Chapter 22 (The Modern Refrigerator continued)

How It Tasted

Broiled Lamb Chops

These chops had good flavor but were regrettably tough—so much so that my brain spun as I chewed trying to come up with some way to make the leftover enjoyable (or at least edible).

Either the ‘spring lamb’ that sacrificed its shoulder was in fact a senior citizen or (more likely) broiling wasn’t the best way to prepare this less expensive cut.

Still, my son and I both ate a chop and DH had two, so the dish wasn’t a complete failure. Lamb cut from the shoulder may not be the most tender of meats, but it does seem to have a good flavor—if I’d braised or stewed it it probably would have been fine.

Boiled New Potatoes

I still can’t get too excited about this dish, but ever since my husband learned that potatoes are a good source of potassium he’s more than made up for my lack of enthusiasm. No more mournful head shakes when he spots a potato dish on the table—a good thing since 12 out of the last 22 Bettina meals have featured tubers in one form or another!

New Peas In Cream

Filip: What’s this white stuff?

Both Son and DH like peas, so as expected this dish was a success. True, Filip was suspicious of the white sauce coating the peas, but after a taste he decided it was OK, and my husband didn’t seem to mind.

And me? Well, I like peas but not all that much—flavored with tomatoes they’re great, but sticky white sauce is, in my opinion, not the best way to serve them.

Vegetable Salad

Another success, at least with me. Cucumbers are probably my favorite vegetable, and I especially love them mixed with cucumbers and onions. My son enjoyed his salad as well, but my husband passed on the vinaigrette in favor of a simple shot of olive oil. In his opinion tomatoes and vinegar simply don’t go well together—too acid, he says, for his stomach.

Bread and Butter

Standard bread with standard butter *yawn*. Occasionally this dish proves to be the sleeper on the menu—most often when a Bettina main dish turns out a total disaster and everyone is ravenous. This time only I took some bread—an indication, I suppose, that the rest of the meal was more or less OK.

Rhubarb Pudding

Milomir: You made kissel?

At first I didn’t know what my husband was referring to, but apparently Bettina’s rhubarb pudding is similar to a Serbian dish made with fruit juice and cornstarch.

Sound intriguing, but I really don’t think I’d care for it—I certainly didn’t enjoy this American variation. There was nothing really terrible about it, but the fruity taste of the rhubarb was overwhelmed by the flour paste binding the pudding together. It reminded me of those good-for-you desserts (stewed prunes, brownies laced with wheat germ) that health-conscious moms try to tempt their kids with.

Would I Make This Again?

In a word, no—well, except for the salad (guess that's six words).

None of the dishes were undeniably bad, but for one reason or another they all seemed second-rate: the lamb was tasty but tough, no one much cared for the white sauce glossing the peas, and we all spooned up our pudding with a dutiful “well, at least it’s healthy” attitude. Even though I used fresh ingredients for everything the meal was like eating leftovers—food that has to be used up because it’s a couple of days old, or because the power has gone out and there’s risk of imminent spoilage.