“I make a mean eggplant parmigiana, and that’s from my mom,” bass player/songwriter and founding member of Stone Temple Pilots Robert De Leo told me when I recently interviewed him for a bass magazine. Besides being a new father (for the second time) and taking STP out on the road for a tour to support their newest album, Robert likes to cook when he finds the time. He’s not a health nut but he does try to cook healthily when possible. “I bake the eggplant rather than fry it to make healthy. I’ve been trying to eat healthy especially as I’m getting a little bit older. I sprinke olive oil on the eggplant slices and then bake them, then I put the tomatoe sauce and both mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese all over it and bake it again. I love it.”

Check out this recipe for Baked Eggplant Parmigiana.

Ingredients

* 3 eggplant, peeled and thinly sliced
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 4 cups Italian seasoned bread crumbs
* 6 cups spaghetti sauce, divided
* 1 (16 ounce) package mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon dried basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Dip eggplant slices in egg, then in bread crumbs. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes on each side.
3. In a 9×13 inch baking dish spread spaghetti sauce to cover the bottom. Place a layer of eggplant slices in the sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining ingredients, ending with the cheeses. Sprinkle basil on top.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until golden brown.

Mumford & Sons

Mumford & Sons are the young British folk/country/rock sensation currently making a major impact here in the UK and Europe. America is now falling under their spell, too. (I’ll add the url for my cover interview with them for Acoustic Magazine here very soon). They are amazing young men with an enormous musical talent and a penchant for food. They even have recipes on their blog (http://www.mumfordandsons.com)

When I spoke to Marcus Mumford, his opening gambit was “Teri, I’ve just eaten the most incredible sandwich. . .. ” How’s that for a start to an interview?
Here are the ingredients for Marcus’ fave sandwich:
Take a fresh hunk of French bread, split it open and spread with mayo, butter, and mustard, add slices of tomato, avocado and some lettuce, then peppered ham or honey roasted ham and chicken breast.

Besides the sandwich, Marcus said that bandmate Ted Dwayne cooks the band’s food on the road and apparently, Ted is almost as nimble a cook as he is a bass player. Marcus, listed some other delights that Ted whips up for the band. These  include pea and lettuce soup, a warm spice chicken couscous salad bangers and mash, steak and chips, fajitas, pasta with three different sauces (fish sauce carbonara, and pesto) and garlic bread. Marcus rattled the list off without hesitation before adding that he would have to go on a diet soon.

Sabbath circa early 70s.

When I started this blog, I promised more from Black Sabbath’s Bill Ward.  Bill has been the most popular part of this blog (no surprise). I got more comments and hits due to Bill Ward’s recipe and interview than anyone else thus far. Bill’s fans are rabid and loyal.

If Bill would talk about opening his mail on the blog, I’d get hits. If Bill would discuss his teeth brushing habits, we’d want to hear them. Bill is more than just a consummate drummer and musician:  he’s pure magic.
I will add a Bill Ward Part Three down the line, so stay tuned. And the really big news is that Bill will be releasing not one but two collections of new music in 2010. He’s been in the studio mixing tracks recently so look for an announcement soon about the new music and hopefully, a tour.

When Bill last spoke to me he discussed his vegan lifestyle. Here’s more about what he eats and how he manages to stay healthy on the road.

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Cook: When you’re on the road with Sabbath, do you have a caterer? Do you and Geezer get fed well?

BILL: “We do have one and he cooks for the entire backstage so it’s not always easy to get a vegan meal. Some of the good places along the road where we know for sure that we’re gonna get good vegan food can be few and far between. So when we know there is a vegan place we like where we’ll be arriving, it’s quite a happy day for me and Terry.

“Some of the promoters know what vegetarian food is but they don’t see the difference between not eating meat and being vegan.”

RNRC: Any tips for eating vegan or even vegetarian while on the road?
BILL: ” Carry a food bag with you at all times and keep something in reserve. You can’t depend on airlines if you’re vegetarian or vegan as very few airlines understand the concept. So you could go without food for up to 12 hours while in transit so you should carry snacks like energy bars or something that will sustain you for the flight. You can’t depend on the airline to feed you and it can be a major let down if you have to go too long without eating.

“We eat vegan bars in the US but I cant’ find them in England. You have to read the ingredients really carefully. The American bar is called Organic Food Bar. It comes in all kinds of flavors like cranberry, blueberry, active green which has a bunch of healthy stuff in it. They’re good if you need to keep your energy levels high and they will sustain you. Also, I’d recommend to have some fruit before you get on board. Having no food on flights is just a terrible situation. I’ve been caught out so many times like that and it’s not good.”

RNRC: Do you eat before a gig or after?

BILL: “I eat at about 2 in the afternoon on a gig day. If we get lucky, and there is vegan catering, Geezer and I will eat that. If not, I can usually get something made up. If the food quality on that particular gig is not very good, I always keep something in the fridge from Whole Foods. I can’t eat after 2 or 3 pm if we’re playing that night. I sleep from about 530 pm until 730 pm. Then we do the show. When I come off stage, the band often gets pizza or chicken but we can’t do that.”

Do you miss cheese pizza?

BILL: “I do. I mentioned I was 98% vegan and that other 2% is when I eat pizza, which is rare. I don’t like to do it but I’ll eat cheese when there is nothing else. After the gig, the promoters will load up the buses and bring on food. We usually try to get Indian food brought in or we eat out of our own kitchen on the bus. So I’ll have a sandwich after the show.”
RNRC:When you’re back in the UK do you eat the same as at home?

BILL: “I find it really difficult to eat in England now as I’m vegan. So the last time I was there I relied on my neice cooking me a meal.  But I’d stick with basic food like beans on toast or chips when I was out. I’d ask the chefs in any restaurant as to what kind of vegetable oil they were using to make the chips. If it was vegetable oil, I’d make a chip (french fries) sandwich with some bread.

” It’s hard to find good food on a daily basis if you’re vegan. When we’re touring Stateside, I take all my food with me on the tour bus. But in England I carry tons of stuff in my bag like dried fruits, nuts, and the like. I try to eat bananas, apples, whatever fruit I can find, every day. I’d eat soup as long as the broth wasn’t made from animal stock.”

RNRC: Do you eat tofu slices and all the other vegan staples?

BILL: “We usually have some good bread on the bus. We usually have soy butter so I’ll make a tomato and cucumber sandwich with that on it. Or I’ll have soup, vegan soup. After the gig I like to sit shotgun on the bus. So the bus driver — Walter — will make me a big bowl of vegan soup and then we’ll take off. Walter takes care of everything on the road. He knows what to tell me and what not to tell me. And he knows when to let me eat my soup (laughs). Walter’s great.”

I’d like to introduce you to a multi-tasking rock musician who’s talented both on stage and in the kitchen:  the Rock and Roll Geek (aka: Michael Butler).

Butler not only plays bass (with Ginger from Wildhearts, American Heartbreak and formerly with Jetboy and Exodus), he also does podcast interviews with rock stars (The Rock and Roll Geek Show) and cooks inspiring dishes on his Cooking With Butler podcasts.  His cooking videos are highly addictive. Once you start watching, you’ll be hooked.

Butler shows viewers delicious step-by-step recipes that are well executed while not taking himself too seriously in the process. Sure, it’s entertaining, but the cooking segments are informative and fun and it’s pretty obvious that the guy possesses a genuine passion for food that just makes you want to get off your ass and into the kitchen.   I’m a vegetarian and even I find his shows compulsive viewing, no matter what’s on the menu.
Check him out on http://cookingwithbutler.mevio.com

and:

http://rockandrollgeek.mevio.com/

Sorry to be so delinquent recently but I’ve been busy cooking in the kitchen, testing recipes to share with you and interviewing rock stars. More great posts (from and for real rock stars) will be coming your way this year and hopefully, more regularly.

Meanwhile, the topic of pizza is usually greeted with love by most people. Hot, gooey, crispy-of-crust, what’s not to love? Here’s a tip: making your own pizza at home is cheaper, healthier, and as delicious as the take out/restaurant variety. I use a basic dough recipe and sometimes switch the toppings like the choice of cheeses, veggies, etc. to keep things interesting.

Here’s a great homemade pizza recipe that I use. The crispy base is delicious ( I use half wholewheat flour to make it a bit healthier) and you can choose your own toppings such as white pizza made with ricotta and mozzarella, tomato, mozz and basil, pesto and gruyere, or heaping with veggies or sausages. The toppings can be whatever you crave.

Ingredients:

• 2 1/2 lbs. strong white bread flour (you can substitute half of the flour with wholewheat flour or just use all white )
and handful of ground semolina flour
• 1 level tablespoon sea salt
• 1 Tablespoon (15 g) dried yeast
• 1 Tsp. sugar
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 and a half cups lukewarm water plus 1/2 cup room temperature milk

How To:
Mix the flour/s and salt on to a clean work surface and make a well in the middle. In a bowl or jug, mix the yeast, sugar and olive oil with the water and milk and leave to sit for a few minutes, then pour into the flour/salt well. Using a fork, bring the flour in gradually from the sides and swirl it into the liquid. Keep mixing, drawing larger amounts of flour in, and when it all starts to come together, work the rest of the flour in with your clean, flour-dusted hands. Knead until you have a smooth, bouncy dough.

Put the dough into a dry bowl, cover the top with a clean cloth and stick it in a dry place (a turned off oven is good) for at least two hours for the dough to rise to about twice its size.

Turn the oven on to highest setting ( a pizza stones is perfect to raise the temperature of your oven) after removing the dough. Turn the dough onto a flour-dusted surface and knead it for about 3 minutes, adding some flour if it gets too sticky. Divide the dough up into about four balls – this amount of dough is enough to make about 4 medium pizzas or about 3 large ones.

Roll the pizzas out to fit your pizza pans and sprinkle some of the semolina on the pans before placing the dough onto them. Then top the pizzas with sauces, cheeses, etc. pop into the oven, and bake them for about 8 – 12 minutes depending on your oven temp. I drizzle mine with a stream of extra virgin olive oil when they are done cooking. Mangia you sweet little rock and rollers.

Okay, that title is a little misleading. Ilan Rubin does cook, but only when he’s behind his drums, not in a kitchen or over a stove.

I interviewed Ilan when he was on tour with Nine Inch Nails this past year (will be adding the interview here soon). He’s only 21 but way beyond his years in terms of music  and his vast touring experience (prior to NIN he was in Lost Prophets).

But when I asked him about food, his eating habits seemed to be fairly typical of a guy his age.
“I eat poorly,” he confessed. “My diet pretty much consists of junk food. Burgers, chips and chocolate are the mainstays. I rarely eat any vegetables or fruit. It’s okay now at my age but I’m sure at some point eating this way is gonna catch up with me.”
So he’s not exactly a gourmand, nor is he a healthy eater. But does he have a fave recipe? Yes. It’s a concoction called ‘Chili Pie’ consisting of Fritos corn chips, cheese, and canned chili. “I clearly don’t cook much,” he admitted somewhat sheepishly.
He may not be a chef, but the kid plays drums like a beast and plays guitar, piano and sings with his own band, New Regime, too. Besides, if he gets rich enough, he can always hire someone else to do the cooking.
Here’s the recipe for Chili Pie. It sounds like something you’d make when you have a severe case of the munchies. If you don’t eat meat, just replace the canned meat chili with a vegetarian variety.

FRITO CHILI PIE

2 1/2 c. Fritos
1 lg. onion, chopped
1 c. grated American or cheddar cheese
15 oz. can chili, heated

Place 1 1/2 cups Fritos in a baking dish or pie pan. Arrange chopped onions and half of cheese over Fritos. Pour heated chili over onions and cheese. Top with remaining Fritos and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and serve.

Ethan Johns is top music producer (and engineer) who’s worked with Kings of Leon, Ray LaMontagne, Paolo Nutini, Ryan Adams, Rufus Wainwright, Emmylou Harris, The Jayhawks and Crowded House. Ethan is also a drummer who formerly played with John Hiatt and Joe Satriani, and more recently with Ray LaMontagne.  On top of the producing, engineering, and drumming, he’s also got an upcoming project with him singing and playing guitar called Caballeros: http://www.threecrowsmusic.com/

Ethan’s dad is legendary producer and engineer Glyn Johns. Glyn worked with Bob Dylan, The Beatles, The Band, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Who, Traffic, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Emmylou Harris, The Clash, The Steve Miller Band,The Faces, and Blue Oyster Cult among others.

With Ethan being so busy making music,  it’s understandable that he hasn’t had time to work on his culinary skills. But he tells me that his wife, Jen, is the family cook who whips up Apple Crisp (recipe below) at home. It’s easy to make and you can serve it warm with vanilla ice cream, custard, or whipped cream on top.

APPLE CRISP
Ingredients

4 cups tart cooking apples
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup sifted all purpose flower
1/2 cup brown suger
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup quick cooked rolled oats

Directions
1, slice apples, add 1/2 cup sugar in a buttered dish
2. Combine flour, brown sugar,salt, butter and rolled oats. mix until crumbly.
3. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples.
4. Bake in 350F degree oven for 30 mins or until apples are tender.

1960s era Yardbirds

Both music and food can bring back a flood of memories. When you hear an old song, or eat something you loved as a kid, it can take you back to another place and time. Instant comfort!

I’m always nostalgic for the 70s, especially the food (junk food, to be specific) and the music. Of course the music of the 70s has never gone away. But many 70s-era snack foods have sadly bitten the dust.

If you were a kid in the 70s (and depending on where you grew up) you may recall these long lost favorites: Cherry and Grape Milk Duds; Yum Yums (caramel, coconut and chocolate cookies with stripes), Chum Gums (the best bubble gum ever, even better than Bazooka for blowing huge bubbles); Banana Flips (Banana-flavored cakes with a creamy white filling and totally scrumptious); Jaw Breakers (probably deemed too dangerous by today’s health & safety standards); Pixie Stix (colored powdered candy in long paper tubes); Dippy Canoes (corn flavored salty snacks shaped like little boats), and my personal fave Great Shakes (you mixed it up yourself — which was half the fun — with the container that came with the mix).

Even cooler, The Yardbirds’ classic track “Over, Under Sideways Down” was used in the commercials.

The Yardbirds “Over Under Sideways Down” Live

The Yardbirds doing the Great Shakes ad — late 60s

I recently interviewed singer Joss Stone for Elle Magazine  (click here to view)  about her new album Colour Me Free.  I also asked her about what she likes to cook.   Incidentally, her dad happens to be in the food business and is the biggest importer of dried fruits and nuts in the UK.

Joss is a  vegetarian and when she’s at home in Devon she says that one of her fave dishes to cook  is lasagna.
“I like vegetarian lasagna with Quorn mince, kidney beans, tinned tomatoes, some grated cheese, mushrooms and maybe some corn flakes on top,” she said. “I don’t like a lot of layers. I don’t want a lot of pasta, I want a lot of sauce.”

I’m not sure about the cereal topping (!) so alternatively, here’s a healthy,  low carb veggie version of lasagna that Joss (and you)  might enjoy :

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons
1 medium onion,  chopped
4 cloves crushed garlic, + 1 teaspoon minced garlic, + 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each dried oregano , dried basil, dried parsley
24 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 eggplant, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup button mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 Portobello mushroom, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup reduced-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare tomato sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 4 cloves crushed garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add dried oregano, basil, and parsley and stir. Add crushed tomatoes and salt and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. In a small bowl, mix together 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, and dried thyme.

Place zucchini on a sheet pan and brush with olive oil mixture. Bake until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Marinate the eggplant and yellow squash in the remaining olive oil mixture for a few minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add 2 cloves minced garlic and sauté until fragrant. Add sliced button mushrooms and sauté until tender. Set aside. Place marinated vegetables in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 10 minutes. Line the bottom of a casserole dish with the baked zucchini slices. Add half of the eggplant and squash mixture. Top with half of the tomato sauce and then spread the ricotta cheese over. Arrange Portobello slices over top and then sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Top with the sautéed mushroom mixture. Top with remaining eggplant and squash mixture.

Spread remaining tomato sauce over top. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and all of the Parmesan. Bake until brown, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.