Velazquez paints food

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME7LDwhzGZEjeCU20OqC8_hy2z5i63VOgHetuyG59FvPwki3EUPGiyQdUv0BGKMXC1yeFl3HjCv1rxiEK_dMxd6UcjjtJloIupqrcDrg6a3rmOaPbC8pnKkj55Zwub-LjFkxkSttg3CBs/s1600/velazquez_frying_eggs.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627075091734357330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjME7LDwhzGZEjeCU20OqC8_hy2z5i63VOgHetuyG59FvPwki3EUPGiyQdUv0BGKMXC1yeFl3HjCv1rxiEK_dMxd6UcjjtJloIupqrcDrg6a3rmOaPbC8pnKkj55Zwub-LjFkxkSttg3CBs/s400/velazquez_frying_eggs.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 344px;" /></a>We're home again from our long trip out west. And I'm again looking at the topic of how artists (maybe not many of them) have pursued the topic of food and cooking. It seems that one such painter was Velazquez (1599-1660). I am especially interested in the picture above, "Old woman cooking eggs," painted when Velazquez was very young. I have little information about what he was thinking or any meaning beyond a realistic depiction of a simple subject. The contemporary Dutch painters' still life works had a great deal of symbolism in them. Here? I don't know.<br /><br />There are quite a few more, including this one:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOleYNezWobrMLWW2JWm9py2C4j6sFxO3ppbqL9l_jb61sjKdKCtxpf-4vYHYwcVbyd354uzE_gVTAUt7EubQAqh8K7v29HeEmT8LUykFQWHidVaGCgx2eCFRbR4xs0B7e8s2cghyphenhyphenc_yd/s1600/+velazquez-food.jpeg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5627075101296492898" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbOleYNezWobrMLWW2JWm9py2C4j6sFxO3ppbqL9l_jb61sjKdKCtxpf-4vYHYwcVbyd354uzE_gVTAUt7EubQAqh8K7v29HeEmT8LUykFQWHidVaGCgx2eCFRbR4xs0B7e8s2cghyphenhyphenc_yd/s400/+velazquez-food.jpeg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 375px; height: 400px;" /></a>

Velazquez paints food

We're home again from our long trip out west. And I'm again looking at the topic of how artists (maybe not many of them) have pursue...

Baca selengkapnya »

George Lang 1924-2011

The <span style="font-style: italic;">New York Times</span> today published the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/07/nyregion/george-lang-of-cafe-des-artistes-dies-at-86.html?_r=1&ref=dining">obituary of George Lang</a>, a cookbook author and an impressario of restaurants, most famously the Cafe des Artistes in New York, and the post-communist reincarnation of the historic restaurant Gundel in Budapest. Lang was born on July 13, 1924, in Szekesfehervar, Hungary. He originally studied music, and intended to be a musician. His first deviation from his plan was to be in the resistance in World War II after escaping from a Nazi prison camp. As a Jew, he had little choice but resistance, but by joining the fascist Arrow Cross militia was able to assist other Jews in hiding. His parents died in Auschwitz.<br /><br />Lang escaped to New York and resumed his intended career as a musician, but eventually discovered his talent for designing and running restaurants and also for writing cookbooks. <span style="font-style: italic;">The Cuisine of Hungary</span> is one of my favorite ethnic cookbooks, which the obituary says was the first Hungarian cookbook in English.<br /><br />According to the <span style="font-style: italic;">Times:</span><br /><blockquote>"Mr. Lang often enjoyed constructing fantasy meals, including his last. The ideal final meal, he told The Village Voice in 2007, would include some of the great dishes from his restaurant career but above all his Hungarian favorites: fisherman’s soup, stuffed goose neck, sour cherry soup, layered cabbage, stuffed peppers, plum dumplings, pancakes with apple meringue, and whipped-cream strudel.<br /><br />"'And then I will have what it takes to get to another world,' he said."<br /></blockquote>

George Lang 1924-2011

The New York Times today published the obituary of George Lang , a cookbook author and an impressario of restaurants, most famously the Caf...

Baca selengkapnya »

Picnic Game Day

Happy picnic day: don't forget to check <a href="http://monthsofediblecelebrations.blogspot.com/2011/07/its-time-for-2011-picnic-game-round-up.html">Louise's blog</a> for a complete list of 26 picnic foods in alphabetical order! My post,<br /><h1><a href="http://regional-food.blogspot.com/2011/06/picnic-game-from-louise.html">A-Apricot Cobbler</a></h1>has been up for around a week. There are 16 recipes for desserts and sweet baked goods, and a very interesting Portuguese dish that starts with "X" among the delicious foods for this virtual picnic.

Picnic Game Day

Happy picnic day: don't forget to check Louise's blog for a complete list of 26 picnic foods in alphabetical order! My post, A-Apri...

Baca selengkapnya »

Aspen Water Tastes Better

The insistent marketing of Fiji Water in Aspen has infuriated me. Aspen tap water comes from local mountain springs, and trucks aren't necessary to bring it up the mountain, nor boats to bring it from distant exotic islands. Fiji Water sponsors many of the Aspen events, thus buying the right to have its logo all over town. I think it's shameful! Aspen tap water is delicious.<div><br /></div><div>Today I was happy to read <a href="http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20110630/NEWS/110629796/1077&ParentProfile=1058">(here)</a> that the city of Aspen is rolling out an effort to create appreciation for their own local water. According to a city official: "When people talk about bottled water, they have this image that comes from mountain streams and pristine environments, and they don't realize that's exactly where Aspen's tap water comes from."</div><div><br /></div><div>Like several national parks that I visited lately, Aspen is installing "filling stations" where tourists and locals are encouraged to fill their re-usable water bottles instead of buying plastic ones and throwing them away. The city is selling stainless steel bottles with the logo "Aspen Tap" and the words “Better Than Bottled.” The national parks have also instituted a policy that park-located shops sell only re-usable bottles, not bottled water, a policy that wouldn't work in a city with private enterprise. I hope that they can counter the pernicious advertising efforts.</div><div><br /></div>

Aspen Water Tastes Better

The insistent marketing of Fiji Water in Aspen has infuriated me. Aspen tap water comes from local mountain springs, and trucks aren't n...

Baca selengkapnya »

Wrap up: Simple Cooking

During our 3 weeks in Aspen (we leave Sunday), I've been paying a lot of attention to the contrast between elaborate restaurant meals and simple, more healthful home cooking -- as I've mentioned. When we arrived, I set myself a challenge: to cook without many condiments, spices, and extra ingredients; that is, I've been trying to buy only plain, unprocessed foods that are intended to be eaten at one or two meals. I'm avoiding a lot of food that normally remains on the shelf or in the refrigerator and would go to waste when I leave. Even peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches or hot dogs with crisp rolls and mustard qualify for my simple fare. <br /> <br />Here are a few things I've done. One night, I flavored pan-fried lamb sirloin with strips of red pepper, and served it with mustard, a few tomato wedges and sprigs of cilantro, and a side of steamed broccoli.<div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FHnv_eivz11mvz-i9yz-w6QDqEh8yix02U2JhnjqiRoxU07lrTi3IWoO4pMopAhGmDq_ZZn43FpTTy3roRfYfps4xJhV4nqgmIKQRFa8MQ0M4oEvp7dMz4BhPhvMkg8uaU2a97Z17SZl/s1600/simple7134.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116918366239682" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8FHnv_eivz11mvz-i9yz-w6QDqEh8yix02U2JhnjqiRoxU07lrTi3IWoO4pMopAhGmDq_ZZn43FpTTy3roRfYfps4xJhV4nqgmIKQRFa8MQ0M4oEvp7dMz4BhPhvMkg8uaU2a97Z17SZl/s400/simple7134.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>For dessert we ate fruit: cut-up cantaloupe, and strawberries. The cantaloupe was unadorned, but I glazed the berries with a mixture of 1/3 cup apricot jam (initially destined for PB&J) and 2 tablespoons of my wonderful wine vinegar made from Italian Pinot Grigio. I heated the glaze in a pyrex cup in the microwave so that it would melt together and be able to coat the strawberries. Sugar would be easier -- but bulk items like sugar or flour weren't on my very short list of pantry staples.</div><div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-qjfqp8CYGgkItwifIlqU-h_vQ1Bf_BjDIzhlJe2R4xnn4dTZNxl1A9wgkl7xii85sySYKFaHOlWzynZbVa_n1YrHpDksWcY7uPWVvJWjW0w2S-Ui6P3sRleaRWLG8M8DPNlAYm6n0F/s1600/simple7136.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116923101834834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhue-qjfqp8CYGgkItwifIlqU-h_vQ1Bf_BjDIzhlJe2R4xnn4dTZNxl1A9wgkl7xii85sySYKFaHOlWzynZbVa_n1YrHpDksWcY7uPWVvJWjW0w2S-Ui6P3sRleaRWLG8M8DPNlAYm6n0F/s400/simple7136.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a>Another day, I made meatballs with sweet-sour sauce from some moderately low-fat ground beef. <div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM4vm_su7QMin22M82hl1JDYQB9nI2oFjlP1YX5uULtARd7A_shcqkv6E1EQp6mQvnqWvZ_Nm_w3maD4uy-rYszu5ssMdEDL8D-CNwr0tFeXTTLT7gLaeGcxQyki2YFnVa9RvC5KeqCAD/s1600/simple7218.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624120086113315490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYM4vm_su7QMin22M82hl1JDYQB9nI2oFjlP1YX5uULtARd7A_shcqkv6E1EQp6mQvnqWvZ_Nm_w3maD4uy-rYszu5ssMdEDL8D-CNwr0tFeXTTLT7gLaeGcxQyki2YFnVa9RvC5KeqCAD/s400/simple7218.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" /></a><meta charset="utf-8">To make the meatball mixture, I had no flour or prepared bread crumbs, but I crushed a few AkMak sesame crackers to serve that purpose. Besides fixing the texture, this gave the meat balls a bit of sesame flavor. Other ingredients: an egg, some chopped onion, and of course my Spanish smoked paprika and Trader Joe's salt, the two trusty spices I brought with me. The meatball mixture also had a tablespoon or two of the sweet-sour sauce I made. In this: a can of prepared organic tomato sauce, a drizzle of my wonderful vinegar, a shake of salt and paprika, and 2 purloined packets of brown sugar from a cafe (yes, that's cheating, I know, but I did buy a cup of coffee). I sauteed the meatballs in a bit of olive oil and added the sauce, which I'd heated in the microwave. Garnish again: tomato and fresh cilantro. On the side: fresh pineapple chunks also from the supermarket.</div><div> <br />Not all restaurant cooking is that much different, though it frequently has considerably more added fat and salt. Here is an admittedly delicious restaurant salad at Mezzaluna restaurant that wasn't that much more complex than my concoctions:<div> <br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCGo02w0A5Z9uNMc0mjFDv75y560cKjMEmKyBRGWn-ICiWU3H4HG75aZ9Abd2tsbJiliIkRcknbHvqhkVSDBOkH1ZYfaF7I6SpiYzD5jkkCEbRBeisw31gqjO0ScZBjOmJMSC399imfFs/s1600/simple7202.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624116919414838130" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXCGo02w0A5Z9uNMc0mjFDv75y560cKjMEmKyBRGWn-ICiWU3H4HG75aZ9Abd2tsbJiliIkRcknbHvqhkVSDBOkH1ZYfaF7I6SpiYzD5jkkCEbRBeisw31gqjO0ScZBjOmJMSC399imfFs/s400/simple7202.jpg" style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 299px;" /></a></div></div><div> <br /></div><div><meta charset="utf-8">The restaurant salad did contain quite a few more ingredients than most of my productions. The price was also a lot higher than cooking at home -- the overwhelming cost of restaurant meals is another motivating factor here in Aspen more than most places. </div></div>

Wrap up: Simple Cooking

During our 3 weeks in Aspen (we leave Sunday), I've been paying a lot of attention to the contrast between elaborate restaurant meals an...

Baca selengkapnya »

Aspen Restaurants Again

Last night we celebrated Elaine's birthday at a restaurant called "Elevation." It was excellent. Seating was in a courtyard above the actual restaurant, which seems to be in a basement. The food was excellent, and so was the service. The first course, charcutrie, was house-made and wonderful:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5882414772/" title="elaine&larry7318 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="elaine&larry7318" height="478" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5143/5882414772_1631ecb53c_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />One of our main courses:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5881854747/" title="elaine&larry7316 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="elaine&larry7316" height="480" src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6020/5881854747_271a74c75c_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />Elaine's dessert with a birthday sparkler:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5882415004/" title="elaine&larry7322 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="elaine&larry7322" height="480" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5319/5882415004_0319c652cd_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />Click on any of these to see the flickr set with more photos.

Aspen Restaurants Again

Last night we celebrated Elaine's birthday at a restaurant called "Elevation." It was excellent. Seating was in a courtyard ab...

Baca selengkapnya »

Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we also like quietly eating simpler things in our condo -- tuna and vegetable salad, chicken strips, seared lamb chops with broccoli, and always cereal for breakfast. <br /><br />The first time we ate out, we tried a very nice but unremarkable Mexican restaurant called Palapa, which didn't seem very photogenic. I'd be surprised if it's frequented by the Aspen elite either, but one never knows around here.<br /><br />Last weekend, we bicycled to the very quirky Woody Creek Tavern, around 6 miles down the extraordinary Rio Grand Trail. Woody Creek Tavern is known for home-style food in an eccentric atmosphere. The walls are entirely covered with trinkets, photos, notes from customers, and posters -- such as one of their most famous customer, the late Hunter Thompson, who ran for sheriff in 1970.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864672776/" title="aspenrestaurants14 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants14" height="180" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3284/5864672776_690908b95c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864634842/" title="aspenrestaurants 11 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 11" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5271/5864634842_957894975c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We also ate dinner one night at the famous Ajax Tavern at the foot of the Gondola which carries skiers in winter and hikers in summer. I suspect that celebrities do come here but I'm not much good at spotting them. Ajax Tavern's green gazpacho was delicious.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631748/" title="aspenrestaurants 6 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 6" height="180" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5107/5864631748_8a227e755e_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />Here's the Ajax Tavern kitchen/staging area:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078481/" title="aspenrestaurants 5 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 5" height="375" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/5864078481_49e5778639.jpg" width="500" /></a><br /><br />The Ajax Tavern has a lot of trendy dishes, such as truffle-oil-flavored french fries and reimagined ice cream bars:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864078385/" title="aspenrestaurants 3 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 3" height="180" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2701/5864078385_1b4fb3810c_m.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />For lunch one day, right near our condo, I tried Mezzaluna, a small cafe with a very nice patio and very appealing menu. I love the way the trees cast shadows on the big cafe awnings. My salad was very good, and I hope to go back and try their pizza.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/12003515@N05/5864631532/" title="aspenrestaurants 2 by mesander2000, on Flickr"><img alt="aspenrestaurants 2" height="480" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5279/5864631532_355a8d958e_z.jpg" width="640"></a><br /><br />For access to the entire Flickr photo set -- lots more photos of each place -- click on any photo here.

Eating Out in Aspen

The restaurants in Aspen are all very good. Some are famous, and some are known for their famous clients. I've already described how we ...

Baca selengkapnya »