s h i n s h i n e

Farmers' Market @ Union Square

 
 
A simple pleasure of walking through an outdoor market in the neighborhood...

Union Square Greenmarket - Broadway at East 17th St

Korean vocab...

	autumn	가을	(ga eul)
	market (traditional)	시장	(shi jang)

Kabocha (단호박)

 
During my study-abroad year in Japan many moons ago, my host-mom often made a simple kabocha dish - cut it in chunks, then pour over soy sauce and water (1:1 ratio) and simmer until kabocha pieces become soft.  Eat hot or cold as a side dish, usually topped with katsuo-bushi (dried fish flakes).  She also added a spoonful of mirin (Japanese cooking rice wine). 

 
Since then, kabocha has been one of my favorite ingredients - its naturally sweet, soft flesh makes it a flexible ingredient for both savory and sweet preparations.  Its bright yellow-orange color indicates all the goodness that comes from high level of beta carotene, a precursor of Vitamin A, that prevents us from and fights against cancers, heart disease, skin problems, etc.  It's also easy to store - you can leave it out at room temperature for months.  I always keep one on my table.  It makes a nice autumn decoration, and I believe the sweetness intensifies after some moisture escapes from the squash.  A versatile ingredient with rich, sweet flavor all on its own, all the nutritional benefits, and easy storage!  I can go on and on about kabocha...

There is one difficult part to handling this squash - cutting through it to scoop out the seeds in the middle.  I found that microwaving a whole kabocha for about 5-7 minutes makes it just soft enough to cut (in half or just the top), rather than trying to cut it raw with a cleaver or a saw, only to find your tool of choice now stuck in the middle of the hard squash.

A simple, traditional savory preparation for winter squash calls for roasting in the oven at 400F (200C) for 30 minutes or until tender after brushing with oil and sprinkling with salt.  Kabocha can be also prepared this way.  I found a great recipe with a yummy looking picture to go with it.

I also use it as an edible container, adding a bit of excitement to otherwise an everyday common dish.  I microwave the squash for a few more minutes to get it soft all around first.  I've stuffed the kabocha bowl with rice, soup, and other stuffables, which can be leftovers from the night before.  If time permits, top it with some cheese, and broil it in the oven just to melt the cheese.  It's a whole new dish with an edible bowl fit for the season!  

Korean vocab...

	kabocha	단호박	(dan ho bak)
	seed	씨	(see)
	soy sauce	간장	(gan jang)

Spicy Fish Head Stew (생선 머리 매운탕)

I stopped by at a Korean grocery store after running errands today.  As I was passing by the fish display, I remembered something Daniel Boulud said during the panel discussion as part of 'Daniel Boulud in Film and Conversation' last night.  "Sometimes things become leftovers or get thrown out because people don't know what to do with them." and gave an example of fish heads - how people from other countries would make a great fish head stew that can feed a whole family.

Being proud to be one who can make use of fish heads, I bought a salmon head (based on availability).  Start with a base broth - a sliced carrot, radish (Japanese daikon), onion, garlic cloves, soy sauce, liberal amount of gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes) and gochujang (Korean pepper paste) brought up to a boil then reduced to a simmer, for good 30 minutes to draw out the vegetable flavors. Then add the fish head and simmer until completely cooked.  Just before removing the stew from heat, add sliced scallions and crown daisy (쑥갓 [ssook-gat] fresh, young leaves are commonly added in Korean stews).   You can make the stew with just regular fish meat only, but the head part deepens the flavor. 

It is not the easiest to eat, because of course you have to fish out the bones yourself.  I think that's part of the fun. Oh, for the picture and for eating, I had to turn the eye-side down.  I am still not used to having the eyes stare at me....

On a side note, after picking up the fish head and placed it in my fasionable, beige grocery bag (that I always carry in my purse just in case I have to pick up an emergency fish head), I made a quick stop at Macy's to look for earrings...  I kept wondering how often 'fish heads' and 'Macy's' are used together in one sentence.

Korean vocab...

	fish (as in food)	생선	(seng sun)
	pepper flakes	고추가루	(go chu ga ru)
	pepper paste	고추장	(go chu jang)

A Respite in Midtown

With a greentea pudding and a view of Bryant Park from the top floor of Kinokuniya (Japanese bookstore).

1073 Avenue of the Americas (41st Street)

Now for a bit of Korean vocab...

	bookstore	서점	(suh juhm)
	green tea	녹차	(nok cha)
	pudding	푸딩	(pu ding)

Pancake and Riesling

What a great match I didn't think of until now, by accident - when I found some leftover pancake to munch with a glass of Riesling.

 
Pancake is made with rice flour, crushed banana, egg, baking powder, sugar, salt and milk.  Sprinkled with walnut bits and drizzled with maple syrup.  Rice flour gives a distinct texture of in-between fluffy (as usual pancakes should) and sticky (as in rice cake).

Korean vocab...

	rice	쌀	(ssal)
	flour/powder	가루	(ga ru)
	rice flour	쌀가루	(ssal ga ru)