Jólasíldin

My wonderful boyfriend spent the last week in Iceland doing a tour with his comedy group. I really hoped that he would bring me some Hákarl, but he couldn't find any, so he brought me a jar of Jólasíldin instead.

Jólasíldin translates to Christmas herring. It looks similar to Vita pickled herring: Bite-sized pieces of fish floating in a clear wine brine, but it is far, far more delicious. Along with the fish there are bay leaves, onions, and what appear to be red peppercorns and cranberry/lingon berries.

The flavor is sweet, sour, and savory with a little kick from the pepper. The fish is tender but not slimy, and seems to make a good sandwich. Because of the strong flavors, however, I don't think it's something I could eat too much of at a time.

I would love to know how this is supposed to be eaten (if there is a way.) But for now I'm happy eating it on toast!


Merry Christmas everyone! :D

Mmmussels

I like mollusks. Raw or cooked.
Clams, mussels, oysters, scallops, snails, squid, and octopus. Strange that such slimy, rubbery creatures could be so appealing, organs and all.

As a tiny child I was amazed by the versatility of clams. They were good fried, raw, steamed, in chowder, and on pizza. Tramping about in tidal ponds in Maine I also discovered that they made entertaining pets...It was shortly after this finding that I became deathly allergic to clams--call it clam karma.

One of the appeals of mollusks in general is their adaptability in the kitchen. It's hard to find a flavor that would clash horribly with them, and they can be the part or the theme of a multitude of dishes from sushi to paella.

This brings me to my main topic: Mussels.

When I was small and somewhat of a sociopath I spent much of my summer vacations on the rocky beaches of Maine collecting stones and cracking open blue mussels just to see what was inside of them. There usually wasn't much. Bright orange flesh, a dark nubby heart, and occasionally a tiny black pearl. It was surprising that such a horrifying little creature could taste so decedent with a simple white wine cream sauce.

Over the summer I went to Brussels and ate mussels stewed in a light ale with mushrooms and potatos--A veritable symphony of flavors!

I was curious about the different colors of the mussels...Why were some orange colored and some flesh colored? And why did the orange ones have a softer texture? I thought it must have something to do with the cooking, but according to this website it is actually due to the gender of the mussel. The orange ones are female and the white ones are male!



Aren't they pretty?

Anyway that's all for now. Hopefully now that I'm enjoying the sweet relief of winter vacation I will be able to make more frequent updates!

お好み焼き

Sorry for my lack of updates! I've been swamped with school work these past few weeks, and I haven't been anxious enough until now to take some time off to procrastinate.

Many of my friends are in Japan right now, and the one thing I am most envious of is their access to delicious delicious food. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of excellent Japanese restaurants in America, but their menus tend to lack certain classics. So here is a recipe for something that I think you (all 1.5 of you reading this) will enjoy!

Okonomiyaki is somewhere between a savory pancake and an omelette. There are many different variants in different regions in Japan, but my favorite is from Kansai (around Osaka.) It's easy to make, and incredibly satisfying!

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup dashi broth (water can be substituted)
1/2 tsp baking soda
6-7 cups diced cabbage
4 eggs
green onions to taste
bacon/thinly sliced pork



Optional:
1/2 cup grated yamaimo (Japanese yam)
shrimp to taste
kimchi

Toppings:
beni shoga (ginger pickle)
okonomiyaki sauce
Japanese mayonnaise
katsuobushi (fish flakes)
seaweed flakes

Combine ingredients. If the batter seems to thick, than add more liquid, if too thin, more flour. This isn't the sort of recipe you need to be very particular with!
Heat oil in a large pan or on a griddle. Lay pork down, and quickly cover with enough batter so that the okonomiyaki is about the size of a regular dinner plate.
Cook until browned on both sides. Flipping the okonomiyaki might be difficult, so try to have two spatulas on hand!

Serve and add toppings as desired.

Enjoy!

Autumnal Stuffed Squash

My sister came up from Chicago for the weekend. Despite the miserable weather we managed to have some fun: Watched some films, drank some warm drinks, and (of course) went to the farmers market!

Our goal was to find something to make pickles out of. We shopped around for a while, nibbling on things here and there, until we came upon some red and green okra for the pickles. Then, as we approached a stand abundant with winter squash I had an inspiration for dinner!

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Squash:
1 sweet dumpling squash
2 medium apples
1 small beet
3 tsp maple butter (butter+maple syrup)

Cut the squash in half and scrape out seeds. Place on baking sheet with the flesh side up.
Peel the apples and beets and cut finely. Place in bowl and add maple butter, stirring until the butter is distributed. Spoon filling into the squash, and place in an oven preheated to 375ºF. Bake until you can easily sink a fork into the flesh.

Rice:
1 cup Basmati rice
1 1/2-2 cups water
2 medium Jerusalem artichokes

While the squash is baking, cook the rice! Let the rice sit in the water for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, finely dice the Jerusalem artichokes. In a covered pot, bring rice to a boil. Add artichokes and then turn to low. Cook until the rice is soft.

Brussels Sprouts:
40 sprouts
2 Tbs (or so) olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Cut the sprouts in half. Place in bowl and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place on an oiled baking sheet, cut side up. Bake in oven with squash until slightly crispy on the outside.

When it's all done, serve it up! Delicious!

As a side note, while we were in the kitchen making this, a guy wandered in and proceeded to make an almond butter, banana, and bacon sandwich. Not something I would eat, but he seemed to enjoy it...

Anyway happy fall everyone! : D

Challah to My Homies

Has anyone else noticed that all the Jewish holidays/holy days except Yom Kippur involve eating delicious delicious food?
Well it's Friday, and that means challah, so here is my challah recipe!

2 tsp instant yeast
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup warm water
1 1/2 tsp salt
4 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey

First, make a slurry by combining yeast, 1/4 cup flour, and water in a large bowl. Mix until smooth, and let it sit for 15-20 minutes until it has begun to bubble and puff up slightly.

When the slurry is ready, add salt, 3 eggs, oil, and honey. Mix well until all the ingredients are incorporated. Then add the rest of the flour, mixing it with the other ingredients. Knead until smooth and firm (but still easy to knead.)

Set dough in a warm clean bowl, and cover it. Let it sit for about 2 hours, or until it has doubled in size.

When the dough is ready, divide it into three even pieces, and braid them together just as you would someone's hair. Place it on baking sheet and cover it with a sheet of tinfoil or cling wrap. Let it rise for another two hours, or untill it has tripled inside.

Take your remaining egg and whisk it. Using a brush (if you don't have one, paper towels work) coat the top of the loaf with a layer of egg.

Place in oven heated to 325ºF and cook for 30-50 minutes, or until the loaf is well browned.


And there you have it! It's not very complicated, but it can be time consuming if you don't have anything short to do during the rising times. I always bake this when I have homework or studying to do--it's a good way of managing time with tasty results!

Hot Potato Pie

Today was a beautiful fall day in Wisconsin. The kind of crisp weather that makes you crave a warm stew...As I sat in my math lecture day dreaming about dinner, inspiration came to me.

One of the foods that is conspicuously lacking in commonplace American cuisine is the savory pie. Sure we have quiche, and chicken pot pie...But nothing like the rich comfort of an English steak and kidney pie. But with my limited pantry, how was I to create such a dish? That's when I realized that the beauty of a pie is that the ingredients don't need to be complex, they just need to match each other well.

The following is a recipe for what I have now dubbed Hot Potato Pie:

Crust:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) of butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup (or so) water
1 tbsp grated cheese

Filling:
6-7 medium yukon gold potatoes
2 cups mushrooms
1 medium red onion
2 tbsp butter
2 gloves garlic
3 tbsp (or so) milk
1 cup (or so) cheese

For the pie crust, in a bowl mix the flour with the butter until it has the consistency of wet sand. Then add cold water until it becomes malleable enough to roll flat. Place flattened pie crust in tin, and prebake at 375ºF (with pie weights if you have them) until crust is slightly browned and firm to the touch.

While the pie shell is cooking you can begin to make your filling.



First take your potatoes and halve them before putting them into salted boiling water. Cook until soft enough to mash. Add butter, 1 clove of garlic, 3/4 cup (or more) of cheese (I used local goat cheddar and feta, but I think any flavorful cheese will work) and milk. Combine until smooth.

Then place onions and garlic in a pan with a pat of butter. Cook until somewhat droopy, then add mushrooms. For this pie I used button and oyster mushrooms. Cook until at least 1/4 cup of liquid has been released. The reason for cooking these ingredients prior to adding them to the potato mixture is to ensure the pie will not become too liquidy.

I couldn't resist posting these pictures of the exotic oyster mushrooms I cooked. Too pretty!


Combine sauteed mushrooms and onions with mashed potatoes. Add enough excess mushroom juice until the potatoes become smooth. Then transfer the mixture to the pie shell. Finish off by grating the rest of the cheese on top. Place in oven and bake at 375ºF until the cheese topping melts and begins to brown.

Remove, and serve!

Judging by my accomplice's reaction: "This is like quiche, only orgasmic." I would say this experiment was a success! It is a nice simple savory meal for a blustery fall day. Creamy and flavorful, and altogether comforting.
Just to spice it up, I ate mine with kimchi on the side, but broccoli or spinach would also go well with (or in!) this dish.

"You can't put a Fruit Pastille in your mouth without chewing it!"

I inappropriately created this blog during the last couple hours of my Yom Kippur fast, so it seems appropriate that my first post be about the food I broke my fast with.

Unable to wait for proper dinner, when 6:44 hit I grabbed the thing closest to me--a bag of Fruit Pastilles.

I picked these up in the airport on the way back from England last month. I like them because unlike most American gummy candies, these don't burn holes in my tongue after trying a few. It must have something to do with the use of all natural flavors, and perhaps a lesser quantity of sugar.

They come in five fruit flavors: Strawberry, orange, lemon, lime, and blackcurrant.
Basically they're like gumdrops, only better, and with the illusion of being healthy. (Natural flavors! 25% Fruit Juice!) Because of this I'm not sure that they would satisfy the average American sugar craving, but if you happen to be in the UK, I'd definitely recommend picking up a bag of these!

For more about these tasty delights, check out the Wikipedia page.