gourmet rhapsody by muriel barbery

currently reading. i must say it is a really great read. first few times i started reading it i had to put it down because it made me too hungry. the descriptions of food, taste, memory, longing, art, intellectualism, france, japan. i loved that hedgehog book too. brilliant.

postcard by lotta jansdotter.

fresh ramen at home

we are all crazy for ramen around here (ramen in particular and asian noodle dishes in general). and since the fabulous mr. kato, our local ramen proprietor, closes up his shack from november to may, we were left to go without or make it at home. well, actually we usually head into the city and stop for lunch at momofuku, which is a really incredibly delicious experience, but we didn't have time and we don't want to have to rely only on david chang for our ramen enjoyment all winter no matter how outrageously talented he is. sometimes home is best. anyway, previously we have tackled recipes for soba and udon and chicken pho with some success. see here and here. it follows naturally that we would try to replicate ramen at home. plus, i have been wanting to find a good use for some yuba (magical dried tofu skin rolled into sticks) that i love and needed a good recipe. since it is hard to find homemade ramen soup recipes, everyone seems to use the mixes and packets at home, it required both creativity and strategy. it was delicious and i would eat it again right now if there was any left.

ramen

serves 4

1 lb fresh ramen noodles (i used nasoy brand, but some asian markets sell locally made egg noodles)

1 cup chopped scallions or other green onions

2 hard boiled eggs (use david tanis' recipe from his book "a platter of figs..." really great)

napa cabbage

1 cup sliced fresh shitake mushrooms

8 sticks yuba (dried tofu skin)

broth

6 cups chicken stock

4 TBSP soy sauce

2 tsp brown rice vinegar

1 tsp brown sugar

like most asian noodle soups, you assemble the parts just before serving. everything is cooked or prepared separately. this keeps the noodles from over cooking and the vegetables from ever becoming soggy. a great market noodle stall tradition that is worth honoring.

first, make the hard boiled eggs. then, get the broth going. heat to boiling. check for flavor. should have just the right hot salty quality. keep on simmer. next, set the water to boil for the fresh noodles. also, soak the yuba in quite hot or just boiled water until tender (10 - 30 minutes depending on brand). chop the yuba. chop the vegetables. reserve scallions for garnish. peel and halve hard boiled eggs. now, saute veg on high heat. first add the mushrooms, saute in a bit of olive oil on high heat for a few minutes. add chopped napa cabbage or bean sprouts or asian greens. stir until just softened (maybe 2 minutes) add in yuba and 2 TBSP soy sauce. now cook the noodles for a few minutes according to package directions (takes only 2-3 minutes).

okay. everything is ready. assembly time. place noodles in bowls. add egg and veg on sides. add scallions in center. ladle broth over the whole thing. serve immediately with chopsticks and soup spoons.

note: some people in our house strongly prefer pork ramen. this is really a veggie ramen with a chicken broth. soon we will make homemade pork ramen with pork broth. i am looking forward to this day already. stay tuned.

keeping it simple

by George Romney, of Emma Hart as Miranda, in the Tempest, late 1700s, public domain

for me, today is about trying to keep it simple. i can feel the impending maelstrom of holiday requirements approaching. or is it just the cool autumn chill in the air? elaborate events, events requiring new formalwear for growing children, black tie! gifts to buy and give. lots of gifts! cards to design and distribute. entertaining. decorating! cooking special meals, meals that take all day, meals to remember! so today. green tea and blueberries for breakfast. yoga practice. some time spent with my trusty notepad and sharpened pencil. strategizing. simplifying. organizing. focusing. prioritizing. i've got big plans to stay on top of things this year. for maybe the first time, ever. i will not get carried or swept away. (is it me or is that sounding like a desperate cry into the wind?) i will keep it simple. simplicity. simplicity. simplicity. make it manageable. my new mantra.

i heart aburiya kinnosuke

whenever i am missing japan i go here. a special place in nyc, rather near grand central on the east side, in an area filled with wonderful japanese restaurants, stores and places of cultural interest. there are noodle shops, tonkatsu shops, onigiri shops, japanese groceries, and the japanese culinary center.

aburiya kinnosuke. a wonderful restaurant where i enjoyed a great lunch today. it is just like walking into tokyo as you step through the doors. outside there is no sign, it is unmarked. only a multicolor striped facade. inside is incredible food in a kind of dark, homey, casual environment. (the opposite of most midtown restaurants). i have been here before. but every time their offerings make me swoon. the food is just what i want. it is like a happy dream. their black sesame pudding is incredible. their fish dishes. sushi dishes. grilled dishes, fried dishes. all great. i am not the only one who loves this place. it is always crowded, michelin and zagat praise it as well.

blogiversary and bloggers are nerds

cup and table is 1 year old this week. wow. it has flown by. i wasn't so sure when i started if it would be kind of fun to post or if it would become kind of a drag. i also wasn't sure whether i could maintain my enthusiasm over time. but i do enjoy it enormously it turns out. i plan to keep this going for a good little while. i have lots more to share and some new ideas up my sleeves, some excitement.

my favorite thing about blogging @ cup and table is that i've inadvertently created a place to go that has my recipes and travel photos published so i can remember what i cooked or did, or what i saw and enjoyed. its my new electronic recipe file and travelogue. pure and simple, c&t is a place that starts a dialog about food, travel, art, tea and design. but mostly food. healthy, maybe delicious, maybe mundane, and sometimes beautiful food. my least favorite thing about blogging is that people often roll their eyes and look at their toes or make disparaging remarks about bloggers and change the subject quickly as though you've just revealed something so embarrassing that they don't want to talk about it. and sometimes they simplistically assume you have some sort of outsize ego or something and that's why you are blogging. but what i think is there are always naysayers and you really shouldn't listen to them. and i think the fabulous john hodgeman has it right when he says "bloggers are nerds." yes. i am a blogging nerd. people focused on a topic and learning far too much about that topic so that the content spills out of them and they have to find some outlet, somewhere to put all this content, this collected information. blogging is inherently a creative endeavor and the tools are so available and accessible and easy to use that i wish everyone had a blog. that's right. everyone. i think everyone has valuable content locked up inside them waiting to come out. a view of the world worth noting. i want to know what all of you are cooking for dinner. what is on your minds. what you know too much about. where you are planning to go on your next vacation. i like sharing ideas, recipes, thoughts, creativity, with a wonderful community of individuals all over the world. it's awesome and new and endlessly interesting.

anyway, my dear readers and all of you lovely people who stop by once in a while. thanks for noticing. thanks for your wonderful, smart, kind, comments. thanks for your interest. i am so glad you're here.

(photo is of moules frites, well just the moules in the picture actually, from our first dinner in brussels in august. i would like to eat that all over again). another year, sign me up. let's go.