I love my Zoji, Japan’s leading rice cooker brand. Fuzzy logic and induction heating produce great rice. However, the fuzzy logic doesn’t detect the type of rice and I forgot to change the setting from (short-grain) brown to sushi. It was edible, but rather aggressively cooked.
Category: Cook
No Special Occasion
It always seems like a special occasion when we have paella. Made veggie paella for no particular reason. I’m still working on getting a good socarrat (deep fond), but this one tasted pretty good and delaminated from the pan nicely. Recipe.
Asian Supermarket
The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., there’s so much good stuff in Asian supermarkets. On my walk, popped into my favorite Asian supermarket for chicken parts westerners generally eschew, Chinese broccoli, and (an impulse purchase) frozen pork steamed buns.
Spam Musubi
The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g., Spam musubi is good. Fry Spam slices, coat with shoyu/mirin/brown sugar glaze.Stack in a musubi mold (or Spam can lined with plastic wrap): —Spam slice—Sushi rice mixed with a few drops of vinegar —Optional furikakeWrap with nori.
Mono-Layer Sauté
The things I wish I’d known when I was young; e.g. sauté mushrooms in a mono-layer, don’t be afraid of heat, and deglaze the pan with wine. And so much still to learn: I’ve yet to master the pan flip; Dwight can do it, but I’m afraid of sending the meal across the kitchen.
Kale Is Good
Today, one of my favorite weeknight meals: roasted white sweet potatoes with steamed then stir-fried kale. Bacon, garlic, and toasted walnuts fill the room with wonderful aromas. A squeeze of lemon, shoyu, and black pepper finish the kale.
Shelf-Stable Ingredients
When in doubt, I can always make risotto from preserved ingredients. Previously frozen before our trip: sautéed onion, Parmesan, butter, stock. Shelf stable: Arborio rice, splash of wine, dried mushrooms (I usually prefer dried to fresh). So that’s what I’m making.
New Year’s Paella
Our annual tradition: celebrated the new year in Madrid at 5:00 p.m. Central then made paella.
Enhanced Gravy
Last Christmas, a bottle of red wine was corked, so I reduced the wine to an excellent syrup. Over the year, it’s added a fruity note to dressings and sauces. Today, a couple tablespoons added a pleasant dimension to the gravy.
Tip The Fridge
Dinner tonight: tip-the-fridge galette, with a tip-the-fridge salad on the side. Tomorrow we travel.