Bacon makes it better.

I don't know exactly why, but it's an established fact that bacon can disproportionately benefit a dish, (see irrefutable supporting evidence at bottom).  Throw some bacon at an otherwise dull culinary exercise and kablamo; The sum is suddenly more than it's parts.  It's frickin' magic.  And there's so many collateral benefits like that awesome smell, bacon grease and, er high cholesterol.

But truth be known, making bacon is not something I've ever been good at.  The result was just never restaurant-quality good, or even very consistent.  I remedied that by going deep under cover, spending months posing as a waiter in a real New Orleans fine dining establishment!  [Editors note: I actually lost my job and worked at a restaurant to avoid becoming homeless and losing my teeth before the age of 30.]  Every weekend-morning shift, I would watch the masters as they somewhat lovingly crafted their delicious bacon.  

And what did they do so different?  They baked the bacon.  No flipping, no burning yourself with hot bacon grease, nothing to it.


Suddenly I thought to myself, "Frying bacon is obviously for suckers, I wonder if the word 'bacon' is just a not-so-crazy derivation of the aforementioned cooking technique?"  But before I could think too hard on this, I my lusty desire for well-cooked bacon took over. 

Too embarrassed to tell Chef I didn't know how to make bacon properly at home, I quickly googled my way into a legitimately fool-proof way to make consistently good bacon:

Stuff: 

thick-cut bacon, (preferably naturally smoked with salt NOT being the first ingredient)

a big cast iron pan or cookie sheet

tin foil or parchment paper

something pokey

Technique:

1. poke holes in a sheet of tin foil that's big enough to cover your pan or cookie sheet (drains grease)

2. place the tin foil over the pan or sheet.

3. place bacon on tin foil 

4. set cold oven to 400° and place pan or sheet inside

5. do something else for about 15 minutes

6. look at the bacon and take it out or continue to cook it to desired done-ness

7. use something pokey (or clampy) to pick the bacon up and place on paper towel

8. eat or chop bacon according to your whim

congratulations, you can now make perfect bacon

links:

add bacon to any web page!  (click here for an example)
the mr. bacon pants blog

the iheartbacon blog

bacon salt

bacon lip balm

baconnaise (surprisingly, this one made me wince and the last one didn't)
bacon vodka (recipe)

the bacon martini

the bacon and sausage sailing ship

the bacon of the month club

The Gifto Magnifico

The Gift of Gab just might be the most incredibly talented musical artist out there right now.

The sheer speed and versatility of his lyricism is well, "supreme" to put it in his own words.  But when combined with the brutal honesty of his writing (with insights ranging from the self-effacing to the societal) and his obvious love of the Art of hip-hop, it's tough not to appreciate the man.  


In an era where socially conscious rappers have finally taken their place along side MCs who built empires on mounds of sexual exploit, drug dealing prowess, expedient murdering ability and more recently brand creation, the Gift of Gab spins himself as a freakishly skilled, but imminently human and yes, sometimes flawed artist.


His longstanding Blackalicious collaboration with turntablist Chief Xcel grew out of years of friendship and mutual respect.  Together with DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born, Lateef the Truth Sayer and a handful of others, they helped propel the Bay Area's Solesides/Quannum collective.  And Blackalicious has served the Gift of Gab well as a rock-solid, yet innovative base for his unique articulation.  Chief Xcel undeniably shares a passion for jazz, funk, soul and hip-hop's past with his lyrical half, but it's his appreciation for well-placed samples and sound effects and uncannily percussive sense of groove that drives the project.  To that end, utilizing a sprinkling of live musicians both on stage and in the studio has always benefitted the duo, adding a sense of urgency to already successful arrangements.


The Gift of Gab has also recorded a pair of excellent solo albums, including his latest offering "Escape 2 Mars".   The Mighty Underdogs, comprising the Gift of Gab with Lateef the Truth Sayer and Headnodic, gave us last year's ambitious "Dropping Science Fiction".  For the complete picture, see his collaborations with Troublemakers, DJ Vadim, The Grouch and Eli, Galactic and others.


Needless to say, words alone are necessarily insufficient for describe a musician's talent, so here's an illustrative example of my point.  You be the judge.




Selected Listening (albums linked to itunes):

Blackalicious

"The Craft", high energy and bumpin' with a conscience. tracks: World of Vibrations, Powers, Black Diamonds & Pearls, The Craft

"Blazing Arrow", perhaps the best place to start. tracks: Blazing Arrow, 4000 Miles (with members of Jurassic 5), Nowhere Fast, Chemical Calisthenics

"Nia", first full length to my knowledge, excellent thematic album with a black pride meets 70s blacksploitation feel to it. tracks: A to G ("a classic"), The Fabulous Ones, Dream Seasons

"A2G EP", just a fun recording from all angles. features extra production help from cut chemist to boot.

Gift of Gab (solo)
"Escape 2 Mars", ostensibly space themed, great metaphors for transcendence and our need to escape our various self-imposed disasters. tracks: Light Years, Dreamin' (with Del the Funky Homosapien and Brother Ali), Rhyme Travel.

"4th Dimensional Rockert Ships Going Up", a bit more introspective and dreamy, with all of the skills the man has to offer. tracks: The Ride of Your Life, Way of the Light (with VURSATYL of Lifesavas), Flashback, In a Minute Doe


Links:

http://www.giftstribution.com/
http://www.quannum.com/site/
http://www.myspace.com/chiefxcel

One more sample of a guest appearance for good measure:

The Grouch & Eligh - All In (feat Gift of Gab & Pigeon John)
by homhom

Le Bleu Brat

Ahhhhhhh, Germans and French(es).

They've traded territory like so much WWI-era VD.  And although that statement could provide an excellent analogy for the beginnings of a discussion on European music history, it might not be the most appetizing segue into a discussion of food.

And... Take 2, Action:

This quick combo represents the perfect fusion of German ingenuity (the delicious theory of sausage; stuffing delicious ground animal parts in a "biodegradable" container which itself ironically engages peristalsis) and French spelling and mischief ("bleu", apparently not the color, but the injecting of something one knows to be mold into the time-solidified liquid procured from a cow nipples and subsequently letting that witches' brew sit for extended periods of time until it is known as "cheese").

And suddenly using enzymes from a cow's stomach lining (rennet) to make most other cheeses doesn't seem so gross eh?  Well maybe not, DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK unless you have a strong stomach (http://biology.clc.uc.edu/fankhauser/Cheese/Rennet/rennet_preparation.html). The curious commonality here is that both sausage and cheese are in some way the product of a farm animal's digestive system.

Allow me to begin anew, por el tercero vez, as we delve into the relatively simple joys of le bleu brat.

Stuff (6 lil' ingredients):

1/2 dozen thin slices of apple (green/tart is better)
healthy amount of sauerkraut (canned or otherwise)
bleu cheese (crumbles ideally or a little nice bleu dressing in a pinch)
mustard (beaver brown is what i used, anything spicy would be good, yellow in a pinch)
bratwurst sausage
hot dog bun (sesame seed or onion seems nice, but bunny bread rocks too)

Technique:

1. steam the bratwurst according to instructions (or grill at your option amigo).  kill two birds and use something like a tongs or spatula to suspend the bun over the steam to warm it up sufficiently.

2. place sauerkraut along both sides of the bun, followed by apple slices.  add mustard to taste and then the bleu cheese just before the next step.

3. place hot cooked bratwurst in the bun and let it sit for a minute to cool and transfer its melty goodness, transforming the bleu into le blue...

Tips:

Eat this quick and delicious ditty during the [not round] football season, octoberfest or when it's frickin' cold outside, super warm or you feel like firing up the grill.  serve with potato salad or just eat two!

File under: For those needing to add some zip to Twenty-Ten.

Let's be honest.  It's the New Year and your musical taste just hasn't really expanded as much as you wanted last year.  Unless you are unemployed, truly part of the musical cognoscenti or host an underground radio show, don't feel bad.  You just aren't in college anymore and there aren't any well intentioned-hippies, (or self-righteous hipsters) around to let you know what is "cool".  


This is where I and really Squeak E. Clean ad DJ Zegon might be able to help.  So do yourself a favor and pick up a copy of N.A.S.A.'s "The Spirit of Apollo".  It's a really unique, funky and surprisingly cohesive project album by the aforementioned DJs/producers.   And it's shockingly successful at blending the underlying Brazilian-tinged funk with down tempo beats, hip-hop and a gaggle of crazy artists' contributions.  In fact, it's probably the most impressive guest artist list I've ever seen that wasn't dedicated to someone who died at Cedars Sinai.

  Highly recommended for fans of latin music, percussion, hip-hop and down tempo electronica. Get over the goofy name and you won't be sorry. 


A video taste of the album's second track, complete listing after the jump.



N.A.S.A., "The Spirit of Apollo" (ANTI)
(click tracks for itunes link)


Track List: 
01. Intro 
02. The People Tree (feat. David Byrne, Chali 2na, Gift Of Gab & Z-Trip) 
03. Money (feat. David Byrne, Chuck D, Ras Congo, Seu Jorge, & Z-Trip) 
04. N.A.S.A. Music (feat. Method Man, E-40, & DJ Swamp) 
05. Way Down (feat. RZA, Barbie Hatch, & John Frusciante) 
06. Hip Hop (feat. KRS-One, Fatlip, & Slim Kid Tre) 
07. Four Rooms, Earth View 
08. Strange Enough (feat. Karen O, Ol' Dirty Bastard, & Fatlip) 
09. Spacious Thoughts (feat. Tom Waits & Kool Keith) 
10. Gifted (feat. Kanye West, Santogold & Lykke Li) '
11. A Volta (feat. Sizzla, Amanda Blank, & Lovefoxxx) 
12. There's A Party (feat. George Clinton & Chali 2na) 
13. Whachadoin? (feat. Spank Rock, M.I.A., Santo Gold, & Nick Zinner) 
14. O Pato (feat. Kool Kojak & DJ Babão) 
15. Samba Soul (feat. Del Tha Funkee Homosapien & DJ Qbert) 
16. The Mayor (feat. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface & DJ AM) 17. N.A.S.A. Anthem


Links: 


http://www.anti.com/catalog/view/118/The_Spirit_of_Apollo
http://www.myspace.com/nasa

Le Saffron Truffled Risotto (aka: Deluxe Risotto)

Risotto is delicious.  It's the perfect mating of rice and pasta and if cooked correctly (slightly al dente), this simple dish is much more satisfying than it has any right to be.

The best part about risotto might be it's amenability to being customized.  You can easily make this dish your own by adding your own culinary "pieces of flair".  Just make sure you have 15 pieces or 37, or whatever you need to not be doing the bare minimum.


Stuff:

2 table spoons each olive oil and butter
1 cup risotto (aka: arborio rice)
3 cups stock (chicken/veg/fish/shrimp...)
1 half of a sweet onion, chopped
minced garlic, to taste (I cheat and use the jarred pre-minced garlic preserved in water)
salt and pepper (use grinders and sea salt!)

Pieces of flair:

pinch of saffron threads
drizzle of truffle oil

Technique:

1. heat oil and butter in a 3 qt pot over medium heat.
2. reduce heat a tiny bit to 3-4/10 and add onion.  season with salt and pepper and cook until almost caramelized.
3. add garlic (i use about a teaspoon, believe it or not) and cook for 1 more minute.  if using the saffron, add it now.
4. add rice and stir.  cook 1 minute.
5. add 1 cup of stock, wait until absorbed, repeat until risotto is al dente and creamy.
6. remove from heat, and drizzle with a tiny bit of truffle oil and mix, adding more if necessary.
7. garnish with parsley, shaved hard cheese or cilantro etc.

Tips:

don't stir it too, too much or it will get overly gooey.  don't cook it over long or it will turn to mush.

do serve with a grilled or sauteed protein and something green or at least marginally a vegetable.  or it eat in on it's own, i love risotto.

add mushrooms or something else funky and just use your best judgment on cooking the addition and when to add it.