19 November 2009

winehouse

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Firstly, consider your attention drawn to the following video, created and deftly edited by my very clever flatmate Jason of Nektar Films, Wellington, as the intro sting for the Rising Star award at the recent 2009 Handle the Jandal awards. Starring my hands. Funnily enough, after my thighs (I think I actually spend more time per day thinking critically/wistfully about my thighs than ANYTHING else which is a little alarming) my hands would be the body part I'm most sensitive about. Instead of being tapered, elegant and expressive, they're almost aggressively stumpy and charmless, rounded and dimpled like the extremities of some vintage Kewpie doll. "Neither beautiful nor practical", as a flatmate once aptly pronounced them. Anyway, gosh, there's a lot to be thankful for and this isn't supposed to be the Painful Scrutiny Half Hour - let's just watch the video.









Fun, huh! Get it? Rising cupcake, rising star! It was Nigella's cupcake recipe, which I don't need a book to refer to for these days, pumped full of baking powder. That video was filmed in early October but the special cupcake is still sitting in a tupperware container in our fridge - we just can't say goodbye to it. I'd hazard a guess that it's not the most edible of products right now. The Handle The Jandal awards were held at the Embassy cinema where Peter Jackson held the premiere of Lord of the Rings years ago. Even though I was really looking forward to seeing all the music videos and seeing who won, it's no stretch to say that it was hugely exciting seeing myself...well, my hands...moving across the enormous screen in such a gorgeous setting.


To the food! I am a pasta fiend, of Garfield-ian levels of fiendishness, but I've never tried cooking it in anything other than boiling, heavily salted water. I'd considered it however - thinking that some kind of broth flavoured with wine or garlic that the pasta absorbs while softening up could be kind of fun. A cursory once-over of Google shows that it already exists, which didn't bother me in the slightest - it's not so revolutionary when you think about it.





I didn't refer to one particular recipe as it seemed we all had the same idea. Although, I also didn't use a whole bottle of red in cooking my pasta as some have - that felt more extravagant than I could deal with comfortably - but a good 600mls went into the cooking water (and then the rest went into a wine glass) creating a wonderfully heady, plummy fragrance as it bubbled away.

Because the ratio of wine to water wasn't that heavy, the pasta I used didn't take on a dramatic amount of colour, but it was definitely a good solid pink. I used an Argentinean pinot noir that I grabbed very cheaply at On Trays in Petone, and bucatini pasta that I got marked down at the Meditteranean Warehouse in Newtown. People, bucatini is seriously cool. It looks outwardly like spaghetti but it actually a hollow tube - like thin, edible straws. In hindsight though, I think something a little denser might have worked better - the pasta is very difficult to slurp up satisfactorally due to the tube shape. Wind drag or something.




Red Wine Spaghetti

500-750 mls red wine (nothing too expensive)
At least 500 mls water
Lots of salt. Never undersalt the pasta water.
200g Spaghetti, Bucatini, or other long pasta
Butter

Bring the water and wine together in a large pan, salting recklessly. Once it's bubbling away, add the pasta and allow to cook through, stirring occasionally. Drain, adding a tiny dab of butter, and dish out onto two plates. I served this with a little sliced steak, fried in a tiny bit of butter with that heavenly Marsala wine, plus zucchini, capers and mint.




Was a little tempted to up the saturation on Picassa to make this more of a "velvet theatre curtain" colour.

The pasta takes on a rich pinkish tint and holds a deliciously winey flavour. The steak in Marsala and buttery zucchini slices worked excellently with the pasta's savoury richness while the salty capers and icy mint provided clean, fresh contrast. It's pretty glam, but not scary or overwhelming to make for your next dinner party.

Tonight Tim and I, along with our flatmate and several other usual suspects, are heading out to Porirua to see The Wailers perform, (as in what were once Bob Marley and The Wailers, yes) supported by Hikoikoi and Katchafire. It's sure to be a amazing night with all that stunning musical talent, plus the legendary-ness of the Wailers - we're both seriously looking forward to it. Speaking of things we're excited about: Jack White's latest outburst of prolific activity, The Dead Weather, is coming to New Zealand in March! Why they're playing all the way out of town in the Logan Campbell Centre I can't fathom but we've got our tickets and we'll get there from Wellington somehow. It's not the same as a White Stripes tour (soon, please? We love you too Meg) but still very, very exciting stuff. Look them up on Youtube or something if you want to know more.

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Title of this show brought to you by: Have you seen Glee's take on Ms Amy Winehouse's Rehab? It's pretty addictive. Although, no video on Youtube? For shame, rights-holders, for shame! How are people going to get into it otherwise?
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On Shuffle these days:

Stroke: Songs For Chris Knox, an album benefitting New Zealand musician and artist Chris Knox who had a stroke earlier this year. The album features some seriously excellent talent both local and international, reflecting just what he means to people - The Finn Family, The Verlaines, Yo La Tengo, Lambchop, The Mint Chicks, etc. I can't pretend like I ever knew much about Knox's music apart from the persistent Not Given Lightly, but I always loved reading his Max Media cartoons in the NZ Herald while I was growing up, thinking that I understood the content even though it was basically over my head. I also really enjoy his more recent, always vinegar-sharp stuff, often featured in Real Groove magazine. I look forward to exploring more of his music through this particularly good cause.


Also, as alluded to before, I've got hold of the music from Glee. I love how Lea Michele sounds so damn happy to be there whenever she sings - I don't know if it's the Broadway coming out in her but it's not a quality you'd hear in most pop stars of the last decade. Nice to see Kristin Chenoweth popping up in there, although I wish they'd given her some better songs...My favourite Kristin Chenoweth-song-from-tv remains Birdhouse In Your Soul with Ellen Greene. It is genius. Anyway, despite not even being a fan of a lot of the material they cover, there's something so ridiculously exuberant and joyful about the delivery that you can't help but love anything Glee does. Also do you actually understand what Defying Gravity being sung on New Zealand mainstream TV could mean for, well, everything? Significant stuff, I predict (hope).

10 comments:

  1. Hey neice, have just dropped by from blog wilderness to catch up with i think 5 of yr posts. Tongue is dribbling. Hoping to post today - had food overload in Adelaide - their Central Market close to heaven. Did not know about Chris Knox - have enjoyed his music and saw an interesting doco when he talked about having epilepsy. Saw Tim Finn on morning TV a week or so ago playing a song of his new retrospective album (I think that was it) - need to stock up on some nz music when I get back. All food looks good and was impressed to see how many cooking implements I recognised in your video clip.

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  2. Hey aunty! Many of the cooking implements you have given me over the years have become firm favourites - you have good instincts. Will have to head over to your blog too and catch up with all your news.

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  3. Cute video! Loved the music.
    And your hands... they're your beautiful hands that can do beautiful things! Be proud of those hands. They type great posts and they create beautiful food. That alone should make you proud of those digits. ;)

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  4. That Rehab Glee song is just...wow! Hehe. Thanks for posting it. Can't believe they did this song!

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  5. Been away from your blog for a bit (away with family & no internet access). I just have to say how awesome that video is! So, so cool. Your hands are now famous! (And they are nowhere near Kewpie-like).

    I've never really thought of cooking pasta in wine before, I think I will have to keep it in mind for the future!

    Oh, and can I just say YAY for Ginger Crunch icecream!!!! (Since I missed commenting on that post). Also, I've never seen Plantains here in Australia. Will have to try them if I'm ever in NZ.

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  6. I love the cleverness of the title and how you linked all of this together! Wonderful! So the kind of red does not matter? I think I will try this with a pinot noir though just like you did. I wonder how merlot would work though?

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  7. My first ever memory of Chris Knox was late 1979 when his band "Toy Love" was playing after Mark's band at one of the Albert Park free Rock Concerts on Sunday afternoons. Ditto "Not given lightly". Saw an item about him, and the CD on the news. Will definitely buy one for the cause.

    Love the rising star video (again). Makes me laugh out loud every time you start sifting.

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  8. I love the video about the cupcake. It's quite soothing for some reason!

    The pasta is an interesting idea, I'd never thought of cooking pasta in wine.

    I know what you mean about the bucatini and the difficulty with slurping it up. I picked up a pack by mistake recently, thinking it was spaghetti, and we all had a lot of trouble eating it! I think you have to be an extremely elegant non-slurper to eat it successfully maybe?

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  9. I can't wait to try your red wine pasta. Why have I never tried this?. I am a pasta fanatic.

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