i’m just setting up for tonight’s secret dinner.
i can’t share any menu details because i want it to be a surprise, but i think it’s going to be tasty. today is a smallish one, 10 people in my backyard because A- it’s soo nice out and B- there’s a band practice in the living room.
pictures and details to come, post-dinner.
so i tried to cook sea asparagus! it is very salty so i soaked in it 2 changes of ice water for a while. this is to get some of the saltiness out and to rinse out all the sand. then it’s time to trim the ends and any icky bits, trim off anything yellowy green (older), keep the jadey green parts. it gets a bit woody as it gets old. then i blanched it. that is the prep.
2 handfuls of sea asparagus
3 scallions, white and light green parts, sliced
a big handful parsley, chopped
5 cloves garlic, minced
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp chili paste
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 bunch soba noodles
sautee the onions and garlic for a minute, then toss in the blanched sea asparagus. cook the soba, strain it and toss into the pan. heat through with all remaning ingredients and serve immediately.
i would top it with sesame seeds if i’d had any, but i was out.
as soon the wedding madness wrapped up, i ran away to an island 3 ferries away from here, for 4 days. most of my cooking involved making sandwiches with a plastic knife and using my legs as a plate before swimming, or eating chips in a tent. i did weasel my way into the kitchen one morning and made a brunch, i can’t go that long without cooking or i start to feel crazy. it was just standard brunch fare: tofu scramble, field roast sausages, kale chips, potatoes, but it was nice to get to do it.
needless to say there was nothing worth posting. i did, however, get to taste something i didn’t even know existed: sea asparagus. the place we were staying has it growing wild ALL OVER THE PLACE and it is pretty delicious. I picked a couple big containers full on my last morning and later today i’m going to try my hand at cooking it.
here it is on the beach!
there was one notable tasty trashy treat. one ferry was late and the next was early and we were left with 2 hours in a place where all you can eat is burgers, grilled cheese and fries. so we ordered fries, topped it with leftover daiya from our cooler and salsa. sort of like chili fries? whatever it was, katie and i ate it up and it tasted pretty good for a hangover all-day-travel-day
OH HELLO THERE
so right now is the time where i fulfill my offer to make a wedding cake/cupcakes for 150 and do the flowers (with little to no prior experience. ambition or insanity?).
IT IS CRUNCH TIME.
i am majorly sleepy and not going to write out any recipes (i am living on icing and coffee currently) but here are some photos of parts of the things i have done.
tomorrow i decorate the cakes so they’re pretty bare-bone right now but yknow. stressed but also very very stoked.
packin up
szechuan break after 6 hours of baking
the cake set-up at the space
easy tasty soup. i was feeling a bit sick and i think this did me right. the secret brown rice in it makes it more filling that you’d expect.
oil
1 head cauliflower, chopped however
1 red onion, diced
4 tbsp grated ginger
6 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tsp coriander seeds
3 heaping tbsp curry powder
1 tsp red curry paste
1 heaping tsp chili paste
1 tsp tumeric
6 cups broth
1 cup water
1/4 c long grain brown rice
1 can coconut milk
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/4 c nutritional yeast (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
a big handful of cilantro, chopped,
a big handful of baby spinach, chopped
In a nice big pot sautee your onion until it’s nicely browned, then throw in the cauliflower and stir around and cook for a couple minutes. Add all your spices, half the garlic and half the ginger and cook until fragrant. Add your hot broth and water and bring to a boil. Add brown rice, cover and cook at a good simmer. Once the rice has softened up, add the remaining ginger and garlic and the coconut milk. Add lime zest and a good squeeze of juice (i add quite a lot, but you can do this to your taste).
Take off the heat and either cool and puree in batches in a blender or use an immersion blender. Return to pot and season, heat a bit if it cooled while blending. Serve with cilantro and spinach on top.
go eat a food 