Italian Mystery on the Menu: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

For our next round of Cook the Books, I have selected the first novel in author Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano mystery series, The Shape of Water. I have read so many lovely reviews of the novels in this series by my CTB co-host, Simona, of Briciole, that I knew I had to dive into this book.

A few years ago, I was really smitten with the Inspector Brunetti mysteries by Donna Leon and the clever Aurelio Zen mysteries (each set in a different Italian region) by Michael Dibdin and I voraciously read my way through them. I needed a break from my Year of the Italian Police Procedural, but after a hiatus of reading an assortment of other wonderful books I took up Simona's recommendation and read The Shape of Water.

And now I am hooked again on an engrossing mystery series. Perfetto!

Here's my introduction to this great book:

Our very first Cook the Books pick focused on Sicily (we read Lily Prior's novel "La Cucina" and I propose we return to the "scene of the crime" by reading the first book in Andrea Camilleri's Inspector Montalbano mysteryseries by author Andrea Camilleri. "The Shape of Water" is the book and in it, the scrupulously honest Inspector searches to uncover the facts behind the death of an engineer that local bigwigs, including Montalbano's police chief, don't want investigated. However as the rear cover blurb on my copy of the book notes, "Picking his way through a labyrinth of high-comedy corruption, delicious meals, vendetta firepower, and carefully planted false clues, Montalbano can be relied on, whatever the cost, to get to the heart of the matter.

We will have not one but two delightful guest judges for this round of Cook the Books: husband and wife Lavonne and David Neff, who blog about "books and films on religion, politics, murder, and other congenial topics for polite dinner-table conversation" over at The Neff Review. You can read Lavonne's excellent review of The Shape of Water there.

Submissions to this round of Cook the Books are due Monday, March 25th.

And now, hie thee to the bookstore or library, grab this luscious book and enjoy!

You can leave a comment here to let me know that your post is up or use the Mr. Linky link here:

WINNER of The Hunger Games {announcement}

Hey all!  I just received word back from our guest judge this round, Wendy from Bookcooker.  Below are her thoughts and choice of winner...

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First, let me say how much I enjoyed all the entries in the Hunger Games “Cook the Books” challenge.   I was really impressed by everyone’s creativity, imagination and ambition in coming up with recipes inspired by Panem.   Like many of the participating bloggers, I did not immediately join The Hunger Games bandwagon, as I generally try to stay away from Young Adult fiction because sadly I no longer qualify as a “young” adult.   But as soon as I read the first few pages of the book, I was hooked (and read all three in quick succession) and realized that the book was perfect for my blog bookcooker, which is filled with recipes inspired by books.  When I blogged about the book, I went the obvious route and made a lamb and plum stew.  I was particularly impressed with the entries in the challenge that stayed away from the food of the capital and instead focused on the food of District 12 – more humble stews and Peeta’s bread.   These recipes were more of a challenge and truer to Katniss’ real identity.  With this in mind,  my pick for the winner of the Hunger Games Cook the Books challenge is…Honey from the Rock’s Roast Duck with Cassava and Wild Dandelion Greens.  I picked Claudia’s entry because it was as close to the type of wild, foraged meal that Katniss would have pulled together in District 12.  I thought Claudia’s post was original, interesting and a genuine representation of the food in the book.  I will say I wish Claudia posted some recipes!  Some honorable mentions – kudos to the ambitious bread bakers (Eliot’s Eats, Sweet Almond Tree), Squirrel Head Manor’s intriguing Rabbit Stew, and This Mama Cooks’ beautiful photographs.   Thanks so much for letting me participate in this fun challenge! I look forward to following everyone’s blogs in the future!

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Congratulations Claudia...Katniss would be proud!  Wear your winner's badge with pride (and alongside your five (!?) others...).  And thanks so much to Wendy for being our judge for this round!


Next up: The Shape of Water by Andrea Camilleri

The Hunger Games roundup

I want to start this roundup with a huge THANK YOU to everybody who participated this round -what a blast! And thanks to my Rachel, Deb, and Simona for allowing me to indulge by combining Cook the Books with Food 'n Flix this month - foodie books and foodie movies... when paired with friends and food, what more could a girl ask for?

Everybody's submissions were so inspired - it was such fun reading through them.  I really, really was wishing that we could bring everything to one giant table and enjoy a wonderful feast.  But, in lieu of that, gathering them all together virtually will have to suffice.

I do not envy our judge for this round, Wendy of Bookcooker - I think she's going to have a tough time picking a winner!  I was also very surprised by how reluctant...or maybe hesitant would be a better choice of words...that people were to reading this book at first (but very pleased at hearing positive feedback after they actually picked up the book).  So, without further ado, let's take a look at what The Hunger Games inspired us to rustle up in our kitchens this month...

Let's begin with this Warm Katniss Salad and Roasted Pork Tenderloin from Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla.  Armed with her son's bow and arrow, she envisioned that roasted pig on the gamemaker's table - complete with apple (but in the end decided to forgo the whole pig and go for just the loin, instead).  Add a nice side of "katniss" salad with goat cheese, that could have been made by Prim, and you have Camilla's contribution this month.

Speaking of goat cheese, next up is Alicia of Foodycat's Goat Cheese and Persimmon Toast , inspired by Peeta.  The life of a baker (and family) may seem ideal, but in actuality often consists of living on stale bread.  What better meal to make of that bread than toast with something delicious slathered on top?

I do not think that any Hunger Games-inspired feast would be complete without the contribution of Katniss's favorite dish, Lamb Stew with Dried Plums .  No need to worry though, because Sarah at WELLDINED brought a pot full, with some goat cheese rolled in herbs and rustic seed bread on the side.

Drawing inspiration from the hunting and foraging prowess of Gale and Katniss, Claudia at Honey From Rock made a local meal using foraged dandelion greens, cassava root and lemons from her own land, and duck resulting from a trade with a friend to make a meal of Roast Duck with Cassava and Dandelion Greens .

Reading, watching, and cooking along with both Cook the Books and Food 'n Flix for the first time, Caroline from Caroline Makes decided to recreate the first meal which Katniss and Cinna share when they meet in the Capitol, Chicken in Orange Sauce & a pudding the colour of honey. Rolls shaped like flowers, chicken and chunks of oranges in a creamy sauce, and tempting pudding... need I say more?

Overwhelmed with all of the mouthwatering descriptions of food in the book and what it actually meant to the starving people of the districts, Tina from Squirrel Head Manor made not only this Rabbit Stew w/ a K to mark Katniss's first catch in a snare, but a line-up of other inspired dishes like Sauteed Rabbit, Gale's Marrow Bone Beefy Soup, and an Apple Tart.

Also joining us for the first time is Anne Marie from This Mama Cooks!  Inspired by a dish mentioned a few times, usually when Katniss was under a bit of stress (wait, wasn't that pretty much the whole story!?), "hot grain smothered in beef stew", this Slow Cooker Meat Stew w/ Brown Rice is packed with veggies and served over brown rice (plus it's gluten free).  Comfort, indeed.

With many of her favorite foodie moments coming from Greasy Sae, it's no surprise that Danielle of The Growing Foodie was inspired to make a dish of Wild Dog Soup (Beef Udon Noodle Soup) after dining out with a friend and being served from a huge pot with Udon Noodle soup being ladled out into waiting bowls. I can almost close my eyes and picture the black market!

Peeta's Gift of Bread (Hearty Bread filled w/ Raisins & Nuts) to Katniss on that rainy day when she was weak from starvation is our contribution from Debra at Eliot's Eats.  She was inspired by food from District 12 - "simple food, comfort food, food of love".

From the beginning, my CTB co-host, Deb of Kahakai Kitchen knew that she wanted to make something "comforting, simple and nourishing - a warm bowl of soup".  Drawing inspiration from Katniss's freshly caught fish and foraged greens, as well as the meal that Katniss made for Peeta by foraging and using little bits of leftover groosling, she brings us this beautiful bowl of Locavore Fish & Greens Soup (and some dark bread slathered with goat cheese on the side).

Inspired by a scene in which Katniss pulls bits of pine bark from the trees to chew on the pith beneath, one of my other co-hosts, Rachel of The Crispy Cook came up with these lovely Pignoli Cookies.  With the combination of two deliciously "piney" ingredients, pine nuts and rosemary, I cannot get the thought of these cookies from my mind.

Ana from Sweet Almond Tree also had a tough time deciding on just one dish to make for The Hunger Games.  But lucky us, because she devised a feast for Katniss, which included Whole Wheat Raisin & Walnut Bread (spread w/ plum jam & goat cheese), Lamb Stew w/ Dried Plums, and an Apple & Goat Cheese Tart.

I will close out this virtual feast with my (Heather at girlichef) frothy, Mexican Hot Chocolate w/ Brötchen for dipping inspired by the passage in the book in which Katniss tries hot chocolate for the first time in her life.  Taking a cue from Peeta and dipping pieces ripped from a freshly baked roll, Katniss gets lost in this bit of comfort and decadence.

Again, thanks so much to everybody who joined in this round - I thought everybody's submissions were beautifully inspired.  And just a heads-up, I will be posting a very similar roundup over at my place shortly... Food 'n Flix is a bit different from Cook the Books in the sense that each month we "travel" to different hosting blogs each month for our announcements and roundups.  Since I was hosting this double feature, I will be pulling things together at girlichef, as well.

I can't wait to hear what our judge Wendy thinks about this food inspired by The Hunger Games!

While we're waiting, be sure to hunt down our next Cook the Books selection, The Shape of Water which will be hosted by Rachel (she'll introduce us to her selection soon)!  And also, if you enjoyed the Food 'n Flix portion of this event, you won't want to miss our selection next month (Today's Special) which, incidentally, is hosted by another of my fellow CTB hostesses, Deb!

The Hunger Games: Judge Announcement

Let me introduce our judge for this round of Cook the Books, her name is Wendy and she writes the blog, Bookcooker.  

I first came across her blog while I was searching the web for recipes that other people had made that were inspired by our current selection, The Hunger Games.  Last year, she posted her version of Katniss' Favorite Lamb Stew, with flat, juicy prunes and chunks of sweet potatoes.  My mouth was watering!

But really, it was Wendy as a whole that led me to ask her to be our judge for this round.  I mean, her blog name is Bookcooker, with the tagline "reading and eating".  And that is what Cook the Books is all about. You can read more about Wendy on her About page.

Submissions are due on January 28th - I am really enjoying everybody's Hunger Games-inspired posts so far!

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: December ('12) - January ('13) Selection

A few years ago, I remember my son reading through the three books in The Hunger Games series.  He described the premise as a sort of post-apocalyptic story in which poor districts outlying a rich and extravagant capitol have to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 & 18 each year to fight to the death in a live television broadcast.  This is their punishment...their retribution...for an uprise against the capitol that happened many years ago.  I thought it sounded pretty intense, but seeing as it was written for teens...and I'm not a fan of censoring books...I waited to hear his updates.

And then my son told me that the film adaptation was coming to theaters.  I saw the previews...and teared up a bit...and knew I'd be the one going with him to see it.  I fell hard for the film.  And I immediately came home and dug out his books.  And plowed through all three in a manner of days.  I was officially hooked.  I'm happy that I saw the film adaptation before I read the books. Why? Well, because it's almost guaranteed that if I read the book first, I will loathe the movie.  But seeing the movie first allows me to separate the two and look at them as individual projects.  The thing is, this film was extremely well done.  Probably because the filmmakers included the author, Suzanne Collins, in the process of making the film.

It shouldn't come as too much of a surprise that the book(s) are fairly foodcentric.  From the humble hunting, fishing, foraging, baking, cheese making, and cooking of the poor outlying districts to the richness and extravagance of the meals provided in and by the Capitol, food played an integral part of the book.  Sadly, I though it was sort of grazed over (if you will) in the film.  Left on the backburner.

For this reason, I chose The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins as a selection for Cook the Books Club AND Food 'n Flix.  That's right.  It's a special edition of both Cook the Books and Food 'n Flix.  We're joining forces over December and January to bring you The Hunger Games.  Of course, you are under no obligation to do both, we just thought that it would be a fun collaboration.  Read the book first and then watch the film.  Create a post for Cook the Books Club inspired by the book.  Create a post for Food 'n Flix inspired by the film, but use the book as reference and background for the food.  You can combine your two posts, if you're playing along with both.  But please don't let it scare you off if you don't want to watch the film - that part is optional for Cook the Books.

So, without further ado... "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor."


Once  your post is complete, please leave a link to it in the LINKY TOOL below.  Submissions are due by Tuesday, January 29th at noon EST.  I can't wait to see what inspires everybody this round!  An update on who our judge for this round will be posted once I figure that out...

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1. Warm Katniss Salad and Roasted Pork Tenderloin

2. Goats cheese and persimmon toast

3. Lamb Stew with Dried Plums - Well Dined

4. Roast Duck with Cassava and Dandeloin Greens

5. Katniss lunch with Cinna - chicken in orange sauce and a pudding the colour of honey

6. Rabbit Stew with a K @ Squirrel Head Manor

7. Slow Cooker Meat Stew with Brown Rice

8. Wild Dog Soup

9. Peeta’s Gift of Bread

10. Locavore Fish & Greens Soup--Deb in Hawaii

11. Pignoli Cookies for Katniss and the Hunger Games

12. Sweet Almond Tree

13. Hot Chocolate & Brotchen (Heather @ girlichef)

This linky list is now closed.

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