I read Kitchens of the Great Midwest in 2023 when I was on a Stradal kick. I had heard an interview with the author or a review of his Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club; I can’t remember which. Then, I suggested Supper Club for the Lit Happens book club and it was met with mixed review. (You can see my review of that book here.)
I was glad that Simona decided to host Kitchens for the June/July Cook the Books Club.
About the book:
The New York Times bestselling debut about about Eva Thorvald, a young woman with a once-in-a-generation palate who becomes the iconic chef behind the country’s most coveted dinner reservation.
Who is Eva Thorvald? To her chef father, Lars, Eva’s a miniature recipe tester and the love of his life. To the chili chow-down contestants of Chicago, she’s a pint-sized hustler. One day, Eva will surprise everyone . . . Abandoned by her mother, Eva finds solace and salvation in the flavors of her native Minnesota, and a passion bordering on obsession.
J. Ryan Stradal delves into the American heartland, sweeping the vast landscapes of Lutheran church bake-offs, chili-pepper eating contests, and the opening of deer season to capture the zeitgeist of the Midwest and the rise of foodie culture. Kitchens of the Great Midwest is about the family you lose, the friends you make and the chance connections that can define a life. (from his website)
About the author:
J. Ryan Stradal’s novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest, was published in 2015 and reached the New York Times Hardcover Best Seller list at #19 on its third week of release. In addition, it has been named the 2016 American Booksellers Association Indies Choice Book of the Year Award – Adult Debut Winner; the 2016 Midwest Booksellers Choice Award for the year’s top fiction book, and the 2016 Southern California Independent Booksellers Association top novel of the year.
He is also an accomplished short story and nonfiction author.
In addition to trying to write short stories and novels, he has been a contributing editor at TASTE; fiction editor at The Nervous Breakdown; an editor-at-large at Unnamed Press in Los Angeles; co-editor, with Adam Cushman, of Critically Acclaimed; and editor of the 2014 California Prose Directory
He grew up in the Midwest, in the southern Minnesota town of Hastings, where he often failed his driver’s license exams, and graduated from Northwestern University, where he often slipped on the ice. He does not own a gun and a motorcycle, which makes him unique among the men in his extended family.
As of February 2024, he is currently the Writer in Residence on The Book Case, a weekly literary podcast hosted by Kate Gibson and Charles Gibson. The Book Case is a production of ABC Studios and is affiliated with Good Morning America, where he appeared on a live segment with Kate and Charlie launching this series.
Stradal lives and works in Los Angeles County, California. He likes books, wine, sports, root beer, craft beer, and peas. (Edited from his website. You can read the full bio here.)
What I thought…
If I’m completely honest, I thought about not re-reading this book for this round of CTB. I had enough notes in my ebook that I thought I could wing it. I am glad I decided to re-read it. I appreciate Stradal’s storytelling prowess even more the second time around.
He structures the book almost as interlocking short stories. Some of them would be truly tragic if they stood alone. Take “Luteflisk” (Part 1) for example. Stradal is not afraid to incorporate death and tragedy into his novels.
There were characters that I started out disliking (Cindy/Cynthia and Pat) but I came around to at least understanding their motives at the end. There were some characters who I loved (Will) that I really wanted to see more of. Eva, the main character, is an enigma from the start. As an elementary school student, she is bullied and fights back. Then, as she grows into adulthood it’s almost like she finds a zen-space. Eva could have certainly been a tragic figure but she triumphs with the help of her family (what is left of it) and friends. She finds superstardom (on her own terms) and I think she found happiness, too.
The Food:
I am dying for someone to try their hand at Lutefisk. I mean who would not want to make something that “looked like jellied smog and smelled like boiled aquarium water”? (2).
I thought someone might make a garlic-free pesto.
Then there are the many desserts—bars, vegan blueberry sorbet, and chocolate habanero sauce.
I originally thought (back when I was not going to re-read the book) that I would just whip up some jalapeno margaritas and call that good. But, once I re-read Kitchens, I had to make some pepper jelly in honor of Braque, Eva’s cousin. (Honestly, some of the passages with Braque were indeed the most comical—“SWET PEPER JELY”.)
A friend gifted us some jalapenos so I made some traditional Jalapeno Jelly. I also made some Red Pepper-Jalapeno Balsamic Jelly. Both recipes are in the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Here is a link to the jalapeno jelly recipe and here is the Red Pepper-Jalapeno Balsamic Jelly. That red pepper-jalapeno-balsamic infusion is quite interesting in a good way.
I did include the Spicy Margarita recipe here just because.
Spicy Frozen Margaritas
Based on Whole Fruit Margaritas
Ingredients
- ⅔ c. tequila blanco
- ½ c. Triple Sec
- 1 medium orange, peeled
- 1 lime, peeled
- 1 lemon, peeled
- 1 jalapeno, partially deseeded if you desire
- ⅓ c. agave nectar
- 6 c. ice cubes (or enough to fill the blender)
- Lime wheels and jalapeno slices for garnish (optional)
- Tajin seasoning or salt for rim (optional)
Instructions
- Place all ingredients into a high power blender (like a Vitamix) in the order listed above and secure the lid.
- Run the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend for 45-55 seconds, using a tamper to push ingredients toward the blades. (If you are using a Vitamix, use the frozen cocktail setting.)
- Take a lime slice and moisten the rim of a margarita class. Dip in the Tajin spice if desired.
- Place a lime wheel and a couple of jalapeno slices on a skewer to garnish.
Yield: 4 servings
My sister introduced us to this recipe and then we basically had to buy a Vitamix. The hardest thing about this recipe is peeling the limes. I threw in the jalapeno to make this cocktail more representative of the Scoville scale heat of the first part of the novel.
Please note that there are many more food references in the book as well as actual recipes beyond the pepper-centric ones.
I know that a lot of the CTB crew has made bars. If you need a good peanut-butter bar that might rival Pat Prager’s, check out Ina Gardner’s recipe for Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars. I made them for a fish fry (hybrid bass, not walleye) and they were a huge hit. I thought I had some photos but I couldn’t find them. Sorry. Trust me that these bars are great! (I do wonder how they would be with jalapeno jelly? Going to try that!)
This was certainly a hodge-podge of recipes. Let me just end by saying that I would totally recommend this book and I will probably re-read it again sometime. I’m also linking up with Foodies Read.
Postscript: I am currently reading Stradal’s Lager Queen of Minnesota and am enjoying it, too!
Thanks for hosting, Simona. You can read about the roundup soon at Cook the Books.
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