music and food
Mar. 29th, 2018 09:21 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kindkit1) Did you used to love the Smiths? Has Morrissey's racism and Islamophobia made it hard for you to listen to them now?
If yes, let me commend to your attention Rosegarden Funeral Party, a band out of Dallas, Texas who recently released what seems to be their first EP, The Chopping Block. Some of their songs are astonishingly Smiths-like without being either pastiche or parody; others are more punk/Goth than the Smiths ever were, but even those have a mood and a verbal style that Smiths fans will recognize. Singer Leah Lane has a powerful, androgynous voice and a vocal phrasing that, again, often recalls Morrissey at his best.
"Ill and Getting Worse" could just about be a Smiths song from the Meat is Murder era; here it is on Youtube:
The rest of the EP, and it's all worth listening to, can be played on YouTube and Spotify that I know of, and can presumably be bought from all the usual sources.
2) Tonight I cooked a risotto with fava beans and asparagus. It took almost three hours to prepare and cook, because fava beans have to be peeled and then blanched and then peeled again, and risotto itself isn't fast. But it turned out to be the perfect just-spring food, and I feel I have made a good life choice.
1 1/2 lb fresh fava beans in their pods
Roughly 3/4 lb of asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths, tips reserved separately
Roughly 1/2 lb risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli
1 onion, finely chopped
Butter
Chicken or vegetable stock, at least 1 quart/liter and probably more
About 1 wineglass of white wine
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Remove the fava beans from their pods, then blanch the beans in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain and immediately put into ice water, and drain again when they're cool. Remove the skins from the favas by opening up one end with a knife or your thumbnail and then gently squeezing the beans out. All this will take some time.
Heat the chicken stock and keep it at a gentle simmer.
In a fairly large pot, cook the onion gently in some butter until softened and fairly sweet. Add the rice--do not rinse the rice--and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes until the outsides of the grains of rice are turning translucent.
Turn the heat up to medium or just below. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is almost entirely absorbed.
Add the stock a little at a time. You can add more at the beginning--I started with slightly over a half cup at each addition. You should stir frequently but it doesn't have to be constantly. As the stock is absorbed, add more, adding smaller amounts as the risotto gets closer to being done.This slow, gradual cooking process is essential to making the rice creamy.
How done should it be? This depends on your taste. I prefer mine cooked longer than an Italian probably would, with the rice retaining just a little bit of chew. The final consistency is also a matter of choice; some people like it fairly dry, others more liquid and almost soupy. My understanding is that both of these are "authentic" in different regions of Italy.
When the rice is still a bit chewier than you want it to be, add the asparagus pieces (not the tips yet). After a couple more additions of stock, add the tips and the fava beans and still more stock as needed.
If at any point you run out of stock, just use water heated to simmering.
If the risotto gods are with you, you will have timed it right and the rice, asparagus, and favas will all be perfectly done at the same moment. Remove from the heat and add a bit more butter and a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir vigorously to make it all that little bit more creamy. Salt to taste and serve immediately, topped with more delicious cheese.
This will easily serve four people as part of a meal, and 2-3 people if it is the meal.
If using fresh fava beans sounds like too much work--and it is a lot of work--you may be able to find them frozen. They're not quite as good as fresh but they're still nice, and much easier, though you'll probably still have to do the second shelling. Markets that carry Indian or Chinese foods are a good place to look for less expensive frozen favas; they may be called "broad beans." Dried and canned favas or ful mudames won't work in a dish like this risotto, alas.
Do any of you have favorite recipes for fresh favas, in case I give in to temptation and buy more?
If yes, let me commend to your attention Rosegarden Funeral Party, a band out of Dallas, Texas who recently released what seems to be their first EP, The Chopping Block. Some of their songs are astonishingly Smiths-like without being either pastiche or parody; others are more punk/Goth than the Smiths ever were, but even those have a mood and a verbal style that Smiths fans will recognize. Singer Leah Lane has a powerful, androgynous voice and a vocal phrasing that, again, often recalls Morrissey at his best.
"Ill and Getting Worse" could just about be a Smiths song from the Meat is Murder era; here it is on Youtube:
The rest of the EP, and it's all worth listening to, can be played on YouTube and Spotify that I know of, and can presumably be bought from all the usual sources.
2) Tonight I cooked a risotto with fava beans and asparagus. It took almost three hours to prepare and cook, because fava beans have to be peeled and then blanched and then peeled again, and risotto itself isn't fast. But it turned out to be the perfect just-spring food, and I feel I have made a good life choice.
1 1/2 lb fresh fava beans in their pods
Roughly 3/4 lb of asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths, tips reserved separately
Roughly 1/2 lb risotto rice such as arborio or carnaroli
1 onion, finely chopped
Butter
Chicken or vegetable stock, at least 1 quart/liter and probably more
About 1 wineglass of white wine
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Remove the fava beans from their pods, then blanch the beans in boiling water for about 30 seconds. Drain and immediately put into ice water, and drain again when they're cool. Remove the skins from the favas by opening up one end with a knife or your thumbnail and then gently squeezing the beans out. All this will take some time.
Heat the chicken stock and keep it at a gentle simmer.
In a fairly large pot, cook the onion gently in some butter until softened and fairly sweet. Add the rice--do not rinse the rice--and cook, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes until the outsides of the grains of rice are turning translucent.
Turn the heat up to medium or just below. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until the wine is almost entirely absorbed.
Add the stock a little at a time. You can add more at the beginning--I started with slightly over a half cup at each addition. You should stir frequently but it doesn't have to be constantly. As the stock is absorbed, add more, adding smaller amounts as the risotto gets closer to being done.This slow, gradual cooking process is essential to making the rice creamy.
How done should it be? This depends on your taste. I prefer mine cooked longer than an Italian probably would, with the rice retaining just a little bit of chew. The final consistency is also a matter of choice; some people like it fairly dry, others more liquid and almost soupy. My understanding is that both of these are "authentic" in different regions of Italy.
When the rice is still a bit chewier than you want it to be, add the asparagus pieces (not the tips yet). After a couple more additions of stock, add the tips and the fava beans and still more stock as needed.
If at any point you run out of stock, just use water heated to simmering.
If the risotto gods are with you, you will have timed it right and the rice, asparagus, and favas will all be perfectly done at the same moment. Remove from the heat and add a bit more butter and a generous amount of Parmigiano-Reggiano and stir vigorously to make it all that little bit more creamy. Salt to taste and serve immediately, topped with more delicious cheese.
This will easily serve four people as part of a meal, and 2-3 people if it is the meal.
If using fresh fava beans sounds like too much work--and it is a lot of work--you may be able to find them frozen. They're not quite as good as fresh but they're still nice, and much easier, though you'll probably still have to do the second shelling. Markets that carry Indian or Chinese foods are a good place to look for less expensive frozen favas; they may be called "broad beans." Dried and canned favas or ful mudames won't work in a dish like this risotto, alas.
Do any of you have favorite recipes for fresh favas, in case I give in to temptation and buy more?
