Opened Door On A Winter Night

in the creaking wooden floor
left the crackling sound
from the burning fireplace
that has now went cold
a step, a creak
a key on the piano I knock
tells stories one could only hear through airy breaks
between silence that makes the only substance
in this empty cabin
that has nothing but an old piano
and a dinner plate scraped empty
from the winter stew I made
with scraps and leftover wine
before the door was left open
and frost took over the place
and I’ve left the door open
curtains up
as dawn will break over
eventually

—
Listening to Open from the album <<Pinô>> by Otto A. Totland

Beef Cheek Stew

Ingredients:
Beef cheeks 600g
Carrot 3 sticks
Red onion 1 bulb
Apple 1 piece
Shallot 2 pieces
Rosemary 1 sprig
Thyme 3 sprigs
Bay leaf 2 pieces
Sake 200ml
Beef sock 500ml
Olive oil 1 tablespoon
Salt To taste
Freshly ground pepper To taste
Fresh parsley A handful

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C
2. Peel and cut the carrots and red onion in large pieces; apple peel, core and cut into large pieces and shallot into quarters.
3. Add oil into a cast iron pot, brown the beef cheeks over medium high heat. Take them out and set aside.
4. In the same pot, add the onion and shallot. Saute until fragrant over medium heat.
5. Add the beef, apple, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf into the pot, followed by sake and stock. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Bring it to a boil, cover with a lid and slide it into the oven to bake for 3 hours until the meat is tender and shreddy, stir occasionally. Add the carrot in the last 45 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve with steamed green and bread.

Jo Liu

It’s raining outside, crisp and bleak. Three chubby sparrows took shelter on my balcony and I gave them the baguette bits left on my breakfast plate but they flew away. I stayed in, played Damien Rice on vinyl and made apple crumble. Repeat.

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