Three Kings

The holidays just keep coming... after Christmas and New Year's Day, today was Epiphany, another Catholic holiday. Since we flew back to Florence yesterday, after spending two weeks in Germany, we got to have one free day before it's back to work tomorrow. In the afternoon, we went downtown, where we watched the parade of the three kings make its way towards the Duomo. Not only was it the three kings, though (in Renaissance costume), but they were followed by costume groups, flag throwers and drum corps from seemingly every small town around Florence. What Civil War reenactors are in the US, Renaissance reenactors are in Tuscany.

Happy New Year

Best wishes for a healthy and prosperous 2009. For all of you who don't know German New Year's traditions, one of the most beloved is watching "Dinner for One". Enjoy!

Recipe

This is good, makes a lot, and doesn't even require fake meat. It's from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone by Deborah Madison (edited slightly, in parentheses, by me). I added links for those of us who don't know how to cook.

Summer Spaghetti (Pasta) with Corn and Tomatoes

• 12 ounces corn-flour or regular spaghetti (smaller pasta, I think, works better than spaghetti). Be sure not to overcook.
• salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons corn oil (or vegetable/safflower/whatever oil, except olive) or butter
• 1 bunch scallions, including half of the greens, chopped
• 2 cups corn kernels, from 3 ears of corn (or 1 can or box of frozen corn)
• 1 bell pepper, any color (not green), diced (and seeded)
  
• 1 jalapeno, seeded(*) and diced
• 3 tomatoes, halved, seeded and diced
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped (I don't like cilantro, so I don't use any, and it's just fine)
• 2 ounces queso fresco or feta
• 1 lime, quartered

Cook the pasta in plenty of salted, boiling water until al dente (use cooking time indicated on package). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet (something deep like this, not just a frying pan) and add the scallions, corn, bell pepper, and chile (I add the scallions and pepper first, so they cook longer and aren't so strong). Saute over high heat for 3 minutes, then add the tomatoes, most of the cilantro, and a ladle of the pasta water. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and a little pepper and turn the heat to low. Drain the pasta, shaking off the excess water. Add it to the vegetables and toss well. Divide among pasta plates, crumble the cheese over the top, and add the remaining cilantro. Serve with a wedge of lime.

(* cut out the white parts and seeds. See link for bell pepper seeding.)

Merry Christmas!

New Music Recommendations

Some more songs I've been listening to recently:

• Blitzen Trapper: "Furr"
  NPR's All Songs Considered compared this song to "'39" by Queen, and it does have some similarities (listen when the bass drum comes in).
• Fleet Foxes: "Winter White Hymnal"
  Sweet vocal harmonies and excellent songwriting. Their album is on my Christmas wishlist, and has appeared on several year-end top 10 lists.
• The Decemberists: "Valerie Plame" and "Days of Elaine"
  Two upbeat tracks from their singles collection "Always the Bridesmaid". "Valerie Plame" even has a bit of a "Hey Jude" thing going on. This definitely makes "Hazards of Love" one of my most anticipated releases of 2009 (which, along with Neko Case's "Middle Cyclone", appears conveniently in time for my birthday wishlist).
• Music Go Music: "Reach Out"
  I'm not a big fan of 80's music, but this band takes all the clichees about it and combines it into songs that are so over the top, they're good.
• Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela: "Mambo" (Leonard Bernstein)
  Dudamel is the biggest rising star in the classical music conducters' scene, and judging from the energy this orchestra has under him, that's fully justified.
  

Christmas Decorations

A good thing: In Florence, people don't put up Christmas decorations until the end of November. And you don't have to hear Christmas music coming from every store all the time for two or three months.

The Weather

We seem to have entered the rainy season here. It’s rained almost every day for a month.