Feasting on Art

Frida Kahlo and her pet deer, Granizo, 1939, photograph by Nickolas Muray

 
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I tasted my first authentic mole in Mexico City on a History of Art trip to study the art of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. With the vibrant paintings swirling through my head, I became completely intoxicated with mole poblano. From the Mexican word molli meaning ‘concoction,’ mole is commonly known in the combined form guacamole - avocado concoction. Mole is a generic term for a variety of sauces in Mexico with ingredients ranging from chilies and peanuts to tomatillos and chocolate. It is typically used to top chicken but in restaurants it is often used in enchiladas. The pumpkin mole yields a lighter sauce, not as complex or heavy as traditional recipes – perfect when paired with fresh lime as a summer lunch.

Frida Kahlo, Still Life, 1942
oil on copper, 64.5 cm diameter, Museo Frida Kahlo, Mexico City

 
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Welcome to Feasting on Art’s brand new home – a new look designed by Alyson of Seventy and Sunny and a new URL. There is the same Recipe Index but a new About page. I still have to get a photo up but until then you can see a pseudo self-portrait here. I have a bit more work to do before I will feel completely settled in but I really love the new site. As you can see there is now a designated space for sponsors, email tresjoliestudios AT gmail DOT com for the current advertising specs.

I planned out this post before I realised its significance as the first on the new blog. Luckily the ceviche combines many of  my favorite ingredients – seafood, fresh fruit, lime, and spicy pickled jalapeños. Ceviche is a seafood dish that originated on the Mexican coast. The seafood is marinated in citrus juices which pickle the meat and effectively cooks it without heat. The flavors are sweet and spicy with a hint of sour from the lime. It is the perfect summer dish and is best enjoyed with a glass of cold white wine and a view of the ocean.

Frida Kahlo, Still Life: Viva la vida y el Dr. Juan Farill, 1953-54
Oil on masonite, 39 x 64.7 cm, Private Collection

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Although Frida Kahlo is best known for her striking and emotionally revealing self portraits, she created about 40 still life paintings that provide just as much insight into her preoccupation with death and her overwhelming loneliness. I was recently given an anthology detailing Kahlo’s entire body of still life paintings and have become so enamored with her work that I will be completing a five part series of my favorite artworks. This is not the first time Kahlo’s art has appeared on this site and I hope by the end of this series you will adore her work like I do.

Frida Kahlo, Lágrimas de coco (Coconut Tears), 1951
Oil on masonite, 22.8 x 29.8 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

Coconuts are a familiar foodstuff in many of Frida Kahlo’s still life paintings. The nut is differentiated in many of the works from the other fruits and vegetables because it has anthropomorphic eyes. In the painting Coconut Tears, the coconut weep and make eye contact with the viewer. The Spanish title Lágrimas de coco is a pun on the phrase lágrimas de cocodrilo, crocodile tears – meaning insincere tears because as the story goes, crocodiles cry to lure their prey closer or they shed tears as they consume them (1). This painting was completed as a companion painting to Coconuts (a work of a similar size and nature depicting a weeping coconut peeking out at the viewer from behind a large slice of watermelon) and was commissioned by physician friend of Kahlo’s who returned the work after picking up on the joke.

{Coconut Milk Ice Cream with Caramelized Papaya & Lime}

Adapted from Bon Appétit, July 2002

1 can (400ml) coconut milk
1/2 c thickened cream
1/2 c sugar
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1 1/2 limes
1 TB natural ginger uncrystallized, finely minced
pinch of salt

Papaya, sliced into wedges
1/2 lime, thinly sliced
1 TB butter
2 TB brown sugar

Combine all ingredients into a freezer safe container ensuring the salt and sugars have dissolved. Place in freezer and stir every 30 minutes to break up ice crystals to ensure the ice cream is smooth.

Once the ice cream has set, melt the butter in a skillet and add the brown sugar until melted. Place the sliced fruit on the hot skillet and flip after 30 seconds or once golden. Serve together immediately.

This is the first post in a five part series examining the still life paintings of Frida Kahlo.

Right now the old adage could not be more true, when it rains it pours! In my last post I mentioned my inclusion in ARTnews magazine, since then I also had a writeup in my hometown newspaper The Flint Journal and was interviewed on Eastside Radio about my blog and photography. With all of these wonderful things happening at once I felt like celebrating and so this menu for a Mexican Fiesta seemed apt. I would like to thank everyone who reads this blog for all of their encouragement – creating this space has been a wonderful addition to my life.

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I would like to once again highlight the Arts Monday show on Eastside Radio 89.7FM co-hosted by Laura and Nick. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of the show and I would like to encourage anyone who is remotely interested in art to listen every Monday from 9:30-11:30AM.

{Mexican Fiesta Menu}

salad
Kahlo’s Pico de Gallo

main
Rivera’s Chipotle Chicken Enchiladas

dessert
Botero’s Frozen Watermelon Margaritas

beverage
Leger’s Michelada