Kimbap

Well, today we had our Kimbap. My first concern was whether anyone could park in front of our building. It turns out that the parking space was only unavailable on Monday because of deliveries of construction stuff. Don't know what stuff mind you. However, I suddenly thought about it when I got up this morning so I emailed my friend and Jinah Allen who was making and delivering the Kimbap. Jinah arrived promptly at 11 with our lunch. It was all nicely parcelled up with chopsticks provided. Jinah pointed out to me that all the boxes had the ingredients written on them so we knew what was which. She also provided some cards to be spread around.

When my friend arrived we opened them all up. We had 2 crab, 2 vegetable and one beef. We tucked in. My friend and I found we needed a little wasabi mixed into our soy sauce. Matt unfortunately was not enamoured. He doesn't like sushi much any more although once upon a time he did. We even made some for entertaining friends once.We two pigged out and thoroughly enjoyed the Kimbap. I have some left over which I am thinking of taking into the bowling alley tomorrow maybe. Maybe we can find some customers there for Jinah. We drank some white wine with our meal which was complementary to the Kimbap.



Cucumbers and avocado, what could be nicer.

Creamy Cucumber Soup

EatingWell Magazine


There's no reason to only use cucumbers raw—they are wonderful sautéed then pureed with avocado for a silken-textured soup that's good warm or cold.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups peeled, seeded and thinly sliced cucumbers, divided
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth, or reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1 avocado, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup low-fat plain yogurt

Preparation

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 1 to 4 minutes. Add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute. Add 3 3/4 cups cucumber slices, broth, salt, pepper and cayenne; bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook at a gentle simmer until the cucumbers are soft, 6 to 8 minutes.
Transfer the soup to a blender. Add avocado and parsley; blend on low speed until smooth. (Use caution when puréeing hot liquids.) Pour into a serving bowl and stir in yogurt. Chop the remaining 1/4 cup cucumber slices. Serve the soup warm or refrigerate and serve it chilled. Just before serving, garnish with the chopped cucumber and more chopped parsley, if desired.
Have a great day
 

Faucets and Shower head, Kimbap, Olympics,

The plumbers finally came around 11 on Tuesday. They assured us they would be there for a while. They were right, When I went to exercise class at 12:45 they were still there. They have installed a totally new shower/faucet system which has, of course, stopped the drip. I didn't realise though, all that dripping has left Matt's bath a right mess of lime/chalk all round the plug end of the bath. Guess it will take some work to get it back again.

We are having our kimbap lunch today. Tomorrow I will be writing about my thoughts on them. A friend is coming over for lunch with us to try the kimbap. I suspect that if she wanted to get some for herself at any time she would have to come into town to get it as she lives in Elora which is way to far for Jinah Allen, the owner of  Kimbop, to deliver I think. I made the mistake of looking up the nutritional value of kimbap and they are extremely high. I don't really believe it because they don't contain that much rice. However, I will have to pretend to myself that I don't know.

Matt has been watching a lot of the Olympics, I am half watching it. I was so upset to see the young Canadian on the uneven bars fall on her back. Ruined the hopes of the whole team of course. But it looked as though it could hurt even with the cushioning.

Hey, how about this for a coincidence. My new cleaner is Karen and our new exercise instructor is Karen as well.

The New York Times came up with some Brazilian dishes on Sunday so I just had to share them didn't I? I really miss my ability to buy shrimp like we did in NC, but this sounds so good, I might shell out for some very expensive ones here. Not sure about octopus mind you. There are a lot of ingredients which are unfamiliar but which can be obtained on line if nowhere else. Or I am sure one could find substitutes.

Moqueca (Brazilian Fish Stew)

This Brazilian dish may contain a few unexpected or even unfamiliar ingredients, but they are easy to find online and worth the search. The result is a tropical fish stew mellowed by slices of plantain and coconut milk and accompanied by the traditional hot sauce called piri-piri and farofa, the toasted cassava-meal accompaniment. Farofa is served all over South America with all kinds of dishes; this

version, with caramelized onions adapted from Felipe Amaral in Rio de Janeiro, was my favorite. You can serve the moqueca without the farofa, if you prefer, but it helps to sop up the soupy liquid from the stew.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FAROFA (OPTIONAL):

5 Tbs unsalted butter
1 medium onion, sliced thin
1 ½ cups manioc or cassava meal, available online and in some specialty food shops

FOR THE STEW:

1 ¾ lbs black sea bass, filleted, trimmings reserved
12 oz large shrimp, peeled, shells reserved
Salt
2 bay leaves
1 small white turnip, peeled and diced
3 medium onions
4 large plum tomatoes
6 oz shishito peppers, chopped
2 cloves garlic
? cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped chives
1 green plantain
½ red bell pepper, cut in rings
2 green Cubanelle peppers, green frying peppers or 1 small green bell pepper, cut in rings
10 oz unsweetened coconut milk
4 Tbs dendê oil, or red palm oil, available online
6 oz cooked octopus tentacles, cut in thick slices, or raw squid in thin rings
1 long red chile pepper, for garnish
½ cup long grain rice, steamed
Piri-piri or other hot sauce, for serving

1. Make the farofa if desired: Melt butter in a skillet or shallow saucepan on medium heat. Add sliced onion, and cook, stirring, until it turns light brown. Stir in manioc and cook, stirring, 5 to 8 minutes, until it starts to toast. Cover and keep warm.

2. Make the fish broth: Cut each bass fillet in 4 or 5 pieces, cover and refrigerate. Place trimmings in a 3-quart stovetop casserole, preferably an earthenware pot. Lightly salt shrimp, cover and refrigerate. Place shells in the pot. Add 5 cups water; the bay leaves; the turnip; 2 onions, chopped; 2 tomatoes, chopped; half the shishito peppers; the garlic; and half the cilantro and chives. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

3. Heat oven to 450°. Cut a slit in the skin of the plantain, wrap in foil and bake 20 minutes, until flesh is tender. Cool.

4. Strain broth into a bowl, pressing on the solids. Discard solids and return broth to pot. Cook over medium heat until reduced to 1 1/2 cups.

5. Slice remaining tomatoes and remaining onion 1/4 inch thick and add to pot. Add bell peppers, Cubanelle peppers, remaining shishito peppers, remaining chives and all but 1 tablespoon remaining cilantro. Bring to a simmer and cook about 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

6. Peel plantain and slice it 1/2 inch thick. Add to pot. Add coconut milk and dende oil. Add fish and octopus, if using, and simmer 5 minutes. Rinse and dry shrimp and squid, if using, and add to pot. Simmer 3 minutes. Check seasonings. Strew remaining cilantro on top, garnish with a red chile and serve over rice directly from the pot, with farofa and piri-piri on the side.

Servings: 4

Author: Rikki Snyder
Source: The New York Times

Have a great day
 

Pest Control, Kimbap,

Today is, hopefully, the last day we will be getting a visit from the pest control people. I haven't seen one of those living fossils (I have a much better name for them) for a long while so I think they have finally gone. I was talking to a woman who lives down the hall from us who has also had the problem as long as we have. She is still having a lot of problems and she says now the landlords say she has to pay for the pest people herself because when they come to her place they don't find anything. I feel very sorry for her as she is totally on her own and told me she has hardly seen her daughter since it all began. Nice daughter. I told her to report it all to the Landlords and Tenants Bureau. I can't really help her, let's face, it we needed help ourselves. I might say our pest workers don't look anything like the picture. They sure don't wear any kind of hazmat suit which is what this looks like and I haven't seen them wear masks either, but then I am not here the whole time.

Having missed the opening of the Kimbop company being started by the grandaughter-in-law of our friends, we have decided to have a luncheon, with the other friend who was coming with us and then couldn't, so I have now ordered several trays of kimbap to have for lunch on August 9th by which time I hope our home will be back to normal and we can relax and enjoy it. There are, apparently, several differences between kimbap and sushi. In case you wonder or are confused, I was, kimbap is what the food is called, Kimbop is the name of the new company started by Jinah Allen. I do hope she makes a success of it. I think it's such an excellent idea. Although you can buy sushi round here, there is no source (or wasn't) of kimbap which is why she decided to start making them.

You don't have to turn on your oven to make this decadent recipe.

No-Bake White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberries

In his version of no-bake cheesecake, baker and cookbook author Kamran Siddiqi beats melted white chocolate and citrus zest into the creamy filling for a deep, decadent flavor. Makes one 9 inch cake.

CRUST
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (7 ounces)
1 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
pinch of fine sea salt
FILLING
7 oz white chocolate, finely chopped
1 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp finely grated orange zest
1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 cup heavy cream
3 Tbs strawberry jam mixed with 1 teaspoon hot water
Quartered strawberries, for garnish
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

1. MAKE THE CRUST In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt until evenly moistened. Press the crumbs over the bottom of a 9-inch round springform pan. Freeze until firm, about 20 minutes.

2. MEANWHILE, MAKE THE FILLING In a microwave-safe bowl, microwave the white chocolate on high power in 10-second intervals until just melted. Let cool slightly.

3. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the cream cheese with the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean paste and orange and lemon zests until smooth. Gradually beat in the white chocolate. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.

4. Wipe out the bowl of the stand mixer and add the cream to it. Attach the whisk and beat the cream at high speed until firm peaks form. Stir one-third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then fold in the remaining whipped cream until no streaks remain. Spread the cheesecake filling over the chilled crust in an even layer. Cover with foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

5. Unmold the cheesecake. Top with the strawberry jam and garnish with quartered strawberries. Cut the cake into wedges and serve.

6. MAKE AHEAD

7. The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Top with the jam and strawberries before serving.

Source: Food & Wine

Have a great day

Padlock, Retirement Home, Kimbop,

The oddest thing. We leave our bowling bags, containing balls and shoes, in a locker at the alley. Today, Thursday, we went bowling as usual and Matt went to get the bags. He tried to insert the key into the padlock, it would not turn and unlock. I tried with my key, in case, and the same thing happened. We got the son to have a go as well as it involves a lot of bending. He couldn't get it to open either so in the end he produced some bolt cutters and we got our gear. But, we used the stuff on Wednesday and had no problem opening the padlock then. If that isn't odd, I don't know what is. We ended up bringing our bags home with us and trying to find a padlock in the grocery store (well they don't just sell groceries). We got one but think the hasp may be too big for the locker so will take it back and go to a proper hardware store for one. I did wonder if someone had tried to undo our padlock and by doing so, broken it somehow. Otherwise I have no explanation for it at all.

Didn't tell you, our league bowling was pretty good and we gained 5 of the possible 7 points so we are still in 8th spot. Only one point behind the 7th team. Our friend who broke her ankle came to cheer on the teams. It was nice she could make it. It's odd that, since starting the seminars on Stand Up to Falls, so many people I know have fallen and hurt themselves. One woman from exercise class has ended up in a senior's home, I don't suppose she is very pleased about that. Poor woman. I know a lot of the people in the class are worried in case their children insist they go into a senior's home. I don't understand how they are forced to do this but am very glad there is nobody to force us into such a place. We might well end up in a retirement home but it will be our choice whatever the reason be it health or simply age.

Late this afternoon we are going to the launching of a young friend's Kimbop business in which she is making Korean kimbap also known as gimbap, which are somewhat along the lines of sushi. I am not quite sure what the difference is but will no doubt find out later today. I certainly enjoy sushi and we have even made it ourselves in the past. Another foodie friend is going with us, actually she is picking us up, I thought she would be equally interested. I am not quite sure how Jinah Allen is going to handle her business and whether she will deliver orders to clients or what, but that too I will find out later. I know she is doing vegetarian, beef and crab. Oh, I have been exploring and it seems this business has been going for a while and Jinah will deliver or you can pick up. There is a blog about her business here and a description of what will be available this evening.

This vegetable dish appealed to me today.


Turkish-Style Braised Green Beans

6 Tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half widthwise
2 medium tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped
1 Tbs sugar
1 tsp salt
Black pepper
¼ cup roughly chopped mint
Thick yogurt, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

1. In a large sauté pan or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the onions and stir occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook, stirring frequently, 2 minutes.

2. Add the beans, tomatoes, 1 cup water, sugar, salt and pepper and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 45 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, adjust the seasoning to taste and cool to room temperature, uncovered, about 45 minutes. Stir in the mint and serve, with thick yogurt and lemon wedges.

Servings: 4

Author: Sabra Krock for The New York Times

Author Notes
In this Turkish method, vegetables (and sometimes beans) are cooked in plenty of olive oil — usually with tomatoes, onions and one or two other ingredients — until they have almost lost their shape. Then they are cooled and served at room temperature, when their flavors are at their fullest. Very often an herb or citrus juice is added just before serving for a little spark; thick yogurt and lemon wedges are standard accompaniments.

It’s probably obvious that these dishes are pretty much ideal for warm-weather meals. They not only can be made in advance, but also must be, so they can cool down. Even a day or two ahead is fine; just take them out of the refrigerator about 45 minutes before serving.

Have a great day