Jiro dreams of sushi

very lovely film, not to be missed!
and this documentary is not only about
the seemly delicious sushi that Jiro cooks,
but about his attitude toward work and life,
that makes this documentary and splendid piece

eating shark

eating shark
Hai gegessen
comiendo tiburón

i have never tried shark before
the other day at the Fish Market i saw it
it was local Southern California shark
either Thresher or Bonito

it was actually pretty good
not a very strong fish flavor
more on the mild side, white lean meat
and very soft, i guess is the freshness too
that made it so soft, the Fish Market has
really fresh fish to go



I cooked with a non-chef proof recipe
olive oil, chopped garlic, fresh ground white pepper
and sea salt, on a pan fried about 5 minutes on each side
it was easy, quick and tasty
for side dish, some grape tomatoes with
home-made dressing of balsamic vinegar, olive oil and rosemary



now i guess the only concern on eating shark
is that apparently has high levels of mercury
too bad 'cause i really liked it and it's very affordable

caprese flowers

these little Caprese flowers are based
on my favorite Italian salad, Insalata Caprese



i found at Henry's, i mean, Sprouts
these mozzarella balls, made by BelGioioso
a superb brand of cheese



so from the little mozzarella balls and the grape tomatoes
i got the idea of combining them on top of basil leaves
to form little flowers instead just tossing them on the salad

in my version of Caprese flowers, i added fresh-cut rosemary
to the dressing, which i made with Olive Oil,
balsamic vinegar, fresh-ground black pepper and chopped garlic



the result was delicious! the taste is a bit different
from a 'regular' Insalata Caprese, as with the flowers
you have to bite each little ball of mozzarella
and the grape tomatoes, so they feel different in your mouth
now i like my version better than the original!



give it a try!

woo-hoo!-whole wheat pancakes (from scratch) & rooibos tea

cooking has always been one of my pleasures
and therefore... eating!

these days i am cutting in a lot of pre-made food
'cause of the migraines, i am glad i like cooking
'cause most of my meals most be fresh-cooked
and free of preservatives and/or chemical additives

but i must confess i do find a peaceful pleasure
on setting myself to cook
nothing like chopping tons of veggies or
garlic on my sunny kitchen
i get 'in the zone' and disconnect from daily stresses...
if you don't cook in a rush or a dirty kitchen
then you can find real pleasure on mixing ingredients
and smelling the fragrances of fresh cooked dishes...

one thing that i have understood a while ago
is the importance of eating whole grains and also
i have always loved pancakes, who doesn't?
or 'hot-cakes' as we call them in México
but they are usually made with white flour

the pre-made mixes i've found for making
whole-wheat pancakes at the supermarket are OK
but usually the pancakes come out too thick, not fluffy
and not so tasty... also i don't use pre-mixed flours anymore
because of the preservatives and chemicals they add
it's scary to read the list of ingredients of most food
that you find in the supermarkets! lots of names of
chemicals that we don't even understand

so i took over the challenge of making the perfect
woo-hoo!-whole-wheat pancakes, and i think now i got it!
for a couple of months now, i've been 'perfecting' this recipe
i found the original recipe online for making pancakes from scratch
Charles' Pancakes from scratch
but i substituted the cup of all purpose flour with
3/4 of a cup of whole wheat flour + 1/4 of white flour

in case you want to make them at home
and i invite you to! well,
here the ingredients:

1 egg
1 cup of low fat milk
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
3/4 cup of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt

optional:
1/2 cup or more of berries or any chopped fruit

now the secret to make the whole wheat pancakes
really fluffy was given to me by my friend Tina
a couple of weeks ago

First, you mix all the dry ingredients together,
that is the flours, baking powder, and salt

Then, on a separate container, you mix the wet ingredients,
the milk, the vanilla extract, and ONLY the egg yolk
you keep the egg white apart and beat it well until is
white, fluffy, and hold a stiff peak

Now you can mix the dry and wet ingredients
(do not add the egg white yet!)
mix the ingredients slightly, you don't want to beat
the batter, if the batter is a little lumpy is OK!
do not over-mix the batter or you'll get bad pancakes

and at the end, once you are ready to cook the pancakes
just then, you fold in the beaten egg white
with rest of the batter, again do not over mix!

i usually add another 1/2 or 1 cup of blackberries
or blueberries, strawberries, or chopped peaches
or bananas
(not so many bananas lately since they are a migraine trigger too!)

also, if you prepare batter and want to refrigerate
the left overs, do NOT add the fruit until you are ready to
cook another batch of pancakes

here the result, some delicious, tasty, light, and fluffy
woo-hoo! whole wheat pancakes



top with Maple Syrup, grade B, which is less processed
than grade A, and thicker, tastier, too!
it tastes almost like you are biting on a Canadian tree!
and if you didn't mix the fruit with the batter
you can always put it on top of your pancakes
delicious stuff!

also, since i've been asked to cut on caffeine
(not that i don't drink now & then a sip of coffee,
but shhhhh, don't tell my neurologist... i just drink
about a 1/4 of a cup, or little sips of black gold
when i am too tired, sleepy, or can't hold the cravings
but for me these days a sip of coffee is enough...
i haven't drink a whole cup in about 3 weeks!)

so now i've been drinking now more Rooibos tea
this tea comes from South Africa originally
it's naturally caffeine free but it doesn't taste
like an herbal infusion, the flavor is a little sweet
and nutty and it has many health benefits
give it a try too!



another sunny picture of my morning Rooibos



now enjoy some healthy snacks
or unhealthy ones if your body can afford it

classy dessert rescues pesky Monday

last Monday, yesterday
had all the inevitable symptoms
of a blue Monday

cumulus of neurosis and apathy
climbing up & down my spine
traces and hope and lost alternated in me
and mood swings were frequents
and switched between minutes
and sometimes seconds, intervals
and no coffee amount was enough to bring to me
the urgently required spark

the smell of carpet glue lingering in the office
from last week's repairs
soporific loads of work
regrets of a not well-enjoyed weekend
having missed a party among friends
were bringing me down...
in 4 colloquial words:
i felt like shit!

but about 1/2 working day
after lunch and the Mondays staff meeting
my pinche best friend and boss
reminded me that he had brought to the office
some left overs from his party the day before of
"molten chocolate cake with vanilla creme freaiche, and raspberry coulis"

oh so all went so much better then!!!
and i truly appreciated
el perro's dedication to deliver the dish
so properly!
he carried each ingredient in separate containers
and instructed me to warm up for 7 seconds the molten cake
in the microwave at the lunch room in the office
once the cake was warm
he dropped carefully the creme freaiche on top
and told me to place the three coulis
i must confess all lasted little after served
barely enough for the shot,
promptly i devoured it all!

the cake was soft and moist and just warm in the inside
and the creme was still cold and the raspberries crispy
all served on an office paper plate
was great! top chef delivered at my desk

i am glad my friend is into cooking so professionally!
ah! i got many great meals already, ha! but not just that
i am also glad to hear every day more people get the importance of home-made cooking
the importance of food and the role of it in our lives
on how nutrition can alter one's body chemistry for better or
worse; it seems to me that, gladly, food is recovering a new importance
on people lives, all these chef TV programs, cooking contests, etc. seem to encourage this new age where we respect fresh and interestingly cooked food instead of industrialized pre-fabricated so-called food factories have been feeding us. I just find it beautiful, all this food & cooking renaissance!
and i guess...

i just love to see people playing with their food again!

ein Seltsamer Samstag

gestern war
yesterday was
ayer fué un día extraño con tintes de tristeza



and some words took me by surprise
[surprised more like a little perplexed me above]

& it's too sunny too hot
too dry & too dry & too dry
again here in California
since Friday night
and i can feel my head, my soul
and my heart drying out to the compass of
lost, confused Summer days dancing
around our Autumn time bringing
Santa Ana winds and fires
up & down

and like this dry land
today my heart too
got another little crack

oh well! to comfort myself
the best way i know around
cooking myself some comfort

here a Summer-type of pasta
chunky but fresh-tasting tomato sauce

the ingredients
- 1 can of peeled diced tomatoes* (14.5 oz or 411 gr)
- olive oil
- fresh basil [i got mine from my little plant outside]
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1/4 or a 1/3 of an onion
- fresh grounded black pepper
- sea salt
- oregano
- Parmesan cheese if Parmigiano Reggiano** better,
but any kind will do



the cooking
- heat the olive oil on a medium sauce pan
- add the fined chopped garlic and onion for 3 minutes to the hot oil
- add the diced tomatoes and the basil
- season to taste with the sea salt, fresh grounded black pepper, and oregano
- cook on medium heat covered for about 20 minutes
- toss with the fresh cooked & drained pasta of your choice



top the pasta with the sauce and serve topped w/ Parmesan cheese
i didn't have Parmesan but i had this delicious
Asiago BelGioioso, dry enough to be excellent on pasta
and it has a distinctive sweet and nutty flavor



so here my comforting dinner for
an uncomfortable day



the fresh pasta accompanied of some
whole wheat french bread with softened butter
not that i need more butter looking at the size of my hips
or that the butter needs to be softened in this heat

and sadly no wine no beer
it's so dry here! drinking alcohol just adds to the dehydration
so just more mineral sparkling water for me

let's see what Sunday has reserved for me
under it's Sundayish sunny reheating sleeve...

* please notice that i don't use tomato paste or puree for this sauce, you can replace the canned tomatoes for fresh roma tomatoes for an even fresher taste!

** i had NO idea that Parmigiano Reggiano Formaggio had a consortium, that's what i call being a BIG cheese

Friday, Ikea

as my 8" analon non-stick skillet
is almost never big enough
for a decent stir-fry
i went to Ikea last night
[ah, always pleasant there]



to buy the planned 11" wok with lid
here he is



already used twice this morning
steaming sweet potatoes
and the ah! long-awaited stir-fry which i just
munched now accompanied of some crunchy brown rice

but as always i end up with
some extra unplanned product
so this time the
extra-not-on-the-shopping-list-completely-unnecessary
product is



the BUSIG tray

but i just couldn't resist the elephants
and the colors, or the idea of elephants
with flowers and patterns on their bodies
or the little elephants
dunno, but it reminded me of a Beatles song
one of the silly ones they made (wink)
and oh well
it's an Ikea weakness heh heh

der Calabaza day

Kürbis Tag!
pumpkin day
día de la calabaza



as it comes the pumpkin season
decided to cook a little one



once baked, can be used for soup,
pies, bread, or...



as i ate it this morning
just warmed up sprinkled with sugar & cinammon
accompanied with a glass of cold milk



ah better than any sophisticated dessert



i will try to bake more this October
too bad i don't remember the kind of pumpkin it was

ohne Namen Kürbis!
[oder? Frage: wie man sagt auf Deutsch?
ohne Namen oder kein Name?]
nameless pumpkin
calabaza sin nombre

The strange case of the fish dish that came out so tasty without having a proper recipe for it, a culinary mystery…

I didn’t plan this meal
I was just hungry and looked what I had in the refrigerator

I had some
- frozen fish
- a bag of sweet mini bell peppers (red, orange, and yellow)
- some small on-the-vine tomatoes

so, I thought, baked fish with vegetables, right?

I taw the fish, added about 3 cloves of garlic (yes! When it comes to garlic, the motto is the more, the better)
And 1 teaspoon of olive oil
And… right before putting in the oven
I remembered my fresh basil plant that I have outside…


I carefully cut about 10 little leaves and placed them on top of the uncooked dish
Ah& of course some fresh grounded pepper

About 12 minutes in the oven at 350 degrees, or was it 15?


The drink on the side
Geinmacha Japan green tea


Not a recipe, not a plan
But indeed the basil, was the hint that gave the dish that little spice…
what made it special
and wll the in-trance-shopped garlic, hmm, ja!

I realized how I enjoy sometimes to prepare my own meals
While chopping 3 cloves of garlic I abandoned myself
Like in a mild meditation, no music, no thoughts,
Just chopping garlic, for a meal
What a timeless & basic activity
The one of cooking

I do like melting into my little kitchen routines…
Times softens, thus the smells, so my eyes
In colors, and wonderful organic shapes…
And at the end
They all taste…