From Hola to Bonjour

Guys, I’m so confused. One day I’m saying gracias to the supermarket clerk, the next day, arigato. Note to self: merci merci merci pardon.

Today I biked to the local market. I said “bonjour” to an elderly passerby. He said: “bonjour mademoiselle,”(just like the movies) and I died.


The French market in Thonon reminded me very much of the Riccarton Bush market back home (NZ). Unlike the markets in Spain where the fresh produce were displayed organically in fresh piles, the food here were set out decoratively in nice cartons, on pretty table cloths and alongside authentic ornaments.

He said: “Hey lady try this olive pesto. It’s very fresh.” Then: “but not as fresh as you!” ???



Delicious oily beignets mmm!



Okay, NOW I’m French.

This picture is for Teck Loh, Andy Banks and my father <3

Herbs for my mama <3



And last but not least, flowers for my sister.

Remnants of a French breakfast :O

New Year’s in Japan

The following extract is from education.asianart.org cos aint nobody got time to write a blogpost. Just joking, not really, but I will say a word or two. First, that I’m so darn lucky, I got to experience mochi pounding TWICE this year since I live so rural and second that the mochi, the adzuki beans (used to make the red bean paste, anko) and the soybeans (used to make soy bean powder, kinako) were all grown and made by hand by my lovely hosts. Also, that the old lady (obachan) pictured below is a great-grandmother and 94!

JOY JOY JOY! Happy New Year, y’all!

In Japan, mochi (sticky rice dumpling) is a tasty treat made to commemorate special occasions, most notably the New Year. Once essential to the New Year celebration, the practice of pounding mochi together, or mochitsuki, is now rare even in Japan, as busy people eat store-bought mochi rather than make their own. Traditionally, glutinous rice is washed and soaked overnight on the evening before the pounding.

The next morning the rice is steamed and placed in the usu (large mortar) where it is pounded with a kine (wooden mallet). Once the mass is soft and smooth, it is pulled into various sizes and shapes. It can be enjoyed a variety of ways: fresh, with different sauces, sweet stuffing, or seaweed.

An offering to the kani (deity), called kagami-mochi (mirror mochi), is comprised of two mochi cakes usually placed on a sheet of pure white paper in the center of a wooden tray. and topped with a bitter orange (daidai). Kagami-mochi is placed on the family altar during the New Year as an auspicious gesture that signifies hope for a happy and bright year ahead.

Mochi is used to make a variety of traditional sweets and it can be eaten right away or cured and dried for later use. When it is cured, it hardens and can be cooked with red beans, vegetables or soups. It is also popular toasted on top of a stove, dipped in a variety of flavorings such as soy sauce and sugar or coated with toasted soy bean powder. Toasted mochi inflates to several times its original size, forming a crisp crust with a soft, chewy interior.

The exact origin of mochi is unknown, though it is said to have come from China. The cakes of pounded glutinous rice appear to have become a New Year’s treat during Japan’s Heian period (794–1185). As early as the tenth century, various kinds of mochi were used as imperial offerings at religious ceremonies. A dictionary dating from before 1070 calls the rice cake “mochii.” Around the eighteenth century, people began to call it “mochi.” Various theories explain the name. One is that “mochi” came from the verb “motsu,” “to hold or to have,” signifying that mochi is food given by God. The word “mochizuki” means “full moon.”


Oh, and just to confuse y’all a little more, the very first image is where the rice cooks and the last images are of tochimochi being mixed into red bean paste or in Japanese, anko.

Vegetable Lasagna

250g wholemeal lasagna sheets
2 tbsp olive oil
1 brown onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 capsicum (any colour)
1 punnet of white button mushrooms
2 small eggplants
handful of fresh spinach
small broccoli head
(all veggies chopped medium to small)
400g can all-natural diced tomatoes
4 tbsp tomato paste
salt and pepper to taste
750g smooth ricotta cheese
3 free-range eggs
3/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Vegetable sauce:
Heat oil over medium heat in a large saucepan, add onion and garlic and cook, stirring for 5 minutes.

Add capsicum, mushroom, eggplant, spinach and broccoli, cover and cook gently for 5 minutes.

Add canned tomatoes and tomato paste, cook for 3 minutes, season with salt and pepper.

Ricotta:
Mix ricotta, eggs and basil, season with salt and pepper

Assembly: 
Preheat oven to 180C

Pour 1/2 cup of vegetables sauce into a lightly greased baking dish then alternate layers of lasagna, vegetable sauce and ricotta, ending with ricotta layer (allow for 4 layers).

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake in oven for 45 minutes (25 if using white lasagna sheets).

Let stand for  5 minutes before serving.

TIP: the trick to delicious lasagna is AMPLE SAUCE and that the lasagna sheets, are completely covered with/in it. So for extra yum-factor, make sure your lasagna retains a high level of moisture.

How to pimp your rice paper rolls

Last night my friend Mina and I cooked for our other friend, Mr O, who by the way, is a magician. Anyways, we prepared an Asian meal of green curry and fresh spring rolls. Thankfully, O-san approved.

Fresh spring rolls, AKA the easiest and most exciting way of consuming raw vegetables have featured on iaccidentlyatethewholething before. However; today I wanted to teach you a perhaps obvious skill for pimping them via the amateur illustration below.

Basically, you roll 3/4 of the way then add your desired toppings in the form of a neat line to the last quarter, then close. Congrats! You’re officially pimping on level pro.

Toppings can include:

prawns
individual corn pieces
green peas

and if you’re feeling really creative:
loveheart and/or flower shaped carrots (done using a small cookie cutter)

Eee! Turns out I’m more Japanese than I thought! #kawaii #foodart

 

 

Italian night and a savoury muffin recipe

Last night was Taka’s birthday (the father of the adorable baby I keep posting). So of course, we cooked. And by we, I mean me. I made Gnocchi with mushroom, spinach and tomato, a garden salad with organic greens hand-delivered to my home by the local organic farmer in an eco-friendly manner (wrapped in newspaper not PLASTIC as is everything in Japan and I mean every single thing imaginable) and savoury muffins (recipe below). The wholemeal and olive bread pictured is from Hugo et Leo. For dessert, I made my famous crumble but seeing as I’ve no photo evidence for y’all, I may as well have not bothered at all (sarcasm).

3 free-range eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 cup wholemeal flour
1/2 cup almond meal
handful of grated parmesan
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, chopped
handful of parsley, finely chopped

50 grams of cream cheese

Grease a 6 case muffin tray and pre-heat the oven to 180C

Mix together the eggs, olive oil and apple cider vinegar.

Gently fold in everything else except the cream cheese.

Place one heaped table spoon of batter in each muffin case, top with a dice-sized piece of cream cheese then cover with remaining batter.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the fork comes out clean.

Note: recipe doesn’t need any salt as sundried tomatoes and parmesan are salty enough.

And then I was bitten by a centipede

My ankle is the size of Russia. As in, swollen as f$%^. From a centipede bite. Yes, centipede. Thank you, inaka (countryside). To make matters worse, I happen to be staying at a nice hotel, in a busy spot in Okayama city with plenty of foodie places to explore (for a three day teacher’s conference) and, since I can’t WALK I can’t go outside. Alas, things could be worse. My hotel could be one of those 1 in a trillion hotels where there’s no room-service available.. oh wait, it is one of those… !!!

On a good note, today’s lunch at The Market, an organic bakery was Divine (with a capital D). I had a vegetarian sandwich and a soy latte. From across the street at Cotan (the organic food-store sister of Market) I purchased a RAW cacao bar, organic banana and a cold camomile tea drink which I am slowly savouring for dinner now. WHAT HOTEL DOESNT HAVE ROOM SERVICE? Good thing Cotan saved my behind. Anyways, I loved both Market and Cotan. I am so lucky that they’re only 2 min walking distance from my conference hall. In fact, I will be hopping there come lunch-break tomorrow and the next day, if I make it out alive. Please keep my foot in mind! I’m serious, my ankle’s HUGE.

figalicious definition makin’ me go loco

Don’t worry, I’m not about to quit my day job! Here’s the good news though, THE FIGS HAVE RIPENED and hallelujah! THEYRE JUST AS DELICIOUS AS I THOUGHT! Sorry for the caps. Clearly, I’m a little over excited. So, if I haven’t already mentioned, I am living in Okayama AKA the ‘Fruit Kingdom’ of Japan. How convenient is that? Anyways, recently I’ve completely changed my breakfasts. There’s been a lot of talk/research about eating raw fruits on an empty stomach (some people think it a load of bollocks whilst others swear by it). I myself, fall with the latter. Of course not of blind faith – I’ve been having raw fruit-only breakfasts for the last FEW days and already, I’m feeling a difference! Honestly people, I feel great. You too, should try it! Deli, if you’re reading this, please give it a go! You might think that after an hour or so your stomach will start grumbling and eating you from the inside out but it’s actually the opposite! I’ve never received so much energy from any other breakfast! Not even oats! Sorry, too many exclamation marks for a paragraph on fruit but I feel so strongly about my new discovery that I just cant help myself! I really don’t think I’ll ever have anything else for breakfast – well maybe pancakes but they can be the once in a lifetime (and by lifetime I mean tomorrow) exception! ! ! ! !!!! I

Excuse me while I move to a tropical island to become one of those women who just eat 20 bananas a day.

the best cuss bread of my life

Okay so I did a thing. I went to a bread buffet in the middle of my smoothie cleanse…lol Be quiet. I don’t want to hear it. YOLO or whatever. Anyways, you have to hear about this bread. So, in Tottori there’s a newly opened place called Ritotto Marche and it’s seriously out of this world. It’s half organic bakery/cafe half organic shop AKA my favourite place in the world. There are three options on the menu, pasta, soup or donburi (a Japanese rice bowl dish) starting from as low as 550 yen for the soup (about 6 bucks) to 1000 yen (about 11 or so) for the others. Now, here’s the glorious part; for a mere 350 yen you can give yourself the unbelievable gift of an hour access to the bread buffet and oh my goodness I can’t even, someone help me, I am still full from yesterday, it is that good and by good I mean GOOOD! Here, I should note that an individual piece of bread goes for about about 200-350 yen meaning this deal is crazy. I actual don’t know how they’re making money.

I can’t say it enough. It was the best bread I (and my friends) have ever tasted! EVER. We tried all the breads (naturally, it’s a buffet!) including fig and walnut, mixed nuts, gorgonzola and walnut, double chocolate chip and cream cheese, cheese tart, chocolate croissant, banana bread, tomato and basil focaccia and many many many (embarrassingly) others. You need to go. I need to go. We all need to go again. There is no other place one should dine when in Tottori – especially not Starbucks. THEIRS IS AMAZING BREAD. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY VOUCH FOR IT – Trust me, I’ve eaten a lot of bread and I don’t mean just at Ritotto Marche!

strawberry buffet

My friend Hannah and I (yes, I’ve made a friend!) went “strawberry picking” in Okayama today. To our surprise, it wasn’t strawberry picking as we’d previously experienced! We were given a plastic container/plate with two compartments. One was filled with condensed milk and the other empty, for strawberry leafs/tops. In other words, this was not PYO strawberries to take away and enjoy later but instead, we were given 50 minutes to eat as many strawberries as we could handle for the price of 1800 yen – a kind of strawberry buffet, if you will. And OH MAN, was the tummy ache worth it! On our way out, we were given a pamphlet advertising peach and grape picking/eating available from mid July which shall no doubt be featuring on iaccidentlyatethewholefarm. What fun!