It’s time for a revolution. American cooking culture has become stagnant. Two camps like political parties sit out on opposite sides of the fence. On one side we have the foodies, whose knowledge and know-how has descended from passion into snobbery. On the opposite end we have the 30-minute meal camp, where quick and healthful usualy means taking tried and true favorites and trying not to shake things up too much. It’s high time for a revolution.
Cooking and eating a meal should be a joy, one that challenges and excites us, and brings us out on a culinary ledge. But it should also be something that one can do in an evening. that’s not to say there isn’t a place for a lazy Sunday and a complicated, time-consuming dish. I’m just saying it isn’t Wednesday.
So where does this leave a twenty-something Brooklynite? The Rock And Roll cookbook. The idea was simple, born out of a love of rebellious music and a rejection of the two camps of thinking. Take inspiration from the music that I love and apply that free-spirited, but at it’s base, technically simple world and apply it to food and drink. Choose an album and use the inspiration to make a meal. It’s already been shown that listening to music can effect the way your brain processes taste in a recent paper published by the British Journal of Psychology so why not take that idea one step further. Dust off your vinyl, put on your Doc Martins and follow me. It’s gonna be fun, we’re going to make some mistakes, we’re gonna get messy, and there might just be a sweet jam or two.
Episode One: L.A Woman by The Doors
Inspired by Jim Morrison’s post record release flight to Paris, France, where he ultimately died a few months later, I’ve chosen a Pinot Noir wine and a chevre chicken combo that swirls like an acid trip. It’s a quick and easy dinner to prepare, with a few new “twists” that make it interesting. Though this may seem like a tame meal by Doors standards keep in mind that they had to fire their producer because he called the classic song Riders on the Storm “cocktail music.” Sometimes you have to cool it down to make things hot.
The Food
Tripped Out Chicken
-Thinly sliced chicken breast fillets
-Chopped Scallions
-Chevre or Soft Goat Cheese
Each roll up will consist of one fillet, two table spoons of chevre, and two tablespoons of scallions. You will probably want two roll ups per person.
Lay out a chicken fillet and place 2 tablespoons of chevre in a line down the middle. Then sprinkle the scallions. Starting from the wider end of the chicken, roll the fillet up like a sleeping bag, then place a toothpick to the middle to ensure that it stays closed during the cooking proccess. Spinkle the roll-ups with salt. Grease a frying pan with olive oil and head it on medum. Place your chicken in the pan. Brown each side and then cover the pan and put it on medium-loe allowing it to cook for around ten minutes.
Bay Scented Quinoa
Makes 4 Servings
-1 cup dry quinoa
-1 ½ cup water
-3 Bay Leaves
-1/4 tsp salt
The ancient Greeks believed that chewing Bay could give you prophetic dreams, something Jim Morrison would heartily endorse. The quinoa grain is a staple of the indigenous South American diet, and since Jim thought he was the reincarnated spirit of a Native American shaman, this meshes nicely with our theme.
While your chicken is being prepared boil up 1 ½ cups of water. Add three bay leaves and ¼ tsp salt. When this comes to a boil, and you’ve put your chicken in the pan, add one cup pf quinoa to the boiling water. Boil for 15-20 minutes
Lemony Haricot Verts
-1/2 a pound Haricot Verts
Haricot Verts or French Green Beans are a simple and cheap staple of France and round out our healthy meal with a vitamin dense vegetable.
Clean and snap off the stems.
Boil for 10 minutes or steam for 15 minutes
Squeeze fresh lemon over the hot green beans
Salt to taste
Wine
Les Volcans
This French wine is not only spicy with high notes at the end of the bouquet but has a full palate with a crisp finish. Though the Pinot Noir is known for it’s gentleness and its susceptibility to bottle shock there is a certain rawness and heat and underlying power that gives lends this red it’s name. Just like a certain lead singer.
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UPDATE 7/10/12
The Lex Wine blog is totally down :(
So I've reposted these articles here.
Thankfully I retained the rights to this project
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