BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed vegetables AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---apple DINNER --- sweet shrimp sashimi | lightly pickled eggplant | mizuna and pickled beet | simmered eggplant, zucchini, tomato and Japanese leek | wine and soy braised short ribs | rice | wine || herbal liqueur | Marcano almonds
sweet shrimp
pickled and pan-roasted eggplant
pickled beet and mizuna
sweet shrimp back in season, truly sweet and tender.
DD's lightly pickled eggplant by D.D. has silky and slightly crunchy texture, not easy to get from eggplant. ( 24h pickling: Japanese thin eggplant cut in length, salt, rice vinegar, fish sauce, lime juice, shallot, garlic. 5min pan-roasting: skillet medium to high heat. )
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed vegetables AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER ---wonton soup with green mustard and shrimp | curried cauliflowers | stir-fried red pepper and smoked tofu | rice | fennel and lettuce salad | wine
a humming bird visited blue-black salvia in our fall garden this morning, I was not fast enough to catch the image of the interesting visitor.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with stir-fried cabbage and pork AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- Japanese green tea | apple DINNER --- stir-fried celery, carrot and zucchini | fried wheat gluten balls stuffed with minced chicken and eggplant relish, stewed with tomato | rice | fennel and radish salad | wine
the essence of Chinese cooking: chop carefully, stir-fry quickly.
patience pays off in slow cooking of confit. duck legs were marinated for 2 days, and cooked in fat and broth at 180 degree for 8 hours ( overnight), pan-seared before serving. vegetables are simmered in the stock of vegetable+duck over low heat for one hour.
dark rye bread uses burned sugar syrup ( again made with a slow process) and dark chocolate.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | concord grapes | honeydew LUNCH --- ( at Panas ) platter ofempanadas of grilled chicken, chipolle steak, roasted pork, samba shrimp, smoked eggplant, sauteed spinach, corn, with sauce verde, Aji, chimi and pimenton DINNER --- tapas at home: sauteed baby squid with ginger and pimenton, served with roasted red pepper sauce and concord grapes | bread with spicy eggplant and sun-dried tomato relish| bread with roasted red pepper and almond spread | green olives with smoked mussels | sauteed spinach | fennel,cherry tomato and radish salad | wine
Panas Gourmet Empanadas
homemade tapas spread
squid platter
finger food mostly, fun to make and fun to eat.
empanadas at Panas, shells are thin, crispy but not deep dried, the fillings are moist and tender.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- pasta with sofrito AFTERNOON-TEATIME ---apple DINNER --- tapas ( Marcona almonds, flat bread, olives, cherry tomatoes and smoked mussels )| Ruavieja Licor de hierbas (Spanish sweet herbal liqueur) | duck cassoulet ( low-heat-simmered duck, roasted pork shoulder, fried bacon, white beans) | fennel and lettuce salad | flat bread | wine
tapas and drink while waiting for the slow-cooking cassoulet
a long process of slow cooking without using duck fat confit. the duck was simmered at low-heat with vegetables ( celery, fennel, carrot, shallot, garlic, and bay leaf) last night for 4 hours, stock strained and fat separated, meat saved. white beans and pork are precooked. this evening the cassoulet was layered with sauteed bacon and onion puree, duck, pork, and white beans, immersed in the duck stock, baked in oven 375 degree for 2 hours, not covered. it tastes very good, rich without too much fat.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed eggplants AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- Chinese taco buns with BBQ pork, shiso leaves and tomato | stir-fried green beans with Sichuan spices | black quinoa with Marcona almonds, green olives, dried cherries and cilantro | fennel and lettuce salad | wine
"lotus leaf" bun
black quinoa, Marcona almonds
lotus-leaf buns are soft and airy, go well with BBQ pork and juicy tomato.
black quinoa has rich color and more flavor than the plain kind.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with chive flowers and smoked tofu AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- English tea DINNER --- tempura of shishito peppers | Provencal garlic soup with poached egg | sauteed eggplant with shiitake | rice | fennel and lettuce salad | wine
late crop of shishito peppers from local Japanese market, the size, the flavor, and the thin-walled texture all reminds me the little Padron peppers in Spain.
WEEKEND BREAKFAST --- coffee | Ciabatta bread | lachsschinken cured ham | brie | honeydew AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- green tea | steamed crab with ginger rice vinegar dipping sauce BEFORE-CONCERT-DINNER --- Ciabatta bread with green olive and Marcona almond spread | simmered whole rock fish in ginger and scallion sauce | sauteed zucchini | rice | wine AFTER-CONCERT-DRINK --- tea | Spanish fig and almond cake | Chinese lotus seed moon-cake
a continental breakfast
a fisherman's tea time
simmered rock fish
had steamed crabs and simmered whole fish ( both local and wild) for a delayed Middle Autumn Festival.
the concert was a fixed menu of 5 movements, Mahler Symphony No. 2, served by a big orchestra ( 6 trumpets, 8 French horns, countless strings and a long array of percussion) and a big chorus with an alto and a soprano. A captivating masterpiece, much better in a live performance, with all the offstage "sound of distance" effects.
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with sauteed green beans AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- apple DINNER --- heirloom golden tomato and chayote salad | baby potato and chorizo stew | sauteed soft tofu and lightly pickled mustard greens with spicy roasted peanuts | wine
temperature comes down significantly. last harvest of heirloom tomato has intense flavor. warm and hearty potato stew welcomes the arrival of the autumn
BREAKFAST --- coffee LUNCH --- rice with chicken and vegetables AFTERNOON-TEATIME --- plums DINNER --squash and apple soup | stuffed baby squid simmered in rice wine sauce | steamed dumplings with filling of shiitake, young green mustard and minced chicken | fennel and lettuce salad| wine || Chinese moon cake | green tea
Chinese moon cakes for Autumn Moon Festival with fillings of red bean paste, pine nut and lotus seed, dates
baby squid is in the similar size as steamed dumpling, one with filling of seasoned sweet rice and mushrooms and simmered in wine sauce, the other with minced greens and chicken, steamed in bamboo steamer, served with garlic soy dipping sauce.
it is Chinese Autumn Moon Festival today, beautiful deep sky with bright full moon.
sweet shrimp 
pickled and pan-roasted eggplant
pickled beet and mizuna 
