Nurse and Chair, Dentistry, Trump,

Tuesday we had our feet prettied up by our foot nurse. Used to use my chair to lift up our feet to a good height, Now we have to use a foot stool and cushions. I haven't yet sorted out the charges the repair people wish to make. At this rate I probably never will get it repaired.

I now have dates for my next dental visits, April 13 for the filling and to take a form for my partial. Then a week later, they will fit the partial. Not sure about this as we are supposed to go to a bowling banquet the same day. Hopefully there will be no difficulty. We have a friend in the States who always takes his teeth out to eat, even in a restaurant - discretely - but they hurt him and the dentists don't seem to be able to help him.

A certain President has got himself in the news again today because he has signed an executive order which totally contravenes the Kyoto accord and will lead to more industrial pollution. He says global warming is a hoax!!! He says it will give the miners jobs and he asked these miners if they would like other jobs and they all said no. That I don't believe, I have never heard of a miner who wouldn't be delighted to get out of the mines.The man is a congenital liar.

Following a trend from yesterday, here is a broth which is vegan and also full of umami which is really worth working to achieve. Kombu is an absolutely delicious seaweed and should certainly be available at any Asian store as too the miso.

Vegan Umami Broth

Roasting the vegetables along with a trio of umami-rich ingredients (miso, mushrooms, and kombu) give this meat-free broth a deep, satisfying flavor that can be used in a variety of soups or braises.

You can even sip it on its own or top it with scallions and fresh chiles.

3 Tbs white miso
2 Tbs vegetable oil
8 dried shiitake mushrooms
4 6x4-inch pieces kombu
2 medium onions, unpeeled, halved through root, very thinly sliced
1 medium carrot, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
6 sprigs parsley
1 tsp black peppercorns

1. Preheat oven to 300º. Whisk miso, oil, and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl. Crush mushrooms and kombu with your hands over a rimmed baking sheet. Add onions, carrot, celery, garlic, and parsley and toss to combine. Drizzle miso mixture over vegetable mixture and toss to coat. Bake, tossing halfway through, until vegetables are slightly shriveled and mixture is fragrant, 60–75 minutes.

2. Transfer vegetable mixture to a large pot. Add peppercorns and 4 quarts cold water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until broth is reduced by half, 60–75.

3. Let broth cool, then strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids.

Yield: 2 Quarts

Tips: Broth can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day