IS IT POSSIBLE TO BE A “FORMER TERRORIST”?
Considering what we are living through in Cambridge/Boston today–and the rest of the county–I find this information insightful and important . The book was overlooked because it strikes too close to home.
FAT DISSOLVING JAPANESE SALAD
Posted on: 28 November 2012
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Big suitcase for a petite girl.
I know how the Japanese girls stay so slim. First of all they don’t eat too much. When Atsumi was living with us she NEVER filled her plate with second helpings. What she put on her plate she ate; not more. She liked this salad and said it tasted very Japanese.
Its main ingredient is daikon. Daikon absorbs fat, clears mucus and aids digestion. Among all the vegetable crops, only radish, daikon and horse radish are capable of cleansing liver and kidneys.
You will notice that when you order tempura in a Japanese restaurant it is always accompanied by a small pile of grated daikon.
HERE’S THE RECIPE
- 2 medium or 1 large daikon, trimmed of greens, peeled
- 2 medium carrots peeled
- One lemon, peeled with a zester to get long thin strips of the yellow skin
- 1 t. sugar
- 1/2 plus 1/4 t. sea salt
- Juice of the lemon
- 1 T rice vinegar
Slice diakon diagonally into long thin, coins. Do the same with the carrots. Then stack a few “coins” ( as many as you can efficiently handle) and slice crosswise into thin sticks, resulting in a stack of veggies the size of matchsticks.
Put daikon and carrot “matchsticks” into a bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 t. salt. Add the zested lemon peel strips. Massage the matchsticks for about a minute. This step begins the release of the enzymes in the daikon. Let the vegetables sit for a least 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the lemon juice, rice vinegar, sugar, and 1/4 t salt. Stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour over vegetables. Let sit for one hour.
Serves four.
The daikon radish is also known as a Chinese radish. It is a long cylindrical white root, shaped much like a carrot. You can find it in Oriental food marts, Whole Foods, and maybe even your local grocery store.
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We have a Japanese student coming to live with us for a month. ( Usually the students stay longer. ) Consequently, I am brushing up on my hot weather Japanese foods, first, so she that will be tasting something familiar; secondly, because the Japanese do vegetables with little or no fat and oil, a welcome taste on hot day; and, third, there’s a lot of farm-fresh, local eggplants right now.
Use long thin Japanese eggplant, Italian eggplant, or round Asian eggplant to make this summer dish.
I have used this marinade on a plate sliced eggplant and tomato; on whole boiled carrots; sliced beets; and on lightly steamed onions and green peppers. We haven’t used it on zucchini yet, but surely it will work.
A little marinade goes a long way. Light, refreshing and a bit of zing makes it very satisfying. Leftovers are terrific. Serve marinated veggies cool, or room temp, with rice, edamame, and cucumbers for simple summer lunch/dinner.
Store jar of marinade in fridge to be used as needed (during one week). Use as much or as little marinade as pleases you on any particular day.
JAPANESE VEGETABLE MARINADE.
- 2 T peeled and minced ginger
- 1 small onion minced
- 1/2 cup rice vinegar
- 1/4 cup shoyu
- 1/4 cup mirin ( if you can’t find mirin then use sugar)
- 1 Tablespoon sesame oil
- Mince the ginger and onion with a knife. You can also choose to put the onion and ginger in small food processor but do not shred them, chop them.
- Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil.
- Transfer marinade to a jar and let cool.
- Cover and refrigerate.
Before serving pour marinade over vegetable, toss, and let sit for several hours.
ON EGGPLANT AND TOMATO Cut eggplant in half lengthwise. Either sprinkle with coarse salt and put in colander or soak the eggplant in salted water. ( this step pulls out bitterness). Wash off extra salt.Pat eggplant dry. Grill eggplant halves over charcoal or on stove top in a grill pan put over a heat diffuser; use a lid. No need for oil. When cooked, cut eggplant into strips. Remove skin.Cut tomatoes into cubes. Arrange eggplant strips on tray. Sprinkle with tomato. Toss with marinade. (Or put everything in a container, toss with marinade and serve later.) Garnish with simple basil leaf.
ON BOILED CARROTS. Choose good-looking, organic carrots that are the same size. Scrub them. No need to peel. Boil in a flat pot– I use a stainless steel frying pan– for about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness. Place in a flat serving dish with short sides. Spoon some marinade on the carrots when they are room temp. Garnish with delicate fennel fonds or parsley.
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Beautiful girls: dark-haired Gabriella and my striking red-haired daughter.
When I make this dish I think of Gabriella, the lovely Mexican girl who lived with us during the summer, who taught me to make guacamole with a secret ingredient ( milk!).
This dish is traditionally made with pork–or chicken. I make a vegan version that sings. The “cool” toppings, placed on the “hot & spicy” soup make this a thrill to eat and fun dish to make for a large gathering.
Some Mexican families prepare this for Christmas Eve. For me, it’s a perfect food for a damp, cool New England spring day, or any time there’s a party. NOT MANY CALORIES in this very satisfying stew ( all veggies), especially if you pile on the garnishes.
- 2 cups dried posole soaked overnight or for 2 nights ( I use blue posole**)
- 6 qt. water
- 3 Tbs. grapeseed or corn oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 zucchini, cut in half lengthwise and into thin slices crosswise
- 1 butternut squash, cut in half length-wise and into thin slices crosswise
- 1 can diced tomatos
- 1 red chile, 1 green chile ( mild to spicy)
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tsp. saffron
- 1-2 t salt
- 2 tsp. finely chopped fresh oregano leaves
- 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
FOR GARNISHES ( present on the table on a big tray, so guests and family can garnish their posole as they please)
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- 1 cup shredded cilantro
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1 lime cut into wedges
- extra chopped fresh oregano and thyme
- extra hot peppers ( if you dare!)
1. Soak dried posole overnight or for two nights in 1 quart water Drain posole, and discard soaking water.
2. Place posole in large pot of water to cover by 3 inches. Bring posole to a boil. Reduce heat, cook uncovered for 11/2 to 2 hours, or until kernels burst and are puffy and tender. Add water during cooking, if needed. Drain posole.
3. Heat oil in 6-quart pot over medium-high heat, and sauté onion until transparent about 7 minutes. Add garlic, zucchini, butternut and canned tomatoes, and sauté 3 minutes more.
- Add posole, red & green chiles, bay leaves, vegetable broth and saffrom. Bring to a boil, and reduce heat to low, cooking 30 minutes. Add oregano, thyme and salt, and continue cooking 30 minutes more, adding more water if needed. Serve hot in large soup bowls.
- Everyone adds their garnish.
Getting ready to party with posole. Gabriella in green.
Serves about 10
About 120 calories per cup ( garnishes are all low-cal except avocado)
You can freeze extra
DRIED BLUE POZOLE FORM PURCELL MOUNTAIN FARM
kale satisfies bitter taste buds
My Indonesian-daughter, Nuke, likes to put hot sauce on just about everything. I keep a big bottle of Fong Food Sriracha (rooster on label) in my fridge for her. Bitter is her favorite taste. And anything with coconut sends her memories back to her island and birth town of Surabaya.
This kale dish makes her very happy. It combines the slightly bitter taste of kale, the cool creamy tropical feel of coconut and the hot fire of cayenne. Lemon adds both sourness and helps the sauce penetrate the kale during marinade. Paprika gives the sauce redness and an interesting, mild piquantness.
BTW: This dish is always a hit at potlucks; I prepared it once year for Thanksgiving and the 20-somethings kept going back for more.
What did you put in that kale? they asked.
ASIAN TREATMENT OF KALE WITH COCONUT
- 1 bunch of kale
- 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
- 2 T kosher or sea salt
- 1/2 to 1/4 t ground cayenne, depending upon your taste for “hot”
- 1 teaspoon mild paprika
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1. Wash the kale and cut out the stalks. ( I fold them in half and carve out the stalk.) Rip the wide kale leaves into leaf-sized pieces
2. Heat the coconut milk i a medium saucepan until it is thoroughly mixed and just lukewarm. Transfer to a large, nonreactive bowl and add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the kale, cover with plastic wrap or downturned plate and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. In the winter, if your kitchen counter is cool, it’s fine to let the bowl remain on the counter. Stir every now and then to keep leaves coated with coconut mixture.
Preheat oven to 400. a grill or a cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Stir kale to make sure the leaves are well covered in marinade. Place an uncrowded layer of kale–a single layer–on a cookie sheet. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the leaves have turned a bright green and have softened. Best if served immediately. Also fine served at room temperature.
4 generous servings, about 175 calories
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GIRLS LOVE THE TASTE AND THE LOW CALORIES
Lately we’ve been hosting Brazilian girls and not Japanese girls. Naturally, like any other 20-something female, the Brazilian Beauties are interested in not gaining weight while they are in the States. I tell them not to worry: I am famous at NESE for being the host mother who cooks the healthiest food and the girls who stay with me actually lose weight.
In addition to being sweet, smart and having that attractive, lilting accent, the Brazilians are truly head turners. My daughter, who went to a large American city high school in Cambridge, where the student population speaks 28 languages ( other than English) backs up my statement about Brazilian Beauty. She said when a group of Brazilians ( boys and girls) entered the cafeteria at lunch time the clatter stopped, all went silent, and everyone’s heads turned to look.
Here is my recipe for a Low Calorie, tasty salad dressing that the Brazilian girls like. Ironically, the largest ethnic population in Brazil is the Japanese. I adapted this salad dressing from the recipe my favorite local Japanese restaurant, THE BLUE FIN at Porter Exchange, uses on their fresh greens.
LOW-CALORIE JAPANESE RESTAURANT SALAD DRESSING
- I large carrot grated
- 1/2 medium red onion, or 1 small red onion grated or finely chopped ( I use food processor)
- 1 t ginger juice, squeezed from grated ginger
- 1T white miso
- 2T vegetable oil ( use soy OR grape seed oil Or vegetable oil , not a strong tasting oil)
- juice of one tangerine or orange, about 2 T
- 1 t ketchup
- 1 t mayonnaise
- 1T water
10 servings 40 (24 gram or about 2 T) calories each
ON GRATERS: I use several graters to make this. First, a porcelain grater made in Japan: it’s dessert- plate sized, and has bumps in the middle. ( see photo at end of paragraph). You could use a cheese grater, I suppose, or a fine blade in a food processor. Second, to grate the ginger, I use a metal ginger grater called oroshi-gane, also purchased at a Japanese store. You grate the ginger, scoop up a pile of the grated ginger pulp and squeeze it to get the juice. Third,to grate the onion, I use the food processor.
MY GREAT JAPANESE GRATER
HOW TO MIX : Grate the carrot well, by hand on the Japanese porcelain grater. Chop the onion and put in a food processor. Process until onion is finely chopped and that will do for grating. Add the grated carrot to the finely chopped onion. Squeeze the ginger juice into the onion-carrot mix. Add the miso, oil and juice of one freshly squeezed orange or tangerine. (You can supplement with addition OJ, if you like more watery dressing). Pulse everything in the food processor. Add the ketchup, mayo, and water. Pulse.
Store in glass jar. Keeps 5-7 days.
BLUEFIN RESTAURANT, CAMBRIDGE, MA http://www.bluefin-cambridge.com/
where to buy:
Round Porcelain grater with rubber bottom
- http://www.simply-natural.biz/Porc-Grater-Round.php
- http://www.naturalimport.com/inc/sdetail/7922
- http://www.kushistore.com/Round-Porcelain-Grater-6-KW006.htm
Place to buy oroshi-gane http://www.fine-tools.com/kitchen.htm ( also via Amazon)
PEAR NOT PUMPKIN!!Matt, Mariana, Pumpkin, and Me
We had a special and very lovely Brazilian staying with us through October and she was so excited when I made anything really American, like pumpkin pie. I can only imagine how happy she would be to taste this very simple Pear Torte made with fresh organic pears from our farm share.
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk, or soy milk
- 1 T honey
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cup flour
- 2 pounds pears
9” layer cake pan buttered and sprinkled on bottom and sides with breadcrumbs.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Peel the pears, cut them in half, and scoop out the seeds in the center with a melon baller or spoon. Cut the pears thinly.
In a bowl mix the eggs, the milk & honey, and pinch of salt. Add the flour. Stir until everything is moist. Stir in the pears and mix gently until each pear slice is coated with the cake batter.
Arrange pears in the prepared cake pan. You’ll have to press the pears down with the back of a big spoon.
Bake on the top rack of the oven for 45 minutes.
Let cool and flip the cake onto a plate so the breadcrumbs are the top. Serve warm.
8 servings 179 calories a serving
your homestay experience?