Listening In: Natalia Lafourcade, Little Cow, Gotan Project

Lately I've been hung up on any music that's not English. I actually have playlists called "Extranjeros" and "Zee Musique" (Zee Musique is always pronounced with a French accent) that have been on a tired rotation for about a month. Here's some of the new stuff I brought into the mix today.

Natalia Lafourcade (D.F., Mexico)

Mexican pop that's NOT Julieta Venegas! Nothing wrong with Julieta but I've had nearly every single one of her songs stuck in my head for days at a time. Natalia is refreshing and I think it would be fun to drink beer with her.

Little Cow (Budapest, Hungary)

There are so many guitars in this band! Usually string-heavy band + Eastern European heritage = gypsy jazz, but it doesn't add up in the case of Little Cow. It's a new kind of pop music--some songs even have hints of ska and cumbia.

Gotan Project (Paris, France)

I already had a ton of their stuff on the Extranjeros playlist but I needed more. They may work from Paris but they play with Argentine tango. Muy sexy.

'60s Fashion Inspiration

Above: French singer Francoise Hardy

Above: Verushka by Emilio Pucci (the King of Color always and forever)

Above: Sicilian-Tunisian Actress Claudia Cardinale

Above: French actress Brigitte Bardot (even in her underwear, she's a fashion icon)

Above: From Le Mépris (by French-Swiss filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)

The Suggestion Boxer Cooks: Squash and Sweet Potato Soup and Eggplant Spread

I'd like to introduce you to my darling Kitchenaid Food Processor. Mine looks just like this but it's a different color. This thing is an indispensable gadget in my kitchen that reigns supreme over the others (rice cooker, sandwich maker, waffle iron, blender, coffeemaker). I wouldn't want to go through soup season (October-March) without it.

Yesterday, I used it to make this squash and sweet potato soup.


It honestly took 10 minutes and was so cheap. Here's how it all went down... sorry I don't measure spices very well.

Ingredients:
1 large onion or equivalent
Two cups of chicken broth
1 can sweet potato puree
1 can squash puree
2/3 cup of coconut milk
Generous amount of curry powder
Little bit of cinnamon
Little bit of Sriracha
Black pepper, to taste
Parmesan cheese

Cook the onions with a little olive oil until almost transparent. Add chicken broth, sweet potato, squash and stir until smooth. Heat until hot but not boiling. Add coconut milk. Play with spices until it tastes good. Transfer mixture into food processor and blend. Serve with fresh grated Parmesan cheese on top.

Then I used the food processor again (back-to-back food processing!) to make an eggplant spread with leftover eggplant and roasted yellow pepper that I used to make the veggie sandwich last week. I would definitely make this spread again for a party or something.

Ingredients:
1 cooked eggplant (grill, bake, whatever... just remember to sweat it first)
1 roasted yellow pepper (skin removed)
1 Tbsp of balsamic vinegar
1-2 cloves of garlic
2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Put it all in the food processor and press the 'on' button until it is a consistency you like.

The Suggestion Boxer Cooks: Veggie Sandwich

Messy sandwiches usually taste the best. I made this one with a portabella mushroom, roasted yellow pepper, eggplant, tomato, cucumber, arugula, balsamic and chevre on big hunk of ciabatta bread.

It's was a pretty standard veggie sandwich, but my first time cooking eggplant. It didn't take as much time as I thought it would, because you slice and salt the eggplant and then leave it alone for a couple of hours. No maintenance required. Then you rinse and squeeze out the excess moisture so that it doesn't get all mushy when you cook it. I just broiled mine in the toaster oven for about 10 minutes on each side and it was ready for its place in this mess.