February 9-12 – NASHVILLE – e sessions part 1

Wow - Eric and I just got back from having the best time in Nashville and at Sweetwater in Ft Wayne (more on that later). The exciting news is that while at Chateau Belew, we recorded our first studio album with Adrian. I must admit it’s pretty amazing what we accomplished in six days, although that’s not to imply that’s it was an easy process. It all began in the fall of 2007, when we flew down to Nashville to learn the title track, “e”, which we have played live all over the world for the past year. I'll never forget being sick with the flu, coughing under bundled blankets as Eric and Adrian sat at the piano, figuring out contrapuntal melodies and rhythms. We returned in the spring (before another tour) to learn a few more parts, and finished our education of the sections before our European travels in October.

Consistent with every other time we stay at Ade's (and even when I had the flu), I kept myself engaged upstairs from the studio, preparing meals for everybody. My main job (other than playing bass) is to prepare lunch, so we don't want to interupt our workflow too much by going out in the middle of the day. I cook dinner some nights, but some days we're just too busy with music and we have to go out to Cinco de Mayo (the best restaurant near Casa Belew):






But let's get back to Adrian's kitchen: somewhere along the way in the last 3 or so years, we've come to making a ritual out of lunch. What makes it ritual? Not just the fact that we all sit down together to discuss our day's work, but I also make a variation on the same menu items every day: hummus, warm pita chips, and salad:




Perhaps that sounds mundane, but I always make the dressing from scratch, and mix up the ingredients that I serve. Some days the chips are spiced with cumin and oregano; others its curry and paprika. Adrian loves when I roast whole sweet peppers and marinate them with garlic and thyme, which I chop and toss on top of tender baby greens. But sometimes a ripe avocado sprinkled with salt and fresh lime juice is too good on its own and should be combined only with some scallion, cheddar and cilantro over torn romaine.

On the first day we didn't even have any of usual accompaniment, Sabra Roasted Pepper hummus, so I made grilled cheese triangles to serve with the salad:




On the second day, I was feeling settled in and confident with my tracks, so I woke up early and rode with Martha down to Publix to do some grocery shopping so that I could make some dinners. I was also excited this time around because I decided to make the hummus too, rather than continue to go through tubs and tubs of Sabra.






I wanted to keep things simple on the first night, so I made Potato Leek soup with Cheesy Garlic Bread:







We were stuffed but that didn;t keep us from going back down to the studio to finish up the tracking of "b":





The next day, I wanted to make Adrian a really special meal. At the grocery store I was drawn to a display of fresh asparagus and cremini mushrooms: two of the boss's favorite foods. In the produce section I randomly came across a package of wonton wrappers - I grabbed them, knowing exactly what to make: leek, asparagus and mushroom ragu over "fresh pasta squares." A little thyme encrusted pan seared chicken on the side (I had cooked nothing but vegetarian fare so I figured the family might want some animal protein), and the meal was a smashing success:

PHILADELPHIA - Recipe - Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Cheesy Garlic Pita Toasts

Ok, so I guess I've unintentionally been posting just once a month - sorry! As many have read on my mom's blog, I moved to a new place and have been tirelessly working on it so that I can have dinner parties as soon as possible. In the meantime, I assure you that I've still been cooking away, so there are more posts like this to follow.

Allow me to preface this recipe by saying that I have been caramelizing onions every Monday to keep on hand for tucking into omelets, quesadillas, topping sandwiches or pizza, and for several other uses. It's pretty obvious that I love them unconditionally, as I've included them in almost all of the recipes posted on this blog. In fact, before I made this chowder, I whipped up a big batch of curry spiced sauteed onions in my large enameled dutch oven. I neglected to clean out the pot purposely, knowing that some of the residual flavor would impart itself into this soup. I figured that there was no way it would detriment the dish, and I was right. This approach also gave me time to prep the ingredients for the soup. If you don't have the need/means to fry up some bulbs, I suggest adding a scant teaspoon of sweet curry powder to the sweating onions when preparing the soup.







Broccoli Cheddar Soup with Cheesy Garlic Pita Toasts
Adding a splash of beer at the end of cooking livens up the dish, while providing interesting fizz and depth of flavor.
Serves 6-10
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion , chopped
2 shallots, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
pinch dried thyme
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds broccoli , stems peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces, florets chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
4 cups vegeatble broth
1 1/2-2 cups heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I find it's much, much better grated fresh with a microplane)
1/2 can dark beer, such as Old Chubb Scottish Ale
3 cups shredded mild cheddar cheese shredded, plus extra for garnish
Caramelized Onions (optional)
Salt
Cayenne
Cheesy Garlic Pita Toasts (recipe follows)

Melt butter and olive oil in large pot over medium heat. Add onion, shallots, rosemary, thyme and a sprinkling of salt. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.







Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add peeled broccoli stems and saute 5 minutes or until they begin to soften and turn a nice, vivid emerald hue. Add broth and increase heat to medium-high. Bring the soup to a boil, then decrease the heat to low and simmer 5 minutes, or until the stems are supple.



Add florets, 1 1/2 cups cream, and nutmeg and cook another 5 minutes or until the florets are softened and bright.





Turn off the heat, and If you have an immersion blender, puree soup right in the pot until the it reaches your desired consistency. If you don't have one of these gadgets, cool the soup slightly, place half of the it in a blender or food processor and puree it in two batches.



Bring to simmer over medium heat. Add beer, stir in cheddar until melted and season with salt and cayenne pepper. At this point I also snuck in some of those curried caramelized onions I made earlier. Start working on those pita toasts!



Taste! If the soup too salty/spicy, just add more cream until it's seasoned the way you like it. Serve, garnished with extra cheese, the remaining Old Chubb poured into a nice glass, and Cheesy Garlic Pita Toasts (recipe follows).

Note: This soup can be made ahead and refrigerated once cool, but just make sure you don't bring it to a boil over high heat, or it will separate thereby ruining its velvety texture.

Cheesy Garlic Pita Toasts

3 cloves garlic, minced fine
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
4 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 pita rounds, 6 inches in diameter



Heat olive oil in a small pan and add garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until fragrant, 30 seconds-1 minute.

Place pitas on a small baking sheet and top with the now spicy, garlic-infused oil. Top with grated cheese.



Toast in your toaster oven 5-10 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

December 6 – ADELAIDE – Back in Black

We checked into our hotel in Adelaide yesterday to discover that our rooms were all luxury suites with king-sized beds, couches, washer/dryers, kitchens, dining rooms, jacuzzis and balconies.

I was so excited by the fact that I had a complete kitchen that I went shopping and bought brekkie supplies. When it was ready, I invited Eric and Adrian for a surprise meal – fried eggs, multigrain toast, and stewed apples. I even took a cue from Soul Food and made some caramelized red onions.


After a little digestion, we departed for the festival grounds again to rehearse “Back in Black.” See, the grand finale of the festival was to consist of all of the acts performing different AC/DC hits. Adrian immediately feared singing Bon Scott’s insanely high, unique vocal line. He was more than a little relieved when he discovered we’d have Susie Keynes, a local Adelaidian belting it out for him.
After our rehearsal, we decided to capitalize on the absolutely gorgeous day by grabbing a drink outside. The street behind the hotel was a little seedy, but it was nice and sunny so we walked up and found the first decent looking spot to enjoy a nice cold Coopers. Adrian and I went inside to get the drinks while Eric reserved a picnic table outside. Big mistake – a group of six cougars hovered him like vultures over a ripe piece of meat. These ladies were seasoned to say the least. Clad in leather and black tops so tight that their were just shy bosoms bursting out of them, their caked faces gabbed away about their night out. They proudly informed us with sheer joy that they were going to the male strip club across the way. They even gloated about not having to pay a cover because they were about to eat a three-course meal with double dessert. “And thay git totally nayeked and give you a lap dince for 20 dullahs!” We choked down our drinks and promptly took a taxi to Gauger St, all the while attempting to muster up our lost appetites.
Luckily, we were about to have some of the most amazing Chinese of our lives.
Ying Chow an unassuming place, like any other Chinatown spot you’d find in any city: big glass storefront windows, bright lights, and tight seating. What separates this place from the others is most certainly the food. We knew it would be fantastically good as we stood in the threshold of the place, waiting (for what seemed like an eternity) for an open table. We couldn’t help but stare down every dish the table right next to us was getting. Plate after plate of steaming, aromatic chow was placed in front of the young couple in tight jeans. Our eyes and nostrils widened but we had to quickly avert our attention each time they glanced back up at us, knowing full well that their food and table were being stalked by a bunch of ravenous Americans. Several servers approached us to ask us if we wanted to put in our order ahead of time. Unable to decide between four pages of deliciously unique-sounding grub, we decided to wait until we were seated. Finally they got up and expressed regret for taking so long. We returned the apology for gawking at them while they ate.
Before we knew it, a multitude of workers came out of the kitchen to wipe down our table and take our order.

Unable to settle on any one dish, we determined that it would be best to get a couple different plates and share family-style (this is how Chinese should be done anyway in my opinion).
First they brought out vegetable spring rolls with sweet garlic chile dip. Seems pedestrian and commonplace – these, however, were other worldly – perfectly crisp inside and out with slightly syrupy spicy sauce (alliteration, irony, oh never mind).

Next they brought a big thermos full of rice, which I found very smart as it would never get cold. Eric's main dish came shortly after that. It was a vegetarian clay pot, full of exotic mushrooms, baby bok choy, strips of wheat gluten, and some other indiscernable vegetables - no matter - it was delicious.

Adrian ordered a similar dish - though his included poached chicken and I could smell that his was heavier (or shall I say zingier) on the fresh ginger.

When reading the menu, my eyes lit up when I saw that they had a steamed scallop dish. They were so unbelievably fresh they tasted like they had just fished them out of the ocean (in a good way). Topped with chopped garlic, wine and cilantro, I was in heaven.

To share we also got salt and pepper squid and broadbeans (aka fresh soy beans or edamame) with chiles and shredded bean curd. These were also to die for.


Andre came late and got a bowl of the house soup (with extra chiles). Feeling like we should eat with him, we ordered more spring rolls.

Feeling fuzzy and full, we rode the tram back to see Derek Truck’s band at the Wah bar. (The lighting was dim so I apologize for the blurry pic - but you get the idea).

Admittedly not having heard too much of the ensemble’s material, I was totally taken aback – it wasn’t just a slide solo blues frenzy. It was genuinely awesome, and Adrian was really digging some of the more Middle Eastern influenced melodies (gee, I wonder why). Eric was fixated on the drummer, who produced a groove so tight I defied anyone not to bob their heads during the whole set. Of course each other member was brilliant in their own right, so the interaction between them put the show over the top. I have to confess that we were jealous, having played the big stage the day before. We agreed that next time we come to this festival, we want to play the Wah Bar. There’s just something about a tight room packed with happy people – there’s just an energy that radiates, oscillating between the audience and the band.
After the show, we continued the party over to Le Boheme, where we were sure to spend the rest of our Per Diem, but for a good reason – they just make the most delicious cocktails there.

Adrian unpredictably got a classic gin Martini with olives. Oversized and with just a kiss of vermouth, it was the perfect martini. I had a “Pears Daisy”, which contained fresh Pear juice, vodka, and torn mint (I’m sure there were other ingredients, but obviously my memory escapes me after a night of drinking). Bright and tart, it was totally refreshing, a nice riff on a Mojito.

Eric told me to order something for him – big mistake. After I ordered, the bartender flashed a mischievous grin. I beckoned Eric over as the show began – the talented wizard placed a champagne flute on the bar and proceeded to douse it with absinthe and light it on fire. What happened next is all a hazy blur, as he moved swiftly with the flames to create the final product: “Absinthe Lovers.” And so the night concluded with delectable concoctions that put a nice nightcap on a fantastically enjoyable evening.