John Paul Getty III's Ear Pasta

I have to just paste the whole paragraph from Wikipedia, because it's too good to paraphrase:

In early 1971, he [JPG3] was expelled from St. George's English School (later St. George's British International School), in Rome, Italy. His father moved back to England, and at 3am on 10 July 1973, Getty was kidnapped in the Piazza Farnese in Rome. A ransom note was received, demanding $17 million in exchange for his safe return. When that ransom message arrived, some family members suspected the kidnapping was merely a ploy by the rebellious youngster as he had frequently joked about staging his own kidnapping to extract money from his frugal grandfather. He was blindfolded and imprisoned in a mountain hideout. A second demand was received, but had been delayed by an Italian postal strike. Jean Paul Getty II asked his father for the money, but was refused. Getty Sr. argued that were he to pay the ransom, then his 14 other grandchildren could likely be kidnapped as well. In November 1973, an envelope containing a lock of hair and a human ear was delivered to a daily newspaper with a threat of further mutilation of Paul, unless $3.2 million was paid: "This is Paul's ear. If we don't get some money within 10 days, then the other ear will arrive. In other words, he will arrive in little bits."

The best part is that the postal strike also caused the ear to be delayed. It was cut off on October 22 and took 17 days to arrive at the newspaper office. The story continues:

At this point Getty Sr. agreed to pay a ransom, although he would only pay $2.2 million because that was the maximum amount that was tax deductible. He loaned the remainder to his son who was responsible for repaying the sum at 4% interest. The reluctant Getty Sr. negotiated a deal and got his grandson back for about $2.9 million. Getty III was found alive in southern Italy on 15 December 1973, shortly after the ransom was paid.

I feel bad for JPG3, don't get me wrong, because his grandfather was obviously a fucking asshole, but the saga only really gets dark in its conclusion:

Nine of the kidnappers were apprehended: a carpenter, a hospital orderly, an ex-con and an olive-oil dealer from Calabria, as well as high-ranking members of the 'Ndrangheta – a Mafia-type organization in Calabria – such as Girolamo Piromalli and Saverio Mammoliti. Two were convicted and sent to prison; the others, including the 'Ndrangheta bosses, were acquitted for lack of evidence. Most of the ransom money was never recovered.

I wonder which two kidnappers were convicted? (My guess is the carpenter and hospital orderly.) Letting the mafiosos off the hook for stealing $3 million is nothing as bad as letting US financial corporations off the hook for stealing billions. The US government has fully adopted the dictum "money makes right." Truth is assigned to whatever propositions serve the people with the strongest interests (i.e., the most money, in a capitalist system). I'm partially to the converse, expressed by Louis Althusser thus: "In principle, true ideas always serve the people; false ideas always serve the enemies of the people." Eat the rich, because as long as they're wealthy they'll never affirm such a socialistic, compassionate principle.

But first, eat pasta! Simple.

servings: 2

prep. time: approx. 20 mins.

INGEDIENTS:

1/2 lb. spiral flax pasta, or something

2 portobello mushrooms, halved and sliced

portion of a head of cauliflower, chopped

several handfuls spinach

2 cloves garlic, sliced

sherry

red wine vinegar

oregano

salt

pepper

sage

olive oil

nutritional yeast

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a pan over medium-high heat, saute the cauliflower and mushrooms for several minutes. Toss in the spinach and garlic and season.

2. Boil pasta for 11 minutes.

3. Drain the pasta and put back in pot. Drizzle olive oil and toss with a dozen shakes of nutritional yeast. Mix in the contents of the pan.

Turns out I published a twitter-fic story on March 22 and never saw it. I've never even read PicFic...

Labor Day Weekend Shootings Stuffed Eggplant

Inspired by an annual celebration in Toronto, the first Labor Day parade was held in NYC by the Central Labor Union in 1882. "The holiday is often regarded as a day of rest and parties." This year, the holiday was regarded as a day of fewer shootings than the day before. 48 people were shot in the City over the weekend, 3 of whom died. A. and I are grateful that we stayed inside rather than walked around during the parade on Flatbush. In better news, I got a haircut today from D., who as well as giving me a fade (unfortunately nicking my eyebrow and shaving too hard a line on the right side) suggested a Rastafari market nearby where I can pick up some real I-tal food.

Last night I got ambitious. A. and I cooked up this recipe in our collective imagination and then I cooked it up in our kitchen. The hummus-type stuff that goes over the eggplant is meant to be runnier than the hummus I usually make, hence the extra liquid ingredients and upped tahini ratio. A.'s spinach is a nice accompaniment, just don't season with too much salt like I did.

servings: 6

prep time: approx. 1 hr.

INGREDIENTS:

3 bicolor eggplant, halved and hollowed out, cubed

3/4 c. Moroccan couscous

1 c. yellow split peas

8 baby bella mushrooms, diced

olive oil

coriander

dried basil

paprika

...

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

3 spoonfuls tahini

4 cloves garlic

sesame oil

rice vinegar

Bragg's liquid aminos

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt

pepper

water

...

1 package frozen cut spinach, thawed

1 large shallot, diced

olive oil

Smart Balance Light margarine

salt

pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil almost a cup of water. Add the couscous and cut off the heat.

2. Simmer the split peas in 2 c. water for half an hour, or until tender.

3. Prepare the eggplant. Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the hollowed-out eggplant skins on a baking sheet in the oven, then cut off the heat (to get them warmed up). Saute the eggplant with the mushrooms in oil in a covered casserole pot for 10-25 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 425F again. Mix everything together in a bowl, reserving some yellow split peas and cousous if necessary to achieve desired stuffing composition. Stuff the eggplant halves and bake for 10-15 minutes.

...

1. Toss everything into a blender and liquify.

...

1. Saute the shallot in a pan with some olive oil until almost caramelized.

2. Add the spinach and margarine.

If you don't already know, read up on the current famine in the Horn of Africa. Horrible things are happening in Somalia, so take some time out before eating a full meal to recognize that children are dying in the desert, and repent.

Last of the Great Auks Miso Soup, Red Curry, and Salad

The Great Auk was a beautiful, penguin-like flightless bird. You can look at a wonderful illustration by John James Audubon here. (And then you should look up Walton Ford.) So why haven't you ever seen a real life auk? I quote Wikipedia:

The last colony of Great Auks lived on Geirfuglasker (the "Great Auk Rock") off Iceland. This islet was a volcanic rock surrounded by cliffs which made it inaccessible to humans, but in 1830 the islet submerged after a volcanic eruption, and the birds moved to the nearby island of Eldey, which was accessible from a single side. When the colony was initially discovered in 1835, nearly fifty birds were present. Museums, desiring the skins of the auk for preservation and display, quickly began collecting birds from the colony. The last pair, found incubating an egg, was killed there on 3 July 1844, with Jón Brandsson and Sigurður Ísleifsson strangling the adults and Ketill Ketilsson smashing the egg with his boot.

Oy. Vey. Strangulation less likely to damage the skins? More likely to damage the psyche. Extinction: first as tragedy, then again as tragedy. (Or is the farcical return the Apocalypse?) "The last pair, found incubating an egg..." puts meteors in my dreams. Worth considering is whether the modern policy of preserving species in captivity is substantively different than preserving a species in taxidermy. Considered worth a No.

I'm in Beautiful British Columbia now. Yesterday made food for girlfriend's family. A warming night in a place cooler than I'm used to this time of year. Gf made miso soup in the afternoon.

Fermented soy, tofu, mushrooms, green onion, spinach. Yumsies. She also made salad: lettuce and parsley with lemon vinegar dressing.

And now the curry recipe. Next time we'll use more cayenne, more basil, and more red pepper. And not slice the basil leaves.

makes approx. 7 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c. basmati rice

1 lb. tofu

1/2 head of cauliflower, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

2 handfuls little potatoes, cubed

1 red onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 cans light coconut milk
1 handful Thai basil, sliced

4 spoonfuls curry paste

curry powder

cayenne

ground sea salt

ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook the rice according to package directions.

2. In a large pot, sauté onion in oil over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally, add garlic after several minutes. Add red pepper and tofu.
3. Boil the potatoes in water. Don't cook them too long, but as soon as they're tender transfer them with a slotted spoon to the pot. Boil the cauliflower for a few minutes.
4. Add the cauliflower to the pot, then pour in the coconut milk. Add the curry paste, basil, and seasonings. Lower the heat and reduce until desired consistency.

One more thing. A few days ago we went to Palace Playland in Old Orchard Beach, ME. I've been terrified of amusement park rides my whole life, ever since I went on Rocky Mountain Railroad at Disneyland as a young child and felt like I was going to die. My uncle convinced me to go on a proper roller coaster several years later, but it must have been equally traumatizing because I've repressed all memory of it between the initial ascent and stepping off onto firm ground. But my girlfriend's giddiness got me so excited I steeled myself and rode both the Galaxi and the Power Surge. And I loved it! I've never felt so relaxed and fuzzy as I did after being spun through the air with my feet dangling.

Gregory Peck's Death Casserole

A ton of really heavy events have occurred on June 12. I couldn't decide on one, so I went with Gregory Peck's date of death in 2003. Not that a death isn't significant, this one just isn't historically important. (And he died in his sleep at the age of 87, the lucky pecker.)

And this casserole is handsome. It's a real Gregory Peck sort of casserole, if you know what I mean. My dad whipped it up out of thin air (and ingredients), proving that you can disdain vegan cooking and still put a self-styled vegan food enthusiast like me to shame in the kitchen. This is gourmet, even if my dad did think it would be better with some parmesan cheese.

No recipe — it's a secret. I can list the ingredients, though: tofu sausage (by some local place that's been around for 40 years, apparently), eggplant, baby asparagus, spinach, button mushrooms, black olives, tomato sauce, ground black pepper, oregano, thyme, salt.

I'm making dinner tomorrow!

Fiume Salad

On this date in 1924, the Kingdom of Italy annexed the Free State of Fiume, revoking after only four years the Treaty of Rapallo. In the 19th century, the city's official languages were Italian, Hungarian, and German. Gabriele D'Annunzio invaded the city for 15 months just prior to the establishment of formal autonomy in 1920. He basically threw a big party, but his brand of anarchism was what Wikipedia calls "anarcho-fascism," which makes sense in that historical moment but would (I sincerely hope) be a contradiction in terms these days.

I haven't made a salad since the summer, but I went to Another Year right after class this evening, so I needed something quick that would use up the half beet and single carrot hanging out in my fridge. I chipped a plate while washing the dishes because I was simultaneously writing the introduction to my review of the film. I've been getting clumsy lately, need to abide more in the moment.

makes 2 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 c. spinach, very tightly packed

1/2 beet, skinned and cubed

1 carrot, skinned and chopped

1/4 c. walnuts

olive oil

red wine vinegar

mustard

pepper

yeast flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Mix the dressing in a shallow bowl or plastic container. Pour over the salad and sprinkle nutritional yeast on top.

This family is an inspiration: The Zero Waste Home. Funny how these projects seem always to be initiated by women. Or not funny.

Reichstag Fire Lentil Patties

In 1933 someone set the German parliament building on fire. Been reading about Nazis for my moral psychology class.

The reason I ate these patties on sandwich bread is that Whole Foods (where I had to go to buy bulk nuts) didn't have hamburger buns that were free of both animal products and palm shortening. Palm oil is bad, friends. This spread isn't as good as the others I've made, but it goes pretty well with these patties. Oh, and the avocado was unnecessary. Best keep it simple with tomato.

makes approx. 4-6 patties

INGREDIENTS:

Patties
INGEDIENTS:
3/4 c. green lentils
1/4 c. long grain brown rice
2 small red onions, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 small carrots, peeled and diced
6 large crimini mushrooms, diced
1/4 c. broth (e.g., water from boiling navy beans)
1 tsp. curry powder
1/2 tsp. coriander
1/4 tsp. turmeric
1/3 c. vital wheat gluten
1/3 c. bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS:
1. Simmer the lentils and rice together in a pot until tender. The lentils will be overcooked, but that's fine because you're just gonna mash 'em up anyway.
2. Sauté onion in a large pan with carrots and mushrooms. Add garlic, and couple minutes later add broth, lentils, and rice. Mash the lentils with a spatula. Mix in seasonings.
3. Preheat oven to 350F.
4. Let the mixture cool for a couple minutes. (Eat some to tide you over, it's good!) In a mixing bowl, mash it up some more, then add wheat gluten and bread crumbs. Knead with a wooden spoon — wouldn't want to get your hands dirty.
5. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form patties and bake for 15 min. each side.
6. Heat some oil in a pan. Fry the patties a few minutes on each side to brown them and firm them up.

Spread
INGREDIENTS:
1 c. frozen edamame, thawed
1/2 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 c. spinach, tightly packed
1/4 c. broth
1/4 c. water
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 Tbsp. tahini
1/2 tsp. chili powder

DIRECTIONS:
1. Purée everything in a blender. Get frustrated that it's too thick to get properly smooth. Scrape the sides, stir with a spoon, pulse, shake, etc.

Temporary Insanity Pizza

According to Wikipedia, on this day in 1859 NY Congressman Daniel E. Sickles won the first acquittal of murder on grounds of temporary insanity in US legal history. What a legacy.

This was my first attempt at pizza: spinach, bok choy, and walnut "parmesan." I was happy with it, but I really need a rolling pin. This crust would have worked better if I'd gotten it thinner. I sort of used this recipe from a site confused about exactly what veganism is.

makes approx. 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 c. flour

3 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. brown rice syrup

3/4 c. water

1 medium white onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 bok choy, leaves sliced in thirds

6 oz. spinach

1 15-oz. can fire-roasted diced tomatoes

2 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. thyme

1 tsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

splash red wine vinegar

oil

1/2 c. walnuts, halved

1/2 c. yeast flakes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F.

2. Sauté onion in a pan with oil over medium heat. After a few minutes, add garlic. Couple minutes later, toss in spinach. Cover the pan while you slice the bok choy.

3. Lower heat and add bok choy with a little bit of red wine vinegar; cover pan. Once the bok choy begins to turn bright, uncover and add the canned tomatoes and seasoning. Let simmer.

4. Do up the bread dough. Knead until it holds together, then press into a pan that's been greased and floured. Bake 20 min.

5. While the dough is baking, pulse the walnuts in a blender until rendered into a fine dust. Add in yeast flakes and pulse a couple more times, then stir.

6. Remove dough from oven, top with sauce and "parmesan." Bake for another 10 min.

According to Kafka's diaries, "Sisyphus was a bachelor."

Franco Bifo Berardi, What is the meaning of autonomy today?

Blaine Act Pasta with Cheezy Sauce and Spinach

Prohibition ended in the US with the passage of the Blaine Act 78 years ago. That's cool I guess. Alcohol companies are still nasty, just haven't yet buckled down to learn homebrewing.

If you're looking for something quick, pasta with cheezy sauce is always a good idea. With some green vegetable, of course.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. bow-tie pasta

5 oz. spinach

4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

spoonful flour

1/2 c. yeast flakes

2 c. water

few squirts mustard

splash shoyu soy sauce

spoonful tahini

1/2 tsp. turmeric

1/4 tsp. salt

oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook pasta.

2. Fry garlic in oil over medium heat for a couple minutes. Add flour, cook for another couple minutes. Pour in 1 c. water, yeast flakes, mustard, soy sauce, tahini, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil. Stir, lower to simmer. Cook until desired thickness. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes.

3. Toss spinach into a pan with a little bit of oil and soy sauce. Cook over medium heat for a while, then add 1/2 c. or so of water, cover, and let wilt. Remove from heat once desired sogginess.

Tiny Mix Tapes published my review of Into Eternity yesterday.

Remember, it's like how Toni Cade Bambara wrote, "Not all speed is movement. [...] There ain't no such animal as an instant guerilla."