Happy Thanksgiving!

 Happy Thanksgiving from my house to yours!

 Cooking Tip:

Cut a few jalapenos in half and take the seeds out.

Slide them, cut side down, under the skin of the turkey,

in the breast area, before baking.  

The jalapenos add a wonderful

flavor to the turkey.

Celebrating La Dia de Muertos in my Casa

Being an interior designer, decorating for La Dia de Muertos is one of my favorite times of year to be creative.  And of course, the most important part of that is creating an altar for my brother, Carter Mullen.  The niche in my hallway is the perfect place to honor him and his life.

 Surrounded by marigolds, los flores de Cempasuchil.

And those who knew Carter, and there were so many and many that considered him their best friend, you will recognize some of his favorites things.  His extensive Mexican mask collection, his love of the Grand canyon and especially Lake Powell, Suduko, the infamous red pen, basketball, the terrier dog, a shot of good tequila in the skull glass, a Mexican wrestler, the church that resembles the Parroquia in San Miguel de Allende and a bottle of his favorite wine, a Turnbull Cabernet.   And the two candles, one of Saint Michael, the patron saint of San Miguel de Allende, where the Mullen family had a home for over 42 years.

I decorated the bar with Day of the Dead napkins, the Frankenstein bar towel, a black vase from San Bartola de Coyotepec (one of the village that I visit on my Oaxaca tour where they make the most beautiful burnished black pottery) filled with marigolds and of course, a few bottles of tequila.

My kitchen counter, with one of the hand-painted tequila bottles.

More Halloween decor.

Getting ready for a dinner party.  The runner is from Chiapas, the black skulls from San Bartola de Coyotepec, the little pig salt bowls were just recently bought in the gigantic Sunday market in Tlacolula, the beautiful basket filled with Chestnuts from the Thursday market in Zaachila and the clay pumpkins from the Tiangis in San Miguel de Allende.  Traveling in Mexico in October always gets me in shopping trouble for I am always buying something new for Las Dias de Muertos.

September 7th, I posted on my Blog about making Cochinita Pibil.  It turned out SO good, I bought an 8 pound pork shoulder and made the recipe again.  This is just part of the braised pork that I served to make tacos for the dinner party.  I used the remainder of the pork for the filling of tamales that I made the next day.  It's always a good idea to break up the tamale making process by preparing the filling a day or two in advance.

Freshly made corn tortillas in the basket, the pork pibil, salsa Veracruz, pickled red onions, fresh limes and sliced radishes.  The makings for some delicious tacos! 

And Halloween would not be Halloween with out a carved pumpkin.

What a Party!

 A Party of Mobilization Day

1936 

Coming up on La Dia de Muertos, I thought I would share this wild painting with you.

Last time I was at the National Gallery d' Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, I was particularly drawn to this painting by Daniel Sabater Salabert -  (1888 - 1951).  He painted this during the Spainish Civil War.

Daniel Sabater Salabert was born in Valencia Spain on December 13, 1888.  Before heading to Madrid, he worked in a fan designer's studio.  In Madrid he was exposed to the work of Spanish masters such as Velazquez, Goya and Ribera. 

Below are some examples of his paintings.

 "En Repose"- 1942

 "La Novia de Juan" is simply just wonderful.

He painted military themes in his early career.  In 1912 he moved to Paris for a year where he was commissioned to paint religious compositions for the convent church of St. Vincent-de-Paul, which he executed in vibrant and luminous colors.

"Amor de Santa Teresa" - 1942

He returned to Spain and his canvases featured macabre scenes filled with witches and monsters.  This being his favorite subject, he became known as the "painter of witches." His color palette darkened and took on a sickly blue-green tinge.

One can definitely see the influences of Goya in this painting.

After having an expose in Barcelona in 1920 and troubled with family problems, he traveled to the Americas where he had several exhibitions along the way for the next three years.
 
Sabater exhibited his work at the Sociedad Nacional de Bellas Artes in Madrid in 1910 and also exhibited in Uruguay and Brazil. 

Today many of his works can be found in the Museum of Fine Arts in Valencia.


I will be leading a group to Northern Spain next September and while in Barcelona, a morning at the National Gallery d' Art de Catalunya is on the schedule followed by lunch in the museum's elegant Restaurant, Oleum, with its breathtaking panoramic views of the city.

Please email me if you are interested in joining me.  I am limiting it to a small group and I already have more than half the group filled.

robindsg@aol.com

Jewels of Northern Spain
September 11 - 24, 2017  

 

The patterns and textures of Oaxaca

I just recently got back from leading a tour in Oaxaca with a wonderful group of people.  It was a full week exploring Oaxaca City and the surrounding areas, meeting the artisans, visiting the old ruins and the city's museums, dining at exceptional restaurants...
Every time I am in Oaxaca, I am constantly amazed by all the different patterns and textures in the Oaxacan architecture, design and textiles, all influenced by the ancient Zapotec culture.   This handsome brick pattern at the Textile Museum is a contemporary take on the stone work at Mitla. 

 Mitla, a Zapotec city built in 800 A.D, is a treasure trove of ancient geometric designs.

These designs are actually mosaics, stones that have been cut and been pieced together to create these intricate designs and patterns.

And these hand-woven rugs from Teotitlan de Valle emphasize the design motifs of ancient Mexico, a combination of influences from the Olmec, Zapotec, Mixtec, Aztec and Spanish heritage.

Beautifully woven belts and table runner using similar designs by the Nevarro Gomez family in Santo Tomas Jalieza.  A family that I always look forward to visiting.

A close up of this finely woven belt in the works.

More ancient motifs are incorporated into the painted designs on this alebrije, a hand-carved wooden animal.

A close up of a woven huipil, a women's dress.  

A huipil at the Belber Jimenez Museum that is home to an exquisite collection of traditional Oaxacan clothing. 

Even the signage for the Museo Belber Jimenez is beautifully executed with the geometric design incorporating the M, B and J. 

The current exposition at the Textile Museum showcases several pieces of clothing with feathers incorporated into the design.  Note the geometric designs similar to those found at Mitla. 

Of course I have to include some of the great old, adobe walls that have such tremendous texture and patinas.  This is the facade of the church right in Zaachila where we go to their Thursday market which is one of my all time favorites.

An old ruin right in the middle of historic Oaxaca City.

A special place to dine al fresco after leaving Ocotlan is La Azucena Zapotec.  Not only is the food delicious, the decor is so colorful.  Notice the frame around the window looking into the kitchen.

It is a combination of black cut out tiles from the town of San Bartola de Coyotepec with the scrubbing brushes used in the kitchen and the small hand-painted gourdes used for tasting Mezcal.

The pattern of the wrought iron has an art deco feeling to it but still influenced by the Zapotec designs.

I have inherited my mom's passion for the beautiful craftsmanship in their basketry, especially the ones found in the Oaxaca valley.   These cylindrical designs and motifs can be found everywhere, especially in these palm frond baskets.

The herringbone stonework with its green, grass mortar is spectacular.  This is the courtyard of the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center, originally the site of Oaxaca's first Dominican monastery. 

This distinctive black pottery is from the town of San Bartolo Coyotepec.  The pottery was made popular by Dona Rosa Real who mastered the ancient art and developed the shiny, burnished effect. 

The pattern on this wrought iron gate leading into the courtyard of the San Pablo Academic and Cultural Center is so unique. 

An accent wall in the courtyard of the MUFI, Museo de Filatelia de oaxaca (Museum of Philatelic and Numismatic arts).  This is the only museum of it kind in Latin America.

The Ethnobotanical Gardens certainly maintains the ancient Mexico motif in the manner in which the plants are planted to

the stonework that is in rectangular plots that act as the filtration system for the run off of rain water as it pours through the downspouts (canales).

An then there is the simple fauna motif used as a border in the San Jeronimo Church in Tlacochahuaya.
Each visit I discover new designs using the ancient motifs.  I might be leading another tour next year in November.  Let me know if you are interested.  It's a great place to get lost in the culture for a week.

The Mexican Cook Book from the 1970's , written and photographed by George and Inger Wallace is a real gem

I bought this cookbook when I was in college right when it was published in 1971.  The recipes are straight forward,  somewhat elementary.  The authors traveled throughout Mexico and put together a collection of their favorite Mexican recipes and adapted them for the American kitchen.  Things have changed drastically in what ingredients one can find now verses back then.  But the thing I like best about this small cookbook is the photography.
First let me tell you a little about the George Wallace...  Born in San Francisco, he excelled in two completely different fields, speed skating and photography.  
He was the only American athlete to compete independently in the 1940 World Games (later known at the Olympics).  He won top medals in Latvia, competing in minus 40 degrees Celsius weather!
In 1939 he was invited by the Oslo Skating Club to train on their outdoor rink and that is where he met his future wife, Inger Dalhberg.  Fleeing Norway after the German occupation, they were fortunate to get the last available passage on the U.S. Manhattan.
Back in the states, he worked for his family's company, US Pipe Mfg..  
He was passionate about photography since the age of 12.  In the late 1940's, he was a full time student on a scholarship for two years under Ansel Adams, Minor White and Edward Weston.   He later became a professor of photography and created a simple hand calculator   to determine the best DOF, depth of field.  He had a knack for shooting from the hip which was useful when shooting in Mexico where the people were standoffish of having their photo taken for they believed the photograph would steal their spirit.  He would engage his subjects in friendly conversation which led to mutual respect which show in the images below.  You can see this in his photos, for many of his subjects have a smile on their face and a twinkle in their eyes. 
He shot with minimal equipment using natural light and sometimes a mini-tripod.
He invented the ExpoDisc.  This disc, like a lens, sets the white balance on the camera enabling the photographer to capture accurate color when clicking the shutter.  Good color and exposure saved the photographer tremendous time from having to make adjustments on the camera's settings and less time in the dark room.  
Most of his photographic archives were destroyed by a fire in 1989, but negatives and slides from Mexico and Norway were spared.
Enjoy some of the photographs below that I scanned from the cookbook along with the copy that accompanied the photo.

"This is one of the three large bands of musicians in Teotitlan del Valle, a Zapotec village in the state of Oaxaca.  These bands provide all the music for the local religious festivals and pageants."   Teotitlan del Valle is one of the villages that I take my group to and is renown for it weaving of rebozas and rugs.

"Their work in the fields caught up and the rainy season begun, mestizos from San Juan Chilateca wait for a ride to the nearby fiesta where they will earn extra money as professional musicians."

"Many men of nearby Santa Catarina Minas share work provided by stills hidden in remote barrancas of this desolate region.  From these stills comes the best mescal in all Mexico."

"Largest of all Indian markets of Mexico, the Oaxaca market is within a day's travel of every conceivable combination of soil, climate and topography, and therefore features an exotic and great variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year."  And to this day, the market has not changed that much.

"Indians and mestizos alike converge on the large market on Saturdays.  They come from lonely huts in the hills and nearby villages to buy, sell and barter; and to enjoy the excitement of the market place."  The women today still wear their shiny black hair in a handsome braid and always wearing an apron and a reboza as they effortlessly balance their basket full of vegetables on their head. 

"These girls from San Felipe, A Zapotec village on the outskirts of Oaxaca, have just finished a part of their day's work.  Up long before dawn, they ground corn, made tortillas, ran barefoot to market with their wares loaded in baskets and sold hot, fresh tortillas to waiting customers."  I love these baskets and I buy one or two every time I am in Oaxaca. They are beautifully crafted.  Being pliable, I put one basket inside the other , pack my clothes in them and put the the baskets in my big duffle-shaped suitcase.  Back home, I use them for cloths hampers and waste baskets.

"On their way home from Mass, these women and children had been waiting in a small store for a momentary downpour to pass."  I have been there!  Some of the whiteout downpours in the state of Michoacan are unbelievable. 

"With methods as old as the Conquest itself, the women of Teotitlan de Valle spin yarn for woolen serapes for which their village is so famous."  A practice still done the in the old tradition.  And I have purchased the most beautifully woven serape that Ralph Lauren would have loved to showcase in his store.

"This vanilla bean farmer in Papantla, on the hot and humid Gulf Coast, prefers traditional Totonac dress for himself, but indulges in factory-made clothes for his children."

"This mestiza woman is one of many independent small businesswomen preparing and selling antojitos in the streets surrounding the huge Oaxaca market.   A scene very typical of today with the large clay comal used to cook the tortillas and the enamel pot probably filled with a salsa, freshly chopped nopales (cactus pads) or a mole...

"Refugio Masqueda Mercedes Chaves makes charcoal from the hardwood he gathers in the hills above Guanajuato, then hauls it down by burro to sell in the towns.  His strongly Spanish features are evidence of the harshness of the occupation that followed the Conquest of Mexico."  Don't you just love his name?  There were countless times when there would be a knock at our home in San Miguel de Allende with a man with similar looks and his burro loaded with firewood or bags of dirt for the garden.

"The timorous Tarahumaras only slip down from their primitive caves and huts to attend Mass, watch a Baptism or an occasional marriage ceremony, or seek medicine our counsel from the padre on his monthly visit.  He is the only outside they trust."  
Their way of life has not changes since the 1970's.  My next tour may involve taking the scenic train trip through the Copper Canyon where these interesting people live.  The Copper Canyon makes the Grand Canyon in Arizona look small in comparison.  


The Wallace's captured the warmth and spirit of the Mexican people and that is something I have experienced every time I have ventured out to explore some small village in the remote areas of Mexico.  Such gracious, friendly people.

The Mexican Cook Book is still available and I know you can find it on Amazon.  It's beautifully written, the recipes are easy and the photography is spectacular.