We participants at Cook the Books Club have been reading Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang. The novel centers on an unnamed chef, 29, who is trying to survive in the wake of an environmental catastrophe which has wreaked havoc on the earth's biodiversity. According to Publisher's Weekly...
She had "chased complex flavors and busy kitchens since she was 19. But when the disaster decimated kitchen ingredients and shuttered borders, she was left cooking with years-old fish and bioengineered flour: "Chef had lost its meaning... like fresh." In a desperate attempt to change her surroundings, she takes a head chef position at a secretive food research community on the mountainous Italian-French border, which holds a surprising storeroom with the world's last strawberries, Parmigiano, and boar meat. Her transition to cooking for investors she cannot meet is difficult--she has no access to the outside world and she can't stomach the rich food. But she becomes preoccupied with Aida, the boss's mischievous 20-year-old daughter, who shows up to test her cooking. Aida and her father see their facility as the planet's last hope, and the chef soon learns that her role extends beyond food to enabling a world that caters to their ambition. Wrestling with her desire for both excitement and stability, the chef must squash the inner voice that asks, "Hadn't I meant to feed anyone else?"
Personally, I had a hard time identifying with this nameless chef who seemed, to me anyway, a very unsympathetic character. Her namelessness is symbolic. Zhang attempts to tie everything up at the end. Chef survives and, in the after years, has a daughter by some man, also nameless. A theme of difficulty with men ran throughout the story. Though the dystopian setup was interesting it really didn't get satisfactorily resolved.
I went with "the years-old fish and bioengineered flour" for my cooking inspiration from this book - a jar of Tuna Ventresca, which I keep on hand, in a Bechamel sauce, served over some rolls made with my stored breadfruit and tapioca flours - the bioengineered bread.
P. 98 “It wasn't tuna ventresca that drew diners to this community over others, nor was it heritage beef. It was the final bottle of a 1985 Cannonau, salt-crusted from its time on the Sardinian coast. Each diner had barely a swallow. My employer bid us not to swallow, not yet, but hold the wine at the back of the throat till it stung and warmed to the temperature of blood and spit, till we wrung from it the terroir of fields cracked by quake and shadowed by smog; only then, swallowing, choking, grateful, did we appreciate the fullness of its flavor.” Oh well....
Brazilian Cheese Bread
Servings
12 to 16 pao de queijo
Ingredients
1 ½ cups Tapioca Flour
- 1 cup Ulu (breadfruit) flour
3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 cup Whole Milk
1 ½ teaspoon Salt
1 Egg
1 cup Grated Parmesan
½ cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar
Butter to grease pan
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F oil baking sheet or muffin pans with butter.
Add tapioca flour, ‘ulu flour and salt to bowl and mix well.
Warm liquids (milk & olive oil) over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Add hot liquids over flour & salt mixture and mix well. The texture should seem like glue. Let cool for about 5-10 minutes so you do not cook egg and cheese when you add them in.
Beat 1 egg and combine. Mix for about 2 minutes or until it is well incorporated and has a sticky texture. Slowly add cheese until the mixture forms into a dough. You can leave a little cheese to add on top later on.
Add a few drops of oil into your hands and rub evenly. Scoop a spoonful of dough, make small balls and roll in your hands. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on your sheet or add to your muffin pan.
Bake for 10 minutes. Then turn the sheet 180 degrees and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the balls for additional cheesy appearance & texture. Bake for an additional 8 minutes or until slightly golden. Be careful not to over cook, as the bottom of pao de queijo can easily burn.
