"You can write a listicle about any subject which can be divided into bullet points. That’s… pretty much everything." Corinna Keefe/Shorthand
... Including, I thought, my odds and ends pieces. Indeed I think I mentioned the word 'listicle' way back when I noticed it attached to this kind of item which is always featured in the Woolworths Fresh Ideas Magazine. This is their latest one. It was a new word to me and so I looked it up and found:
"a newspaper, magazine, or online article that is in the form of a list" Cambridge Dictionary
or for the contrary view:
"the perfect format for people who aren’t bothered to read a real article, but still want to feel like they’re learning something" Bored Panda/Urban Dictionary
It's actually one of those words which clearly demonstrates the gulf between the academic, status quo and PR world and the underworld, if you will, of the supposedly clever but snarky commentators on that world. On the academic side, apparently the University of Chicago has even classed the listicle as a literary form. I find all this so fascinating. Language always evolves from the bottom up, whether that be the urban poor, their slang and lazy form of speaking, today's rapidly changing texting language, coupled with limited 'posh' vocabulary, and the academic world likes to study such things, both from a linguistic and literary point of view and a socialistic one too.
For me I think I would define it as an updated Power Point presentation with its boring bullet points, which just showed in a written form what the speaker was actually saying. I did a few myself, but I always tried to include pictures and this is apparently, according to Corinna Keefe on the Shorthand website (which I think is all about marketing and PR): "another of the listicle’s sacred rules: show, don’t tell." or as we used to say "a picture is worth a thousand words."
A last word on listicles themselves, before I embark on my own. There are::
"three types of listicles: simple collections of information; definitive lists (such as “top 10”); and the “framework list”, Jack Shepherd/Buzzfeed/NiemanLab
I'm not sure which of those the following is going to fit into - probably the first, but I'll try for a theme this time perhaps. Recipes that caught my eye and that one day I might try - and no they are not all Ottolenghi, but of course he does make an appearance. So let's begin with him:
I recently subscribed to the Ottolenghi newsletter (it's free) - half of which is, of course, trying to sell you Ottolenghi hampers and other products, but there are also recipes. Probably from old books, but they are sort of reminders. Stupidly the site doesn't tell you which book it's in, which I think is a bit of poor marketing. After all if you loved it you might actually go and buy the book. Anyway this was in the last newsletter and it looked absolutely gorgeous - I'm a sucker for pictures as you know - and I will try this one day. Next time I have to feed vegetarian guests perhaps. It's the right time of year for this too. Just.
From Dan Lepard, one of the UK's top baking gurus in The Guardian. Not quite such a stunning photograph this time but I adore dumplings, so was a bit taken by them. I think I came across them when I was looking for something else. They are pretty simple and flexible and can be used as a topping for any kind of stew or soup. Winter is not that far away, even though, now in the middle of autumn it is a very summery 29 degrees today. Next week it will probably be cold and wet.
So yes winter is not far away, and yet summer lingers, so it's not too late to grab those last nectarines and make granita. We don't make enough of nectarines do we? Although they seem to have almost replaced peaches which is very sad. Granita too. Why don't we make that more often? I mean it's basically very simple. As you can see Coles didn't even bother to give it the full recipe treatment - it was just a quick light-bulb idea as a preface for their section on seasonal produce. All you do is make a sugar syrup which will take you all of 10 minutes and blend with your chopped nectarine before freezing in a tray, giving it a scrape with a fork now and then. Any other fruit will do of course.
This time from another Guardian favourite - Nigel Slater - a winter dish. Well the apples are coming into season and you can always get marmalade, although our home-made stocks are running low. Indeed will there be enough to last until the next marmalade making season in July/August? And good luck finding the mincemeat. So next time you see it on a supermarket shelf, buy a few jars - it will keep for ages and make this pie. Save the other jars for those Christmas mince pies.
Such a great way of making any pie by the way. Take two sheets of butter puff pastry, Put your filling on one layer, top with the other and bake.
I see that I have been seasonal - the only season missing is spring - but I did make a sort of Primavera quiche the other day - carrots, peas, onions and bacon. And it's actually pretty hard to tell this year, which season we are in. In Melbourne at least.
POSTSCRIPT
I forgot to mention that listicles often have an initial index page - especially when they are digital. Then you click on the image - it's always and image these days - that corresponds to that particular item on the list - and that will take you to the individual item.
I suppose my initial BLOG page does that, with the individual posts clickable. The items on the list take you to the whole thing.
Yes no need to give you this kind of an index at the top of each post because they are the actual bullet points. The introductory page is the index.
Move over Power Point. Do people still use it?