Secret Sauce 05 - DJ Slow

April 22, 2025
Secret Sauce 05 - DJ Slow

I went with a groovy, funky jazz mood for this mix as when I make a meal it’s normally the weekend and I like to loosen up and relax with a glass of wine and some tunes that will help my creative cooking juices flow. This kind of jazz feels like cooking in a way, with the players finding their place in the groove to complement the overall sound like a cook helps ingredients find their place in a dish. Ornette Coleman’s Friends & Neighbors was the first song I thought of that set the tone for the mix, and there are some cuts from Jamaica and Nigeria that found their way in as well, plus an uncredited second appearance from Sun Ra…any guesses?

I hope you enjoy the mix and dish, both of which will pair nicely with a glass of wine…a rich fruity red with good acid (nebbiolo or gamay), an orange wine or dry rose, a dry sparkling rose or Lambrusco…or whatever suits your fancy...Cheers!

Stuffed twice-baked squash

Serves 4

Roasted broccoli makes a nice side that can go in when the squash comes out the first time, and/or a leafy salad

Ingredients

  • 2 squash (acorn, butternut, delicata all work well)
  • 2 sausages (or plant based)
  • 1/4 onion (red recommended but not essential)
  • 3-4 celery sticks (use leaves if possible)
  • 1-2 cloves garlic minced
  • Handful chopped nuts (pecans/walnuts/cashews/pistachio/pine nuts)
  • Olive oil and butter or earth balance
  • Salt - a teaspoon or so
  • Herbs of choice (I’ve been leaning into a dried Italian mix, but Herbes de Provence could also work well, or whatever you may have on hand.)

Method

Preheat oven to 400
Halve squash lengthwise, scoop out seeds etc, and poke with a fork all over the flesh
Drizzle with olive oil and/or rub with butter (or earth balance) and salt, rub in
Roast for 30 mins or so until softened

While squash roasting:
chop onion and celery
Mince or press the garlic
Sauté onion/celerey/garlic in olive oil until soft/translucent
While that’s cooking slice sausages lengthwise and then cut into half-rounds about 1/4” thick
add herbs and salt to veg. and cook a few minutes
Add Chopped nuts
Add a little butter/Earth balance and cook a bit more
Add halved sausage rounds and cook until sausage just done

When squash finished:
depending on the type of squash you may need to scoop some out to make room for the filling. (Eg Butternut.) if so put in an ovenproof bowl and add a little more seasoning / oil and set aside.
fill squashes with the sautéed sausage/veg. filling
Put filled squashes (and scooped out extra squash if applicable) in oven for another ten mins or so

Remove, sprinkle with garnish and/or grated Parmesan...enjoy !

Tracklist

Roy Ayers - Pretty Brown Skin
The Headhunters - If You've Got It, You'll Get It
Ornette Coleman - Friends & Neighbors
Herbie Hancock - Fat Albert Rotunda
Sun Ra - Where Pathways Meet
Larry Coryell - Call to the Higher Consciousness
Leroy Vinnegar - Chitlin' Moe
Count Ossie & the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari - Nigerian Reggae
Herbie Mann - Memphis Underground
Miles Davis - Right Off
Steve Reid - Lions of Judah
Cymande - Rickshaw
Sound Dimension - Congo Rock
Tony Benson Sextet - Ugali
Clarence Wheeler - Broasted or Fried
The Sensational Guitars of Dan and Dale - Batman & Robin Over the Roofs
Cedric Im Brooks - Give Rasta Glory
Archie Shepp - Mama Too Tight
Mingus - Eat That Chicken
Joe Zawinul - Money in the Pocket