I have always thought this movie was just gorgeous and it’s part of the reason why I have romantic visions of riding a camel through the desert someday. Perhaps soon? We shall see…
*****
Speaking of mysteries, “Catcher in the Rye” author J.D. Salinger died yesterday of natural causes. Today, the Associated Press reports that the author left behind a safe. No one knows what’s in the safe and the Salinger camp isn’t talking about it. But there is speculation that the safe might be chock full of finished manuscripts he squirreled away over the past few decades. Ernest Hemingway had some posthumous works published. Could Salinger be far behind?
And as the nation looks back on Salinger’s life and work, New Orleans parties it up for its Saints, who will play in their first Super Bowl on February 7. But in the midst of the celebration, the NFL is cracking down on vendors selling “Who Dat” merchandise, saying they don’t have the rights to the phrase. New Orleanians disagree. As of this posting, a new Facebook group called “Defend #WHODAT” has nearly 700 members. I bet they’ll have thousands more by game time in a few weeks.
Now I know I said I’d post a recipe for Daube Provencal today, but I had a change of heart. That recipe will come at the start of next week. For now, I’m posting a recipe for Louisiana-style Roast Beef, in honor of the Saints. Apologies in advance for not having a picture handy. Just trust that it is all kinds of good.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup finely chopped onions
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup finely chopped green bell peppers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter melted (You can sub margarine, vegetable oil or whatever if you like. Me, I go all in)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp black pepper
3/4 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 boneless sirloin roast, top round roast or any good-quality beef roast with layer of fat on top
Directions:
In small bowl, combine onions, celery, bell pepper, butter and seasonings, mixing well.
Place roast in large roasting pan, fat side up. With large knife, make 6 to 12 deep slits in the meat but don’t go all the way through. Fill pockets to the depths with the veggie mixture, reserving 1 tablespoon of it to rub on top of roast. Bake uncovered at 300 until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees for medium doneness, about three hours. (Or, do what I do: Buy aforementioned roast at Publix, and follow directions about spices, veggies and such, using cooking directions on meat packaging to cook meat. It’ll usually tell you to cook meat at 325 for about 2 hours or so. I serve mine medium rare on a killer baguette).