Luis Meléndez, Still Life with Cucumbers and Tomatoes Together with a Knife and other Kitchen Utensils upon a Wooden Table, 35.5 x 48cm, oil on canvas, Private collection

The still life above, an excellent example of a bodegón painting, is composed of the ingredients found in a simple salad – cucumber, tomato, olive oil, vinegar and salt. Meléndez contrasts the rough surfaces of the hewn table and nubby cucumbers with the smooth contours of the tomatoes and bowls. The diagonal knife creates a sense of depth in the composition and the brilliant coloured produce set against the dark background displays Meléndez‘s skill in rendering diffused light. There are several versions of this composition by Meléndez and according to the Sotheby’s catalogue entry for this painting, “The olive oil strainer, the jug of vinegar and the large alcorcón bowl were evidently favoured possessions of the painter for they recur in numerous other works.”

{Cucumber Finger Sandwiches}

Yield: 36 finger sandwiches

1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 Lebanese cucumber, thinly sliced
250 grams butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped herbs, a mixture of dill, parsley, chives, mint and coriander
loaf of soft white bread
sea salt

In a small bowl, add the vinegar, salt and cucumber slices. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, thoroughly mix the softened butter with the mixed herbs. Drain the cucumbers from the vinegar and begin to assemble the sandwiches. Spread a layer of butter, sprinkle over the sea salt and cover in one layer of cucumbers. Cut the crusts off the sandwich and slice into 3 to 4 long rectangles, depending on the size of the slice of bread.

Repeat until all of the ingredients have been used and serve. Can be made up to a day in advance.

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1 Year Ago: Colour Yellow – Gustavo Montoya – Banana Flan

2 Years Ago: Antoine Vollon – Parmesan Mustard Shortbread

Luis Meléndez, Piece of Salmon, Lemon and three Vessels, 1772
oil on canvas, 42 x 62 cm, Museo del Prado

Luis Meléndez is known for a series of still life paintings that were painted during a twenty year period at the end of his life. Piece of Salmon, Lemon and three Vessels was completed in the later half of this twenty year span and exemplifies his attention to detail derived from an early career as a miniaturist. The composition is dramatically lit, emphasised by the long shadow behind the lone lemon. The edge of the table is tilted to the right giving the impression that the lemon and the bowl are rolling along the surface. As is typical with Meléndez’s work, particular consideration is given to the texture of objects – each nick in the table and dent in the bowl is meticulously recorded. The series was commissioned by Charles III, Prince of Asturias for the New Cabinet of Natural History in the Royal Palace and was described by Meléndez as “an amusing cabinet with all types of foodstuffs that the Spanish climate produces”.

{Baked Salmon with a Dijon-Tarragon Crust}

Delicious when paired with a dry white wine or a light beer.

Yield: 1 serving

1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped tarragon
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1 salmon fillet 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
wedge of lemon

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, chopped tarragon and lemon zest. Mix well. Pat the salmon fillet dry with paper towel and sprinkle salt on the skin side. Pat the skin with oil and lay skin side down in a hot frying pan or griddle for 1 minute.

Remove the salmon from the heat and place on a baking tray, skin side down. Smear the mustard mixture over the top of the fillet and place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.

Once the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 120 degrees F, remove it from the oven and serve immediately with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice.

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1 Year Ago: Pablo Picasso – Sangria Chicken & Orange and Radicchio Salad

Pablo Picasso, Nature morte au citron et un pichet rouge
(Still Life with Lemon and Red Pitcher), c.1955
Etching, (image size) 33 x 40.6 cm, Edition of 300

After painting his way through first academic realism, then the subsequent Blue, Rose, and African-Influenced Periods, Cubism, Classicism and finally Surrealism, Pablo Picasso arrived at a point in his life where he reflected – not only on his own work but also the paintings of the Great Masters. He produced paintings based on work by a number of artists including Velazquez, Goya, Poussin, Manet, Courbet and Delacroix. The etchings from this period reveal an understanding of neo-expressionist work, a movement involving the return to depicting objects in a recognizable manner with bright colors and expressive brushstrokes. Neo-Expressionism emerged in the late 1970s although Picasso began to unravel the aesthetic theories a full 20 years earlier – demonstrating why he is the most important figure in 20th century art.

Sangria is a drink that has a multitude varieties and origins in Spain. It is often made with red wine, sliced fruit, a sweetener and slosh of hard liquor. The blood-like color of the finished drink provides the name – sangria is a derivative of the Spanish word sangre meaning blood. Sangria blanco is made with white wine (blanco being the Spanish word for white) and the variety common in northern Spain called zurra is made with peaches or nectarines (1). Regardless of the recipe used, every batch of Sangria I have ever sampled has been deliciously sweet and almost too easy to drink – especially after a long day in the Spanish sun.

{Sangria Chicken}

adapted from Gourmet

8 chicken wings
2 TB olive oil
salt & pepper
1 c red wine
1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 c orange marmalade
juice of half of a lemon
1 c red grapes, halved

Preheat the oven to 120C. Place the chicken on a roasting pan. Cover with a slick of oil and season with the salt and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes in the oven.

Meanwhile, place the red wine, vinegar, and marmalade in a small pot. Over medium heat, simmer until reduced to a thick consistency.

Drain the roasting liquids from the chicken after 20 minutes. Pour the reduced wine mixture over the chicken and add the halved grapes. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Serve warm.

{Orange & Radicchio Salad with Maple Chipotle Dressing}

adapted from Gourmet

1 orange, segmented
1 head of radicchio
1/4 c orange juice freshly squeezed
2 TB maple syrup
2 TB extra light olive oil
1 TB red wine vinegar
1 TB red onion, chopped
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp chipotle chili, chopped + 1 tsp adobo sauce
1/2 tsp sea salt

Whisk all of the liquids together and add the chili and onion. Arrange the radicchio leaves on a large platter and scatter over the segmented orange. Drizzle the dressing and serve.

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Those of you living in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney, I will be on Eastside Radio 89.7FM tomorrow morning (Monday 7 September) at about 10:45AM talking about Feasting on Art. My friend Laura co-hosts the arts show every Monday morning from 9:30 to 11:30AM. She is pretty fabulous so you should all become regular listeners!

Luis Meléndez, Still Life with Tomatoes, a Bowl of Aubergines and Onions, c. 1771-1774
Oil on canvas, 36.8 x 49 cm, framed Derek Johns, London

Although he received little acclaim during his lifetime, Luis Meléndez is now recognized as one of the greatest eighteenth century Spanish still life artists. His works are powerful and striking though his balanced composition and control of light. Highlights are found throughout the painting upon every surface imaginable. The precise brushstrokes convey texture (the smooth skin of the tomato and the rough stem of the aubergines) which in turn help to visualize the volume of the produce. Meléndez often placed the perspective at a very low vantage point to bring the subject matter closer to the viewer. With the ideas of the Enlightenment prevalent, Meléndez paid close attention to the natural forms found in everyday life (1).

Within Catalan cuisine there are five fundamental sauces including allioli, samfaina, picada, romesco, and sofregit. Hundreds of Catalan recipes begin by using sofregit as a base and it is use predominantly in recipes for sauces and stews. It a very old sauce dating back to medieval times with a mention in Libre de Sent Sovi from circa 1324. At that time in it’s history, sofregit was mainly composed of onions and leeks and it was not until the sixteenth century when tomatoes were brought over from the Americas that a version of the modern sofregit was born. The word sofregit is derived from the Catalan verb meaning to “underfry”, sofregir (2). The sauce is a lightly fried mixture of vegetables that over the low heat begin to caramelize.

{Baby Octopus in Sofregit Sauce}

Adapted from a recipe by José Andrés

1 jar artichokes
12 mushrooms
2 bay leaves
1/3 c white wine
1/3 c white wine vinegar
500g baby octopus
sofregit sauce (recipe below)
2 c medium grain rice
1 1/2 c fish stock
1/4 tsp turmeric
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp dried chili flakes

Cut the baby octopus into segments and put in a small bowl with the lemon and chili flakes. Let the citrus acid tenderize the octopus before searing it on a very hot pan. Do not cook more than 1-2 minutes tops or it will assume a rubbery texture.

Saute the mushrooms and artichokes in the same pan the octpus was cooked in with two bay leaves. Once golden add the white wine to de-glaze the bottom of the pan. Add the liquids and the sofregit sauce and bring to a boil.

Add the rice and boil for 5 minutes over heavy heat. Add the turmeric and stir to incorporate well. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 20-30 minutes until the rice is lovely and tender. You may need to add more liquid. Mix in the octopus and any allow the rice to stand. Squeeze over fresh lemon and serve.

{Sofregit Sauce}

2 TB olive oil
1 can diced tomatoes
1 brown onion, chopped
1/2 red capsicum
2 cloves purple garlic, chopped
5 mushrooms, chopped
2 small chilies, de-seeded and chopped
1 Bay leaf
salt
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano

Saute the onion, capsicum, garlic, and chilies in a pan until they are softened slightly. Add the remaining ingredients and cook over low heat until the vegetables are tender and the tomatoes begin to caramelize.

Juan Sánchez Cotán, Still-life with Quince, Cabbage, Melon and Cucumber, c. 1600
oil on Canvas, 69 x 85 cm, Museum of Art, San Diego

The Spanish painter Juan Sánchez Cotán is known as a pioneer of realism working within the transition period between Mannerist and Baroque painting. He established the still life style called ‘bodegón‘ where the game is dead, the vegetables are uncooked, and the background is dark and bleak which lends a surrealist air to the work (1). Cotán’s still lifes often have fruits and vegetables hanging at different levels with the objects lit in direct sunlight against the black background. This became a hallmark of Spanish still life painting and the positioning of the melon and cucumber just within reach on the edge of the table produces a trompe l’oeil effect popular in earlier Netherlandish painting. Although they seem to be in reach, each fruit and vegetable is isolated against the dark background creating an almost geometric composition (2).

Curtido is a cousin of coleslaw and is found in El Salvador and Mexico where it varies quite a bit between the two regions. In El Salvador it takes a form that is similar to sauerkraut with pickled vegetables (in mine I am using pickled carrots and melon) including onions, cabbage, carrots and a squeeze of lemon juice. In Mexico the salad takes on more of a relish form with only pickled carrots and onion remaining and the addition of jalapeño peppers (3). I added a few chilies to the recipe below creating a conglomerate of the two dishes. Similar to coleslaw, curtido it is used as a topping on a variety of dishes. Coleslaw is popular in America where it is used as a sandwich ingredient and as a side for barbecue meals.

{Spanish Curtido with Pickled Melon}

serves 4

1/2 head of cabbage
1 small cucumber
1 carrot, pickled
1/2 of a quince
1/3 of a small melon, pickled (recipe below)
1 Spanish onion
1-2 small chilies
Lemon-Oregano dressing (recipe below)

Thinly slice all of the ingredients and add them to a bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and toss to coat. The salad tastes better when it is allowed to sit for the flavors to develop.

{Lemon-Oregano Dressing}

Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1 TB dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp honey
salt and pepper
pinch of spicy paprika

Mix and use to dress a salad.

{Pickled Melon}

adapted from the Washington Post

1/4 c balsamic vinegar
1/4 c white wine vinegar
1 c water
1 TB honey
2 TB sugar
1 TB orange zest
1 clove
1 bay leaf
3 coriander seeds
1 pink peppercorn

1 medium honeydew melon or cantaloupe cut into cubes.

Add all of the ingredients except the melon into a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the liquid has begun to reduce, strain and discard the solids.

Put the melon into a nonmetal bowl and pour over the warm pickling liquid. Let sit for about 10 minutes, drain and serve.