Tag: homemade

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!

Red miso – 赤味噌

When the weather gets warmer the delicious little cucumbers are back and they are the perfect food to snack while waiting for dinner. I usually just wash them and cut them in sticks, but when I want a little extra I like to prepare a miso paste. There are different types of miso of course and all of them with different taste and features: granulous vs smooth, white vs red etc… Depending on what they are made from and how long they have fermented. At the cha kaiseki class I learned that white miso is used in winter and red in summer, because red miso has fermented longer, it is stronger in taste and saltier, which accomodates perfectly with summer veggies and fishes. So for my little snack paste I use 1 tbsp of red miso that I stir with 1tsp of vegetal (neutral) oil and 1 or 2tsp of water (depending on the consitency you expect: sticky or creamy). I stir until homogenous and serve with my little cucumber sticks. It actually is also delicious with carrots sticks and daikon sticks!

Deconstructed frittata

I am really in love with this whole wheat pasta and in particular penne that can be found super easily in any good supermarket in Tokyo. This time it’s deconstructed frittata style for two with already cooked pasta, one new onion, one capsicum, three eggs all cooked in a greased pan, and a handful of raw cherry tomatoes added at the very end. Finished with olive oil, salt and pepper. An other manner to get plenty of good energy, a colorful and tasty plate and vitamins.

Spring energy

With super fresh green beans and broad beans it is really easy to prepare anything. They just need to be blanched and can be eaten with everything: risotto, pasta, quinoa… I prepared some quinoa the other day, so today it is whole wheat penne. A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper, and you have the perfect dinner ready in 10min!!! Full of energy and good things to survive this week!!!

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. 

Fresh salad

One day is really warm, the next is chilly… One day I want simple veggies salad, the next something hot and full of energy. This time was warm and I was fancying a fresh salad with simple vegetables to go with some simple pasta. With a wide variety of small radishes, small tomatoes, fresh cucumbers, baby carrots it was really simple to prepare something. For the dressing simply olive oil and black sesame seeds.

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. 

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Baskerville 2 by Anders Noren.

Up ↑

Verified by MonsterInsights