Neko Case releases her new album,
Middle Cyclone, next Tuesday, and I'm enjoying all the build-up.
Fox Confessor Brings the Flood was pretty much the soundtrack to 2006-07 for me (as well as countless others).
- you can stream all the songs from Middle Cyclone from
NPR- Greg
Kott and Jim
DeRogatis talk to
Neko on today's
Sound Opinions (a local Chicago affair)
I'm still absorbing the new album -- a different feel from Fox Confessor, full of love songs and paeans to nature. Only "Never Turn Your Back on Mother Earth" strikes me as a dud (insipid lyrics and backing vocals). Paul and I have tickets to her
April 24th concert at the Chicago Theatre. Can't wait!
----------------------After a rather light-on-the-veggies January, I've been trying to get back into the habit of incorporating oodles of vegetables into our meals. Here's a recipe from last weekend that was a success.
This is one of the few recipes I really like that isn't as good leftover. Alas! But it's wonderful right when it's made, and it's easy as can be. The simplicity of the recipe showcases high-quality ingredients, so it's worth splurging on flavorful feta (not
Athenos or whatever comes
pre-crumbled in the regular cheese section at the supermarket) and olives.
Serves 6 (maybe 4 if you're serving only famished burly men who are accustomed to Olive-Garden pasta portions)
3 large bell peppers, any color combination, cut into 1-inch dice (I used red, orange, and yellow)
3 medium-large tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch dice
1 medium-large onion, cut into 1-inch dice, sections separated (I used red onion)
2 celery ribs, thinly sliced on the diagonal (optional)
5 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
4 T. olive oil
1 lb.
conchiglie (shells)
1 C. (4.5 oz) crumbled feta cheese (use good feta for this -- the flavor is really showcased in this recipe. I used a Bulgarian sheep's milk feta from Whole Paycheck)
20 black oil-cured olives, halved and pitted (once again, it's worth buying good olives for this)
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large pot of water to a boil for the pasta. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees for the veggies.
In a large bowl, combine the peppers, tomatoes, onion, celery, garlic, basil, oregano, and 2 T. of olive oil. Toss to coat the veggies thoroughly. Spread the veggies on a baking sheet (or 2) so they rest in one layer. [Lining the baking sheets with foil leads to easier clean-up, but is a bit wasteful.] Bake for 20 minutes, or until the peppers are tender. Toss with a spatula once during baking.
Once the water starts boiling, drop the pasta in and cook until tender yet chewy, about 12 minutes. Drain thoroughly in a colander and place in a large bowl. Spoon the veggies onto the pasta along with the remaining 2 T. of oil. Sprinkle on the feta cheese, olives, salt and pepper (be generous with the pepper), and toss.
The back and two fronts are all done, and I am zipping along on the first sleeve. The bulky yarn and heavy patterning is hard on the hands and wrists, so I have to take it a little easy. The Beaverslide is wonderfully soft and earthy feeling; one skein had LOTS of knots, though. I was pleased as punch when I remembered about spit-splicing. I've been knitting with too many superwash wools and blends lately -- that "technique" had slipped my mind!
They have a wonderful tart bite to them that goes nicely with rich buttery crumb. The initial post had a typo (250 degrees rather than 350 degrees) that made these a bit of a challenge; the link is to the edited post with the correct temperature. The recipe makes a huge batch -- unless you're baking for a crowd, I recommend making a half recipe and use an 8" x 8" pan.
