Text 23425, 120 rader
Skriven 2007-11-26 06:39:00 av Carol Shenkenberger (1:261/1466.0)
     Kommentar till en text av Hap Newsom
Ärende: dashing dashi!
======================
 -=> Quoting Hap Newsom to Carol Shenkenberger <=-

 -> Yeah and we mail one another stuff at need too!  I just mailed out a
 -> package to Elise and Marissa.  Mexican Comino, lilac popori (sp?), and
 -> fancy frosted glass 'candle tip' lightbulbs (the ones with the normal

 HN> I'll bet they'll be happier than clams to get em! 

Yup!  Little things you can't get there and are expensive to mail order, but 
cheap here and mailing is quite reasonable for a small box like that.
 
 ->  -> Hehehe again, you can even make tandem batches.  Also, in pure form
 ->  HN> not 
 ->  -> all that 'fishy'.  Just 'sounds' like it would be.
 ->  ->  
 -> 
 ->  HN> Nah, I'll try to sneak a bit into 
 ->  HN> hers and see how much I get in there before she notices!

 HN> I won't tell her when I put it in and I'll
 HN> see if she notices it! As you pointed out
 HN> in lighter concentrations it's not that
 HN> "fishy" tasting and she might not notice 
 HN> it at all. 

You may want to try the other dashi version?  I've not seen it sold powdered
in the USA, but it used dried shiitake's in place of the dried Bonito.  Don't
presoak the shiitake's, simmer them gently for about 20 mins then add the 
kombu (or whatever seaweeds you like best).  Can be other types of dried 
'shrooms such as cloud ear, or can mix in several.

This will leach the flavor of the 'shrooms down, but dont toss when done.  Use
them up in samwiches, salads, soup garnishes, and spagetti's.

(On your Japan cooking book)
 
 HN> Well I have been looking for it but so far it's
 HN> hiding quite well and not making any noise! (grin)
 
 ->  HN> cookbooks....now it's gone walkabout!!!
 ->  HN> Oh bother!

Grin, it will turn up.  4 more days and my stuff should arrive.

 -> (mirin subs)
 ->  
 ->  HN> I seem to remember that red wine vinegar 
 ->  HN> or apple cider vinegar worked well if 
 ->  HN> reduced a bit by adding 2 parts vinegar 
 ->  HN> to one part water and replace the sake, 

 -> Might be close but neither is actually a vinegary taste. 
 -> It would depend on the
 -> dish and your tolerance for vinegars.

 HN> True, but if you don't cook with mirin
 HN> (one type has almost 
 HN> no alcohol at all if I remember right) 

(Yes, there is an almost alcohol free one.  Ajin-nomoto brand plus they have a
 regular one. I've not tried it).

 HN> you don't know the flavor profile to 
 HN> start with, and a light vinegar seems 
 HN> to sub in the recipes well if I 
 HN> remember right (which sometimes I don't! )

With quite a few, it would work very well.  Different but acceptable.  It's 
like i am noticing more and more, that many of my dashi soups could work well
with coconut powder base instead of dashi. Depends on the dish, but quite a few
would do it right if different. 
 
 HN> Our brined turkey came out superb!
 HN> Moist and flavorful and not salty tasting at all!

Well, we dumped all 3 birds as you saw.  2 were 'off smelling' and we couldnt 
really tell if the brined one was (having been done in Dashi) but as they were
a set all defrosted same way and time, didnt want to chance it.

I facinated them with a quick fill in that turned out to be perfect with her 
olive dish.  (I butter-fried some onions, biggish salmon fillet, and put it on
a bed of quickly butter sweated bok choy leaves peeled off the bunch and made 
to look like a an underneath).  We put some of the olive 'stuff' ontop and it
was really nice.  Ok, so I had to serve it on a cookie sheet <g>.
 
 ->  HN> For me, my "relish tray" is essential, 
 -> 
 -> What sorts of things you put on it?
 -> 
 HN> Pickles, both dill and sweet...the 
 HN> little ones! Radishes, green onions, 
 HN> celery sticks, carrot sticks, bell pepper, 
 HN> olives (green and black), hot pickled 
 HN> green beans and okra. cheese and crackers
 HN> (yep ritz usually!). Some of the items I use 
 HN> might put Don over his salt profile 
 HN> for the day, but you can tailor the 
 HN> tray to suit your particular tastes. 

I sometimes do a bit like that.  I tend to daikon, pickles, olives (not all are
heavy brine so I have some Don can munch too), cheese bits when I can (couldnt 
do much with that in Sasebo but we could get the simple stuff), sliced kambocha
(a winter squash eaten raw like a melon as often as not), fruit bits, kimchee,
carrots, and whatever else is handy.

 -> Oh and HHGs came via CA, but sat in the harbor for a bit so are delayed.

 HN> Well at least you'll be able to decorate for Christmas!

Yes, but actually our main decorations were stored here.   I just am waiting 
that to not have it all in the way as we unpack the rest.
           xxcarol



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