BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed bitter melon AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- red tea DINNER --- sauteed Chinese gourd squash, spring onion and tomato | new potatoes Rioja-style with chorizo | fennel and cherry tomato salad | rice | wine
new potatoes harvested immature, small with very thin skin
onion
chorizo, with a lot of pimentón Potatas a la Riojana
Riojia-style potato and chorizo stew is from José Andrés' A taste of Spain in America. "It's one of the greatest dishes created by man" (Paul Bocuse). tip #1: find high quality authentic Spanish chorizo and pimentón; tip #2: find new potatoes at farmer's market now.
"... How old are those new potatoes? Depending on climate and cultivar, about 90 days. During that time, they sprout; become healthy leafy plants; bloom white, pink or purple flowers; pollinate, and produce fruit.Those other small potatoes we see in the store? Same story, but instead of being harvested immature or “new,” they are left in the ground to mature and cure, then carefully air-dried for long storage. Each plant bears an assortment of sizes, so the small ones are sorted and sold in those little net bags." --- City Kitchen by David Tanis, NYT
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- soba noodles | sauteed fresh peas and smoked tofu AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | cherries DINNER --- sauteed threaded chicken, bitter melon and king mushroom | stew of Kao-Fu with wood-ear and shiitake | cherry tomato and dandelion salad | rice | wine
planted seeds of shishito peppers a couple of weeks ago, now the new shoots grow pretty fast in the garden. have a high hope for a good harvest in late summer.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee| banquette | Scottish blue cheese | lychee AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea DINNER --- pan-toasted bread with black olive pate | kale chips ( by Sharon) | cherry tomato and dandelion salad | Amish corn fritters | buckwheat noodles with pea shoots | stew of new potatoes and chorizo with caramelized onion and Spanish pimenton | "drunken chicken" with king mushroom, smoked tofu, bitter melon and bean sprouts | Chinese BBQ pork with garlic scape | clay pot of Kao-Fu ( wheat gluten) , wood-ear and shiitake || vanilla ice cream with blue berries
kale chips
Kao Fu
still no zucchini flowers at the market today. got tender pea shoots and tiny tomatoes in five different colors and shapes. new baby potatoes are superb. made a nice dinner to share with friends
street entertainment (singing Three Penny Opera) lavender macaroon at Cacao
Sushi Ko has a long menu covering various categories of Japanese cooking, some of them are pretty good. The interior space is uncomfortable, and service is awkward as well.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- pasta with tomatillo sauce AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries DINNER --- (at Oreste and Francesca's ) Penne agli Asparagi(creamy asparagus sauce pasta) | Italian Riesling | Crespelle (Italiane crepes) ai Porcini, Gorgonzola e Prosciutto | Bardolino | Sweet Crepes with apricot preserve and chocolate sauce | Muscat de Saint Geanne de Minervois | Blue Curacao
Oreste's Northern Italian dinner with some touch of French: crepes and french cheese.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed zucchini and cabbage AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- cherries DINNER --- angel hair pasta with fresh tamotillo sauce | stir-fried garlic scape, Cantonese sausage with scrambled eggs | sauteed string beans with black bean sauce | lightly pickled cucumber and tomato salad | wine
a green dinner
WASARA tableware ( made of sugar cane fiber, bamboo, reed pulp)
tomatillo salsa verde makes chilled angel hair pasta very refreshing, other dishes are very green as well, cucumber, string beans and garlic scape.
just received a set of WASARA tree-free renewable tableware designed in Japan by Shinichiro Ogata, in preparation for the tea house reception of the July concert.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- pasta with tomato sauce AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- small plums | cucumber & mint ice cream DINNER --- salad of chayote and jellyfish with citrus dressing | toast with herb ricotta | wine braised beef shank, pan-seared with caramelized soy sauce | Matsuzaka noodles in beef broth with spring purple onions, enoki mushrooms and bitter melon | beer
beef shank is not an expensive cut, but with some patience, a Chinese-Jananese approach of slow braising plus finishing with high-temperature pan sear in caramelized sweet soy can turn it into a treat more interesting and more tender than a filet mignon.
new potatoes
onion 
chorizo, with a lot of pimentón
Potatas a la Riojana 
