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Weekend Butler: Greetings from a computer far away, doing the best it can to serve you
Published: Jan 05, 2023
Category:
Weekend
I was planning to be in New York this week. I had forgotten a few things: fate, luck, angels. And so, unexpectedly, I am far away, stunned, grateful.
This Weekend Butler is rushed, and powered by a single idea. The holidays are over. There’s a drop off in hope and energy. I recall that when Curtis Mayfield felt depleted he went to the movies and sat up front so he could collect dreams. In that spirit, some films you might enjoy.
Starting with my current favorites:
EMILY THE CRIMINAL
This film is so far above big, expensive, self-important films that I almost want to say it was the best American movie I saw this year. You know Aubrey Plaza because she was in “White Lotus.” Here she’s deep in student debt, with a criminal record that makes it harder for her to get a real job that pays real money. So….
The preview.
The Times review.
The Amazon Prime video link.
SHE SAID
This time, Bernstein and Woodward are female, and Harvey Weinstein is Nixon. And this movie is as thrilling as “All the President’s Men.”
My review of the book.
The preview.
An expensive video to rent on Amazon Prime, but cheaper than going to a theater (if you can find one that’s showing it)
FLEISHMAN IS IN TROUBLE
My review of the novel.
The New Yorker review https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/01/02/how-fleishman-is-in-trouble-ditches-the-cliches-of-the-female-midlife-crisis
The preview.
THE FILMS OF ASHGAR FARHADI: A HERO, THE SEPARATION, and THE SALESMAN
And, of course, a soup to warm the soul..
THE WEEKEND RECIPE: APPLE AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
from A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table
If possible, make this soup a day or two ahead; its flavors meld and deepen after a day or so of sitting the fridge.
Serves 4-5
1/4 cup olive oil
1 2-lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 flavorful apples, preferably Gala, peeled, cored, and cut into 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped (about 1 cup)
three-quarter tsp curry powder
three-quarter tsp ground mace
one half tsp ground cardamom
1 cup good-quality apple cider
1 quart chicken stock (vegetable works fine as well)
one half tsp salt
one-quarter tsp freshly ground pepper, preferably white
Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium-low heat. Add the squash, apples, and onion, and stir to coat with oil. Sauté uncovered, stirring occasionally, for ten to fifteen minutes, or until onion is transparent.
Stir in the mace, curry, and cardamom, and continue cooking until the onion begins to brown. Add the cider. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, and cook for three minutes. Add the stock, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer the mixture, partially covered, for another 35 minutes, or until squash is tender.
Working in batches, blend mixture in a food processor or blender until smooth (be careful to not overfill, as hot liquid could expand when machine is switched on, making a huge, burning-hot mess). Return soup to the stockpot. Reduce the soup, uncovered, over medium-low heat, to about one-fourth. Stir occasionally. Stir in salt and pepper, and serve hot.
