Monday, March 5, 2012

Blaukraut (German Red Cabbage)

I modified and veganized this recipe for Blaukraut (German red cabbage), and  am very happy with it. It can be modified, depending on how "sour/acidic" or sweet you want it to be.

Ingredients:

1 red cabbage (around 3 - 3.5 pounds)
4 tbsp brown sugar, divided
1/2 cup orange juice
4 bay leaves
7 juniper berries (optional)
1/2 - 1 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp black pepper corns
4 cloves
1 cinnamon stick
1 1/2 cup dry red wine, divided
3 tbsp vinegar (preferably red wine vinegar)
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp vegan margarina, such as "Earth Balance"
1/2 medium red onion, very finely chopped
1/2 apple, peeled and very finely chopped
4 tbsp black currant jam
salt and pepper to taste

Marinade:
Slowly caramelize 3 tbsp of the brown sugar in a pan, then add orange juice and cook for a minute or two. Add 1 1/4 cup of the wine, the bay leaves, juniper berries, nutmeg, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon stick, bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and add the vinegar. Pour through a fine colander into a bowl. Finely cut red cabbage (cut in half, remove outer leaver, cut out stem, then thinly slice lengthwise). Wear gloves and wash utensils quickly to avoid discoloring. Put cabbage in a bowl, pour in the marinade, massage for 5 minutes. Put cabbage and marinade in a large freezer bag, press out air, close and marinade in the refrigerator for 2 days, turning it over every 12 hours.




Above: After first putting it in the refrigerator
Below: After marinading for 2 days


Put cabbage in a colander and press down firmly, collecting marinade in a bowl.



Heat margarine in a pan and briefly sautée. Add 1 tbsp brown sugar and 1/4 cup wine. Simmer until the apple has turned a dark red.







Add cabbage and heat slowly while stirring frequently and adding spoonfuls of the marinade. Simmer for about 35 minutes, then add the black currant jam and cook for another 10 - 15 minutes, until it has reached the desired consistency. You can add more wine, salt, pepper, and vegetable broth to adjust the taste.



German red cabbage is best served with dumplings! Enjoy!

Saturday, March 3, 2012

"Artistic Scully"

Cats are great subjects, not just for drawing, but also for attempts at "artsy" photography. Below are some photos I took of Scully. Hw as sitting on the window sill, looking out at the snow. It was already almost dark outside, so the pictures didn't turn out too well. Instead of discarding them, I decided to play around with them a little, and the results can be seen below!

The first picture was a little blurry, with Scully moving his head while the photo was taken. I used a black-and-white filter, and the circular frame to draw additional to Scully.



The next photo was taken from a greater distance, but I used the same techniques, attempting to capture the mood of the scene, with black and white the dominant colors - black cat, white snow, and the fading light of the late afternoon. 


Below, the main problem was the lamp that can be seen in the background. It used to be obscured by Scully's body, but since he (and I) moved, it created this bright flare in the picture. This suggested a new, warmer theme for the picture. I also "smudged" the picture, making it even more blurry. The blur, the warm color and the bright light create an atmosphere very different from that in the first two pictures.


Picture number four suffers from the same bright spot in the background, but since I manipulated the "exposure time", and reduced the color saturation, the entire scene appears colder, but in a almost sterile way. 


The next picture is simply a more extreme version of photo four, but with Scully having moved to the edge instead of the center, the brightness becomes even more intense, almost reminiscent of summer heat.


Next, I reverted to the black-and white theme, but with increased saturation and a more pronounced frame. The bright flare is almost hidden by Scully again, but hints of it can be seen in the background. 


With the center of the photo no longer occupied by Scully, but instead by the lamp again, I returned to warmer colors, but this time with a much more pronounced blur and extreme "exposure time". The effect is almost that of an immensely hot fire in the distance, the heat smoothing hard edges and adding this unreal glow. 


Below an example of a very strong blur, it almost looks like fog or mist is softening all the edges and corners in the background, but Scully is hardly affected. The strong sepia coloring of the picture creates an atmosphere that almost resembles that of a storm about to break loose, the yellow light oftentimes associated with hail.


Lastly, my favorite photo, simply because of the way Scully positioned himself, his head turned away from the window, looking downwards. The light in the background adds an almost mythical quality.


All in all it was interesting to see how mediocre pictures can be turned into an interesting "artsy" experiment, using simple tools. And of course it is further proof of Scully's great talent as the subject of all kinds of "art"!