Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music, Food, Music, Ad Infinitum...

Before going any further I must declare an expression of interest. I am nuts about nuts. I am very fond of prawns. And lemon rice is ever so nice. So, there you have it. If you read more any recipes in this space containing the above ingredients it is because I am very, very, very biased. Extremely biased. And I do not care one jot.

The dish below comes courtesy of Vicky Bhogal, a British Asian woman who has done a lot to raise the profile of South Asian cuisine in the UK. Her passion for cooking owes a lot to her mother, who, apparently, instilled the same type of devotion for food preparation in her daughter. Vicky's intention is to replicate many of the recipes that her mother used to make when Vicky was younger.

Cashew, prawn, brazil nut and lemon rice

This is dinner party food. It is also comfort food that is as virtuous as it is heart-warming. You just put everything in the pan together, quickly stir-fry, add water, steam and voilà, there you have it! These quantities make enough for two, so double them if you're cooking for four, or six, or eight, or the whole troop. Note to readers: I tend to cheat a little bit and add more nuts such as: hazelnuts, chestnuts, peanuts... the list goes on. Refer to the first line. I am nuts about nuts.

2 tbsp mild and light olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ onion thinly sliced

Zest from 1 lemon

250g cooked and peeled prawns

2 tomatoes, diced

1 handful fresh coriander, chopped

75g cashew nuts

60g toasted brazil nuts, chopped

1 tsp dried red chilli flakes

½ teaspoon salt

100g basmati rice, washed until the water runs clear, drained

250ml water

Heat the oil in a pan and add the cumin. When sizzling, add the onion and lemon zest and fry until translucent. Add the prawns, tomatoes, coriander, cashews, brazils, chilli and salt, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Then add the rice and stir-fry for a further 30 seconds.

Now add the water, bring up to a boil, turn down the heat to very low, cover and steam for 15 minutes. Once cooked, graze the rice gently with a fork, to loosen the grains, and serve piping hot.

Playlist. It goes without saying that the music has to be as sizzling as the dish. These are my suggestions:

Oscar Peterson - Honeysuckle Rose
Karen Dalton - When a Man Loves a Woman
Souad Massi - Yemma
Janis Joplin - Me and Bobby McGee
Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
Los Van Van - Dale Dos
Baaba Maal - African Woman



Copyright 2008

Road Songs (Larghissimo)

Last Sunday 23rd December as the heaviest fog I have ever seen in this country in my ten years living here descended upon London the first question that occurred to me was: What music would I be listening to if I was driving in this weather? Not that I would have been very keen to experiment going out in the car just to put a couple of tracks on. The fog started at around 2pm and a couple of hours later it was so dense that I could not even see outside my own window.

However, as I mentioned before, music did come into my mind right there and then and the first track that I would have chosen if I had been trapped in that big misty cloud last weekend would have been any song by Elis Regina's daughter, Maria Rita. It is a big burden on the young shoulders of the progeny of the woman many people consider to have been the best Brazilian singer ever. Yet, she performs this song with such aplomb and gusto that on a foggy day she would be my number one choice.



Fog also smacks of smokiness and dim lights. Recently I came across this singer for the first time whilst watching a programme on BBC Four. She reminds me of jazz bars and folk venues. Ciggies, booze and nodding heads. Her voice touches the surface of the Earth like a cloudy mist that wants to get closer to the ground and its density goes in crescendo as the song carries on. Enjoy.



Of course, that I would not like to go out on a foggy day unless absolutely necessary. This post deals only with what would happen if I was to find myself in the midst of one and with enough musical arsenal to defend myself from the lack of visibility. And wonderful Stevie is good for any day, but this track would definitely lift my spirits up and help me brave the weather.



Even if the Notting Hill Carnival, the biggest celebration of that nature in Europe, was taking place whilst I was driving in a fog as thick as the one I witnessed the other day, my perception of the world outside the car would still be one of total silence. And I would like to close this week's session with one of the better songs ever written by two of the more charismatic performers the folk and pop world has ever begotten.



And this is all for this week. Happy Fogless New Year!

Copyright 2007