Things Ain't What They Used To Be

February 2009 has to be one of my worst ever months, we're just getting into March and I'm still trying to shake off a sore throat I've had for about two weeks, but that's been the least of my worries. Anyway, things seem to be getting back to normal, but they're taking their time, and they'll never be the same again.

Here's the playlist for my 14th Feb show.


The Hague Soul - Makam (Soweso)
Secrets (Arto Mwambe remix) - Roland Appel (Sonar Kollektiv)
Little Angel - Intrusion with Paul St Hilaire (Intrusion)
Today Brother! - Dubbyman feat Jus' Ed (Deep Explorer)
Upon Ourselves - Argy (These Days)
El Guapo - Minimono (Love Letters From Oslo)
On The Streets (Kollektiv Turmstrasse Core mix) - Federleicht (Connaisseur)
If You Had (Shaun Reeves edit) - Wolf & Lamb (Wolf & Lamb)
Hupsers & Klepsers For Life - San Proper & Steven de Peven (Studio Soulrock)
Evil Laff (Konrad Black remix) - Paul Ritch (Wagon Repair)
Child Of The Night - Dapayk Solo (Mo's Ferry)
First One (Orlando Voorn Zombie's Disco remix) - Jens Loden (Fine Art)
The Beat (Robert Hood remix) - Marc Romboy (Systematic)
Bass Shifter (Mike Absalom remix) - Rob Glennon (Nice & Nasty)
Chose Your System (Adam Beyer's Choose Your Local Warehouse remix) - Maetrik (Treibstoff)
My Teenager Gang - Minilogue (Mule)
Use Me - Michael Melchner (Eklo)

Ratio Remixes - Rob Glennon (Nice & Nasty)

Read my RA review of Rob Glennon's 'Ratio Remixes' on Dublin's Nice & Nasty here.

Gastonomic Delights 3: Thai Green Curry

There's always time for another mix, but this will be the last one for a while as from the end of this week things will start to pile up a little. This post is also my 300th on this blog. I've got some good bits in the pipeline, but nothing now until the middle of next week.

Thai green curry

Serves 4

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 30 mins to 1 hour

Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tbsp green curry paste (according to taste)
1 tbsp soft dark brown sugar
1-2 thick stalks lemongrass, fat ends bashed with a rolling pin (optional)
750g/1½lb skinless, boneless chicken, cut into chunks (use breast and/or leg meat)
6-8 kaffir lime leaves, torn into pieces (if unavailable, use the grated zest of 1 lime)
400ml/14fl oz coconut milk
good shake of Thai fish sauce or light soy sauce
small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
½-1 lime, juice only

Method
1. Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan. Add the green curry paste and sugar and cook over a fairly high heat for about a minute, stirring with the lemongrass, if using. Reduce the heat slightly and stir in the chicken pieces and lime leaves or zest until coated in the paste. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce or soy sauce and bring to a simmer, cooking for 25-30 minutes until thickened slightly. Stir in the coriander and lime juice. Check for seasoning, adding more fish sauce or soy sauce if needed.
2. The curry is now best left to sit for a few minutes so the sauce becomes creamier. You will also taste the true flavours of the curry paste ingredients when it's slightly cooler. Serve with lots of fragrant Thai jasmine rice.


And what could go better with a bit of cooking than yet another food-themed mix?

Aqueous Haze - Kassem Mosse (Mikrodisko)
Moonlight Reflections - STL (Something)
Free Your Mind - Tony Lionni (Aesthetic Audio)
A2 from 'The Flatwick EP' - Knarf Simpson (Quintessentials)
Trackwerk 001
Leg Back (Ray Okpara remix) - Christian Burkhardt (Oslo Special)
Surreal - VSexion & Ntanos (Siteholder Uncut)
House Camp - Tom Clarke & Daniel Dreier (Highgrade Digital)
Pong (Ben Klock's Strings & Bones remake) - Kerri Chandler (Deeply Rooted House)
Where Were You - Rolando (Delsin)
A - Seldom Felt 3
Therapist - Wolf & Lamb (Wolf & Lamb)
Phosphenes (Efdemin remix) - Simon Flower (Poker Flat)
A - Frozen Border 001
Eyespeak (Motor City Soul remix) - Ed Davenport (Liebe Detail Spezial)
Bygone Times (Nostalgia mix) - Andy Vaz (Yore)

Download this veritable cornucopia of spices here.

Gastronomic Delights 2: Cottage Pie

There's only so much slouching around you can do under circumstances like mine, and I know my Mum wouldn't have had it any other way, so I bring you the fruits of my labours a couple of days ago. The second installment in my food-themed mix series. This is in memory of my Mother, who made the best cottage pie ever.

Cheese Crusted Cottage Pie
Recipe details


*
Serves: 4
*
Preparation time:

35 minutes
*
Cooking time:

30 minutes

Ingredients
For the pie filling

* 1 Beef cube
* 2 medium onions, chopped
* 500 g family pack ‘extra lean’ minced beef
* 75 g swede, cut into small cubes
* 1 large carrot, chopped
* 1 stick celery, thinly sliced
* 1 tbsp plain flour
* 1 tbsp tomato purée
* 1 tsp dried thyme (or 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
* 1 tsp dried parsley (or 1 tbsp chopped fresh)
* Freshly ground black pepper

For the topping

* 1 Vegetable OXO cube
* 4 large potatoes (approx. 900g) cubed
* 75 g butter
* 50 g mature cheddar cheese, grated
* 2-3 tbsp fresh coarse white breadcrumbs


Method
To make the Cottage Pie

1. Fry the minced beef together with the onions in a saucepan until the mince becomes crumbly and turns a rich brown colour and the onions have softened.
2. Add the swede, carrot and celery and cook, stirring, for a further minute or two.
3. Crumble in 1 Beef OXO cube, sprinkle in the flour, and add the tomato purée and herbs. Mix well then blend in 250ml hot water. Season with freshly ground black pepper.
4. Partially cover the saucepan and simmer over a very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The stock will reduce to just the right rich consistency.
5. Meanwhile, boil the potatoes for 15 minutes or until tender. Drain thoroughly and return to the saucepan, add the butter and mash until smooth.
6. Pour the mince into a deep 20cm (8 inch) baking dish and spread the mashed potato evenly all over.
7. Mix together the cheese, 1 crumbled Vegetable OXO cube and the breadcrumbs. Scatter over the potato and bake in a preheated oven at 190C/375F/Gas 5 for about 25 minutes or until the top is crusty and golden brown.

If you prefer a Shepherds Pie

1. Replace the onions with 2 sliced leeks, adding at the same time as the vegetables.
2. Omit the water and add a large can of chopped tomatoes.
3. Use minced lamb instead of the beef and replace the Beef OXO cube with a Lamb OXO cube.
4. For a more meaty Shepherd’s Pie, omit the canned chopped tomato and replace with an extra Lamb OXO cube and a total of 300ml (1/2 pt) hot water.

Serving suggestion

Serve with a crisp, fruity white such as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, where hints of asparagus flavours can even be found in the taste of the wine.
Cook's tip

Crumble a Vegetable OXO cube into grated cheese or breadcrumb mixes for a really tasty topping to potato pies, gratins and pasta dishes. For a special potato topping (and a great way to get the kids to eat their veggies!), mix in some lightly cooked shredded Savoy cabbage or sliced leeks into the mashed potato. If you are preparing the Shepherd’s Pie ahead, chill until required. But remember to either bring the Shepherd’s Pie back to room temperature or add on another 10 minutes cooking time to ensure it is piping hot.


Gastronomic Delights 2: Cottage Pie

Variance (Function Edit) - N/A (Sandwell District)
Track 1 - Even Tuell (Workshop)
Woman Is The Devil - Levon Vincent (Deconstruct)
Hupsers & Klepsers For Life (Steffi remix) - San Proper & Steven de Peven (Studio Soulrock)
Mutation (Sis remix) - Butane (Crosstown Rebels)
Strobo Revenge (Portable/Bodycode remix) - Hugo (Claque Music)
Keep On Groovin' (Mark Henning remix) - Matt Star (Hypercolour)
13 Cookies - Tomm Clarke & Daniel Dreier (Highgrade)
Shing A Ling - Nima Gorji (Murmur)
Inversion 6 (Donato Dozzy remix) - Mike Parker (Geophone)
Hold It - Peace Division (8 - Bit)
Makes No Sense 9Radio Slave's Shaking The Tree mix) - Mr G (Rekids)
A2 - Hauntologists (Hauntologists)
A - Equalized 002 (Equalized)
City Lights (Brian Cage's Lights Out remix) - Luke Hess (Modelisme)

Download this rustic marvel here.

Back Soon

The blog will be suspended for a couple of weeks. I've had some sad personal news and don't feel like doing much at the moment. Anyone who has sent me stuff and expects feedback will have to be patient I'm afraid.

Normal service will be resumed asap.

TTFN.

Machines Are Funky Playlist: 7.2.09

Here's last night's playlist:

Yalla Yalla - Sheharzade (Fine Art)
If Alone (Chateau Flight remix) - Sideshow feat Paul St Hilaire (Aus)
Midtown 120 Blues - Terre Thaemiltz (Mule Electronic)
Just Visions - So Inigawa (Multivitamins)
Lazy Weather (Christian Burkhardt remix) - Frank Leicher (Einmaleins)
Long Time Gone - Vibe Corner (Architech)
Cangarooing - Touane (Persona)
Garop - Boola (LoMidHighOrganic)
Free From Love - La Pena (La Pena)
Check The Sun - Matt Star (Hypercolour)
Invers de Palma - Livio & Roby vs George G (Cecille Numbers)
Hopp Hopp (Einzelkind remix) - Nima Gorji (Murmur)
Sacrament Of Shamans - Goshva Drive D & Westboy (Diynamic)
Jive Conspiracy - Wasted Chicago Youth (Tuning Spork)
Freak This - Peace Division (8-Bit)
Mug 2 - Jug & Mark Henning (Autoreply)
Ratio (original mix) - Rob Glennon (Nice & Nasty)
Pressure - Kuoyah (Frijsfo Beats)

I have had requests from people wanting to listen to the show. Go to the show link at the side of the page, which should guide you to the appropriate links. There is an RSS podcast that you can listen to, but each show is archive just until the next one, which is two weeks.

Tomorrow's Show

It's freezing outside but the permafrost shall not stop the cogs of the machine from turning. This week's offering features new stuff from Matt Star on Hypercolour, the clandestine tuneage of La Pena, Nima Gorji on Murmur, something from the prolific Minimono and Rob Glennon representing the Emerald Isle's techno fraternity.

Keep it locked.

Billy Bought A Laser - Brian Ffar (Siteholder)

Read my RA review of Brian Ffar's "Billy Bought A Laser" here.

Mulletover Podcast

Here's a link to download the latest, (and its ancestors), Mulletover podcast. I'm not going to waffle aimlessly in the hope of giving an original, as yet unheard potted history of the club. Instead, click on the eponymous link, and find out more. Failing that, try this one.

I get a lot of requests from people too lazy to get their fingers out and find good mixes on the net. I shall therefore be posting links to mixes I like from now on. Can't be arsed today, as I've already posted the above podcast blurb. Look out for these in perpetuity from now on though.

More to come this week. A couple of reviews soonio and of course the show on Saturday. It's cold at the moment though and I just want to eat apple pie with creme fraiche.