Happy Birthday Pablo, Enjoy the Eels

Pablo Picasso, Moise Kisling, Paquerette - Cafe la Rotonde Paris 1916

Born this day in 1881, Pablo Picasso was renowned as a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, stage designer, poet and playwright. He spent most of his adult life in France, where the above photo was taken.

Rather than share a history of the great artist’s life and work – you can find those here and here – I’d like to tell you what I’ve learned about Pablo and food.

According to an article in Vogue magazine from 1964, Picasso’s favorite dishes were eel stew and omelette tortilla Nicoise. You can check out the article here. Me? I’m going to leave the eels alone, but the omelette sounds yummy. Bon appetit!
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​Picasso’s Omelette Tortilla Niçoise for Four People
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion
4 peppers, red and green
3 tomatoes
2 tablespoons wine vinegar
8 eggs
Salt and pepper

In a flat-bottomed frying pan, heat oil gently, adding the onion, sliced and separated into rings. After 5 minutes, add the peppers, seeded and diced. Mix and cook gently for a few minutes, then slip in the tomatoes, seeded, peeled, and cubed. After mixing and seasoning, cover pan and let simmer over a low flame for 1 hour. Vegetables should not stick. Uncover the pan, pour in the wine vinegar, and let cook until liquid is reduced.
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Beat the eggs in a bowl. Pour them over the vegetables, mix well, and let the omelette cook gently without touching it. When it is well set, put a big plate over the pan and reverse the omelette onto it, then slide it back into the pan on the other side. Finish over a higher flame until golden underneath. Cut the omelette tortilla like a pie, and serve with a bowl of garlic-mayonnaise seasoned with saffron.

And now please enjoy this video of David Bowie doing an excellent cover of Jonathan Richman's rocker Pablo Picasso. Bowie's stance on eels and omelettes is unknown.