Katy J. Smith Blog

A Favorite Book: Lessons In Chemistry

Author: Katy J. Smith Administrator/Wednesday, March 6, 2024/Categories: Katy's Thoughts

Front Cover image of Lessons in Chemistry

As a lifelong reader who taught elementary school and now is trying to write stories, I love books!  One of my favorite books, Lessons in Chemistry, is the debut novel by Betty Garmus. The deeply layered book features a chemist, Elizabeth Zott, navigating life and love in the early 1960s. She faces discrimination because she is a woman working in the male-dominated world of chemistry. She is never taken seriously until she meets the Nobel-nominated Calvin Evans, who does the impossible. He falls in love with her, respecting her abilities as a chemist as well as a woman. So the story begins!

 

Lessons in Chemistry is not only a great book about a woman who refuses to settle for something less than she deserves, but it’s also a series on Apple TV. I haven’t seen it because I’m not a TV person nor do we have Apple TV.

I like cooking, but I don’t know the chemistry behind it. Elizabeth Zott did, so she used her TV show, Supper at Six, to teach her audience comprised of homemakers about the elements of cooking. So, in honor of her chemistry lessons and empowerment for equality in education and the workplace, I’m including a recipe that is easy to make.  

I love finding pieces of wisdom in other people’s writings.  I’ll limit the wisdom to four great quotes from Lessons in Chemistry:

  1.  “She ended every show with her signature line: “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.” ― Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry
     
  2. “One thing I’ve learned, Calvin: people will always yearn for a simple solution to their complicated problems. It’s a lot easier to have faith in something you can’t see, can’t touch, can’t explain, and can’t change, rather than to have faith in something you actually can.”

    She sighed. “One’s self, I mean.” ― Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry

 

  1. “Look,” he said, “life has never been fair, and yet you continue to operate as if it is—as if once you get a few wrongs straightened out, everything else will fall into place. They won’t. You want my advice?”

And before she could say no, he added, “Don’t work the system. Outsmart it.” ― Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry

  1. “Are you sad, honey?”

Mad placed her small, chalky hands on either side of her mother’s face. “No. But you are.” ― Bonnie Garmus, Lessons in Chemistry

 

 

 

Sweet Pepper Pasta with Sausage

The key to making this scrumptious recipe is to use QUALITY INGREDIENTS!  Choose the best cheese and sausage available.  To make a great-tasting pasta, focus on the cooking water.  Add about 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt to the large stockpot of cooking water BEFORE boiling.  Save a couple of cups of water after the pasta finishes boiling. The salty, starchy liquid will season the homemade sauce, giving it a silky texture that will cling to the drained noodles.  DO NOT RINSE the pasta. 

 

Be sure to take time to enjoy your dinner.  Think of Elizabeth Zott in Betty Garmus’s excellent book, Lessons in Chemistry.  After making supper, she told her TV audience, “Children, set the table. Your mother needs a moment to herself.“ 

 

Take that moment for yourself, whether it’s from the children or the adults in your house.                                               6 servings

 

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked orecchiette pasta

1 pound hot Italian sausage, casings removed

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

1 pound multicolored sweet baby bell peppers, thinly sliced crosswise

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

1 garlic clove, minced

1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh oregano

1¼ ounces Pecorino Romano cheese, finely shredded (about 1/2 cup)

¼ cup torn fresh basil

 

Directions

  1. Cook the pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1½ cups cooking water.
  2. While pasta cooks, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, stirring to break into bite-size pieces until cooked, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Discard drippings.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter to the skillet, stirring and scraping to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add peppers, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt, and garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in pasta, sausage, and remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Stir in cooking water, ¼ cup at a time, until sauce is smooth and coats the pasta. Discard any remaining cooking water. Stir in oregano.

Top servings evenly with cheese and basil.     

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