Cauliflower Salad

This salad was one of the side dishes I made for the Thanksgiving dinner. The main dish in the Thanksgiving dinner is, of course, a big turkey. So I made all of the side dishes to be simple vegetarian dishes.

This cauliflower salad is originally from Sardinia, Italy. It is really easy to prepare and very tasty. I believe cauliflowers are not so popular in Japan. This is because I only remember eating boiled cauliflowers with mayonnaise – no other way. Many of my Japanese friends agree with me. Therefore, when I first tried this salad, I was very excited. Mixing simply olive oil, lemon juice and other spicy vegetables enhances the milk-like flavor of cauliflower and makes it a flavorsome dish.

Cauliflowers are extremely rich in vitamins C and K. They are a winter vegetable so they are in season right now. Do not miss an opportunity to try this easy yet healthy and delicious salad.

Ingredients:
1 cauliflower
1 teaspoon of capers
2 shallots finely chopped
¼ cup of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped or ½ Anaheim pepper, finely chopped
Lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil

Directions:
1. Wash the cauliflower and remove the stalk and green leaves. Cut it into small pieces.
2. Steam the cauliflower until the pieces become soft.
3. Transfer the cauliflower into a large bowl. Add the capers, shallots, parsley, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil. Mix them well.
4. Transfer the mixture into a serving plate.

Tiramisu Mousse

Last week a cold rain turned into a wet snow and then dry snow before midnight. It snowed in South Louisiana on December 4th! I remember my neighbor Wayne, who is native of New Orleans, said after a snowfall last year, “Last time I saw snowing was ten years ago”. So it is extremely rear to snow here two years in a row.

In Japan when you do something that you usually ignore, people tell you, “It will snow”. For example, lazy Johnny, who does not clean his room and does not care of living in mess, suddenly cleans his room very well. Then people would say, “It will snow because Johnny cleaned his room”.

I usually do not prepare or invent a complicated dessert. But I accidentally made this dessert on snow day. First, I intended to make tiramisu but later I found out that I ran out of eggs. I had to use the mascarpone cheese, which had little time left before the expiration date. Then, I came out with this fabulous dessert and also it snowed in South Louisiana! This might be because I made this delicious tiramisu mousse.

Ingredients:
250g of mascarpone cheese
150 cc whipped heavy cream
50cc espresso coffee
100cc milk
80g sugar
5g unflavored gelatin
1 teaspoon of liquor (Kahlua, rum, brandy, etc.)
3-4 tablespoons of coca powder
1 (9-inch) cookie crust

Directions:
1. Beat the whipped heavy cream well in a large bowl until it becomes foamy.
2. Add the milk and liquor in the bowl.
3. Mix the hot espresso coffee, sugar and gelatin in a small bowl until the gelatin completely dissolves.
5. Add the espresso mixture into the large bowl and mix them well. Pour into the cookie crust.
6. Refrigerate it over night. Sprinkle the coca on the top of the tiramisu mousse before serving.

Imam Baildi (Eggplants with Tomato Sauce)

This dish is originally from Turkey. However, this is also one of the most popular dishes served in Greece. It is also a very familiar dish for my husband. He is native to Greece and was born in northern Greece where the border between Greece and Turkey was just one mile away from his village. Many of the homemade dishes in his village were influenced by Turkish cuisine.

Imam Baildi means “fainting priest” in Turkish. There is an interesting story behind this dish. One day a poor family generously invited a Muslim priest (or imam) for dinner. Then, they served this simple dish for the priest. It was extremely delicious so the priest eventually fainted. Another interpretation is that the priest started pouring lots of olive oil over this dish. Since olive oil was very expensive at that time for poor people like this family, they fainted in agony.

My husband told me a few tips about making this dish. First of all, do not hesitate using lots of olive oil. I mean “lots”. When I first saw him pouring a large amount of olive oil, I almost fainted. Second, use a pinch of cloves, which makes this dish irresistible. Cloves are one of the most essential incent substances in Japan. But personally I have never used or tasted this seasoning in cooking. A touch of this amazing seasoning makes this simple vegetable dish delicious. The priest might have indeed fainted of the extremely rich flavors.

Ingredients:
4 eggplants (Holland eggplants)
3 rip tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
½ cup of white wine
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon oregano
1 – 1 ½ cups extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
A pinch of cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 325 F degrees.
2. Slice the eggplants in half lengthwise. Add plenty of water and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.

3. Soak the sliced eggplants in the water for about 15 minutes. Drain them well and pad them with paper towel.
4. Heat plenty of olive oil in a large fry pan and fry the eggplants until they become soft. Transfer them to a baking pan.
5. Heat the olive oil in the same fry pan and fry the chopped onion and garlic until they become translucent. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and stir them well. Add the white wine and stir the mixture well.
6. Season the mixture with salt, freshly ground pepper, oregano and cloves. Turn off the heat and add the parsley and ½ cup of extra virgin olive oil and cover the pan.
7. Pour the tomato mixture over the eggplants. Add ¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil. Bake it in the oven for 50 to 60 minutes.
8. Serve with feta cheese.

Stuffed Turkey

A deep-fried turkey is a landmark in Cajun cuisine. Every year, our neighbor, Janet, makes a deep friend turkey and I join and enjoy a few bits. At the same time, my husband and I also cook a turkey for Thanksgiving. It is a traditional stuffed turkey with my unique Mediterranean / Cajun seasonings and Japanese / Mediterranean stuffing.

First, pour a lot of red wine, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil over the turkey. Then season it all over the turkey with salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, chili powder, freshly ground allspices and a pinch of cinnamon. Put the turkey in a large Ziploc or cover it with plastic wrap and marinate it over night. All fragrances of the seasonings go into the meat and no injection is necessary.

My stuffing is not the traditional bread stuffing but rice stuffing. I first cook chicken liver risotto using Japanese medium grin rice (“Nishiki” rice) with lots of herbs and red wine. Do not over cook because it will be cooked more inside of the turkey. The turkey aroma extends to inside of the risotto and vice versa. I do not discard this stuffing but serve it as a side dish. Some people sprinkle Parmesan cheese and others enjoy it just as a risotto.

Seasoning and stuffing are very important factors for a truly delicious turkey. But the most important aspect is using a fresh turkey. I used an organic, non-frozen turkey this year. It was a good choice. The meat did not have the typical turkey odor and it was lean and yet juicy.

Thanks to my new gas oven, all of the gravy stayed inside of the meat. So it did not require a gravy sauce or any sauce.

A 15.5 lb big turkey was left with only bones and little meat. “You can make delicious gumbo soup with them,” said Janet. That sounds like another cooking adventure in Louisiana.

Japanese Sweet Potato Bread

Thanksgiving Day is the day to express gratitude to family, friends and harvest. This year I have special thanks to you, the many readers of my blog. Since I have started this blog, I received lots of feedback from all over the world, which astonished me a great deal. Someone like you, who does not know me and I do not know you, visited my blog by chance – via either Google or other reference sites. Then, spent sometime glancing on my blog. I thank you very much for visiting my blog.

I started my blog in order to collect useful ideas, tips and facts about healthy and enjoyable cooking from books, websites, food experts and also use my personal experience and that of my many friends and family members. So, I can go back anytime to remind myself of healthy eating and, at the same time, share this knowledge with others who may have similar interests with me. I am grateful to know that many people really enjoy my blog and spend their valuable time with me.

This Thanksgiving Day I made this sweet potato bread. I gave one loaf to my good neighbors, Janet and Bert, and served another one to our guests at the Thanksgiving dinner. So I would like to share this recipe with you.

I used Japanese sweet potato, which we call Satsumaimo. Satsumaimo (Ipomoea batatas in the formal scientific term) is different from yam or regular sweet potatoes one can find in a regular super market. I can found Satsumaimo in any Asian market. They are called Korean sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes or just Asian sweet potatoes. However, these potatoes are native to South America and came to Japan around early the 17th century via China. These sweet potatoes have a thin, reddish brown skin with a golden flesh. The taste is very sweet, almost like chestnuts, and has a crumbly texture. They are rich in vitamin C and fiber. Their vitamin C is hardly destroyed by heat.

Since the potatoes themselves have a sweet flavor, adding a little bit of sugar and butter make this simple cake incredibly delicious. I wish many stores could sell this tasty and inexpensive Satsumaimo in the US. If you are lucky to find this sweet potato, please try this delicious bread!

Ingredients:
300g of Satsumaimo (Ipomoea batatas)
½ cup of milk
2 eggs
50 g of butter at room temperature
1/3 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoons of baking powder

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 320 F degrees.
2. Peel the skins of the sweet potatoes and dice then into small pieces.
3. Heat the milk, sugar and the sweet potato pieces in a pan and stir until the potato pieces become soft. Add the butter and mix them well.
4. Put the eggs in a bowl and beat them well. Add the flour and baking powder and stir them well. Add the potato mixture and mix them gently.
5. Place them in a baking pan. Bake it in the oven for about 40-50 minutes.
6. Take the cake out of the pan and let it cool off. Slice to serve.

Mediterranean Fish Soup (Cacciucco/Bouillabaisse)

My husband and I replaced our old electric range / oven with a gas range / oven just a few days ago. Also, we changed from a microwave with hood to a professional hood. One of the reasons why I have not been updated my blog for a long time is that I was too hectic looking for good products and a good plumber to make the installations. Luckily, we found all of them. Then, I become busy admiring these fabulous range / oven and hood. Time flies fast and here I am writing a new update.

I love a gas oven, which cooks food evenly and keeps moisture inside of any meat. The day our new range / oven was installed we decided to bake lemon chicken using a whole chicken. I noticed that it did not produce much grease. Most of the grease stayed inside of the meat. Therefore, the chicken was extremely juicy and delicious.

I also love my new gas range. It is easy to adjust the temperature and simmer well. So, when I saw mussels, clams, and other seafood piling up on a seafood market, I decided to cook this fish soup on my new gas range.

This soup is a typical fish soup / stew in the Mediterranean region where various types of fresh fish and shellfish are available. The key to make this soup successfully is adding as many kinds of fresh seafood as possible. This delicious soup makes you warm throughout your body and mind. After a big Thanksgiving turkey, try this fish soup which can make you feel cheerful.

Ingredients:
1 lb mussels wish shells
4 big clams wish shells
¼ lb cod filet (if the one with the bones and head cannot be found)
½ red snapper with the bone and the head, if possible
1 lb squids
1 lb shrimps with their heads and shells on
1 big onion, chopped
3 carrots, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
1 cup white wine
1 bay leaf
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
4 rip tomatoes, chopped
1 pinch of saffron
1 chill pepper
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup of extra olive oil

Directions:
1. Wash the mussels and clams very well. Soak them into salty water for about 30 minutes.
2. Put the mussels and clams in a large pot and add the white wine. Cover and bring to a boil. 3. After boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the shells are open. Remove them from the pot. If a clam is not open, discard it. Reserve the white wine.
3. Put 4-6 cups of water in a large pot. Add the onion, carrots, celery, tomatoes, chill pepper, bay leaf, and saffron. Add the reserved white wine. Cover and bring to a boil. After boiling, lower the heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
4. Add the cod, snapper, squids and shrimps and simmer them for 10 minutes. Add the mussels and clams. Season with salt and black pepper.
5. Add the parsley and extra virgin olive oil and turn off the heat. Serve it with crispy bread to wipe out the delicious soup.

Banana Bread

We have seven big banana clusters in our yard. This is like a total of 20-30 individual trees. Every year they produce a few bunches of bananas.

For the first few years my husband promoted his bananas and gave away most of them to his friends and neighbors. Unfortunately, our bananas are not sweet but very sour. So people who appreciate our bananas become fewer and fewer every year. These years none of them eats our bananas including my husband and I.

So, this year when I first tried this delicious banana yogurt bread, I was extremely pleased that our bananas are certainly valuable. Because our bananas are not sweet, I added honey, which enhances and gives them an extra flavor. Also I put yogurt to make the mixture smooth. Perhaps, adding some liquor brings extra richness on this delicious bread.

It is already November, but a few clusters of bananas will be ready for Thanksgiving and even Christmas! Indeed, Louisiana is a semi-tropical place.

Ingredients:
2 bananas, smashed
2 eggs
80g sugar
2 tablespoons of honey
1 cup and 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/3 cup of yogurt
4 tablespoons of butter, soften

Optional: ¼ cup of crashed walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins and/or etc.

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 320 F degrees.
2. Put the eggs in a large bowl and beat them well.
3. Add the sugar and mix them well.
4. Add the honey, flour, baking powder, yogurt, butter, banana and walnuts and stir them well.
5. Bake it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes.
6. Take the banana bread out of the pan and let it cool off. Slice to serve.