Eat, Pray, Love

Eat, Pray, Love is author Elizabeth Gilbert's personal tale of self-discovery following a dramatic separation from her husband. She takes a year off to eat her way through Italy, find enlightenment in India, and fall in love in Indonesia.

This book promised much - a travel memoir focused on empowering women. But most of us agreed that it fell short on delivering. Our debate focused on the author's inadequate discussion of the big issues - spirituality passed off as religion, divorce, etc. And we ultimately resolved that while it was a nice piece of fluffy 'chick lit' she came across as inherently selfish - she seemed to take much more than she gave.

While some of us were disappointed with the book, we were all satisfied by the delicious food on offer! Onion bhaji from India, involtini, cannelloni & char grilled veg from Italy and for dessert: Thousand Island Spice Cake from Indonesia & Tiramisu from Italy. Yum!

The Secret River

The Secret River is inspired by author Kate Greville's own family history. It is tells the story of early convict settlement in Sydney Australia, when the Hawkesbury River was frontier country.

It tells the story of William Thornhill, Sal and their family. After hitting hard times in London, Will is arrested, convicted and set to live in New South Wales, in the 'harsh and unforgiving land' of Australia. After becoming a free man, Thornhill sails up the Hawkesbury to claim a hundred acres for himself. Aboriginal people already live on that river. Other settlers, neighbours to the Thornhill family respond to the Aboriginals in differing and sometimes horrible ways.

Sweetness in the Belly

Camilla Gibb's evocative novel tells the story of Lilly Abdal, who is orphaned at age eight after the murder of her hippie British parents. The book follows her remarkable journey, from growing up at an Islamic shrine in Morocco, to living in Harar, Ethiopia where despite being a foreigner, starts a Muslim school and finally to London, where she lives in exile from Africa, working as a nurse.

True Pleasures: A Memoir of Women in Paris

The inaggural bookclub kicked off with the beautiful book: 'True Pleasures: A memoir of women in Paris' by Lucinda Holdforth.

The book is part personal journey of self-discovery and part history of remarkable women who lived in Paris: from Colette to Nancy Mitford; Marie Antoinette to Coco Chanel; Madame de Stael to Pamela Harriman; Napoleon’s Josephine to Edith Wharton.

We ate so much great French food! Daube, roulade, tarte au citroen, etc. We drank champagne and beaujolais. Some of the recipes are below.

THE FOOD

Daube de bœuf à la provençale (from Provence Cookery School)
Serves 6

2kg good stewing beef
La Marinade (see below)
2 Tsp olive oil
300g thick cut lardons
1 lge mild onion
2 Tsp plain flour
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

La Marinade
5 garlic cloves, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 lge onions, chopped
7cm piece of dried orange peel
3 sprigs of fresh parsley
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp tiny fresh savory leaves
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
12 black peppercorns, crushed
4 juniper berries, crushed
4 cloves
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 bottle robust red wine
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Put the meat to be marinated in a shallow dish or bowl. Add the garlic, carrots, celery and onions. Add the orange peel, herbs, and spices.

2. Pour in the vinegar and wine. Season and gently stir so the pieces of meat are mixed with liquids and flavourings. Cover and leave to marinate in a cool place.

3. Lift our the meat. Strain the marinade through a large sieve set in a bowl.


Daube
1. Cut the beef into 5cm chunks. Put them in a large bowl and pour over the marinade. Cover and leave in a cool place overnight.

2. Remove the beef from the bowl and wipe with kitchen paper to dry and remove any sticky impurities. Set aside.

3. Strain the marinade through a sieve set aside over a bowl. Reserve the liquid in the bowl and the solid ingredients separately in the sieve.

4. Put a large saute pan or flameproof casserole over a moderate heat. Add the oil and then the onion and lardons. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the beef, sprinkle over the flour, and brown for 10 minutes, stirring and turning frequently to colour on all sides.

5. Tip in the well-drained marinade ingredients. Cook and stir for 5 minutes, then pour in the marinade. Top with boiling water - the ingredients should be just covered. Reduce the heat, cover tightly, and cook very gently for at least 3 hours. Towards the end of cooking, taste and adjust the seasoning. Remove from the heat and leave to get cold, preferably until the next day.

6. Remove and discard the surface fat. Before serving, reheat very gently in a covered pot over a low heat, or in the over preheated to 190 degrees.