Warning: this is not a chocolate recipe (gasp!). But I thought you might like an easy, tasty recipe to make ahead and pop on the grill (or into the oven) when you get home from your book club meeting. More time to talk about books!
It’s been almost a year since our last Book Club Week, and that means that Meg Corey is harvesting apples again in the Orchard Mystery series (Picked to Die, coming October 7th). She’s had a busy year, what with a drought that could have proved devastating to her apple orchard, and a forest fire that could have been disastrous personally—oh, and a crime to solve.
It’s been almost a year since our last Book Club Week, and that means that Meg Corey is harvesting apples again in the Orchard Mystery series (Picked to Die, coming October 7th). She’s had a busy year, what with a drought that could have proved devastating to her apple orchard, and a forest fire that could have been disastrous personally—oh, and a crime to solve.
As
I’ve no doubt said before, people have to eat—even fictional ones. And people pay
attention to the food in books. For example, in one of my books there’s a
glitch: a character starts eating a sandwich before it’s served (my editor, my
copy editor and I all failed to notice this, despite multiple readings). I have
received more reader emails about this mysterious multiplying sandwich than
anything else I can think of. Even my husband noticed.
I
know that in a story, meals can interrupt the flow, especially if you’re on the
trail of a killer, or when under threat from one. But (fictional) meals can
provide a welcome break. If your character is alone, she has some time to
reflect on her most recent discoveries while she eats; if she’s sharing a meal
with others, they can toss ideas around and pool their information. Besides, I
don’t trust people who don’t eat, either in the real world or on the page.
In
Picked to Die, Meg and her picking
crew are short-handed, so she’s pitching in alongside everyone else. It’s hard
work, but at the same time she comes to realize that she doesn’t know a lot
about her employees personally, so she decides to hold a backyard barbecue to
get to know them.
But
before I give you an easy grilled chicken recipe from the book, here are some questions for your group:
· == Meg is drawn into
investigating a crime this time because it involves one of the pickers who has
worked for her. How important do you think secondary characters like this are
to a story? Do they deserve a larger role? How many can a writer fit in before
the reader loses track of who is who? Once you’ve introduced a character into a
typical small-town setting, does he or she have to come back in later books?
· == If you enjoy seeing
them return, how much backstory do you think is necessary for those readers who
don’t remember them or have never read the earlier book(s)?
== The pickers who
work for Meg are Jamaican (which is true of those in the real area where this
series is set). That fact raises issues that would not come up if her pickers
were, say, local college students. Do social issues have a place in cozy
mysteries?
· == A Boy Scout appears
in the story. Does the boy’s association with the Boy Scouts bring with it some
assumptions about him? Good? Bad? Is it appropriate to use this as kind of a
short-cut for defining a character?
· == I’ve referred to
some construction techniques in the story that are probably unfamiliar to most
people (in fact, I first learned about them when the “real” town was
considering using them). I try to describe them accurately, as well as explain why
they make sense in the setting, but is it too much of a distraction from the
story?
· == Meg and Seth shared
a significant event in the last Orchard Mystery (I won't give it away, for those of you who haven't read it), Golden Malicious, one that brought them closer. But in the new book
the forward progress of their relationship seems to have stalled. They’ve known
each other for going on two years now. How fast should any relationship move
forward? Or doesn’t it have to?
Now
back to the important stuff: the food! I’ve given you plenty of apple recipes
in the past (and I’m always looking for new ones), but this is a dish that Meg’s
orchard manager Bree puts together for the cookout with the picking crew.
The chicken, served with couscous |
Grilled Chicken, Indian Style
This recipe makes enough for one whole
chicken (you can cut it up yourself), or three to four pounds of parts if you purchase
your chicken that way. Of course you can multiply the amounts to serve as many
as you want.
1 whole chicken, or equivalent number of parts
(about 4 pounds)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 Tblsp ground cumin
1 Tblsp ground coriander
Pinch cayenne
1 tsp coarse salt
2 Tblsp minced garlic
1 Tblsp minced ginger
Combine all the ingredients in a large
bowl and mix. Add the chicken pieces and
coat them with the marinade. Let the
chicken sit in the marinade until you are ready to grill (if you’re doing this
well in advance, refrigerate the container, covered, until you’re ready to cook
the chicken).
Set up your grill (charcoal or gas) and
place your chicken on the grate, skin side down. Turn once during cooking, and
baste with any of the leftover marinade.
I know, you've all seen coals before--but aren't these gorgeous?
Note: if your grill permits, cover the
chicken during the first half of the cooking, to ensure that the meat is cooked
through. You can leave the cover open after you turn the pieces. If you don’t have a covered grill, spread out
your coals so that the heat is not too intense, so that the chicken cooks
completely.
Yes, I noticed the slip in Razing, but it wasn't important. The minor characters are important because they give the setting a kind of reality. I may not remember their names, but it remember them. They don't have to have a large part, but I want them to appear. Boy Scouts have the assumption of goodness, but we all know what assumptions do. Social issues are fine as long as they don't take over the book. I read to escape and enjoy. Romances can carry on too long. I'm reading one series that has a triangle still going for the thirteenth book. Diana Mott Davidson let hers get married and it did not hurt the series at all. This was fairly early. I'm not sure about the construction techniques. I'll have to read it to see.
ReplyDeleteI'll be right over to eat this! Maybe we can get some of your cohorts to bring their yummy desserts to go with the chicken.
ReplyDeleteOr Sheila can whip up an apple pie! :)
DeleteI'm on my way, Libby!
DeleteA clever and quick way to make Indian chicken, brava, and I really like your balance of spices. Nice that you can make this is the oven, too, as firing up the grill is not always an option. Thanks for sharing the recipe and the book notes, Sheila, have a delicious weekend...
ReplyDelete~ Cleo
All I can say is YUM - a tasty meal to go with a tasty book :)
ReplyDeleteI have a similar recipe and it makes a spicy sauce to go over rice or as you did couscous. Top of stove! I do it in the winter.
ReplyDeleteI love Indian food but the recipes are often intimidating. This is a great way to get flavor without so much effort. Yum!
ReplyDeleteAdded bonus: if you have any of the marinade left over (NOT the stuff that the chicken has been soaking in, please!) it makes a pretty nice salad dressing for a later meal.
ReplyDeleteLovely, Sheila, and I'm with you. I don't trust people who don't eat in books AND real life! LOL
ReplyDeleteDaryl / Avery