mmm-yoso!!!

Recently Consumed

I had ST email me asking what happened to my usual New Year Osechi post, the one I've been doing since 2005. I have noticed that the availability for sale has gone down over the years and the model has increasingly become a "preorder" one. Of course, this year was even more different...….so I just went for a visit during a short break on the 30th and found, that even at 11am, there were pretty slim pickins'.

And frankly; I thought the lines on NYE were going to be crazy; which they were......I drove past on NYE and the line stretched all the way across the mall! So perhaps this 15 tradition has come to an end.....

As for us? Well, I used up the rest of our Duck Confit, along with my bag of Cassoulet Beans from Rancho Gordo, which has been selling out of everything since Covid, and some Garlic Sausage from D'Artagnan and made the Missus Her Cassoulet. She specifically wanted duck in the cassoulet along with a duck leg on top and also a fried egg.....

There have been quite a bit of beans/lentil soup and stews in the mix this year. Is it just me; or does it feel much colder this year? Or is it just that I'm working from home so much?

And still having a pound of garlic sausage left; I did a sort of white bean stew, using the sausage, pancetta, duck rillette, and chard.

The Missus requested Oden "Her way", which meant no kamaboko or chikuwa....only the expensive stuff. This time I put in some kokubo (turnips) which She enjoyed.

And then of course; there's my comfort food".

And....I even went ahead and made Karaage Curry......

Left over Soppressata from a recent order from Salumi Chicago made a decent frittata. Topped with Truffled Marcona Almonds....

And there it is....a round up of dishes that I remembered to take photos of the last couple of weeks.

Tell me, what have you been eating at home?

Midweek Meanderings - Catching Up with Dennis of A Radiused Corner and Recently Consumed

Just a few items for your Wednesday consumption.

Catching Up With Dennis:

I've had a at least half a dozen emails and comments asking me if I'd heard from Dennis of A Radiused Corner. Dennis and I trade emails every so often and if he'd kindly just let folks who enjoy (and miss) his blog knows what's being going on and how he's doing. And of course, being the great guy he his, he was more than happy to answer a few questions.....

And so without further ado; here it is:

It's been a while since you've posted, so what's been going on with Dennis of A Radiused Corner?

Hi Kirk! Getting a promotion a few years back probably contributed the biggest to the damper on blogging. I still regularly photo document my meals (which is pretty normal these days but back then was considered peculiar if your friends found out...). I visit my family every other year in Japan and still enjoy visiting nostalgia inducing joints and quirky shops. Looking back I guess I always appreciated most the intangibles of meal experiences.(?)

I recall running into you a couple of times at Nijiya before the pandemic hit and haven't seen you in a bit, how has life been during these times? Where, if any places have you been frequenting for groceries, take-out, and dining in?

I visit Nijiya occasionally to buy my preferred brand of dashi shoyu, tofu and bonito flakes. As much as I'd like to support my local businesses I actually haven't been eating out at all and been making simple meals at home. (A good excuse to finally use those fancy knives I've accrued over the years, lol.) I think with all my family being in Japan I'm extra cautious to not get sick.

For all the folks, like me who read, enjoyed, and followed A Radiused Corner, should we hold out hope that you'll surprise us with another post one of these days? Or do you have another platform on Social Media where we can see what's going on with you?

I may just pick it back up right where I left off one of these days. Definitely have a backlog of content. I'm more active on Instagram now which a few of my food blogger friends follow but it's actually a personal account that I don't share with the public at the moment.

And finally, anything you want me to pass along to fans of A Radiused Corner?

Yikes, fans?? I'm blushing. Popularity or monetization was never my goal for the blog (if you can tell by its odd name). I think I wanted an outlet for all the photos I'd take, and maybe try to get better at writing at the same time. I still cringe at my ramblings on especially early posts. I don't plan to take the blog down though, warts and all. Cherish the friends I made through it, including you Kirk!

Thanks for the update Dennis! And yes, we do miss your posts and whenever you're ready to start posting again we'll be here!

And to end things up; here are a couple of things I made this past weekend, before this heatwave.......

Here's the porcini ravioli from Trader Joe's with a Porcini-Cremini Sauce:

And I just got my order from Salumi Chicago and the Missus was craving Padrons with Chorizo...….I just subbed out Shishito Peppers instead.

Happy hump day!

A Taste of "Home" for Sunday Lunch

I'm kinda surprised at how busy I can be on a typical weekend morning.

For example; today, after waking Frankie, taking him for a short walk:

1 - Make food for Frankie and his Cousin Auggie - basically 9 pounds of simmered chicken thighs, carrots, sweet potato, and quinoa (yes, F is a hipster I guess). Freeze. Enough for about two weeks.

2 - Meanwhile; finish off making duck confit in the oven. (I made the duck fat yesterday and cured the duck overnight) We've got a heat wave coming this week; so I'm not going to want to have that oven on.

3 - Go grocery shopping

4 - The Missus requested Niku Tofu; so I made that

5 - Make a batch of Ume Dressing

6 - Put together the Missus's salad for Her lunch tomorrow

7 - Put duck into storage pan and wait to cool - this'll keep for months

8 - Clean

Whew; it ain't even eleven yet and I'm bushed.

I really wanted some comfort food......so I made this for lunch.

I'd been missing "home"....the untold toll of Covid-19 is the mental side of things.....no normalcy, we're not able to do many things that were part of our usual way of life. I think not being able to travel has been especially taxing, beyond all the days of work, inability to head out for dinner, the social distancing, the exhausting politicization of the pandemic.

I didn't really expect this to be good....it was an impulse buy when I went to pick-up poke for the Missus at Hawaiian Fresh Seafood Fish Market...but seeing the Chili Pepper Water...I just had to get that.....and so why not grab the laulau and kalua pork?

And it did the trick....especially the fragrance of the luau (taro) leaves.....just the aroma takes me home and back to when, still in high school, I was working (full time by the age of 16). My manager, took me under her wing, and sort of adopted me, they were part of a large family....in fact, my Mom knew the family; the Kukahiko's from growing up in Honolua! Carol would take me to family gatherings in Waianae....introducing me as her "Japanese son". She was quite a character.....all her nieces and nephews called her "Auntie Tita". Food was the best part of these gatherings; at least for me, and they had one of these huge, round metal, steamer things that looked like a buoy. All full of bombucha home made laulau....the best I've ever had. I could put away five jumbo laulau! A little 112 pound Japanese kid!

So, while there was no salted fish in the lau lau, but there was a nugget of fatty pork - in this case pork belly. It was fine...….just the aroma was worth the price, as was the condiment of choice.

And soon after, I was ready to join Frankie as the "Kanak Attack" settled in......

The power of food and our memories of it...…..

We hope that in spite of these challenging times, that you are safe and in good health!

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?