Hooray! It's time for my favorite event again! I'm doing another one of my favorite books: Invitation to the Game.
The year is 2154 and the story opens with Lisse graduating from school, and discovering she's now in the ranks of the unemployed. Because of a crisis years before, robots began replacing humans, and the humans never got the jobs back (because the robots were more efficient and cheap labor). Now there are thousands roaming the streets with nothing to do. Unless, of course, they get invited to join The Game. Each group consists of a mix of abilities and talents, forming a cohesive unit. But no one knows exactly what The Game is--a hallucination? Hypnosis? And what is the point--nothing has been explained fully...
The food I'm choosing takes place midway through the book. Lisse's best friend Benta is forced out of work (by robots, of course), and is assigned to move to the city, joining Lisse and other friends. Benta was living on the family farm, so she brings eggs and cream with her, and they make pasta with cream sauce--a treat, as they've been eating mostly synthetic foods (with supplements like soytein packets).
I'm not normally a fan of Alfredo sauces, but this one from The New Best Recipe (America's Test Kitchen) was light and tasty, especially with the fresh pasta!
Fresh Egg Pasta2 c all-purpose flour
3 large eggs, beaten
1. Pulse flour in a food processor to mix, then add eggs, processing for about 30 seconds to form a rough ball. (if resembling small pebbles, add 1 t water; if too wet, add 1 T flour)
2. Turn dough onto a dry work surface; knead until smooth (1 to 2 minutes). Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to 2 hours.
3. Using a pasta machine, roll out the dough. (if you don't have a machine, use a rolling pin to make pasta thin as possible) Then cut into fettuccine strips and move into the next recipe:
Fettuccine Alfredo
1 2/3 c heavy cream
5 T unsalted butter
1 T salt
1 recipe fresh egg pasta
2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
ground black pepper
pinch freshly ground nutmeg
1. Bring 4 quarts water to a rolling boil.
2. Combine 1 1/3 c of the cream and butter in a large sauté pan. Heat over low until butter is melted and cream comes to a bare simmer, then remove from heat.
3. Add salt and pasta to boiling water, cooking about 3 minutes. Stir to break up clumps of noodles. Drain well and add to sauté pan. Add remaining 1/3 c cream, cheese, pepper and nutmeg. Cook over low heat (higher heat makes it gluey, not creamy), tossing to combine, until sauce is thickened (about 1 to 2 minutes). Serve immediately in heated pasta bowls.
They recommend serving this as an appetizer, so it serves six. We used the pasta water to heat up the bowls, as they remind us that lukewarm cream sauces are disgusting (my word, not theirs...), and I agree it was important to have the dishes more than just room temp.
I was going to do a fancy-schmancy sauce, but Chip preferred it plain. I'm actually kinda glad he vetoed the one with sun-dried tomatoes! Plus it fits with the book a little better.
There isn't a keyboard shortcut for 1/3... like there is for ½. Grr.
Book recommendation: Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes
Recipe recommendation: ATK's Fettuccine Alfredo
Parody recommendation: Shakespeare Insulter
Parody recommendation: Shakespeare Insulter
6 comments:
Just last night, chris and I were talking about making our own pasta and I told him that I had NO idea how to do that! Now, I do! Thanks
I tell you, I was in heaven with the second batch--we had lots of dough; I did butter and Parmesan cheese... MMMmmmmm! It's so worth it to make your own.
An interesting book suggestion, as always, Ruhama. I find the reference to pasta in this story quite fascinating. The situation is pretty sad, and pasta brings joy to it. And your pasta looks very nice. I am glad to hear the whole process, from dough to finished dish, was a good experience. Thanks for participating in our event: your enthusiasm is a great compliment.
Oh, oh, oh -- I want to dive into that pasta and cream sauce right now! How beautiful, and what an interesting book it came from; I'll have to find that one. I just read somewhere, and maybe it was Michael Pollan who said it, that we've become accustomed to eating "foodlike substances" rather than real food in this country. Your synopsis of the story made me think of that. Please let there always be fresh cream and freshly made pasta! Thanks so much for making our event that much tastier.
I love it when people take small mentions of food in novels and use them as inspiration for this event. In some ways, it's more interesting than dishes that come from stories that are very food-centric.
Food carries a wealth of meaning; what strikes me in this example is how it emphasizes humanity, because robots can't eat.
The pasta looks delicious, and I'll have to look up the book.
adele, you make a fantastic point! I read a book recently that was very food-centered and thought it was almost too obvious for this event. The back of the book had some recipes, too, which makes it much less of a challenge.
It's also funny because food (like using the bathroom--how often do you hear about the heroine brushing her teeth?) often isn't a major plotline. This event really can showcase a novel in a new light.
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