these would be the perfect fare to snack on whilst lying on your deck chair and people watching at an Italian beach resort....or anywhere!

 

Creamy Mushroom and Thyme Risotto (adapted from The Age)

Place a packet of dried forest mushrooms in boiling water to soak for at least an hour.

Place 3 cups of chicken stock, the cup strained mushroom liquid, ½ cup of white wine and 1 ½ cups of Arborio rice in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often until almost all the liquid has evaporated and the rice is softened but still firm in the centre.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tbsp butter in a frying pan over medium heat. Add 20g mushrooms of your choice, the rehydrated mushrooms, a chopped clove of garlic and a tbsp of thyme leaves. Cook until the mushrooms are softened and glossy. Add the mushrooms to the rice and cook a further 2 minutes over low heat, stirring the mixture often.

Add 50g cream cheese (I actually used gorgonzola) cut into small cubes and stir until the cheese melts. Top with grated parmesan, some fresh thyme leaves and serve.