Orzo in a Citrus Hot Bath of Chiddy Bang and Tin Can Radio

Bagna Cauda is the saltier fish bred cousin to fondue (in my own family, Courtney would be the bagna cauda). I had never heard of the dipping sauce until last week when I was perusing Giada de Laurentiis recipes trying to find one that I could shirk and pass off as my own. I came across her Tilapia with Citrus Bagna Cauda. There were enough weird words in the title to hook me (like a fish you know). Since Bagna Cauda is typically made with anchovies I needed a vegetarian replacement. I had two in mind, miso and capers, and couldn't decide which one would work best. Over the course of a week I experimented with both. My conclusion? There was no contest. In this recipes it has to be capers.

Failure to Launch: Miso Citrus Bagna Cauda

Orzo in a Citrus Hot Bath (adapted slightly from Giada De Laurentiis)

(printable version)

-3 Tbs. unsalted butter

-2 Tbs. olive oil

-1 Tbs. capers

-1 1/2 tsp. garlic, minced

-2 Tbs. orange juice

-2 Tbs. basil leaves, thinly sliced

-1 tsp. lemon zest

-1 tsp. orange zest

-2 cups orzo

-salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Stir frequently to combine. Add the capers and garlic and cook for 15 seconds (just enough for the garlic to become fragrant). Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients (minus the orzo).

2. Cook the orzo according to directions.

3. Stir the orzo into the Bagna Cauda. Mix until evenly distributed. Invite you salty cousin over for dinner. Bathe to your palettes content.

My aural palette has been craving the sound of hip hoppers sampling indie rock recently. That means a lot of e-dubble, Get Busy Committee, Big Sean and Chiddy Bang. The latter released a new mixtape late last week Peanut Butter and Swelly (which you can download for free here). While the mixtape doesn't have anything that instantly causes a scene (see: Opposite of Adults) there were a hand full of tracks that I could really get into. One of those was "Cameras."

Chiddy Bang-Cameras (Matt and Kim Samples)

It hasn't all been hip hop and indie rock samples. There has also been some dub step . Australia's Tin Can Radio isn't strictly dub step (otherwise I'd be dub stepping it the other way). They combine elements of shoegaze, art punk, dance blam and the aforementioned mean ass dub step breakdown to concoct their single "Skeletons." It illustrates both the speed and precision that goes into a citrus hot bath.

Tin Can Radio-Skeletons via Triple J Unearthed