Monday, September 22, 2008

Save this for when it gets rainy...



So i'm going to try to start posting recipes on here more often... unfortunately most of my recipes are just lists of the things that go into a dish and i'll make it a little different every time. I'll try to give some explaination and offer some suggestions on what to do with it.

So for this one, the explanation... What I failed to specify in this recipe is what to do with the bird... or anything else for that matter I guess. Cook it how you please, but my preferred method is to broil, skin on, thighs still on the bone. You can de-bone and slice after it's cooked, that way you get the extra flavor and moisture from keeping it on the bone and get the crispy skin. If you don't have a broiler or don't want to use it - sear the chicken skin side down in a heavy skillet (cast iron is best) until it's nice and browned. Then toss it in the oven skin up and roast at 400 for about 30 minutes.

As for the rest... you can use any noodles really. I prefer egg noodles, the round Chinese type. Boil them and then cool them off in cold running water to stop them from overcooking until you're ready to serve/eat.

Simmer the broth for at least 30 minutes, up to 3 hours or so. (If you're going to simmer it that long, make sure to watch the level and keep it on a very low simmer...) You can go all night if you have the time, and your flavor will just continue to go deeper... the rule for boiling a good stock is that you want to have it as low as you can go and still have bubbles rising. As long as there are bubbles coming to the surface, you won't develop bacteria and the lower the simmer, the less stress on the bones so you won't pull out the stuff that will give you off flavors but you will coax out those delicious flavors from inside. Your stock will be much cleaner tasting and clearer that way. That said, you can keep it quick and it'll still be great. Give it a little more fire and let it roll for a good half hour and you should be good to go if you're in a hurry.

I like to top it with a combination of cilantro and/or rau ram (that's the Vietnamese name... it's also referred to as Vietnamese coriander. It tastes sortof like a lemony cilantro but looks more like it comes from the mint family).

Friday, September 05, 2008

East Coasting



Spent last week in NYC... it was a nice break from the Bay but it also feels good to be back. Lots of good food... mmm


Monday, June 09, 2008

A+E

My favorite track from the new Spiritualized album, "Songs in A&E"

Spiritualized - Soul On Fire

Thursday, June 05, 2008

Spiritualized



In anticipation of getting the new album (which will be soon) I pulled out some of the old Spiritualized stuff. Here are a couple from Amazing Grace. Great tunes...

Spiritualized - Hold On
Spiritualized - Cheapster
Spiritualized - Lay It Down

Wednesday, June 04, 2008

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Shot O' Whiskey



I know he refuses to acknowledge it anymore usually but some of my favorite stuff that Ryan Adams ever did is from back when he was in Whiskeytown. These are a couple of good ones...

Whiskeytown - Crazy About You
Whiskeytown - Sit and Listen to the Rain

Monday, June 02, 2008

Monday, May 19, 2008

Slim



A friend recently introduced me to this guy... apparently he's a Brooklyn boy. Pretty good stuff.

Langhorne Slim - Colette
Langhorne Slim - Diamonds and Gold

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Return of Big Dick Cheney




New Bun B album drops Tuesday. It is hot. A little preview...


Bun B ft. Pimp C & Chamillionaire - Underground Thang
Bun B ft. Lil Wayne - Damn I'm Cold

This is the story...




So I saw the Proclaimers last night here in SF. It was the second time I've seen them and it was pretty good although I'm not as crazy about the new album as the last one. I'm really disappointed with their lack of success in the states... they sell out shows consistently around the UK but couldn't even fill Slim's here in San Francisco.

Anyway, here are a few old ones they played and the one cover from the new album.



The Proclaimers - There's A Touch
The Proclaimers - Sean
The Proclaimers - Sunshine on Leith
The Proclaimers - The Whole Wide World (Wreckless Eric cover)

Thursday, May 15, 2008

New Music




I've had a pretty steady flow of new music lately and I'm going to start posting bits and pieces to share. One of my current new favorites is these guys, the Avett Brothers. Awesome harmonies and great music.


The Avett Bros - Shame
The Avett Bros - Living of Love