Alfred Herrhausen Assassination Ground Provisions

On November 30, 1989, Deutsche Bank board member Alfred Herrhausen was being escorted to work in an armored car when a roadside bomb exploded, piercing Herrhausen's door and severing his legs. He bled to death. Member of the Red Army Faction were prime suspects, but no one was ever charged. Incidentally, the US Senate just passed legislation that makes it possible for the police to detain US citizens indefinitely as terrorists. Does anyone need further proof that we live in a police state? (November 30 was also the day in 1999 that the opening ceremony of the WTO gathering in Seattle was delayed by protests.) A more benign fantasy-model, then: Icelanders refuse to pay off national debt they aren't responsible for, draft new constitution. Read an article about the US media blackout from August here.

I consider this blog an archive of experiments. Other outlets present just their successes, but here I give you many of my missteps, too. I have no idea if that's helpful or useful. In any case, last night I tried to prepare the tropical root vegetables ñame and yautía. (It's uncanny how much the former smells like semen.) I wasn't paying enough attention to the knife, because I chopped off a bit of my thumb.

Next time I'll boil and fry my ground provisions. And not cut into my fingers.

serves: 2-3

prep. time: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 ñame, cubed

1 yautía, cubed

1/2 c. red lentils

1/2 c. yellow split peas

1 can tomato paste

olive oil

juice of 1/4 lemon

cayenne

coriander

DIRECTIONS

1. Toss ground provisions in oil. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F, worry that they'll cook too fast; bake for 20 minutes at 350F, worry that they won't have cooked enough; bake for 5 minutes at 450F, overcooking them.

2. Simmer lentils and peas for 30 minutes. Mix in a whole can of tomato paste because you'd feel guilty about throwing some out but you don't use it often enough to keep it around. Regret using the whole can. Mix in lemon juice before realizing that it probably doesn't need to be more acidic. Mix in a couple of spices in futile attempt to flavor it.

"From hell" / Global Protest Reddish Stuff Over Rice

[UPDATE 10/22/11: I totally screwed up! The photo below, which I removed from the top of this page, is actually of a meal I cooked when A. was still in town. A brilliant innovation, too: pumpkin coconut curry. Standard curry recipe, but along with a can of coconut milk you throw in most of a can of pureed pumpkin. Thickens it up beautifully and isn't overpowering. Below is a picture of the meal described below.]

 

I cooked this meal on October 15, the day a bunch of protests occurred worldwide, in part inspired by the Occupy movement in NYC. It feels bogus to write anything about Occupy that isn't thorough and critical, so I'll just say: in solidarity, until the end of exploitation and forever. October 15 also happens to be the day when a letter purportedly written by Jack the Ripper was postmarked in 1888. The body of the letter (mangled, as you'll see) reads, "I send you half the Kidne I took from one women prasarved it for you tother piece I fried and ate it was very nise. I may send you the bloody knif that took it out if you only wate a whil longer." There's a crude analogy somewhere in there between the two events.

Pat the cat enjoyed a taste of some sweet potato. Maybe because of the Bragg's liquid aminos in the sauce? Don't know if that treat was causally related to the big pile of vomit I cleaned up this morning.

servings: 3-4

prep. time: 50 min.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. long grain brown rice

1/2 c. red lentils

1/2 c. yellow split peas

1 sweet potato, chopped

1 large carrot, chopped

1/2 c.almond milk

1/3 c. olive oil

several squirts of Bragg's liquid aminos

several squirts of tamari soy sauce

garlic powder

cumin

Sriracha

DIRECTIONS:

1. Simmer rice for 45 min.

2. In a pot, simmer lentils, split peas, sweet potato, and carrot for 30 min.

3. In a saucepan, whisk everything else together. Bring a boil, then reduce heat and stir.

4. Pour the sauce into the pot and toss. Serve over rice.

I reviewed a bad film called Fireflies in the Garden. Some of the word aren't mine. Read it here!

German-American Day Decidedly Un-Germanic Food

On October 6, 1683 "German immigrant families [founded] Germantown in the colony of Pennsylvania, marking the first major immigration of German people to America." Presumably because of that fact—never mind, Wikipedia's page for German-American Day states that 13 German families landed on the 6th and only subsequently founded Germantown. In any case, some Germans came this way and here I am. Reagan is responsible for reinstating the holiday on the 300th anniversary of its occasion. It needed to be reinstated because of WWI and subsequent feelings.

Yesterday I marched with Occupy Wall Street. Great to have a popular movement in the streets (or on the sidewalk, when the cops show up), but if we want to show 'em we won't tolerate life in a police state / financial state we're going to have to do more than march, forreal.

A.'s out of town until tomorrow night, so dinner was lonely. I made too much food, but it was good. The rice is yellow due to vegetable broth.

serves: 2-3

prep. time: 45 min.

INGREDIENTS:

1 c. short-grain brown rice

1/3 c. French lentils

1/3 c. yellow split peas

1/3 c. green split peas

1 Yukon gold potato, cubed

1 handful baby bella mushrooms, sliced

2 handfuls snap peas, halved (after cutting the ends and unzipping the spine)

1/2 bunch rapini, stems chopped

green onion, cut with scissors if you've got some

sesame oil

Bragg's liquid aminos

tamari soy sauce

balsamic glaze
sriracha

DIRECTIONS:

1. Simmer the rice in equal parts water and vegetable oil.

2. Simmer the potato, lentils, and split peas in water.

3. Prepare the other veggies and steam them.

4. To make dressing, whisk 4 parts sesame oil with 1 part each of the other ingredients.

A twitter-fiction story I wrote in February just got published on Nanoism. Read it here.

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.