All I want for Christmas

I doubt it comes as any surprise, but all I want for Christmas is… family and friends and good cheer! As the big day draws near, I am working hard to make it the best Christmas in Japan yet.

I still have to remind myself every year that Christmas is not a holiday in Japan. It is simply a fun commercial experience that many people have bought into. I was overjoyed when I realized that this would be the first year since moving here that my husband and son would be home all day for Christmas! No work and no school!!! I can’t wait to have my boys all day as we open presents, eat a wonderful meal, and make it as joyful as we can.

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked to teach a cooking lesson to a small group of moms from my son’s school. They wanted to learn what American’s actually eat on Christmas (some people still think everyone in the US eats fried chicken from KFC). I decided to teach them to make dressing (as I never stuff a turkey) and fudge. One of the moms offered her kitchen and another mom helped me shop for ingredients. This past Tuesday, we all gathered for a lesson and lunch. It was so fun teaching these moms how to make foods that represent the holiday for me. Beyond the dressing and fudge, I brined chicken breasts and pre-made cranberry sauce. This, combined with a salad, served as our lunch. While eating, we talked about Christmas traditions and how it is celebrated differently in the two countries. I went home with such a full heart. It was an incredible blessing to be able to share with these ladies.

Little did I know, the real warm fuzzies would come today. Starting first thing this morning, I started receiving texts as the moms started the process of recreating the meal for their families. I was overcome with holiday cheer as a teacher and as a fellow mom, knowing that they were sharing their new knowledge and it was blessing their tables.

Whenever I have felt exceptionally distanced this holiday season, little things have been gifted to me to bring me cheer. It is almost like little Christmas elves at work. Dark nights were combated with incredible illuminations (holiday light displays). Grumpiness over having to listen to 800 versions of “Last Christmas” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” (songs that I detest) was irradiated when my husband made me a Christmas play list that only contains my favorite holiday tunes. And an isolated feeling will be demolished when some friends join us tomorrow for Christmas dinner.

As a special treat, my husband ordered a turkey on Amazon for us to enjoy on Christmas Day! It arrived 2 days ago, frozen solid. We debated for a long time about what size to get - our oven is about the size of a microwave! Despite knowing it was going to be a small bird, I still laughed out loud when I pulled the 6.5 pound bird out of the box. I swear I’ve cooked chickens that were bigger! But it doesn’t matter. I still, for the very first time, get to have turkey and turkey soup and turkey sandwiches!!! That, in itself, has brought me so much Christmas cheer. Getting to share it with another family will make it that much better.

While Christmas here will never be anything like Christmas with my extended family back in the US, it is nice to embrace it as our own and celebrate as much as we can.

A whole lot of cabbage

As the cold weather takes hold, I am eager to eat all the comfort foods of fall. Images of warms bowls of soup, thick hearty stews, and filling casseroles delight my mind and make me hungry.

Earlier this fall my husband entered a lottery to win the chance to go to a local farm and harvest vegetables. Our family was blessed with this opportunity this year. Unfortunately, our son happened to have school on the same Saturday, so it was just the eager adults attending.

The weather was chilly, but sunny, encouraging us to bundle up for our bike ride over to the “farm”. (I use quotation marks because it is so small, I have a hard time using the term. But it is his business, so it is the correct term.) We arrived a few minutes before 9 am.

We lined up to hear the farmer and city employees give us a few instructions as well as inform us how lucky we were, since we had a 1 in 8 chance of being selected. We would be able to take home 3 carrots, 2 daikon (long radish), and 1 napa cabbage.

We started with the carrots, pulling 3 big ones easily out of the dirt. Then we walked over to the cabbage patch, where the farmer chopped the biggest napa cabbage off its root that I’ve ever seen. Finally, my husband pulled 2 enormous daikon from the ground.

My husband and I quickly started discussing what we cook with these gigantic vegetables. We quickly decided we needed to make nabe (soup) with, at least, part of the cabbage. There is a popular nabe known as mille-feuille nabe. The cabbage is layered with thin slices of pork, looking very similar to the famous dessert with the same name.

That evening my son was eager to help his dad with preparing the soup pot. They worked quickly to stack everything and create a beautiful flower design. My husband added a simple broth, and turned on the stove to let it cook. He also simmered some daikon in a different broth as a side dish.

Soon, dinner was on the table and we were all enjoying the nabe. We all agreed that dinner was delicious and we would happily eat it again and again. It is a great meal to warm us up through and through - and so easy to make!

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Mille-Feuille Nabe
Serves 3-4

1 napa cabbage (about 6 lbs/2.7 kg)
1 1/2 lb/750g sliced pork belly
5 cups dash (Japanese soup stock)
2 tbsp sake

2 tbsp mirin
1 tbsp soy sauce
Optional - ponzu for dipping

1. Cut the napa cabbage to the desired height - 2 to 2 1/2 inches or 5 to 6 cm.
2. Place each slice of pork belly between the napa leaves. If the pork is too long, you can trim to the desired length and use the excess in another layer.
3. Start packing the layers of napa cabbage/pork belly from the outer edges of the nabe pot (or whatever pot you are using). Work your way toward the center. The layers should be packed tightly as they will become loose as it cooks.
4. Work until the entire pot is filled. If you run out of napa/pork, you can put other ingredients in the center, like enoki mushrooms or mizuna (a bitter green).
5. Combine the dash, sake, and soy sauce. Pour it in the pot. Start cooking on high heat until boiling. Skim any foam. Then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 10 minutes until the napa is tender and the pork is fully cooked.
6. Serve hot by itself or dip into ponzu.

Big blue

On the rare occasion we rent a car, we try to fill our day with fun things. Desperate for a Costco run, my husband relented and rented a car. Unfortunately, this time, the weather wasn't going to cooperate for a fun day with outside adventures. But we weren't going to be deterred.

We decided to start our day with a quick stop at a blueberry farm for u-pick berries. At this particular farm, customers could pick if they wanted to nibble their way through the field or snack and pick to take home. Since getting to take any berries home from a u-pick is a rarity, I was excited to choose the latter. We can never have enough blueberries at home!

Lucky for us, it was only sprinkling when we arrived at the farm. We donned our ponchos and began to pick. I love farms that have a variety of berries, so we can find the type that we most enjoy.

Most blueberry fields I have seen in Japan, reside within a huge netting "cage". While it isn't very attractive, I would guess they don't loose huge crops to birds.

We picked an extra kilo (2.2 lbs) of berries to take home with us. My son was super excited, as he loves to have berries as snacks as well as with breakfast. I love to nibble on them, but also to cook with them! This time, I decided to make some jam with some of the berries (I also had some in the freezer, because I didn't want to use all the fresh berries for the jam).

I found a lovely recipe on foodinjars.com for cranberry-blueberry jam that doesn't use pectin. It is a very simple jam to make. I happened to have some leftover cranberries in the freezer from the holidays. Cranberries are not a common ingredient in Japan, so I was super happy to have these!

I was overjoyed to make the jam. Now my family has a couple jars, and I was able to gift a couple jars to the neighbors!

Tall green stalks

I still remember sitting in a restaurant with my son when he was about 8 months old. He was enthusiastically enjoying his food while my husband and I enjoyed a nice conversation. A woman stopped by our table and inquired "how do you get your child to eat asparagus?" We just smiled and said "we offered it to him and he ate it." Now that response seems a little smug, but our son has always loved eating his vegetables.

Introducing new foods has never been a challenge for us. He always just ate (or gnawed on) whatever we were eating. Whenever we went to restaurants, we would order a side of steamed vegetables - whatever the kitchen had - knowing he would at least enjoy snacking on those.

As he grew, we always had him "helping in our garden". It nurtured a love of vegetables within him. As early as 2 years old, if we said we grew something on his plate, it was the first thing to disappear.

When we moved to Japan, we left behind our huge garden and easy access to our favorite vegetables. It has been a struggle buying tiny quantities, almost always wrapped in plastic, at the grocery store. Transitioning to a farm delivery service has been wonderful for our family. Yet, we still feel disconnected from our food chain. Being able to go to u-pick farms has pacified this yearning.

When my husband found information about harvesting asparagus, we didn't hesitate. We knew we wanted to go.

The farm was just 20 minutes from our home, making it a lovely Sunday morning bike ride for our family. After parking our bikes, we were shown a short video about proper harvesting techniques. Each spear needed to be measured to ensure it was tall enough for harvesting using a bamboo skewer with a red line clearly marked on it. It should be cut near the soil, avoiding an baby asparagus that might be hiding around it. Once the video finished, we were let into the large greenhouse where to asparagus grew.

At first glance, the greenhouse appeared rather empty. There were simple frames creating rows, and lots of dirt. Asparagus does not have leaves or other adornment, just simple stems growing straight up from the ground (except when it is left to complete its lifecycle, when it gets very tall and feathery at the top).

Our son picked a row and we eagerly got to cutting. It was a simple process. Find a tall spear, measure it, and cut. Soon we had a nice bundle in our plastic bin provided by the farm. A quick stop by the scales told us we had harvested 1 kilogram or 2.2 pounds.

We paid ¥3,000 ($28.50 USD) for our bundle and headed home. We were instructed to store the asparagus upright in a small amount of water to maintain freshness.

As we biked away, my husband inquired how I was going to cook the asparagus. I wanted to enjoy the simplicity of this wonderful early spring vegetable. We quickly agreed the best route to take would be simply roasting the asparagus for a short time (so it was tender, but still crisp) and top it with a poached egg and parmesan cheese.

When my family sat down to our simple dinner of asparagus and egg, with a side of rice, I heard groans of appreciation. The asparagus was sweet and flavorful. It exceeded expectations and made our mouths incredibly happy.

We might not live in a place where we have easy access to homegrown vegetables. But u-pick definitely gives us a fun family adventure and a bit of wonder produce fresh from the field. Someday, when we do have that garden again, I would bet my vegetable eating son would love to grow some asparagus of his very own.

Ready for the next phase

The rain has been so intense that we can hear it at times through closed windows and over the air conditioner.  We have to run the air conditioner all the time as it is so humid.  We barely left the house this whole 4 day weekend.

In a few days, we will officially leave the rainy season and enter the summer season.  Also known as unbelievably hot and miserable season.  This year, the year of all crazy things, the rainy season is ending a few weeks later than usual.  

In order to save all my herbs, I cut them all this morning.  They have been beaten so much in the torrential downpours of the last few days.  I then proceeded to make 3 different batches of pesto that we will enjoy for quite some time.  

My family got in the action by helping to blanch almonds and remove herbs from stems, while I shredded parmesan and prepped the remaining ingredients.  A bit of herbs, a handful of nuts, some parmesan, and a clove or two of garlic.  Put everything into a food processer and pulse until combined.  Add in a glug of olive oil as it is running to create a beautiful sauce.

Even though we've been stuck inside, we're still having fun and getting stuff done that will help us in those hot summer days.  We're all ready for pasta summer salads and lots of roasted vegetables with pesto on top.

Using the goods

Just 6 months ago, my friend and I made chickpea miso together.  It was a fun experiment as we both had never made it on our own before.  After resting in my closet under the stairs in the fermenting crock for those 6 months, it was time to take it out and try it.

As I pulled it out, removed the lid, and lifted the layer of salt (smashed onto the top of the miso with a few layers of plastic wrap standwiched between them to prevent air for hitting the miso), I prayed that I wouldn't find any mold.  Although technically you can scrape a small amount of mold off the miso and it is still fine, it doesn't mean anyone wants that to happen.

I was overjoyed to see that the miso was mold free and smelled amazing.  I took it out of the crock and put it into a jar that can be kept in the fridge to stop the fermenting process.  

Super happy to have successfully made miso, I decided to feature it in my family's dinner.  My Kasamatsu Farms order arrived today, which also inspired me to create a super delectable meal.  It was easy to decide that I would make miso ginger pork, string beans, and salad for dinner.  My boys would also enjoy a bowl of rice to round out the meal.

Everything came together seamlessly.  My son helped by whisking the miso sesame salad dressing as I measured out the ingredients.  I boiled the beans for only 1 and a half minutes (unfortunately the purple beans still lost most of their color, which is typical when you heat the beautiful dark colored beans).  The meat marinated in a bit of miso, honey, and freshly grated ginger while I was busy with the dressing, salad prep, and beans.  Then I simply pan fried the thin pork loin.  

Not only do I enjoy the process of making things, like miso, I also enjoy eating them!  It was such a wonderful dinner to enjoy after waiting 6 months to be able to try my miso.  I know it will bless my family's table again and again over the next year.

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Miso Ginger Pork

2 tbsp miso

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

4-6 pork chops or thinly sliced pork loin

• Mix miso, honey, and ginger together in a bowl.  Taste to make sure balance is to your liking.
• Marinate pork for 15 minutes minimum.
• Sauté in skillet until cooked through or grill to desired doneness.

Miso Sesame Dressing

1 1/2 tbsp miso

2 tbsp rice vinegar

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp sesame oil

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp sesame seeds, toasted

• Whisk the miso and rice vinegar together until smooth.
• Mix remaining ingredients together, whisking to combine.

Tako-yum!

My son has been dropping hints for weeks.  He wanted to eat takoyaki - little balls made from a flour dough with octopus (tako in Japanese) inside.  A popular food from Osaka, where my husband is originally from, we were always eager to eat it.  It has been really hot though, and the thought of sitting around a hot skillet at the table was not appealing in the least.  

Since today was chilly (I even had on long sleeves!), we decided it was now or not for another couple of months.  

I am now basking in takoyaki delirium, similar to a thanksgiving hangover.  It is a happy place to be.

To read more about takoyaki, click here.

Cooking healthy food

I'm not going very many places these days.  With my son in school, and Covid on the rise again, I just don't get out much.  So, I am extra grateful on Wednesdays when my produce order from Kasamatsu Farms arrives at my door step.

Since my husband prefers to cook most Japanese recipes in our house (I play with them too much, in his opinion), I just whip up whatever comes to mind - which usually isn't Japanese food.  As long as I serve rice on a fairly consistent basis, he doesn't complain that we don't eat enough Japanese food.

I was super excited to enjoy the green beans from our produce box.  I made a stir fry for dinner focused on the tender-crisp bean.  I balanced out the beans with thinly sliced pork, red bell pepper, and maitake mushrooms.  I cooked everything with a bit of salt and freshly grated ginger, then tossed on a sauce of soy sauce, rice vinegar, and mirin right at the end.  I garnished it with some chopped peanuts for a bit of crunch.  It was fast, easy, and delicious.

My son had his eyes on the blueberries.  We don't have fresh berries very often because organic berries are really hard to find.  After eating over a cup of them for his afternoon snack (along with a handful of mixed nuts), we got busy making a blueberry buckle.  The recipe we used (from America's Test Kitchen) whips up the batter in the food processor.  So, I measured everything out, and he combined it by hitting the pulse button repeatedly.  He also cracked the eggs into the batter, which is always one of his favorite jobs.  Once we poured the batter into the buttered pan, he dropped the berries on top.  

If I'm not going anywhere, at least I can whip up delicious meals with beautiful produce.  Nothing beats fresh fruit and vegetables!

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Green bean and pork stir fry

2 tablespoons soy sauce 

1 tablespoon rice vinegar 

1 teaspoon mirin (or sugar)

1 pound green beans, trimmed and cut crosswise into 2- inch pieces 

4 teaspoons vegetable oil 

2 tablespoons minced, peeled peeled fresh ginger 

1/2 pound thinly sliced pork

2 pkgs maitake mushrooms

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips 

1/3 cup dry-roasted peanuts, chopped 

Cooked rice, for serving (optional)

1. In a small bowl, mix soy sauce, vinegar, and sugar; set sauce aside. 
2. Cook green beans in a medium pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Drain; set aside. 
3. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add half the ginger and pork; cook, stirring, until pork is no longer pink. Transfer to a plate. Repeat, cooking remaining ginger and pork in another teaspoon oil; transfer to plate. 
4. Add remaining teaspoon oil to the skillet. Add mushrooms; cook until tender and slightly browned.  
5. Add beans and bell pepper; cook until peppers are tender, about 2 minutes. 
6. Add pork mixture and reserved sauce. Cook, stirring, until pork is coated, about 1 minute. 
7. Top with peanuts.
8. Serve immediately, over rice, if desired. 

I prefer kale

Some girls and guys like to receive bouquets of flowers to brighten their day.  While this brings a huge smile to my face, what really fills my heart with joy is a box full of organic vegetables.

Last week, I was scanning through Facebook and happened to notice a friend recommendation.  I don't typically pay any attention to these, but randomly decided to click on the link purely based on my other friends that person was friends with.  The person was posting about their farm, which offers a delivery service.  Immediately intrigued, I went to their website.  Kasamatsu Farms specialize in organic produce, which they deliver to the Kanto region (Tokyo is in the Kanto region).  

I immediately texted my husband - even though he was working upstairs in our bedroom.  "I HAVE to try this place!" I informed him.  He quickly replied with "I wish they offered a CSA!"  (CSA is community supported agriculture, usually defined as a crop share agreement.)

We placed our order over the weekend, when their "store" is open.  Since then, I have been (im)patiently waiting.  I didn't know what to expect.  Would the produce be wrapped in layers and layers of plastic packaging?  Would it be ample portions or tiny bites?  You just don't know until it actually shows up.

I was on a Facetime call when the doorbell rang this morning.  My friend delighted in seeing me shriek and race for the door.  After providing my hanko (name stamp), the delivery man gave me a nice sized box.

With my friend watching, I opened up the box and started digging inside, revealing all my treasures.  The first think I noticed was the newspaper everything was wrapped in.  There were only 2 pieces of plastic inside, wrapping our arugula and dill, very tender items that do better with a bit more protection.  My heart danced as I revealed our treasure of carrots, arugula, purple potatoes, dino kale, zucchini, and dill.  There was also a special gift of beets!

Everything looked so fresh, like I had pulled it from my own garden.  Even the greens, like the carrot tops, beet greens, dill, and arugula, were at peak perfection.  My heart soared!

Back in the states I ordered produce from farms to balance out what I grew at home.  But I have struggled finding the same thing in Japan.  If they deliver, it isn't organic.  It might be out there, but my husband hasn't found it.

After wrapping up my Facetime call, I joyfully made carrot top pesto, pickled beets (which I can't wait to add hard boiled eggs to in a couple days), and sautéed beet greens with breadcrumbs.  I wanted to use the most fragile items first.

By the time my son got home from school, I was wrapping up my time in the kitchen.  He excitedly perused the vegetable drawer, exclaiming over the huge bouquet of kale (he gets just as excited about vegetables as I do).  My favorite was when he opened the bag of dill, inhaled deeply, and said "momma, lets make pickles" in a hypnotic voice.

Dinner featured the sautéed beet greens with breadcrumbs with a garnish of carrot top pesto, which were promptly gobbled up.  The baked chicken and side of Israeli couscous with lentils was also good, but the real star was the greens.

I feel elated in a way that I haven't felt in a long time.  Not just from the delivery, but also from the amazing food I created in the kitchen using such beautiful ingredients.  Kasamatsu Farms has a new customer.  I can't wait to see what else they offer over the seasons.

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Carrot top pesto

1 clove garlic

1/4 cup macadamia nuts (or blanched almonds)
1 1/2 cups carrot top/leaves, removed from the stem

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup olive oil

1. Place garlic and nuts in the food processor.  Pulse until coarse.
2. Add carrot tops, basil, and parmesan.  Process until coarse.
3. Slowly pour in olive oil while food processor is running.  
4. Season with salt and pepper.

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Sautéed beet greens with breadcrumbs

2 tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 lb beet greens, thinly sliced

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1 tbsp. pesto

1. Put oil and garlic in cold pan.  Heat to medium heat, stirring often until garlic starts to brown.
2. Add beet greens and stir until wilted.  Don't put the lid on it, otherwise you will retain too much moisture.
3. Stir in panko, continuing to cook for 3 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat.  Add the pesto and stir in.
   

Cold noodles

The weather is crazy these days!  On Saturday and Sunday, we saw downpours and temperatures of 70-76°F (21-24°C).  But today, the sun came out and so did the heat.  We had a high of 96°F (36°C)!!!

I stayed inside most of the morning, but in the afternoon, my son wanted to go to the park.  Knowing that the rain was going to come back, I decided to take him even though I knew I would be a sweaty mess.  Luckily, there was a strong breeze and lots of shade at the park, which made it actually pretty tolerable.

However, when I got home,  I still needed to make dinner.  The thought of standing over a hot stove or warming up the house by using the oven really did not appeal to me.  So I enlisted my husband to help me make hiyashichuka (he-ya-she-chew-ka) also known as cold noodles or cold ramen.  

My husband did all the hard work by boiling the noodles and cooking eggs into crepe-thin layers.  After he cooked the noodles, he rinsed them in cold water and let them sit for a couple minutes in some ice water.  While they were chilling, he stacked up all the egg-crepes and cut them into thin strips.

I gathered the cold ingredients and cut them into match sticks.  While only ham, egg, cucumber, and tomatoes are traditional, I also cut up kamaboko (fish cake), red bell pepper, and egoma (sesame leaves).

Our son was eager to help, so he was tasked with assembling the plates.  He first placed a mound of noodles on each place.  Then he put a small pile of each of the cut ingredients on top in a colorful pattern.

Typically we make our own sauce, but today we just used the packets from the noodle package because I bought an actual hiyashichuka set.  We simply spoon the sauce on top.

In less than 15 minutes, dinner was served.  It was refreshing and cool.  Just what I wanted to enjoy on such a hot day.

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Hiyashichuka

Noodles:

3 servings fresh ramen noodles (6 oz fresh noodles per person)

Toppings (everything cut into matchsticks):

1 cucumber

3-4 slices ham

6-9 cherry tomatoes, halved

2 eggs with a small amount of dashi powder

or other ingredients as desired (like egoma or shiso, sautéed bean sprouts, and microgreens)

Dressing:

6 tbsp. soy sauce

3 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tbsp. lemon juice

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1 tbsp. toasted sesame seeds

1 tsp la-yu (Japanese chili oil), optional

1. Gather all the ingredients.
   
2. Combine all the noodle dressing ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk all together. Keep it chilled in the refrigerator.
   
3. For eggs, you make thin egg crepe. Whisk together the eggs and dashi powder. Heat the oil in the pan over medium heat. Pour the egg mixture into the pan and cook on both sides. Cool the crepe and slice into very thin strips.
   
4. Cut all the topping ingredients.
   
5. For the noodles, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook according to package directions. Drain the water and rinse the noodles to remove starch. Put the rinsed noodles into a bowl of ice water to cool. Drain completely and divide the noodles on plates/bowls.
   
6. Place all the toppings and pour the dressing on top before serving. 
   

Much more than essence

When I could not find vanilla extract in regular stores and import stores, I knew I was going to have to make it myself.  Luckily, it is super easy.

My sweet husband ordered some vanilla beans online for me.  As soon as they were delivered, I cut open one and a half of them and added them to my old bottle of vanilla, which holds 120cc (4 oz) of liquid.  The required liquid is vodka - 80 proof is best.  Let it sit in the back of the cabinet for at least 2 months.

This, once again, is another example of how a little bit of ingenuity and a tiny bit of work can take my needs and change them into haves.

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Vanilla Extract

1.5 vanilla beans

120 cc/4 oz 80 proof vodka

Cut open the beans (splitting down longwise) and insert into the bottle.  Pour vodka into bottle.  Keep in cool, dark place for 2+ months.  Shake periodically.

Pesto for the win

I love a good pesto.  It isn't something you can typically find on the shelves in Japanese shops (various forms can typically be found at import stores).  Luckily, it is a cinch to make.

I have nuts from Costco, cheese from the shop, as well as basil and garlic from my garden.  Add just a pinch of salt and a bit of olive oil and put everything through the food processor.  When it comes to pesto, I never measure.  I just add and adjust until it tastes amazing.

The yearning for pesto was very timely as our rainy season is about to begin (next week), so I needed to harvest the basil and garlic before everything got soggy.

Granola time

I've been cooking even more than usual since going into quarantine over a month ago.  Many things I was already making, but some of it is to replace things that I used to buy.

I'm still making copious quantities of yogurt, using about a gallon of milk a week to make it.  I think I am still making up for lost time after not having thick organic yogurt for the first two and a half years of living in Tokyo.  But now I am making the granola that we sprinkle on top instead of buying it at Costco.

I don't buy Japanese brands of granola because it is more what I would consider to be a muesli.  Although once I found a little café that made and packaged their own granola in Nishiwaseda.  I bought some of their packaged granola and my son and I gobbled it up.  If I'm ever in the neighborhood, I will be buying more granola at Forucafe!

My friend emailed me a granola recipe from a beloved cookbook that I didn't bring to Japan with me.  I already had all the ingredients.  With my son's help, we whipped up a batch in just a couple minutes.  He enjoys weighing everything out and being my official stirrer, which makes things go much faster because I concentrate on getting things in and out of the cupboard as well as heating items as required by the recipe.

Naturally Sweet Food in Jars by Marisa McClellan

I did substitute walnuts for pecans.

As we wrapped up the granola, I realized that I was almost out of real maple syrup from Canada.  This was a special bottle we brought to Japan with us.  It's robust flavor is perfect for baking.  While I am certainly used to living without many favorite items, some are harder than others.  Also, running out of beloved items only makes it more real that it has been way too long since I've been to the US.

I know I can replace the syrup at the import store.  It will be with a different brand and grade.  But I won't be completely out.

If I don't get around to picking any more maple syrup up at the store, I guess next time I'll have to use a different recipe!

Lasagna made with memories

There are certain foods that make people remember certain events and places.  For me, asparagus lasagna will always hold a special place in my heart.

Back in 2003, I was engaged to my (now) husband.  Even though we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together, I needed to head back to the US to get a job and prepare for the start of our married life.  Before leaving, I wanted to do something nice for my fiancé.  I often joke that I needed to give him something to remind him of me.  I decided the best course of action was to cook him something.

I borrowed my neighbor's oven (a little toaster oven of sorts that used a lightbulb to cook the food) and made him several individual-sized portions of lasagna.  I assembled and baked them in little paper cake pans from Daiso (the Japanese version of a dollar store).

The most memorable of those lasagnas was the asparagus lasagna.  It is made with a cream sauce and lots of the scrumptious spring vegetable.  It was just a recipe I found online.  Every time I make it (which is very, very rarely), my husband always smiles and says "this tastes familiar!"

Even though it is clearly NOT a Japanese recipe, it always reminds me of Japan.  And it always brings a smile to my face.

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I couldn't find the recipe online.  Luckily I printed it out many, many years ago and stuck it in our family recipe book.  I got the recipe from Food Network, but it says it was adapted from a Gourmet Magazine recipe.  I've made a couple adjustments because the original recipe had some typos.

ASPARAGUS LASAGNA
makes 1 - 8"x8" pan, 4 servings

2 pounds medium asparagus, trimmed
1.5 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
8 sheets instant (no-boil) lasagna
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1/4 cup water
4 ounces mild goat cheese - I cannot find goat cheese in Japan, so I use mascarpone cheese and a spoonful of plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. Cut the tips off each asparagus spear and reserve them.  In a large baking pan, toss the asparagus stalks with oil, coating them well.  Roast the stalks in a preheated 500°F oven, shaking the pan every few minutes, for 5 to 10 minutes, or until crisp tender.  Sprinkle the stalks with salt and let cool.  Cut the roasted asparagus stalks into 1/2 inch lengths and reserve it.
2. Reduce the heat of the oven to 400°F.
3. In a large bowl of cold water, let the sheets of lasagna soak for 15 minutes.
4. In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the flour, and cook the roux over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add the broth and water in a stream, whisking, simmer the mixture for 5 minutes.  Whisk in the goat cheese (or substitute), zest, and salt to taste, whisking until the sauce is smooth.
5. Drain the pasta well.  Place 1/4 of the sauce on the bottom of a buttered 8 inch square baking dish.  Arrange 2 noodles in the dish and spread with 1/4 of the sauce.  Top the sauce with 1/3 of the roasted asparagus and sprinkle with 1/4 of the Parmesan.  Continue to layer the pasta, sauce, asparagus tips, and Parmesan in the same manner, ending with a sheet of pasta (you should still have the asparagus tips, 1/4 cup of Parmesan, and the heavy cream remaining).
6. In a bowl, beat the cream with a pinch of salt until it holds soft peaks.  Arrange the reserved asparagus tips over the pasta.  Spoon the cream over the asparagus tips, spreading it with the back of a spoon, and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top.
7. Bake the lasagna in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until it is golden and bubbling.  Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Comfort food needed, enter latkes

As I lay in bed this morning, I listened to the rain.  It was pour down so forcefully I could hear it coming down and hitting the world.  My room was cold as well, adding to the yearning to not get out of bed.  My husband, as usual, got up with our son and fed him breakfast.  I stayed curled up under the covers, reading my texts, email, and Facebook updates as long as I possibly could.

On Sundays, I can stay in bed late.  My son often cooks breakfast with my husband on Sundays and brings it up to me, along with a lovely cup of tea.  But on Mondays, I have to get up.  My husband needs to work and his office is in our bedroom.

I begrudgingly got out of bed this morning and met with a cheerful child in the living room.  My mood fit the weather - cold and miserable.  I summoned up all my energy and asked "do you want to go for a walk in the rain?"  He shrugged and said "no thanks.  I'd rather stay inside today."  Well,  I wasn't going to fight him on that one.

We turned on our favorite farming YouTube channel and watched beautiful scenes of cows being milked, eggs being collected, and kale growing abundantly while cuddling on the couch.  After an hour and a half, it was time to get moving.  We proceeded with our regular Monday schedule of cleaning, workbooks, phone calls, lunch, and math.  After math, I threw in the towel.  I had given my all.  We did a couple puzzles and played memory while watching more farm videos.  My son told me how he wanted to have a cow someday.

Although the day dragged on and on, time finally came to think about dinner.  All I wanted was comfort food.  After thinking for a moment, I decided to make latkes for dinner.  Using the food processor to shred the potatoes and onion, makes latkes quick and easy work.  My son was eager to feed everything through the food processor and mix up the batter of egg, flour, potato starch, baking powder, salt, and pepper.  I concentrated on squeezing out the liquid from the potatoes and onions before letting him combine everything.

A quick moment in the hot oil, and the latkes were done and ready to eat.  We enjoy them with a dollop of sour cream (actually plain yogurt that I make).

I served the latkes with some eggs scrambled with onion, garlic chives, broccoli, and cheese.  Dinner with super simple, but delicious.

The sun is expected to shine tomorrow.  Hopefully, my energy will be revitalized by the sunshine.  In the meantime, I will relish in the enjoyment of a scrumptious, comforting dinner.


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My favorite latke recipe is from smittenkitchen.com.