Literature

Read this book: Arab/American By Gary Nabhan

emma — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 16:39:52 -0500

Arab/American by Gary Nabhan looks at the cultural traditions that Arabs from Spain brought with them to Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Read about wrangling camels in the American desert, vocabulary used by the cowboys that originated in Arabic and native plants exchanged between deserts.

A Prayer for the Land- Cowboy Poetry

admin — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 19:21:38 -0400

Drum Hadley is a poet living on the Arizona/Mexico/New Mexico Border. He shares with us a here a poem from his collection of poetry "Voice of the Borderlands."

Cowboy Poetry

admin — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 00:58:26 -0400

By Anastasia Dyakovskaya

At midnight, when the cattle are sleeping,
On my saddle I pillow my head,
And up at the heavens lie peeping
From out of my cold grassy bed;--
Often and often I wondered,
At night when lying alone,
If every bright star up yonder
Is a big peopled world like our own.
-excerpt from The Cowboy’s Meditation

When we think of poetry it’s not often that we conjure up the image of a cowboy. Try again. This time, the cowboy you see in your mind’s eye, bobbing in his saddle or crouching next to a fire, isn’t just a cowboy. He is a thinker and an artist. You don’t have to be a cowboy to write cowboy poetry, but it certainly does help, as these poems offer a rare glimpse of first-hand encounters with the romanticized realities of a cowboy – or girl’s – western life.

Cowboy poetry is still a vibrant and evolving literary form today because cowboys are still carrying out the same necessary functions that they have throughout their history. The origins of what we now consider a typical cowboy lay in medieval Spain, where vaqueros (literally translated as cowboys) were employed to herd cattle over vast expanses of land. When the Conquistadors and other Spaniards reached the Americas during the 16th century, so too did this practice. It was not until the second half of the 19th century, however, when the ongoing encounters and exchange among American settlers and Hispanic and Native American vaqueros finally merged into something new: what we now know as the traditional American cowboy.

The age-old livelihoods of this new generation are what provided their pens and paper with subject matter – ranch work, the tending of the animals, the natural surroundings of the American West, memory and nostalgia, and a description of western life in general. In its structure, though, cowboy poetry tends to be somewhat limited, as most popular poets have remained within the guidelines of classical rhyming verse. More often than not, this is because these poems are meant to be recited or put to music. Nevertheless, there are also a number of cowboy poets who break this form and there continues to be a boundless variety of work.

There are many American cowboys today that still take this genre quite seriously and that continue to contribute their talents to the field. For more information, please visit:
http://www.cowboypoetry.com
http://www.cowboy-poetry.org
http://www.hebercitycowboypoetry.com
http://www.westernfolklife.org

Hemingway's Trout with Serrano Ham

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:34:55 -0400

This trout with serrano ham is a simple trout dish that was eaten by Hemingway during his days by the Irati river in the Basque Region of Spain. This trout dish from Pamplona is the perfect dinner for one, because it does not require too many ingredients, and it is easy to make. Hemingway's book The Sun Also Rises was inspired by his love of trout fishing along the Irati River.

1 whole trout, cleaned, and de-boned (you can leave the head on or take it off)
2 slices jamón Serrano + 1 more (optional)
1 T all purpose flour
1 sprig of rosemary
1 sprig of marjoram
1 garlic clove, smashed
4 T olive oil
2 oz. Sherry wine vinegar
Salt and pepper
Garnish: chopped parsley

Season the trout’s insides well with salt and pepper.
Place the two slices of ham inside the trout and then close.
Chop up the third piece of ham into medium size pieces.
Heat up the oil in a sauté pan on medium heat, along with the herbs and garlic. Add in the chopped ham. After about 5 minutes, remove the garlic, herbs, and ham from the pan and turn up the heat.
Coat the outside of the trout in flour and shake off the excess.
Add the trout to the pan and let the first side get a nice crisp skin, about 5 minutes.
Flip the trout over and cook through on the other side.
Remove the trout to a plate.
Pour off the excess oil, and then pour in the vinegar. It will sizzle and reduce very quickly. When you have about 1 tablespoon left, pour it out of the pan and onto the fish before serving.
Garnish with the chopped pieces of ham (from infusing the oil) and freshly chopped parsley.
Serves 1.

Hemingway's Trout

admin — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:22:09 -0400

When Ernest Hemingway went to the Basque region of Spain in 1923, his days were largely filled trout fishing. The Sun Also Rises, published three years later, is based on his experiences during this time.

This simple trout dish is the perfect dinner for one, it's easy to make, and there aren't too many ingredients. It is a traditional dish from the town of Pamplona, the same region of Spain that Hemingway spent time.

Flora and Zephyr Asparagus with Goat Cheese and Tarragon

sophia — Sun, 25 May 2008 20:28:49 -0400

Asparagus are the harbingers of spring, just like the west wind Zephyr, who attacks Chloris and transforms her into Flora in Botticelli’s masterpiece La Primavera. Instead of butter-rich hollandaise, we broil these asparagus with a heavy goat cheese- thickened vinaigrette. The sauce here is thick and lemony, and is lightly aromatic with the spring herb tarragon.

1 bunch asparagus (it is fun to mix green and white varieties together)
1 egg yolk
1 T Dijon mustard
¼ cup fresh goat cheese
¼ cup olive oil
Juice from ½ a lemon + to taste
1 tsp freshly chopped tarragon
2 T grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Garnish: finely chopped fresh parsley and tarragon.

Turn your broiler on high.
Blanch the asparagus in salted boiling water until just cooked through, and drain.
In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, mustard, and goat cheese until smooth.
Gradually whisk in the olive oil, forming an emulsified sauce. Once you have a smooth texture, whisk in the lemon juice.
Finally, stir in the tarragon.
In a baking dish, spread out the asparagus evenly, and then pour the vinaigrette over the middle of the asparagus. Top with the grated cheese
Place the dish close to the broiler in the oven, and broil for about 10-15 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling slightly.
Serve with more chopped herbs.
Serves 4 as an appetizer or side dish.

Halloumi Bundles of Love

admin — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 16:30:59 -0400

1 package of Halloumi cheese
1-2 sticks of butter
¼ cup of olive oil
½ cup unsalted pistachios, shelled and raw, chopped fine
4 oz (1/4 of a box) kataifi dough
1/3 cup honey
2 T dried jasmine flowers
6 tablespoons quince preserves
4 fresh figs

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Start making the jasmine honey by heating it up in a saucepan until warm and loose.

Add in the dried jasmine flowers, stir, and heat slightly. Turn off the heat and let them steep while you prepare the other ingredients.

Slice the Halloumi cheese vertically in ¼-inch thick, rectangular slices.

Melt and cool the butter. In a bowl, combine the butter with the olive oil. Toss in the pistachios. Working quickly, moisten the kataifi dough in the pistachio mixture, and wrap it around a slice of cheese in one even layer. Repeat with each slice, and place on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the leftover pistachios on top of the bundles for decoration.

Bake in the preheated oven for fifteen minutes. You will know that the bundle is ready, because the kataifi dough will be a nice, golden brown on the outside, and the cheese will have softened and heated through on the inside.

Lightly heat up the jasmine honey to loosen it from the pan, and strain the honey into a jar.

Slice each fig vertically into 5 slices. You will need the three center slices.

Once the Halloumi bundles have cooked through, remove them from the oven immediately. Place one bundle on each plate.

Arrange the three center slices of fig to one side of the bundle, and place a dollop of the jam underneath.

Drizzle the Halloumi with the jasmine honey. Indulge!