Vernicious Knids

Random musings and snapshots about life, love, travel and everything in between...

Sunday, September 17, 2006

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!
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18 Comments:

  • At 12:07 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    those look delish! didn't know you were so talented in the kitchen. ;)

     
  • At 3:39 am, Blogger Caro said…

    Oooh torture. I'm flying to your house for dinner.

     
  • At 7:01 am, Blogger meggie said…

    Mouthwatering blog!

     
  • At 7:13 am, Blogger Bearette said…

    C - that's a long way ;) Although I guess you're closer to japan than i am.

    VK - how many carrots did you use? i'd like to try the soup.

     
  • At 9:33 am, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    Ribbiticus: You are making me blush!

    Carolyn: Dinners on the table...see you soon!

    Meggie: Thanks!

    Bearette: I used 7 average sized carrots...and we have plenty of leftovers.

     
  • At 10:05 am, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Wow! I'm impressed, especially with the salmon! Michele says hi.k

     
  • At 10:18 am, Blogger carmilevy said…

    To totally riff off of Jerry Maguire, you had me at the soup. But the salad and the salmon drove me over the edge.

    I can practically taste the meal now. Thanks for starting the digestive process.

     
  • At 1:43 am, Blogger Shephard said…

    Oh my gosh, I'm so hungry now!
    The soup looks wonderful!
    ~S

    (visiting from Michele's)

     
  • At 1:53 am, Blogger utenzi said…

    Michele sent me over, Knids.

    The phrase that comes to mind is: Byoki desu or maybe, to be more polite, Iie kekko desu.

    I'm sorry, Knids, but I don't think our appreciation of food is overlapping in this case. What I made this weekend was a couple of casseroles that featured noodles and cheese with very little else other than spices. I think your love for vegetables would keep me away from the table. Forturnately everyone else seems to like your menu so the table would be full even without me. ;-)

     
  • At 3:35 am, Blogger Dak-Ind said…

    greetings from michele!

    the dishes look fabulous. we are always looking for something new and fun to try, so that you for the recipies... i bet mine dont turn out as well as yours!

     
  • At 11:34 am, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    Colleen: Is there anything better than salmon?!

    Carmi: Excellent riff - you made me smile!

    Liz: I'm similarly enamoured of ginger!

    Shephard: The soup was scrumptious!

    Utenzi: Hmmm...I'll have to think of a vege-free dish for you so that you can join in the fun!

    Dak-ind: I hope they work out for you and you enjoy them as much as we did - thanks for visiting.

     
  • At 12:20 pm, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    that mayo looks like a kitty lying on it's side with it's paw resting slightly under and next to it's head :-)

     
  • At 11:06 pm, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    Janet: It does too...glad I didn't notice that when I ate it!

     
  • At 7:49 am, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    Helen: Welcome back! Does this mean you have a new computer? Enjoy the soup...

     
  • At 6:28 am, Blogger My float said…

    Wow. I'm coming over!

    A twist on the carrot soup - just before you put the roasted vegies in the pot, cook off some cumin for about a minute, then add the vegies, and about half a cup of red lentils. When it's all cooked add some chopped coriander after you blend it. (You'll need to omit the rosemary though)

    Bon appetit!

     
  • At 12:32 am, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    MF: The table's all set...I like your twist idea too!

     
  • At 10:12 am, Blogger www.stepherz.com said…

    Wow! I'm so hungry now! Looks like the salmon in Japan isn't as packed with pink dye like here in the States.

    I just drooled on my keyboard!

     
  • At 11:19 pm, Blogger verniciousknids said…

    Stepherz: They dye your salmon?! Ugh

     

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