Everybody Scream (for soup season?)
The world might be a drag, but we've still got soup, and we've still got music.
October’s weather shift has been ROUGH, friends. Migraines have been doing their best to take me out for weeks, on top of the usual chronic stuff I deal with, but we’re muddling through! I have made an effort to cook things with nutritional value because, alas, one does tend to feel better when one eats their vegetables.
I’m going to be a little food-centric this time, but stick around to the end for some great tunes.
Last message, I said I was going to try this French veggie gratin. I used brown rice for the grains part and zucchini for the squash, and it was … meh. Maybe if I’d actually had Gruyère and didn’t use the cheese I had (Monterey Jack), I’d have liked it better, but I can’t really recommend unless you have a bunch of tomatoes trying to spoil on you, which I did.
Speaking of “Gotta use up this produce,” here’s something better: Fridge-Clearing Lentil Soup. Like the name suggests, it’s flexible. If you need practice cooking “in the spirit of” a recipe, instead of following it to the letter, this is a good one to try.
I (mostly) don’t eat pork, so instead of the bacon, I added 1 tsp of smoked paprika. For the veggies, I did 2 carrots, 1 zucchini, the end of a tub of spinach, and the half-full (15 oz.) can of tomato sauce I had hanging around. It works and makes a lot! You can used dried ginger instead of fresh, which is what I did because I made the mistake of adding fresh ginger to a grocery order and my shopper gave me a piece smaller than my big toe. I had already used it in this Arabic Baked Beans dish (which was good with rice).
But why care about food, when so much is going on right now? Why talk about it here when I could be more “of the moment” ?
You gotta eat, right? You need fuel to do the next thing, and even if the weather is killing me and makes my “next thing” only the ability to get my laundry done, that is still something. You might feel a tiny bit improved if you manage to have one good meal in a day. Not everyone enjoys cooking like I do, but knowing how to make a couple of sustaining dishes will go a long way.
In other news of enjoyment:
Florence + The Machine performs “Everybody Scream” on the Graham Norton show. I have pre-ordered her new album that comes out on Halloween!
Kneecap’s visas were revoked due to their support for a Free Palestine, so in the absence of being able to tour the US, they did a livestream from Dublin and were introduced by Tom Morello. [flashing light warning for some of it]
The Last Dinner Party also has a new album out, and I have had “This Is The Killer Speaking” stuck in my head for 2 days. They’re great.
“Hope my television appearance drives you fucking mad…”
See you next time. This newsletter will evolve, but I thank you for reading. Tell your friends.