Pesto Tofu Basil Ravioli floating in a pot of new Fences, Japandroids and Winter Gloves

When I think ravioli, I think painstaking attention and Chef Boyardee. On one side you have homemade ravioli (and pasta in general) which are very time consuming to make and require a great attention to detail (which I am not always that great with) but have an outstanding taste. The other side of the spectrum is ravioli that comes in a can. Sure it feels slimy and weird when it goes down, but the amount of time required to make it is much less. As a kid my mom would cook us up a batch of Chef Boyardee Ravioli like once a week. Ten minutes to done. Time or taste, what's more important?

Pesto Tofu Basil Ravioli

(printable version)

-2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (more for dusting)

-1 1/4 cups very hot water

-3/4 cup tofu basil ricotta

-1 egg

-2 oz Parmesan, grated

-1/2 tsp. salt

-1/4 tsp. pepper

-tomato sauce

-pesto

-basil leaves

1. In a large bowl combine the hot water and flour. Stir, using a wooden spoon, until dough is combined. Roll into a large ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for ten minutes.

2. Meanwhile combine the tofu ricotta, egg, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stir to combine.

3. Unwrap the dough and separate into four even pieces. Dough should be slightly sticky, add extra flour if necessary for rolling but don't add too much. Form one of the pieces of dough into a rectangle. Re-cover the other three.

4. Roll the dough out, keeping in the shape of a rectangle. Place 8 teaspoons of filling about an inch apart down the center of the dough. Using the back of the teaspoon spread the filling almost to the edge, covering one half of the dough. Fold the side of the dough with no filling over the other. Press down on the edges of the dough to seal. Begin cutting the ravioli into small squares. Seal the edges of the small squares. Place on a baking tray and repeat until all filling and dough has been used.

5. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add one-third of the ravioli to the water and cook until ravioli floats to the top (around three minutes). Scoop the ravioli out with a slotted spoon and place in strainer. Add the next batch of ravioli and repeat until all ravioli has been cooked.

6. Arrange the ravioli on a single layer around the outside of a plate. Place a dab of pesto on top of each ravioli. Add tomato sauce and basil leaves to the center of the plate. Dip ravioli into tomato sauce and enjoy thoroughly.

I've included new tracks from Fences, Japandroids and Winter Gloves, all of whom have appeared on past playlists (like this one, this one and this one). Each of the bands recently put out a new track, which would work perfect with an evening of ravioli (as long as you are going for the taste over time thing).

Fences-Girls with Accents (via Consequence of Sound)

Japandroids-Heavenward Grand Prix (via Pitchfork)

Double shot of Winter Gloves. The first part of the video is "Factories" from their first album. The second part of the video is "Plastic Slides" which is from their new album, All Red. All Red came out this week on Paper Bag Records.

Thanksgiving Dinner and Avi Buffalo, Cold Cave, Oberhofer, We all have hooks for hands, Sissy Wish, Celebration, Brimstone Howl, Embrace Fire and more

J-Fur and I cooked a Thanksgiving Meals on Wheels yesterday. We made roasted cauliflower, colcannon, a lentil loaf, apple crisp, vegetarian stuffing and steamed asparagus, packed it up, and drove over to our friends Chris and Sarah's house. Throw into the mix a turkey, squash casserole, cheese biscuits, salad and only five people in attendance, and you can see why there was a lot of food left over. So at the end of the night we packed up the remaining food and brought it back home. See, Thanksgiving Meal on Wheels. We were too tired to carry the leftovers into the house last night so anyone driving by our apartment, feel free to stop at J-Fur's Honda and help yourself.

Many thanks go to Chris and Sarah for their hospitality. I am also extremely thankful for these songs that helped me complete the holiday cooking in a timely manner:

Avi Buffalo-What's in it for


Cold Cave-Life Magazine


Oberhofer-I could go


We all have hooks for hands-Made up of Tiny lights


Sissy Wish-Float


Celebration-I will not fall


Thao with the Get Down Stay Down-Know Better Learn Faster


Embrace Fire-Wolf Hour
Brimstone Howl-Suicide Blues
tUnE-yArDs-Sunlight

December's playlist is on the way, a new interview is coming next week and today I am celebrating buy nothing day. Have a great Friday.

Avocados and Spicy Tofu Bowls fried in Carsick Cars, Brain Failure, Geeks and Chaniwa

I spent a lot of time watching television during the World Series (only to be disappointed in the end) and was surprised to see that almost every commercial break including some sort of plug for Hass Avocados. Never before had I seen the avocado pushed so much. Most of the time I'm immune to advertising, I know what the ploy is, but in this instance I actually began to crave avocados. I'd like to suggest that it was because of the time of year and not the commercials but the subconscious can do some amazing things without you knowing it.

Around this same time I came across an article that ranked the top ten most poisonous people food for animals. I was surprised to find avocados on the list. I made sure to keep my dog, Alistair, away as I was cooking.

My favorite avocado recipe was one I adapted from Vegetarian Times. It was an Asian fusion dish that included avocado, tofu, yogurt and rice. I give you, my recipe of the week.

Spicy Tofu Bowl-Adapted From Vegetarian Times, October 2006
(printable version)

For the Tofu:
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-1/4 cup of Thai Chile Garlic Sauce
-2 Tbs. Sesame Oil
-1 block extra firm tofu, frozen then thawed
-5 green onions
-1/4 Cup of nonfat plain yogurt
-2 Tbs. Lime Juice

Salad:
-1/4 cup soy sauce
-2 Tbs. Lime Juice
-1 Tbs. minced ginger
-1 tsp. Thai Chile Garlic Sauce
-2 cups arborio rice
-4 1/2 cups of spinach
-10 baby carrots, whole
-1 avocado, peeled, sliced and kept away from your pets

1. To make the Tofu. Whisk together soy sauce, Thai Chile Garlic Sauce, and sesame oil. Heat wok. Dip the tofu into the soy sauce mixture. Cook until browned (about ten minutes). Cool. Add green onions, yogurt, lime juice to the soy sauce mixture. Toss with tofu.

2. To make the salad: Combine the soy sauce, lime juice, ginger, and Thai Chile Garlic Sauce. Put the cooked rice into bowls, top with spinach and diced carrots. Add the tofu and soy sauce mixture. Stir well. Top with avocados.

To go along with my Asian fusion dish I enjoyed a soundtrack made up of artists from the Far East. The first two tracks come from Chinese Indie Rockers Carsick Cars. A few years ago these guys performed some European shows opening for Sonic Youth. Recently they were spotted in the US with fellow Chinese bands PK-14 and Xiao He. Unfortunately Florida wasn't one of their destinations. Word is they will be back in the spring of 2010 so we'll have to hope we can catch them then. Below are two tracks from their second album You can listen, You can talk. Thanks to BrooklynVegan for the tracks.

Carsick Cars-You can listen, you can talk

Carsick Cars-Zhong Nan Hai

The next track was also from a Chinese band, Brain Failure. "A box on the broken ball" is a release from last year that features Chuck D. I saw these guys by accident about six years ago and have been following them closely ever since. When I think Asia, Brain Failure is first to come to mind.



Tokyo's Geeks released their debut album, Magical Vox Paranoia (purchase here), in October. "Newworldism" is the first track on the album. Look for these guys as a showcasing band at next year's SXSW (Carsick Cars will also be there).



An older Japanese punk band that I love is Chaniwa. The split EP they put out years ago with FYP is a mighty fine piece of pop punk work. My favorite track "Little Dog" fit the soundtrack of the evening very well. Here's a video for "Little Dog", the quality is very low but the infectious nature of Chaniwa's songwriting shines through ever so slightly.



Have a great holiday for those who will be celebrating tomorrow.

Fruits of Labor, Songs of Labor: Vegan Banana Bread

Happy Labor Day everyone, hope you are enjoying whatever it is that you are doing. I usually play soccer on labor day but this year I abstained in order to run a few miles in the hot Florida heat (ok, ok so I by passed the heat by running in the air-conditioned Florida gym). In my last post I suggested that at some point this long weekend I would be breaking out another ball recipe and fulfilling my b2bbr that I promised my sponsors. Instead I've decided to put installment number two on hold for a few more days in order to celebrate the fruits of my Labor Day labor. Specifically bananas.

J-Fur and I purchased a bunch of bananas at the beginning of last week and then stood by and watched the Florida heat work its magic. Browning and starting to ooze liquid I figured it was time to put them to good use. So I concocted a double batch of vegan banana treats.

My first creation was a banana bread that I had baked years before while living in Chicago. I've experimented with this bread, putting in chocolate chips, cranberries, nuts, and/or raisins at one point or another. J-Fur wasn't feeling very adventurous (or in need of sugar) so she asked that I only include some walnuts. I like this particular recipe because the main ingredient is bananas. The bread actually tastes like banana, something that other banana breads I have tried lack. I also like it because it removes the dairy completely; there is no need to fuss with vegan milks or egg replacers.

Labor Day Vegan Banana Bread

(printable recipe)

- 5 brown bananas

- 1.5 cups of flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
-1/4 tsp. of cinnamon
-2 pinches of nutmeg
-1.5 tsp of baking powder
-1/2 tsp of baking soda -pinch of salt
-1 tsp of vanilla -2 Tbs. raisins
-2 Tbs. chopped walnuts

1. In a bowl, mash the bananas until there are no chunks left (it should have the appearance of a smooth batter). Add the sugar, vanilla, coconut oil, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well.

2. In another bowl combine the baking soda, baking powder and flour.

3. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet. Continue to stir until all the powder has been mixed.

4. Add the chopped walnuts and raisins. Stir until they are evenly dispersed in the batter.

5. Pour the batter into a silicone loaf pan (or a lightly oiled aluminum one).

6. Bake at 350 degrees until the bread is browned and a fork or toothpick poked into the center comes out clean (about 40-45 minutes).

Let cool, eat warm, it is all up to you!

This bread pairs nicely with:

Absolut Noise recently posted "Factory" a song from Hammero-Ostersund-Stockholm band Grande Roses. The song is off the album Farm.



Finally, LA indie rockers Silversun Pickups put out a new album this year, Swoon. "It's Nice to Know you Work Alone" comes from it. It's the perfect Labor Day song.

From the Vault: Cloudy with a chance of Vegetarian Meatball Subs and Deep Punk Cuts

The rain was pouring down super thick yesterday as J-Fur and I drove slowly to a meeting that, ironically enough, wasn't until next week. Earlier in the day my class and I were discussing hard rain, food falling from the sky, and how this can transform their writing. I fully expected (hoped?) a nice veggie burger would fall and hit the windshield of my car. Looking up I could see nothing so when it did land it would do so with a start. Probably similar to when my pal JH was taking us on a tour of Minneapolis and her car hood flew up and cracked her windshield. Boy did I jump then. Veggie burgers aren't hard enough to crack windshields right? The last thing I need is another car issue (thanks Vic the cell phone talker).

Anyway, this line of thinking and the conversation with my students, were inspired by a book I read as a kid (and continue to read every year to my class), Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judy Barrett. This year's group seemed to be more familiar with the story than past classes. When one of the students informed me that the book was being made into a movie that would be out on September 17th I realized why. Double checking when I arrived home I found his statement accurate. This book is coming out in movie form. I don't like kids' movies so I probably won't go see it (unless J-Fur who loves kids' movies forces me to).

Meatballs Grinders were the subject of my last playlist as they are one of my favorite sandwiches (both before and after I became a vegetarian). I thought when I became vegetarian good meatball grinders were a thing of the past. I was right, the store bought ones don't taste very good, until J-Fur's mom introduced us to a recipe she collected some years prior. The first time she made these meatballs there were two batches, one veggie, one not. I swore all night I kept grabbing the wrong one because they tasted so real but she assured me I wasn't. Only after I made them myself did I completely relax about the whole situation. Our featured recipe (and remember):

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatball Sub
(printable recipe)

-2 cups of unsalted saltine crackers (50 squares)
-1 cup of shredded colby cheese
-1 cup of finely ground pecans (I use pecan powder)
-1/2 cup finely chopped onion
-6 eggs
-2 cloves of garlic
-1 tsp. of sage
-2 Tbs. of oil
-tomato sauce
-sub rolls


1. Mix all the ingredients except oil and sauce in a large bowl.

2. Shape into balls.

3. In a skillet or wok brown the balls over medium heat for five minutes.

4. Remove the balls with a slotted spoon and layer in a baking pan.

5. Top with tomato sauce, cover with foil, and bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

6. Spoon the meatballs onto a slightly toasted sub roll and enjoy.

According to J-Fur's mom she came across this recipe sometime in the 1970's. Since my playlist delved into the new music that I listened to while making these meatballs I figured I'd include some songs with this post that were slightly older. These are the songs that would've been on a playlist had I made this recipe circa 2001, 2005, or 2008. I'm not going back to Crass or Dead Kennedys era, only about a third of the way there.

The Fleshies originally released their album Kill the Dreamer's Dream in 2001. For some reason it took them five years to make a video for the song "Meatball." This isn't my favorite track off the album (that would be "South Miami Beach") but it is the most appropriate. Due to the language, I wouldn't share this video with my second graders.



Another song that shouldn't be played for a classroom full of seven year olds is "Broke" by Jacksonville's Whole Wheat Bread. The band members came together over their love of hip hop and punk music in 2003. Realizing that two of the members played guitar they decided to pursue music via the punk path. Their first album, Minority Rules, was released in 2005 on Orlando label Fighting Records. Since then they have collaborated with Lil' Jon, changed bass players twice, and toured extensively with the likes of the Bouncing Souls, MxPx, the Suicide Machines, and Killah Priest (of Wu-Tang Fame). Whole Wheat Bread's most recent release, Hearts of Hoodlums, came out in January of this year.



Fight Like Apes are no strangers to Write.Click.Cook.Listen. Their song Something Global was part of our Can You Tell Me What's in This Mix. "Tie Me Up with Jackets" is off of the same album, Fight Like Apes and the Mystery of the Golden Medallion, a 2008 release.




This is the first of back 2 back balls recipes or (B2BBR). The next one will come your way later this weekend.

Pennsylvania: The Sweetest Place on Earth...music by Los Campesinos, Candy Claws, and Miike Snow/Lykke Li

Consider this the wrap up post to our recent trip through Chicago, DC and Pennsylvania. Like a good rollercoaster, it will go many places quickly. Please buckle up, keep your arms and hands inside the car at all times, and hold on.

It has been years since J-Fur and I returned to PA, our childhood home, during the summer months. Usually when we visit the state, the ground is frozen, dagger-like icicles are hanging from the underpasses, and river swimming breeds hypothermia. That means two of our favorite places (Massey's Frozen Custard and Hersheypark) are warm-weather memories long since suffocated by winter's gray sky. This time things were different and we made sure to enjoy those seasonal celebrations not usually afforded us.

We arrived in PA early Tuesday morning (after narrowly dodging another accident), caught a few hours of sleep, and then made our way to Hershey, PA (dubbed the sweetest place on Earth). The town really 'milks' their chocolate products as they have a factory that you can tour and streetlights shaped like Hershey kisses. If the air blows just right the smell of peanut butter and chocolate, from the Reese's factory, greets those that pass by. Our sole reason for visiting Hershey was the theme park which features eleven rollercoasters. My favorite is the wooden beast known as The Wildcat which jiggles and shakes the rider like a good piece of flan. The park features a new coaster, Fahrenheit, that mimics the unstable Pennsylvania weather by going straight up at the beginning only to fall straight back down. Here's the view from the bottom:Fahrenheit was pretty dapper and an amazing rush. I still think I prefer The Wildcat but things are getting tighter at the top. As unfoodie like as it may be I didn't spend time on Tuesday enjoying Hershey's local vegetarian cuisine. I choose a diet of Peanut Butter cups instead.

The whole reason for returning to Pennsylvania was for my friend J.H.'s wedding. She was a groomswoman in my wedding, so she returned the favor by anointing me a bridesman. Unfortunately most people didn't change their vocabulary so throughout wedding preparation I was referred to as a girl. "The girls will do this" or "Have the girls walk and stand here." The groomsmen, people that I knew in high school, seemed to get a kick out of that. Anyway as we prepped on Saturday for the twilight union J-Fur and I made a quick pit stop to Massey's, a soft serve ice cream parlor in Carlisle that makes the best milkshakes I've ever had. I enjoyed a small blueberry and peach (two because we also went back the next day). She drank a medium cherry and raspberry. Delicious.
Thankfully, the sweets didn't stop there. As part of being in the wedding party J.H. gave J-Fur and I a Peanut Butter Bomb and Oreo Brownie. These desserts were impressive, especially when you take into account that they came from Vegan Treats a vegan bakery in Bethlehem, PA. Most vegan desserts I've had are too dry or contain too much of something to make up for the lack of animal products. But when we visited Vegan Treats at Christmas, the sticky bun that I bought tasted really...animally. It was amazing how little was lost by removing the animal by-products. The Peanut Butter Bomb was no different. It was very creamy and rich. If you'd have told me it was vegan I would've said you are lying.



A picture of the couple that made all this sweetness possible:
When I think Sweetness and music the first band to come to mind is Los Campesinos! and their song "Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks." I wasn't all that impressed when they played in Tampa (although when they performed Sweet Dreams Gareth Campesino came into the crowd and grabbed people around him to help him sing which was some excellent showmanship). I did not have high hopes at Lollapalooza considering they were on a much bigger stage but they were very intense, put on a great show, and had the crowd really into it. The difference? Probably the fact that one of their band members missed the Tampa show due to illness and she made all the difference in the world. My friend BH took some pictures of their Lollapalooza set and made a cool all around view of it.



During Lykke Li's set at Lollapalooza she invited Andrew Wyatt (lead singer from Miike Snow who reminds me of a Fleet Fox wearing Johnny Cash clothing) to join her on stage. The two performed a cover of the Kings of Leon "Knocked Up." I've not heard a sweeter set of words come from Andrew Wyatt's mouth than when he looked at Lykke Li and professed "Always mad and usually drunk but I love her like no other." Top notch.



Nothing to do with Lollapalooza "Catamaran" by Candy Claws is sweet for obvious reasons.



Finally a little blast from the past (in the same vein as going to a wedding with people you knew ten years ago). You Say France and I Whistle just posted a new video for their song "When Lovers Die" (which I included on a playlist here). The video has a little bit of baking involved although more of the creation winds up in people's hair than on the tray at the end. For an interview with the band click the link.

The Parts and Labor of a Vegetarian Vindaloo

Recently I cornered some local hooligans and posed this question: what do Goan Curry, soccer, and the UK Singles Chart have in common? I was met with a number of blank stares before one of them answered "Nothing." I told them to dig deeper. After a few moments of uneasy silence the smallest hooligan looked up and told me "Vindaloo." I congratulated him with an Ole and a fist pump and went on my way.

First and foremost Vindaloo is a Goan Curry (Goa is an Indian State along the Arabian Sea) made with pork or lamb, red wine, chili pepper, and stewed garlic. It is derived from a Portuguese dish called "Carne de Vinha d'Alhos." It became very popular with English football (soccer) fans who adopted it as part of their post match celebrations. Vindaloo forever became a part of pop culture when Fat Les (a band that includes Alex James from Blur) penned a song about it in 1998. The song was unofficially adopted as the anthem for the 1998 English World Cup team and made it as high as number two on the UK Singles Chart.

So what does Vindaloo have to do with me? I ate a vegetarian version during my stay in Chicago. It was concocted by my pals Jen V. and her husband Dave (who aren't vegetarian but were nice enough to create a meatless Indian dinner in honor of our visit). Aside from the Tofu Vindaloo, all other recipes came from the book Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking.

Tofu Vindaloo
(printable version)

-1-1/2 tablespoons grainy mustard
-1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
-1-1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
-1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-1 teaspoon salt
-1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1 small onion cut into half rings
-6 large cloves garlic, crushed
-1 block of tofu
-2/3 cup coconut milk
-1 cup of water


1. Heat 1 tablespoon of Olive Oil in a nonstick frying pan. Cut tofu into one inch rectangles and add to the oil. Cook until it starts to brown. Remove from heat and place on a paper towel lined plate. Pat off the excess oil. Set aside.

2. In a cup combine the mustard, cumin, turmeric, cayenne, salt, and vinegar. Mix well.

3. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil in the frying pan and heat. When the oil is hot, add the onion. Fry until medium brown. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Stir in the spice paste and tofu cooking for about 3 minutes. Add coconut milk and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for an hour. Serve over rice.

Also part of the meal were naan, onion fritters with fresh green chutney, and cauliflower seasoned with garlic, ginger, and green chilies.



A picture of the cauliflower dish:







And the Onion Fritters.






After the four of us completely gorged on Indian food we listened to Parts & Labor an Indie Rock band from Brooklyn. I assure you nothing washes spicy cuisine down better.

Parts & Labor-Nowheres Nigh



Parts & Labor-Prefix Free

Psychological Profile of a Key Lime Pie, Lykke Li, and the Woodhands (who ruin my rhyme)

Psychologically speaking Key Lime Pies seem to exude a large amount of confidence, self-awareness, and charm. While this describes the dessert today, the pie hasn't always been in this positive state of mind. Let's take a look at the psychological travesties that Key Lime Pies have had to endure. To start with the Key Lime Pie was originally invented in the mid 1800's, possibly by William Curry's cook named Aunt Sally. Notice the possibly. No one is quite sure where the pie came from. I can only imagine the pain the pie has gone through not knowing something as important as who their mother was. It led the pie to do a lot of soul searching and questioning as it tried to figure out exactly where it came from.

In the beginning Key Lime Pies were made by combining key limes, a pastry crust, and sweetened condensed milk. Ask anyone who was around in the late 1800's and they will tell you this. With the invention of the graham cracker crust in the early 1900's Key Lime Pies were further thrust into confusion, now questioning their makeup. Were authentic pies to be made with a pastry crust or graham cracker one? Were they selling out if they preferred a cracker bed? Did they not look good enough nestled in pastry dough? As if the crust debate wasn't enough meringue and whipped cream got involved, both vying for the top of the pie, further confusing the pie. It is safe to say that the Key Lime Pie's confidence was waning.

Things continued to get worse for the pie. In 1965 Florida State Representative Bernie Papy Jr. tried to empower the pie's sense of self by making it illegal to sell Key Lime Pies made with Persian limes. Under Rep. Papy's legislation guilty parties would have to pay $100 restitution for false advertising (Florida loves their restitution). The bill was rejected by the Florida State Legislative Branch. Key Lime Pies reached a new low. With no idea where they came from or what they were supposed to be, no one would have faulted the pie if it had just ended it there.

In a wonderful display of perseverance, the pie picked itself up off the tin canvas and continued to fight. The pie slowly gained a foothold amongst officials in the Florida State Legislature. This group of officials suggested that the Key Lime Pie should be the state pie of Florida. Pecan Pie supporters disagreed. The two pies squared off in an epic battle that raged for many years. Both pies were stubborn and refused to quit. Exhausted and overwhelmed the Pecan Pie ceded the nomination in July of 2006. Key Lime was officially named the state pie of Florida. With this harrowing victory the Key Lime Pie did an about face and began exuding confidence, strong self-awareness, and charm. And that's what I see now, as I am about to take a bite.

Key Lime Pie with Blueberries and Whipped Cream
(Printable Version)

-4 large eggs, lightly beaten
-1 cup sugar
-½ c key lime juice (about 15 Key Limes)
-Dash of salt
-½ c. unsalted butter
-blueberries
-Graham cracker crust
-Whipped Cream

1. Combine the eggs, sugar, key lime juice, and salt in the top of a double boiler; bring water to a boil.

2. Reduce the heat to low; cook whisking constantly, until thickened.

3. Add butter; cook and whisk until butter melts and mixture thickens.

4. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes or until set; cool. Cover and chill at least 4 hours.

5. Put a layer of whipped cream on top of the key lime pie. Place blueberries on top.

The pie was a mixture of tart (key lime) and sweet (the blueberries). I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I do mean I because I didn't share it with anyone else). By the way, the information about Key Lime Pie came from this site.

As this pie made my taste buds tingle and dance, so too do these songs. I will see Lykke Li at Lollapalooza this weekend. I will not see the Woodhands because they will be elsewhere.

Is it in roux mix: The Mae Shi, Major Lazer, the argument, Times New Viking, Bluejuice, Rah Rah, Hoodlum Shouts, Skrapz, Summer Cats, Boat Beam,

In the 19th Century Chef Antonin Careme took hundreds of sauces in the classical French culinary repertoire and grouped them into four families. Each family had a mother sauce: Bechamel, Veloute, Allemande, or Espagnole. Each mother sauce was made up of a thickening agent composed of equal parts fat and flour (by weight). This agent is commonly referred to as roux. So using my degree in genealogy that would mean that a roux is actually the grandmother of all French Sauces. To honor her I present..."Is it in roux?" Its a mix composed of equal parts fat and flour with one goal in mind, to thicken your stereo.

Track Listing:

The Mae Shi-Run to your Grave
Major Lazer-Keep it goin' louder (featuring Nina Sky and Ricky Blaze)
The Argument-Nothing Remains
Times New Viking-No time, No hope
Bluejuice-Broken Leg
Rah Rah-I've Got Faith
The Bernadettes-Let's Make Babies
Frightened Rabbit-Last Tango in Brooklyn
Hoodlum Shouts-History's End
Skrapz-Just Alright
Boat Beam-The Rain Pauly
Summer Cats-Hey you, It's Me (Oh My)
Phantom Band-The Howling

Intro and Outro: Fucked Up-Golden Seal

Download Playlist Here

The biscuits (in the playlist picture) have been topped with a vegetarian gravy that was made with a roux (for those of you keeping track that would be an example of bechamel sauce). The recipe for the gravy can be found here.

Doug's Nut Brown Ale Unveiling Dinner: Asparagus Risotto, The Very Best, Mammut, The Temper Trap, and The Blakes

Doug over at ...la cocina de dooglas... has masterminded the production of a homemade nut brown ale. With help from Fede, CC, SS, BTreotch, Karen, and HF, the month long process culminated last night with the unveiling. Dubbed Bust a Nut Brown Ale and decorated with pull away labels that may start appearing throughout the greater Tampa Area, the beer was met with pleasantries such as "I can't believe this is drinkable" all the way to "This is the best beer of the night." My quote went something like this "Beer is gross, it makes my stomach warm" but that's neither here nor there. The unveiling took place at Fede and Karen's place in Clearwater. To accompany it each of the guests brought a dish. HH created a wonderful looking salad topped with Feta and Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette, CC baked a fish pie, Doug grilled veggies basted in different sauces, Fede unboxed Dim Sum Dumplings, I slow cooked an Asparagus Risotto, and Karen produced a 16th century gingerbread. Along with ice cream, fresh fruit and veggies, hummus and pita, and tabouli these dishes served as excellent accompaniments to Doug's first batch of Brown Ale. My dish was concocted like this:

Asparagus Risotto
Printable version
-1 1/4 lb of Asparagus
-4 tbsp butter
-1 1/2 quarts Veggie stock
-1 onion finely chopped
-2 cups of Brown Rice
-6 tbsp. dry white wine
-4 tbsp Milk (or cream)
-1/2 C Grated Parmesan Cheese
-White pepper, to taste

1. Cut the tips of the Asparagus away from the stalks. Set the tips aside.

2. Coarsely chop the asparagus stalks. Saute in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large frying pan for 2-3 minutes (low heat).

3. Pour in 1 cup of veggie stock and bring to a boil. Cook the asparagus for 10-15 minutes, until the asparagus is tender.

4. Transfer to a food processor and process until smooth. Set aside.

5. Using the remaining 2 tbsp of butter, saute the onion in a large saucepan, until softened.

6. Stir in the rice and cook for two minutes. Stir constantly.

7. Add the 6 tbsp of white wine. Continue to stir. When the wine has been absorbed begin adding stock to the rice 1/2 a cup at a time.

8. After 25 minutes add the asparagus puree and tips to the rice. Add more stock. Continue to cook until each addition of stock has been absorbed and the rice is tender. This will take somewhere around 45 minutes.

9. Add the milk, the Parmesan, and pepper.

Now eat.

A note: arborio or risotto rice cooks much faster, probably about half the time. I just prefer the taste of brown rice.

To accompany my long, repititous afternoon of dumping stock, stirring rice, and tasting for tenderness I listened to the sunny song, "Basket", from Seattle's The Blakes. Here they are performing it at Chicago's Ribfest.


I love the stair stepping guitar that makes its presence known sometime after the first minute. It is a little hard to hear on the live version so check out the recorded version on their MySpace page.

Something a little dancier is The Very Best featuring Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) and their single "Warm Heart of Africa." I tried hard not to like this song but it got stuck and wouldn't let go.


Thanks to Indie Soup Runner my rice got a little chewier to the sounds of "Svefnsykt" from Iceland's Mammut.


And as I grated the Parmesan and poured in the milk, Australia's The Temper Trap finished things with a "Fad(er)."

A Baker's Dozen: Interview with You Say France and I Whistle

This is the first installment of A Baker's Dozen, a new series on Write.Click.Cook.Listen, in which I interview a Write.Click.Cook.Listen certified artist asking them thirteen questions. Recently I interviewed (via email) a hilarious Swedish band called You Say France & I Whistle (their song When Lovers Die kicked off our June mix).

TB: To start off, could you introduce the members of You Say France & I Whistle?

YSF&IW: Claes: Guitar, vocals, keyboard and percussion. He loves vegetarian food and people who reads a lot of literature.
Christian: Bass and laughter. He loves pizza, hamburgers and people who refer to Will Ferrell quotes.
Ida: Keyboard, vocals and percussion. She loves children size pizza and sexy people with dancing skills.
Patrik: Guitar, vocals, keyboard and percussion. He loves cheese and people who like postmodern cheese... "is that a cheese"?
Petter: Drums, vocals. He loves food when he's pleased and in the mood for it. He likes people who are in the mood and pleased with the surroundings.

TB: Where did the inspiration for your band name come from?

YSF&IW: The name is just plain fun and reflects our music.

TB: How did You Say France and I Whistle get its start?

YSF&IW: We came together by the urge of playing music. One knew the other, and two of us bumped in to each other on a Tiger Lou concert in Stockholm, and so on.

TB: How would you describe your bands sound? Are there any bands that have influenced you?

YSF&IW: The keyword to the sound of the band is "playful". We are influenced by a lot of band and artists. To name a few: Arcade Fire, The Cure, Daft Punk, MGMT, Paul Simon. But if we reflect their music, we don't know.

TB: How often does You say France and I whistle perform live? What is the crowd's reaction?

YSF&IW: We play as often as we get the chance. If you don't have seen us live, then you don't really know us. The crowd reaction is instantly dancing.

TB: Do you have a favorite venue to perform at?

YSF&IW: We love the roof of the Culture House in Stockholm. We played there once, and it was good as grandma's chicken salad.

TB: How would you describe the Swedish indie rock scene? Any up and coming bands that we should look out for (other than yourselves)?

YSF&IW: The swedish indie rock scene is pretty lame. Everything that's not considered as mainstream is "indie". And everything that is considered "indie" is often "playing for the galleries", as we say in Sweden. But we would like to name We Got Company and The Dora Steins as two up and coming acts.

TB: What is You Say France & I whistle working on?

YSF&IW: At this time we are making new music. We have about 7 new songs, and they have a Caribbean feeling and more keyboards this time.

TB: What is the songwriting process like for the band?

YSF&IW: We are making it all together. Tossing and turning every detail of the song. It's like the instant democracy in Switzerland (not Sweden).

TB: What has been the most memorable or oddest thing that has occurred at one of your live shows?

YSF&IW: One memorable thing happend when we played in Hultsfred (a small town in southern Sweden). We brought along three big bags of stuffed animals. We decorated the stage with them. Half of them got stolen during the show and a big stuffed animal-fight started. We think it was a lot of inhibited feelings in that town.

TB: What has been the most difficult part of being an independent band?

YSF&IW: The club scene in Stockholm stinks.

TB: Does You Say France and I Whistle get a chance to do any cooking?

YSF&IW: We love to cook! We love the art of speed baking. Our coming music video has some scenes including speed baking. We also love to make ginger bread in the shape of squirrels.

TB: Any unique recipes that you would like to share with the readers?

YSF&IW: Svergiekaka (Swedencookie) is nice. Petters mom use to make it. (A Swedish version of the recipe can be found here. For a roughly translated English one press here.)

TB: Anything else you would like to say?

YSF&IW: A tip: Talk to strangers! In the worst case they will keep on being strangers.

To further investigate You Say France & I Whistle visit their Myspace page here. To purchase their 2008 EP go here. To see their playfulness in action, watch the video.

Pie in a Jar: Better than pie glass in the head.

Some things are better not being in a jar like Bonsai Kittens (all the rage in 2001, Bonsai Kittens were a hoax created by MIT students in which kittens were supposedly stuffed into ornamental jars and sold), botulism (a bacteria that can appear on fruits and vegetables during home canning if proper precautions aren't taken) and anything detailed here. Other items like pickles, salsa, and pie are enhanced by spending time enclosed in glass walls.
I'm not much of an expert in the field of pickles and salsa (at least as far as this blog entry is concerned) so I'm not going to spend much time addressing their jar experiences. Instead, I'll be focusing on pies.
They are three reasons why pies in a jar are superior to their pan counterparts:

*jars act as serving containers so there is no need to go through the difficult process of trying to slice and serve a pie without it falling apart

*they are easy to freeze so there is no reason not to mass produce them

*there is slightly more crust when the pie is placed in a jar so if you love this part of the pie (like I do) then it means more of a good thing.

Pie in a Jar Recipe (adapted from J-Fur's brain because she is the one that throws these beasts down)
Printable Version

For the Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
1/4-1/2 cup ice water

Pie Filling:
We usually use store bought ones because we have found an excellent sour cherry filling at Sweetbay. But insert whatever filling you enjoy.

Jars:
Make sure the jars have straight sides, you don't want them to be narrower at the bottom or the top because that will change the results. Our jars are six ounce Ball brand but I have seen pies made with jars anywhere from 4 oz to 8 oz. If you are planning on freezing them, make sure you have lids for the jars. Wide mouth ones will make the process of stuffing the crust inside much easier.

1. Put flour, salt and sugar in a bowl, blender or food processor. Add butter pieces and blend approximately 10 seconds. You want it to resemble a "coarse meal.

2. Add ice water drop by drop continuing to mix--- you want to the dough to hold together but not be too wet or gummy. Do not mix for more than 30 seconds.

3. Roll dough out on a piece of plastic wrap. Press down slightly. Chill for at least an hour.

4. After the dough has chilled begin filling the jars. The easiest way to do this is to break off little pieces, put them into the jar, and then smash them down until the sides are covered. Allow dough to hang over the sides of the jar.

5. Once the jar is completely covered with crust fill it to about 3/4 an inch below the top. Put on the top layer of crust. Crimp down the excess dough that you left hanging over the side of the jar.

6. Repeat the process until all jars are filled, dough is gone, or filling is exhausted.

7. To bake: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. If the pie was frozen, allow it to thaw, remove the lid and bake the bottom crust is brown (usually 20- 25 minutes). Adjust times for non-frozen pies.

Serve with whatever you normally eat pie with. J-Fur likes ice cream, I like mine plain. Additional pie in a jar resources located here and here.

Not sure if Pink Eyes (aka Damian) is a pie fan considering he has pie (or is it pint?) glass stuck in his head, something that socialized health care hasn't been able to remedy, but he certainly howls like it.


I don't like that the video cuts out the chorus, my favorite part of the song, and doesn't include the flute intro. To hear the recorded version click here.

Okra and the Welcome Wagon: Natural Male Contraceptives?

I had shown up to a gun fight armed with a swift kick in the groin or, more appropriately, I joined a tackle football game, and was the one on the bottom of the pile checking to see if my counterpart was really wearing his cup. This is the best way to describe the chili cook off I entered on the Friday before the Super Bowl. All around me were crock pots simmering with vennison, chorizo, beef, and prosciutto. When I laid my okra laden entrant down tasters stared at me like I had broken into my friends house, invited two lady friends, dead bolted the door, shed my fake eyelashes in the sink, and then played forbidden games on the astro-turf. I met each of their eyes and nodded as if to say, yes, I truly did enter simply to lose. What they didn't know is that I would gain a small amount of revenge during this unfair competition, after all okra contains trace amounts of gossypol, a chemical that has been tested as a male oral contraceptive. I may be on my way down, but so were they.

I hadn't eaten okra before I ventured south to Florida, five years ago. I was introduced to the wonderful plant and now I eat it at least once a month. This month I decided to try it a little differently. I'd eaten it in chili, African Stews, gumbo, and on nachos, but I had never fried it up. This week's recipe of the week:

Crispy Oven-Fried Welcome Wagon Okra
Printable Recipe

2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 large egg
1 lb. fresh okra or 1 16-oz. pkg. frozen okra, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Coat baking pan with cooking spray.

2. Combine cornmeal, salt, pepper and paprika in bowl.

3. Whisk egg in separate bowl. Dip okra in egg, then in cornmeal mixture. Work in batches to prevent clumping.

4. Spread okra on prepared pan. Roast 30 to 35 minutes, or until crisp and lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. Remove from pan with slotted spoon, and serve hot.


Simple. Easy. Southern.

For my SAT takers out there, Gossypol is to okra as gospel is to ________. I'll go with The Welcome Wagon (sorry, it's only half the song).