Another Tasty Idea and a Great Book!

Kitchen Brigade

by Laurie Boris

Dystopian novels have a long and popular history, from classics such as The Time Machine, Brave New World and 1984 to the more modern Hunger Games, The Handmaid’s Tale and Divergent.  Some take place in a specific time and place and some are vague or fantasies.

Some dystopian novels use unknown tyrants while others use current US rivals, such as the Chinese, Cubans or Russians. That is the route of The Kitchen Rivals by Laurie Boris, which uses a specific enemy, the Russians and their allies, the Cubans, as the tyrannical rulers who have taken over the eastern part of the US. Its setting is also specific, taking place in the Hudson Valley, where the author lives.

Laurie skillfully places the main scenes in the kitchen, where main character Valerie, now called Three, with her fellow chefs, including Chef Svetlana, under whom she had previously studied at the Culinary Institute of America create meals for the general, his staff and visitors. Food is an important focus in the novel.  While the kitchen chefs are prisoners, food still provides joy, love and artistry. It is used as payment, as for chef Four, and used horribly, as when the child Tomàs is forced to taste food in case of poisoning.

When I asked Laurie about her main setting, she responded, “I liked the focus of the kitchen because of the universality and the comfort it creates. It transcends language and cultural differences. It’s a refuge as well as a hotbed of conflict. It just appealed to me on so many levels. The seed of it began with a flash fiction story I wrote about a group of women imprisoned in a warlord’s kitchen, plotting to poison their captors.”

Valerie is a complex character. She is brave and timid, loyal and a rebel. She becomes a strategist. Laurie explained, “She’s had to learn how to survive in this new world, and brings all her talents to the table. I don’t even know if she realized that trust and loyalty would be part of her survival skills.”

Many of the characters turn out to be rebels for America. In this respect, the novel reminded me of the colonists who rebelled against the British during our Revolutionary War, although clearly there are many differences. “I was thinking about the American colonists. Some of them were treated terribly by the British soldiers quartered in their towns and villages. I was particularly intrigued by the band of spies [George]Washington employed—the signals they used and how they got in and out of New York and the surrounding areas.”

Laurie said that it was both fun and terrifying to write this novel. “I had fun working with the characters and imagining this world. But it was terrifying at times because I had to dream up ways to disable America’s infrastructure that were (mostly) plausible.… How to blind our satellites, how to take out our electrical grids, our cell phones. In a world increasingly dependent on Wi-Fi and the internet and electricity, what if we didn’t have these anymore? Not just for a few hours or days but for the foreseeable future?…Terrifying.”

This is not the first review I’ve done of Laurie Boris, such a talented writer. This is a story that moves quickly, has complex relationships and great discussions of food. While I think I may skip the chefs’ preparation of squirrel or meat that is pretty much undefined, Tomas’ creation of a Black Rice Pilaf sounds delicious.

Forbidden Black Rice Pilaf

Black Rice was reserved for the Emperor of China and his family and thus the name “forbidden” was applied to it.  Now we can enjoy this chewy and tasty rice as a side with grilled chicken, teriyaki salmon or glazed tofu.  Add leftovers to a salad, omelet or soup for a fabulous flavor.

2-3 shitaki mushrooms

1/4 cup hot water

2 tablespoon EVOO

1 small onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 stalks celery, minced

1 cup black rice, rinsed and drained

3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 cup water or broth

1/4 cup white wine, optional

1/4 cup pecans, chopped and toasted

1. Soak shitaki mushrooms in 1/4 cup hot water for 8 minutes. Drain and reserve water. Mince mushrooms and set aside.
2. Warm olive oil in large sauté pan. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and celery, stirring and adding EVOO as needed.
3. Add rice and stir for 1 minute. Add broth or water and mushroom water.  Cover and cook for 10-12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and rice is soft but chewy.  When liquid is absorbed add wine. Remove lid. Turn heat to medium high for 3-4 minutes or until wine is absorbed. Add pecans. Turn off heat and keep lid on for 10 more minutes.

Expand the table suggestions

1. Allium free. Omit onions and garlic. Use 1 bulb fennel, thinly sliced.
2. Add some other veggies:  Add 1 red, yellow or orange bell pepper, minced, 1 small zucchini, chopped or additional mushrooms, chopped.
3. Nut free:  Omit pecans and use pine nuts.
4. Color contrast:  Use 1/2 cup white rice and 1/2 cup black rice for a contrast.

Learn more about Laurie Boris and her award winning books at the author’s website