Wheelchair Gallery Going, Cardoons, & Memories of Cicadas

Wheelchair Gallery Going, Cardoons, & Memories of Cicadas

At the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in late April, we were taking my mother-in-law around in a wheelchair (her legs are weak but workable). As we approached a traveling exhibit of El Greco and Velazquez, she decided to walk for a while, and I decided to sit in her chair for a second. Then…a guard opened the door for me and I was faced with the choice of either getting up, slightly embarrassed, and walking in…or I could roll in on the wheelchair. I opted to go with the wheelchair. Sometimes I like putting myself in challenging situations.

Here’s a shot of my legs, sitting in the chair, as I pondered if I should get up, but with every second that passed, I realized I was less and less able to leave the chair and betray my charade.



I saw some people shooting photos elsewhere in the museum, so I shot a few pix of this still life; I dug the cardoons – that’s the pinkish looking stuff in lower left of frame.



After I stuffed my camera back in my shirt, a guard came over to apologize that shooting photos, even without a flash, was verboten in this particular exhibit. I think he cut me a break by letting me finish shooting before stopping me – thanks, I believe, to my wheelchair. At one point, there was a huge statue of Saint Theresa, and it flashed through my mind that I could wheel up to the statue, kick back my chair and shout, “I can WALK again!!” But that struck even me as going a bit too far.

One major advantage of wheelchair gallery going is that because it takes an effort to move, you are more likely to sit in front of paintings and appreciate them more completely; in a wheelchair, it’s hard to just cruise past works of art and give them just a cursory glance. You have to sit and look, which works well because when you’re in a wheelchair, people don’t step in front of you.

Somehow, viewing El Greco from a wheelchair seemed oddly appropriate, as the artist himself was allegedly visually handicapped (though I don’t think his alleged “condition” was any more real than mine).

Shortly after my trip, I planted some cardoons in my garden. Here they are now.



To prepare them, I figured frying would be good, so I cut off the spines:



I gave the pieces an egg-wash and dredged them in flour:



I used a little Fry Baby to cook them up. We last used the fryer last spring to prepare several batches of Brood XIII; when my daughter walked in, she asked “Dad, are we having cicadas again?” I do not believe any other father in the area has ever been asked that by his child.



The Wife and I sat down to a lunch of cardoons, some fried sage leaves and a little vino. It was good.



The cardoons had a slightly bitter but fresh taste that meshed well with the lightly fried batter crust; moist and crunchy, astringent and rich, complemented by a soft red wine. They did, though, look a little like cicadas.

Hammond

Hammond wrote:She asked “Dad, are we having cicadas again?

Let it be noticed that Hammond carefully does not answer this question. So: ARE you going to have cicadas again, Mon. Hammond??



Geo

David Hammond wrote:I used a little Fry Baby to cook them up. We last used the fryer last spring to prepare several batches of Brood XIII; when my daughter walked in, she asked “Dad, are we having cicadas again?” I do not believe any other father in the area has ever been asked that by his child.

When you were cooking those cicadas, I have to admit to being rather impressed by your Fry Baby. I bought the Hamilton Beach analog abtly named "Fry All Fryer Cooker" for a mere $3 at a rummage sale. I never would have considered it had I not seen your Fry Baby in action.

I recently bought dried garbanzo beans for purpose unknown. Later, I flipped the packet to find a recipe for falafel. I'd never made falafel before, but an overnight soak and grinding in a food processor isn't a huge effort. Plus I could finally try my Fry Baby analog. The "Fry All Fryer Cooker" is rectangular shaped with a fry basket, a miniature version of a commercial fryer. Better yet, the basket has a drain bracket to allow you to lift the basket from the oil and hook it to the edge while the oil drips away.

For safety as well as an easy clean, I located "Fry All Fryer Cooker" in my stainless steel sink. If the oil overheated and sparked a fire, it was in a pretty neutral location. I poured two cups of oil to the line, then plugged it in. Unlike my electric frying pan circa 1958, "Fry All Fryer Cooker" does not have any indicator it has reached temperature. I dipped a bamboo chopstick and once I saw bubbles, I began dropping in walnut size raw falafel into the basket and lowered it into the oil. After a minute, I attempted to shake them loose from the bottom of the basket. My technique needs improvement, I finally used a spoon to loosen them and returned the basket to the oil. A few minutes later, I had nutty brown falafel.

It really was like an LTH family dinner. We enjoyed Hammond's pepper and anchovies from the last LTH Small Household Food Exchange. My tahini wasn't up to par and wasn't interested in making a hot sauce. Instead, we used Gary's chili oil often found in the refrigerator at Little Three Happiness. The falafel were crispy, hot and practically greaseless. I understood better later when I checked the oil level in the fryer to find it just under the fill level. Now I am boldly dreaming of making fritters, donuts and a few crisp basil and sage leaves.

I embrace my new cook toy like a kid who just received an Easy Bake Oven. Get out of the way, I am going to have fun!

Regards,

C2--we need a pic of your new gear!

Geo

Geo wrote:

Hammond wrote:She asked “Dad, are we having cicadas again?

Let it be noticed that Hammond carefully does not answer this question. So: ARE you going to have cicadas again, Mon. Hammond??



Geo

Hey man, sorry I neglected to answer your question. The answer is, of course, yes, but not until 2024.

Mmmm...falafel and chili oil sounds delicious!

Geo wrote:C2--we need a pic of your new gear!

Geo

It only took a month to respond. I made more falafel today, the fryer is loaded for bear and strategically placed in my kitchen sink for easy cleaning and convenient fire extinguishing, if ever.

Sweet, C2!

How much oil does it take, and will you be re-using oil? (I ask bcz today, finally, it warmed up enough here in Montréal that I went out on the patio and began Spring Cleaning, whereupon, to my forgetful surprise, what to my wandering eyes should appear but the 1.75 liter bottle of canola oil, filtered from the pot after frying fish in Jan, and from thence put outdoors to freeze and await the thaw--and now I'm not sure I should re-use it....)
Basically, I'd like to hear about how you deal with oil supply.

I really like the looks of that thingy, and I much appreciate your idea to Do It In The Sinque!

Geo

Hi,

The reservoir holds about 2 cups when filled to the line. The oil used today was from my first batch last month. I let it cool, then poured the oil through a fine mesh to remove any particles. The mason jar was then stored in the refrigerator. I only needed a few tablespoons to bring it back to level, just like the old Wesson oil commercials.

If your canola oil smells rancid, I'd toss it. If it was kept cold, I would consider using it unless my nose or tastebuds tell me otherwise.

Cooking falafel is pretty neutral, though I'm sure some fried foods leave taste or odor souvenirs rendering it a one-time only use.

Regards,