Visita Inesperada (1958) by Remedios Varo.
Ingredients:
One kilo black radishes; three white hens; one head of garlic; four kilos honey; one mirror; two calf’s livers; one brick; two clothespins; one whalebone corset; two false moustaches; two hats of your choice.Pluck the hens, carefully setting aside the feathers. Boil in two quarts of unsalted distilled water or rainwater, along with the peeled, crushed garlic. Simmer on a low fire. While simmering, position the bed northwest to southeast and let it rest by an open window. After half an hour, close the window and place the red brick under the left leg at the head of the bed, which must face northwest, and let it rest.
While the bed rests, grate the black radishes directly over the consommé, taking special care to allow your hands to absorb the steam. Mix well and simmer. With a spatula, spread the four kilos of honey on the bedsheets, sprinkle the chicken feathers on the honey-smeared sheets. Now, make the bed carefully…
And so on. If you want to read the rest then you’ll have to find a copy of Surrealist Women: An International Anthology (1998), edited by Penelope Rosemont. (Extract translated by Walter Gruen.)
