For the Love of Frida

So, we had dinner at the architect’s house the other night and she showed Foodie and me this fabulous fabric she ordered. I fell in love (with the fabric). She said “I think I’ll make a tablecloth." Being all take charge, I decided to mobilize.

The fabric has a Frida Kahlo pattern. Besides her unibrow, Frida Kahlo is best known for her sometimes disturbing, but always vibrant art that regularly depicted the “pain and passion” of her tumultuous life. Born in Coyoacán, Mexico and married to Mexican artist Diego Rivera, Kahlo once suggested that "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." I think this fabric will make a cherished tablecloth around which there will be many happy gatherings and people keeping Frida company! There was a great Frida Kahlo exhibit at the PMA in 2010 that I made sure not to miss!

So here is how you make a simple tablecloth with a contrasting border:
You can also miter the corners by making them each a bit longer and cutting and stitching them together at a 45 degree angle.

Back to dinner.

Architect served the most delicious HOMEMADE butternut squash ravioli and I asked her to send me a summary of how she prepared these little treats. She sent me an email and I responded that I think “I will just cut-n-paste your instructions into my post,” and she said, “it needs tweaking.” Below is the semi-edited text.

"I started with 3 cups of white flour and 1 cup of wheat flour. In hindsight, I would not use the wheat flour because it’s too course. You make a well in the flour and break 4 eggs add a pinch of salt. Using a fork, slowly break the yokes and blend into the flour. Once it starts to hold together, knead it with your hands until you have a soft, pliable dough. Roll it out as thin as possible and cut into 3” squares which you will fold over corner to corner to make a triangular ravioli.

For the filling I peeled, cut into cubes and then steamed the butternut squash. Once soft, I used a hand held blender to make a puree. In a large sauce pan I sautéed about 2 tablespoons of chopped shallots in butter. Once the shallots were translucent I added the butternut squash and cooked for a few minutes more. Then I let the mixture completely cool. Once cool, put about a teaspoon of filling and completely seal the ravioli. Heat a large pot of salted water until boiling add the ravioli’s until they float to the top and Viola you're done!"

The ravioli was paired with a simple tomato sauce and turkey meatballs. We also had a salad with pistachios, grapefruit and mixed greens served in the lovely traveling salad bowl and the best rice pudding homemade by the Co-Op. Will post pictures of the tablecloth once it's made.