キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか? しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか? 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな?』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう?もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Stardate 06.13.2008
So, remember I talked about old cookbooks from Goodwill? Well, I got another one, this one by some Italian brothers I’ve never heard of, but the cookbook was titled Pasta so who could resist that?
There was an interesting recipe I’d never heard of before, spinach and cheese dumplings. Basically you make cooked spinach into a paste with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a spice mix of pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. You coat the dumplings in flour and boil them, kind of like gnocchi.
Well, guess what? The paste was a bit more watery than I expected, even though I had squeezed the water out of the spinach, and then the dumplings disintegrated. I had boiling green water.
I didn’t want to waste the entire batch of paste—after all, it was a pound of spinach and a cup and a half of ricotta. So, inspired by hush puppies, I busted out my Fry Daddy.
I added cornmeal and flour to the paste, which made it less watery but still not-dough, coated the dumplings with flour, and then deep fried them instead of boiling them in water.
They weren’t bad, if I do say so myself. Very soft inside, with a thin crispy outside. The cheese makes it a little gooey.
But here’s the kicker—the paste is bright green. Not just slightly green or dark olive green, but neon alien anti-freeze green. The fried flour coating makes it a bit brownish green, but once you bite into it, it’s blinding.
Because the paste was so not-dough, I couldn’t shape it much and so the dumplings turned out to look a bit like turds. Sorry if that’s TMI, but that’s the first thing Captain Caffeine and I said when we saw the finished products.
But if they taste good, that’s all that matters, right?
So, remember I talked about old cookbooks from Goodwill? Well, I got another one, this one by some Italian brothers I’ve never heard of, but the cookbook was titled Pasta so who could resist that?
There was an interesting recipe I’d never heard of before, spinach and cheese dumplings. Basically you make cooked spinach into a paste with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, and a spice mix of pepper, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. You coat the dumplings in flour and boil them, kind of like gnocchi.
Well, guess what? The paste was a bit more watery than I expected, even though I had squeezed the water out of the spinach, and then the dumplings disintegrated. I had boiling green water.
I didn’t want to waste the entire batch of paste—after all, it was a pound of spinach and a cup and a half of ricotta. So, inspired by hush puppies, I busted out my Fry Daddy.
I added cornmeal and flour to the paste, which made it less watery but still not-dough, coated the dumplings with flour, and then deep fried them instead of boiling them in water.
They weren’t bad, if I do say so myself. Very soft inside, with a thin crispy outside. The cheese makes it a little gooey.
But here’s the kicker—the paste is bright green. Not just slightly green or dark olive green, but neon alien anti-freeze green. The fried flour coating makes it a bit brownish green, but once you bite into it, it’s blinding.
Because the paste was so not-dough, I couldn’t shape it much and so the dumplings turned out to look a bit like turds. Sorry if that’s TMI, but that’s the first thing Captain Caffeine and I said when we saw the finished products.
But if they taste good, that’s all that matters, right?
Comments
I wouldn't serve these at a party unless the attendees were really close friends. :smile
Thanks,
Ty
Brittanie, I've never had fried okra but I'd love to try it sometime!
Ty, I'm changing it right now. Thanks!
Camy
I think I will pass on asking for the recipe and wait for the next one.