Stockholm, Sweden
Cuisine Manager
If you read the earlier story about Richard meeting his first wife and her recipe for that weird Swedish dish, you know why I was living in Stockholm with Rich.
I had been there for about a month by this time and was tired of telling people that I was just visiting. I decided to become something. I chose to be a writer. I went out and bought a sports jacket with leather patches on the elbows carried a newspaper under my arm and hung out in coffee houses and pubs. I became known around Stockholm as the American writer.
I had been there long enough that I thought I should contribute to our living situation in some fashion. I started cooking meals for us. Richard had a linen calendar hanging on the wall of his kitchen he had brought with him from his stay in Ireland. On it was a great looking recipe for Irish stew.
I decided to surprise him and make it for that nights dinner. I took the bus into downtown Stockholm and spent the afternoon going around buying all of the ingredients need for our Irish Stew feast. I splurged and took a cab home so that I could make the stew and let it simmer for hours before Richard came home. I put some great music on the stereo and spent the next hour making my stew. I stirred and tasted the stew all day and couldn’t wait for Richard to come home for dinner. Rich had said that he would be home at the normal time about 5:30ish. I had bought a loaf of special bread that I put in the oven and timed it to be ready about ten minutes after he got home. At about ten of six I started to wonder if Richard was going to be much longer. At 6:15 I started to get a little perturbed. By 6:30 I was pissed. No Richard, no phone call and my bread was getting hard and cold. When Richard walked in at 6:40 I said" where the hell you have been". Richard stopped dead in his tracks because of the tone in my voice and before he could answer I said," I worked all afternoon making this Irish Stew and you said you would be home at 5:30"." If you were going to be late you could have had the courtesy to at least call me". We looked at each other and both burst out laughing. We realized we were one step away from being an old married couple. We ate the stew, it was delicious and went out to hit the club scene to prove to ourselves that our manhood was still intact.
Night life in Stockholm
From the TAO--
I had been there for about a month by this time and was tired of telling people that I was just visiting. I decided to become something. I chose to be a writer. I went out and bought a sports jacket with leather patches on the elbows carried a newspaper under my arm and hung out in coffee houses and pubs. I became known around Stockholm as the American writer.
I had been there long enough that I thought I should contribute to our living situation in some fashion. I started cooking meals for us. Richard had a linen calendar hanging on the wall of his kitchen he had brought with him from his stay in Ireland. On it was a great looking recipe for Irish stew.
I decided to surprise him and make it for that nights dinner. I took the bus into downtown Stockholm and spent the afternoon going around buying all of the ingredients need for our Irish Stew feast. I splurged and took a cab home so that I could make the stew and let it simmer for hours before Richard came home. I put some great music on the stereo and spent the next hour making my stew. I stirred and tasted the stew all day and couldn’t wait for Richard to come home for dinner. Rich had said that he would be home at the normal time about 5:30ish. I had bought a loaf of special bread that I put in the oven and timed it to be ready about ten minutes after he got home. At about ten of six I started to wonder if Richard was going to be much longer. At 6:15 I started to get a little perturbed. By 6:30 I was pissed. No Richard, no phone call and my bread was getting hard and cold. When Richard walked in at 6:40 I said" where the hell you have been". Richard stopped dead in his tracks because of the tone in my voice and before he could answer I said," I worked all afternoon making this Irish Stew and you said you would be home at 5:30"." If you were going to be late you could have had the courtesy to at least call me". We looked at each other and both burst out laughing. We realized we were one step away from being an old married couple. We ate the stew, it was delicious and went out to hit the club scene to prove to ourselves that our manhood was still intact.
Night life in Stockholm
From the TAO--
When people see some things as beautiful,
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other. Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
other things become ugly.
When people see some things as good,
other things become bad. Being and non-being create each other.
Difficult and easy support each other.
Long and short define each other.
High and low depend on each other.
Before and after follow each other. Therefore the Master
acts without doing anything
and teaches without saying anything.
Things arise and she lets them come;
things disappear and she lets them go.
She has but doesn't possess,
acts but doesn't expect.
When her work is done, she forgets it.
That is why it lasts forever.
COUNTY CORK IRISH STEW
8 small lamb chops
1 tablespoon olive oil, butter, or lard
1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon each whole peppercorns, rosemary, thyme
3 to 4 medium potatoes
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large leek white, thinly sliced
10 small white onions
1-1/2 cups celery stalks, diced
1-1/2 cup peas
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil, butter, or lard
1 tablespoon fresh Parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon each whole peppercorns, rosemary, thyme
3 to 4 medium potatoes
2 cups cabbage, shredded
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large leek white, thinly sliced
10 small white onions
1-1/2 cups celery stalks, diced
1-1/2 cup peas
Salt and pepper to taste
Season lamb with salt and pepper. In large saucepan, layer the chops side by side.
Turn once to brown both sides. Spoon off any melted fat and add enough water to cover chops. Bring to a boil and add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary tied up in cheesecloth for easy removal, or simply add to stew.
Reduce heat and simmer on low heat. Peel potatoes and shape into bite sized rounds. Add potatoes, cabbage, onion, leek, white onions and celery to stew.
Simmer 20 minutes and add peas. Add a little more water if required during cooking.
Simmer an additional 10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender. Correct seasoning.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Serves 4.
Please leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you. For early stories of Cuisine Manager please check the archives. Many thanks.
Please leave us a comment, we would love to hear from you. For early stories of Cuisine Manager please check the archives. Many thanks.
Posts
great story! I love the Taoist quote...I wish more people could see it that way. Thanks for sharing...
ReplyDeleteYour recipes look so delicious.I saw your blog from the foodie blog roll and I like what you have here.if you won't mind I'd love to guide Foodista readers to this post.Just add the foodista widget at the end of this post and it's all set, Thanks!
ReplyDelete