Voltron

Mike posted it in the cooking thread: Ingredients Vegetable oil cooking spray 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 2 medium fennel bulbs, outer layers removed, chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes One 15-ounce can cannellini beans One 10-ounce bunch kale, center rib removed, leaves chopped into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth 4 Italian sausage links (half spicy and half sweet is my preference) Directions Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a grill pan with vegetable oil cooking spray. In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the fennel, onion, 1 teaspoon of the salt and the red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes (plus juices), beans, kale and broth. Bring the mixture to a boil. Cover the pan with a tight fitting lid and transfer to the oven. Cook until the vegetables are tender and the kale has wilted, 25 to 30 minutes. While the stew is cooking, place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a grill. Grill sausages, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Remove the pan from the oven and add the cooked sausage slices. Season with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Spoon the stew into bowls and serve.

Made this again when we had family over last week and it was a big hit. So tasty and yet quite simple. I do half spicy and half sweet Italian sausage (pork, baby!) and that also kicks up the spice a little bit for those who like it.

Nice job Raffy!

I love Japanese curries. My favorite part is the Japanese now think they were first and disregard Indian curries.

Fuck cancer. I liked David Brenner even with the bad jokes.

What in the fuck is this?

Happy birthday! Cheers

Awesome last episode. Way intense.

Have a great one, Fitz! We miss you around these parts and hope to see more of you. Cheers!

^^What he said. We have two of them and they were not the tippy top of the line uber quiet models but they are dependable and way quieter than ones I have had before.

Very nice indeed. Let us know how the show is. Trying to remember the little bar we saw them at in Ithaca. That was amazing.

I know it's early but thought you might be celebrating on Sunday instead of Monday. Have great one, Mr. DIYer, my friend! Cheers!

Double plus good work, citizen Grahame!

Cheated:

1 fresh baked english muffin from Arizmendi Bakery + 2 poached eggs + 3 slices of bacon = HAPPY

Are you on Earth?

That's a great turntable if you like to accompany all of your music with the sound of a robot jerking off.

It's been recovered: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-02-25/news/chi-harry-manx-guitar-theft-mohan-veena-20140225_1_guitar-theft-mohan-veena-baggage

$2.4 million already? What could they possibly need more cash to accomplish?

I just listened to Mehliana once at work but it is pretty cool to hear Mehldau going a little wild with keyboards and playing some free form fusion. Guiliana's drumming is great. I need to listen more. Oh, and don't get hung up on the talky opener in which Mehldau describes a dream or something. It threw me off but it is a passing thing and not repeated in the rest of the songs.

Maybe this delivery system would be less like work. Have a great one Naaman! Cheers!

RIP PDL. Another sad loss too young.

St. Vincent

SF Jazz this week was quartet heaven. The Spring Quartet on Wednesday featured Joe Lovano (sax), Leo Genovese (piano), Esperanza Spalding (bass), Jack DeJohnette (drums). They were all excellent, played well together, and were very entertaining. But then Saturday was the Superstar Quartet with David Sanborn (sax), Joey DeFrancesco (B3 organ), Billy Hart (drums), and Bobby Hutcherson (vibes). Whoa. Bobby had the good oxygen running into his cannula that night. At age 73 he had the most energy I have seen in a couple of years easily, and when he did his trademark single note slam toward the end of a song he stared down at the key looking cocky and proud like Ali standing over a fallen opponent. He was amazing. Sanborn was really quite awesome and impressed me again as a great and powerful player. Billy Hart was rock solid also at age 73 and had a great style that varied from pounding to plush brushing. The most enlightening performance was Joey D. I have seen him before and liked but did not love. In this quartet he was awesome laying down bass lines and leads alike. Completely amazing on the B3 and completely in awe of his fellow musicians. The best news of all is that everything we heard will be on a Blue Note record being released in June. I can't wait.