Wednesday 29 October 2008

SNOW!!!

This morning I got up and I couldn't believe my eyes! There was some snow outside the window. It has been really cold for the past few days and a bit of snow it is not surprising. It is a bit unusual for this time of the year though.
Someone got up early made this nice snowman :)
Here are some pictures of dinners for the cold weather. Okonomiyaki (yet again!) and my take on the classic nikujaga.

Sunday 19 October 2008

AUTUMN FLAVOURS

I love seasonal products. When I was living in Italy I could enjoy all sort of fresh products almost for free and I never really found it really special. Living in England made me realise how lucky I was to have access to my granny huge vegetable and fruit garden or to the woods near my town. Here in London I don't have a garden, therefore if I want to cook I have to buy everything I need. Everything is very expensive and what I used to consider "normal" is now some kind of a treat.
In the past few years my lifestyle has changed for the worse. Always very busy with work and other commitments and not much time to do the things I enjoy. As a result I am often stressed and frustrated.
Lately I have made an effort to come home from work in the and make sure I cook something nice and healthy. No take-aways and fast food. Not only this is good for my health, but it also means that I am not letting stuff go off in the fridge. Although some evening I am really tired and don't fancy cooking much, afterwards I feel much better about myself. I save a lot of money and I don't waste food.
The other day Yasuko-san, my Japanese teacher, told me that you should always finish your rice and don't leave a single grain. In fact, it is an old tradition to believe that there are 7 gods in each grain of rice and waisting even only one would offend them. In Japanese, the seven gods of luck are called Shichi Fukujin, which means "seven happiness beings".
Whether you believe in this or not, I think this is the right attitude to have towards food.
We take it for granted and we don't see it as a beautiful gift that nature has to offer. Children don't even know the names of fruit and vegetables, leave it alone eating or cooking them. A good meal brings people together to share something special and should be part of family life. I believe that it would improve the dialogue much more than fish fingers and boiled peas in front of the television. Anyway, I could go on forever.
This week Tommy brought me a lot of vegetables from Riverford Organic Vegetables. She orders almost every week and I get what she has in eccess. This time there were leeks, corn, apples, celery, carrots, kabocha, peppers, broccoli, sweet potatoes and pears. So nice!
At weekends I have more free time and I relax preparing more time consuming recipes.
Yesterday I made a variation of the traditional apple pie. I used wholemeal flour and left the sliced apples "marinating" with sugar, lemon juice and zest and cinnamon, before spooning them in the pie.


Chicken with ginger, mushrooms and leeks. A very tasty stew with a Japanese flavour.


A week-day dinner. Miso-marinated salmon, pak-choi, natto, miso soup, rice and the pickles I bought in Kamakura. Delicious! Pity I don't have any left...

Sunday 12 October 2008

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

Sunday afternoon at Highgate cemetery. I haven't been there in a while. It used to be my favourite wandering spot. It was a bit crowded today, but it still has its charm.
This is a cute bench. Must be in memory of a child.





View from Suicide bridge...

Dinner! Ikura-don, steamed pak-choi and char-siu buns.

Saturday 11 October 2008

MORE COOKING!

Here is a recipe of my invention... Steamed salmon with ginger, garlic, green chillies and soy sauce. Served on a bed of... mushy broccoli!!! I boiled the broccoli until tender with some chunks of ginger. Then I mashed them with olive oil, more garlic, ginger and chillies. I used one of those vertical blenders for soups. The consistency is that of mushy peas, but the taste is very intersting with a kick from the chillies. I also added some blanched cherry tomatoes to give the dish a bit of colour.

Today, after my Japanese lesson, I went to the Japan Centre and China Town to buy some groceries. I bought all the ingredients for gyoza. I've never made gyoza from scratch on my own before. I've learnt a couple of weeks ago at Koko and Aya's house. Tonight I've used Koko's recipe. They came out really nice. Gyoza and beer for dinner... so tasty!

Sunday 5 October 2008

RAINY WEEKEND

It has been raining heavily all day... I took advantage of the bad weather to do all the laundry, tidy up all my clothes and clean my messy wardrobe. I still have a bit to go, but it is much better than before.
I 've decided to use up everything in my freezer. First of all because I hate wasting food and also because once the frezer is empty I will be able to switch it off and get rid of the block ice that has formed lately.
Saturday night dinner: unagi-don. I still have a couple of frozen eels in my freezer :)

I bought this cyclamen plant today. Kingyo seems to like it :)

Saturday 4 October 2008

COLD!

The weather has turned cold. It's time for coats, scarves and fluffy boots again... I must say it is a bit sad, as for the second year in a row, we haven't had much of a summer. It is especially bad for me becuase I haven't had any summer holidays this year... sigh! It is back to grey a little too soon.
My birthday has passed quite uneventfully, since it took longer than expected to get rid of my cold. No party, no nothing. I still got nice presents though, which is always nice :)

This cold weather is ideal for Hainanese Chicken Rice. I've been meaning to prepare it for ages and finally I got my inspiration. It came out really well! I'm making it again for sure. Here is a picture of my efforts:

My weird cravings for real mille feuille has finally been satisfied. This one from Patisserie Valerie was very good and tasted exactly like the one I used to eat when I was small. It was such a massive slice! Although it was super yummy, I must admit that I struggled to finish it. It was a meal on its own!!!


I've finally started taking Japanese lessons! Every Saturday morning from 10 to 12. My level is very basic at the moment, but I hope to get better soon. I must revise and learn how to read and write properly... it is hard work, but I'm enjoying it a lot. Ganbarimasu!