Photography by Zachary Zavislak, so beautiful & painterly... Check out his work: Zachary Zavislak

I need to start thinking about what to make for Thanksgiving. I just read a recipe in the new Food & Wine for a red wine caramel pear tarte Tatin.... looks really special. Here is how to make it.

Cucina Povera

Tonight for dinner I made farfalle pasta with a sauce assembled from scraps that were laying around. This consisted of leftovers from last Thursday's dinner party (roasted butternut squash and an herb/ricotta cheese mixture) and also a bit of canned tomato, chick peas, garlic, onion, mint, basil, and olive oil. Let me tell you, this is probably one of the best pastas I've ever made. All from scraps. Coincidentally, I had a conversation with a good friend this morning, who last night, was also faced with the task of devising a dinner out of the remnants of last weeks groceries. She made a stew, which she too claims is beyond anything she has cooked before.

Some of the world's most delicious food originates from sheer resourcefulness and innovation, where one has to make something delicious out of few options. In places like India, Vietnam, and Southern Italy, where poverty is immense, the food is mind blowingly delicious--better than any five star establishment, rooted in the love and humility put into the cooking. I suggest everyone think twice before they throw anything eatable away, it might just inspire your next stroke of genius...

Quiero butterscotch flan...

The Mrs. Dalloway Complex

I have to admit that for the past few months, I have felt a little weary about throwing a dinner party. It's true that I have been known to throw my fair share and that I find there little more rewarding than feeding friends over conversation, music, and candle light. But recently, I've felt exhausted--tired of playing host, scurrying around, and obsessing. I lovingly refer to this neurotic host persona as the Mrs. Dalloway complex (I hope this doesn't need an introduction...)

What is interesting is that during this dinner party drought, like Clarissa Dalloway, I too have realized that the small, seemingly insignificant moments in life are those worth living for. I have missed having my friends together in one room, even missed the kitchen disasters, culinary experiments, and stacks of dishes the next morning. In this spirit, I have decided to have a winter dinner tonight.

What's on the menu? Italian delights, which I will fill you in on in the next post.

Photo: Virginia Woolf

In love.

Marino Masé in the Italian film "Fists in the Pocket"

W Magazine just covered a story about Ingmar Bergman's domestic and creative life on the Swedish island of Fårö. After his death last year, as per his will, Bergman's family auctioned off everything he owned. Prior to doing so, they gave the undeserving W exclusive access to shoot his private rooms and favorite vistas. Somewhere in the article it says Bergman rarely missed an episode of "Sex in the City." ?!?!

Click here for the full article: "The Private World of Ingmar Bergman"

If the intense heat is going to continue to try to get the best of me, I'm going to make a St. Germain, honey, and citrus sorbet.

Photo: "Jean Patchett with Map" by the fabulous Louise Dahl-Wolfe

Tacos from Heaven

Today I tasted what I truly believe to be one of the most incredible fish tacos I've eaten in Los Angeles. Think tender, fluffy white fish, lightly battered, fried, and served on thin toasted corn tortillas, to which you can add a fresh, authentic variety of salsas, spiced radish relish, shredded cabbage, and crema.

BLISS. ABSOLUTE BLISS.

I started out with two, and couldn't resist a third. Despite being fried, these tacos settled incredibly well--I suspect because each is made to order on the spot, with minimal battering, so you get much more fish than oil.

So, where did I try this marvelous taco? "Best Fish Taco in Ensenada." Tucked away in what would otherwise be a more desolate part of the Hillhurst strip in Los Feliz, the ambience is low budge at it's finest. Two ladies take turns grilling tortillas and frying fish behind a simple counter, no frills, no other items to choose from--just perfected shrimp & fish tacos, with a beverage of horchata, ginger ale, or tamarindo if so desired. Dominican pop tunes buzz from a rickety but divine stereo, extending to an outdoor patio area where you can byob, which is convenient considering this place is right next to Cap' n' Cork.

This spot makes me sigh with happiness, reminding me of one of the reasons why I love Los Angeles...


Side note: My apologies for the minimal photographs lately, I can't bring myself to upload low-res, gritty ones from the internet. I'm working on it.

Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac

Blanc Mange

I find myself preferring almond milk to anything else offered as a dairy substitute-- I like the flavor, texture, and fact that it's healthy and lean. It's true that it can't be used to make cheese and certainly not great as a creamer, but all the same, I enjoy it, especially in smoothies.

In the 14th century, almond milk was the rage-- with huge populations rampantly being wiped out from bacterial diseases associated with drinking cow's milk, this alternative was not only delicious, but versatile and plentiful. Aristocrats had their chefs prepare large banquets where what was called Blanc Mange or Bianco Mangiare, meaning "white food," was served to guests. These dishes consisted of meats, fruits, and a variety of ingredients soaked in almond milk. When I write soaked, I mean drenched--so much that each dish was like a white abyss of textures, also sometimes flavored with rose water. This was considered the crème de la crème of fine cuisine.

Blancmange (as one word) is also the name of a sweet desert introduced by the Arabs in the Middle Ages. Made from almond milk, irish moss, and sugar, I would compare it to the Panna Cotta one can find today.

Imagine an all white dinner party-- with white foods and accoutrements, this could be really pretty!

The Breakfast of Champions

For breakfast, most Americans snaggle over to the kitchen to pour some milk and cereal into a bowl. On average, the cereal of choice is Cornflakes. My 90 year old Cuban aunt in Miami makes a ritual out of this every morning--opting only for Kellogs original, and I love her for it.

Not to ruin it for everyone, but it's interesting to consider that this classic, typical breakfast has it's roots in one of history's deepest rivalries--that of the Native Americans and the British. Milk was originally brought over to the US by the Brits-- who drank cow's milk on a regular basis. Cornflakes were introduced by the Native Americans, who ate it dry or mixed with spices and vegetables. Native Americans, among many other ethic groups, were disgusted by the concept of drinking an animal's milk, even developing a severe intolerance it.

After all of the Native Americans' suffering, the fact that we have taken their staple food and submerged it in what for them would be considered intolerable and despicable, and pronounce this the great American breakfast of champions, is definitely something to meditate over. In fact, it seems that most American staple foods have similar stories and historical implications...

Photograph by Steven Benson

Eel before the Lord

Ballerini's pre-renaissance Italian gastronomy & literature class is really exceptional. Using food as the focal point for deconstructing the layered history and cultural perspective of old world Italians, I am now certain that food is the secret to analyzing the motivations and spirit of any culture.

This week, Ballerini discussed a range of concepts, which I will break up into several different posts for your perusal, so keep checking back.

I never knew that Leonardo Da Vinci was a pronounced gourmet & vegetarian--scholars cite him as calling many of his colleagues "cannibals." The idea of provoking and enlisting the unnecessary suffering of animals was revolting to him and he spoke openly about this, most of the time ridiculed for it. If you look closely at his famous "Last Supper" painting, the only meat on the table is eel. Eel garnished with orange slices before the Lord to be precise. Why? I'm not so sure yet, I guess I'll find out next week. Contradictory? Perhaps. Provocative? Definitely.

Apparently, the Italian government has spent gagillions on the restoration of this painting, putting in excessive, criminal amounts of money to just keep it alive. Even during the 15th century, the painting had problems--cracking and falling apart just months after completion.

UCLA once had an original manuscript of Da Vinci sketches donated by oil tycoon and philanthropist, Armand Hammer. After Mr. Hammer's death, Bill Gates swooped in with lawyers and negotiated with the Hammer family to sell it to him, which in typical Bill Gates fashion, he got at all costs. Yeah... gross.

From Kenji Mizoguchi's "Ugetsu Monogatari"...

Beautiful, no?

Delirious, depleted, exhausted... This is what I want right this very second...

Lychee Tea

A few months ago, two friends of mine returned from China and brought me a beautiful porcelain tea set, along with a bag of black lychee tea. Out of espresso and needing some caffeine (I realize I may have a little problem), this morning I decided to resurface the little bag of dried tea from the back of my cupboard. When brewed, this tea is quite profound--flavored with the leaves and peels of lychee fruit, unleashing a subtle, dreamy aroma and sweetness that is otherworldly. I read that in the summer in China, lychee tea is served with milk and a bit of fresh lychee fruit. I am thinking that poaching fish in the tea could be nice too.

Irving Penn has passed away at the age of 92. He has been a huge inspiration and influence and will always be. Rest in peace.

Photo: "The Empty Plate," New York, 1947, Irving Penn

Culinary Bad Boys

They may not be lookers anymore, but back in their day, Marco Pierre White & Anthony Bourdain were quite the dish. I love what Marco Pierre White has done with The Yew Tree Inn, his 17th century dining pub in Highclere, North Hampshire, near the Highclere Castle. Anthony Bourdain--I'm not so sure I understand anymore. It seems Bourdain has become everything he worked so hard to resist. That aside, I will never forget reading "Kitchen Confidential" for the first time, thinking to myself what a hottie he must have been in his bloody uniform in the back alleys of New York...

Vietnamese Coffee- cà phê sữa đá

I don't know what has happened, but espresso doesn't effect me in the same way it used to. The delicious, revitalizing Italian espresso that I usually prepare, has lost it's magic. My concerned friends have either lectured me that I have reached the point of excess and no return, or the special ones have shown sympathy and recommended a variety of alternatives.

More than half have raved about Vietnamese Coffee, warning that this creation is not for the ill hearted and that I should prepare for the strongest, most intense, luxurious caffeine fix around. Well, I love Vietnamese food and certainly trust my friends, so I'm going to give this a try. The Vietnamese also add condensed milk in their iced variation, delicious! With the weather as hot as it's been, I should even make Vietnamese coffee popsicles. Am I getting ahead of myself? Probably...

Photo: Vietnamese coffee popsicles, learn how to make your own here.

How fun would it be to get a masters in Gastronomy at Le Cordon Bleu?

Photo: Dione Lucas- the first woman to graduate from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, who then opened a branch of the school in New York and starred in her own TV show, making her the first woman featured on a cooking show. She also gave private cooking lessons to Salvador Dali! Ou la la!

Pellegrino, Pinocchio, and A Bundle of Purple Carrots

Today I sneaked into a class offered at UCLA, profiling Italian history and culture (Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Risorgimento) through the analysis of gastronomy and literary texts. Taught by Italian poet, writer, food historian, and sought-after translator, Luigi Ballerini, who also contributes to Gastronomica magazine, this lecture was like listening to a wise Italian grandfather recount juicy stories over a fabulous espresso. Ballerini is a passionate speaker--animated, self-reflective, hilarious, and able to simplify dense subject matter into fluid, enjoyable conversation. It also doesn't hurt that his son directed and starred in a film about Rudolph Valentino!

Opening his class with the story of Pellegrino Artusi's plight to publish the first ever structured cookbook, "The Science of Cooking and Art of Eating Well," Bellerini went on to discuss the way this single cookbook (selling over 52,000 copies by word of mouth alone) signified a departure from famine and bigotry in Italy in the 1800s, pointing to the emergence of a middle class with the curiosity and desire to cook elaborate cuisine. Written as a series of stories that revealed recipes, though a bit didactic and indulgent, Artusi's cookbook made sophistication and taste accessible to all.

“Food has been a show of social and political power through the ages, so if you follow that trail, you’re fleshing out history, particularly the history of social classes,” Ballerini says.

Ballerini then diverted on a separate tangent about how carrots used to be purple and Italian tomatoes were originally yellow, before both became mass-produced. He ended the lecture with a commentary about how at around the same time that Artusi's cookbook was circulating, Carlo Collodi's famous novel, "Adventures of Pinocchio" was completed and comparatively used an abundance of references to food, or lack of it, to communicate a desire for social reformation.

Bravo, Ballerini! Til next week...