"Basket Case" And Picadillo a la Iowa

Basket Case is one of many mystery novels from Carl Hiassen, all of which are set in Florida. Jack Tagger is a veteran reporter whose rocky relationship with the new owner of the newspaper lands him in a dead-end job as an obituary reporter (pun totally intended). He stumbles upon the death notice of James Bradley Stomarti, aka Jimmy Stoma of the infamous rock group Jimmy and the Slut Puppies. Realizing this might be his chance to get his byline printed outside of the obit section, he convinces his headstrong editor, Emma, to let him write a large obituary on the dead rock star. But the deeper Tagger digs, the more sinister the case becomes until he’s right in the middle of theft, kidnapping and multiple murders.

Hiassen’s protagonist is instantly likeable; Tagger’s dry wit, quippy comebacks and refusal to bow to corporate greed are especially appealing in our current political climate. The supporting cast doesn’t always have a lot of complexity – the record producer self-styled as L’oreal is as exactly as shallow and worthless as one would expect – but the prose is written in a honest and straight forward manner that is superb.

What initially drew me to Hiassen’s writing was his strong environmental stance. Through his novels, we see the rapid loss of the Everglades in the wake of urban sprawl, urged on by greedy industrialists. It’s like Tolkien, except with gunfights and alligators.

Basket Case, however, doesn’t hit quite the same chord. The plight of the Everglades is mentioned offhandedly, almost as an aside. This could be attributed to the need to keep each novel fresh – we can’t keep writing the same story over and over, no matter how good it was – except Hiassen’s novels already run on a formula found in this novel. It stars a grizzled, middle-aged man in the business of uncovering the truth (cop, reporter, PI) and who doesn’t waste his time on any BS.

He is usually a hopeless romantic whose idiosyncrasies drive away the women he loves. The antagonist is usually a person in a position of power who abuses it, and is greedy, ruthless and a little stupid. The formula isn’t a bad thing. It’s what makes mystery novels great: you know the characters but you don’t know the plot. It’s fun to throw them in to different situations and see how they react. This is fairly standard with this genre but one of the things that set Hiassen apart is that emphasis on the environment. The lack of it was a little disappointing.

Hiassen is an author I’m always excited to read but Basket Case fell short. If you are interested in Hiassen, I would highly recommend starting out with a different novel, such as Sick Puppy or, my personal favorite, Skin Tight.

Of course, when I decided to write about a Hiassen novel, I knew I had to use a Latin recipe. Picadillo is a fairly traditional Latin dish that is made in a slightly different way in different countries. I made some changes of my own in order to utilize the local food that Iowa has to offer. So these recipes are of my own creation.

 Picadillo a la Iowa, with roasted corn salsa

1 lb pork, ground

½ - 1 yellow onion, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 med. tomatoes, diced

¼ c white wine

2 tsp oregano

2 tsp cumin

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper

1/3 c diced apple

 1) I like to add the spices directly to the pork, rather than to the whole dish while it is simmering. Coat the pork with the salt, pepper, oregano, cumin and cayenne and hand mix to work it into the meat, like you would with meatloaf. Don’t be afraid to get in there; it's just meat.

2) Brown the pork in a large sauté pan. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to separate the pork in to small pieces.

3) Drain the fat from the pan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for roughly 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

4) Turn to med-high heat. Add the wine. A white table wine will work fine. I used a Pinot Grigio when making the test recipe. The dryness contrasts well with the sweetness of the apples. Chardonnay may be too sweet. Let the dish simmer for 3 – 5 minutes.

5) Add the tomatoes and cook for another 5. Then, add the apples. (Both are currently in season here) Cook for 3 – 4 minutes or for however long it takes to get the apples to the consistency you’d like. I kept the apples in long enough to soak up the flavors but still keep some crispness, roughly 3 minutes. Serve warm with corn salsa.

 Roasted Corn Salsa

2 ears, or 1 large can, of corn

½ can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 tomato, diced

1 small jalapeño, finely diced

½ lime, for juice

Oil for sautéing, (very little) or non-stick spray

 1) Unfortunately, we’re not in prime corn season anymore but you can easily substitute canned corn for fresh. If using fresh, cut the end off of the cob so it stands easily when you remove the kernels. If using canned, drain the corn first. Add just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan. I use safflower oil; olive oil is a bit too heavy. Heat the pan over med-high heat and add the corn. Stir occasionally until corn is nicely browned. Remove from heat.

2) In a large mixing bowl, mix corn, black beans, tomato and jalapeño. Squeeze lime juice over the top. Serve fresh.