Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Bowling, Skin Op, A to Z Reveal.

Well, I don't know, we went bowling and it was a waste of time. Not only Matt and I bowled badly, but so did the rest of our team. My excuse was I was worried about leaving on time to get to the Plastic surgeon, Matt's might be because he was having the op. but not sure what excuse the other two can give. Anyway, we got to the clinic early and waited for a while. Eventually they called Matt in and I sat playing solitaire on my tablet. It didn't seem very long at all before he came back with two very small band aids on his face. He was totally fine to drive although he can't wet his face or shave for 24 hours. However, later when we sat down to supper (soup was all Matt could manage as his chin/mouth area was still somewhat numb) I suddenly realised he had been bleeding from one of the two areas. Quite a lot of blood in fact. (He is on a major blood thinner which the Dr. didn't seem to take into account). Seemed to stop after a while but I want him to put some gauze over the bandaid (which is soaked) otherwise I think our little visitors will be on him like flies on a dung heap. Not pretty I know.

Today was Reveal day for the A to Z. I didn't take part as such but in fact my A to Z will be food related as it has been for several years. I have written some of them, but with all the problems in our lives right now, I am not too sure how much I will achieve. I will do my best though. I want to finish the challenge but life is getting in the way lately.

I love soup, and I love making soup. If you have never tried kombu, I have only tried it once when we made rice for sushi. I loved it and could have eaten a lot more of it. Many of these ingredients are available in supermarkets these days, but if not, an Asian store will certainly carry them. I have a problem, my favourite Asian store is in amongst all those stupid roadworks I have written about.

Mushroom Miso Soup

New York Times  - David Tanis

This miso-enriched brothy soup is pleasing on many levels. You get complex flavor
with minimal effort, especially if you make the dashi in advance. All the little garnishes are optional.

2 large servings

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DASHI:

1 piece of kombu, about 6 inches square
3 large dried shiitake mushrooms, crumbled
3 teaspoons light soy sauce
2 teaspoons mirin
2 tablespoons sake
2 teaspoons sugar
Salt to taste

FOR THE SOUP:

3 ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced, about 2 cups
3 ounces King oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 teaspoons light soy sauce
½ teaspoon grated garlic
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons white or red miso
6 ounces silken tofu, at room temperature

FOR GARNISH (OPTIONAL):

Enoki mushroom tips
2 tablespoons slivered scallions
4 shiso leaves, slivered
Sunflower sprouts
2 tablespoons slivered toasted nori
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Toasted sesame seeds


PREPARATION
Make the dashi: Put kombu, dried shiitakes, soy sauce, mirin, sake and sugar in a large soup pot. Add 6 cups cold water. Place over medium heat, allow the liquid to barely reach a boil, then reduce heat to low and let cook at a very slow simmer for about 30 minutes. Skim foam as necessary. Let cool to room temperature. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and add salt to taste. (Dashi may be prepared up to 2 days in advance.)
Put the sliced mushrooms in a bowl and drizzle with sesame oil and soy sauce. Add garlic and ginger and season with salt and pepper. Toss and let marinate for 10 minutes.
Put dashi in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and bring to a simmer. Add mushroom mixture and cook gently for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are just tender.
Remove 1/2 cup hot broth from pot and place in a small bowl. Stir in miso to dilute, then return miso-broth mixture to the pot. Taste and adjust seasoning. Once the miso has been added, do not let the soup boil.
To serve, cut the tofu in half and place a 3-ounce chunk in each of two large bowls. Ladle 2 cups of hot soup over the tofu. Sprinkle with enoki mushroom tips, scallions, shiso, sunflower sprouts, nori, red pepper and toasted sesame seeds as desired.


Have a great day
 

33 comments:

  1. Looking forward to your A to Z. Sorry to hear about your hubby and the bleeding. I hope it got nipped In the butt and he didn't get nipped.

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    1. Thanks Birgit. I don't think he got nipped. Bleeding seems to have stopped.

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  2. Soup is always so good! Seems interesting the doctors didn't take into account your husband was on a blood thinner.

    betty

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    1. Yes it is Betty. No I guess they didn't take it into account.

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  3. I hope the bleeding has stopped and Matt's feeling OK. And more importantly, none of those pesty bugs went after him!

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    1. It seems to have stopped JoJo, thanks. No the bugs left his bleeding alone.

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  4. Poor Matt. My Dad had a similar problem with blood thinners and skin cancer removals. Make sure he keeps an eye on it. He may need to go back to the doctor.
    Good luck with the A-Z Challenge. I didn't do the reveal either. I go for whatever interests me. I've made a start on my posts, too, and just as well given the health upheavals happening around here.

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    1. I will Helen, thanks. If he needs to go back we'll make sure he does. I know what you mean about the A to Z.

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  5. Hi, Jo,

    Hope Matt is doing better now! Life CERTAINLY does get in the way.

    Looking forward to your A-Z posts....

    Food is always everybody's favorite theme. LOL..

    Nice combo with this recipe. Mushroom and Miso is a really nice combo.

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    1. Thanks Michael. Seems to have stopped bleeding. He can wash it tomorrow so will see what it's like then.

      We all have to eat after all.

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  6. Tell Matt that I've been there, done that and got the T-shirt without bleeding. Looking forward to your A-Z - you never know but some of my wildflowers may start a recipe search for you.

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    1. Well this is his third time Bob but he's never bled like this before. Very true about the wildflowers.

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  7. It's hard to relax and have fun on a day that involves surgery. Glad he got the blood stopped. Sometimes those little cuts seem much bigger when blood thinners are involved. Good luck with your A to Z. Difficult at the best of times, but much harder when things are so frazzled.

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    1. I guess you are right Yolanda. He has two cuts but only one bled thank goodness - looks a right mess at the moment.

      Things are certainly frazzled.

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  8. Yikes, good to hear the blood finally stopped. Life really does get in the way, doesn't it? Good luck with the A to Z, and I'll definitely be here to pick up some new recipes. The mushroom and miso is fairly similar to the sukiyaki recipe I make, except I make a ton of it, drop in some thick noodles, and add thinly sliced brisket. I'm more of a meal-soup kind of person than an appetizer-soup kind.

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    1. It sure does Bryan. Hope I can find you some you like. Your version of sukiyaki sounds good.

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  9. I love soup too. It's a great comfort food.

    It must have been the moon or something messing with your bowling mojo.

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  10. I hope Matt feels better soon. Sending positive thoughts from Germany!!

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  11. Hopefully Matt is better today.
    Your theme is food? I never would've guessed...

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  12. I put my blog down for the A-Z challenge but its seems to have disappeared. I know I had a break from blogging but I thought they'd leave it there as long as I blogged every day in April. Oh well.

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    1. I'm sure it's still there Pinky, it may have moved because the list is being culled regularly. If you started at 500, say, you may now be 450.

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    2. Pinky, I just checked, you are 573

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  13. Sorry about the bowling.. Hope Matt is feeling better.

    I love your theme of food. Sounds like fun! Might even discover some new recipes :) Hopefully you will be able to complete the challenge. I look forward to your posts ~Lori~

    Lori's A2Zs @ As the Fates Would Have It & Promptly Written

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    1. Yes he is thanks Lori. The pharmacist suggested liberal applications of Polysporin to avoid possible infection.

      Hoping to do a slightly different angle on food this time, we will see. So many problems at home etc. etc.

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  14. Hi Jo - sorry about the bowling, but glad to see Matt's op went all right and that the bleeding has eased up. I'll enjoy the food entries .. cheers Hilary

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    1. Well I guess we were both somewhat distracted. His chin looks a mess, but it's not bleeding.

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  15. Good to visit your site as a part of my A to Z visits.
    Welcome to A to Z April Blogging Challenge 2016 - Co-Participant - Nrao
    NRao Blogs - 2016 A to Z Challenge Blog Posts
    Management Theory Review

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  16. Hope your hubby is feeling better today and that you can have fun with the A/Z game. I see so many who stress and over extend themselves, trying to visit and follow the 'rules'. Screw that. Have fun. Do it your way and again, have fun. I think people sometimes forget that have fun bit.

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    1. Yes, thanks Ivy, he is. Still pretty bruised though. I agree with you, have fun with the A to Z.

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