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Wow. That unnerving stillness that comes after a big event has been filled with... cooking. I'm reaffirming my interest in Japanese cooking almost daily. Samhain / Halloween I got to showcase yakitori chicken followed by su-meshi and slow cooked shiitake mushrooms. Some of us even ate them as nigiri. Those were followed by a culture shift to Pumpkin Pie.
Last night I started a pot of homemade chicken soup from scratch. I sauteed a coarsely chopped onion in water from soaking the shiitake mushrooms, reserved three cups of the shiitake water for later use, then added the rest to the pot, added one whole chicken, about five stalks of celery and five carrots, some coarsely sliced ginger, and added thyme, savory, a little dill, a pinch of cinnamon, and some chamomile. Bringing the pot up to the boil, I then dropped the heat and set it to simmer for about an hour or so. When everything was cooked to the mush point, I stuck it in the fridge for two hours to at least cool it down enough to handle. Once cooled, I separated the meat from the gook and put the meat into a separate container. The soup, I put through a mesh strainer, mushing some of the veggie pulp into the broth and discarding the solids and other random stuff that isn't as nice in the final soup. Then the broth went into the fridge overnight. The idea is that the fats float on top, then condense in the cool of the fridge. If you leave it in there long enough, you can take the fat out of the soup in solid form and just drop it in the garbage, leaving the soup very lean. I haven't done that yet today since the soup won't be needed until tomorrow night, and the longer I leave it in there, the more likely the fat will be solid. I'm thinking of straining the soup through cloth too, to clarify it somewhat, but that's up in the air.
Tomorrow it gets separated into half, half going into the freezer and half staying in the big pot. I add water to top it off, and barley, an hour before I want it to be ready. I add some more nicely sliced veggies: carrots, celery, onion, half an hour before I want it done, adding noodles about 15 min. before, then putting in the meat just long enough to warm up. If it needs extra meat, then I put it in with the veggies. I don't add salt until the end, when it won't be condensing much more. It makes a great, hearty, filling soup filled with lots of homecooked goodness.
Usually I make my soup pretty thick, so this time I'm making herb bread to go with it. The bread is on its second bowl rising as we speak. It has garlic powder, savory, thyme, rosemary, a little ginger, and a hint of olive oil flavoring it. I'm planning on making a pair of braided loaves out of it. It is a wonderful feeling to be looking forward to two homemade goodies. I don't make such things everyday. Still, the winter is coming. Making a pot of soup or stew at the outset of a week in the winter is a hearty way to keep our bellies warm and full. That, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that I can keep the kitchen going and functional even while working on big culinary projects.
Just today, I ended up creating a quick lunch started from the shiitake water, a packet of dashi no moto, two tablespoons of soy sauce, a quarter cup of sake, two packages of ramen sans flavor packets, two green onions sliced into thin rounds, and two eggs to simmer in the broth as a garnish. Yummy stuff, and![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
mechanchaos even drank all his broth, something he normally doesn't do with ramen.
To keep the kitchen functional, it really does take doing dishes right after they've been used. It is SO worth it though. It means lots of good food, both homemade from scratch and doctored ramen / dashi no moto.
Food has been keeping me occupied. I'm too much of a sucker for good food! No wonder my girth isn't as slender as I'd like it... (I won't even go into detail about my son's halloween candy haul...)
Last night I started a pot of homemade chicken soup from scratch. I sauteed a coarsely chopped onion in water from soaking the shiitake mushrooms, reserved three cups of the shiitake water for later use, then added the rest to the pot, added one whole chicken, about five stalks of celery and five carrots, some coarsely sliced ginger, and added thyme, savory, a little dill, a pinch of cinnamon, and some chamomile. Bringing the pot up to the boil, I then dropped the heat and set it to simmer for about an hour or so. When everything was cooked to the mush point, I stuck it in the fridge for two hours to at least cool it down enough to handle. Once cooled, I separated the meat from the gook and put the meat into a separate container. The soup, I put through a mesh strainer, mushing some of the veggie pulp into the broth and discarding the solids and other random stuff that isn't as nice in the final soup. Then the broth went into the fridge overnight. The idea is that the fats float on top, then condense in the cool of the fridge. If you leave it in there long enough, you can take the fat out of the soup in solid form and just drop it in the garbage, leaving the soup very lean. I haven't done that yet today since the soup won't be needed until tomorrow night, and the longer I leave it in there, the more likely the fat will be solid. I'm thinking of straining the soup through cloth too, to clarify it somewhat, but that's up in the air.
Tomorrow it gets separated into half, half going into the freezer and half staying in the big pot. I add water to top it off, and barley, an hour before I want it to be ready. I add some more nicely sliced veggies: carrots, celery, onion, half an hour before I want it done, adding noodles about 15 min. before, then putting in the meat just long enough to warm up. If it needs extra meat, then I put it in with the veggies. I don't add salt until the end, when it won't be condensing much more. It makes a great, hearty, filling soup filled with lots of homecooked goodness.
Usually I make my soup pretty thick, so this time I'm making herb bread to go with it. The bread is on its second bowl rising as we speak. It has garlic powder, savory, thyme, rosemary, a little ginger, and a hint of olive oil flavoring it. I'm planning on making a pair of braided loaves out of it. It is a wonderful feeling to be looking forward to two homemade goodies. I don't make such things everyday. Still, the winter is coming. Making a pot of soup or stew at the outset of a week in the winter is a hearty way to keep our bellies warm and full. That, and it gives me a sense of accomplishment, knowing that I can keep the kitchen going and functional even while working on big culinary projects.
Just today, I ended up creating a quick lunch started from the shiitake water, a packet of dashi no moto, two tablespoons of soy sauce, a quarter cup of sake, two packages of ramen sans flavor packets, two green onions sliced into thin rounds, and two eggs to simmer in the broth as a garnish. Yummy stuff, and
mechanchaos even drank all his broth, something he normally doesn't do with ramen. To keep the kitchen functional, it really does take doing dishes right after they've been used. It is SO worth it though. It means lots of good food, both homemade from scratch and doctored ramen / dashi no moto.
Food has been keeping me occupied. I'm too much of a sucker for good food! No wonder my girth isn't as slender as I'd like it... (I won't even go into detail about my son's halloween candy haul...)
