90 degrees one day and 55 degrees the next. Try cooking, let alone dressing for days like this.
shorts, pool and grill today
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Sweaters, umbrellas and the oven tomorrow
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But we are lucky to live in such a beautiful place. Transition seasons mean taking advantage of spring vegetables; think greens and asparagus, as well as the occasional kabocha when the weather gets cold.
Monday Sunny and pleasant. One of those trademark Bay Area days.
Misoyaki Butterfish,
My Mom's Japanese Coleslaw and rice. Butterfish was fresh and on sale yesterday. Even better, we had it grilled instead of the usual bake. Great when grilled, and is updated as such on the recipe.
Homegrown arugula
TuesdayStill pretty nice, but clouds are a-coming. Having
Macadamia Arugula Pasta because the arugula in the garden is happy and waiting to be eaten.
Wednesday is Rain DayOven cooking.
Mayonnaise Chicken,
Roasted Asparagus and TBD cooked potatoes--likely also roasted somehow.
Thursday is Grill DayGrilled Pork Loin panini with mushrooms and Jarlsberg cheese, or sriacha mayonnaise and leftover coleslaw.
The husband made a great and very easy pork loin rub/marinade over the weekend. This means we bid adieu to the pre-seasoned pork tenderloins. The new method is just that easy, and no preservatives. As a bonus, we can make a lot and keep the rest for sandwiches during the week.
Recipe posting later this week.Friday Daikon was also on sale and looking very fine. It's still too cold for
Na-omi-take tofu, so I'm trying a modified
agedashi tofu. Pan saute or grill tofu slices brushed with a little sesame oil. Grate the daikon, mix with ponzu and green onions. Slather over the tofu and eat.
Braised kabocha to balance out the high-strung flavor of daikon/ponzu. Rice and kim chee. I do like the sound of this meal already.
Adventures from Vancouver start this week too.
Eat Well. Be Well.
First of all, kabocha (pronounced kah-boh-cha) is Japanese pumpkin. According to my handy "Legacy of Japanese in Hawaii" cookbook (ca. 1989) and a few online sources, in 1541, kabocha was brought to Japan from Cambodia via Portuguese settlers. Kabocha is probably a Japonized abbreviation of the Portuguese name--Cambodia abobora.
While kabocha is pumpkin-shaped, it doesn't turn orange and is hard, like a butternut squash. Definitely not a Jack-o-Lantern pumpkin! It has orange meat, is sweeter than a butternut squash and has a texture almost like a potato. When the skin is shiny and green is the best way I can tell if it's ripe. You can buy them in most grocery stores and any Asian market.
A friend of mine requested a kabocha recipe. Here's the 'recipe' according to my mom, and thanks for writing!
1 kabocha
Water (or dashi)
Brown sugar
Shoyu
Cut the kabocha in half, then quarters, then in half lenght-wise so you get 'fat-triangle' shaped pieces. Remove seeds and stringy stuff. Put kabocha pieces in the bottom of a dutch oven or similar pot. Add about 1 inch of water (or dashi). Mom says it's VERY IMPORTANT that you don't cover the kabocha with water. Sprinkle lightly with brown sugar and a bit of shoyu. If you are using dashi, be very light with the shoyu. Poach (cook on a very low boil) until tender.
Mom says you can also slice kabocha thinly (as you would a melon) and fry it tempura-style, or saute with a little butter, brown sugar and shoyu.
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