Pan's Labyrinth

Guillermo Del Toro's Spanish language film is set in the year 1944 in fascist Spain. The story centers around a young girl named Ofelia whose life is split between real world horrors and a dark fantasy world. Ofelia moves into the home of her cruel new stepfather, Captain Vidal, who leads his men in a vicious battle against the rebels who are still loyal to the old republic. A mysterious insects leads Ofelia into an ancient labyrinth where she encounters a gnarled Faun. The creature gives her hope for a better life as a princess if she can complete three fantastical tasks. Only after proving her lineage would she be able to rightfully claim her place in the Underground Kingdom.

Food plays many important roles within this tale. The stealing of food to give to the rebels, the rationing of food by the evil Captain Vidal, and most importantly it is used to tempt the heroine during one of her tasks. From Christianity to Buddhism and The Odyssey by Homer to the story of Snow White; food has been used to tempt the fate of humans. Eating and drinking is used in many stories as a symbolic act of the true test of one's will.

During Ofelia's second task she must enter the lair of "The Pale Man", a child-eating monster. Laid out before the ghoulish being is a mouth-watering feast to which she has been warned not to eat anything. After completing her task, she stops before the table and decides to eat two grapes despite the panic of the fairies. Ofelia ignoring the warnings she was given could be explained a few ways. Perhaps there was a glamour on the food, she did seem a bit mesmerized as she ate. Maybe it was a new found sense of independence. Perhaps her decision was base on the experience she had made in an earlier task: She had to choose the door which held the magical dagger. The fairies pointed to one door and she chose another. After choosing correctly perhaps she felt she knew better then those who were giving her these tests and wilfully chose to partake in the forbidden fruit. The explanation could be a fairly simple one; Ofelia was sent to bed without dinner for ruining her dress. She might have just been hungry and the luxury of the banquet was too much to bear.

If you're hungry try the recipes below which were inspired by Pan's Labyrinth. Spanish Rabbit Stew and Sugared Grapes. Enjoy!


Spanish Rabbit Stew

Ingredients

5 slices of bacon, diced
1 large rabbit cut in to 8 pieces
Salt and Pepper
2 Cups chopped onion
4 Tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Teaspoon coarse salt
1 Cup dry white wine
3 Cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/4 Cup dry sherry
Butter to thicken sauce

Preparation

Heat a large saute pan or Dutch oven over medium heat and add the bacon. Cook the bacon until it is brown and crisp, about 7 minutes. Remove bacon to drain on paper towels.
Season the rabbit with salt and pepper. Heat the remaining bacon fat and sear the rabbit pieces until golden on all sides, turning often, about 55 minutes. Lift out the rabbit pieces and reserve. Add the onion to the pan and saute until the onions are soft and caramelized, about 50 minutes. Add the garlic, cinnamon, red pepper flakes and salt, and cook until the aromas are released, about 1 minute. Add the wine and reduce by half.
Add the stock, browned rabbit pieces, browned bacon and bay leaves. Cook, covered, until rabbit is fork tender, about 1 hour.
Carefully lift out the rabbit pieces and transfer to a serving platter. Add the sherry to the sauce along with enough butter to thicken the sauce, whisking until the butter is incorporated. Pour the sauce over the warm rabbit pieces.

Sugared Grapes

Ingredients

1/4 cup pasteurized liquid egg whites
2lbs seedless grapes (cut into 2 to 4 inch clusters)
1 cup superfine granulated sugar

Preparation

Hold grape clusters by the stem and brush lightly with the egg whites. Move onto wax paper, sprinkle with sugar. Coat all sides with sugar. Shake off excess sugar. Dry grapes uncovered at room temperature for about 2 hours.