Here comes another food & photo session at BLO Ateliers! It’s about patterns and textures this time – both in food and artist’s materials which I had the wonderful opportunity to make creative use of in Constance Schrall‘s studio. No more words needed – everybody who missed the whole story about Constance’s most inspiring art and my touch of food to it is warmly invited to take a look at the Food Paintings post.

Here’s some beautiful lentils and fregola sarda, wonderful monochrome paintings (most interestingly, Constance started a brightly colorful episode in her painting at the very moment when I discovered her monochrome works), and a few lovely rough material’s from Constance’s atelier (and some tiles that her neighbour at BLO, Till Gruhl from the concrete craft studio beton to be was so kind to prvide me with). And of course, there’s as well a further look at the area by Arne and me. It has been so much fun and inspiration again – so, thanks very much again to Constance & her atelier fellow Claudia, and everybody else at BLO!

Impressions from the ateleier…

…from the BLO area…

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

At BLO Ateliers – Berlin Lichtenberg, July 2013

… and from the art & food connection.

Painting by Constance Schrall @BLO Ateliers

Material by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers

Material by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers

Painting by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers with Selles-sur-cher cheese

Tiles by Till Gruhl @ BLO Ateliers

Material by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers

Painting by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers with Selles-sur-cher cheese

Tiles by Till Gruhl @ BLO Ateliers

Material by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers

Painting by Constance Schrall @ BLO Ateliers

Painting by Constance Schrall @BLO Ateliers with belugal lentils

Painting by Constance Schrall @BLO Ateliers

Here are my recipes

Like in the last post already, I combined the ingredients of these recipes according to the colors and textures of the paintings and the art material’s rather than according to its tastes. Nevertheless, berries, lentils, and cheese are a true match, and so is fregola sarda and sugar (which I could experience already in my Pastéis de Fregola recipe already)…

I served both recipes cold as I pre-cooked it’s main ingredients at home and arranged them later at the atelier. The taste had been very nice, but it’s way better when served warm. Especially the lentil’s risotto is most lovely when served lukewarm on a warm summer’s evening – it makes both the cheese and the berries shine.

Beluga lentil’s risotto with blackberries and Selle-sur-cher cheese

For two servings, clean two handsful of berries, and cut half a goat’s mik cheese into small pieces. I took a gorgeous Selles-sur-cher which is a French AOC cheese from the region of the same name made with charcoal and salt. It tastes heavenly piquant with just a slight touch of cheese, and the mould has a fantastic dark flavor (and look).

Cut a clove of garlic into fine and two small shallots into not too fine slices. Heat some olive oil and stir the garlic and the shallots. Add 2 small cups of black beluga lentils and stir until covered with oil. Add 1 small cup of red wine and let soak in. Add 2 small cups boiled vegetable stock (all together, you need approximately 2,5 times as much liquid as the lentil’s). Let gently boil at medium heat and add some liquid from time to time. When the lentils are done and the liquid is soaked in, put aside, add a little more olive oil and a bit balsamic vinegar, salt to taste and also add some ground longpepper which tastes more spicy than normal pepper. Arrange with the berries and the cheese and enjoy.

Sweet Fregola Sarda with almonds and Oriental Spices(vegan)

For two servings, cut a handful of almonds into small slices. Roast in a dry pan and put aside. Heat some olive oil in a pan, add a pinch of coriander, cardamon, cinnamon, chiliflakes, and clove. Add 2 small cups of fregola. Stir until the globules are covered with the spiced oil. Add 1 cup of boiled water and 2 tbsp. of raw sugar, stir gently and let the liquid soak in. Go on with about 4 further cups of water until the fregola is al dente and no liquid is left in the pan. Put aside, add a little more olive oil and the almonds and mix well. With its sweetness along with the smoked flavors and the warm Oriental spices, the fregola makes a wonderful side dish, for example with fried smoked tofu or Oriental seitan.