Letter to Julia 20120119

I guess the best part about not having many ingredients is that I get to fine tune my cooking to somewhat perfection, or close to perfection rather, because I'm forced to cook the same thing over and over again. Since I've been having some cheap beef lately, I've been working on my pepper steak. I got the idea of pepper steak from Andre. When he was alive, he used to make pepper steak on rice quite often. I suppose pepper steak is a southern recipe: he made a lot of southern food, even though he was from Baltimore. He used sweet red bell peppers and jalapenos in his recipe. I use large red chillis here, which are as hot as jalapenos but with the color and flavor of sweet red bell peppers.

Cut a LOT of large red chillis and onions into strips. Cut the beef in strips, too. Since I've been using cheap beef, marinading the meat is important, say in soy sauce and vinegar. It's not enough to tenderize the beef by marinading: I rub the beef with sugar then fry it in a pat of butter and fat or oil until the sugar caramelizes. Remove the beef, then stir fry the peppers and onions with light soy sauce in the grease that's left over. Don't overcook! Just heat it up, add the beef, then turn off the fire. Oh, I almost forgot! Add a ton of cracked black pepper to the beef when you rub it. Well, not a ton, but a lot. And don't use the machine-ground stuff. Take the pepper seeds and crack them: I use a hammer, personally. It's absolutely yummy, especially when my mouth is burning from all those peppers! I love spicy food. Besides, all I have lately is beef, so I've been eating pepper steak pretty much everyday.

It's kind of like not having a big recording studio to produce music. So, I make do with what home studio stuff that I have, compare it back to back with the major label stuff, and make sure my stuff is louder and better. Sure, it's a learning process, but at least I didn't have to learn by being indebted to a major label, and having my music toyed with by accountants and executives. Which left me free to create something of benefit to the community instead of living off the buying and selling of people and today, I love making music, and the music I make. I get to take my time, which is good because I'm lazy and want to snuggle with my sweetie, and make sure I'm happy with the recording before I release it. Allah has been most Generous and Kind to me.

And how are you, my angel? Please take good care of yourself, for you are so beautiful, and I love you so. I'm sure you must be excited with all the attention you're getting lately, but please maintain your prayers, and ask Allah to bring us together soon, in love and happiness in this life, as well as the Hereafter.