Buying meat is more than buying meat

Argelès has three butchers...the newest is owned by an Arab. There is some prejudice in town, although over all there is an "our Arabs" are better than those other Arabs who cause all the trouble. It is easy to hate a group than someone you pass on the street everyday.

Before Rick, I bought almost no meat, thus I never developed a favorite butcher. However, now I go to him, because I would like him to succeed.

Today I asked for 300 grams for lamb for stew.

"I make a wonderful Moroccan lamb stew." He gave me step-by-step directions. "Make sure it is fresh parsley, and don't use coriander," he said.

This will be tomorrow's lunch.

He wished me a pleasant Sunday.

"Shukran," I said. Thank you, as I left.

Stove Stories--eating through my life

Growing up, food and politics were main dinner table discussion with food winning out most nights. My mother, father and grandmother were all excellent cooks. 

My mother, Dorothy Sargent Boudreau, was also a reporter and besides covering hard news, also had a column in the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune called Stove Stories that didn't just give the recipes but the history of the recipe. She believed that the memory of meals added to the flavor. Before her death in 1990 she began the creation of a cookbook based on those columns. 

I kept the unfinished manuscript and the idea came to me, to publish it as a series of blog. Despite some glitches in scanning where I couldn't get the type face as I wanted it, here are the recipes. If anyone has any comments or would like to add their own stories to the book, send them to me at dlnelson7@hotmail.com and tell me which section you'd like them in.)

http://stovestories.blogspot.com