Hello, my friend!
Welcome back to your Sunday newsletter. Today we’re talking about art, inner sanctuary, and the love of French film.
↓ In today’s email:
- This week’s inspiration: An art opening and inner sanctuary
- From my kitchen: The art of cooking something out of nothing
- What I’m watching: The Taste of Things
This Week’s Inspiration: Inner sanctuary
On Friday, November 6th, we’ll be hosting an art opening for my father-in-law, Leslie Kenneth Price, in my studio. Over the last five decades, he has arguably been one of the most prolific African American artists in Northern California. (I’m always privately plotting new acquisitions.) The show will feature his oil paintings on canvas. After, join us for a reception at Pescadou, the new restaurant at the Hotel Viking. If you haven’t been yet, it’s stunning. See you there! Invite below :)
Back to our regularly scheduled program of letting go…
This week I’ve been sleeping with all the windows open, under multiple duvets, breathing in air, 37 degrees. In the distance I can hear ducks and geese flapping against water, lulling me to sleep. Somewhere around 3 a.m. I wake to an expansive silence: the geese and ducks are asleep, and the songbirds aren’t awake quite yet. It is a quiet that goes on for acres…
Despite the chaos of the world, this week has been about walking slowly among the trees. A protest against both speed and chaos.
The nourishing part belongs to the Earth element. But the keeping things out, invasive species at bay—that is the job of the Pericardium. In Chinese medicine the Pericardium is the bodyguard of our emotional well-being.
And what is it protecting per se?
In the words of John O’Donohue, it is this:
“There is a place in you where you have never been wounded, where there’s still a sureness in you, where there’s a seamlessness in you, and where there is a confidence and tranquility in you. And I think the intention of prayer and spirituality and love is now and again to visit that inner kind of sanctuary.”
In such a place, we can thrive.
Do you feel like you’re letting too much in, making it hard to find this place? Is it time to adjust the spigot?
Let me know, love to hear more.
The Art of Cooking: Something Out of Nothing
With the price of groceries (and, of course, eating out), knowing how to make use of what’s in the fridge saves time, energy and money, and it’s a deep bow to the environment. If you’d like a soup recipe, here’s one.
But, if you want to know how to make a great soup out of whatever’s in the fridge, follow along. This one’s easy. :))
Put 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a stockpot. Add onions, plus bacon or pancetta if you like. Sauté the onions until translucent, then add carrots and celery.
What do you have in the spice rack? This is the time to add dried oregano, bay, thyme or thyme blossoms.
Now add whatever’s in your fridge, within reason. Let’s start with the starchier vegetables. Do you have sweet potatoes, potatoes or butternut squash? Cut them into cubes and add them to the pot. Don’t forget Maldon salt (be generous) and freshly cracked black pepper. Cook until soft-ish.
What else do you have? Zucchini? Kale, cauliflower? Okay, add those and keep cooking. Plop in a whole head of garlic. Yes, I am sure.
Do you have lentils? Beluga lentils, French green, red, whatever. Add a handful.
After 5 more minutes of sautéing (add more salt), cover everything with cold water by at least 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. If you have a Parmesan rind in the fridge, throw that in too. Simmer for 30 minutes.
Want pasta? Farfalle, cavatelli or orzo. Sure. You can even break spaghetti into half-inch pieces. Add the pasta during the last 10 minutes or so.
Taste, adjust the salt, and finish each bowl with flat Italian parsley, a drizzle of good olive oil and a grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.
You want this to be heartier. You can fry an egg in a different skillet and then slide that egg over the top of your soup.
Nice job!
Tada, you’re done :)
If this is too improv, no problem at all. Here’s a blog post and a real recipe — xoxooxoxoc
What I’m Watching This Week
The Taste of Things
I just began La Passion de Dodin Bouffant (The Taste of Things), written and directed by Trần Anh Hùng. So far, it feels a little like Like Water for Chocolate à la française, with the romantic tension between Juliette Binoche and Benoît Magimel. Each shot is like a moving painting.
Trần Anh Hùng won Best Director at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival for the film.
On that note bidding you farewell, au revoir as it were. Try to get sunlight when you can. It will help us feel a little lighter. xoxoxooxoxox
Be well,
Until next week,
Dr. Catherine