Beatlesque (Parmesan-Cauliflower Fritters)

When friends visit and offer to stay in your apartment you have two choices when it comes to food. It's either quick baby, hide the yoo-hoo, break out the Brownie Chocolate instead (like my wife did with the pizza) or we live as two kings (tomato tort). Recently, we lived as two kings, and I have regretted it ever since. It was the best recipe of the week and the third mouth to feed deprived my palette of additional opportunities to be tickled.

Recipe of the Week: Parmesan-Cauliflower Fritters (as seen in Veg Times, May 2008)
Printable Version

1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
8 oz cauliflower florets
2 Tbs. chopped Italian Parsley
2 Tbs. breadcrumbs
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
Tomato and Basil sauce warmed

1. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray. Heat saucepan over high heat. Add quinoa and cook 3 minutes, or until quinoa begins to pop, stirring constantly. Add one cup water and 1/2 tsp. salt. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until water is absorbed. Cool.

2.Meanwhile, cook cauliflower in boiling water 8 minutes, or until tender. Drain and break into small pieces.

3.Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Mix quinoa, cauliflower, Parmesan, eggs, parsley, bread crumbs, and pepper in large bowl. Mixture will be moist and loose. Shape into 3-inch patties and arrange on baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes, or until fritters are golden brown. Serve with tomato-basil sauce.

Just a note. Any music that can be classified as Zeppelinesque has a 99.75% chance of being hated by me (I did like Given to Fly when it came out). If it is Beatlesque then the percentages increase slightly to 99.87% (although if the mash-up of Kanye West's Diamonds from Sierra Leone and the Beatles Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds doesn't count than the percentage becomes 100). Just thought I'd point that out, neither of those two bands (nor anyone who sounds like them) played while making this recipe.

What to do When a Punk Rock Star Asks You to Play Bocce? A Real Dilemma Brought to You by Satchel's Pizza in Gainesville

I was interviewed last night by Danny Lore of Against All Authority (I think). After enjoying a delicious slice of heaven, otherwise known as Satchel's deep dish pizza with artichokes, spinach, onion, and garlic, my wife and I and our two friends Sam and Kary Anne made our way to the Bocce court behind the restaurant. Intrigued by the game (what can I say, rich people play it) I picked up the instructions and started reading the rules. At this point I was approached by the Bocce guru, none other than Danny Lore from Against All Authority (I think?). The interview follows:

DL: Do you guys want to play?
TB: No, just looking at the rules.
DL: Well, we have a tournament taking place in a few weeks. If you are interested come on inside and sign up.
TB: That sounds cool, thanks.

At this point he walked away to continue working. I kept staring. Was that...Danny Lore? He looked a little bigger than the last time I saw him but the face, exactly the same. Against All Authority was born in Miami so it wouldn't be too far fetched to think that one (or all) of the band members relocated to Gainesville. My wife kept suggesting I go ask him, not wanting to appear like a groupie, I refused. When I got home, I looked up Satchel's web page and found that lo and behold the guys name is Danny L. Could it be Lore? It certainly could be.

About the food, Satchel's is a very progressive pizza joint with wonderful politics. The owner offers his workers a living wage, massages by a professional therapist once a quarter, stock options, and vacations. All of which make it a place that I would love to work if the teaching thing doesn't work out. But those politics aren't what make me drive the hour and half every once in a while to eat there. It's the product that is put on the plate in front of me. The pizza is wonderful, it is the right blend of spicy and subtle, crispy and soft, and the ingredients are fresh. Having lived in Chicago, where I enjoyed some of the finest pizza this land has to offer, it almost pains me to say that the best pizza I've ever tasted lies in a pizza joint, in the middle of nowhere, East Side Gainesville.

Still frame video of my favorite AAA cover song, In on your own joke, originally performed by Christ on a Crutch.


On a slightly non-related musical note, just finished reading Spin Magazines review of Prodigy's new album (what they still exist?). The author of the review, Charles Aaron, says at one point Prodigy creates "the sort of gut-punching delirium that Justice could pull off if they weren't too busy smoking Gauloises by the infinity pool?" (Spin Magazine, March 2009). What does that even mean? Is it a good thing? Naturally I had to look up Gauloises and infinity pool and I came to realize that (maybe) he meant that Justice is too pretentious. I understand the hesitancy to use that word in reviewing music, it is overused as it is, but can't reviewers stop trying to be so clever? When I have to look up things just to understand what you are saying, it's not going to make me happy.

Full Table, Empty House Mix: Ladyhawke, Billy Talent, An Horse, Animal Collective, The Thermals, Samuraj Cities, Birds of Tokyo, Winter Gloves

You know the feeling, maybe. You come out of the kitchen after having slaved over a hot stove (or shoddy microwave) all day, food in hand, wipe the sweat from your brow only to realize nobody showed. All those invites, answered evites, rsvps, just a cruel joke on you.

Track Listing:

Ladyhawke-Delirium
Billy Talent-This Suffering
An Horse-Scared as Fuck (alternate title: Warm Hands)
Friendly Fires-Jump in the Pool
Animal Collective-Fireworks
The Thermals-Now we can see
Samuraj Cities-Washed Up
Birds of Tokyo-Wild Eyed Boy
Winter Gloves-Let Me Drive

Download Playlist Here

For the recipe for the delicious Vegetable Wellington, pictured at the top of this entry, click here.