The Woman in the Window
Synopsis : Anna Fox lives alone in her New York City home. She suffers from agoraphobia, literally unable to even venture outside of her home. She is separated from her husband and young daughter, and really struggling. She spends her time drinking Merlot (too much), watching classic film noir of the 1940s and 1950s, and observing, or some might even say spying on, her neighbors. One night as she watches the windows of the her neighbors the Russells, she sees something shocking. Has she been drinking too much? Is someone in danger? Will Anna ever be well enough to leave her house?
Nicholette’s review: It’s a sign of the times, we can’t get enough of our unreliable female narrators. This psychological suspense thriller is very much in the vein of Gone Girl, or The Girl on the Train. At least now she has graduated to being called a Woman! This was not groundbreaking in any way, nor great literature, but I’m not ashamed to say it was a lot of page turning goodness. We’re not told the circumstances of Anna’s separation from her family (at least not immediately), but clearly she’s in the throes of some serious issues, and drinking way too much. She can’t even figure out if she should trust herself! The classic film component provided interesting parallels to her own reality and made me want to check some of those classics out myself. This moved along at a crisp pace and was a fun diversion.
Rating: 4/5
Menu : OK, a bottle of Merlot MUST figure into the menu somehow right? So while just drinking it might be Anna’s style, we decided to use it in cooking some delicious braised short ribs. This is a very easy recipe, mainly just taking the time needed, and not a lot of ingredients.
Ingredients
4 English cut beef short ribs, roughly 8 oz each
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 bottle of full bodied red wine
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
2) Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on all sides.
3) Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the ribs on all sides. Transfer to a plate. Add the garlic to the pot and stir until softened but not browned, about 1 minute. Pour in the bottle of wine, bring to a boil, and cook until reduced to about 1 cup.
4) Add the ribs and any juices to the pot, along with the stock. Bring to a simmer, cover the pot, and put in the oven.
5) Cook about 3 hours, until meat is tender and falling off the bone. Transfer the ribs to a plate, tenting with foil to keep warm. Strain the sauce and remove the grease. Simmer 10 minutes or so to reduce, the whisk in the last tablespoon of butter.
6) Serve the ribs and sauce, I like to serve it over grits, or polenta, or even mashed potatoes would work!
Rating: 5/5
