Latvian Stew (I will admit this is based on the description in A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles, which I found to be so intriguing, that I have to try it)

So, I generally stick to cookbooks, trusted websites and friends suggestions. A lot of people out there don’t have enough information (I suppose this also includes some websites and cookbooks) or notes, or directions. But I wanted to make this stew I read the description of. So I did some googling and came up with a couple of versions, and this one seemed about right (maybe a little light on the spices). That being said, I got a number of doubtful looks when I told people I was making a stew with apricots. But after the 2ish hours of work (a big chunk of that was getting the meat off the bone and chunking it out from there) and about an hour and a half in the oven simmering, it came out to be this silky, mildly spicy, with undertones of mild sweetness. It really was joyful and worth the effort. I ate it with a bottle of an Australian blended wine (Cullen) suggested by a friend at the Cheese Shop.

I used 4 / 6 of my cutting boards.

I am uncertain if the hotel that was in my dreams last night was my picturing of the hotel in book (the dream ended up being an anxiety work dream, if I’m honest), but it seemed like it was that similar grand, but worn down.

Wonderful meal.

Sloppy Bison

Chopped onion, olive oil, pinch of this that and the other, a bit of mustard, diced tomatoes and tomatoes sauce. I’d try to tell you the spices, but honestly, no idea what I used.

Grilled Cheese of some sort

We ended up going out instead. I have the cheese and mortadella, I’ll probably do it Sunday.

Fish of some sort.

Lovely tuna steak, salt, pepper, sous vide and finished in a pan. Getting pretty good at that method. Pink on the inside a pretty good sear on the outside. I should probably turn the pan up a bit, but I also like to avoid the smoke alarm. I need a vent fan.