Caramelized Bliss + Forbidden Yearning

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlicky Yogurt + In Memoriam

Read

In Memoriam by Alice Winn, pub. 2023
Buy: Bookshop.org or your local bookshop

Sometimes a book just grabs you, pulls you in and out you come, two days later, rubbing your eyes and wondering what world you live in – the one you just spent 48 hours inside of, or the fuzzy edges of your so-called reality. That was my experience with In Memoriam, a debut from Alice Winn. Reminiscent of The Great Believers and A Little Life, this one isn’t for the faint of heart. Set during WWI and toggling between a private school in England and the front lines, it’s the story of two men (boys, really), Gaunt and Ellwood, deep in the grips of friendship, attraction, and eventually the violence of war. Being gay (or “inverted,” as it was perversely labeled) in the early 20th century was illegal by law and frowned upon by almost everyone. Men and women were forced into heterosexual arrangements so as not to be imprisoned for sodomy. The crux of Gaunt and Ellwood’s relationship lies in all that goes unexpressed: As the reader you’re keenly aware of the depth of their emotions and desires. Yet the characters tamp them down, making for an aching, almost physically painful reading experience (at least for me) where you know more than the characters and want certain things for them that might not come to fruition without a huge amount of vulnerability and risk. Most of the story takes place after the men enlist in the War, and you spend hundreds of pages immersed in the thick of the fighting, all with the love thread woven throughout. I’m neither a war person (no shade to my war people) nor a gore person, but as a literary technique it’s brilliant, and ultimately I learned a lot (Winn did extensive research into WWI for the book). It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about characters long after I’ve finished reading (see: Olive Kitteridge, Hamnet, Bettyville); Gaunt and Ellwood are so specifically drawn that I found myself wishing for more time with them. 

Pairs well with: bland bread, tourniquets, train rides, illicit yearning

Eat

To balance out the longing, something that requires no delay of gratification: roasted tomatoes! Roasting tomatoes — a simple task with a huge payoff — is one of the things I most look forward to when spring / summer roll around. I bathe tomatoes in olive oil, strew with aromatics and smashed garlic, and roast low and slow. The low heat gently coaxes the juices out; they mingle with the oil and create a deliciously acidic, sweet-savory broth (which can be reused to roast your next batch). The tomatoes themselves, shrunken and caramelized, can be used a million ways: popped into pasta with fresh herbs; ladled into a pot of beans; dotted on a smear of ricotta toast. My favorite way to eat them is atop a thick bed of garlicky yogurt, with some greens thrown in because I can’t help myself. I just love fiber too much.

Roasted Tomatoes with Garlicky Yogurt and Greens
Makes enough tomatoes for a week; the dish itself serves 2

Roasted Tomatoes
Enough tomatoes to crowd a roasting pan
1 head garlic, cloves separated, peeled and smashed
Herbs! (I love marjoram, sage, thyme and rosemary)
evoo (a lot!)
Kosher salt

Preheat oven to 325F and scatter your tomatoes on the roasting pan (you don’t want a lot of extra room here; they’ll shrink!). Tuck the garlic cloves and herbs throughout the tomatoes, then pour over an uncomfortable amount of olive oil. (If tomatoes had ankles, make sure they’re ankle-deep in the stuff.) Season with salt and roast until bursting (check after 40 minutes; mine usually take an hour or more). You’re looking for caramelized but not burnt here. Taste one if you’re uncertain! Let cool before transferring to a glass jar where they’ll keep, preserved in their oil, for over a week.

Garlicky Yogurt
1 cup sheep’s milk yogurt (tarter than cow’s! lactose-free!)
1 clove garlic, grated
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Maldon

In a bowl, stir the yogurt with the garlic, lemon juice and zest. Season with Maldon.

Sauteed Greens
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
½ bunch hearty greens (kale, chard, collards, etc), de-ribbed and torn
evoo
Maldon

Sautee the garlic in an olive-oiled pan on low-medium heat until aromatic but not brown. Add the greens and cook until bright green, then season with Maldon.

To plate: Swoosh the yogurt across a shallow bowl or plate. Spoon over a healthy amount of roasted tomatoes, garlic cloves and roasting oil. Tuck the sauteed greens throughout, season with Maldon, and serve with crusty bread.