I don't participate in Cook the Books all the time, but this month I was able to read the book, and it is a case of reading a book that I might not otherwise have read! When I started this book, I knew straight away that I was going to enjoy it! And I did!
Love and Saffron is an epistolary novel where we learn the story of the friendship between two very different women. Imogen is in her late 50s living in the Pacific NW and writes a regular column in her local newspaper. When a young woman named Joan who lives in Los Angeles writes to her, both women have no idea how much this friendship will come to mean to them.
Together the two women write about their lives, about food, about exotic ingredients such as saffron and garlic, about relationships and sharing their thoughts on some of the biggest events of the 1960s. Imogen shares her surprise that her husband suddenly starts cooking, and Joan talks about the impact of multi-culturalism in LA.
We follow them through the ups and downs of life and love.
There were a number of parts of the book that I really like, especially one part where one of the characters did something surprising. I really liked a section of the book where they talked about saving the Pike Place market in Seattle. We are visiting Seattle in a couple of months time and it really made me want to visit the markets. Then again, we just watched a show on Vancouver and now we really want to visit Granville Island markets as well. We might have to pick just one of them.
This was an easy read, and there were parts of the book that I was genuinely moved by. I am so glad that I got to read it.
There were a number of recipes shared in the text, as well as mentions of specific dishes but in the end we decided to go with a dish from a cuisine rather than a specific dish. Throughout the story, there was discussion about the influence of Mexican flavours so we decided to make a version of Beef Enchiladas from the Recipetin Eats: Dinner cookbook that we are still cooking so many recipes from!
This is another recipe that we will be making again and again from this cookbook!
The next Cook the Books selection is The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller and I will be trying to read along again.
Weekly meals
This sounds like a great read! Those enchiladas..
ReplyDeleteI think I messed up when filling out the Weekend Cooking form. My recipe title is Hot Honey Caramel Sauce. Sorry about that.
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ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you joined in and that you enjoyed the book, Marg. Enchiladas are always a treat! Although I have not been to either in years, both Pike Place Market & the Granville Island Markets are both well worth a visit.
ReplyDeleteOh, and I do love a good enchalada recipe. It's making me hungry right now!
ReplyDeleteI'm such a big fan of Mexican dishes and this one sounds yummy for the Fall time of year - Delaware Girl Eats
ReplyDeleteI also found the part about saving Pike Place interesting as I didn't know it had been in danger of being demolished. Enjoy your visit to Seattle :)
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