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