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United States, North Carolina, Carrboro, English, Paul, Male, 56-60, All Music, All Food.

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Saturday, February 14, 2004

Phaze II in the blender   A little thicker than desired, but that can be fixed. More tomato juice was added to help create the essential blender vortex. About one more cup. 1:40:15 PM    comment []

One Of The Great Thoughts Of All Time!   (at least so far this year). Mark Hoback didn’t say this on his blog, he said it on a comment here, but he did say that the release of Dubya’s dental records proved that he “was present for drills” during that troublesome period in Alabama.   He deserves credit for saying that.   I haven’t heard it anywhere else and it is funny. Now giggle! 1:17:35 PM    comment []

This is Phaze II nearly completed.   I threw in a teaspoon each of mace and ginger to bridge the sweet-hot gap between the tip of the tongue and back of the mouth. The roof wanted more, so another tablespoon of cayenne was added. When this cools a bit, it will be run through the blender and more tomato juice or more diced tomatoes added if necessary. Then Phaze I from last night will be added. It will be heated briefly to mix them up, then refrigerated. Phaze III will include molcajete ground cilantro, addition of fresh lime and tomato juice, minor adjustments in seasoning/texture, and then it will become a recipe. The blueprint will soon exist, but the salsa is nearly done.   1:08:45 PM    comment []

Still Going…   The third red onion has been added and, shortly after I snapped this shot, I put in a second cup of tomato juice. Then I turned the heat up, from LO to 2. Now I’ll do the final seasoning. Forgive the constant updates, in the end this will be a “recipe” not an ongoing process. Process is how you cook; a recipe is a blueprint.   Now I’ve tasted it and added a tablespoon of cayenne pepper and plain old chili powder. Think I might run this brew through the blender before combining it with the concoction from last evening, but haven’t decided that for sure.   12:10:36 PM    comment []

Righteous   This is my paprika of choice and it’s available at Tienda at reasonable prices. This one is agridulce, bittersweet. It is smoked paprika and adds unique flavor to salsas and sausages. I threw a tablespoon of this into the garlic/tomato juice brew. If it sounds like I’m overdoing the seasonings, I confess, yes, that is the plan. This is not a commercial product where you hold back on the spices to appeal to bland palates and reduce cost. This is home cooked food meant to literally explode in your mouth with flavor. The paprika and garlic hit you right on the front of the tongue, the capsaicin stuff (more to be added) are for the back. It’s meant to make your mouth a hearth.   I threw another teaspoon of kosher salt in with the liquor. Some people believe in God, some in WMDs, some in both - I believe in osmotic pressure that moves flavors across boundaries they never knew existed. Salt facilitates that.   11:36:12 AM    comment []

Salsa Phaze II   Smashing garlic cloves is fun! Slice ‘em in half lengthwise, giving ‘em a flat side so they don’t squirt out when your fist comes down on the other side of the chef’s knife. There will be longitudinal strands, so you have to slice to complete the process.   10 of these are being added to one cup of simmering tomato juice while the first half of the salsa rests comfortably in the fridge. This part is the yin, which will carry the remaining seasonings – mostly dried spices which need to simmer in the liquor a while.   11:02:52 AM    comment []

A Valentine For Lydia Lydia E. Pinkham concocted a “vegetable compound” in the 19th century which featured as an active ingredient our favorite vegetable – alcohol, measuring in at 22%! As the Temperance movement gained momentum, leading to Prohibition in the early 20th century, Lydia was forced to reduce the amount to 13% - making the vegetable compound sold for “female complaints” more like Chablis than Mad Dog 20/20. Her company urged users with testimonials to “write Lydia.”  "Any woman...is responsible for her own suffering who will not take the trouble to write to Mrs. Pinkham for advice" - even though she had died in 1883, some 30 years earlier. It is probably the circus atmosphere surrounding this snake oil product that inspired E. Y. Harburg to write the following ditty - frequently performed by Groucho Marx with highly-activated eyebrows, especially apparent during the “on a clear day you can see Alcatraz” lyric: Lydia, the Tattoed Lady (E.Y. Harburg) Oh Lydia, Oh Lydia Now have you met Lydia Lydia the tattooed lady She has muscles men adore-so And a torso even more-so Oh, Lydia, Oh Lydia Now have you met Lydia Lydia the queen of tattoo On her back is the battle of Waterloo Beside it the wreck of the Hesperus too and proudly above waves the red white and blue You can learn a lot from Lydia There's Grover Walen unveilin' the Trylon Over on the West Coast we have Treasure Island There's Captain Spaulding exploring the Amazon And Lady Godiva--but with her pajamas on She can give you a view of the world in tattoo If you step up and tell her where Mon Paree, Kankakee, even Perth by the sea Or of Washington crossing the Delaware. Oh Lydia, Oh Lydia, now have you met Lydia Lydia the queen of them all She has a view of Niagara which nobody has And Basin Street known as the birthplace of jazz And on a clear day you can see Alcatraz! You can learn a lot from Lydia! --Lydia the queen of tattoo! Lydia, oh Lydia, have you met Lydia, the queen of them all! She once knocked an admiral off of his feet, The ships on her hips made his heart skip a beat. And now the old man is in command of the fleet, For he went and married Lydia! 5:10:08 AM    comment []