Circe

Synopsis: In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of the Titans, a daughter is born. Circe is a strange child—not powerful like her father, nor alluring like her mother. Although she is a minor goddess in Greek mythology, Circe turns to mortals for companionship and discovers that she does possess power—the power of witchcraft which can transform rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves. Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island where she hones her occult craft learning to use herbs and potions, and most remarkably to transform her enemies into animals. Circe crosses paths with some of the most famous characters in Greek mythology including the Minotaur. Medea and Odysseus. She gives birth to a son of Odysseus who challenges her to decide once and for all if she belongs with the gods she is born from, or from the mortals she has come to love.

Review: This was a great re-telling of The Odyssey, but told from the perspective of Circe. I think she was a bit of a bit player in Greek mythology, but her story, as told by Madeline Miller, introduces us to many familiar characters: Prometheus, the Minotaur, Hermes and Athena, and of course Odysseus. I enjoyed it so much, I have decided to go back to her first novel—not surprisingly, a re-telling of the Iliad from the perspective of Achilles.

Rating: 4/5

Recipe: Greek inspired orzo salad with crispy chickpeas is topped with some “magic” herbs….Jeff Mauro’s recipe uses mint, but I like dill or even Greek oregano.

Ingredients

1/12 cups dried orzo

1 cup Greek yogurt ranch dressing, such as Hidden Valley

zest and juice of one lemon

1/4 cup crumbled feta

1/4 chopped kalamata olives

2 firm tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 English cucumber, seeded and diced

1/2 red onion, diced

Crispy chickpeas, recipe to follow

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint (or dill, or whatever you like)

Crispy chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

1 teaspoon za’atar

1) Cook orzo according to package directions. Rinse in cold water, drain, and transfer to large bowl

2) In a small bowl, mix together the ranch dressing, lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss the mixture and add the orzo with salt and pepper.

3) Fry chickpeas in olive oil until crisp, then season with za’atar and drain on a paper towel lined plate. This is also easily done in an air fryer if you have one.

4) In layers or strips, add the feta, olives, tomatoes, cucumber and red onion. Garnish with crispy chickpeas and mint