Gnarly Beets

Yo-y0 weather continues throughout the months of March and early April. One of those past weekends when we pulled the short end of the stick, I made beet soup. I'm not sure which came first - the sight of beets or the cold weather - for this sudden craving. Or perhaps I was yearning for the gorgeous ruby red color.

The beets I bought at the Union Square Greenmarket were large, and frankly even from the farmers market's standard, looking unruly. Far from the uniformly smooth and round ones you would normally see. They cried out "free-range", and I wanted to treat them with utmost respect. I could simply cooked the beets in the broth and puré them. But this time I decided to make clear soup instead.

First step is to make the beef stock. Sear the shanks in the big pot until they are brown all over, about 15 minutes. Then add water, throw in a few halved onions, bay leaves and peppercorn. Because it always produces multiple batches of stock, I would refrain from adding the salt. I prefer any stock to be flavor neutral for the later use. Cover the pot and just leave it on the gentle simmer for a few hours until the meat fall off the bone. While waiting for the stock, I steamed the beets. The end of Day 1.

So, dinnertime at the Day 2: this is the result. Add diced beets in the stock, salt & pepper to taste, a dollop of Crème fraiche adds a cool tang to the sweet & savory soup. You may ask, where's the meat? Well, the meat is in the freezer...waiting for the later reincarnation.

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Spring Comes Running!

What a difference one week makes! Last week, the Union Square was cold, wet, windy, and desolate. Only here and there stand the brave farmers tables, displaying the bounty of mostly brown colored produce & products... We could see our breaths. Our hands were stiff from cold. As we exchanged words, all were wishes for the warmer weather to arrive soon!

And the Daylight Saving Time began.

Suddenly, as if it were waiting for the sign, the clouds parted. The sunshine is strong. We shed our long boots and heavy winter coats! Will this be it? Will we be able to welcome the spring this weekend without further delay?

We'll see... The spring of New York City is notoriously capricious. We always get the one last hurrah of the winter storm in late March or early April - always after the early starter narcissus blooms - to remind us who's the boss. One day it's 70 degrees temperature, and the next day it's back to low 40's. It continues like this for a couple of months; this is the season when you have to keep both winter and summer clothes ready in our closet.

Just give us ramps! And all will be well...

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Heart & Chocolate

...the heart-shaped vanilla cake with chocolate frosting...




...the chocolate cupcakes with dark chocolate ganache...



The Valentine's Day without chocolate is a sacrilege!

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A Message in the Cup

Happy Valentine's Day...

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Ice Sculptures

The Wednesday's blizzard is already a distant memory in the heart of Manhattan. But, step out to the outer boroughs you'll encounter the snow country. Sun during the day melts away some of the ice, then it freezes over the chilly night. Look at these beautiful ice sculptures all over my yard! Let me enjoy them for a few days.

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大根足(=daikon ashi) !!!

"Daikon radish legs": Since childhood I always had them, and I always will. So let's make the best of them. Though I won't have any skinny thighs, at least I'd like to keep the shapely big legs.

I once read a book called "Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think" by Brian Wansink, PhD (Bantam Books 2006). The book is a culmination of what I already knew (or suspected) but provided "why" from psychological standpoint. It suggests many small changes you can do to influence your overall diet. (What I mean by 'diet' is 'the way you eat', of course!) I really like the idea: it's sensible to implement 'little' things that can make a big difference rather than to try a drastic one that will not last. And those 'little' diet changes may lead to a change in your life style or philosophy.

So, let's make those little changes. After a month-and-a-half long of holiday feasted in sugar (desserts), salt (snacks), and fat (practically everything I ate!), I will watch what I eat, when I eat and how much I eat. Simple, right?

1. Eat when hungry.
To me this will be the biggest change. We are all creatures of habit. Once you set the routine, it's hard to stray away. And that includes your food and meal time. Some mornings I wake up starving. Another morning, not so much. So I just listen to what my belly says: if it's hungry I will eat. Not because I have to eat this and that now. Luckily I work at an office that permits the flexible lunch time. So it's easier for me to moderate the "demand (= hunger)" and "supply (= meal)" during the day.

2. Know what goes inside the body.
Look at the food/meal you are going to eat/drink. Really, look at it and see what they are made of. And know what you are going to put in your body. It's easy to 'imagine' the food going down if you can see and know what they are. But it may require a lot of imagination on your part if you don't know your food. I normally buy produces at the farmer's market so I know where they come from. But if they come from supermarket, you will never know where they come from, how they were handled, and worse, what's in it. Buying the raw ingredients, will probably lower the 'unknown' ratio. But the higher the processing, the more unknown, and many cases undesirable, stuff are inside that food. So, the rule is really simple: Try to reduce the unknown. Think if you can tolerate the thought of consuming that unknown stuff. Because they are going inside your body.

3. Eat fruit at the end of meal.
When I saw this motto on the list of "Rules to Eat By" (by Michael Pollan, published on the NY Times Magazine last October), I immediately remembered my mother used to giving us fruit at the end of dinner. (She still does). It could be apple, pear, strawberry, whatever it is in season. She'd peel them, cut up and put on the table. Now I am reviving that tradition myself, it seems to make a lot of sense. Fruits provide many vitamins to help digestion. Also they suppress the immediate craving for dessert. So nowadays, every time I eat, I end my meal with a bite to an apple or clementine. I will munch on chocolate only when I REALLY NEED them.

4. Don't eat too late. Don't eat too fast.
Apparently it's not the actual time that's crucial. It's how much time between your last eating and your going to sleep. So I try not to eat after 9pm - giving it at least 2 hours before I become dormant. This seem to help regulating the digesting cycle...well, just take my word because I won't go into detail! I am also slowing down the speed of my eating. This relates to #1 and #2 above: I eat slower so I would know when I no longer feel hungry. Also I want to enjoy the food as I am eating; really savor it with eyes, nose and the mouth.

5. Cook what you eat.
I guess this summarize all of the above. It's not a change I want to implement, rather, it is a renewed pledge.

Here's to the shapely big legs!

Ku Cake

New Year Greeting

Wishing you the happy arrival of year 2010.

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Snowed In

The first major snow storm just hit the New York area yesterday. It started out as flurries in the late morning, just like the weather report predicted. It stopped awhile so I didn't pay much attention until later... Then at around 6pm I looked outside the window, and wow! It was really SNOWING; not just snowing but it was downright blizzard. And it continued to snow through the night.

It's cold, I'm snowed in, what do I do? Cook slow food, of course! I was in the mood for coq au vin AND the pot roast. I need the dish that lasts for a long time once cooked, because I'm expecting another round of baking for Christmas. You gotta eat!

First, the chicken: Organic, no-hormone chicken legs and drumsticks go into the 12" frying pan. Brown both side. Add plenty of salt & pepper, and dried oregano & thyme harvested from the yard. Throw onions that's cut in big pieces, and half a head of garlic. Then pour some white wine. Reduce the heat and cook for one hour with lid on.

The pot roast is equally simple. First, add salt & pepper to the meat which is about 3 lbs. Then I browned all sides of the beef. In a meantime cut onions and the rest of the garlic. I also wanted to finish off cabbage in the fridge, so cut that, too. When the meat is browned, add those to the pot. Add water about half an inch high and simmer it for 2 hours, rotating beef a couple of times. Then add carrots to the pan, too. I am going to slice the beef and save a lot for the later. It will make a nice sandwich, great addition to the ramen noodle, stewed in sweet-soy sauce with more vegetables - the use of it will be endless. The vegetable & soup is stored separately in the freezer for another snowy days...

As always, my walkway to the street, about 30 feet long, collected the 12" deep snow drifted from the schoolyard next door. Oh man, I have to dig myself out tomorrow morning.

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Thanksgiving Day Weekend

Wishing everyone a delicious Thanksgiving Day Weekend! Me and my oven are taking a break...

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Halloween Night Past...

It was all treats, no tricks.

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