Feasting on Art

Dating all the way back to the 16th century, potato salad was brought by the Spanish from the Americas to Europe. Their version was made by boiling potatoes in vinegar or wine – giving the starchy and often stodgy food a light and sour twang. The German variety, also made with vinegar was Americanised in the early 20th century via a generous dressing of mayonnaise (1). With my recipe, I wanted to recall the original tart flavour of the dish layered with sweet and salty ingredients, taking this salad beyond typical cook-out fare. This is my go-to recipe, scrawled on a stained and creased recipe card, copied and saved years ago from a long-forgotten source. The use of fresh dill is a necessity – not only for the taste, but also the smell when it is tossed with the hot roasted spuds.

Cornelius Hankins, Still Life with Potatoes, 1902
oil on canvas, 50.8 x 76.2 cm, Cheekwood Museum of Art

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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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As with my previous two recipes, I made these delicate crespelles for my house guests while they stayed the week with me before their travels. After a rather late night where we enjoyed life a bit too much these were the best hangover cure (except for one of us!). Warm and filling the bacon & mushroom ragu would be wonderful over some warm pasta or spooned onto a crusty crostini.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo, The Vegetable Gardener, c.1590
oil on wood, 35 x 24 cm, Museo Civico Ala Ponzone, Cremona, Italy

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I know that this is only my eighth recipe here on Feasting on Art and like the lemon & orange ice cream this risotto has a focus on citrus flavors. If you are familiar with still life paintings then you will know that the majority of them will feature a lemon somewhere on the canvas. Traditionally citrus fruits represented the wealth of the patron commissioning the painting because they were exotic commodities that required a substantial sum of money to acquire. In an era where artists were treated as craftsmen, the lemon became a test for the artist to demonstrate skill in illustrating the different manipulations of light. The paint was carefully applied to depict the lustrous light glowing from within the semi-translucent flesh of the lemon with the delicately cut peel curled in a long tendril showing a complex perspective (example here). These beautiful fruits will in all likelihood be featured many times here at Feasting on Art but like the 17th century artists, the lemon is a challenge for me to keep looking for new fresh and inspired recipes.

Giovanna Garzoni, Still Life with Bowl of Citrons, late 1640s
tempera on vellum, 27.6 x 35.2 cm, J Paul Getty Museum

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