Tag: home-cooking

Comfort food: cacao madeleines

Our 4 kittens just before the split  
Our 4 kittens just before the split  

I consider most of what I cook as comfort food because I only cook what we love and we indulge in some delicious breakfast everyday. But today I needed something special for tea, something sweet and warm, because the weather was chilly, because we had a short night and a long day, because I was sad we split our 4 kittens into 2 groups to deliver to their new homes and one group has left already. So I decided to prepare madeleines. I used the recipe I presented before, but slightly changed it: I added plenty of cacao powder, refrigerated 90min and cooked all the time at 200. I managed to obtain pretty bumps ans the taste of cacao was well present which is not often the case with cacao taste sweets.
Now it’s time we go deliver our last two kittens. En route to Hayama! It’s gonna be a long trip for them!

Quick dinner fix

I left work earlier than usual on Friday to have time to boil some potatoes and prepare our bags for the weekend because I knew that once we would arrive in Ohara we will be more busy with the kittens than actually thinking of having dinner!! And it was so true!!! First I had to do a bit of cleaning, then we played until quite late in the night with our four fur balls. Only to have dinner around midnight, when my boiled potatoes just needed to be peeled and cut in quarters, add an avocado diced, a handful of baby leaves salad, onr of fresh coriander. Seasonned with olive oil, salt and curry powder. So dinner could be ready very quick!

Coconut pancakes

Yes, I was worried sick about Pablo, then about her kittens, now about how will we handle the situation, and slept bad and no appetite but A. was still hungry (even the very one time he had high fever he was hungry!!!).

So I had to cook anyway, and when I made the oat bran cinnamon pancakes, the recipe that inspired me was actually oat bran, coconut, cinnamon pancakes. Except that I didn’t like the idea of mixing cinnamon that is more a warm taste to me (perfect when chilly outside), and coconut that is more a fresh taste that I enjoy better when it’s warm. So I slpit the recipe in two, and made coconut pancakes that are perfect eaten with nothing more and when lottle appetite. In the pancake base, made with whole wheat flour, I added the same amount of gratted coconut. Then cook until golden, as usual. 

Simmered bamboo shoots

There are plenty of manners to eat bamboo shoots in Japanese traditional cuisine and that one is a real classic. It always starts after you have cooked the bamboo shoots in rice water. This simmered recipe is really simple and as a strong Japanese accent with the sweet soya sauce arranngement, that can actually also be used for any other vegetables: pumpkin, carrot, potato…

Cut the bamboo shoot in half in the height, then cut 2cm thick slices. Arrange them in a pan and add water to just cover them. Heat until it boils. Then add 1tbs of brown sgar and 2 tbs of soya sauce, and a 1tsp of rice vinegar. Cook under cover for 10min at low heat, turn softly from time to time. When all the pieces of bamboo our brownish remove the cover and increase the heat. Wait until all the water as disappeared. It’s ready!

Oat bran pancakes

Since we’re spending the golden week in Ohara I’m cooking/baking every day for breakfast and with the weather being very unstable, this morning I wanted something new, something different in texture and taste. I was having some oat bran and thought it could be a good base to start with. So I browsed a bit for inspiration and found two things, first an idea for a recipe, second a nice website/app that I didn’t know about: yummly.com and seems very well designed to find recipes and inspiration. I’ve also started posted recipes there so I will probably keep you updated anout that soon.

As for our breakfast I prepared some oat bran cinnamon pancakes with using mainly oat bran to which I added a little of flour, baking powder, salt, brown caster sugar, one egg, soy milk and plenty of cinnamon powder. Stirred well and cook in a hot pan until golden. Perfect straight or with butter, honey, marmalade…

Semolina bread

When we were in Sicily I bought different types of flour and in particular a delicious semolina. I used it often for making pasta but I suddenly remembered a bread recipe using it and decided to try it for our breakfast this morning. The process is basically the same as making bread with plain flour except that 1/3 of the flour is replaced by semolina. I gives a very white bread with a soft and tender heart and a very thin and crusty shell. I shaped it as a regular bread but I assume it can be shaped differently too. Extremely delicious for breakfast with jam. 

Picnic Japanese style

When I have guests from abroad I try to cook Japanese as much as possible except for breakfast. So when we decided to take a walk to the beach and picnic there I decided to prepare some bamboo shoots onigiri or o musubi. This is just the end of the season of bamboo shoots, so I wanted to take the most of it. It is extremely easy to prepare and super fresh and delicious. I prepared the bamboo shoot as usual, first boiled in rice water, then in a light dashi: konbu, katsuo, iwashi… Cook some Japanese rice too, all white, or half brown. Add a bit of salt once cooked, some kinome leaves. Chop the bamboo shoot in dice of less than 5mm. Insert in the rice and stir well, then start preping for the balls. Finish with a little branch of kinome, or a thin alice of bamboo shoot. Have a nice golden week!!!

Spring veggies quiche

Too happy with last week Japanese style quiche I’ve continued for our guests this week with a spring version. I’ve made the dough with buckwheat flour which makes it really crispy and for the veggies I used new onion, broad beans, snap peas and broccoli.

Japanese quiche

When the quiche lirraine meets Japanese ingredients it gives that: 

The dough is made with plain white flower and olive oil, black pepper and soya sauce. The filling is made of seasonal vegetables: paprika, lotus root, tomato, green peas, broccoli, and an egg and cream base with plenty if katsuobushi and soya sauce again. A very good match of tastes, texture and a versatile dish.

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