Slim Man Cooks Baked Tomatoes with Parmigiano and Panko

So there I was. Staring at two very ripe tomatoes.I don’t normally stare at produce, but these things needed to be eaten. And soon.I didn’t want to eat the same old shit, Caprese salad, or my Mom’s tomato salad, no disrespect to my Mom or Capri!I just wanted something different. Then I thought of making baked tomatoes, but they seemed so...Antiquated. Out of style. Not in vogue.Which is why they appealed to me. I looked up recipes, but nothing was clicking; they were all missing something.Know what they were missing?Slimness.I wanted to make a stuffing with stuff I like. So I made a mixture of panko and Parmigiano and parsley and garlic, along with some dried oregano. Why dried oregano?I like the taste better. Especially in Italian-American dishes, although I’m pretty sure this dish is more American than Italian.Until now!I added a little olive oil to keep it together and moist.I scooped the seeds out of the tomatoes. I’m not a big fan of tomato seeds, especially in fresh tomatoes. I cut out the top tab/button of both tomatoes first. Then I cut them in half, horizontally. Then I scooped seeds.I mixed up the stuffing, stuffed it in the tomatoes, and baked them for 20 minutes at 450 degrees.Wow. They were real good. I mean...real good. I’m staying away from the hyperbole these days. Leaving myself a little headroom. But these were...delizioso. And quick. And easy.INGREDIENTS¼ cup panko breadcrumbs¼ cup fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese1 teaspoon minced garlic1 teaspoon dried oregano1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsleyKosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper1 generous tablespoon olive oil2 ripe tomatoes, top buttons cut out, cut in half horizontally, seeds scooped outHERE WE GO...Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.Put all the ingredients except the tomatoes in a small bowl.Mix with a fork.Put the 4 tomato halves in a small baking dish.Drizzle a little olive oil over each, add a little Kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to each.Add equal amounts of the panko mixture to each tomato. Fill the tomato holes. Put the extra on top. Be judicious. Be equitable.Put the dish in the oven for 20 minutes. Keep an eye on these maters.When the tops are golden brown, take the dish out of the oven.Let it sit for 5 minutes.Dish ‘em up! Make ‘em look nice, add a sprig of fresh parsley, and...MANGIAMO!!!! 

Slim Man Cooks Fregola

My niece got married in June.My sister had five kids, all by Cesarean. They’re all pretty normal, except every time they leave the house they go out the window.My sister would be laid up after each birth, so Uncle Slimmy would babysit the newborn until my sister's stomach recovered, a couple weeks. At one point, I had a newborn, a 2-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 6-year-old and an 8-year-old.It wasn’t easy, but it was such a wonderful experience. I loved it, and I loved them. Still do!The niece who just got married...her husband...I love the guy. He’s funny and smart and cool and comes from a great family. They met in high school in Pennsylvania.The wedding was in Philly, a town I hadn’t been to in a while. Man, it has changed. I stayed at a hotel right in the heart of downtown. I took a jog/walk up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the one where the statue of Rocky is.Rocky. Remember that movie? Sylvester Stallone? When he was training for his big fight, he’d end his exercise routine with a jog up the museum steps as the theme song played. “Flying high now!”I jogged up those steps. And when I got to the top, I played my own theme song. “It’s All About Love!” Seemed suitable for the City of Brotherly Love, which is Philly’s nickname. I jogged back to the hotel, and right next door was one of the best urban markets I’ve ever been to.The Reading Terminal Market. They had everything. Bay scallops, sea scallops, all kinds of fresh fish, meats, produce, Philly cheesesteaks, pastries...they even had pig’s feet.Which were pretty disgusting looking.My Mom was from down south, and they had big jars of pickled pig’s feet in this red liquid, sitting on counters at gas stations. Unrefigerated. You could stick your hand in the jar, grab a pickled pig’s foot, and start gnawing.I never ate any. I couldn’t get past the visual.The night before the wedding, they had a rehearsal dinner. There wasn’t any rehearsing, it was just a way for folks from the two families to get to know each other. It was held in an upstairs room at one of those hipster restaurants, the kind where the guys have beards and glasses with big black frames, and boots that look like the kind that soldiers wore in the Civil War.Except this was modern-day Philly.I’ll admit this, the food was good. They had a couple choices for entrees, chicken or salmon. I’ve been eating a lot of chicken lately. I’ve been eating so much chicken I’m starting to sprout wings between my shoulder blades. I’m afraid I might start spitting feathers out of my mouth.So I ordered the salmon.When they brought me the plate, the salmon looked beautiful. I took a bite, it was pretty damn good. It was resting on...what was it? It looked like some kind of couscous. I took a bite, and it was delizioso. She was a-so nice!I could tell it wasn’t couscous. I asked the waiter what it was.Fregola.What?Fregola.Which had me looking it up on my phone. I was trying to stay off the damn phone, especially at a gathering where you’re supposed to get to know people. But I had to know what fregola was.Well, Slim People…it’s a pasta from Sardinia. Sometimes it's spelled "fregola" and sometimes "fregula." It was about the size and shape of BBs, and that night in Philly it was done in a simple sauce, as a side dish.Sardinia is a place I’ve always wanted to visit; it’s an Italian island in the Mediterranean, off the East coast of Italy. I read an article in National Geographic a few years ago; the people of Sardinia live exceptionally long lives. The National Geographic folks were trying to figure out why.Maybe it’s the fregola!It’s usually served in a simple sauce, like a tomato sauce with some pecorino-Romano cheese. It’s usually a side dish, except when they make it with clams, tiny clams from the Mediterranean.When I got back to Palm Springs, I decided to find some fregola.I couldn’t. I went to all kinds of food stores, and when I asked for fregola, people looked at me like I had two heads.What to do?I went online. I found some on Amazon, and ordered it. It was expensive, about $8 bucks a pound. Normally pasta costs a couple bucks, but this was imported from Sardinia. Shipping was $6 bucks. I decided to splurge.It’s a durum wheat semolina pasta, which is what most Italian pastas are made from. But fregola is toasted in an oven at the end of the pasta-making process. The pasta was many shades of brown. Each little pellet was a different color...beige, tan, burnt Sienna.What the hell is burnt Sienna anyway?So I followed the instructions on the package, cooked it in salted water for about 12 minutes. Then I drained it, and added a little olive oil and butter. I made one batch with some Slim pesto and another batch with Slim’s tomato sauce.It was so good. It had a slightly nutty flavor, and I thought I tasted a mild saffron-type spice. I like trying new foods, especially Italian foods. And this was one of the best new dishes I’ve cooked in quite a while. And it was so simple.How was the wedding the next day? It was great. Yes, it rained...torrential downpours and thunder and lightning. At least it was inside. Sometimes when the weather is really crazy, it somehow makes an event seem more memorable.“Remember the wedding? It was raining cats and dogs!”Now, I’m not sure where that expression came from. But it was raining really hard.Fregola. It sounds like an Italian curse word. "Slim Man! Che fregola!"This is gonna be quick, Slim People. And easy! And delizioso.INGREDIENTSA couple tablespoons of Kosher salt1 pound fregolaA couple tablespoons of olive oilA couple tablespoons of butter, room temperature1 cup simple tomato sauce½ cup of pesto sauceFreshly grated pecorino-Romano cheeseFreshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeseHERE WE GO!Get a large pot, fill it with fresh, cold water, and put it on the highest heat you gots.When it comes to a boil, add the Kosher salt (I use 2 generous tablespoons).Add the fregola pasta.Keep the heat up during the whole process!Stir and cook for about 12 minutes or so, until al dente—firm to the bite.Drain the fregola.Put half in one bowl, and half in another bowl.Add a tablespoon of olive oil and a tablespoon of butter to each bowl.Mix gently, make sure the butter has melted.Add the pesto sauce to one bowl, and the tomato sauce to the other.Mix gently.Dish it up!Put a serving of each on a plate. Add a little grated pecorino cheese to the tomato sauce fregola, and some Parmigiano to the pesto sauce fregola. MANGIAMO!!!

Slim Man Cooks Another Tomato Sauce

When I first started making tomato sauce, I minced the garlic. Then, one night, a Lady People friend of mine didn’t want minced garlic, she wanted sliced garlic, so that’s what I started doing.Then, I was making a tomato sauce for some meatballs for a restaurant in Palm Springs, Californy, where I was singing, and I thought it might be mo’ better if I used whole smashed cloves, so people could remove them more easily if they wanted.Because, if some octagenarian was eating a meatball, and got a whole clove of garlic stuck in their choppers and had a heart attack, that might not be good for business.So now I use whole, smashed garlic cloves when I make a tomato sauce. And you know what? It tastes better, and the fussy people can pick them out if they want.This tomato sauce is your go-to sauce and I’ll tell you why. You need a simple sauce when you’re making manicotti, eggplant parmigiana, or pizza, things like that. You load up your tomato sauce with a ton of stuff like carrots or celery or onion or oregano and all of a sudden you got too many flavors going on when you add it to something else.And sometimes a simple tomato sauce is great over pasta. My favorite pre-show dish is this sauce with penne rigate.So if you come up and say hi after a Slim Show, and I’ve got the old garlic breath kicking, you’ll know why.NOTES:I’ve been using Cento Italian tomatoes, they come in a 35-ounce can. I like them because they taste great, and the cans are lined, and I’ve been hearing some weird stuff about aluminum cans these days.Most Italian tomatoes come in 28-ounce cans. So, if you’re using 28-ounce cans, use two. I don’t think you’ll need to increase anything, there’s enough garlic here to keep vampires away for years. But if you want to add a little more garlic--or salt or basil--go ahead, Slim People!INGREDIENTSItalian tomatoes (one 35-ounce can, or two 28-ounce cans)8 cloves garlic3 tablespoons olive oilCrushed red pepper to taste (I use a ½ teaspoon)Salt (I use coarse Kosher, about a teaspoon)Fresh basil leaves (a bunch, a small handful)HERE WE GO!Put your tomatoes in a large bowl. Smoosh them with your hands, dig in with your mitts and squeeze the tomatoes. Remove any funky-looking stuff…skin, stalks, and especially that yellow stringy stem in the center of each tomato. Smoosh until smoovy-smoov.Take a garlic clove, smash it with the broad side of a knife. Smash it good and flat! Remove the skin.Put the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat, and add the crushed red pepper, let it heat up for a minute or two.Add the smashed garlic, let it cook for a couple minutes. DON’T LET THE GARLIC BURN! It tastes nasty when it does.When the underside turns pale gold, turn over each clove, and sauté on the other side for a couple of minutes until pale gold. PALE, Slim Folks!Then, turn the heat to high, and add the tomatoes.Add the salt.Take a half-dozen basil leaves, snip them with scissors, right into the sauce.Give it a stir.When the sauce begins to bubble and boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer for 20 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. Be gentle, SlimNation. Gentle and kind.After 20 minutes, take a few more basil leaves, and snip them right into the sauce with your scissors, give it a stir, and taste for salt and adjust.There ya go! Use this sauce over pasta, or use it with manicotti, eggplant parmigiano, pizza, bruschetta, and…MANGIAMO!!!

Slim Man Cooks Halibut Marsala

Slim Man Cooks Halibut MarsalaCooking can be a challenge sometimes. Not necessarily the cooking itself, it’s the people you’re cooking for! This one doesn’t eat dairy, that one doesn’t eat chicken, the other one doesn’t eat onions, another one doesn’t eat anything that had a mother…what’s a man to do?Well, I had some halibut, it was fresh and wild and caught that morning. I got it at the local fish store in Carlsbad, California. So I had that to work with. I was thinking of making a white wine sauce, but I wanted something different. So I figured I’d try a Marsala sauce on a piece of fish. Why fish? Because this one doesn’t eat chicken. And that one doesn’t eat veal.And Marsala sauce would be good on fish, especially a fish like halibut, and especially if you’re cooking for a Lady People. You see, Lady People like their sauce on the side. And Marsala sauce is cooked separately; you make the fish in one pan, and the sauce in another. So I dusted the halibut with flour that had been salted and peppered, and then sautéed it over medium-high heat in olive oil. Why olive oil, why not my usual combo of olive oil and butter?Because that one doesn’t do dairy. They’ll do eggs, but no dairy.So…I had it all figured out. I made the Marsala sauce first. As soon as it was done, I made the pasta, and drizzled it with olive oil and a little Marsala sauce. As soon as that was done, I cooked the fish, it only took 6 minutes.Why didn’t I do it all at once? Because the “F” factor goes way up when you have three things on the stove at the same time.So here we go, I’ll step you through it.NOTE!!! Prep your porcini mushrooms first! Put them in a cup of water and let them soak for 20 or 30 minutes. And cook the fish as soon as you flour it; you leave it sitting around and it won't fry right. And you know what Nat King Cole said...straighten up and fry right!Ingredients1 ½ pounds halibut filets, cut into rectangles½ ounce or more of dried porcini mushrooms (soaked in a bowl with 1 cup of water for a minimum of 20 minutes—don’t throw out the water!)1 cup flour7 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1 shallot, chopped fine, about ¼ cup4 garlic cloves, sliced thin, about 1 tablespoon1 cup sweet Marsala1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped½ pound of egg noodles—pappardelle work wellKosher salt and pepper to tasteHere we go!Let’s make the sauce first.Remove the porcini mushrooms from the cup of water with a slotted spoon.Take the remaining porcini water and strain through cheesecloth into a bowl. I’ve used paper towels, coffee filters, whatever you use, save the water!Rinse off the mushrooms and pat dry. Chop into small pieces.Put a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.Add 2 tablespoons or so of olive oil, (or one each of butter and olive oil).When the oil starts to shimmer, add the shallots.Cook and stir for 2 minutes, until the shallots just start to brown.Add the garlic, cook for 2 minutes. Give it a stir.Add the Marsala.Add the cup of porcini water.Turn the heat to high and let it cook for 2 minutes.Turn the heat to medium-low, and add the porcini mushrooms.Cook for 2 minutes while stirring.Add the rosemary. Cook and stir for 2 minutes.Turn the heat to the lowest, and let the sauce simmer for a few minutes. You can whisk in a sprinkle or three of flour if you want it to be a little thicker, more gravy-like.Now let’s make the pasta…follow the directions on the box, or follow mine…get a large pot, fill it with cold water, put it on the highest heat ya got, when it comes to a boil, add a couple tablespoons of salt (I use Kosher, Mazel Tov!), and then add the pasta. KEEP THE HEAT ON HIGH AT ALL TIMES!When it’s al dente, firm to the bite, drain it and drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, and mix gently. Add a couple tablespoons of the Marsala sauce and mix gently. Gently, Slim People!And Now for the Halibut…Rinse off your halibut filets and pat them dry with paper towels.Take the flour and put it on a flat plate. Add salt and pepper and whisk it up.Take a halibut filet, and press each side into the flour, shake off excess, put on a plate.Get a large sauté pan. Put it over medium-high heat.Add 4 tablespoons of olive oil. (Or 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of olive oil).When the oil starts to shimmer, add the halibut.Cook for 2 or 3 minutes until golden. Thicker pieces take longer.Flip ’em over. GENTLY!Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on the other side until golden.Put the fish on a platter.Plate ’em up! Put a piece of fish on a dish, a good-looking dish, not a paper plate, add a little pasta, then drizzle a little sauce over the fish and pasta, garnish with a sprig of rosemary, and…MANGIAMO!

Slim Man Cooks Broccoli and Peppers

[et_pb_section admin_label="section"][et_pb_row admin_label="row"][et_pb_column type="4_4"][et_pb_text admin_label="Text" background_layout="light" text_orientation="left" use_border_color="off" border_color="#ffffff" border_style="solid"]Broccoli and PeppersMy Dad didn’t like vegetables. I’d try to get him to eat a salad and he’d say, “I’m 86-years-old! I’ve made it this far without eating that shit, and I ain’t startin’ now!”He wasn’t a warm and fuzzy guy. He’d give it to you straight, right between the eyes. But when I put this sauce over pasta, he liked it, even though it’s vegan. If I had told him it was vegan, he would have dope-slapped me on the back of the head.This sauce is easy, quick, and delizioso. You can serve it as an appetizer with crusty bread, put it over rice or pizza, or make it with pasta, like I did for my grumpy pops.INGREDIENTS4 tablespoons olive oil6 cloves of garlic, sliced thin, about 2 tablespoonsCrushed red pepper (I start with a ¼ teaspoon)¼ dry white wine (be generous, Slim People!)1 orange bell pepper, seeds and stems removed, chopped1 red bell pepper the same way1 yellow bell pepper the same way4 cups broccoli florets¾ cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth)HERE WE GO!Get a large sauté pan, put it over medium heat.Add the olive oil, garlic, and crushed red pepper, and cook for a few minutes until the garlic is pale gold.Add the white wine, turn up the heat, cook for a minute or two.Reduce the heat to medium.Add the bell peppers, cook for 5 minutes, or until semi-soft. Stir a couple times.Add the broccoli.Add the vegetable broth, turn the heat to high until it starts to bubble.Turn the heat back down to medium.Cook for 5 or 6 minutes, or until the broccoli is done to your liking.Taste for salt and pepper and adjust. MANGIAMO!!![/et_pb_text][et_pb_video admin_label="Video" src="https://youtu.be/oeqprO0zpzw" /][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][/et_pb_section]

Chicken and Eggplant Parmigiano

Chicken Eggplant ParmigianoWomen have helped me be more creative with my cooking.Not so much with the recipes, but with their peculiarities.For instance, Selma Krapoff, our Head of Slim Merch, is on a new kick. She wants protein with every meal. And nothing can be fried. Not even sautéed.So when I had a craving for eggplant Parmigiano, I had to get creative. I didn't want to cook two dishes. I racked my brain, what’s left of it. Then it hit me like a frying pan. Or maybe it was Selma who hit me with the frying pan. The light went on above my horsehead, and I knew what I had to do.I decided to make chicken and eggplant Parmigiano! Ain’t I smart? I did a layer of eggplant, a layer of broiled chicken breasts, and a layer of eggplant, instead of just three layers of eggplant.I put in the tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmigiano and basil with each layer, of course.Then I baked it for about 20 minutes.It was so good. Selma loved it.Then she yelled at me because she ate too much. She told me that if I didn’t cook stuff that tasted so good, she wouldn’t have to worry about getting fat.Chicken and Eggplant ParmigianoYour breasts and the eggplant should be about the same size. So should the chicken breasts.I bought 2 chicken breasts and cut each in half horizontally, I had 4 cutlets about ½” thick. Then I cut them in half vertically, so I had 8 small cutlets about ½" thick.Then I sliced the eggplant into circular slices, about ½” thick.NOTE:You only have to broil the chicken for a couple minutes per side. It will bake with the eggplant for another 20 minutes in the oven, so you don’t have to worry about salmonella.I hope.Seriously, Slim People? Clean everything that touches raw chicken with warm, soapy water. Or a powerwasher.You gotta keep it clean.INGREDIENTS3 eggs3 cups panko breadcrumbs (or whatever breadcrumbs you like!)Salt and pepper2 medium eggplant, ends trimmed off, sliced into ½” circular slices2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1 pound) each sliced in horizontally in half; you should have 4 cutlets about ½” thick. Cut each in half vertically, now you got 8 cutlets, each ½" thick, capisce?3 cups of tomato sauce (make your own, it’s so easy and takes just 25 minutes!)1 pound mozzarella, cut into circular slices1 cup fresh-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese¾ cup of fresh, clean basilHERE WE GO…Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.Put the eggs in a bowl (I used a glass pie dish), add salt and pepper, and mix ‘em up!Spread the breadcrumbs out on a large platter (I used another pie dish).Dip an eggplant slice in the egg, then press each side into the breadcrumbs.Place on a non-stick baking pan.Do this with all the eggplant slices.Put the pan in the oven on the second-lowest rack, let the eggplant cook on one side for 12 minutes, or until golden brown.Flip each slice over and cook for another 12 minutes or so.Remove.Turn the oven to broil.Take a piece of chicken.Dip it into the egg.Then press each side into the breadcrumbs.Do this with all the chicken.Place it under the broiler, on the second rack. You don’t want it too close, or it will burn.After 2 minutes, or when golden brown, turn over.Cook on the other side for 2 minutes or until golden brown.Remove from the oven.Get a glass baking dish--I used an 9X13-inch dish.Put a layer of eggplant on the bottom.Add a cup of tomato sauce, spread it around evenly.Add ¼ cup of the basil, snip it with scissors evenly on top.Add 1/3 cup of Parmigiano, spread evenly.Add 1/3 cup of mozzarella slices, spread evenly.Add a layer of chicken cutlets.Add a cup of tomato sauce.Add ¼ cup of basil, snipped on top.Add 1/3 cup Parmigiano.Add 1/3 cup of mozzarella.Here we go! Final layer!Add a layer of eggplant.Add a cup of tomato sauce.Add ¼ cup basil, snipped on top.Add 1/3 cup of Parmigiano.Add the final 1/3 cup of mozzarella.Turn the oven to 350 degrees.Put the dish in the oven on the middle rack.Let the eggplant and chicken bake for 20 minutes.Put the oven on broil.Put the dish under the broiler FOR A MINUTE! Keep your eye on these guys, you want the cheese golden brown, not burnt!Remove from the broiler and let it sit for 5 or 10 minutes.Then, cut it up, dish it out, maybe sprinkle a little freshly-grated Parmigiano on top of each serving, maybe garnish with a fresh basil leaf or two, and…MANGIAMO!

Slim Man Cooks Monkfish Fra Diavolo

My cousin told me I needed a colonoscopy.This wasn’t just a casual conversation at a bar, or a football game, or in front of the family at Sunday dinner.My cousin was also my doctor.  Before that, his Dad--my uncle Oscar--was my doctor.I like to keep it in the family.Yes, it was a little embarrassing when it came time to…turn your head and cough and stuff.  But it was rather comforting to know that you were in good hands, so to speak.My cousin the doctor was a thorough guy who wouldn’t give you an aspirin without a complete physical.  So when he told me I needed a colonoscopy, I knew I needed to heed his advice.I went to the colonoscopy clinic in Baltimore, Maryland.  It was a friendly place.  The doctor seemed like he knew what he was doing, the nurses were nice, and I felt as comfortable as I could, under the circumstances.They asked me to take off my clothes, and put on one of those robes, the kind that are open in the back.  Can’t they just give you a normal robe, the kind that belts up in the front?  The other way is humiliating.So I put on the open-ass robe, and they asked me to lie down on the operating table.  They covered me with a white blanket, and one of the nurses started talking to me.“How are you?  Where are you from?  Are you warm enough?  Have you ever been convicted of a felony?”  It was just pleasant small talk.  We chatted for a little while, and then she said…“I think I recognize your voice!”I had a radio show in Baltimore for about eight years.  I played jazz on Sunday mornings.  It was the big Adult Contemporary station in town (Elton John, Olivia Newton John, Celine Dion) and the program director had asked me if I wanted to do a jazz show on Sunday mornings.I had never done radio.  I told him so, and he said it didn’t matter.  I gotta give it to the guy—Gary Balaban—he saw something I didn't, and he stayed with it for years.I got a lot of nasty phone calls in the beginning, folks bitchin’ about not hearing Michael Bolton and whatnot.  But I just kept on doing my thing.The radio station gave me a free hand--they let me play whatever I wanted to play.  So I did.  I’d play Louis Armstrong, and then some Dave Grusin.  I’d play Miles Davis and then segue into Marc Antoine.  I'd play Herb Alpert and follow it up with some Ella Fitzgerald.  I would also give local musicians I liked some airtime.  I stuttered and stammered when I first started, and then I got into the flow.I started interviewing artists, as well as playing music.   Big-name, small-name, no-name, I just loved talking about music.The radio station never paid me.  When I started, I wasn’t very good.  So I never asked them about the money.  It wasn’t until I’d been doing it for years that they started paying me…fifty bucks a show.  For a four-hour gig.It wasn't about the money, obviously.  I was starting to love it.  I would have continued to do it for nothing.It's hard to believe, but we started getting really good ratings.  Record companies started sending me CDs.  Managers were calling, pushing their artists.  Promoters were trying to get their records played.But all I wanted to do was play the music that I liked, talk to the artists I enjoyed, promote the musicians I thought worthy.  And that's what I did, for 8 years.  I was on the air every Sunday.  When I went on tour, I’d pre-record the show.  The Cool Jazz Café.  Folks were tuning in.  It was taking off.So, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the nurse told me she recognized my voice.“Are you Slim Man?”“Yes I am.”She yelled out…“You have the radio show on Sundays.  I know you!”I looked at her and said…“You’re about to know me a whole lot better.”It was weird, yes.  But what are you gonna do?  Jump up off the table and run out of the place, bare-ass hanging out?  They put the anesthesia mask over my face…Next thing I knew, I was in the recovery room.  The nurse was smiling at me.  She said…“Everything looks good.”It sounded a little strange, the way she said it.  I looked at her and said…“I guess this makes us friends.”Monkfish Fra DiavoloThe literal translation of fra diavolo is “from the devil.”  The expression is used to mean a dish that’s spicy.This dish is usually made with lobster.  I like lobster, but it’s a pain in the ass—like a colonoscopy.Lobster's expensive, hard to cook, and hard to clean up.  It’s hard to crack the claws and the shells.I was in Paris once and they had lotte on the menu.  I had no idea what it was.  The waiter told me it was "the poor-man’s lobster."  I felt like cracking him one.  But I ordered it and loved it.Here in the good ol’ USA, they call lotte "monkfish."  It’s one of the ugliest fishes you’ll ever see.  But man, does it taste good.  It has a taste and a texture similar to lobster, and it’s a whole lot cheaper, and a whole lot easier to deal with.Make sure to use monkfish filets.  Remove all the gray and tan membranes, and cut it up into bite-size chunks.I love this dish!INGREDIENTS 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil2 tablespoons sliced garlic (about 3 or 4 cloves, skin removed)4 tablespoons minced shallots (1 small shallot, skin removed)Crushed red pepper to taste (it’s “fra diavolo”--from the devil--so make it spicy!)1 cup white wineOne 28 ounce can (3 and ½ cups) of San Marzano or Italian tomatoes, smooshed up, yellow cores removed1/2 cup of  basil--a small handful½ teaspoon dried oregano1 pound monkfish filet, about 2 cups, membranes removed, chopped into cubesHere we go...If you are going to put this over pasta, grab a large pot, fill it with the coldest water you gots, and put it on the highest heat you gots.As the water starts to heat up, let’s cook our monkfish sauce.Put the olive oil in the bottom of a Dutch oven, or a large pan.Turn the heat to medium.  Let the olive oil heat up for 2 minutes.Add the fish.  Add salt and pepper to taste.Cook the fish on one side for two minutes.  Then turn over.  Cook for two more minutes on the other side.Remove the fish from the pan, and put on a plate.Add the garlic and shallots and crushed red pepper (to taste) to the pan.  Let them cook for about three minutes, stirring every minute or so.Then add the wine.  Turn up the heat to medium-high, and let the wine cook off for three minutes or so.  Stir frequently.Then add the tomatoes.  Grab your basil, and a pair of scissors, and snip the basil leaves into small pieces, right into the sauce.  Then add the oregano.  Turn the heat to high.  When the tomatoes come to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for fifteen minutes.Then, add the fish to the sauce.  Stir gently.  Cook for ten minutes on medium-low.  Don’t stir too often—we don’t want the fish pieces to break up.NOW FOR THE PASTA…When the water comes to a full boil, add about 3 tablespoons of Kosher salt.Then add a pound of linguine.Stir.  Stir it often.When the pasta is al dente, firm to the bite, drain it, and put it in a large bowl.Drizzle the pasta with a tablespoon of olive oil, and toss.Pour 2 cups of the monkfish sauce over the pasta and mix gently.Dish it up!  Put some pasta in a plate, add a spoonful or two of sauce on top, and garnish with a basil leaf or two.  And…MANGIAMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!