In between preparing for gigs, recordings and teaching music, I can get pretty busy in the kitchen! I made my own version of a Morrocan Tomato Soup a couple days ago: 1 lb of Garbanzo Beans, LOTS of fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, spinach, onion, red pepper, garlic, some hot chili spice & peppercorns, cashews, and 2 small cans of coconut cream, a dash of this or that and substitutes welcome . . . Then I took some chicken bones out of the freezer to begin the 2-3 day process of making chili beans. The 1st day is making the stock - chopping the bones in half to expose the marrow, bringing them from cold water to a boil, then turning down the heat, skimming off the foam that comes to the top, and after 30-40 minutes or so, adding (with the throw away parts) celery stalk, garlic, onion, bay leaf, parsley stems etc… and simmering for a couple hours. Then carefully drain off the liquid and cool overnight in the fridge. That way, the next day, it's very easy to skim off the layer of fat that will coat the very top, before making the actual soup. That's as far as I've gotten so far … but I'm planning to use 1lb of Pinto beans, 1lb of Colorado or Black beans, Jalapeno peppers, onion, garlic, celery, and 2 kinds of meat, maybe 1lb of beef and 1lb of Chorizo, chili powder, Cayenne, paprika, fresh tomatoes (since we have a ton of them!) and again, a dash of this or that for flavor, including beer! I'm thinking of how to get rid of all our tomatoes while also focusing on soft food that is safe for me having just completing 3+ hours of dental work including 3 temporary crowns! BTW, before adding the liquid and beans for the chili, I'll sauté the veggies in bacon fat for flavor. When I make bacon for breakfast, I always reserve the fat in a jar for later use, usually for soup.
In my efforts to modernize my marketing through Instagram and TikTok etc., I've been using the “Cookin' w/Jazz!” label for my Reels and Stories. This is appropriate given how I like to ‘cook’ when I play music, or when I actually cook food and my music is playing in the background. I'm sharing some pics of home made dishes I've enjoyed … only one of all of them was made with a recipe (that was the Kinpira Gobo (Japanese Brasied Burdock Root pictured below). If I open my fridge and see left-overs, I try to think of a tasty way to avoid tossing them - I detest wasting food! Many jazz players I've met over the years have some type of serious hobby, photography is a popular one, and cooking is another. It's easy to imagine that cooking and presenting a food dish is similar to constructing a good song or improvised solo: both require BALANCE & COLOR & TASTE - I imagine food spices to be like dissonance in music - not enough dissonance and the music is bland and the food tasteless, too much spice or dissonance and nobody's interesting in hearing it or eating it! I consider myself an artist and I embrace art in all its forms.
I've had the distinct pleasure of living in SE Asia and the great ‘melting pot’ that is Singapore. No doubt I have sampled food that Americans who've never left the country will never know! My time in Japan for instance … it's virtually impossible to create the same tastes, partly because many of the ingredients used are simply not available here (I live in Cincinnati, Ohio), but I tried my best to re-create some of those tastes I miss, and the results are pictured above!
Of course, I love Italian & Mediterranean too! I am ½ Greek on my father's side BTW! I visited Greece and lived on Corfu island for months as a kid. Lettuce is far less common in salads there than feta cheese, cucumber, tomato, and olives. I recall picking fresh oregano and leaving it out on a rock in the sun to dry (which didn't take long in that hot sun - it only rained 2-3 times in 3 months!), then I'd crush the leaves and sprinkle it on my salad. Everything is fresh - there are olive trees all over the place!
When I make deep-fried fish, I use either a beer-batter (for Cod) or a Cajun seasoning for Flounder or Perch, and usually I deep-fry it in Peanut oil. But the highlight for me is my tartar sauce. I use a small plastic of Kroger brand Olive-Oil Mayo, one small jar of Dill Relish, the juice of 2-3 fresh lemons, Capers, Cilantro or parsley, a dash of Worcestershire, maybe Cayenne or another type of spice. Additional ingredients are optional. I like a strong dill taste, tart lemon, and some kick to it in terms of spice. And when I make fried fish I usually fry up some veggies too, such as Zucchini, Eggplant, onion, or Yellow Squash ... take full advantage of that hot oil!
I cook ‘American’ too. A music reviewer once said that I was ‘eclectic’ … I'm thinking that one could say the same thing about my cooking! Thanksgiving is right around the corner. My favorite turkey stuffing is Apple-Walnut-Chorizo … they're too many ingredients to list now, but suffice to say that apple-cider and my chicken-stock described above are key components, along with the usual onion, celery, bread crumbs, etc. My Maple-Cinnamon Sweet Potatoes are an excellent pairing to the turkey and stuffing: baked quartered sweet potatoes drenched with heaps of butter, Kroger Organic Allulose Maple-flavored syrup, Cinnamon, etc. and Sautéed Brussel sprouts with bacon bits (fresh).
Every steak I've ever cooked is done in a frying pan or stove-top grill - high-heat to sear, plenty of butter; I even tried German sausage w/Sauerkraut and Caraway (and Red Wine Vinegar, etc.) and “American” Meatloaf - it all tasted great! I think that similar to playing music … one is educated first (I was trained by experience in professional kitchens by pro-Chefs), then one ‘performs’ (cooks) by forgetting the theory and recipes, etc. There's a strong element of improvisation and ‘thinking on your feet’! My playing AND my cooking is an extension of my SELF … an HONEST look in the mirror which is eventually exposed to the public.
I hope you have enjoyed my ‘food’ post. The last 2 pictures above are breakfast dishes …
Well, I'd be totally remiss if I didn't mention that my 18th album as a leader is out and that Fri Oct 4th is Bandcamp Friday: which began in March of 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic when the shuttering of venues led to a loss of vital tour revenue for artists. Bandcamp Fridays—on which they waive their revenue share and pass the funds directly to artists & labels—has resulted in millions of fans paying over $120 million directly to labels and musicians they love. In addition to helping artists pay the rent, or fund album recordings and tours, Bandcamp Fridays have also became a beacon for artists and record labels looking to raise awareness for causes or raise money for charities.
SO PLEASE PLEASE - buy some of my wonderful recordings ON Friday Oct 4th! Here: https://gregchako.bandcamp.com
Shop for Greg Chako's CDs ON OCT 4th here: https://gregchako.bandcamp.com
Greg's new career synopsis video: https://youtu.be/8YhP3YTPTqE?si=HPgDS0cGMzyqk5sN
Greg's new album (Greg Chako Live!) official video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1SvWlyb9kF5JBmvnIEvZlbM52m608kcc9/view
Greg's Performance Schedule: https://gregchako.com/live-performances
Cooking Lessons: Call Me!
Blog 21