The Simple Life
Carrots, Olives and Painting Class...
Like a fine wine, I am mellowing with age. As I approach my 70th aniversário (birthday) I have embraced some new activities. No, this is not the life I imagined. It is gracious in its simplicity. And along the way, I have learned …
How to Make Algarvian Carrots
It is customary to be offered a couvert when one sits down in a Portuguese restaurant. While delicious crusty bread is always offered, Algarvian carrots may also be included in Southern Portugal. For many months, we did not accept the offering…but I guess one night I was famished. From then on, I was hooked. Denise said, “I bet these aren’t too difficult to make.” She was right.
While I did look up a recipe, please don’t expect me to recite it here. You have a Google machine…besides, to me, recipes are simply suggestions. There is a reason I do not bake. I will not be confined by measuring cups or spoons! However, I will provide some general instructions:
Blanch some sliced carrots;
Throw in a jar with vinegar and water;
Add minced garlic, cilantro, cumin and paprika;
Store in the refrigerator until guests stop by for a glass of wine.
How to Brine Olives
It is currently the height of golf vacation season in Algarve. Our course, which is quite challenging, is packed with golfers who are not very skilled. (Denise tells a joke about 4 golfers, each with very different swings who go to see a golf professional for advice. The pro tells each their problem is “loft”. Loft stands for “lack of f-ing talent”…but I digress.) Any-who, on one particular day a few weeks ago we were behind a lofty foursome. Rather than getting upset or frustrated, we picked olives. (Yes, living in Portugal has truly changed me.) As we came off the ninth green we happened upon Fabio #1. (Fabio#1 is a wonderful young man who works at the club. He is handsome and sweet. We call him Fabio#1 because about 1 year ago they hired another Fabio … again, I digress.) I asked Fabio#1 if he knew how to prepare the olives. He nodded and provided us with instructions. I confirmed his instructions online.
Soak the olives for two days in plain water (we washed ours for a bit in vinegar and water first due to the chemicals they use on the golf course) changing the water each day;
Then slit the olives and place them in a jar of salt water (1 part salt to 10 parts water);
Stir daily, changing the brine mixture each week.
After 3-6 weeks (based on the size of the olives) remove and place in your best olive oil, garlic, some herbs, and perhaps an orange peel. (The orange peel is a flourish recommended by Fabio#1.)
How to Paint with 12 “Old” Portuguese Women
We love our house but … truth be told, I wish I had figured out a way to create an art studio separate from the den.1 With its Mollino protractor desk and Eames lounge chair, I can’t allow myself to be messy. We want to purchase the small building behind our house.2 It currently houses an art gallery that only opens about once a month. It would make a great art studio/garage. Through Portuguese friends in town who know the owner of the building, we expressed our interest, but no luck. I also let another place slip through my fingers about 100 meters away.
Why am I telling you all this? First, because if anyone knows of a space I can buy or rent near our home I want you to contact me immediately!!!! Second, because in searching for such a space I signed up for a painting class. You see there is a building in VRSA called Universidade do Tempo Livre (University of Leisure Time). I knew they gave Portuguese classes there, but I was unsure of what else might be available. So I stopped by and learned they had exercise classes, sewing classes, painting classes, etc. The “class” had started in September, but I could join on Wednesdays and Fridays from 14:30 to 16:30.
Unsure of what to expect I nervously attended my first class, without supplies just to watch, two weeks ago. My classmates are 12 VRSA women (all about my age), impeccably dressed (wearing smocks or white lab jackets to protect their outfits … I wear a t-shirt with holes and shorts spattered with paint), all use oil paint and very small brushes (I use acrylic paints, inks, colored pencils, and 1”+ brushes), and a youngish instructor. The instructor does not offer a formal class. Everyone works on whatever they want to work on, typically copying a picture that sits next to their canvas. The instructor walks about occasionally picking up a brush and “correcting” what they have done. 9 of the 12 students are former teachers. The woman who sits closest to me has been taking this same class for 12 years.3 Oddly enough there are no Ana’s. No one speaks a word of English…or at least they claim not to.
Despite the fact that we have very, very different styles and life experiences, everyone has embraced me. They are patient with me as I attempt to communicate in Portuguese. They respond slowly, in response to my pleadings. We do a lot of pointing and smiling. They are perplexed but interested in my much looser painting style … “Ahh, bonito?” (The question mark reflects their confusion.) The instructor did stop by my table last week. She suggested that the proportions of the face I was painting were not accurate. Frankly, I’m okay with that…as any picture that sits by my canvas is just a starting point.
I am not sure what I will learn about painting in this class. Last week, they announced there would be a Christmas party for students of the school. (Unfortunately, we will be in Germany that week. Please see the final note below.) Following a recital of the party menu, I overheard the other students debating the best recipe for bacalhau for the rest of the class. The few words I grasped floated around in my head as I painted because as you have learned by now, I really don’t follow recipes.
Quais são as tuas novas paixões?, Diga,
Nanc
Final Note: On some occasions, I have adopted the European tradition of an August vacation … not this year. On others, I posted only holiday photos at the end of December. I am not entirely sure what I will do this year. However, we are taking a river cruise visiting Holiday Markets in Austria and Germany in early December, visiting Aveiro, Águeda, and Porto just before Christmas, and spending a few days in Córdoba nearer the end of the month. I suspect there will be a lot of photos, and just a few posts. Not 100% sure…so stay tuned.
I painted as a child. While I do not recall many years of my youth I do recall standing in front of an easel and painting horses’ heads. Many, many horses’ heads. As a teenager, I did very detailed pencil sketches of sneakers and The Beatles. Oddly enough, I found these when I cleaned out my mother’s assisted living apartment after her death. When we moved to Vero Beach I took up reverse abstract painting on glass…selling them on eBay.
It adjoins our laundry room and is large enough for a 1 car garage and art studio. Knock a hole in one very thick wall and it would be perfect.
The classes are €25/month. Not sure if there is a longevity discount.
Thank you for sharing the carrot and olive recipes. Also love your paintings! I too paint and draw. I'm still getting settled here in Sao Martinho do Porto, but I am eager to start painting again.
I normally read your post on my email client. Came here to say I really like the style of those two paintings you posted! Que bela!