What’s Cooking? Birdwatching!
We woke up this morning to a symphony of birdsong outside our windows. From the soft cooing of mourning doves and the piercing melodies of the eastern bluebird to the complex arrangements offered by the northern mockingbird, the spring air is filled with song. That’s the inspiration for our first themed Marketplace, which centers on our fine feathered friends. Let Paradise City artists take you on your own flight of fancy. In painting, sculpture, jewelry, home furnishings, works for the garden and more, you’ll get to experience the whole panoply of avian splendor. Each image links to an artist’s site where you can purchase current work. Some take you directly to their fully functional online store while others show collections of work that are ordered via phone and email. Just like at our shows, you are buying directly from the artist!
Dozens of artists and makers on the Marketplace incorporate bird imagery into their work. For some it’s a central theme – for others, a creative sidetrack. For instance, we love the humor and sophistication of Lisa and Scott Cylinder’s bird brooches. Ellie Wyeth’s floorcloths are practically an encyclopedia of birds, from roosters, robins and ravens to white egrets by the shore. Holly Wach’s watercolors of everything from tiny songbirds to majestic birds of prey are light and painterly; Joe Oliverio’s color photography depicts wild birds in their natural habitat. And did you know that Piper Foreso has just introduced some charming new bird feeders?
Let your imagination soar with the birds as you browse this curated selection from our themed “Bird Marketplace”. Use your screen instead of binoculars to be a “Birdwatcher of Paradise”.
What else is cooking at Paradise City? Read this week’s recipe for pure comfort food, Pasta Carbonara!
Featured Artists
This Week’s Recipe
As promised, for those of you with a culinary bent, our favorite recipe for Pasta alla Carbonara is super easy and pure comfort food. Almost like breakfast for dinner! This is the traditional version, made without cream. The eggs and cheese provide the creamy texture, as the mixture thickens when tossed with the hot pasta. Enjoy!
Pasta alla Carbonara (serves 4 to 6)
Olive oil
1 onion, peeled and diced
Pancetta, diced (5 to 8 ounces) or you can use diced bacon, guanciale or prosciutto
½ cup white wine
4 egg yolks
1 lb. spaghetti or linguine
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup grated Romano cheese (or you can use all parmesan)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Optional – 1 Tbsp. chopped parsley
- Mix the egg yolks, ½ the cheese and pepper in a serving bowl
- Heat the olive oil and sauté onions and pancetta until onions are translucent and pancetta is cooked but not browned.
- Add wine, turn up the heat and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool.
- Cook spaghetti in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve about a half cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Add pancetta mixture to the egg/cheese in the bowl.
- Quickly add hot drained pasta and stir. Add some of the pasta water until it’s the right consistency (not gummy, not soupy) and some more cheese. Reheat everything very gently in pan if the eggs don’t seem cooked enough by the hot pasta.
- Serve with more pepper and pass the rest of the grated cheese.
