Via: phoenixnewtimes.com

Damon Brasch

The guitar player for Phoenix band MISR WAT (and chef and owner of Green Restaurant) is busy writing new songs with his band.

What’d you eat for dinner last night?

Simple Broccoli and Pasta (recipe below)

Favorite food:

Probably fresh artichokes, we make them at home a lot. They are a pain to clean and prepare, but oh-so-worth it.

Least favorite food:

Balut. It’s a Philippine delicacy and just wicked, wicked, wicked. Google it, but don’t eat it.

Favorite dessert:

Right now it’s the “Better Finger” tSoynami at Green Restaurant.

Favorite local restaurant and meal to order there:

My favorite place for years has been Cafe Lalibela in Tempe. The vegetarian combo plate hits the spot every time.

Favorite local bar and cocktail to order there:

The Swizzle Inn on 16th St. and Bethany Home Road, and I enjoy a Gin Gimlet from time to time.

Favorite thing to cook at home:

Anything I don’t have to cook is my favorite. My wife makes amazing bean tacos with lime and salt.

Favorite memory involving food:

Too many, but a funny one is when I was private chef on a large chartered boat. I was feeding over 300 people that evening. One of my dishes was this amazing big eye tuna served lightly seared with a passion fruit glaze. In the chaos of packing all my items before we left the dock, I forgot the glaze. I ended up making a pretty solid sauce for the tuna, out of condiments from the boat’s bar-mustard packets, sugar, worchestershire, orange juice, soy sauce-whatever I could find. I was freaking out, but it all came together. It always does.

Recipe or food tip to share:

Simple Broccoli and Pasta

1 lb any pasta cooked al dente ( I prefer whole wheat pasta)

1 lb frozen or fresh broccoli

About 4 minutes into cooking the pasta, toss in the bite-sized, chopped broccoli in the water. Salt the water a bit while cooking. After about 8 minutes, depending on the kind of pasta used, strain the pasta and broccoli together and put right back in the pot used for cooking.

Then add:

4 clove crushed garlic

1/2 cup good olive oil

squeeze juice of one large lemon (also zest if time permits)

a handful of chopped walnuts (I do 2 handfuls)

3 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast (you can sub parmesan cheese if you prefer, but know that it’s full of cow puss, look it up!)

Salt and Pepper to taste

pinch of red pepper flakes

Toss a bit and serve. Kids love this one.