My cabbage salad was a flop. I gathered some of my favorite flavors with high hopes - fresh lemon, olive oil, Parmesan, and garlic
, and of course
all those whorls of densely packed purple leaves - how could it go wrong? But it was oh. so. boring. Sigh. Painting the ingredients, however, was anything but!
As it turns out, a head of cabbage in cross-section is a tiny universe. As I drew the curves I wished my hydro-geologist-brother was nearby to explain the strata of the cabbage landscape. I found myself humming lullabies to a moon in its violet galaxy. I traced my way along an intestinal tract, and a explored the squid-ink hues of a topographic map.
And all along I found myself craving something crisp, and spicy, and sort of sweet. I love the raw crunch of this cruciferous vegetable. But I also enjoy baked, boiled, shredded, and - my current favorite -
broiled cabbage from
Benevolent Kitchen. It might have something to do with a cabbage recipe being just so quick and easy. Then again it might be that these wedges of soft green and crispy brown are a perfect vehicle for Dijon mustard - my condiment of choice! In any case, it made a nice addition to our St. Pat's meal.
The other cabbage highlight involved putting the girls to bed early and cooking a late dinner for two with my man :) Venison tenderloin, polenta, and braised red cabbage with green apples. Sadly, I am unable to provide the recipe at this time. But yum. Oh and there was a little red wine. And some dark chocolate for dessert.
Until I spent an entire nap-time (one of our common standards of measure around here) doing so, I never would have thought photographing cabbage could be so engrossing.
Not to mention entertaining when one aforementioned napper awoke. Ma petite chou chou!
As it turns out, a head of cabbage in cross-section is a tiny universe. As I drew the curves I wished my hydro-geologist-brother was nearby to explain the strata of the cabbage landscape. I found myself humming lullabies to a moon in its violet galaxy. I traced my way along an intestinal tract, and a explored the squid-ink hues of a topographic map.
And all along I found myself craving something crisp, and spicy, and sort of sweet. I love the raw crunch of this cruciferous vegetable. But I also enjoy baked, boiled, shredded, and - my current favorite - broiled cabbage from Benevolent Kitchen. It might have something to do with a cabbage recipe being just so quick and easy. Then again it might be that these wedges of soft green and crispy brown are a perfect vehicle for Dijon mustard - my condiment of choice! In any case, it made a nice addition to our St. Pat's meal. 
The other cabbage highlight involved putting the girls to bed early and cooking a late dinner for two with my man :) Venison tenderloin, polenta, and braised red cabbage with green apples. Sadly, I am unable to provide the recipe at this time. But yum. Oh and there was a little red wine. And some dark chocolate for dessert.
Until I spent an entire nap-time (one of our common standards of measure around here) doing so, I never would have thought photographing cabbage could be so engrossing.
Not to mention entertaining when one aforementioned napper awoke. Ma petite chou chou!
Great post, Katie/Kate. Beautifully written. The painting and photos are wonderful. And you had some very impressive vocabulary...cruciferous, braised, strata, topographic, aforementioned. "Nap-time" is definitely a standard unit of time measurement around here as well. Well, some days it's more standard than others. And what kind of camera do you have? We're hoping to replace our cheap point-and-shoot at some point, and I always love your photos, so I thought I'd ask...
ReplyDeleteI am intimidated by this post. Great work, Katie!
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