Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly*   was our Lit Happens Book Club pick this month.  Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm led the online discussion. Cooking isn't part of that club, but as she and I often find inspiration in what we read, I ran with it. Wendy wrote:  "As you finish this novel, please feel free to chime in on discussion. I have several things I want to talk about. 1. Life Long Secrets 2. Life in a Small Town 3. Mental Illness 4. Relationships 5. Looking at Life with other eyes." All great discussion points. And I look forward to hearing more from the gals in the group. Wendy posed some though-provoking questions, including: "Treatment for Mental Illness has come a long way. Were you shocked by the things they believed were "illnesses" in the past? Not wanting children. Wanting a career. Wearing pants. Being "unfeminine". Do you think ECT ever worked? Do you think Greenlaw suffered mental illness? Do you think ...

This is a traditional Sammarinese recipe for beef steaks coated in seasoned salt that are pan-fried and finished by slow-roasting in a tomato sauce. Typically the steaks are baked for 4 hours after pan-frying. I needed to cut that time down, so I braised ours for almost 2 hours. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender. I'll try the baking method soon. Ingredients makes 4 servings 2 pound steak (I used a New York strip steak) 1/2 C white whole wheat flour 1 t freshly ground sea salt 1 t freshly ground pepper splash of olive oil 1 leek, trimmed and thinly sliced 1-1/2 C fresh tomato sauce 1/2 C red wine 1 bay leaf Procedure Cut the steak into four serving pieces. Blend together the flour, salt, and pepper and coat meat with it. Add a splash of olive oil in a large, flat-bottom pan that can hold all of the meat without crowding. Add in the leeks and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize. Press beef into the pan, searing it quickly for 30 seconds. Flip it ove...