Lunch 2021

Pepperoni pizza

PXL_20210429_210925781

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Japanese brunch - tamagoyaki/rolled omelette, takuan/pickled daikon radish, umeboshi/pickled plum, grated daikon with soy sauce, shiozake/broiled salted salmon, broccolini, rice with furikake, miso soup.

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So professional!

I love eating breakfast in Japan. Savoury food, fried fish no less, at 7:30 in the morning! At home I’m still in bed at that time and for breakfast it’s just a big bowl of porridge loaded with nuts and fruits.

Dayaammm, when can we travel again?!

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So I checked some of my Chinese cookery books for “noodles with bean sauce” recipes. Most of them have at least one. It’s a Peking classic and yellow bean sauce is used. Due to the popularity of this noodle dish now many variations exist all around China. My Peking food guide (book) has a short summary of the Zha Jiang Mian.


Speaking of Chinese cookery books… I found this one whilst waiting for my connecting flight to Churchill, Canada. I was careless and lost my Dunlop’s Shark’s Fin & Sichuan Pepper book and had to find new reading material asap.

This book is older than myself!

You have it so good now. These vegetables used to be “exotic”/“unusual” back in the 70’s. Took more than 2 decades to reach my food hell.

The back cover. Why is BBQ book more expensive?

OK, the noodles I made. Only had the wheat noodles and none of other typical ingredients called for in the noodles with bean sauce. I simply used what I had in the house.

We pretended we were in Peking again. Brown chunks in square bowl are lamb’s liver, for myself. I made the “bean sauce” with doenjang and mashed some marrowfat peas to create a thick sauce. Sesame oil, a pinch of sugar are amongst a few other things in the “bean sauce”.

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We had 3 days of beautiful weather earlier in the week. Unfortunately, it’s back to meh weather right after that like flipping a switch. Can’t believe I still wear winter clothes in May!

Marmite? Oh, pah-leeze. Bovril and old cheese are the best combo.

First test batch of crumpets. A bit dense but they are very springy and chewy, the kind of texture I like. Need more practice for sure.

Tops had been sliced off to make frying in butter easier.

We both enjoyed the mini crumpets in the sun in our back garden, sitting on the lawn like this.

I used this mould and baked the crumpets in the oven. The holes are very small (6cm/2.3 inches), what you call “slider” bun size in the US, I think. Would have liked the bigger one (10cm)/3.9 inches) but the seller didn’t have it instock.

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Whole smoked herrings are the best. So much umami, texture is what I call butter from the sea (like new catch herring).


Had to wash my hands to pick up the camera again and took this photo on the kitchen counter. Another reason I buy whole smoked herring in the spring… because the roe. There’s really no elegant or dignified way to eat whole fish. Just use hands. With herring you have the fine bones to contend with but it’s so worth it! The fine bones are not a problem for me. The preserving processed has softened the smallest bones and I never experience swallowing distress.

Supermoon was on Monday. It was huge and magnificent. Seen from my window upstairs.


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Turkey sandwich with provolone, bacon, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, on a sandwich roll

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I’m getting better at making these. I try to cut more strands which make pretty patterns. But the finer dough strands tend to stick to the knife a lot more.


We had 1 (one!) day of nice weather. Last year was the hottest on record, this year it’s the coldest spring on record.

“Sweet” mustard. My standard sharp mustard mixed with an orange-whisky-honey sauce I made for other things.

Got a kilo of purple asparagus and steamed half for dinner. I watched in horror as it turned green before my eyes. Purple vegs are extremely vulnerable to heat. Anyway, I shaved it for a salad for this meal (tossed in gherkin brine and let marinate for a while to soften a bit). Never cook purple asparagus again. It’s nicer as a salad green.

Cured salmon belly

How I’m able to slice the salmon paper thin. The jamón carving knife that came with the whole leg of jamón I got one time.

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I know, right?!

Looks sooo good!

Super Greens, Strawberries, Labneh Marinated in Olive Oil, Toasted Pinenuts, Croutons, Dressing of Olive Oil, Raspberry Vinegar, Sweet White Balsamic Vinegar, Ground Mustard, Sugar, Salt & Pepper

I can’t get enough of this Labneh in Olive Oil from our local Farmers Market. :heart:

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Tuna belly and white beans.

The tuna is from Portugal!

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Delicious! Tinned tuna from Portugal is a favorite treat of ours. I’m partial to the Santa Catarina brand from the Azores.

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That labneh catches my eye. Sure looks tempting.

My experience is only with the labneh that’s like a thick, rich yogurt. I have tasted a non-marinated Lebanese cheese ball called shankleesh. (Wikipedia spells it shanklish.) The interior is crumbly.

Hmmm, I wonder if labneh is what shankleesh is made from. I hope to ask the next time I go to our favorite Lebanese shop.

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Lunch today.

Not the most healthy, but certainly the most colorful.

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What is it?

I am going to call it deconstructed cherry pie.

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

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At first I thought cherry something but since it’s lunch I thought possibly overly food-colored sweet & sour pork.

I looked up Shankleesh @tomatotomato - it seems yummy. You’re right, Labneh is more like a thick, rich Yogurt or Kefir. I read that it gets firmer from draining more of the whey, but this one was still pretty soft & creamy.

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Love coming across tasty conservas!

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