Slow cooking:

Sometimes I get the urge to create meals from scratch; rather than on simply relying on the proliferation of packaged foods available in Japanese supermarkets.
Today was one of those days.

First up was the soup:



Roasted Carrot Soup

Carrots, chopped into pieces suitable for roasting (I don't peel as it provides additional fibre - and reduces prep time!)
3 Onions, 2 should be diced and 1 is cut lengthwise
1 Scallion, sliced (only use the white bit)
Olive oil
Rosemary (fresh or dried)
3 cups Vegetable stock

1. Place the carrots and the lengthwise cut onion in a roasting dish, drizzle with olive oil, cover with foil and roast for about 45 minutes.
2. Put the carrots, onion and oil mixture into a giant stock pot and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Put the lid on and simmer for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
4. After it has cooled slightly gradually blend the mixture to the consistency you prefer (the photo shows you that I like it a little chunky!)
5. Serve with a dollop of sour cream, a sprinkle of nutmeg and plenty of cracked black pepper.

Next, was the salad:



Coleslaw with Homemade Mayonnaise

1 egg yolk (must be room temperature)
Pinch of salt
1 tbspn lemon juice
1/2 tspn Dijon mustard
3/4 cup oil (I use olive oil)

1. Whisk the egg yolk and salt together.
2. Add the lemon juice and Dijon mustard and whisk briskly.
3. Gradually whisk in the oil. This is the key point; you must add the oil very slowly or it may "break" - this is when the oil separates from the egg yolk. If you are whisking by hand, like me, it will take about 15-20 minutes.
4. Once all the oil is incorporated, taste it and add additional salt or lemon juice if necessary.
This makes about 1 cup of delicious, creamy mayonnaise. Store the mayonnaise in a covered container in the fridge; it will keep for about a week. Stir it before use.

Cabbage, shredded
1 Carrot, grated
2 Green Capsicum, chopped
3/4 onion, grated
2 tbspn Homemade Mayonnaise
Cracked Black Pepper

1. Simplicity in itself - add all the ingredients together and mix well!

And finally, the main:



Grilled Salmon with Homemade Ginger Mustard Mayonnaise

2 tbspn Homemade Mayonnaise
1 1/2 tspn Dijon mustard
1 tbspn finely grated fresh Ginger
1/2 tbspn Soy Sauce

1. Whisk all the ingredients together and pour over freshly grilled salmon.

I served the salmon with our favourite eggplant dish.

Itadakimasu!