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gustus elementa per omnia quaerunt

Monday, April 23, 2007

Polaroid 690 and a recipe for sausage and fennel risotto

hello old friend

I bought this Polaroid 690 maybe 10 years at a second hand camera store in Shinjuku for about ¥20,000. It folds down neatly into small booklet that hangs nattily over the shoulder. Reopening in another thing and I've forgotten how a few times and have been left looking like a monkey with a puzzle box. Polaroids in a way we're a kind of precursor to photography as social activity that flickr is now. You could take one along to a party and document it as you went along. One version of polaroid film allowed you to draw in coloured pencil on it. Other than that they had their own special colour cast, were more boho than slide film, and you could chastise people for shaking them to get them to develop more quickly. Like teddy, it got stuffed in the cupboard when my first digital camera come along and there it sat until Saffy talked me in to getting a cartridge of film from KMart. (You should also check out the amazing Viv collection.)

[Polaroid SLR 690 which everyone respects - I've got to have a General Research 690 Case]

Oh yeah the risotto, it's magnificent. Make a risotto as per usual with finely chopped onion and clove of garlic base with chicken stock. Meanwhile, take a couple of italian sausages brown them and the add a finely sliced fennel bulb (reserve a tablespoon of leaves for the end) and allow to gently sautee with the sausages. When the sausages are cooked, slice them and then return the slices to the pan and sautee a little longer. Add to the risotto at the finish along with the fennel leaves and a little butter. Stir through well, add some parmesan, season and serve. Really very good, should have cracked a bottle of wine with it. No pics though.

UPDATE
Polaroid of my (phwoarr) brekky at Sayers in Leederville. Good it was. Surprisingly nice depth of field in the photo, no?

sayers breakfast


21 Comments:

Blogger Pim said...

Nice camera. Show us some shots.

4/24/2007 08:21:00 am

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Hey Pim

Aye. I would but I've just got used to my D70 for whip-it-out-at-a-restaurant indiscretion, this takes it to a whole new level.

4/24/2007 03:28:00 pm

 
Blogger santos. said...

social what-de-what?? polaroids are for the anti-social and sex photos. party my arse. if you take a polaroid to a social function everyone thinks you're a nutter who doesn't have anyone to photograph in the bedroom. not that i know this from experience cough cough

4/25/2007 02:12:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Jeebus Santos, next thing you'll be bagging me for my personal hand held massager.

4/25/2007 07:01:00 pm

 
Blogger santos. said...

nooo, i'll bet that massager is awesome for tenderizing a flank or two.


that polaroid is quite fantastic. i do stand by the antisocial aspect of polaroidity: one print, therefore cannot be shared, one shot at taking the photo unless you don't mind the price of film. and of course, scarcity of film.

4/25/2007 08:33:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

ermmm yeah

We used to get around that by pinning them up during the party. One of the nice things is that giving somebody the only copy is a bit more special than just running off a couple of reprints - we've still got a couple framed that a Japanese friend gave to us. Obviously superceded by digital but they'll probably stick around for their retro appeal and their aesthetic impositions.

Speaking of which, completely unrelated-Deus Ex Machina

4/25/2007 09:03:00 pm

 
Blogger santos. said...

saffron and i had a conversation about the "only one" factor--i took a bunch of polaroids that ended up in a magazine, credited to someone else. gaaaaah. no proof!

also, completely unrelated--how coooooool

4/25/2007 09:33:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

You just have some crappy luck with your photos. I expect to read the story of the scotch egg photo millionaire while you died penniless in a flophouse in Detroit.

I am so feeling cafe racer.

4/25/2007 10:22:00 pm

 
Blogger santos. said...

yes, it was a mistake to sink all my money in that movie "beyond rangoonies" where patricia arquette goes to burma in search of a renegade boy scout who has set himself up as a drug runner, corey haim. or corey feldman.

as i am feeling so very mod, does that mean there will be a rumble tonight?

4/26/2007 10:32:00 am

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Wow! I was at that meeting, "It's Shanghai Surpise in Burma but, and here's the kicker - we've got Patricia Arquette AND Corey Feldman! I smell OSCAR!"

Chains and switchblades, see you in Brighton.

4/26/2007 01:46:00 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

nice dish.

nice camera.

If, by "nice depth of field" you meant "not much depth of field", then I agree. Although shallow field in food photography is getting on my nerves. How long can something be fashionable before it's hackneyed?

I suppose it does look pretty natural. Actually, now that I think about it some of my favourite porn photography looks like gourmet traveller. Just the eyes and lips in focus, or a closeup on a goosepimpled breast with nipples rampant.

Okay, that's probably enough.

4/27/2007 01:05:00 pm

 
Blogger santos. said...

i think it's pretty nice depth of field, considering it's a polaroid.

brighton? oy. my (imaginary) pink vespa can't go that far. oh the saddle sores!

4/27/2007 01:15:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Yeah exactly, I was probably more impressed with the depth of field because it was a lucky wangle - bit like getting 'spin' in Pong (and I swear I could).

The depth of field is a wee bit overdone and I tend to go with sharp myself [see previous works "A Lady Serves Lancashire Hotpot" and "A Teapot Watches the Mincer"]. I think a lot of it comes from a low light compromise in the restaurant and kitchen if you don't have a decent flash or a tripod. The blur tool in photoshop kinda killed it in a poke your eyes out silicone kinda way.

A nice point (excuse the pun) - my fave is the clutching the bedpost hair flick and lookaround creme brulee in high heels.

4/27/2007 01:23:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Hey cross posting there.

And yeh the Marianas Trench there might be a bit of a negotioate speaking of DoF.

4/27/2007 01:27:00 pm

 
Blogger teddlesruss said...

Fark how weird! Made same risotto about a week ago myself... Kind of synchronicity that gets worrisome. I spose you haven't made any Kohlrouladen lately have you? That was the last project outside of the ordinary for me...

5/01/2007 07:50:00 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is just the most delicious looking thing I’ve seen in ages. I can’t wait to make it! Yum!

5/02/2007 02:12:00 am

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I haven't dropped in for ages. I've got an old Polaroid too. Never know if I should throw it out or not.

Regarding the risotto. I must try it. I do a similar thing I call my "Fake Slow Cooking Urbane Peasant Lentils and Chorizo"

As you might imagine its chorizo and lentils.

I get 4 chorizo from safeway and throw them on BBQ or pan to fry. When cooked I slice them up and fry slices a bit until a bit of crispness appears. Have on hand 3 tins 400g of Annalisa lentils - drained.

Soften up in pan 2 large brown onions sliced. Add a big lot of garlic near end.

Throw sliced chorizo plus lentils plus onions plus 800g tin of diced tomatoes into casserole and put in oven for 30 mins or less. Remember its all basically cooked you are only heating it. (although I reckon it does improve with time)

Can be extended and improved by microwaving a few chopped up Desire spuds and tossing them in.

All the above can be done simulteaniously or at even at the same time thus cutting time till serving hungry hordes.

Good for feeding up (and impressing) a bunch of freeloaders who have just dropped in on a winters night.

5/02/2007 08:32:00 pm

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I forgot to add that you season with cumin to get that all day smoky cooked flavour.

5/02/2007 08:37:00 pm

 
Blogger Anthony said...

Hey Ted
It's morphic resonance. No I haven't made any but my grandmother used to make the Croatian version and they were a big hit when I was a kid.

Dankos
Yeah it's great, although the flim can be a bit on the chewy side.

FX
Good to have you back here.Nah keep it. If it's a 600 series you can still get film. Cheers for the recipe and the all day smoky uberhint.

5/03/2007 02:03:00 pm

 
Blogger Nakku said...

For extra smoky smoke-flavour, I suggest smoked paprika.

5/09/2007 08:43:00 am

 
Blogger Anthony said...

smokin'

5/10/2007 11:12:00 pm

 

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