When Life is but a Blur

Photo: Adriana Glackin

It was a last minute decision that found me at the 52 Suburbs exhibition at the Museum of Sydney late yesterday afternoon.  I was aware of this project thanks to twitter and was following the progress with interest. If I thought the Project365 was a challenge, then surely a challenge such as documenting 52 suburbs in 52 weeks is the ultimate. Phew! My head spins just thinking about it. I'm pleased to say the exhibition didn't disappoint, and even though it was late there were quite a few people enjoying the display.

The exhibition runs until October 2011, and allow yourself plenty of time, as there's another exhibition well worth visiting - The Enemy at Home. Recently discovered photographs taken by a German internee are being exhibited and they show life in the intern camps during WWI. The two exhibitions work well side by side and show just how much Australia has changed within the last century.

Getting back to the 52 Suburbs, there are limited edition prints available for sale as well as the book which showcases the project. For the photographers amongst us, there's also a competition you can enter that encourages you to get to know your suburb!

A brisk walk over to Allens Music to pick up some music supplies, then over to Chinatown for a quick meal before heading home and the whirlwind trip to town was over.  Of course no trip to the city is complete without a photo or two... the photo above was taken with my iPhone using the Slow Shutter App and edited using the Film Noir App.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to cosy up in bed and enjoy my copy of the 52 suburbs book.

Hearty Soul Food

Sometimes I just can’t help it; I have to photograph my food before I eat it. It’s not because my loved ones will have the evidence of what my last meal consisted of, should I be fatally struck down by food poisoning. It’s more about the colours and textures and aromas - they're simply so appealing. (Yes, I know you can’t photograph an aroma...yet) My family and friends are used to this behaviour now and when I have my camera up at my face it’s hard for me to see their eye rolls. So, this was one of my dinners from earlier this week – a simple minestrone soup. I had picked up the recipe card from my local greengrocer and added it to the other recipe cards I seem to have accumulated over the years. With the chill of autumn well and truly here, it was time to rummage through the recipe cards and come up with my own simple minestrone variation.

My ingredients included:

·         Onion

·         Leek

·         2 carrots

·         Celery

·         Cup of peas

·         Handful of beans

·         Cauliflower

·         2 x 425g tinned tomato

·         Tbs tomato paste

·         1 ½ cups of small pasta

·         1 lt of beef stock

·         1 Tbs olive oil

·         Salt and pepper to taste

·         Fresh Parmesan Cheese grated to garnish and flavour

My method:

·        *  Finely chop the onion, leek and carrots, add to the pot with the olive oil and fry until the onion and leek are clear. Stirring and taking care not to burn the onion and leek.

·         * Add the other raw vegetables and stir frequently until they brown a little.

·         * Add the stock and tinned tomatoes and tomato paste. Lower heat, place lid and allow to simmer. Stir occasionally and as the vegetables begin to soften, you can add the small pasta, stir (you may add a little water or stock at this stage), place lid and simmer until cooked.

·         * Add salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle with parmesan cheese upon serving.

Variations:

·         * You could use frozen vegetables in place of raw vegetables.

·        *  The beauty of this simple minestrone is that any vegetables you have in your fridge, freezer or pantry would be suitable to make this hearty soup. You want to end up with a bowl-full of chunky delicious vegetables and not a light and liquidy soup.

·         * If who you’re serving to, has an aversion to a certain food, you could always omit the pasta and blend the vegetables into a fine puree and serve with a dollop of sour cream. I will be cooking this variation next time as MOTH objected to the ‘ridiculous’ amount of peas in his bowl. Tsk.

·        *  Use your favourite spices, perhaps cumin, to give a different flavour to the soup. Or a generous handful of chopped basil would also be a yummy variation.

·         * If you want a meatier variation, add bacon or ham pieces to the onion and olive oil and substitute vegetable stock for the beef stock.

Importantly, once it’s cooked, don’t forget to take a photo of it before you serve it up! Oh, and if you like, post me a link to your photo. Enjoy!