I picked up Larry McMurtry’s Lonesome Dove after having read Virginia Evans’ fantastic epistolary novel The Correspondent, where a fictional correspondence with the McMurtry occurs within the pages. I didn’t know much about the book at all, nor did I realize it was now enjoying its 41st anniversary.
About a quarter through the considerable tome, I was thrilled to join in on a Lonesome Dove conversation I happened to overhear in a bookstore, and was stunned to see a recent article in The New Yorker about what to read after Lonesome Dove! Rarely have I felt so attuned to any sort of zeitgeist.
When I told a friend I what I was reading, he cocked an eye, raised an eyebrow and said, “A western?” I replied, “Well, sorta...” and said that although the action takes place in the Old West, the book is many things...it’s also a love story. Yes, there are those themes you’d expect, like nature’s savagery and the savage nature of man, but the characters could really be anywhere, their souls filled with hope and regrets, the same as anyone else, even as they weigh their mortality and wonder at the stars in the nighttime sky.
I also reminded my friend that Lonesome Dove won the Pulitzer.
When I told a friend I what I was reading, he cocked an eye, raised an eyebrow and said, “A western?” I replied, “Well, sorta...” and said that although the action takes place in the Old West, the book is many things...it’s also a love story. Yes, there are those themes you’d expect, like nature’s savagery and the savage nature of man, but the characters could really be anywhere, their souls filled with hope and regrets, the same as anyone else, even as they weigh their mortality and wonder at the stars in the nighttime sky.
I also reminded my friend that Lonesome Dove won the Pulitzer.
By book’s end, I realized I had fallen in love myself. I think the characters of Call and Augustus will saddle up to a special forever place in your bookish heart as well—and when you have your next glass of water, give a moment to appreciate how good it really is.
Now, the cowboys do travel with a cook as they make the harrowing trek from Arkansas to Montana herding cattle, and they can’t be too picky, of course, but what they actually eat sounds super gross. I will therefore spare you any sort of recipe involving worms or grasshoppers and instead, offer up a delicious recipe for Cowboy Caviar, similar to what they serve at Cowgirl back here in my home, on the range of Manhattan.
Do enjoy!
Cowboy Caviar
Adapted from loveandlemons.com
Adapted from loveandlemons.com
Ingredients
1½ cups cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
1½ cups fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
½ cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, reserve some for garnish
2 large avocados, pitted and diced
Tortilla chips, for serving
Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime, plus more wedges for serving
1¼ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together the black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and most of the cilantro.
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, sugar, garlic, cumin, and several grinds of pepper. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and stir to combine.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Just before serving, fold in the avocado and season to taste. I like to add a few more squeezes of lime at this point. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
2 Roma tomatoes, diced (about 1 heaping cup)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and diced
½ cup diced red onion
1 jalapeño pepper, finely chopped
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro, reserve some for garnish
2 large avocados, pitted and diced
Tortilla chips, for serving
Dressing
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Juice of 1 lime, plus more wedges for serving
1¼ teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a large bowl, stir together the black beans, black-eyed peas, corn, tomatoes, bell pepper, onion, jalapeño, and most of the cilantro.
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, salt, sugar, garlic, cumin, and several grinds of pepper. Pour the dressing over the bean mixture and stir to combine.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to allow the flavors to develop. Just before serving, fold in the avocado and season to taste. I like to add a few more squeezes of lime at this point. Garnish with the reserved cilantro and serve with tortilla chips.
