Heads Will Roll

I've been waiting for an opportunity to post pictures of my recent cooking episode with Tanvi. Although it goes against the general idea behind the blog, what the heck, I can show off a little bit. So here's a bit of a step-by-step Rösti and Insalata Caprese. Perhaps you'll learn something new.

For the Rosti:

Slice ten potatoes, or about a kilo. Start with something mellow and slick, like Cuckoo by Still Corners.

Grate the potatoes, careful not to grate part of your finger! You've still got to stay focused, so I would go with anything by Say Hi To Your Mom. Let's Talk About Spaceships, perhaps?

Ugh I hate this, onions. Slice one or two onions, depending on their size, and your taste. Today Is Our Life, by the Memory Tapes. Be careful. Enjoy the music but don't let it steal you away just yet.

Garlic. To taste. I think I used about 5 cloves of a fairly large bulb. L.I.N.N by Linn & Freddie from Sweden – from the compilation Putumayo Presents: A New Groove. Up the pace a little, get your groove on.

Put it all together in a large mixing bowl. Crack an egg into the mixture, and add salt to taste. And of course a giant wad of cheese, grated. When was the last time you listened to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs? Here's Heads Will Roll (A-trak Remix). Now we're talking. Heat some olive oil in a non-stick pan, and toss the whole thing in. Sizzle.

Cook for a good 15 minutes on a medium flame. Rösti is like a big potato and cheese pancake, so after it's done cooking on one side, you've got to turn it over and do the same on the other. Place a plate over the pan and turn the pan over. If you've used a non-stick pan, which you really should, this is easy. Sunshine by Erik Morillo & Audio Bullys make it easy.

Oil up your pan again, and slide the rösti back in. Cook it on this side for another 15, and it should look somewhat like this.

For the Insalata Caprese:

Slice up as many tomatoes as you think you'll need.

Whip up a quick vinaigrette with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, mixed Italian garden herbs, and you could add a tablespoon of parmesan. Salt to taste.

Ideally one would use fresh buffalo mozzarella, but this salad tastes good with feta cheese too. What I've done here, though, is taken paneer, sliced it into thin slivers, and soaked it in salt water for about half an hour. Tastes yummy, and it's just the right texture. Create layers of tomato, mozzarella and fresh basil leaves (hand-picked by Tanvi from her backyard). This can be done in so many different ways – olives are a tasty addition to the salad, and you could slice your tomatoes and cheese into nice fat chunky bits and stack, for a fuller, more rustic feel.

Drizzle your vinaigrette generously across. There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths. No fuss, feel good. This song never fails me.

Poured ourselves a glass of Fratelli's Chenin Blanc each. We should do this more often.

Wrap it all up with this clip from Flashbacks of a Fool, with Felicity Jones and Harry lip-syncing to Roxy Music's If There Is Something. Perfect end to a perfect day. Yet again.