What do Stravinsky and vegans have in common?
Stravinsky
There is nothing quite as soothing as a beautiful meal paired with music. In celebration of Earth Day yesterday, we feel inspired to share three vegetarian recipes paired with relevant recordings. It is our wish that you, our dear community, are able to enjoy the beauty of spring through cooking despite these difficult times. These dishes are delicious and can be enjoyed by vegetarians and non-vegetarians alike. We hope that these recipes and recordings lift your spirits.
When thinking about spring, we can’t help but immediately think of Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring. While of course we love the full orchestral version of the work, we equally enjoy the version for piano four hands! Enjoy this recording featuring the legendary Leonard Bernstein and Michael Tilson Thomas. Stravinsky’s favorite food is very relevant for this time of year: honey! He went to great lengths to ensure his access to royal jelly honey in his tea, even carrying jars of it with him to restaurants. With Stravinsky and springtime in mind, we recommend trying this Honey Ginger Tofu and Veggie Stir Fry! The honey gives the tofu tons of flavor, let us know what you think!
The Rite of Spring isn’t the only work about our favorite season. Lang Lang’s performance of Dragon Songs: Spring Dance is an uplifting way to welcome springtime. This work is part of Lang Lang’s Dragon Songs album, which encompasses a fascinating variety of traditional Chinese songs from several generations arranged by Chinese composers. With this vibrant piece of music in mind, this Vegan Chinese Kung Pao Tofu is the perfect pairing. Although this traditional Chinese food dish is usually made with chicken, you can use tofu to create a very similar vegetarian and vegan version of traditional kung pao chicken using all the same Chinese ingredients and seasonings, including sesame oil, red pepper flakes, onion, lime and hot sauce.
Gustav Mahler was just as passionate about food as Stravinsky! Did you know that late-Romantic Austrian composer Gustav Mahler was a vegetarian for a time? Ideas about veganism and vegetarianism were circulating in Austrian cafes during the time. He was never able to stick with it, but we still feel inspired to share this recording of Mahler’s Piano Quartet alongside this vegan recipe for the Austrian dish Reisfleisch. Mahler abandoned his Piano Quartet, but it was completed by composer Alfred Schnittke in 1988. The work is Mahler’s sole surviving piece of instrumental chamber music, and therefore has a very special place in our hearts. This recording, featuring Inon Barnatan on piano, is our favorite. With this delicious Reisfleisch recipe, we hope it becomes a favorite for you too.
As always, please reach out and let us know how you are doing during this challenging time. If you try out these recipes and listen to these recordings, let us know which one was your favorite! We’d love to see photos of your springtime dishes.