Stuffed

Green Pepper stuffed with Lotus Roots and Squid

It was a dismay to find squid in the freezer while I was getting out my oil paint case (which I store in the freezer to keep the paint fresh). How old is this thing? I can’t even read the date on the package. Why I didn’t see you when I was making oknomi-yaki? What a shame if I throw it away, right? Even though it’s color has turned yellowish?

I reasoned that squid was protected from the elements for who knows how long,  therefore it is perfectly safe, the discoloration is a totally natural occurrence. Besides, just because I can’t see the expiration date that doesn’t mean I bought it a long time ago. I might have purchased it last week, me not squid getting old, I forgotten all about it, not likely but possible. Anyhow, I have to come up with a dish where the squid is not a show piece but behind scenes…perhaps a suspicious…I mean mysterious presence.

The Japanese recipe site COOKPAD gave me inspiration and aha! It worked.  With a sign of relief, I’m reporting to you that no one in my family got hurt. My husband even gave me a huge compliment for the unique dish. Well, ahhh.. yes I’m glad we all have strong stomachs, ha ha ha. Memo to myself-our family’s health comes first, organize the freezer and don’t be stupid-not necessary in that order.

Ingredients and direction for 8 stuffed green peppers

• 4 medium size Green pepper-cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds and white parts.
• 2-3 Tablespoons Cornstarch or potato starch plus more for dusting.
• Lotus roots 250g-peeled, slice eight 1/4 inch thick slices from it. Soak all the lotus roots in water with 1 teaspoon of rice vinegar for 5-7 minutes.
• Squid about 200g- I used body only, no cartilage, no eyes and no intestines but legs are optional. Chopped in small pieces.
• 1 green onion minced
• Ginger roots 1-1/2 inch length grated
• 1 Tablespoon white or black sesame seeds pan roasted*
• Salt 1/2 teaspoon
• Sesame oil  1 Tablespoon
• Rice wine or water 3 Tablespoons

1. Dust inside of green pepper with some cornstarch. Set aside.
2. Pat water soaked lotus roots dry with paper towels. Grate what is left of the lotus roots after you’ve cut the 8 slices.
3. Mix grated lotus roots, squid, green onion, grated ginger root, roasted sesame seeds, salt and cornstarch in a large bowl.
4. Stuff the green peppers with the lotus root mixture.
5. Dust sliced lotus roots with cornstarch then put on top of stuffed green pepper. Push lotus root into the stuffing so that it adheres. Dust lightly on top with more cornstarch.
6. Heat sesame oil in a non-stick skillet at medium high heat. Put in the stuffed pepper, lotus side. Cook until the it turns into a golden color.
7. Flip and cook the other side till it is a nice brown.
8. Pour sake or water in the skillet, cover and steam over low heat for 4-5 minutes until all the liquid evaporates. 
9. Serve with ponzu, soy sauce or mayonnaise. A few drops of lemon juice added is also a nice touch.

* Roasting sesame seed is very simple but gives the dish a nice aroma and flavor. Put seeds in a non-stick pan and shake the pan constantly an inch above the cook top to cook seeds at medium heat until aromatic.

Tomato season is finally over. We enjoyed the blessings.

Here are some of tomato dishes. Pasta with Tomato and Almond pestoPasta alla Norma-roasted eggplants was surprisingly delightful.I froze tomatoes overnight, grated and mixed with honey and lemon. Refreshing slushy drink!Autumn scapeWatermelon that didn’t. Feeed me~! Just kidding.My husband brought home 6 crème brûlée beignets from a food cart near his work. I don’t eat anything after 9 PM…oh, all alright maybe just one.My oil painting teacher shared some roses from her garden.

Our pumpkins are ready for Jack-o-lantern-Cinderella, White pumpkin and Howden known as Halloween pumpkin. Have a Happy Halloween tomorrow!

A year

Crab cake

I told my husband a gazillion times that I’m going to quit this food blog thingie since I started a year ago today. Naturally lazy, disorganized and unfocused me don’t always know where I’m headed yet I’m still on this journey. That is hard to believe. I drove my daughter (who helped me start my blog) insane with questions over the phone and I failed to understand the technical side of blogging my husband tried to teach me a hundred times the day before. On a few occasions, after spending 3 hours writing and rewriting stories I lost everything in the cyber world. I called my husband at work, told him it’s an emergency and he needed to come home right away but instead he asked questions like “what did you touch?”. I have no idea really. But the “I didn’t touch anything” answer only got me some sarcastic remark form him. And he didn’t come home right away. Somehow, I learned to be patient with him.

My husband and I love to eat good foods. This food blogging is making us more conscious of what we eat and challenges me to try new recipes always. My husband was a good cook before and he is an awesome cook today. I got many compliments for his cooking- Thank you it was easy!

I made crab cake today because for my very first blog I made crab croquette. I’m celebrating my 1 year anniversary this way. I love crab and all sea foods. Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant offered this fabulous crab cake. I tweaked the recipe a little bit. I really don’t like onion that much so I anal about mincing it super fine.

Ingredients for 6 large patties

• 1 pound crab meat
• 2 cups plain bread crumbs (パン粉）divided.
• 2 ribs celery, finely minced
• 1 small onion, finely minced
• 1 small green bell pepper, finely minced
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 egg
• About 1/4 cup mayonnaise-I used Japanese style mayonnaise because I’m out of regular one.
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• About 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Tatar sauce (optional)

1. Combine crab meat, 1 cup of the bread crumbs, celery, onion, green pepper, dry mustard, Tabasco, egg, mayonnaise, lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce.
2. Form mixture into 6 1-inch-thick patties. If the mixture won’t hold together, add a bit more mayonnaise.
3. Use remaining 1 cup bread crumbs to coat patties, slightly pressing crumb into patties.
4. Heat about half of 1/4 cup oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Place three patties in the hot oil and brown. Turn to brown the other side.
5. Keep first batch warm in the oven at 150 to 200 degrees while browning the remaining patties.
6. Start with fresh oil to repeat browning with remaining patties.
7. Serve with tartar sauce or just a squeeze of lemon juice.

Looking back the at the past year, I shared personal thoughts with my readers. The March 11th earthquake, my son’s divorce, my friend‘s passing. Somewhat embarrassing to disclose my feelings but at the same time it helped me to heal.The Strawberry Shortcake post seems to be the most popular one. My favorite part of blogging is to hear that someone saw my post and decided to make it and then tell me that it was delicious. Thank you so much, loyal readers! I don’t know how far I can go but I am still sailing.

There was a lot of frost on the ground when we woke up this morning. I’m afraid that these blueberries might not get ripe…