http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php en mjd-s@souzouzone.jp Copyright 2010 2010-02-24T11:06:09+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/edamame_tofu_dip/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/edamame_tofu_dip/#When:11:06:09Z Based on this recipe from the food network (except I refuse to call it hummus as there are no chickpeas involved!). Ingredients: 400 gm pack of frozen edamame (unshelled) Small pack of silken tofu ½ teaspoon salt ¼ cup of olive oil decent whack of minced garlic (3 cloves) ⅓ cup mixed lemon and lime juices 1½ teaspoons ground cumin Method Either nuke in a microwave or boil the edamame until they are defrosted (see instructions on pack). If using fresh, boil them for at least 5 minutes. Turn the telly on and shell the buggers. This is the boring bit. Try not to eat too many during this stage. Put everything in a blender or food processor and process until you get a slightly textured dip. That’s it! I prefer to use a mix of lemon and lime juices - but just lemon can be used. Just lime juice is OK too but not as good as a blend. Adjust the amount of tofu to get the consistency you like. Generally a 200 gm pack works well with a 400 gm pack of frozen edamame. Don’t buy the firm tofu! Only siiiiiiilky! Food & Drink 2010-02-24T11:06:09+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_459_am/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_459_am/#When:12:04:16Z Well that was an early wake up call. 3 across Chiba, Tokyo and Kanagawa. Epicenter was in Chiba. No tsunami warning. 2010-02-16T12:04:16+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/potato_and_chive_croquettes/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/potato_and_chive_croquettes/#When:13:56:24Z I made 3 different dishes for bento prep at the same time - these, crab croquettes and karage (fried chicken pieces) - seems that that these are the ones people are most keen to find out about. To be honest the crab ones are the same but I molded them in a different shape - oh and of course they have crab in them. The fried chicken is worth a blog entry of it’s own so I won’t go into details here - but at the crumbing step I used the leftover herbs and spices and flour from breading the chicken so it might be good to make a mix of your fav herbs and spices and some flour and mix in the panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) with them. Although these look like a huge drama to make - they really aren’t, but I would recommend doing them over a day or night for the crucial step - the more chilled these are before frying the better they hold together and keep their shape. And let’s face it crumbling croquettes aren’t half as yummy are they? Ingredients Potatoes (suitable for mashing) Chives Cream Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) Eggs (1-2) Herbs and Spices All Purpose Flour There really aren’t any measurements - it depends on how many you are wanting to make. The important thing is how things look and feel. Peel and boil, or boil and then peel your potatoes in salted water. You don’t want skins in these. Drain. Mash the potatoes but don’t add in extra liquid at this point. When they are good and mashed add in cream gradually. I like to whisk the cream in to make it creamy. You want creamy but not sloppy. Chop fresh chives quite finely - mix into the potatoes. Go do something else - you want this to cool down as it’s much easier to shape when cold. Also less chance of burned fingers. Mix up the panko, a couple of tablespoons of flour and the herbs and spices. In a separate bowl beat an egg. Grab about a tablespoon of potato and mold it into the shape you want. I rolled these into a short cylindrical shape. Using large cooking chopsticks (you could use tongs or whatever you prefer - I just cook with chopsticks a lot) gently roll into the egg, then into the breading mix. Then re-mold the croquette into the shape again and put it to rest on a tray. When you are done put your tray into the fridge for several hours. We want these little suckers nice and firm. Then you need a big frypan and some oil. I prefer to fill with enough to cover half the croquettes and then turn them over. Fry until they are golden brown and then drain them. I made a big batch for bento preparation so these were put in the freezer after they cooled. You can of course serve immediately, or keep in the fridge and reheat later of course. They keep their shape pretty well. Food & Drink 2010-01-18T13:56:24+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/ebina_light_experiments/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/ebina_light_experiments/#When:01:28:22Z The actual light display at the Ebina Walk shopping area was actually quite dull. Photography 2009-12-24T01:28:22+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_845_am/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_845_am/#When:23:51:12Z Weak 5 in Shizuoka, 3 in Kanagawa. No tsunami warning. Aaaaaand we went back to Shizuoka for that one! Earthquake Reports 2009-12-17T23:51:12+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_541_am/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_541_am/#When:20:48:35Z 4 in Tochigi and Ibaraki, and parts of Saitama. 3 in Tokyo, Chiba and Kanagawa. No tsunami warning. That was a pretty shaky one for a 3. Woke me right up! Thought it was the hot spot in Shizuoka going off again - surprised to see it was in Tochigi. Earthquake Reports 2009-12-17T20:48:35+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_1145_pm/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/quake_1145_pm/#When:14:47:50Z Weak 5 in Shizuoka. No tsunami warning issued. 4 in Izu, and a 3 across most of Kanagawa. I turned off the bar heater and went to make sure EM was OK. Bit shaky but nothing fell over. I remarked to Yoshi that it felt like the shocks were from a big one somewhere else. Turn on TV and there you go. Maybe I have been through too many of these now…. Earthquake Reports 2009-12-17T14:47:50+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/jammin_spicy_fig_orange_marmalade/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/jammin_spicy_fig_orange_marmalade/#When:09:28:54Z This recipe is adapted from Simply Recipes. I love figs but I’m the only one in the house who does - so when a pack turned quickly to almost over-ripe I searched for something to make that didn’t involve pastry. The really surprising thing about this recipe is that is was so quick - cut fruit, mix in sugar and spices - walk away for a bit while the sugars work their magic, and then zap it in the microwave. Available for purchase on redbubble. To be honest for the delicious result the amount of work you have to put in is almost criminal…. Ingredients: 1 ½ cups diced fresh figs (6-10 figs, depending on the size of the figs) ½ cup seeded, peeled orange, diced 1 ½ cups of sugar (reduce if you want, though it won’t set as well) 1 ½ teaspoons grated orange peel 3 tablespoons lemon juice ½ teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground cloves ½ teaspoon cinnamon ½ teaspoon butter Method: Put all of the ingredients into a microwaveable bowl* (I used glass pyrex), mix them up well and then walk away and leave them for at least half an hour. Things will start to get nice and mushy! Maceration baby! Then microwave on high for 8 minutes. Take out and stir. The mix will probably starting to get a bit jelly like. This is good! Put back in a nuke for another 3 minutes, then take out and stir again. Repeat this until the mix becomes thicker. At roughly 15 minutes you should be done. Grab a spoon and drip some - if it makes a drop shape before it drips it should be ready. Put in clean jars to keep in the fridge, or sterilized jars to keep on the shelf. To be honest I doubt you’ll be needing to worry too much about keeping it for long. On toast, or as a dip for cheeses, or baked in biscuits - lots of tasty options! * Dusty says sugar + plastic bowl + microwave = melty sweet fire. Use glass! Food & Drink 2009-10-13T09:28:54+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/roasting_red_capsicum/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/roasting_red_capsicum/#When:11:36:52Z [via yumsugar] I’ve done this a few times now and prefer to use the fish grilling part of the gas cooker. Slice off the top of the capsicum and cut in half, cleaning out the seeds. Then chuck under the grill waiting for the skin to blister and partially blacken. Then put them in a bowl and cover with a plate. The steam will help ease the skins off. When they’ve cooled a bit it’s pretty easy to take them out and peel the skin off with your fingers. You can also do them on the actual gas cooking part - but you have to stand there holding them and make sure you don’t burn yourself. An oven toaster will also work but it seems to take a damn long time. Other tips from yumsugar: Never rinse or wash the peppers as the water will diminish the smoky flavor. When the skins and seeds have been removed cover them in oil, adding garlic slices or herbs if desired and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks. How to freeze them from kalofagas.ca: Preserving Roasted Red Peppers 1. Set your BBQ/grill to high. One can use the stove top but the smokiness of the peppers will be absent. 2. Char your peppers all around. If you’re charring large batches, place them in a large roasting pan to sit and sweat. If small batches, place the charred peppers in a plastic bag to sweat. 3. When the peppers have cooled, start packing them in zip lock bags with their charred skins still on them. This seems to protect the peppers from freezer burn. 4. Squeeze any air out of the zip-lock bags and seal. 5. Label your bags (hot, sweet) and the date they were frozen. Food & Drink 2009-10-11T11:36:52+00:00 http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/eggplant_3_cheeses_lasagne/ http://www.cerebralsoup.net/index.php/cerebralsoup/pages/eggplant_3_cheeses_lasagne/#When:21:18:26Z Sourcing The Ingredients Most market gardens have these little sheds outside their gates. Usually you can get a bag of various things basically just washed in a bag for 100 yen - although some bundles are cheaper. There’s an honour system of payment - usually a little locked box with a slot - so you need to make sure you are stocked up on small change! On our daily walk EM and I check out the ones that regularly stock things for sale and pick up our bargains. I don’t care that the shapes are unusual - it’s super freshly picked with little handling. You can’t leave it too late in the day though or the good stuff is all gone! I’ve only had one average tasting veggie from this place - they leave their carrots in the ground a bit too long and they tend to be a bit too woody. Often the weekly menu is dictated by what I’ve managed to score from one of these “sheds”. Yesterday I scored a bag of eggplant so I decided to make eggplant lasagne - which would also use up the last bit of the ricotta cheese I made. I diced the eggplants and stewed them in a can of Italian tomatoes, tomato puree and red wine. While that was going I made the pasta. I decided to use this recipe/how to it was ok, although I skipped several of the rolling through pasta machine steps because I was in a hurry. Super Basic Lasagne Noodles Recipe 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour 3 eggs Flour in bowl - make well in centre, add eggs. With a fork gradually mix flour into eggs. If dough too dry add water, If too sticky more flour. Take out of bowl and knead for 5 minutes on a lightly floured surface. Roll into ball and cover for 15 minutes with wet cloth (so it rests but doesn’t dry out). Break off pieces and run them through a pasta machine. You shouldn’t need to cook the noodles before you bake them in the lasagne. The Lasagne Once the noodles were done and hanging in wait, and the eggplant and tomato sauce had cooked it was then a matter of layering. (from top to bottom) Grated parmesan Bechamel sauce Noodles Slices of mozzarella cheese Fresh basil leaves Eggplant tomato sauce Roasted red capsicum Noodles Ricotta cheese Eggplant tomato sauce Noodles Then baked for about 20 minutes, taking off the foil for the last few minutes. I made two small pyrex loaf pan dishes which are two servings each so one could be kept for another meal. With the left over pasta I ran it through the fettucine setting on the pasta machine, boiled it in salted water and then ran some olive oil through it to keep for later. Was pretty delicious although I managed to underestimate the amount of bechamel sauce I’d need and the top layer of noodles became a little too crispy. Also it might be more filling for hungry boys if a few more layers of noodles were added - mine was still rooting around the kitchen for more food although we’d had a green salad on the side as well. Food & Drink 2009-10-10T21:18:26+00:00