Communication Satellites Collision Two Dinners

Three years ago to the day, two communication satellites collided in orbit above Siberia at velocities greater than escape velocity. BOOM! It was 'the first accidental hypervelocity collision between two intact artificial satellites in Earth orbit.' Only one was operational. There was a ton of debris, which hasn't caused any damage to other satellites. Cool.

I can't access the internet at my apartment, so I'm posting this from a cafe down the street. I won't post recipes for these dishes. Above is just rice and lentils (unseasoned), with steamed and then sauteed beets, beet greens, and broccoli. Below is penne with a sauce made from four tomatoes, the better part of an eggplant, and a yellow onion, seasoned with dried oregano, basil, and parsley.

I'll have two film reviews for you soon.

Gavin Bryars' Birthday Pseudo-Borscht

I like Gavin Bryars' music. He was born on January 16, 1943. He studied philosophy at Sheffield before studying music. He began playing jazz but gave it up after seeing a young bassist play in an "artificial" way. He studied composition with John Cage. One of his first pieces, and the one I'm most familiar with, is called The Sinking of the Titanic. You can read about it here.

My friend W. made borscht awhile ago, which inspired me to make borscht. I do not know how to make borscht correctly, nor did I look up a recipe beforehand. What I made was more a stew than a soup. I don't have a grater, so I couldn't shred the beets. I wish I could have shredded the beats. Nevertheless, I present this recipe for a palatable pseudo-borscht.

serves: approx. 4

prep. time: approx. 30 min.

INGREDIENTS

1 beet, sliced thin (or shredded, if you have a grater)

1 red onion, sliced

1/2 head red cabbage, sliced

water

2 bay leaves

salt

garlic powder

DIRECTIONS

1. Throw everything in a pot and boil until the beets are nice and tender. Add water if you want it soupier.

Won't be posting tomorrow in (meager) solidarity with the internet blackout. STOP PIPA/SOPA!

Office of Homeland Security Dragon Bowl

A decade ago on October 8, George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security. A couple of days ago, the media reported on an Iranian assassination plot against the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the US. The US government better not be preparing the ground for military action against Iran, because people are already in the streets and we know now that Homeland Security has nothing to do with safety.

A. made this deliciousness. The miso gravy recipe she used is based on the gravy at The Naam, a restaurant in Vancouver that we went to many times in July.

serves: 4

prep. time: approx. 1 hour

INGREDIENTS:

2 Idaho potatoes, sliced in eighths

1 lb. tofu, cubed

flour

1 beet

1 large carrot, chopped

1 head of broccoli, chopped

1 head of cauliflower, chopped

alfalfa sprouts

DIRECTIONS:

1. Toss the potatoes in a bit of vegetable oil. Grease a pan and preheat the oven to 425F. Bake the potatoes for 20 mins., flip and bake for another 25-30 mins.

2. Boil the beet. Peel the beet. Chop up the beet.

3. Roll the tofu cubes in flour. Fry in a pan with oil over medium-high heat until crispy.

4. Steam the other veggies.

5. Layer in a bowl in the following order: potato, tofu, gravy, beet and carrot, gravy, broccoli and cauliflower, gravy, alfalfa sprouts

Buckminsterfullerne Azuki Bean Patties

 

On September 4, 1985 a few scientists at Rice University discovered the first fullerene molecule (i.e., any molecule comprised entirely of carbon atoms), which they gave the hilarious name Buckminsterfullerene in homage of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes. Buckminsterfullerene is full of astounding properties, the first being that its atomic formula is C₆₀. 60 carbon atoms! B.m.fullerene conducts electricity well and is the most common fullerene molecule. (Hint: Look for it in soot.) Finally and most astonishingly (I think, I don't have a very deep understanding of physics), B.m.fullerene is "the largest matter shown to exhibit wave-particle duality."

Last night I made patties. I wish I'd used some tomato paste and flax meal in them. A. made aioli for the patties and dressing for the asparagus. I overcooked the asparagus a bit, frown-face. We microwaved the potatoes and ate them with Smart Balance Light and Tofutti sour cream and salt and pepper.

servings: 4-5

prep. time: approx. 45 min.

INGREDIENTS:

1 can azuki beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red onion, diced

3 baby bella mushrooms, diced

most of a small beet, peeled and grated
pine nuts

vital wheat gluten

bread crumbs

Bragg's liquid aminos

sesame oil

hot sauce

fresh parsley

garlic powder

cayenne

sage

DIRECTIONS:

1. Saute the onion, mushrooms, and beet in a pan over medium heat.

2. Mix everything together in a big bowl. Mash with a wooden spoon or similar utensil, adding gluten and bread crumbs as you go in order to make it hold together.

3. If you have time, stick the "dough" in the fridge for a while, then bake at 425F for 12-15 minutes. If you don't have time, fry the patties in a pan until crisp on the outside.

Here's a Twitter-poem for y'all.

The twitter of any time: the twitter of the news | the twitter of those days | the twitter of doom | the twitter of their own.

Flavor Flav Spaghetti

Flavor Flav was born the same year as my dad. That's really funny for some reason. I'm not gonna post "Cold Lampin' with Flavor" or anything, y'all can seek that out if you want it.

This pasta was pretty good. I like the contrast between soft pasta and snappy vegetables, but you could always bake the veggies first. I meant to put in some black olives but forgot. You should use more onions if you've got em, too.

makes approx. 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. rice bran spaghetti

2 small red onions, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 beet, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and diced

1/2 large parsnip, peeled and diced

1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes

5 oz. Vegan Gourmet mozarella

salt and pepper, to taste

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

3/4 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. rosemary

1/2 tsp. parsley

red wine vinegar

oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Boil the pasta for 2 min., then let sit, covered, for 20 min.

2. Sauté the onion in a pan with some oil. Add the garlic, followed by the beets. As you finish dicing the carrot and parsnip, toss those in.

3. Drizzle red wine vinegar over the vegetables, sprinkle salt and pepper. Turn up the heat a bit and let cook for a while.

4. Pour in the diced tomatoes with a little bit of water. Add the seasonings. Simmer for a while.

5. Cut the block of cheese into cubes and mix in.

From "Chips" in Reg Johanson's Courage, My Love:

& the letter from MasterCard: "We are unable to process your application due to derogatory information obtained from the Credit Bureau". / somebody's been talking shit about me / nobody appreciates a class traitor any more

Daylight Savings Stew

Daylight Savings Time. Why does it exist? I don't like it. It always takes me like a week to get around to resetting clocks, so several times a day I get temporally disoriented.

The above photo doesn't look particularly appetizing, does it? The stew tastes pretty good, though, promise. I should have let the vegetables simmer a bit before adding the lentils.

makes approx. 4-5 servings

INGREDIENTS:

3 red onions, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Satina potatoes, cubed

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1/2 large parsnip, peeled and chopped

1/2 beet, peeled and cubed

4 c. water

1 c. red lentils

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. sage

1/2 tsp. tarragon

1/4 tsp. paprika

salt and pepper, to taste

red wine vinegar

canola oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pot, sauté onion in oil. Add garlic, followed by potatoes, carrot, parsnip, and beet as you finish preparing them. Splash with red wine vinegar and let the vegetables cook for a few minutes.

2. Add water and seasonings. Cover, bring to a boil. Partially uncover and lower to a simmer.

3. Add red lentils. Simmer for 30 min.

If you're interested in learning about the locations fur farms and suppliers in the US, please download The Blueprint.

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.

National Pig Day Hearty Red Soup

Today's National Pig Day in the US. Apparently, people do all sorts of wacky stuff to celebrate pigs, including eating their flesh. From a newspaper in Arlington Heights, IL (not too far from where I grew up): "Is it time to celebrate what the pig offers by downing spare ribs, bacon, and ham? Or is it time to give the little guys a break - to step back and just appreciate all they offer us?" This makes me hurt so much. Suicidefood says it best.

Composed of mostly red or reddish ingredients, this soup nevertheless contains no slaughtered pigs, making it a good option for NPD. This is the first time I've sliced garlic. I like it!

makes approx. 6-8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 lb. red kidney beans

3 small red onions, diced

1/2 bulb garlic, sliced

1/2 beet, cubed

3 Red Chieftain potatoes, cubed

5 carrots, chopped

7 crimini mushrooms, diced

6 c. water

1 c. vegetable broth

1/4 c. shoyu soy sauce

4 Tbsp. yeast flakes

2 tsp. fenugreek seeds

1 tsp. oregano

1 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. parsley

1/2 tsp. chili powder

oil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Soak the beans in 4 c. water overnight. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook for approx. 60 min.

2. Sauté onion in oil in a large stock pot. Add the potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, beet, and garlic as you finish preparing them. Let it all cook for a couple more minutes, then pour in the kidney beans with their water. Add another 2 c. water and 1 c. broth. Bring to a simmer, then partially uncover the pot. Stir in the soy sauce and seasonings. Let simmer for 20-25 min.

Steve Lambert makes good work.

Presidents Day Roots and Tubers

 

Thanks for the day off, presidents. Doesn't mean I owe you shit.

There's nothing playing the role of dead animal in this meal. Just mashed potatoes and baked vegetables. Simple, hearty, and flavorful.

makes approx. 2-3 servings

INGREDIENTS:

5 Satina potatoes, partially skinned and chopped into large chunks

3 cloves garlic

1 Tbsp. Earth Balance

mylk

paprika and parsley, to taste

1 carrot, chopped

1 parsnip, chopped

1 beet, skinned and cubed

1 cabbage, chopped

olive oil

salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400F.

2. Line a pan with parchment paper. Fill with chopped vegetables, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Bake for 20 min., toss, bake another 20 min.

3. In a large pot, cover potatoes and garlic with water. Bring to a boil, cook over medium heat for 15 min. or so, until potatoes are nice and tender.

4. In a mixing bowl, mash the potatoes and garlic with margarine. Add mylk a little at a time, until the potatoes are creamy. Stir in salt, pepper, paprika, and parsley.

I haven't talked with anyone about what's been going on in Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Jordan, and Wisconsin. Pretty incredible. At the slightest indication of revolution in Providence I'll be in the street with a brick. (Not that revolution's brewing in Wisconsin, but one can dream.)

Douglas Hofstadter Beet Soup

Douglas Hofstadter turned 66 today! Gödel, Escher, Bach is a great book, but so is the much more concise, political, freely accessible "A Person Paper on Purity in Language." Check it out.

There's maybe a little too much going on in this soup, but at least it's hearty and flavorful. And there's lots of it. My first time cooking with beets. Beets are delicious. For the broth I used 3 c. water I'd frozen after cooking black beans, plus 2 c. water from making kidney beans on Saturday.

makes approx. 5-8 servings (I really have no idea)

INGREDIENTS:
1 c. green lentils
2/3 c. quinoa
5 small sweet potatoes, cubed
1 beet, skinned and cubed
1 medium white onion, diced
~1/2 c. tofu, crumbled
1/4 c. cilantro
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. fenugreek seeds
1/2 tsp. chili powder
5 c. vegetable broth
3 c. water

DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill a large stock pot with broth and lentils. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Add the sweet potatoes and the beet.
2. After 25 min., toss in the onion, tofu, cilantro, and spices. Start simmering the quinoa in a separate pot.
3. After another 20 min., turn off the heat. Stir in the quinoa and the water, which will instantly bring down the temperature to a comfortable hotness. Serve immediately!

I can't figure out how to embed audio, so if you want to listen to this funny little piece I recorded March 10, 2006 on a warped half-size acoustic guitar and contact mic, you'll have to download it here.