Art with a Recipe

By John Nieman

This is a unique compendium of artistic recipes from five continents, creatively interpreted and easily presented. Each is painted by John Nieman and presented in a way that even the weekend cook may appreciate, especially if he or she has a taste for something out of the ordinary.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 12, 2016
• ISBN: 9781524549091

John Nieman

John Nieman, an accomplished artist and writer, has exhibited his paintings throughout the United States and in Europe. His first book of art and poetry, Art of Lists was published in 2007. He has published two novels, The Wrong Number One and Blue Morpho. In addition, he recently published a childen's book called The Amazing Rabbitini. Mr. Nieman lives in Dobbs Ferry, New York, and is the father of five children.

Book preview

Copyright © 2016 by John Nieman. 742246

Library of Congress Control Number:   2016916658

ISBN:   Softcover   978-1-5245-4910-7

   Hardcover   978-1-5245-4911-4

   EBook      978-1-5245-4909-1

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Rev. date: 10/10/2016

Xlibris

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For my friend Mirian Cornell, who helped me prepare most of these dishes. She chopped, sliced, mixed, cooked, baked, and cleaned in a way that made the journey quite enjoyable.

Contents

Starters and Snacks

Belgian Waffles with Poached Pears

Irish Rarebit

Eggs in Purgatory

Bermuda Triangles

Pao de Quejo de Rio

Monte Carlo Coins

Hooray for Hollywood Popcorn

Tango de Leche

Milano Morning-After Risotto

Czech Mix

Mt. Snow Maple Muffins

Jackson Holes

Viva Las Vegas Chips

Soups and sides

California Watermelon Gazpacho

Tapas de Barcelona

Dobbs Trick or Treat Soup

San Miguel Shrimp Cocktail

Machu Picchu Potatoes

Sopa Paraguaya

Poutine de Montreal

Santa Fe Pepper Soup

Calcutta Curried Egg Salad

Foggy Mountain Cornbread

Seafood

Alaskan Halibut

Sunshine State Seared Scallops

Saigon Spring Rolls

Saint Andrew’s Salmon

Mardi Gras Cornflaked Catfish

Chilean Sea Bass

Shrimp on the Barbie

Shall We Meat?

Atlanta Pulled Pork

Maui Barbecue Leis

Colombian Coffee-Marinated Skirt Steak

Argentine Empanadas

Philly Philly Cheesesteak

Windy City Wild Dogs

Royal Beef Wellington

Moroccan Chicken Apricot Tagine

Detroit Red Wings

Polska Kielbasa and Cabbage

Lone Star Steak with Cowboy Butter

Tokyo Tonkatsu

A Very Good Shepherd’s Pie

Hungarian Veal Paprikash

German Pork Tenderloin

Chinese Chicken Lettuce Cups

Viennese Wiener Schnitzel

Sweets and Happy Endings

Hoosier Heaven

Norwegian Cloudberry Parfait

Red Squares

Dutch Molten Chocolate

The Big Apple Tarte Tatin

New Zealand Kiwi Bread

Sorrento Biscotti Natale

Parisian Macarons

Saint Louis Gooey Butter Cake

Preface

This book combines three of my favorite passions—art, travel, and food.

In a previous life, I had the good fortune to visit many places on this planet. (As a global creative director, I often travelled 180 days a year.) I discovered that the best revenge against constant jet lag was to enjoy the people, personality, and culture of each country. Often the best way to do that is to share a bite with the locals.

Later, when I embraced art full-time and attended culinary school, those two disciplines became irresistibly intertwined. In fact, my early still-life paintings often featured apples, eggs, oranges, corn bread, beans, doughnuts, bananas, and lots and lots of candies—everything from Hershey’s Kisses to Chuckles.

Along the way, I continued to work on recipes that pleased the palate of my family and friends and satiated my desire for something a little out of the ordinary. Despite the fact that I have worked in the restaurant world, I am not a fan of elaborate, fancy techniques. Most of these dishes are relatively easy to prepare. In our busy world, who has time to slave for hours in the kitchen?

One other caveat about these recipes—in many cases, they will not be found on the menus of the most popular restaurants in Rio, Russia, Sydney, or San Miguel de Allende. They are simply inspired by the unique flavors of each destination. If it’s Colombia, that means coffee. If it’s Peru, that means potatoes. If it’s New Zealand, it’s kiwi, etc. The recipes simply use the indigenous flavors as a starting point and convert them into something you might enjoy without having to take a local language lesson.

Mangia.

Bon appétit.

Enjoy!

Starters and Snacks

There are some breakfasts in here, but there are also plenty of appetizers or yummy snacks. They are inspired by Europe, South America, and many parts of the USA. Good in the morning. Good in the afternoon. Good at midnight.

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Belgian Waffles with Poached Pears

Belgian Waffles with Poached Pears

I am not a big fan of elaborate breakfasts, but I will make an exception for this dish, especially on a Sunday. The waffles are nothing like the Aunt Jemima brand. They are crisp, and they help assuage your guilt since you are getting something healthy (hey, it’s fruit after all).

Ingredients for poached pears:

4–6 peeled, cored, and sliced pears

½ C red wine (zinfandel or merlot)

¾ C granulated sugar

2 T lemon juice

2 t vanilla extract

2 t cinnamon

Method:

1. Combine all ingredients except the pear. Bring to a boil.

2. Once boiling, turn down the heat to a simmer and add pears.

3. Simmer for 10 minutes, then turn pears, and simmer another 8 minutes.

4. Remove pears. Let them cool.

5. Boil wine sauce until reduced by half. Meanwhile, work on the waffles.

Ingredients for waffles:

1¾ C cake flour