Cheap Beer, Cigarettes, Bookworms and Roasted Brussels, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Stew

There’s a clip at the end of NOFX’s 1997 album So Long and Thanks for All the Shoes where the band is played on the Howard Stern show. Stern cuts off the song as soon as Fat Mike starts singing and says something along the lines of What is this? The producer replies “NOFX.” Stern plays that in his mind a few times, thinking up a shock jocky  thing to say and then finally states “NOFX? NOFX? More like no talent.” Then the album fades out.

A similar scene played through my mind when I tried this sweet potato recipe that I came across. The picture is beautiful and I knew at once that I wanted to make it. I gathered the five ingredients and put it together in the way I was instructed and gave it a taste. Then I gave it another. “No other ingredients? No other ingredients? More like no taste.” My kitchen experience faded out.

I’ve eaten enough vegan food to know that it doesn’t have to be bland and tasteless. Healthy doesn’t have to be a turn off. If I put something like this in front of my brother he would take a taste and spit it out (or add a sack load of salt). Still, I liked the idea of roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes. I went back to the kitchen to try this dish again, Tender Branson style. I roasted brussels sprouts along with the cauliflower, added some vegan bacon and veggie broth and thickened the whole thing with some hearty orzo pasta. That was the more I sought.

Roasted Brussels, Sweet Potato and Cauliflower Stew
(printable version)

-1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
-2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into squares
-11 Brussels sprouts, halved
-olive oil
-onion, diced
-2 garlic cloves, pressed
-5 cups veggie broth
-8 ounces orzo
-vegan bacon
-fresh pepper (to taste)
-crushed red pepper (to taste)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the cauliflower, sweet potatoes and brussels sprouts with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes (until sweet potatoes are soft).

2. In a stockpot, heat some olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onions are translucent. Pour in the veggie broth and bring to a boil.

3. Add all the roasted sweet potatoes and some of the cauliflower and brussels. Use an immersion blender to smooth it out.

4. Add the orzo and cook, stirring often, until orzo has desired texture. Stir in the remaining brussels, cauliflower and veggie bacon. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add more stock if necessary/desired. Eat it like a tasteless joke.

This dish has that punk attitude, though a bit stronger than the poppy sounds put forth by NOFX. It needs something like Angels Heart. These Los Angeles natives have taken the traditional punk rock sound of DIY, stripped down, rebellious rock and amplified it with their own creative edge. Throw in some screaming guitars, classic cars, tattoos and cigarettes and a chorus that leaves you breathless and you’ve pretty much nailed their new track “Under the Black Light.” 2012 will see Angels Heart release three records featuring 27 songs including their full length album Tattoos and Cigarettes.

PAWS track “Miss American Bookworm” has been working its way around my stereo for the past month and barely missed the cut for my Hill of Beans mix. But with their props from MTV and Japandroids, I think it is well past time to feature them here. “Miss American Bookworm” is posted courtesy of SlaptheBass:

Fidlar wants you to know they actually like cheap beer. Give them the Old Style, the Beast or PBR and they’ll make a night of it, they don’t need the microbrewed, locally spiced stuff. If you aren’t ok with it then f*** you.