Epic Journey - A Feast For The Eye....And The Stomach!

Is it April already?  Yes, my epic journey to Japan has taken place and I am still overwhelmed by all that I have learned and experienced.  Truly a journey of a lifetime!  I kept a blog while I was there, so if you are interested in more than just food relating to Japan, you might want to check it out at www.yonseiinjapan.blogspot.ca.

The food?  Wow.  The first thing I will say is that presentation is so important in Japan.  Everything is presented so beautiful...lacquer boxes, delicate dishes, gorgeous wrapping...it is something to behold.  In our Japanese-Canadian culture, we refer to boxed lunch as 'bento' boxes....well let's just say that in Japan, a bento box ('obento' in honourific culture...which translates directly to 'honourable bento box') is an art rather than a way to pack your lunch!

  
Small portions, beautifully cut, artfully presented....inspired a feeling of tranquility.  Zen.

And I LOVED breakfast!  Rice, tea, salted fish....you'd think you would get tired of it and yearn for an omelette?  Not me...I really enjoyed the Japanese breakfasts.  The only downside is that coffee (especially large, North American quantity) is not generally a part of it.  My fellow delegates and I could often be found in the wee hours of the morning, wandering swiftly through the hotel labrynth hoping to find the only coffee shop in the hotel open before our day began...the one with the good coffee and the BIG cups...some North American habits are hard to shake.

Kyoto really is the cultural capital of Japan, and there you will find unique, 'Kyoto-style' cuisine.  For example odofu is a meal of tofu.  Sound boring?  Anything but.  It comes in various forms...simmering in a lovely broth, infused beautifully with sesame (I need to find a recipe for that), covered with a thick miso sauce...all different ways to enjoy tofu as a main course.

On a 'free' and memorable night in Kyoto, my colleagues and I went out in search of a good restaurant in Gion. Gion is an area of 'old' Kyoto, a cultural hot spot where the Geiko (Geisha) and Maiko (apprentice Geisha) can sometimes be spotted.  We searched through the dark, narrow streets and finally came upon a place that seemed right.  It was a small restaurant and like most, we were greeted warmly at the door.  There was only one other couple in the restaurant, which made the experience seem much more intimate.  We sat at the sushi bar and ordered a multitude of amazing food and drink...including fried tempura, fresh sushi, grilled beef, even blowfish...and all finished off nicely with Japanese scotch.  If my colleagues are reading this, they will be waiting for me to say that I'm not exactly a scotch person, but I'll admit the experience was finished off nicely with the conviviality of a toast of scotch!

Inspired?  I am.  I am not having salted fish for breakfast today...but I am definitely feeling inspired both culturally and culinarily...is that a word??  Kampai!

Epic Journey - Japan

So this is exciting....Part of being a true foodie is not just the love of making food, but the love of eating and admiring food...agree?  Well, I am about to embark on an epic journey to the 'homeland'....a homeland I have only been to once before, but homeland all the same!

I've been privileged to be invited on a trip to Japan to explore Japanese culture, business and politics.  While I am excited to discover Japan on all fronts...I must express my great excitement at the prospect of such a culinary adventure!  So, I'll be very business-like at my meetings...of course....but I intend to warn the other delegates that I have a slight obession with food and will likely be snapping photos of my food as we go along.  Gotta have full disclosure to form good relationships and hope that they do not think that I am certifiable!  So we'll start in Tokyo and travel to Kyoto, then Sendai (where the 3.11 earthquake and tsunami took place)....I hope you'll join me on this adventure.

Happy New Year - Cold and flu season means it is time for okayu

Happy New Year!  I know it is mid-way through January, but my policy is that it is always okay to say that as long as it is January.  Come February it is time to get down to serious business...

Unfortunately, this year, January is flu season and it is a big, raging, ugly, monster....So when Kara came home from school on Tuesday with body aches, headache, sore throat and cough, I decided it was time for okayu.

Now, you might not know that I've spent the better part of two years discovering and exploring my Japanese heritage.  Being fourth-generation  Japanese Canadian means I've spent most of my life aware of but not living my Japanese roots.  In 2010 I decided to change that.  I travelled to Japan with my father for the first time (for both of us) and I took on a volunteer director position at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre.  What an incredible and enriching experience it has been....

So, of the many discoveries of my heritage (paralleling with my love of food and cooking....) I have discovered okayu....which is really rice porridge.  It is Japanese short grain rice, cooked in an abundance of water and garnished with Japanese condiments.  I know... it sounds blah...but actually it is very easily digestible and when you are sick, have no tastebuds and nothing looks interesting...okayu actually does the trick.  It is standard Japanese fare when you are sick.  The added benefit for Kara is that it is easily eaten in front of the television....bowl and spoon in hand with CSI on the telly.  In actual fact, it may be the act of having your mom make something warm and comforting when you are feeling especially miserable and needy that may hold the magic....but so be it.  I'm making okayu.

Okayu

1/2 cup short grain Japanese rice
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt

Optional garnish:
umebushi (pickled plum)
furukaki (seaweed and sesame-based condiment)
nori (seaweed)

Rinse the rice under cold water and drain.  Add rice and water to a small saucepan, cover and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 30 mins.  Turn the heat off and let the rice steam for 10  mins.  Add salt and stir.  Garnish.

Nothing Says Christmas Like Gingersnaps...

Christmas is all about tradition at our house.  Despite having spent time living overseas for three years and in a few different homes...one thing always stays the same at Christmas...gingersnaps.  My kids won't have Christmas without them and this recipe is to-die-for when straight out of the oven....crispy on the outside and soft and tender on the inside.  This year, we were very late in putting up our tree...December 23rd to be exact...but the tree-trimming celebration still included hot chocolate and our yummy fresh gingersnaps...comfort in a cookie.

Gingersnaps

3 3/4 cps all purpose flour
3 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
2 cups dark brown sugar, packed
2 eggs well beaten
1/2 cup dark molasses
2 tsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
granulated sugar for rolling

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy.
Add eggs, beating until fluffy.  Add molasses, lime juice and vanilla.  Continue beating until well combined.  Gradually add the flour mixture, beating until just blended.
Divide the dough into two portion, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.  (The dough can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days).
Preheat the oven to 350F  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.  Using a tablespoon measure, scoop out a tablespoon of dough and roll into a ball.  Roll the ball in the granulated sugar and place on the baking sheets.  Bake for 10 - 12 mins.  Transfer to a rack to cool.  These will keep in an airtight container for a few days...or freeze and take out as you need them.

The Annual Neighbourhood Gingerbread Build - This year...Harry Potter!

Each year my friend Dianne...lovely, brave, self-less Dianne....has a gingerbread party and invites a number of (ultra-competitive) women together to drink wine, eat yummy food and compete to see who can build the 'best' gingerbread house.  Well, there are no actual prizes...only self-proclaimed winners...but some incredible details that would blow your socks off.  Miniature lights, trees, skating rinks, Russian tea-house themes....you name it.  Each year these lovely women start drawing up blueprints around March and work, and re-work their masterpieces before coming in for the kill in December.  It's so much fun.  And lovely Dianne is the hostess above all hostesses....a beautiful lunch, ready-made gingerbread houses for everyone (you just have to bring your candy), icing tubes prepared, a beautiful smile and take home shortbread.  I LOVE being a guest, but it sounds like torture as a hostess!  Where's the fun in that?  She is obviously a better person than me...So cheers to Dianne and to my loveable neighbourhood competitors!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches for Grey Cup festivities!

The Grey Cup is the Canadian equivalent of the Super Bowl in the US....well, its smaller, much more modest cousin...but it celebrated it's 100th game this past weekend, and so it was a big deal for us canucks!  While we love our pulled pork sandwiches for tailgating, we latched on to this BBQ Beef sandwich recipe some years ago and it stuck.  And it is a bit of a healthier alternative (don't tell Z and K).  Some short prep, toss in the slow cooker and it's a snap to make!  Zach was my guest photographer for this entry...he had to get a shot of his double-decker sandwich garnished with dill pickle slices and red onion on an over-sized toasted garlic bun!

BBQ Beef Sandwiches (adapted from Cooking Light Magazine)

2 (1.5 lb) flank steaks

1/3 cup dark brown sugar, divided

3/4 tsp black pepper

1 (6 oz) can tomato paste

1 cup chopped onion

1 cup ketchup

3 tbsp cider vinegar

2 tbsp molasses

2 tbsp worcestershire sauce (if you are not allergic!)

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp prepared mustard

1 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dry mustard

12 (2.5 oz) sandwich rollsred onion rings and dill pickle slices to garnish

Cut each steak in half crosswise. Combine 1 tbsp brown sugar ad pepper. Rub steaks with sugar mixture. Place remaining brown sugar, tomato paste and next 10 ingredients (through dry mustard) in a slow cooker, stir well. Add steak and turn to coat. Cover with lid, cook on high for 1 hour. Reduce to low and cook 6 - 7 hours until steak is tender. Remove steak from slow cooker (leaving sauce in cooker). Shred steak with 2 forks (don't do this until ready to serve or it will dry out). Return shredded steak to cooker, stir well to coat with sauce. Spoon onto buns and garnish. 375 cals.

Virtuous Apple Ginger Muffins

A favourite muffin inspired by a recipe by the lovely Sophie Dahl.  There is no sugar and the recipe uses spelt flour, oats and applesauce to keep it moist.  The result is a lighter-than-air treat that is moist, tasty and good for you....top that!  All this in an effort to increase my health efforts before Christmas...I even tried a very cool ballet-inspired fitness class this week...so between doing that and eating these muffins, I should be guilt-free by Christmas!  If only it were so easy.

What the heck...try the muffins...they are good.  'Nuff said.

Virtuous Apple Ginger Muffins

Sunflower oil (or paper cases)

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or 1/8 tsp dry)

1 1/4 cup spelt flour (you can use whole wheat flour)

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup unsweetened applesauce

4 egg whites, lightly beaten

1/2 cup greek or natural yogurt

3/4 cup agave syrup or honey

1 firm apple, peeled, cored and diced

3/4 cup of raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin with sunflower oil or use paper cases.

Sift baking powder, soda, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.  Stir in flour and oats.  Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add in all the wet ingredients, apple and raisins.  Stir very gently just until dry ingredients are folded into the batter.  Pour batter into muffin tins.  You can garnish each with a thin slice of apple, if you like.

Bake for 25 - 30 mins until tops are brown.  Serve warm with apple butter.