October 2019 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER 2019 10

Life In Mexico

Linda and I decide to take a summer break in Mexico City. We book a room through Air B&B in the Colonia of Polanco, just north of Chapultepec Park.

Our hosts, Rodrigo and his lovely family, share their chic apartment with their Schnauzer Lolita.

Rodrigo is also one of the preeminent chefs in the country, renowned for his imagination and flair. After we are settled in, he invites us to Agua Y Sal (water and salt), his seafood restaurant.

As owner and chef, he has created a menu that is rich in both taste and Mexican heritage, including a mouth-watering selection of that quintessential Mexican dish, ceviche.

“I recommend you try Cebiche a la Lena,” says Rodrigo.

The dish is a colorful mixture of fresh white fish, shrimp grilled in butter and garlic, grated chili sauce, purple onion, coriander, roasted corn and a touch of smoked Alderwood salt.

You can also order from a full selection of entrees off the main menu, but I found it preferable to eat tapas style, sampling the selection of tacos, small bites and excellent desserts.

Salud!

Agua Y Sal Cebicheria

Campos Elíseos 199-A, Polanco, Polanco IV Secc, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMX

http://www.aguaysal.com.mx

My Favorite Recipes

Chamorro de cerdo

Pork shank is a popular Sunday meal in Mexico. It is inexpensive, easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

1 pork shank.

¼ cup of flour

1 Tsp of chili powder

1 Tsp of butter

Four carrots

1 cup of baby potatoes

½ a white onion

½ cup of water or broth

1 tsp of salt

Ground pepper

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F.

Mix the flour and chili powder together in a plastic bag. Insert the pork shank and lightly coat the meat. (Save 1 Tsp of the remaining flour and chili powder).

Fry the shank in butter, browning on all four sides.

Cut the carrots, onion and potatoes and place in the bottom of a cast-iron pot. Pour in the water or broth.

Place the shank atop the vegetables and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Cover and reduce heat to 350 F. Cook for a further two hours.

When the meat is tender, remove from the oven and separate the meat and vegetables.

Tent the shank and let rest for 10 minutes while preparing the gravy by mixing 1 Tsp of the remnant flour and chili mix with the drippings.

Flake the meat off the shank and serve to appreciative guests!

Check out the Runaway Bomb video on YouTube!

Runaway Bomb now available on Amazon!

BOOK REVIEW

The Love of One’s Country

By Brian Brennan

Available through Amazon

On its surface, this is a narrative following two threads; that of a young Irish man living in the 20^th century, and a forebear from the 19^th century. But at its heart, this is also a mystery novel.

Jerry Burke is a 23-year-old native of Dublin whose soul is being crushed by a mindless job in the Irish civil service. He dreams of a better, more romantic life in the New World. When he is offered an opportunity to emigrate to Canada, he leaps at the chance.

Diarmuid Burke is a school teacher in rural Ireland and the youngest son of acclaimed poet Mary Burke. He is also descended from rebels seeking independence from British rule. When the potato famine of 1847 strikes, however, he must uproot himself and flee.

Arriving in Vancouver in the 1960s, Jerry Burke pursues love, music and writing, traveling to Northern Canada before finally settling down in Alberta. As a reporter, he comes across the story of a mysterious ancestor who seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

The journey that Diarmuid undergoes is stark and tragic. Boarding a ‘coffin ship’ bound for Canada, he and his new wife endure misery and death as the majority of the 500 passengers aboard the vessel die of malnutrition and disease during the voyage.

Following the trail of a long-lost journal, Jerry traces Diarmuid’s trek to his final stop in Ile de Madeleine, a quarantine station in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Quebec City. There, the teacher and his wife meet a tragic end.

By interweaving the two stories, the author creates a riveting tale that is both uplifting and heartbreaking. I highly recommend you read The Love of One’s Country.

MYSTERY MOVIES AND TV SERIES THAT I LOVE!

The Bletchley Circle

Produced by ITV, 2012-2014

Starring Julie Graham, Hattie Morahan, Rachael Stirling and Anna Maxwell Martin.

Available on Netflix.

The TV series is set in the early 1950s in London. Britain is still recovering from World War II, and the men and women who formerly fought for their country are now engaged in civilian careers.

Millie, Jean, Susan and Lucy are typical women pursuing family, careers and passions. During the war, however, they worked at Bletchley Park, the secret headquarters for the deciphering of Nazi codes. Employing their unique powers of deduction, they uncovered troop and U boat movements, saving countless lives and hastening the end of the war.

Now, the brutal murder of a young woman brings them together again as they race against time to stop a serial killer from preying on defenseless targets. Using logic and reasoning, they peel back the carefully constructed cover of a brilliant, ruthless psychopath hiding in plain sight.

Not only is The Bletchley Circle a riveting thriller, it is richly executed in terms of period costumes, vehicles and interior decorations from the early fifties. It gives the series an authenticity by conjuring up both the period and outlook that infused the post war mentality of Britons. This is a real treat for both the eyes and the mind!

The Far Side, By Gary Larson