mmm-yoso!!!

Ume Dressing

The Missus was getting tired of Her typical Arugula/green salad, even though I made the vinaigrette from scratch.

So, I decided to start looking thru my cookbooks for some inspiration. This one is from Yotam Ottolenghi's Plenty More. The recipe uses ume puree....so I went hunting for umeboshi paste and found a couple of different brands. The one that won out; both for intensity and balanced flavor was also the most expensive, $8.99 at Nijiya. Regardless; the Missus loves this sprout salad. I use three different types of sprouts; radish, a milder more conventional (i.e. broccoli) sprout, and something with a bit of peppery boldness - arugula or kale sprouts.

I usually make double this recipe, which is good for four good sized salads - in other words four lunches for the Missus.

It does deviate a bit from the original in Ottolenghi's book; but not greatly. I use more ume paste, less Sesame Oil, freshly ground black pepper, I also use more neutral oil (avocado); and also sneak in agave syrup (of course).

Ume Dressing - Inspired by Ottolenghi's Recipe in Plenty More:

2 Tsp Ume Paste (depending on brand, you may need more)
1 Tb Organic Rice Vinegar
1 Tb Lime Juice - Fresh Squeezed
2 Tb Minced Shallot
1 Tb Soy Sauce - I found the Kikkoman works well in this recipe
1 Tb White Sugar
1 Tsp Agave Syrup
1/4 Tsp Sesame Oil
5 Tb Avocado Oil
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

- Combine first 9 ingredients in a bowl and whisk
- Taste and season with salt and pepper

That's it!

To make the salad I mix the base ingredients in a salad bowl - 1 cup shelled edamame, thinly sliced radish and onion (sliced then briefly soaked in cold/ice water to remove the harshness), thinly sliced red cabbage, cilantro leaves, sliced cherry tomatoes, the three sprouts...

I put into a Pyrex container for the Missus and add several more items....what She calls "the good stuff", sliced avocado, cucumber, and either thinly sliced smoked duck or duck prosciutto (we get ours from D'Artangnan). Add a container of the dressing. The Missus adds in a container of roasted sliced almonds and pumpkin seeds.

And we have Her current favorite salad. Which She's been enjoying during the recent heatwaves...….

Recently Consumed

Well, I haven't done one of these in a while....so I thought I'd clear out some of my photos malingering around.

As a whole, I haven't been doing a whole lot of cooking during the week and having to work weekends; well, I've mostly been doing one grill session to make stuff for the Missus's lunch. The Missus is well known at Her work for having never, ever, eaten in the cafeteria. So you can figure who is partially responsible for that, right?

And a lot of what I have been eating at home is stuff like this - leftover pork belly, from the Bossam we had form Woomiok, and I've been making Kelaguen every weekend it seems.

During my grill sessions; when making the Kelaguen, I'll also grill up some wings for the Missus who has really taken to it.

Though it's mostly for grilled veggies for a couple of lunches for Her.

Though I always do an item for me each time - which I have for lunch when I come home to check on Frankie.

Here's some Cumin Flank Steak.

Some Bulgogi - I thought about posting a recipe...but everyone knows how to make bulgogi theses days, right?

On one of my grill sessions I had bought some pork cheek from Nijiya; so I seasoned real well, seared over direct heat and at then dumped some wood chips onto the coals and covered the grill. I had used Ghost Pepper Salt and Squeezed Lemon on it. So, after tasting the smoked pork cheeks; I decided to dice and make a pseudo smoked pork cheek sisig.

It ended up being enough for two meals......topped with an egg of course.

And sometimes....well who knows what I'll put together......

As I get older; I find myself eating more and more like my Mom and Grandparents at times...….for some reason I've been eating quite a bit of tofu.....comfort food during these strange times I guess.

What have you been eating during these strange times?

Recently Consumed - Covid-19 Edition

Just another collection of "stuffs" we've been eating at home.....

The weather seems to be see-sawing a bit....first record heat, then rain with cooler weather followed-up by almost record heat, then misty mornings....looks like perhaps "May Gray" has settled in? Anyway, soup weather, at least in our household seems on the way out....except for the mushroom and potato leek soup.

The Missus actually requested Carne en su Jugo.....literally "meat cooked in it's own juices"......so, I borrowed a recipe from the recently published Rancho Gordo Heirloom Bean Guide since I was going to use their beans anyway. And anything that starts with bacon and bacon fat sounds good, right?

For me, the key to making this were the tomatillos; the Missus didn't want any stock used, so I made twice the amount of what amounts to a salsa verde for the soup.

The Missus's most recent "out of the blue" request? Patatas al Ajillo (garlic potatoes), to this Spanish staple I added to of the Missus's foundation items...….a fried egg and lardons.

As I mentioned in my most recent Smack’N Guamanian Grill post, the Missus requested that I make Kelaguen…..

As we seem to be switching to more warm weather dishes.....

And we've been kind of trading food with our friends as well. Frankie's Auntie "Alle", like many folks I know have been obsessed with making a certain dish.....I've read about all the sourdough obsessions going on; Alle, well, she was determined to make the perfect focaccia. Not any focaccia mind you; but Foccacia Triggiano, from the region in Italy where her dad is from and currently resides. It got to the point where she actually ordered flour from Puglia!

And we were the beneficiaries….

This type of focaccia, much like Foccacia Barese which I've had, uses potato, along with flour......

So yes, we've been eating rather well.....though we still miss going out to eat a couple of times a week.

Funny thing, there's one item that keeps hanging on....that the Missus isn't tired of yet.

Yep, it's Her beloved Hasselback Potatoes!

What's been coming out of your kitchen recently?

We hope everyone is in good health....both physically and mentally!

Hang in there!

Recently Consumed (and some cooking tips) - Covid-19 Edition

I'm pretty much bushed; so just a quick post of things that came out of our kitchen.

We finally got our delivery of beans and lentils from Rancho Gordo; yes, they are swamped and out of a lot of items and delivery was delayed a couple of times; but believe me, their product is worth waiting for.

Made a Lentil and Kale Soup....made with...well, bacon fat of course.

And the missus just "needed" a couple of poached eggs. I've learned a couple of key points when making poached eggs over the years:

1 - The fresher the eggs; the better the outcome is. The older the eggs are, the more runny the whites are, which will make for very "wispy" poached eggs.

2 - Strain your eggs before poaching. This will remove the really runny whites

The Missus requested Katsudon a favorite of Hers a few nights back.

She will even eat the leftovers cold....I think She might even prefer them that way!

For me; one of the key steps is a short 15-20 minute brine of the chicken breast. I use a basic brine similar to what I use for smoking chicken.

For one pound chicken breast; cut and pound to an even 1/3 inch thick, then brine is a solution of 1/4 cup kosher salt, 1/2 tsp granulated garlic, 1 quart water for 15-20 minutes. Make sure to dry the chicken well before initiating the breading process.

You'll find that you won't need to add much more seasoning when breading the katsu.

Here's something I made for myself when the Missus was working - Kimchi Fried Rice with Chashu Chicken and of course....it just needed an egg!

Hope everyone has been eating well!

Have a safe and delici-yoso weekend!

Basic Mushroom Broth/Stock

Well, the Missus wanted Her Mushroom Risotto again.

And while I've already done a post on the risotto already; I thought I'd go ahead and post my very basic mushroom broth that I use to make the risotto and various mushroom soups and such; it's really simple. It's based on a recipe in the late Charlie Trotter's cookbook - Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home. The recipe is kinda hidden away in one of the soup recipes. There is a difference in the version I make. I use various mushroom trimmings that I freeze; the good stuff; you know chanterelles, oyster mushrooms, etc.....and in the case where the Missus wants a soup or risotto before I hit the two pound mark, I'll supplement with cremini mushrooms. It's a very nice broth.

Anyway, here goes:

Mushroom Broth:

2 Pounds Mushroom Trimmings or Cremini Mushrooms Chopped
3-4 Tb Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 1/2 Quarts Water
1/2 Cup Dry White Wine
1 1/2 - 2 Cups Roughly Chopped Onion
1 Bulb of Garlic Chopped
1 Tsp Thyme
1 Tsp Oregano
salt and pepper to taste

- Add mushrooms to a cold stockpot. Turn up heat to medium-high and let sit until the mushrooms start giving up its liquid before stirring
- Add olive oil, garlic, onions, and saute until fragrant
- Add white wine to deglaze (the mushrooms will leave a bit of a "fond" in the pot)
- Add Thyme and Oregano and mix well
- Add Water and bring to a simmer
- Simmer for 2 hours
- Strain broth and add salt and pepper (if desired) to taste

You can freeze the broth - makes about 10-12 cups

We use it for our risotto instead of chicken or any other broth. I will also use it in addition to mushroom soaking liquid and reduce for pasta sauce.

I hope everyone is still doing well!

Have a great...and safe weekend!

Our best wishes to all of you for Easter and the season ahead

I think it would be disingenuous for me to wish everyone a "Happy Easter"......I believe it's far from that this year. But, in spite of being rather agnostic (long story there...), we still wanted to make sure to wish everyone a safe and healthy day.

The Missus is working today and I had my first full day off since the middle of February. And having a day staying at home....well, I caught up on some cleaning chores, gave Frankie a long overdue bath (he's not talking to me at the moment), and discovered this amazing thing called an afternoon nap.

As for a blow-out Easter meal, well, that isn't happening this year. Instead, I just went and cleaned out the pantry a bit; the extra ham hock I had from Siesel's with a the half pound of Rancho Gordo Cranberry Beans; the half rack of pork ribs and half-pound nixtamalized corn I had left from making pozole, collard greens, potato, zucchini, etc...… And just made a hearty soup.

All the soaking and simmering took most of the day; but I'm sure the Missus will enjoy this when She gets home.

I hope every one is doing well on this Easter, physically and mentally. And like the title of this really short post says.

Our best wishes to all of you for Easter and the season ahead!

 

Recently Consumed - Cream of Broccoli Soup and Hasselback Potatoes (sort of a recipe)

How are you hanging in there? Our hope is that everyone is in good health.

I know for a fact that many folks are cooking like crazy...….trying to keep busy during our "stay at home" during these challenging and unsettling times. We've been trading food with friends.

And the Missus keeps wanting soup.

I have a basic potato-leek soup recipe that I can use as a base for things, like the Cauliflower or Asparagus Soup. So, on this night the Missus wanted Cream of Broccoli Soup, which now, even though I've worked a full day (I've been going in at 530 am to do validation/tasks), I can pull off fairly smoothly.

Though on this night the Missus wanted Hasselback Potatoes....who the heck wants to make that on a weeknight? Aaaand She wanted it topped with Bacon and Cheddar Cheese.

Basically, to form the potatoes....I found some good sized Yukon Golds for this.

You line up two chopsticks on either side of the potato and make thin slices, leaving about a quarter inch of unsliced potato at the bottom.

Since I had made bacon, I strained the fat and brushed on the fat and used Maldon Salt to season the exterior and in between the slices.

I baked in a 425 oven on a rack over a baking sheet.

After 20 minutes, I noticed that the slices had started to separate, so I brushed on a nice coating of what remained of the fat along with some extra virgin olive oil.

After about another 25 minutes, it looked good to go. I turned the oven up to 500 and topped with some smoked cheddar that I had grated. Along with bacon.

After a few minutes it was ready.....but the Missus wasn't......talkin' about killing me!

Anyway, after a short wait, the Missus got Her soup and potato.

Not bad for a Wednesday night.

What have you been eating during these unsettling times?

Recently Consumed: The Covid-19 Edition - It's mostly soup (and beans)

Sorry for the time gaps between posts; I've been working quite a bit and after making dinner and stuff, am pretty wiped out.

Anyway; here's a bunch of stuff I did, by request of the Missus....who is working even harder than I am right now.

In my previous post, I had a photo of the roped off area for Seisel's….I basically went there to pick up bacon and the ham hocks, my favorite in San Diego. I used up the bag of red beans from Rancho Gordo and made some Ham Hock and Red Bean Soup.

We've been trading dishes with Frankie's two favorite Aunties and each got some of the soup....Aunte "Alle" said it was really good.

For some reason, the Missus is requesting cream type soups, which are kind of a pain....but She's working really hard....so what the heck.

Her favorite is the Mushroom Soup I make, I'm basically using Jacque Pepin's Creamy Leek and Mushroom Soup recipe; except with more....a lot more mushrooms, both dried, and fresh.

I finally got to use the really high quality porcini we got in Italy. I also use tried and true additions (white wine) and techniques (starting the mushrooms in a dry pan), with twice the amount of dried porcini (1 ounce) and 12 ounces of cremini, with white mushrooms added at the end.

Of course the Missus added truffle oil and extra virgin olive oil....from the bottle we brought back from Avignon.

Of course you saw the cauliflower soup in an earlier post, and I made some potato leek soup, the base of which I used to make Cream of Asparagus Soup....which turned out to be another favorite of the Missus....go figure.

I've gone ahead and used leftover beans and veggies to make Cassoulet/One Pan Dishes as well.

This one is inspired from a recipe in Joe Yonan's wonderful cookbook, Cool Beans.

Much like I do for my Cassoulet, I mix the panko with duck fat....and in this base rendered bacon fat as well before topping the dish.

Having more leftover beans, I added some sausage, sliced zucchini, tomatoes, and red bell peppers....leftovers from other dishes and did kinda the same thing in my small cast iron pan.

I think the next time I make this; I'll forgo the panko and just top with a couple of easy over eggs....cooked in duck fat of course.

And while I forgot to take photos of the potato leek soup I made; I was amazed at how large the potatoes and leeks I bought were.....so I decided to measure them, using Frankie as a reference point.

While I assured "F" that he wasn't part of the recipe....he doesn't look convinced, does he?

Hope everyone is safe and healthy!

Eating (and drinking) in the Time of Covid-19 - Soup, Sandwich Emporium, and Beer from Bay Hill Tavern

First off; we sincerely hope that your family, friends, and loved ones are in good health.

It's been an interesting couple of weeks for me; I haven't had a day off in a couple of weeks. Still, we've had to make due with all the restaurant and bar closures.

I'm figuring most of you are eating like us....here's some Cauliflower Soup I made.

The secret ingredient, other than the truffle oil and bacon fat; is that I use saved up Parmesan rinds when making the soup. It adds a nice, milky-savory flavor to soups. So, go ahead and freeze those rinds; don't throw them away.

While the rational part of my brain wasn't surprised when the order came down to end dine-in service at restaurants; another part of me was jolted....I mean.....I kinda like eating out (in case that wasn't obvious). So what to do?

Well we are eating at home and such, and many places are closed, but there are lists like this one and of course Social Media, where you can find places that will deliver. And since one of those places and I go back to the beginning of the blog, I got some of the folks in the office to team up and place a pick-up order.

It was, like most times a decent sandwich. I think the fact that we were able to help out a place that is close to home made it taste even better.

Sandwich Emporium
3054 1/2 Clairemont Drive
San Diego,CA

Give them a call at one of the three locations to see what the hours are.

Speaking of close to home. I was driving home when I saw this......

While I'm sure there was a hint of humor here....after all, the crowds on most evenings from Wednesday to Saturday! I still felt something stir inside....perhaps I was thirsty?

So, I went into the parking lot; which is usually packed, today.....it was desolate. And decided, while I wasn't hungry, I was going to make dinner at home, I did need a digestif, right?

So tonight after dinner; I'll have my Duchesse...or as we were correected and laughed at in Belgium; a "Doo-Chezz"!

And nope, I haven't actually had a drink, nor eaten at Bay Hill Tavern yet......wouldn't it be funny if the first meal I had there would be during the Coronavirus outbreak?

I was told that they are open afternoon and evenings, with to-go brunch on weekends. You can check their website.

Bay Hill Tavern
3010 Clairemont Drive
San Diego, CA 92117

Of course, who knows what tomorrow...or even tonight will bring?

Take care and best wishes from us!

Recently Consumed and a Recipe for Chile de Arbol Salsa

Like I mentioned previously, it's been a pretty busy week. So here are some of the things I made recently and a recipe for the Chile de Arbol Salsa that I've been making recently.

Like my previous Recently Consumed post; we're still working thru the beans from Rancho Gordo. Here's a White Bean and Kale Soup.

The Missus had been requesting that I make Her favorite mushroom soup....so I finally made some.....last night.

She likes a ton of truffle oil on Hers......I go with some shaved Parmesan Reggiano and Extra Virgin Olive we bought in Provence.

I opened a can of Chipotle Chilies en Adobo and didn't want to waste, so I made some Chipotle Cauliflower.

And of course, pozole during the weekends.

And of course, one of the salsas I have on hand is one made with Chile de Arbol; I mentioned finding some from India in an earlier post. Love the heat in these; makes a pretty spicy, heady salsa.

Chile de Arbol Salsa:

8oz (weighed out) Dried Chile de Arbol, stems removed, wiped clean

1/2 cup Freshly Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 Apple Cider Vinegar

1 Tb Tomato Paste

1 Tb Ground Cumin

1 Tb Agave Syrup

4-6 Cloves of Garlic

1/3 - 1/2 cup chopped onion

Salt to Taste

Combine Apple Cider Vinegar and Lime Juice in a bowl

Warm a dry cast iron pan over medium-high heat and toast (do not burn) the chilies

Add the chilies to the Vinegar and Lime Juice, mix well and let the chilies soak for 20-30 minutes

Once hydrated add the chilies, cumin, garlic, Agave syrup, onion, tomato paste, and enough liquid in a blender and process to achieve the texture you desire. You can strain if you want to, but I just remove any stray seeds. I usually end up using almost all the liquid.

Taste and salt to taste.

Enjoy.....

The Missus really liked it with the Chipotle Black Bean Tostadas I made.

Hope everyone is having a great week!