Tips

Grilled Asparagus

“We just picked these this morning” said the seller, pointing at the long stemmed asparagus. Some had a purple hue…good looking bunch indeed. Another round of Lake Oswego Farmer’s Market opened on the 17th of May.These are our catches of the day.

My husband and I always enjoy such an outing, and seldom decline offerings from vendors. Would you like to taste? Would I ever! It’s a ‘line’ I know…they are casting a line to lure in the customer. However, my purchase is helping the economy…the seller’s economy at least.

Unlike the previous week, this asparagus dish doesn’t look that pretty when cooked yet it tastes great. I like having this with warm cooked pasta. Add some chill powder in the herb mix if you like some kick.

Ingredients and Instructions (Print Recipe here)

Necessary Equipment: Gas or charcoal grill

• 4 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
• *Herb mix -  parsley, dill, chives, mint and basil 1 Tablespoon each. *Use minced fresh herb if you have it.
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 teaspoons of white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoons stone ground Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• Kosher salt  and freshly ground black pepper
• 8-10 asparagus, hard stem trimmed and peeled 2/3rd way up. Use whole or cut in 3 inch long pieces for easier consumption. You need a grilling basket or foil in that case.
• 1/2 purple onion (optional)
• 2-3 Tablespoons olive oil

1. Put cream cheese, herbs, milk, mayonnaise, vinegar, mustard, lemon zest and salt and pepper (perhaps 1/2 teaspoon each of the salt & pepper; more or less) in a bowl and blend with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth. Set aside.
   
2. Heat gas or charcoal grill over medium high heat.
3. Toss the asparagus and purple onion wedge with olive oil, salt and pepper. Lay asparagus on the grill perpendicular so that asparagus won’t fall through the grill gate. Put the purple onion on the side. Put cut asparagus on the grilling basket or top of foil. We used this handy grilling mat.
4. Grill the asparagus for 1-2 minutes then brush with the cream cheese mixture* Grill for 1-2 minutes longer until the asparagus is tender but still crunchy. Do the same for onion (if using – it takes longer).
5. Chop or slice grilled onion and put it on the asparagus (optional). Season with more salt and pepper if necessary.

*Option #1: Instead of brushing asparagus with cream cheese mixture, Mix gently AFTER asparagus was grilled. This method is better for cut asparagus.

*Option #2: Forget brushing cream cheese mixture during grilling or mixing it after, instead use as dipping sauce.

Sweet! This vender gave me several spoonful's of sugar, I mean honey and jam to taste.

The peach blossom honey.

Aloha! He was from Hawaii, surprise, surprise! He went to Kahuku High School. Really? That’s where my daughter teaches. He now resides in Washington State.

Stopped by the nursery on the way home for a few veggie starts. The red Adirondack chairs are adorable, over $500 each…not that cute!.

We had  a few days of hot weather last week that helped ripen the strawberries in our back yard.We topped them on the sour dough waffles.Darling, this is great!In the mille-feuille.like dessert.  Thumbs up from my husband.

I’m responsible to do various activities with my church girls (8 to 11 years old) twice a month. I helped them make Angie’s flourless peanut butter cookies last week.It was fun! A bit messy but fun!

Just let you know….I’m leaving for Hawaii today…unplanned rather emergency trip though grateful to see my grand daughter. Thankful she is doing well.

My husband promised me he will post Kimchee-blue cheese croissant from Momofuku’s Milk Bar cook book next week… I have some reservations but it will be fine, right? See you in a couple weeks.

Road

Chicken asparagus rolls

The distance frustrates me sometimes. I desperately tried to get to the hospital where my father was admitted yet he was gone before I could say good-bye…my only consolation was that I made it to his funeral.

My father led a simple life. As the oldest of 8 children, he and my mother practically raised his two 20 and 22 years younger siblings even though they were newly-weds. He was a hard working man and frugal though he often loaned money generously without expecting repayment. Once when I was probably 8 years old he made me and my brothers sit squarely on a tatami mat and was ready to strike us with a yard stick for something we did wrong but he could not carry it out. That’s the only time that he showed his frustration that I can remember. He was glued to the television to watch sumo wrestling every season and pretended not to hear my cry of wanting to see some other channel. Oh how I missed cartoon shows during that time.

Family outings were rare while growing up but when we did, he always bought makunouchi (幕の内) bento at the train station to have it on the train ride. He hated to waste anything and ate every last bit of rice. This hand crafted bento box I bought at Senganen (仙巌園) in Kagoshima city where I took a lone trip after the funeral. I packed the bento with my father in mind…Japanese style omelet, boiled spinach, pumpkin tempura, chicken asparagus rolls and radish pickle…not quite makunouchi style but he would eat the whole thing I’m sure.

Ingredients and how to – This is modified version of Harumi Kurihara’s recipe

• Boneless and skinless chicken breast ( I made 4 rolls with 1/4 pound of meat).
• Asparagus 1-2 stalks. Peel and cut off the hard end of the stem.
• Soy sauce 1 Tablespoon
• Mirin 1 Tablespoon
• Sake 1 Tablespoon
• Seven spices
• Oil 1 Tablespoon

1. Place asparagus in a shallow microwave safe dish with 1 tablespoon water and microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside.
2. Remove the white sinew from the breast. If the thickness is more than inch, slice it in half. Sandwich meat between two sheets of plastic wrap.
3. Pound meat with wooden roller to flatten.
4. With the meat still between the plastic sheets, roll out the meat to thin it even further to about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Put asparagus at the edge of approximately 5 inches length of meat and start rolling as tight as possible. Cut the asparagus sticks out from meat.
6. Mix soy sauce, mirin and sake in small bowl. Heat oil in nonstick skillet at medium heat. Brown the meat all over. Pour the sauce in the skillet and coat meat with sauce. Note: soy sauce mixture burns quickly so pay attention here. Other flavor suggestion; tentsuyu, sweet chili sauce and teriyaki sauce are also good.
7. Sprinkle seven spice chill powder over it if you like.

After the service and taking care of a few family matters, I don’t know what to do with the rest of my time in Japan. I decided to go to Kagoshima because of easy access now that the new bullet train can take us there from Fukuoka in about 2 hours. I wanted to be alone and needed time to think. Enormous Senganen was serene. I walked the compound aimlessly for three hours ignoring the arrows that marked the route. It took me an another 30 minutes just to hike up to the top of Senganen. The view of the active volcanic Sakurajima from there was worth the effort I must say. The road my father took was ordinary, even insignificant perhaps. I don’t think God loved him less however. He is now reunited with my mother in the next life, embracing his brothers and sisters who had gone before him. I truly believe that. The butterfly graced my head and rested at my feet for a second.Some area of the property was used for the shooting of NHK’s epic drama ’Atsuhime’Exhausted I took a break at tea house. The warabi mochi set was 500 yen but  the kind waitress charged me 150 yen less because I declined green tea and brought me a glass of water instead. This photo is not focused but I wanted to include it. I thought it’s really neat. Shift in wind caused volcanic ashes to fall heavily at this point.  Time to wear the mask which was provided at the gate.

I took cover in ‘Kiriko cut glass store’. Although they were intricate and beautiful, very expensive. A lady at the store explained the whole process of making Kiriko and its history. I started to feel sorry for her but who could afford a 300 dollar glass cup? Definitely not me. My legs are hurting by the time I got back to the hotel. I relaxed at the hotel’s hot spring. In fact, all of Kagoshima city has access to hot springs, it is possible to  to go any hotel or inn to use their hot spring facility for anywhere from 300 yen to 3000 yen ($3 to $30).

After three days in Kagoshima, I headed back to Fukuoka. I started to get melancholy that my trip is ending. My cousin and her boyfriend picked me at the hotel near Hakata station and drove me to the Fukuoka International Airport after treating me to dinner (for the 3rd time) and shaved ice. It was actually better than Matsumoto. My cousin is a really good listener.

 

My husband’s birthday was yesterday. Still suffering from the jet lag, I didn’t feel up to the celebration for which I totally felt bad…luckily my good husband was very forgiving. Our neighbors baked cookies for him. Nice presentation!

I baked him a carrot cake – new recipe, wrong size cake pan. The taste was good though. No time for marzipan carrots deco. which was good thing, he is anti marzipan person. Happy Birthday!

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

Wrapped again

Pork wrapped vegetables recipes

A few years ago I was watching a Japanese health show – one of the segments reported that people who eat pork lost more weight than non pork eaters. Pork’s something, I think it was vitamin B6, makes people burn more calories. Really? I’m eating lots of it but I didn’t notice any difference in my weight. I’m a sucker for that kind of great (?) news and at least try once. Several years ago I was eating lots of marshmallows after seeing a TV show that claimed that someone eating lots of it gained 1/2 inch or so in height. I quickly stopped that practice when I was gaining inches sideways. I don’t watch these shows anymore. Because many such shows are cancelled for false, exaggerated  or unfounded claims which someone blew the whistle on and otherwise it’s not cost effective to produce the type of show. Japan had a banana shortage last year (?) after the fad banana diet boom. If I had known I might have tried the diet. My son teases me for being such a naïve believer. Yeah? Whatever!

My husband likes pork. He posted awesome pork dish on my blog while I was away in Hawaii. He likes wrapped pork dishes (more like appetizer) adapted from Japanese magazine Orange Page also. Both are great for bento because they retain good flavor after cooled. It was quick (except I took time removing bean sprout’s little roots one by one-Japanese called He-GE-NE ひげ根) and it was a satisfying dish and accidently gluten free! More and more people around me are exercising gluten free diet for medical reasons. I feel really bad for them but I’m relived that I don’t have that problem. If I have to be on diet I will just cry, then no more visit to cake shop or bakery in Japan (sob).

Spinach and bean sprout wrapped pork – Makes 10 rolls

Sauce

• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon rice wine (酒)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon tobanjan (豆板醤) Hot bean sauce

Main ingredients

• 10 thin sliced side pork 豚バラ肉 or shabu shabu pork
• Bean sprouts about 100g
• Spinach
• Oil for frying

1. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, rice wine, sugar,and tobanjan. Set aside.
2. Lay down the pork slice on the clean surface then put bean sprout and spinach on it  and roll from end. Don’t worry about being neat, look mine!
3. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in pan over medium heat. Lay rolled end first in pan.
4. Cook for 1 minute then shake the frying pan and roll the meat to brown all sides.
5. Soak up excess oil or juice with paper towel if necessary.
6. Pour in the sauce and cook for 1-2 minutes until sauce get little bit thick.
7. Remove from pan and cover with the sauce left in pan and serve.

Pork wrapped Asparagus - 4 rolls*

• 4 fat stalks of asparagus, Cut an inch off from the end and peel the lower half of the stalk
• 8-10 thin sliced side pork
• 2 pre-sliced cheese (any kind that melts), cut in half
• Salt
• 7 spice (七味唐辛子）

1. Wrap asparagus with 2 sliced pork
2. Towards the end of the stalk, insert cheese and finish wrapping. Cover the cheese as much as possible.
3. Heat oven to 400 F
4. Cover rimmed cooking sheet with foil  and lay the wrapped asparagus on it.
5. Bake for 5 minutes or so then change setting to broil and brown for 1-2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
6. Some cheese may ooze out but you could wrap around the pork. Sprinkle with salt and seven spice. Serve.

* I doubled the recipe.I also served fried Lotus roots and oven baked fava beans

These make a shaki-shaki sound when you eat them. Much like the zaku-zaku from the Renkon burgers

My husband is looking forward to harvesting peas from our garden very soon. I will make his favorite pea rice (豆ご飯) with them. Pea rice has a festive connotation. My pea-hating son won’t eat it so no worrying about the need to share. He is such a PPP (pea party pooper! ) I may post about pea rice next time and a picture of him not eating peas.