blueberry-cashew bread

With the weather turning drastically cold the past couple of days, I think the "cold" season has officially started here. My student emailed me to say that she wasn't feeling well and wanted to cancel our lesson today. Since I now had some time on my hands, I decided to bake some bread.

I had seen this blueberry-cashew bread in the neighborhood bakery before and decided to re-create it.

I used the butter roll recipe that comes with the yeast packets and added cashews and blueberries to the dough before baking. I didn't know how much of the cashews or blueberries to put into the bread, and put just a little. Now I know, I could have put WAY more...

Still, the rolls rose very nicely and you get cashew and blueberry in every bite.

kenchin-ton-jiru

Warm up with a nice bowl of soup...Today, the wind was blowing kind of wildly, knocking over most of my plants on the lanai. A twister hit the northern island of Hokkaido and some lives were lost. Where did autumn go? Are we "flying" into winter already? Brr...

I decided to make a soup for dinner which takes part of the ingredients from kenchinjiru (veggie stew with tofu (bean curd)) and tonjiru (pork soup). When making soups and curries, I tend to go overboard and add more veggies, sometimes there are more veggies than the soup or curry itself. This soup is rather easy to make and you can add whatever veggies you have or you like.

Kenchin-Ton-jiru : Serves 4

150g thinly sliced pork, cut into bite size pieces
1 block konnyaku (jellied devil's tongue)
1/2 carrot, cut in fourths and slice thinly
1/2 gobo (burdock), thinly sliced
2 kabura (small round, white radish), cut in fourths and slice thinly
3 shiitake (mushroom), thinly sliced
10cmx10cm piece of konbu (dried kelp)
4 tablespoons miso (soy bean paste)
green onions, thinly sliced for garnish
shichimi (seven spice mixture)

1. In a pot, put 6 cups of water and put in the konbu and heat for about 30 minutes, this will extract the stock needed for the soup.
2. You can leave the konbu in the pot while cooking this soup and throw out the kelp after everyone eats the soup.
3. Next put the bite sized pieces of pork into a colander and pour some hot water over it, this is to take off most of the oil. Set aside.
4. Take the block of konnyaku and "cut" with a spoon into bite size pieces. The reason you do not use a knife is to help it take in the stock, you can also break it up with your hands. Put it into the pot and cook for 4 minutes.
5. Next add the sliced gobo, carrot, pork, kabura and shiitake.
6. Cook for another 3-4 minutes, taking off the scum take appears on the top.
7. Add 2 of the 4 tablespoons of miso, making sure that the miso you add dissolves into the soup.
8. Cook for another 6-7 minutes.
9. Everything should be quite soft at this point. Add the other 2 tablespoons of miso, and cook for another 6-7 minutes.
10. Garnish with sliced green onions
11. You can also top with shichimi (seven spices) to give it a little "heat".

NOTES: I used a red soy bean paste (aka miso), but you can use whatever type you have. I don't usually use konbu to make my stock, I buy these packets that look like tea bags and inside are the ground up kelp, bonito and shiitake. Also, I was lucky enough to find kabura (white radish) with leaves--can you believe most markets throw them out? So, I put them into the soup too.

Shichimi is a mixture of red pepper, dried mandarin peel, white poppy seed, powdered Japanese pepper, hemp seed, sesame seed and green nori.

Enjoy!

chinsuko--three times is a charm

Yesterday, I attempted to make "chinsuko", but failed and posted about it here. After failing, something inside me yearned to succeed--I think I am OCD(Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), so, I surfed the internet and found about 4 different recipes listing different amounts of the same ingredients and different temperatures to bake them at and at different amounts of times.

On my 2nd attempt: I came closer to the "chinsuko" taste that I know, but still no shape or flakiness....

Satoshi also tasted it, and said that it didn't have the flakiness of a "chinsuko"...they were quite hard.

The 3rd attempt proved to be a charm...success!

Here is the recipe: Makes 9 cookies
120 g flour (8.43T)
50g sugar (3.5 T)
50g lard (3.5T)
*If you can weigh out your ingredients it may be better than relying on my conversions

1. Cream the lard with the sugar using a hand-mixer--it may not get too fluffy, like with butter
2. Sift in all of the flour and mix with a wooden spoon, then use the hand-mixer to combine
3. The "dough" will be crumbs--this is okay.
4. Into a cupped palm, scoop in some of the "dough" and press it together, like the sushi chefs do with rice at the sushi bars, into little oblong cookies.
5. Bake at 150C (300F) for 30 minutes, then place under the broiler for 5 minutes to brown.
6. Enjoy!

NOTES: I used "wasanbonzato" which is a brown sugar that is used in Japanese confections. I think it is the same as the raw sugar found in the U.S., but not as fine or as brown.

I have LOTS of cookies to eat now...

chinsuko

Stephine of Bean and Plum Discover the World had commented that she found my blog while surfing the net for a "chinsuko" recipe. This got me surfing the web in Japanese. I found a "chinsuko" recipe on this site in Japanese and passed it along to her. She tried it and blogged about it.

For those of you who don't know what "chinsuko" are, they are a shortbread-like cookie that can be found in Okinawa. While they have all kinds of flavored ones like pineapple and purple sweet potato, I like the original plain one and I have also found one dipped in dark chocolate, yum!

Here is the recipe it is really easy to make and doesn't take many ingredients.
Chinsuko from "Mezase Champuru"
Makes 15
100g flour (7.025 T)
70g brown sugar (4.9T)
50g lard (3.5T)

Mix lard and sugar together
Add flour and mix well
Shape into 15 cookies leaving space on the tray as the cookies will spread a little
Bake at 170C(325F) for 30 minutes

NOTES: I used Okinawan pure brown sugar. But the taste is not what I envisioned it to be. I'm not too sure how to tweak this recipe, I made only 9 cookies from this recipe and all spread out to a round shaped cookie--the true chinsuko is supposed to look like a stick or a crinkle cut french fry. Mixing the ingredients together formed a rather firm dough so it was easy to roll between my palms and shape with my hands. Still, Stephine's chinsuko definitely looks better, I will try this recipe again.

UPDATE: the blog, Bean and Plum discover the world, no longer exists but if you would like the recipe, please contact her @ stephiney@gmail.com with the subject reading "chinsuko".

3-day weekend

Friday, was a holiday, Bunka no hi (Culture Day), we were I was rudely awakened by a little earthquake. Although it was only a "2" where we were, it was enough to wake me up, not enough to wake up Satoshi though...

Saturday, I whipped up some scones for breakfast with a recipe that I used and posted about here. They came out better this time, I think the baking powder was fresher... After breakfast, Satoshi had his German language class and I had an English lesson.

We met in Umeda for lunch and shopped at the gourmet supermarket. I found this cute candy made by Cocoa Deli, a candy maker in England.

It looks like an ice cream bar, but is actually a truffle on a stick. This one was called cookies and cream and had vanilla and chocolate layers with crunchy chocolate crunchies inside. Very rich and creamy.

We then went to a shopping mall in Kawanishi and found these beautiful kiku (chrysanthemums).

About this time of year, there are a lot of displays and exhibitions, most are prize winning and beautiful!

This one was as tall as Satoshi!

This chrysanthemum was used in a bonsai display.

Sunday's dinner: Barolo and mushroom risotto and steak pizzaiola, I got the recipes out of "The Silver Spoon". I was surprised at how easy both were to make.

Here are the recipes: Barolo and Mushroom Risotto (Risotto al Barolo con funghi)--Serves 4

1 3/4 cups dried mushrooms
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
1 fresh rosemary sprig, finely chopped
1 fresh sage sprig, finely chopped
1 fresh basil sprig, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and chopped
about 6 1/4 cups vegetable stock
1 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprig, finely chopped
2 cups risotto rice
scant 1 cup Barolo
1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
salt and pepper

Place the mushrooms in a bowl, add hot water to cover and let soak for 20 minutes, then drain and squeeze out.
Melt the butter with the oil in another pan, add the garlic, onion, rosemary, sage and basil and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and cook for a further 15 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, season with salt and pepper to taste, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the stock to a boil.
Stir the parsley and rice into the pan of vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, until the grains are coated in fat.
Sprinkle in the wine and cook until it has evaporated.
Add a ladleful of the hot stock and cook, stirring, until it has been absorbed.
Continue adding the stock, a ladleful at a time, and stirring until each addition has been absorbed. This will take 18-20 minutes.
When the rice is tender, sprinkle with the Parmesan and serve.

NOTES: I cut this recipe in half, also I didn't use as much butter and oil as the recipe called for. I didn't have Barolo, which is supposedly a very expensive Italian wine, so I used Japanese sake. Also, I couldn't find vegetable stock and didn't have time to make it, but found chicken stock, so I used that instead. I would also use a little less rosemary as it kind of overpowered the taste of the risotto.

Steak Pizzaiola (Bistecche Alla Pizzaiola) Serves 4
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
2 garlic cloves
4 round steaks
5 ripe tomatoes, peeled and diced
pinch of dried oregano
salt and pepper

Heat the oil and butter in a skillet, add the garlic and cook until it turns brown, then remove and discard it.
Add the steaks on the skillet and cook on high heat for 1 minute on each side.
Season with salt and pepper, transer to a plate and keep warm.
Add the tomatoes and oregano to the skillet and simmer for 10 minutes until thickened and pulpy.
Return the steaks to the skillet and cook until done to your liking.

NOTES: Since my grill pan has grooves in it, I kind of reversed how I cooked everything. First I put the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and 1 tablespoon of olive oil with no butter into a little saute pot and cooked it for a bit. Then grilled the steak on my grill pan and then added the tomatoes onto the grill pan at the last minute.

Dessert was the chocolate covered almonds and mac nuts which I posted about here.

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

mikan, tea pots and chocolate

As I walked through the shopping arcade this morning, I came upon a little pick-up truck selling a bucketful of mikan for 400 yen (about $4). 

I have often seen vendors selling their wares, but never thought to stop.

Mikan is Japan's tangerine, the skin is so thin that you can peel it in one go, and there are no seeds!

About this time of year they come out at the markets. I think it is to help people fight and prevent colds. 

Can you believe I was buying them from the supermarket for 398 yen for 8 medium sized ones or the same price for 10 small sized ones?

After seeing this man's sign though--I bought a bucketful! 33 small sized ones, still worth it, I hope they are sweet...

Walking back with my load of mikan, for some reason or other I was thinking about tea. Which got me to thinking about how many different tea pots I have.

There is the Bodum tea pot which I use for herb tea and black tea which we received from friends after moving to Japan with matching cups and saucers.

The Chinese tea pot which I use for different Chinese teas--sometimes you see these in Chinese restaurants it is big and heavy, hmmm...I wonder where Satoshi got this one, he had it before we got married....

The Japanese tea pot which I use for green teas or other Japanese teas. We received this one from Satoshi's co-worker for our wedding and came with matching tea cups.

How many do you own?

Lastly, I wanted to share with you more chocolates. These are made by Glico.

"Fuyu"(winter) are chocolate covered mac nuts and almonds with a thin cocoa powder layer on top.

Carrenoix -chocolate with sliced almond and a layer of pralines.

Both are very addicting!

Tomorrow is a holiday, Bunka no hi, Culture day!

dishes of comfort :updated

My friend, Ivonne of Cream Puffs in Venice invited all bloggers to post about their "dishes of comfort". Check out her blog on November 15th to see everyone else's dishes.

I decided to post about a dish that my mom often made for a special occasion when I was growing up, and now sometimes makes when I go home to Hawaii....Shrimp Pineapple.

I'm not too sure what it is about this dish that is so comforting to me. Maybe the fried shrimp? Maybe the thick, sweet and sour sauce? The combination of these two? Or maybe just the fact that my mom made it?

I didn't have my mom's recipe, but found something in her church's cookbook, "Wisteria Delights", and think that maybe it is her recipe.

Here's the recipe:
1 pound shrimp
1 (20 ounce) can pineapple in heavy syrup
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
oil

Sauce: 3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup pineapple syrup
1 tablespoon cornstarch
2 1/2 tablespoons vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ketchup
2-3 drops Tabasco sauce

Shell and clean shrimp.
Stir beaten eggs lightly into flour and salt and mix well. Add shrimp to thick batter.
Fry shrimp until light brown.
Place shrimp on paper towel.
Combine ingredients for sauce and cook until done.
You may either cook the pineapple chunks in the sauce or garnish shrimp with pineapple and pour over sauce.
Variation: Cook the pineapple in the sauce and add the fried shrimp to the cooked sauce and heat until warm.

Notes: the pineapple they have in Japan is way too sweet! I would definitely not have put the sugar into the sauce had I known. Also, I used olive oil to fry and it didn't come out too crisp. Next time, will definitely buy bigger shrimp! I served this with brown rice and stir-fried veggies. All in all, it was still good and reminded me of home.

Enjoy!

p.s. I forgot to mention that this event is also being hosted by Orchidea of Viaggi e Sapori

Thank you both!