Extra Bites
Jago Rackham
This week on Cooking the Books, Jago Rackham tells me about his fascinating journey from Substacker to food writer through the lens of his dinner parties. His debut book is To Entertain, subtitled Instructions for a Dinner Party is part-memoir, part-recipe book, with a dedication to beauty complemented by illustrations by artist Faye Wei Wei.
I found the writing delightful, a nod to something very British, very Bohemian and rather subversive. Jago attributes much of this to his muse, his partner Lowenna Hearn. Here’s an example of her art which is an integral part of their infamous dinner parties. And below, Jago makes us a playlist to transport us to join them in their pad in East London.
Johann Strauss II - Die Fledermaus Act II: Under Donner und Blitz, Polka, Op. 324
I used to despise Strauss, king of the 19th century, silly, romantic. Or so I thought, but one night in Venice - at about 4am, everyone else drunk and me sober - a beautiful Montenegrin started playing Die Fledwermaus from her phone speaker. How silly this music, how unsentimental in fact, how rejecting of self-seriousness. I listened to Carlos Kleiber’s production on the flight home the next day, and found its exuberance oh-so fitting to my own time.
Adore - did i tell u that i miss u
Adore saccharine sweet lyrics are set to a simple and repetitious beat, deeply infectious and reminiscent of Strauss’ own use of repetition, stretched to conclusion. I listen to this song on repeat for hours.
G Herbo, Lil Uzi Ver, Juice WRLD, Chance the Rapper - PTSD
G Herbo has spoken eloquently about his own struggles with mental health, including PTSD from a childhood riven with violence and deprivation. This song is is as affecting as any story, a masterful collection of small stories told with something very close to unflinching honesty, I find it strangely innocent, a rejoinder to the braggadocio, something of an explanation. A lot of the softness comes from Juice WRLD’s broken voiced chorus, scary since the musician - who had also spoken about anxiety and depression - overdosed months after the recording was made
The Beach Boys - Don’t Worry Baby
While G Herbo et al’s lyricism underpins the power of PTSD, Don’t Worry Baby is proof of something important: that the power of music is much greater than lyrics and that, a quite silly soppy jumble of words like those in Don’t Worry Baby, can be turned heart-redingly meaningful by brilliant composition.
Las Cuatro Monedas - Pata Pata Glu Glu
Doubly nonsense, some kidspeak, some Spanish (which I can’t speak), this song by Venezuelan reggae/dub pioneers/adaptors is silly, joyous, a simple chord progression underpinning vocal dexterity. Froggish sounds, fun without end.
The Kossoy Sisters - Down in a Willow Garden
When I was a teenager, I was an ‘emo’ - a fan of My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco! etc. If you are in your thirties or your sixties (and a parent), you may have come across the depressing lyrics of this movement. How trite! Of course, for real grimness, one should listen to folk, revival or no, where songs about murder, especially femicide, and suicide in the face of unrequited love, abound. Down in a Willow Garden is an especially fascinating example - especially violent, especially bizarre, especially prettily sung by the sisters, lending their voice to the murderer. Worse than anything a depressed teenager might be listening to.
Bb trickz - Tipz & Trickz
I spent a month in New York listening to this album on repeat, very tired and very busy. Firstly the charm is the Anglo-Spanish of that city, and then the relaxed speed of the voice, which puts me in mind of a very good basketball player. Oh and then, of course, the simple beat progression - which governs my taste in music.
The Exciters - Tell Him
There’s a plaintive quality which is suddenly replaced by real strength, the words chopped up, firm and individual.
Führerschein - Dilla
Happy hardcore and a very sweet syrupy saliva sounding German. What more could you wish for?
Philippe Rameau - Suite from “Zoroastre, RCT 62”
I like the play between the string and the wind, sort of like someone sneaking up on you, then suddenly withdrawing. Peekaboo! And then it is all courtly and decorous, soft on the decline, not quite soaring upward, until suddenly it is, and everyone is rushing.
Don’t Drink and Drive - Hutton School Choir
Voices aren’t like this any more, their cadence has changed. This isn’t a value judgement, but see, it’s true. A brilliant song from a brilliant collection of school songs.
And here’s his recipe for small birds, one of the food moments we talk about in the episode.
A Touch of Bosch
Small birds, a touch of Bosch, a gorgeous tangle, a dish to be brought to the table steaming for guests to applaud: theatre. The choice of birds is up to you: quail is white, you can eat the bones and the lightness of the flesh seems close to the texture of firm fish. Partridge is soft and supple, sweeter, with a touch of game. Pigeon seems to be of a different species entirely: the sky’s beef, a gorgeous deep red, best a little bloody.
Pheasant is edifying, its taste is like no other bird’s, it could not be killed with anything but a gun. I first made this for my brother when, fifteen years old, he came to visit Lo’ and I in our tiny apartment.
For dinner it’s quite nice to have a couple of pigeons, quail, partridge and perhaps a single pheasant. Make sure the birds have been gutted, and if the butcher’s left the giblets in, save them for a stock.
Serves a small crowd
Your desired birds
Fine polenta
Salt
Butter
Sage
Rosemary
Thyme
Olive oil
1. Preheat the oven to 200°c.
2. Oil each bird, rub with fine polenta and salt, then stuff each with a large knob of butter, along with sprigs of sage, rosemary and thyme.
3. Fry the birds in olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan until browned on each side, then transfer to the oven. Allow 10 minutes for quail, 15 minutes for pigeon and partridge, and 20 minutes for pheasant. If any look a little undercooked, throw them back in for 5 or so minutes.
4. Serve on a bed of Swiss chard, sauteed in butter and lemon until soft, and eat with a sharp knife and plenty of buttered bread for mopping up the exquisite juices.
Recipe extracted from To Entertain: Instructions for a Dinner Party by Jago Rackham (£22, Robinson), out now.