Did you ever feel that events affecting your life are being orchestrated behind closed doors? Your fate decided for you. No, this is not about some corporate or government conspiracy. Though there are parallels.
Saturday morning on this past long weekend. We were feeling lazy. Kicking back we switched on the telly. What’s on? The 1934 horror film, The Black Cat, starring Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff. Old school horror with our morning tea and toast.
Hjalmar Poelzig (played by Karloff) is the quintessence of Evil. And yet, he brings a humanity to his role so that when he gets his predictable comeuppance at the climax of the film, you still feel a twinge of pity for him. But just a twinge.
Before that moment, he takes pleasure in the cat and mouse game he is playing with his guests as they try to make arrangements to leave the Art Deco cage he has built.
Hey, BK, can I use your phone to call for a ride?
Suuuuuure! It’s in my office. Help yourself.
Returning and disgusted, his guest informs him that the phone line has gone dead. As he stalks off to fetch his wife for a hasty departure, Poelzig, in a giddy schoolboy tone of voice, turns to Vitus (played by Lugosi) and concludes,
“The phone is dead. Do you hear that, Vitus? Even the phone is dead.”
(Translation: “I’m gonna f*** them up!”
Did I mention there is a Satanic Ritual in this film? Drenched in the demonic symbolism — pentagrams, queer crosses, and jewelry in a shape that is a weird intersection between ram’s head and uterus. And then there is a soundtrack which includes Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor BWV 565– now a horror genre cliché.
I confess. This is the first time I have seen this film. How can that have happened?
If you’re a Black Cat virgin, as I used to be, click here to watch the entire film. If you’ve seen it before, click anyway– you know it’s good. Go ahead, take the 65 minutes out of your evening and sip on today’s NGW while you’re at it.
Buil & Gine 17-XI Montsant 2008 ($13.50). Slight red berry tartness. Lighter in body than other Montsant wines. With a hint of minerality on the finish. Not overly complex, but still tasty. Rated **
This is a food friendly wine that was elevated by some braised chicken leg quarters over a vegetable cous cous. The kind of comfort food you need after a long day dealing with the Hjalmar Poelzigs of the world.
Black Cat Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 Chicken leg quarters–thigh and drumstick (See Note Below)
- 2 Tbsps EVOO
- 1 large white onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- small pinch of Saffron
Method
- In a large frying pan, add EVOO and brown the chicken over high heat (do not crowd the pan).
- Remove the chicken and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and saute the onion and peppers in the pan juices.
- Once the onion has softened, add white wine and deglaze the pan scraping up the crusty bits.
- Add chicken stock, rosemary and saffron.
- Return Chick to the pan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for over low heat for 35 minutes.
- Place 1 chicken quarter leg per person on a bed of cous cous in a wide bowl and spoon sauce over top.
Serves 4
Note: We prefer the more expensive free range kosher chicken as it is more flavorful than the mass produced antibiotic and hormone infused birds we find in the market these days.
The little guy in the photo at the top of this page doesn’t have a guilty bone in his body. Neither should you. No-Guilt Wednesday (NGW) is not about compromising on quality. It’s all about drinking good wine that does not break the bank ($15 or less), eating good food and of course, it’s about sharing with the ones you love.
sybaritesauvage 
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