Feasting on Art

This is a flexible and forgiving recipe with any number of ingredients and combinations culminating in a delicious meal. My previous recipe for chipotle chicken enchiladas could be easily adapted for this torta and using my pumpkin mole would be divine. Assembled in a cake pan, this dish produces dramatic results when sliced to reveal the numerous layers and using sour cream ‘icing’ as a tongue-in-cheek nod to the original purpose of the baking dish is a clever way to cut the heat. Although this is a vegetarian dish, it produces a very filling dinner that is excellent reheated the next day. Just as Rivera highlighted local produce in his mural, this tortilla ‘cake’ is the perfect vehicle to play up the versatility of vegetables.

Diego Rivera, Detroit Industry: East Wall (detail), 1932-1933
fresco, variable dimensions, Detroit Institute of Art

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I am excited to be writing from Michigan where I am on holiday for the next couple of weeks. Trading winter for summer has been wonderful, and last night I had the pleasure of testing out a few recipes in my aunt & uncle’s wood-fired pizza oven. It is a beautiful set-up (pictured below) and I am so impressed with his pizza handling skills. I tried to slide the pesto pizza into the oven and lost most of the cherry tomatoes to the fire in the process. The dough we used was purchased from Gordon’s – you could also make your own using this recipe, omitting the rosemary and lemon zest. The cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of the pizza crust but in a very hot, wood-fired oven it only took about three minutes.

Claes Oldenburg, Flying Pizza, 1964
lithograph, 43.2 x 56.2 cm, edition of 200

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This recipe was a last minute addition to my Thanksgiving menu last year after landing in Brisbane during a heatwave and realizing that my butter-heavy winter dishes from the Midwest would not do. The salad was delightfully light and refreshing and was the only dish to be finished at dinner. It was not until making the recipe for this post that I was able to experience the pleasure of eating these beans as leftovers – the vinaigrette ever so slightly pickles the beans which gives them an entirely new flavor and texture. I am a glutton for all things pickled and I selfishly gobbled up all of the beans without sharing them with anyone!

Julian Opie, Still Life with Green Beans, Chilli Pepper and Carrots, 2001
lambda print with laminated onto canvas, with a gloss seal, mounted on stretcher, 39 x 65 cm

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I have made this recipe several times tweaking and perfecting as I go. I was just given an inside tip to use dark brown sugar and sherry vinegar so you may see a reincarnation of this delicious marmalade sometime in the future. It is delicious when paired with creamy goat’s cheese and thyme and even better on a freshly grilled hamburger or steak sandwich. It is fairly easy to make so be sure to include a jar at your 4th of July picnic this year and don’t be surprise if it is the first empty dish on the table.

William Merritt Chase, Just Onions (Onions; Still Life), 1912
Oil on wood panel, 53.34 x 65.25 cm, Los Angeles County Museum of Art

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