Miso Rice Noodle Soup

Noodle Soup at Patty’s

We’re moving. Again.
Since Mike and I first decided to shack up in the spring of 2004, we’ve lived in five different places. First we decided on a tiny, oddly shaped, apartment in Park Slope Brooklyn that came with a deck (virtually unheard of) and a psychotic, over-achieving family of four next door (all too common). In need of more room and a little bit more soul in the neighborhood, we moved into a duplex (two floors in Brooklyn…we were the envy of many) in Sunset Park. This apartment had two bathrooms. Need I say more? Only troubles were some very feisty roaches and a rooster in a neighboring yard. Although the rooster was more tolerable than the guilt-tripping, overly competitive, too-perfect mothers of Park Slope, the rooster was almost as loud and obnoxious. After a year in Sunset Park, we moved all are worldly possessions into storage and moved ourselves into a tent and two bicycles as we attempted to cross the country. A sign-reading incident in Montana left Mike on the DL and us on a train to Maine. The fourth place we moved into was an oldie but a goody for me. We moved into my mom’s house. We lived there for almost two whole months. We dirtied her kitchen and used more towels than we had any right to. Finally we found a lovely apartment in the heart of Bangor. The apartment promised lots of light, an easy bike ride to work for me, and a quick walk downtown for mike. Unbeknownst to us, trouble was brewing. Downstairs our landlord and neighbor decided to purchase a puppy. We’re talking about our landlord who works three jobs. A neglected puppy constantly parks and cries. And we listened. So now we are, once again, getting ready to make a move. This time we’re headed out of town to a little cottage on a stream in Hampden. I’m a little skeptical about living right off of a major route with no sidewalks and barely any shoulder, but the scene is picturesque and there is only the babble of the brook to keep us company.
The point of this long take is to set the stage for last night’s dinner. My mother has offered to cook us meals and let us use her kitchen for a home base as we move all of our stuff. She even went out of her way to purchase lots of tasty veggies and grains for yours truly.
Last night, although we haven’t even begun to move yet, we took my mom up on her dinner offer. I purchased some miso, tofu and kim chee at the health food store and we headed over to make some rice noodle soup.
I started by sautéing some carrots, a few scallions, and tofu in the bottom of a large stock pot. At the same time I cooked the rice noodles separately in a pot so that they would stay nice and al dente. The plan was to cook the soup and add the noodles at the last minute. Once the tofu, scallions and carrots began to brown a little, I added about two liters of water to the pot. Once the water began to boil gently I added two large bok choy bunches, cut into one inch pieces and ½ of a large nappa cabbage, also cut into 1 inch pieces . As the veggies were just done, I turned off the heat and spooned in about ½ to ¾ cup of miso paste. We served the soup by placing the cooked rice noodles in a bowl, adding the soup and then garnishing with finely chopped scallions, mung bean sprouts and kim chee. Delicious!

Solo Stir Fry

Sorry I’ve been out of touch for a few days. Mike has been working late and catching dinner out at a few of Bangor’s local eateries. As a result I’ve been eating stir fries without much panache. But having a nice wok to work with does make a difference. (Thank you mom!) I’ve also been taking time to work on the baked goods. My current project is aimed at creating mini-pies with a flourless crust and tasty fillings. So far the best success I’ve had with the “crust” is with a ¾ part millet to ¼ part buckwheat mixture pressed into an oiled muffin tin. I recently tried adding some finely chopped walnuts and sunflower seeds to the crust mixture. The trouble seems to lie in the fact that the whole grains, when they are baked, can get a little too crunchy, so that the texture is unpleasant. The fillings I’ve tried so far are: a baked squash custard and a cranberry/raisin mixture. The squash was good, made with soymilk and tofu, but it was a bit too creamy for my taste. I loved the cranberry/raisin mixture, but it was a bit tart for most people’s tastes. Mike mentioned to me yesterday that I might be spinning my wheels because I don’t even like sweets, so why try to make them. Good question mike! Ah well, the chemist in me wants to succeed even if my taste buds long for something savory.

Lemon/Lime Scallops are Tasty!

Steamed and Stir Fried Citrus Scallops with Brown Rice and a Green Salad with Carrots and Lentils.
Eating up the seafood bounty from Saturday!
Introduction:
This meal was made on Monday, the day before Mike’s birthday. I was busy running around trying to find him a gift and also making time to hit the gym for a little while. I knew I wouldn’t have a lot of time to prepare a meal, and I also knew that going out was not an option because the scallops we purchased on Saturday needed to be eaten! So with an eye towards cooking a speedy dinner upon my return to the apartment I asked Mike to cook up some brown rice. It seemed likely that I could come up with something quick and easy to do with the scallops and some veggies when I finally got back as long as we didn’t have to wait 45 minutes to cook up some grain.
I braved a few moments in the mall to pick out a fluffy, cozy robe for Mike and managed to squeeze in a 40 minute workout at the Y. I returned to the apartment and found mike standing in front of two huge bags of veggies, wearing an apron and a chef’s hat, just sort of staring at the ingredients with a befuzzled look upon his face. Sometimes cooking is just too overwhelming when we’re exhausted or particularly hungry! But a big pot of brown rice was all cooked up and I was excited to get my hands on the lovely scallops. Mike suggested cooking the scallops with the bok choy and mung bean sprouts that we’ve had on hand for several days. I couldn’t have agreed more!
Basic Idea
I cooked some finely minced onions and a jalepeno pepper in a little oil in our new wok (thank you mom!)
I then squeezed in the juice from one lemon and one lime.
I added a capful of fish sauce and a generous squeeze of agave nectar.
I also chopped some dulse sea vegetable and added it to the liquid.
Then in went the scallops (one pound) and I covered to cook in the juice for a little while.
As soon as the scallops were just about done I added the leaves from several bok choy plants, and cooked until just finished.
We garnished with small radishes and cilantro

The salad was carrots, onion, cooked lentils and red oak lettuce.
The vinaigrette was sherry vinegar, olive oil and salt.


YUM!

Steamed Haddock and Pasta

Here's a picture of me posing in my chef's hat(ridiculous!) and in my new blue scarf (thank you Dee and Lorein!)

Enough about fashion...on to the fish:

Steamed Haddock, Soy Pasta with White Bean/Carrot/Ginger Sauce and Steamed Swiss Chard
At the Market:
Saturday has become synonymous with seafood here at the well fed chemist’s house. Saturday means the European Market is open which, in turn, means my favorite fish guy is ready with fresh delights from the Maine coast. This weekend I tried the haddock for the first time and picked up a pound of scallops because I just can't resist them. While at the market I also picked up radishes, swiss chard, bok choy, purple kale, brussel sprouts and carrots from the vegetable stand. The months of January-March will be tough when the folks from Fisher Farm stop bringing in their lush veggies to Bangor.
Inspirations:
I’ve cooked fillets of red snapper by steaming them in a Thai-style marinade before. You place a metal steam basket in a large pot with about an inch or so of water in the pot. Then you place the fish in a pie plate with the marinade and place the whole thing on top of the steam basket. Cover, set on high heat and you wind up with a delicious, moist, flaky and flavorful fish. For the pasta, I wanted to take advantage of two things. First of all I am totally psyched that soy bean pasta exists, and that its texture is chewy and that it doesn’t fall apart like some wheat-free pastas. And soy bean pasta is made from whole soy beans, and no other ingredients. Not bad! For the sauce, since I don’t frequently eat tomatoes, I’m always looking for other options. I know that white beans, when blended, are rich and creamy. The idea was to use the white beans in conjunction with cooked carrots and ginger to make a creamy, flavorful sauce.
How it Went:
Steamed Haddock in a Thai Marinade:
Into a pyrex pie dish
I added about ½ a tablespoon of Fish Sauce to
the juice from two limes,
a heaping tablespoon of rice syrup,
a copped jalepeno pepper,
2 Tbs thinly sliced red pepper
and 2-3 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro.
In went the fish and a drizzle of toasted sesame oil.
I marinated the fish for about ½ an hour and then placed the pie dish on top of a steam basket in a large stock pot. The pot contained about 1-2” of water. I covered and steamed.
Analysis of Fish: Depending on the thickness of the fish, the cooking time will vary. I am always nervous about overcooking fish and this evening was no exception. I took the fish out a little early so it was still fairly translucent in the middle. I recommend steaming the fish until it completely flakes. The fish will stay tender because of all the marinade. Serve the fish with the marinade drizzled over the top. You may want to add salt and pepper to taste.
Steamed Bok Choy:
It was great! Do not overcook and drizzle with a little rice vinegar. LOVELY!
Soy Pasta with White Bean/Carrot/Ginger sauce (puree)
I used a lot of white beans cooked with wakame sea vegetable and 1 small onion.
When the beans were just shy of done I added chunks of carrot and minced fresh ginger. When everything was soft but not mushy, I pureed the mixture in the blender, in batches, until smooth.
Analysis of Pasta:
The sauce is a good idea, but in the future I will use about ½ cup cooked white beans to 1 cup of carrots. I will also use garlic (which I was out of at the time). I think this recipe will be good once the proportions are worked on a little bit. This time I garnished with some chopped pine nuts. The sauce is already fairly rich, so including the pine nuts is a matter of taste. Some flat leaf Italian parsley would also be nice to lighten up this fairly rich meal.
We also had a lovely salad: Some chopped Dulse sea vegetable makes a big difference to the taste of a salad!

Wheat-Free, Dairy-Free Baking Experiments Begin

This weekend marked the advent of a new research project. I want to make tasty wheat-free, dairy-free baked goods. I would also like to include whole grains if possible, and if not, at least include whole-grain flours. I won't be using refined sugar, or any sugar cane products. I'll be using rice syrup, maple syrup and agave nectar. This weekend I make a cranberry/raisin pie with cooked buckwheat as a crust and finely chopped almonds as a topping. Mike couldn't get over the strange whole grain crust, but I liked it. He also didn't like the sourness of the cranberries as much as I did. But ah well. I ate most of it anyway. I also made some baked quash muffin like items. I was trying to stick with the whole grain theme and mixed sweet brown rice (cooked), some maple syrup, raisins and cooked buttercup squash together. I scooped the mixture into greased muffin tins, topped with chopped pine nuts and baked. The rice particles got a little hard, but they were kind of like individual little squash puddings. Sunday I tried my hand at using the other half of my butternut squash to make muffins. I used 100% whole buckwheat flour and a little baking soda. I stuck with the squash-raisin theme and added some chopped walnuts. For liquid I used corn oil and a little water. I didn't think about an emulsifier (the role eggs usually fill) so the muffins came out a little flat. I've been fishing around the internet, however, and I'm coming up with some good ideas. I'll post more this week and I'll include some photos of this new experimental phase. Good times are ahead.

Amaranth & Bean Soup Research Paper

An Investigation of the Sweet and Savory Properties of Amaranth Accompanied by a Hot and Sour Carrot Salad and a Creamy White Bean Soup
Well Fed Chemist, Bangor Investigative Kitchen, November 14th, as part of an ongoing investigation into wheat-free, dairy-free, meat-free whole grain meals

Abstract:
This evening our kitchen staff was interested in creating a creamy white bean soup that utilized the last two parsnips that were beginning to wilt in the back of the refrigerator. We were also curious about how to incorporate the nutrient and amino acid rich amaranth grain into a satisfying side dish. Finally we were curious about adapting a carrot salad recipe from a Mediterranean cookbook to the few ingredients left in our present stock room. The soup, grain and carrot dishes were successful, but the green item we prepared this evening in order to balance out the color scheme of the meal was perhaps a little imbalanced. Dates, onions and walnuts are a great way to prepare a mixture of two grains. Blanched carrots with hot pepper and lemon vinaigrette are awesome.

Introduction:
This morning, the well fed chemist (that’s me) decided to soak some small white beans before leaving for work. After a typically exhausting day of teaching I returned to my Bangor Investigative Kitchen and knew that the white beans would necessarily be the centerpiece of our evening’s meal. The other undisputable fact was the need to utilize the beautiful purple kale that we had purchased Saturday from our favorite organic vegetable vendor from Bangor’s European Market. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about preparing grains in a liquid that contains both a sweet and savory component. In particular I have been experimenting with preparing grains with a mixture of onions and dried fruit. Winter calls for rich textures. And so this evening I decided to experiment with preparing Amaranth with onions, dates and walnuts. Amaranth is an interesting grain because it is so extremely small. The grain also has an extremely earthy taste and cooks up into a sticky, thick consistency which can be a little strange upon first encounter. How to properly prepare this grain has been a reoccurring theme in my research. As always I was looking for something green, something orange, something grainy and something beany. It’s like a well choreographed wedding.
Materials:
Creamy White Bean Soup
1 ½ cups small white beans
3 cups water
2 pieces of wakame sea vegetable
2-3 Tbs. Miso
3 small onions, chopped
2 small parsnips chopped unto small cubed
2-3 Tbs. Olive oil.

Carrot Salad
1 small hot pepper
juice of ½ lemon
four carrots, cut into matchsticks.
2 Tbs olive oil.
salt and pepper to taste

Purple Kale with Red Onions
1 large bunch of purple Kale, stems removed, cut into 1” strips
1/8 th of a large red onion cut into paper thin slices
2-3 Tbs. Rice Vinegar

Amaranth and Buckwheat with Dates and Walnuts
¾ cup amaranth
¾ cup buckwheat
6 pitted dates
2 small onions, chopped into large pieces
¼ cup chopped walnuts
1 ½ cups of water
pinch sea salt

Methods:
Creamy White Bean Soup
In a large soup pot saute the onions in olive oil. When onions begin to sweat add parsnips. Cook until a little browning occurs. Add water, beans and wakame. Bring to a boil then reduce to a strong simmer, covered. Cook until beans are tender and a little mushy. In batches, blend soup in a blender or food processor. Heat and serve.

Carrot Salad
Blanch carrots in boiling water. (Drop carrots, already cut into matchsticks in boiling water for a little less than a minute, then remove with a slotted spoon our pour into a colander) In a bowl mix olive oil, lemon juice and diced hot pepper. Add a little lemon zest if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss carrots in dressing and let sit to marinate.

Purple Kale with Onions
Steam Kale, then submerge in cold water to halt cooking. Thinly slice 1.8 of a red onion. Mix Kale and onion, dress with rice vinegar.

Amaranth and Buckwheat with onions and dates.
Cook onions in olive oil over medium high heat. Once browning, add chopped dates and walnuts. Cook for 5 minutes. Add amaranth and water.** In our kitchen we cooked the amaranth and buckwheat separately, but this is not necessary. You could add the entire volume of water (3 cups) and then when the amaranth is done, add the buckwheat at the very end and cook for less than five minutes. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer, covered until amaranth becomes translucent and tender. Add buckwheat and cook until tender and still a little crunchy. Salt to taste.
Results/Discussion:
The soup was excellent! Creamy and hearty and all around satisfying. Mike would have liked to have some bread, so if you can, this would be a nice opportunity to enjoy a chunk of sourdough or whole grain bread. The carrot salad was also great!
The hotness of the peppers and the sourness of the carrots was a satisfying combination. The Amaranth/Buckwheat mixture was a last minute decision. Originally I was only planning on cooking the amaranth, but the texture of this grain alone lacks a certain density. With the buckwheat, however, each mouthful was more satisfying. The dates, onions and walnuts were a great way to flavor the dish. Mike felt as though the kale was a little misplaced and he would have preferred a simple salad instead.
Conclusion and Summary: This was a tasty dinner with two major triumphs. The carrot salad will definitely be repeated. And I will continue to cook grains with dried fruits. Although there were beans in the soup, this meal could have done well with a protein dish as part of the main meal as well. Some shrimp would have been a nice touch!

Rutabaga Research Paper

Mashed Rutabaga and Millet with roasted Garlic
The Well Fed Chemist, Bangor Maine, November 13, 2006
Purpose: To use the second tuna steak we bought on Sunday and to experiment with a bag of rutabagas that had been purchased two weeks prior.
Hypothesis: The pungent, earthy taste of rutabagas will go nicely with the rich, sweet taste of roasted garlic. By mashing roasted garlic and rutabagas with cooked millet I will be able to create a creamy dish reminiscent of mashed potatoes but with a more complex taste and the goodness of whole grains.
Introduction: I’ve been thinking about mashing up rutabagas with roasted garlic and millet for two weeks now, ever since I bought a bag of rutabagas from my favorite farm stand. I’ve never really eaten rutabagas before unless they were in a soup or used to make a stock. But, wow, what a cool flavor! Earlier in this fall I bought two one Saturday and used them in a sorghum/millet fritter mixture. With their rather strong, pungent earthly flavor I figured they would work well as a potato substitute. And roasted garlic is like a slice of gourmet heaven with minimal effort. All you really need is time. Millet, although a little strange to eat all on its own, will become almost creamy if mixed well enough after cooking. I feel like there is a lot of potential for millet in my diet, I just need to spend some time experimenting. Of course, that’s most of the fun for me when it comes to spending time in the kitchen. I’m also committed to millet because it’s one of the coveted gluten-free gains!
The other motivation for cooking this meal was to use up the leftover squash from our Saturday night sushi meal and to cook up the beautiful bok choy that I purchased on Saturday before it got too wilted in the fridge. I also had two leeks that were purchased last week and were beginning to look a little limpid and yellow around the ends. Finally there was the second tuna steak we bought on Saturday in preparation for our sushi dinner. As is often the case with our laboratory team, (me and mike!), our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Of course, we’re working on readjusting the size of our stomachs to fit the size of our eyes.
Materials: (Fed a Family of three, but could use more Tuna if Required)
Tuna With Leeks:
1 tuna steak
sesame seeds
½ cup dry white wine (or miren)
2 table spoons olive oil
two leeks, cut in thin strips lengthwise
salt and pepper

Bok Choy with Vinegar:
3 large bok choy
vinegar to taste

Buttercup Squash
1 squash, halved with the seeds removed

Mashed Rutabagas and Millet with roasted garlic
1 cup millet
2 cups water
four-five small rutabagas
1 head of garlic with the very top removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Methods:
Tuna Steak:
Pat dry, salt and pepper each side. Place each side on dish of sesame seeds to coat. Heat pan on high, add olive oil to cover pan, sear tuna on both sides. Remove tuna from pan and add leeks to pan. Cook until leeks begin to brown, add wine and reduce. Keep adding wine and reducing until leeks are tender. Pour leeks and sauce over tuna steak. Slice and serve with generous serving of leeks.
Bok Choy:
Steam for a minute, remove from steamer, and run cold water over vegetables until cool. Dress with vinegar.
Squash:
Preheat oven to 475˚. Place halves face down, add a tiny bit of water, and bake until brown and a fork easily pierces through. (40+ mintes)
Mashed Rutabagas and Millet with Roasted Garlic:
Place rutabagas and head of garlic (with very top removed) in baking dish. Pierce rutabagas with knife or fork Drizzle with olive oil. Be sure the garlic is well covered with olive oil. Bake at 425 until rutabagas are soft and begin to brown. The garlic may take less time and it is finished when the top begins to brown and the cloves are soft. Bring millet and water to a boil in a covered pot. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered until water is absorbed. Give the grain a good stirring upon completion of cooking. Place millet, cubed rutabagas and garlic to a large bowl. You can simply squeeze the garlic out of their skins and into the bowl. Add salt and pepper and 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper. Mash until a creamy consistency.
Results:
A colorful plate and something new for everyone. My mom tried medium rare tuna for the first time and we all tried the mashed rutabaga dish for the first time. The meal was enjoyed by all.
Discussion:
The mashed rutabaga/roasted garlic and millet combo was well conceived, but needed to have a little more liquid added and be more thoroughly mashed in order to obtain maximum creaminess. The bok choy needs to be dressed with some vinegar (I was the only one who did this) and it might be nice to dress the vegetable before serving so that some of the vinegars is nicely absorbed. Mike felt as though the tuna should have been more thoroughly cooked through so that it was only pink in the very center. He would also have preferred that the tuna be cooked on a hotter flame. Everyone agreed that the leeks cooked in oil and white wine was excellent.
Conclusion and Summary:
I will definitely be trying more combinations of roasted veggies mashed with grains in the future this winter. I believe that this kind of combination offers interesting flavor combinations as well as a satisfying texture for all to enjoy.

Saturday Night Sushi (With Friends!)

Saturday Night Sushi and we’re Having Company for the First Time!
A semi-clean apartment and the advent of the “Fish Guy” at the European market means that this Saturday Mike and I played host to our inaugural make your own sushi dinner party. Although we rushed to the European market early Saturday morning, we didn’t make it until a half an hour after opening. For some reason, that I’m sure is a residual effect from living in NYC, I felt that if I wasn’t the first person in line at the fish stand, then I wouldn’t be able to get a fresh tuna steak. So when we arrived at the market, I rushed out of the car and did a little jog up to the fish guy. There were plenty of tuna steaks available and some already cooked and picked crab meat looking sweet and delicious. Preparations were beginning to take shape nicely.
For two hours prior to our guests’ arrival I made a green salad, an arame sea vegetable salad and prepared all of the “fillings” for the evening’s festivities. I baked a squash, sautéed some shitake mushrooms and sliced scallions, cucumber and carrots. I also diced tofu for a miso soup. Right before we served dinner we also sliced up an avocado to use as filling. With some wasabi and pickled ginger we were ready to roll.
Although there were many highlights of the evening, including drinking sake from a bottle ensconced in some sort of braided fiber, practicing belly dancing moves at the table and proclaiming that Al Green is “my man”, the moment that was the highlight for me was what transpired after the conversation moved towards politics. Although all present have very similar and rather passionate political beliefs, there is still a lot of emotions that rise to the surface when we think about the state of our world. As the conversation became more passionate and intense, Mike did a courageous and lovely thing. He stuck two pieces of carrot in his mouth and held them like fangs coming from his top teeth. But the best part of this action, however, was the immediate reaction from our guests who followed suit until we were all making silly faces and brandishing our new dental accoutrements.

Last Friday's Bean Soup Supper

Day off from work Bean Soup over Rice with a Green Salad
RECIPE:
Bean Soup
¾ cup dried pinto beans
¾ cup dried kidney beans
two large piece of wakame sea vegetable (or two teaspoons salt)
two jalapeno peppers
one hot green pepper
1 small red onion, chopped
kernels from two ears of corn
three carrots, cubed
1 large bunch of swiss chard, rinsed and cut into ½ inch strips.
Rice (or other favorite) vinegar to taste
¼ cup chopped almonds
salt and pepper to taste
Rinse and soak the kidney and pinto beans for 5 hours. Overnight is better.
Drain beans, cover with water plus two-three inches in a large stock pot, add two large pieces of wakame sea vegetable (not the instant kind) and bring to a gentle boil. (If you are serving over rice, start the rice cooking at the same time) After beans have been simmering for 10 minutes or so add the chopped red onion and the three peppers. You can adjust the hotness of your soup with the number and spiciness of your peppers. When beans are finally soft (30-40 minutes) add in the corn and carrots. When the corn and carrots are still crispy and not quite done add in swiss chard, cover and cook for about 2 minutes. Remove from heat, sprinkle the chard with some vinegar before stirring the green into the soup and serve over rice with chopped almonds sprinkled on top.
Brown Rice:
1 cup short grain brown rice
½ cup mixture of black and red rice
3 cups of water.
Combine rice and water in a pot, cover, place on high heat until the water boils, reduce to a simmer and remove from heat once the water is absorbed.
Garden Salad:
Fresh salad greens
1 cucumber peeled, and seeded. Cut into ½ inch pieces.
2 carrots, grated.
Sprouts
1 scallion
a few paper thin slices of onion.
Dress with favorite vinaigrette.
Nothing could be better than soup and a salad. Especially when the soup is full of brightly colored veggies, contains two hearty beans and is served over a bowl of brown rice.
STORY:
When I fantasize about not having a day job, I fantasize about getting to the market early to find the freshest veggies, then making it home in time to soak the appropriate bean for the evening’s meal. As it is, I find the veggies after work and often whish that I had a few black beans or pintos pre-soaked and anxiously awaiting my culinary designs on their future. To be better able anticipate my bean needs is a recurring day dream of mine. I’m not sure what that says about me, but I’m pretty certain that I’m OK with it.
Friday, however, I happened to have the day off and knew that I wanted to have some pinto and kidney beans at the ready for dinner. So at about 9am, after my breakfast (what a luxury it is to sleep past 6am) I covered some beans with water, stuck them in the fridge and proceeded to meet my mom for a lovely walk along the Kenduskeag stream here in Bangor. I’ve been thinking a lot about chili recently because winter is coming and it is time to start thinking about hearty soups and stews. Also because our apartment is finally in a state of messy-ness that is tolerable and mild enough to withstand company, I’ve been thinking about what to cook when people finally come over. The thing about inviting people to share a meal is the fact that Mike and I eat a lot of food that most people might not be familiar with or particularly enthusiastic about. If you love good ol’ fashioned American meat and potatoes, a ginger and lemongrass soup with rice noodles, kale and carrots might not be your cup of tea. Or cup of soda as the case may be. The point is, I want to be able to prepare food that our guests would easily recognize as tasty without having to be sold on it first. Enter my recent thoughts about chili. Everyone loves chili and most people will even enjoy a meat free one without hesitation. Of course, I have no real supporting information for this claim, but I’ll reserve any evidence based science for the classroom and leave all the conjecture and imagined facts here floating and bobbing amidst the internet ether. Point is, I wanted to make a hearty bean soup.
For this soup, I didn’t do anything fancy, I just used water and some wakame sea vegetable to make the “broth.” The beans, however, impart a lot of flavor during the cooking process. The best part of this soup was the fact that I included corn, swiss chard and carrots. The veggies were kept crisp which is sometimes a surprise in a soup and the contrasting colors made the bowl all the more appetizing. Kudos to me.
If you like cumin this would have been a good flavor choice for this soup. I try to avoid dried spices, however, because many are packaged with a small amount of flour in order to keep them from clumping. Flour + my belly= disaster.
This meal would also be nice with some corn bread cooked in a cast iron skillet. Perhaps I’ll do that when it comes time to finally invite some friends over.

Hot Tamarind Lovin'

Rich Quinoa and Buckwheat with Collards & a Green Salad with Chick Peas and a Carrot-Ginger Dressing
The Salad.


RECIPE
Hot Onion and Tamarind Reduction.
2 small onions
1-2 tbs vegetable oil (I use sesame-not toasted)
2 pods of tamarind
2 hot peppers
water
Make this reduction in a large sauce pot. Chop onions and cook in oil on medium high until they begin to brown. Add enough water to cover the onions plus one inch. Add the tamarind pods. (Remove the outer shell of the pods, and add the fruit as a whole pod. We will remove the seeds after the flesh of the fruit begins to fall off.) Add the finely diced hot peppers. Keep at a low simmer for about an hour while continuing to add liquid to keep the level at about an inch above the onions. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sauteed Mushrooms:
Slice up a package of mushrooms and saute on medium high heat until tender and browned.
Quinoa and Buckwheat mixture:
¾ cup quinoa.
¾ cup buckwheat.
These are both quick cooking grains. The quinoa is ready in about twenty minutes, the buckwheat in about 10. You could use any grains here especially if they are leftover in the fridge. For both grains use twice the volume of water, cover, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer until water is absorbed. Remove from heat. Stir the grains, the mushrooms and the reduction together when ready to serve.

Collard Greens:
1 large bunch collard greens
1/4 cup chopped walnuts.
1 Tbs. Rice Vinegar.
Remove tough stems from one large bunch of collard greens. Chop into ½ inch strips. Steam for about 3 minutes. Immediately remove from heat, place in bowl and dress with a small amount of vinegar. Pile the grain/reduction mixture on top of the greens. Garnish with chopped walnuts.

Green Salad with Chick Peas and Carrot Ginger Dressing:
about 4 cups of your favorite mixed greens
1 cucumber, thinly sliced with the skin on.
½ cup cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1/8 of a red onion, very thinly sliced
½ cup to 1 cup sprouts (depending on your tastes)
Dressing:
2 carrots, grated
2-3 tablespoons fresh grated ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
pinch of salt.
Combine ingredients in food mill, food processor or blender. Add more liquid (water, oil or vinegar) if needed and adjust acidity (vinegar) to taste.

This meal would have been better with a side of black beans cooked your favorite way.

STORY:
Sometimes I find it beneficial to spend a little extra time lingering in the produce section of the grocery store. It seems like the store managers are always inserting little displays of new items between the piles of pears and apples or at the end of an isle of potatoes and onions. Last week, underneath a display of locally grown apples, about one foot above the floor, there were several unassuming packages of dried goods that, based on the packaging, seemed to be geared towards customers interested in flavors from Latin America. I immediately noticed a package of tamarind pods. I’ve never actually seen a tamarind pod, but I’ve seen many products with a tamarind flavor before. When Mike and I lived in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn we could walk downstairs and within a two block radius procure tamarind flavored soda, tamarind ice cream and tamarind flavored shaved ice. It is a slightly sour taste and, from what I understand, is common in some Latin American cooking as well as some Indian and Thai cooking. Needless to say, I bought the tamarind. Turns out that you have to break off the outer shell of the pod and inside is the fleshy fruit that encompasses several large, dark brown, hard seeds. You can pop the fruit in your mouth, eat the flesh part and then spit out the seeds. This method of eating tamarind is quite fun and Mike and I enjoyed making funny faces as we manipulated the fruit and seeds in our mouths. For this meal I decided to try to use the tamarind in a savory fashion so I made the onion and hot pepper reduction. Having something hot with something sweet is a tried and true combination. I think I’ll try something similar with dried apricots in the future. I will also try to remember in the future that a meal with collard greens is often a plea for the appearance of black beans. I’m still perfecting my carrot-ginger dressing and I’ll be trying some new variations in the future. I’ll keep you posted.

Lentils and Quinoa in a Hurry

Black Lentils with Chopped Veggies and Quinoa with Summer Squash and Mushrooms.
Sorry there are no pictures of the meal. Somehow they were erased and now there are goofy pictures of me on the memory card instead. I’m going to blame my husband. (Because I can!)

{hehe.. her husband has hacked in and uploaded afore mentioned lost photos! Let's leave the cute picture of Sasha there shall we?}



RECIPES (For four servings)
Lentils:
1 cup of small black lentils
Follow cooking instructions on package. Or use slightly more than 2 Cups or water, bring just barely to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the lentils taste right. Should take no more than 20 minutes. You do not want the lentils to fall apart or become mushy.
You can also cook with a bay leaf, an onion that has been halved or a smashed clove of garlic. You would remove any of these items after cooking.

Cubed Veggies:
2 carrots
1/5 a head of green cabbage
½ a large red onion
1-2 Tbs. Vegetable Oil.
Salt and Pepper to taste

Cut carrots on a bias to make very long, ¼” slices. Cut these slices lengthwise to make “matchsticks”. Cut the matchstick pieces into small cubes about ¼” on all sides. Cut onion into similarly small cubes. Slice off part of a head of cabbage and then cut into ¼” strips one way, turn the cabbage 90 degrees and then cut into ¼” cubes. Heat oil in pan on medium-high, add the onions first then the carrots and finally add the cabbage. Make sure all veggies remain crispy but get a chance to take on a little brown color. Add salt and pepper to taste and serve over the lentils.

Pan Fried Squash and Mushrooms over Quinoa
2 Cups Quinoa. 1 Cup white and 1 Cup red make a nice mixture.
Add Quinoa and four cups of water to a cooing pot. Cover on high heat until the water begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is nice and fluffy. About 20 minutes.

2 yellow summer squash
1 package of tasty mushrooms (baby bellas, shitake or regular white mushrooms)
2-3 Tbs. Olive oil.
Salt and Pepper to taste
Fresh Parsley
*Optiona:l chopped walnuts or almonds to garnish and add crunch.
Cut the yellow squash on a bias into large pieces. Heat a generous portion of oil in a pan. If you have a cast iron pan or other favorite pan for cooking with hot oil, use it here. Fry the squash in the oil so that it has some nice browning on both sides, remove squash and place on paper towels or other appropriate blotting material. You don’t want to overcrowd the squash, cook it in batches. Slice mushrooms and add to oil from pan and sauté. If there is too much oil in the pan, remove some before cooking mushrooms. Place summer squash and mushrooms over quinoa and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley. Add ¼ cup chopped nuts if desired.

Serve both dishes with either a simple green salad (greens and cucumbers), sauerkraut or other pickled vegetables. The sauerkraut or pickled veggies make a better companion to this meal, but only if you like them.

STORY:
If you don’t normally eat meat and never eat dairy products, you eat a lot of grain and bean combinations. The longer I linger in the grain/dried bean section of my local health food store, or even in the “Healthy Harvest” section of my regular grocery store, the more options I realize are available. Next time you’re in a health food store, or even the dried bean section of your grocery store, check out how many different kinds of lentils! I think I have five different varieties in my cupboard right now. Of course I have a bit of a bean compulsion. What I’m trying to express here, however, is the idea that “rice and beans” can actually be applied to a huge number of possible combinations. It’s a probability math problem that I’m currently eating my way through.
The lentil/quinoa meal described above was the answer to a pressing need to get something on the table for dinner a.s.a.p. Both quinoa and lentils cook in about 20 minutes. Taking on the veggie chopping time the meal didn’t take more than 40 minutes to prepare. For the lentils, which are a very deep, dark color, I wanted some bright veggies to contrast. I also wanted to use up the carrots and cabbage in the fridge. Carrots, cabbage and onions are great veggies to have on hand all the time because they keep so well for so long. They’re also cheap. When I was in college I used to eat pasta with sautéed cabbage and hot peppers about four times a week. For this evening, I wanted to make sure that the texture of my veggies matched with the lentils so I cut red onion, carrots and the cabbage into small cubes. The veggies are somehow extra cute when they are cut this way. The purple, orange and green color combo was also a nice contrast to the dark lentils. For the quinoa, the mushrooms and the summer squash were a good hearty addition. I decided to give the summer squash the intense frying treatment in lots of hot oil in order to make sure the meal felt satisfying and filling. The chewy texture and earthy taste of the mushrooms added a sort of meaty satisfying dimension to the fluffy quinoa. Now I don’t know about other people, but I love sauerkraut. And not just on a sandwich (I actually haven’t had a sandwich in about 4 months)! I love sauerkraut as a side dish or in a salad, or straight out of the jar as a little snack. For a meal like this one that has so many dense food items, we were saved when I brought out the jar of sauerkraut. It lightens up the whole meal and provides some cleansing acidity in contrast to the dense lentils and quinoa. Pickled veggies or any kind are like a tasty salty crisp treat which will lighten up any meal. It wasn’t the most exciting, or even remotely gourmet meal we’ve ever eaten, but it’s nice sometimes to eat something hearty, simple and good for you.

Tuna for Breakfast. No Kidding.

11.5.06
Tuna, Soba and Kale for Breakfast?
YES!

RECIPE
Tuna:
approx. 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, thinly sliced in large pieces
1-2 tablespoons cooking oil (sesame-not toasted)
1 tuna steak
½ cup white wine
salt and pepper
wasabi paste (optional)
Pat steak dry, salt and pepper each side.
Cook ginger slices in oil on medium high for 1-2 minutes. Do not let burn.
Turn up heat and sear tuna on both sides leaving insides very pink.
Remove fish, set aside.
Add wine to pan, reduce to thick sauce
Cut fish into 1/3” strips
Pour sauce over fish.
Garnish with wasabi paste and parsley if desired

Soba Noodles:
Follow cooking instructions on packaging
Store in cold water before serving

Kale
1 bunch kale
1 ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2-3 tablespoons sesame seeds

Remove stems from kale and chop into 1-2” pieces
Steam in a basket for about 3 minutes
Remove from heat, run cold water over kale
Remove kale from water, squeeze out water (use salad spinner if available)
Dress with vinegar, oil and sesame seeds

Mung Bean Sprouts:
Purchase and Enjoy



When you face a locally, fresh caught, bright pink piece of tuna available at a reasonable price, you really have no choice. I certainly had no choice in the matter yesterday when I insisted on purchasing enough sea feed to feed a family of five. But, like the true gastronomic adventurers we are, Mike and I finished off the catch by ten a.m. the following day. How did we do it? After our scallop feast last night, we enthusiastically tucked into some seared tuna for breakfast! I know there are probably a million Americans who had smoked salmon for breakfast or brunch today, so we can’t be the only ones finding morning satisfaction in a brightly colored fatty fish.
I cooked up some 100% buckwheat soba noodles and let them wait, soaking in cold water. I could have cooked buckwheat as the whole grain, which would have been a slightly healthier choice, but for some reason I went straight for the noodles. Next time I’ll try the whole grain. I also steamed up some kale that was begging to be rescued from the fridge before its leaves were no longer turgid. Once steamed, I ran cold water over the kale, squeezed out the water, and added a sprinkle of brown rice vinegar and some toasted sesame oil. Adding a tablespoon or two of sesame seeds completed the kale side dish. I also retrieved the remains of a bag of mung bean sprouts from the fridge and placed them on the table. To cook the tuna, which was so lovely, I didn’t really want to cook it at all, so I went for an ultra quick pan sear on each side. I sliced some fresh ginger very thinly and cooked the ginger on medium high for about a minute in a tablespoon or two of sesame oil. Any vegetable oil could be use as long as it is not strong in flavor. My mistake with this meal, although not a terrible one, occurred at this juncture. I should have turned the heat on high before adding the tuna so that the steak took on a nice brown color and slightly crisp texture on the very outside while remaining perfectly pink on the inside. I managed to preserve the beautiful interior color and did not in any way overcook the fish, but I didn’t have the pan hot enough so the outside of the fish had a pale color instead of the desired crispy brown. No matter, I simply removed the fish, added some of the white wine I had used for cooking last night to the pan and reduced. I sliced the fish into strips, laid them out on the plate and then covered them with the sauce and ginger slivers. I mixed up some wasabi paste and placed it on the plate as well. Just because I’m feeling especially jazzed up about cooking I added a sprig of parsley for garnish. As goofy as it might seem to garnish a plate, especially when you’re just going to eat the food a minute later and it’s only you or you and whoever you usually eat with, adding a garnish or presenting food in an appealing manner can make a big difference to the enjoyment of a meal. How pleasing the plate looks will definitely affect my mood when eating. We served everything in bowls at the table and made up our own plates. I’m thinking of having fish for breakfast every Sunday! Aside from needing to sear the tuna at a higher heat, the other suggestion Mike had was to make the sauce for the tuna with wasabi instead of serving it on the side. I think I’ll try that next time. I would also like to mention that this kind of meal would also be good with fresh salmon or shrimp. Hooray for fresh fish!

Saturday Night Scallop Feast

Scallop Dinner with Risotto style oat groats and wild rice accompanied by a crispy winter salad

RECIPES

Risotto style oat groats and wild rice

1 medium, finely chopped onion
1 tablespoon olive or other vegetable oil
1 ½ cup oat groats (whole oats)
½ cup wild rice
5 cups (give or take) stock

cook onion in oil on medium high until begins to brown
add oat groats and wild rice
stir and toast for a minute or two
slowly add liquid and continue to stir until grain has absorbed enough water to be fully cooked. This takes a long time with a lot of stirring and adding of liquid. I recommend multi tasking. For example, playing scrabble while taking turns with your adversaries/family/friend(s) adding liquid and stirring grain is a great way to accomplish two things at once.

Steamed citrus scallops

juice of two limes
juice of ½ large lemon
¾ cup white wine
pinch of salt
approximately 2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
several thinly chopped kaffer lime leaves*
12-14 sea scallops
pepper to taste
*if you can’t find these, don’t sweat it, just forge on without them
Mix citrus juices, ½ cup wine, salt, keffer lime leaves, onion and white wine in a bowl. Add scallops. Refrigerate for approximately ½ hour. Heat a pan on medium high heat, add scallops and marinade. Cook, covered, until scallops are done (1-2 minutes). Remove scallops with a slotted spoon. Reduce marinade, add more white wine and continue to reduce until you have a nice thick sauce.

Multi Layered Salad

½ head chicory or other curly green
1 large cucumber, peeled with seeds removed
large handful of green beans
small portion of a cooked spaghetti squash

Wash, dry and cut or tear into bit size pieces the chicory or other green. After the cucumber is peeled and the seeds removed, slice into ¼ inch slices. Blanch the green beans. Use a knife to make small slices in the squash. Bake whole spaghetti squash at 375˚ for about an hour until the squash gives a little. You might want to add a small amount of water to the baking dish to prevent burning. After squash has cooled for a while cut in half. Use spoon to remove seeds and then use fork to pull out the spaghetti like strands of the actual squash “meat.” When serving salad first place chicory or other green on plate, then squash, then green beans and then cucumber. Dress with vinaigrette. The layering provides a nice visual because the chicory or other green is a dark green, followed by the pale orange of the squash which provides a nice background for the dark green beans and then finally the pale cucumbers can be added and will stand out nicely.

Vinaigrette

1 part olive oil (1/4 cup or less)
1 ½ part vinegar (we used sherry vinegar)
1 crushed garlic clove
pinch of salt
1 table spoon rice syrup or other sweetener

Add all ingredients in a jar with lid or other favorite dressing vessel. Shake and spoon over salad on plate.

STORY:
After walking to the European Market yesterday, mom and I mad a trip to the health food store. I gathered as many gluten free grains as I could lay my hands on. My cart looked as though I must be preparing for a ten week snowed in retreat deep within the northern woods of Canada. But I’m just a grain addict.
For this evening’s meal, I decided to combine two of my purchases: whole oat groats and wild rice. The idea was to have some contrasting colors and contrasting flavors with the two grains. The oats are a nutty brown color and the wild rice is black. Since both grains take a very long time to cook, I figured that I could cook them together and they would finish at about the same time. The other bit of inspiration I had for this evening was to cook the grain in a risotto style fashion by toasting the grains in a pan with some oil and onion then slowly adding liquid while almost continually stirring to make a creamy, rich grain dish. It is a bit of a labor of love to cook grains this way. You have to be by the stove the entire time stirring and slowly adding liquid. But the creamy, rich texture is a nice treat once and a while. Tradition dictates that grated parmesan cheese is added at the end, but I don’t eat dairy and I think the grains have more of their own flavor without the extra ingredient. In order to pass the time in this risotto style adventure Mike and I played a game of scrabble while taking turns stirring and adding liquid. Mike got a bingo early on (a seven letter word with a 50 point bonus) and I felt as though my rack with the Z, Q, X and one vowel (not U!) was going to lead me into an embarrassing loss. But I stayed the course, got lucky a few times and came out about twenty points on top. Of course this victory was sandwiched between a devastating boggle loss the night before and a candle pin bowling defeat that was yet to come later in the evening. But I digress. The stock I used for the grains was a fish stock prepared by bringing a piece of Kombu sea vegetable to a boil in 5 or 6 cups of water then turning off the heat and adding about ½ a cup of shaved bonito flakes. Bonito flakes are the shavings from mackerel that has been smoked and dried. I saw a package of these bonito flakes in the store last week and was reminded of late nigh insomniac viewings of Iron Chef back in 1997 before the show was popular and it only aired at 1 in the morning. The flavor of the bonito flakes is strong and very smoky. In retrospect, I should have opted for a vegetable stock because Mike, in particular, does not like a smoky flavor. And the stock did, in fact turn out to be a bit overbearing. But so it goes when trying out new things and getting nostalgic for 1997…
To cook the spaghetti squash I pierced it with a small knife and baked it whole at 375˚ for about an hour. I placed a little water in the baking dish to prevent any burning. I’ve served spaghetti squash before, but it’s not as popular as buttercup or butternut because it’s not sweet and luscious. But I am unwilling to give up on such a cool food. You literally pull strands of noodle like squash out with a fork. It’s amazing to watch. So the question last night was, how can I serve it so that it will be tasty? I think the answer, in general, is to capitalize on the fact that the squash comes out fairly crunchy and it will readily absorb whatever flavor is added to it. I tried it last night as an addition to a salad. I think this is a great way to make salads in the fall and early winter seem more “in season”. The other component of the salad for this evening I was pretty excited about is a bunch of Hickory that was at the grocery store this past Thursday. Normally our local stores carry only the usual red leaf, green, leaf, iceberg and romaine varieties. But every once and a while something unexpected happens in the produce isle. There was no way I could pass it up. Chicory is slightly bitter and very crunchy. Just like salty, sour, and sweet, bitter is an important taste for our palate. It can be a little intimidating to cook bitter things if you’re not used to it. The first time I tried to cook dandelion greens, for example, I had to toss them. But trying out new foods is a great adventure and I like the challenge of trying to match taste and discover ways to serve unfamiliar tastes. Back to the salad. In the refrigerator I found a bunch of green beans I had purchased earlier in the week that was too small a serving and too past their prime to be the centerpiece of a dish, but once blanched and cooled in some ice water, they were a beautiful dark green and wonderfully crispy. Finally I peeled, cut lengthwise and removed the seeds from a cucumber. Cucumber has such a distinct flavor and provides a watery crunch that is great in all sorts of dishes. What I’m most happy about with this particular salad, however, is the layering of the colors and different shapes. This is how I assembled the salads directly on each plate. First the curly green chicory that included a variety of dark and light greens. Second the pale yellow/orange of the squash that remained slightly crispy. Third the dark green beans with a serious snap. Last the pale green cucumbers that were crunchy but offered little resistance to chewing. All in all it was a satisfying salad to look at and to eat. The dressing was a simple vinaigrette made from a crushed garlic clove, sherry vinegar, olive oil, a pinch of salt and a little rice syrup. I use rice syrup as a sweetener because it isn’t very sweet, it is made from brown rice and because it is not refined like sugar. But for a salad like this, just pick your favorite, simple, fairly plain vinaigrette with no spices.
When thinking about the scallops I immediately assumed that I would pan sear them because that’s what I like to do with scallops. But recently I’ve been trying to do things differently so I can learn more about cooking. So I decided to try to steam them in something yummy then reduce the marinade to make a sauce. During the afore mentioned trip to the heath food store I noticed some keffer lime leaves in one of the refrigerators. These leaves are used in Thai cooking frequently and, once again, I can’t pass up an opportunity to try something that might only be transiently in stock. The leaves have a very strong flavor and are usually chopped like other herb intp thin strips. To prepare the marinade I used the juice of two limes and ½ of a large lemon. I added about a half a cup of white wine. I would have used miren which is rice cooking wine, but the only brand they had at the grocery store included added sugar and I would prefer to use an inexpensive white wine over a sweetened product any day. I also added some salt, the thinly chopped lime leaves and a small amount, maybe a tablespoon, of very thinly sliced red onion. If I were to make this marinade again I would increase the amount of onion and reduce the number of lime leaves to two or three. (I think I used about 5-8 lime leaves this time which was a bit overpowering!) I placed the scallops, about 14 or so, in the marinade and let the combination it sit in the fridge until the grains were done. One of the great things about citrus is its’ ability to “cook” proteins. When proteins cook they get denatured, which is a chemical change that takes place due to the addition of heat. When you add something acidic like lime or lemon juice to a protein rich food, the proteins will also denature and “cook.” This is how ceviche, that delectable Spanish dish, is prepared. I’ve actually never made ceviche, but I think I’ve found a project for next week. My old roommate prepared it once and from what I understand, making ceviche a long process. What all this means for my scallops is that they had already begun to “cook” in the fridge and they were extra juicy and tender. To cook them over the stove, I placed a pan on medium high heat, added the scallops plus marinade and covered for about a minute. The scallops began to look like they were cooked, but to test I removed one, cut it in half, looked to make sure it was still a little translucent in the middle and, of course, tasted it. Perfect! I prefer my scallops just a little shy of cooked in the very center. But how you like your scallops is up to you. Just keep in mind that they will continue to cook a little even after you remove them from the heat. I took mine out of the pan with a slotted spoon and then began to reduce the liquid left in the pan. I added a little less than half a cup of wine and kept stirring and reducing until I had a nice syrupy sauce. I then made up the plates with the salad on one side and the scallops placed on a bed of the grains on the other side. I drizzled a little sauce over the top of the scallops and served.

Main Ideas:
I wanted a slow cooked vegetable (the squash) with some not-so-cooked or raw veggies (the chicory, green beans and cucumber).
I wanted something creamy (the risotto style grains) with something tangy (the salad dressing)
I also wanted to balance the hearty, creamy grains with the citrus-sweet scallops. I’m really glad that I didn’t pan fry the scallops so that the salad was the only crispy texture.
I wanted to have two different color grains which is not only nutritionally beneficial, but is very pleasing to the eye and more fun to eat.
I’m pretty happy with this meal. As I mentioned previously, I would not use a bonito based broth to cook the grains in the future. I would probably use a vegetable based broth or even just plain water. I might cook the grains like usual by covering them with twice the volume of water, bringing to a boil, then reducing to a simmer and cooking with the lid on until the water is absorbed. I would so this just so I wouldn’t have to attend to the stirring for an hour. I would also reduce the number of lime leaves. Speaking of which, the lime leaves are optional if you can’t find them. I would still try steaming scallops in a citrus marinade and then reducing the marinade in the pan for a tasty sauce. YUM!

Saturday Lunch and Market

Leftovers into the Soup

Once again I find myself having miso soup for lunch. Best thing is, eating several heaping bowlfuls of soup is a great way to get rid of leftovers as well as the last bit of certain veggies that have been hanging out in the fridge making me feel guilty for bringing in fresher, crisper and bigger vegetables. So with some water just shy of simmering, I placed the last of some nappa cabbage into the water, some scallions that had seen better days and let both cook for about a minute. A pot of rice from two days ago was starting to get a little soggy from being in the cold refrigerator so in went about a cup of cooked rice. Less than a minute later I added the rest of a batch of steamed broccoli that I had generously sprinkled with vinegar kept on hand in the fridge for three days. As soon as the broccoli was thoroughly heated I turned off the heat and stirred in a generous wooden spoonful of miso and a tossed in big handful of mung bean sprouts that, if left a day longer, might not be so crispy and crunchy. The last addition was some kim chee and accompanying juice to give the soup a spicy kick. The soup was mostly vegetables and provided a warm and hearty feel with the brown rice. A few droopy carrots or the last of a bunch of celery would also be great in this kind of soup. Cook these heartier veggies first in the water before proceeding with any pre-cooked veggies or items you may want to eat fairly raw. A great way to deal with the odds and ends in the fridge!

At the European Market

This charming farmer’s market in Bangor is called the European market although I think only two of the vendors actually come to us directly from Europe. There is a lovely, older eastern European couple who sell homemade soups, stuffed peppers and pickled vegetables. While the lady with the gourmet soups next to them interacts with a few curious customers, this couple with their soups in various mis-matched pots and eclectic assortment of ladles and spoons can’t serve their customers fast enough. There is also a lovely woman there who is of Acadian heritage who makes rum cakes and plays traditional songs on the accordion. Our favorite Chinese restaurant is also represented with trays full of chicken kebabs and spicy green beans. My favorite vendors to buy food from, however, are the organic vegetable farmer and the bran new fish guy! I’m glad everyone is there with their varied and wonderful offerings, but my weakness is crisp, colorful, luscious vegetables and freshly caught, local sea food. I took a couple of photos today.
I bought an entire bag of rutabagas because I know that they will keep for a while and I’ve been having visions of mashed rutabagas with millet and roasted garlic recently. I might also consider making a stew with them and some amaranth grain, onions and carrots. Not sure yet, however. I also picked up two leeks because you can’t always go for onions, sometimes it is nice to mix it up a little. I also bought some fresh flat leafed parsley and cilantro. The fish guy had a bounty today and I had a very difficult time making up my mind. I stood staring, and possibly drooling, in front of the selection for at least five minutes. I finally settled on the last tuna steak which was caught locally and had not been previously frozen. This is a rare (no pun intended) thing here in Bangor. I also opted for the scallops because we’ll probably cook everything tonight and I thought I could come up with something nice for this evening that uses both the tuna and the scallops. Of course, that is yet to come. Soon I’ll go in search of some inexpensive white wine, or possibly miren to use in this evening’s meal. I’ll let you know how it goes.