Two Parcels

I order a good many books, CDs and sundry other items on-line, so it’s not uncommon that I’ll come home to find a parcel waiting for me, or else a slip of paper which I must take to the nearest post-office counter to exchange for a parcel: which, in our case, is located in the Hemköp supermarket a few minutes’ walk away from the apartment. Last week I was lucky enough to receive two parcels other than the usual gifts to myself…

Ruud Pols, a Dutch artist, sent me a copy of a newly-published book of his drawings, entitled Liggende figuren (Reclining figures), published to coincide with an exhibition of his work at the Hein Elferink Gallery in the Dutch village of Staphorst. Ruud had been in touch with me via e-mail before (and was responsible for introducing me to the work of Saul Steinberg.) I was flattered when he wrote that he had found this Giornale a source of inspiration for his work. I’ve reproduced three images from the book here: click on them to see them much enlarged.

At first glance, the rich charcoal black in these images vaguely reminded me of Redon’s Noirs, but with an added sense of pervasive menace: these figures are only reclining because there is no way they can get up. Pols himself writes: ‘Looking over my shoulder in my bookshelf I notice that it´s especially the photographers’ world that inspires me: Eugene Richards, Sally Mann, Lucinda Devlin. Like Diane Arbus once said to her painter/friend: “You invent, where I discover.” It’s reminiscent of the way I look towards my drawings and why I love photography.’

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The second gift-book arrived the next day from Brazil, courtesy of fellow weblogger Bibi. After participating in a couple of the Giornale’s giveaways, she had kindly offered to send something of Brazil to what I imagine to be its cultural antipode here in Scandinavia. I mentioned that I wouldn’t mind some kind of cook-book, and Bibi came up with the goods in the shape of Caloca Fernandes’ A Culinária Paulista Tradicional, in which, conveniently for me, all of the recipes are given in Portugese and English. I’ve picked out one recipe from the book, a simple but delicious-looking chicken dish, Frango a Moda dos Moreiras, which follows below:

• 1 large farm-bred chicken, cut up into small pieces
• 4 cups water
• 3 tbsp lime or lemon juice
• 3 tbsp corn meal
• ½ cup vegetable oil or lard
• 1 tsp annatto seeds
• salt to taste
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 tbsp basil, chopped
• 1 cup parsley, chopped

1. Put the pieces of chicken in a bowl, cover with water, add the lemon or lime juice, and set aside for about 3 hours. Remove from the water and drain well.
2. Rub the pieces of chicken with the corn meal, wash, drain, and wipe dry with paper towels.
3. Put the oil or lard and the annatto seeds in an iron pot and heat it up over a very high flame. Allow the annatto seeds to fry for about 1 minute, remove from the pan, and discard.
4. Add the chicken and fry, stirring constantly, until well browned. Add the salt and garlic, cover the pan, and leave to simmer, adding water a little at a time, until the chicken is tender.
5. Add the onion, basil, and parsley, and cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, arrange on a platter, and serve.

Note: if the recipe is prepared with commercially-bred chicken, start with step 3.

This recipe serves 6. The recommended accompaniments are collard greens and fried cassava root.

My thanks again to Ruud & Bibi!

Posted by misteraitch at July 4, 2005 10:40 AM