Category: Uncategorized

Don’t buy this unless you want to. Really want to.

Ask yourself if you really need to hear three different versions of 11 Replacement songs.

I was sucked in by collectorist/completist instinct, three CDs and a vinyl album all devoted to a single album.  Roughly, it’s 2020 remasters of the original album, plus an album each of demos and rough mixes, overlaps but differences.

I did a comparison between the 2020 remasters and the original CD release from 1987.

The remastered versions unsurprisingly have more treble and bass than the originals, but honestly, who gives a fuck?  A song like “Alex Chilton” would be great it were played by your granny on bongos.

The vinyl (which sucked me in) is a complete waste of time.  It’s just a duplicate of the “Rough Mixes” on the third CD, but its greater crime is that the pressing is terrible.  I prefer the sound of vinyl, excellent when properly pressed, to CD.  This is just awful.

Perhaps I’m being unkind.  The “Rough Mixes” are in some cases very different to the released versions, and a lot of fun.  Some of the outtakes and alternatives are very good, sometimes revealing of the ‘Mats roots.  The 20-page booklet is excellent, lots of detail about the band, the recording sessions, etc.  (Repeating myself: it’s excellent).

I have repeated this anecdote ad nauseum, but here you go again:  One of the funniest things ever, not headliners The Replacements at First Avenue, but the band who preceded them at 7th Street Entry.


Feel like a hundred bucks, in love with that song.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftTOEJfzdq0

-R

Food trends are mostly silly. But I think the TikTok kids are on to something here. If the tortilla is cooked properly so it’s crispy but a bit chewy, it separates the layers of flavor, if that makes sense.

Buy or make (https://tiabr.com/making-flour-tortillas/) some flour tortillas. Cut a slit halfway through one.

You can use anything, but I went for the breakfast version. Bacon, scrambled eggs with pesto, mayo/sour cream/tahini, shredded supermarket Cheddar + house Montasio.

Fold’er up!

Then cook in a wee bit of oil until crispy outside. Finger food, but less clean finger-friendly with more sour cream.

If you use cheese, make sure it’s on one of the outside layers so it melts.

Big yum!

-R

Generally I prefer corn tortillas to the flour ones, which seem bland, but for breakfast recipes they are perfect (or perhaps I’ve been brainwashed by the wheat-industrial complex).

They are easy to make, and better than store bought.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 C. cold lard or other fat (I use Crisco), to repeat, COLD – keep it in the fridge for at least half an hour
• 2/3 C. water

Method:

Stir together the flour, salt and baking powder. Using a pastry blender or your fingers, mix the fat and the dry ingredients together for a couple of minutes.

Note that because of the small amount of fat, it will just look like a bowl of flour:

Add about 2/3 of the water, and stir. The dough won’t come together. Then continue to add another 2 Tbsp. of water, stirring vigorously after each addition, until the dough looks like this:

On a floured surface, knead it for 2 minutes, then cut it into 8 pieces. Roll them into something resembling a ball. Refrigerate them for 1/2 hour. DO NOT SKIP THE REFRIGERATION, it’s your key to success!

Dust each ball heavily with flour, then push down on it with your floured rolling pin to make an X (or however you want to squash it).

Roll it out into a 9″ circle. My version of a circle is always approximate. 🙂

Cook it in a non-stick pan, NO OIL, on low to low-medium heat, for a minute or two, until it starts to develop brown spots. Taste the first one (not where the brown spots are) to make sure it’s cooked all the way through. If not, lower the heat.

Flip it over and cook for less time on the other side.

All of which makes cooking them seem a bit tricky but really isn’t. Everything like this (crepes, tortillas, chapattis) the first one is generally a disaster and the rest are perfectly fine.

Yum!

-R

Another simple but delicious recipe. And a non-recipe, since you can vary the coatings according to taste. I’ve used a number of things — cajun seasoning is excellent — but this time it’s grated cheese and thyme.

I’ve had trouble getting roasted potato wedges crispy on the outside but tender on the inside, until I stumbled upon this recipe. The secret is in the flour!

Note that I made a half-recipe. Too much to eat already in my fridge!

Ingredients:

• 4 medium Russet potatoes
• 1/4 C. olive oil
• 3 Tbsp. flour
• 1/4 C. grated cheese (Parmesan and Romano are excellent, but I used Montasio). As an alternative, cajun or other spice of your choice.
• 1/4 C. sour cream
• 1 lime, peel zested, and juiced

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Stir together the olive oil, flour, and any flavorings (I added some thyme).

Cut the potatoes into 8 wedges.

Stir to coat the potatoes.

Place them on a lighly oiled pan. HINT: Put them skin-side down, so you won’t have to turn them mid-cook.

Bake for 30 minutes or so, until crispy. Stir 1/2 tsp. lime juice and most of the grated lime zest into the sour cream. Plate, and sprinkle with more lime zest and cheese (or whatever seasoning you used).

Yum!

-R

This is a very simple but very tasty dish, with no specialist ingredients. Although it seems to have a lot of soy sauce, the flavor of the meat and the vegetables comes through.

Ingredients:

• 4 Tbsp. light soy, separated
• 4 tsp. cornstarch, separated
• 1 lb. pork, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 1/2 medium onion, chopped
• 1/4 C. oil, separated
• 2 tsp. sugar
• 1 Tbsp. black vinegar (substitute: red wine vinegar)
• 1 C. green pepper, cubed
• 1 C. cucumber, cubed (if using the standard grocery store variety, peeled and seeded first)
• 1-1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil

Stir 2 Tbsp. soy and 2 tsp. cornstarch together, then add the pork cubes and stir to coat.

Sauté the onions in 2 Tbsp. of the oil over medium medium heat until wilted, then add the pork cubes and cook, stirring continuously, until white all the way through (pick one of the larger cubes and cut it in half to check). Add the sugar and vinegar and stir to incorporate. Remove from the pan.

Add the remaining 2 Tbsp. oil to the pan, and sauté the green pepper for 3-4 minutes, until slightly cooked but still crispy.

Add the pork back to the pan. Add the cucumbers. Stir the remaining 2 tsp. corn starch into 2 Tbsp. water, then add to the pan, along with the remaining 2 Tbsp. soy. Stir for a couple of minutes until the sauce thickens, then add the sesame oil and stir to combine again.

Enjoy!

Yum!

-R

This is a delicious, hearty (but not particularly healthful) soup, especially delicious on a cold winter’s night.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices/rashers bacon
• 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 C. chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1-1/2 lb. peeled and cubed Russet potatoes
• 4 C. chicken broth
• 1/2 C. sour cream
• 1/2 C. shredded Cheddar cheese, separated
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Chopped chives or shallots for garnish

Method:

Fry the bacon in the olive oil until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon, leaving the oil behind. Drain on paper towels, and once it’s cooled, crumble it. Shred the cheese, and divide in two portions.

Sauté the onions in the fat over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until wilted. Add the garlic and stir for a minute, or until fragrant.

Add the potatoes and chicken stock. Bring the pot to the boil, then lower the heat to a medium simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender (10-15 minutes). Using a slotted spoon, remove about half of the potatoes and mash with a fork.

Return the mash to the pot. Stir in the sour cream, half the cheese, and the salt and pepper. Stir until the cheese has melted. Taste and correct seasoning.

Serve garnished with some bacon bits, more cheese, and the scallions/chives.

Yum!

-R

It’s been a while since I made an entire Ethiopian meal. This time I had more luck with making injera (https://tiabr.com/getting-closer-to-injera/ ), and on top are a cabbage/potato/carrot fry (atkilt wot), sautéed mushrooms (ingudai tibs) (https://tiabr.com/ethiopian-sauteed-mushrooms-ingudai-tibs/), and a spicy baked chicken dish (https://tiabr.com/ethiopian-chicken/).

But, you ask, how did it taste?

Well, the vegetable fry was pretty bland. Only minimally spiced, and not very good. I won’t make this again.

The mushrooms were very good, but then again I love mushrooms cooked any way 🙂

The chicken was delicious, with the complex spice mixture, but not too hot. Easy to make, this one is definitely a keeper.

Yum!

-R

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 lb. mushrooms, de-stemmed and sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 3 Tbsp. berbere (https://tiabr.com/making-berbere/)
• 3 Tbsp. oil or butter
• 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely minced
• 1/2 medium onion, sliced
• 1/2 medium tomato, cut into wedges
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• Pepper to taste

Method:

Sauté the onion in the oil over medum heat for 1-2 minutes, until softened.

Add the mushrooms and stir for 3-4 minutes, until they start turning color:

Add the tomato, garlic and ginger. Stir the berbere with a bit of water to make a paste, then add. Add the salt and pepper. Stir until everything is coated.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until the mushrooms are of desired doneness. Taste and correct seasoning:

Yum!

-R

This is very simple to make, just chicken pieces coated in a spice mix and baked.

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs. chicken drumsticks, thighs, or wings
• 2 Tbsp. oil or melted butter
• 2 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1 Tbsp. hot paprika or cayenne
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground fenugreek
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

Method:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Mix the spices and salt. Coat the chicken with the oil or butter. Add 2/3 of the spice mix and stir to coat well. Place the chicken in an oiled/buttered casserole dish and sprinkle the remaining spice mix over top:

Bake, covered, for 90 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for and additional 15-30 minutes, or until of desired doneness.

Yum!

-R

My first attempts at making injera (https://tiabr.com/injera-partial-success/) were not especially successful. They had the nice slightly sour fermented taste of all-teff injera, but instead of being light and fluffy, were dense, like a chapatti. So I made some changes, completely breaking the rules, and got closer.

To cook injera, you spread out the batter in the pan, cook it for several minutes until bubble holes appear on top, then cover it until the top is cooked. I had multiple problems, from the batter sticking, to never getting the top to cook properly.

So here’s what I did:

• Added some baking powder to the batter.
• Using a paper towel dipped in oil, made a thin layer of oil in the pan (even though it’s non-stick)
• Immediately after spreading out the batter in the pan, covered it

• After allowing it to cook for a minute or so, the bubbles appeared:

• Then flipped it, re-covered it, and allowed it to cook for another minute or so. Ett viola!

So they had lots of holes. Pretty light, not as fluffy as I’d like, but a definite improvement!

Cheers,

-R