Dutch Supermarket Launches Food Waste Line

A supermarket in the Netherlands has begun selling a line of products made from food waste, reports Reuters. The Jumbo store in Wageningen is seeing high sales of its soups and chutneys made from misshapen vegetables, beer from stale bread, cider from blemished apples, and soaps from discarded orange peels. The manager of the branch says first-week sales have surpassed expectations, doubling its current organic product sales.

The initiative is supported by a local university as part of a new national program, United Against Food Waste. Researchers from the university will monitor sales over the next six months to learn how best to expand the products. The program plans to expand to three more supermarkets in the next few months, according to the report. Full Story

Related: SFA Trendspotters' Top Trends for 2018; Future Friday: Bertha Jimenez on Resurrecting Food Waste.



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2GkPhym

#metoo and Food

The powerful #metoo movement has inspired the James Beard Foundation to take a look at its own practices. This year the foundation has encouraged judges for the coveted James Beard Awards to consider conduct when weighing the attributes of the nominees. A letter to the members of the Restaurant and Chef Awards Committee that was published in Eater said it’s time to take “meaningful steps forward to end a culture of silence and complicity that has allowed this behavior to proliferate.” Winners receive their awards in New York City on May 7.



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2E5jQSx

Apples in Space

Domex Superfresh Growers has launched its popular Autumn Glory apple into the atmosphere on a homemade weather balloon, which traveled 75 miles, reaching an altitude of 116,000 feet, and temperatures of -77° F. This inventive marketing ploy was intended to get consumers excited about its exclusive variety, which sold out last year. Two cameras documented the trip.



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2GBXeOS

Taking a Bite Out of Data

One of the top restaurant trends for 2018 has nothing to do with new cuts of meat or vegetable carb substitutes—and everything to do with data. According to the Winsight 2018 Restaurant Trends Forecast, the level of personalization that restaurants achieve by gathering data on their clients will set them apart. “Today’s customer is looking for more than just good food; they want an experience,” says Sara Rush Wirth, managing editor of Winsight’s Restaurant Business Magazine. “And the only way for operators to really tailor that experience is to know their guests.” 

Establishments can gather data to create more efficient purchasing and production or hyper-customized menus based on past purchases. “Already, customers have shown that they are growing more comfortable sharing personal information with restaurants, as long as there is some kind of perceived value in the exchange,” said Rush Wirth. Value may be realized as a promotion tied to a favorite dish, a geo-targeted message around lunchtime, or a personalized discount to encourage repeat traffic.



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2E4N4RD

The End of Chocolate?

A world without chocolate is impossible to fathom, and yet, scientists at the University of California, in partnership with Mars Chocolate, are working to prevent cacao plants from disappearing as early as 2050 because of warmer temperatures and dryer weather conditions, as predicted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. 

As part of its "Sustainability in a Generation” initiative, Mars has teamed with UC Berkeley to try to save the cacao crops. Says Denise Young, global director of external communications at Mars, “This grant supports UC Berkeley's research into exploring whether they can make a precise tweak to the cacao tree's DNA using CRISPR technology [a tool for editing genomes] so that it's no longer susceptible to two diseases that are serious concerns for cocoa farming communities in West Africa, where approximately 70 percent of the world's cocoa is grown.” Research is still in its preliminary stages.



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2GG5QEb

Black Sesame Hummus with Spiced Beef

This striking black hummus is made with black beans and black sesame tahini for a unique flavor and color; topped with a richly spiced beef plus fresh parsley and pomegranate seeds for a touch of fruity sweetness.

Black linguine. Green shakshuka. Blue moon milk… I’m pretty obsessed with unexpected (natural) colors in my recipes lately. Because, let’s face it, with eat with our eyes before anything even touches our lips. And this hummus, perplexingly black where you’d expect pale yellow, is no exception.

Black Sesame & Black Bean Hummus with Spiced Beef

Good hummus is like a culinary mix tape, if you will.

On its own, it’s rather lackluster, bitter even. But in its final form, all the elements in and on the hummus—salt, acid, fat, and sweet—all serve to offset and balance out that bitterness perfectly.

I’d argue that each element is essential in its own right: the recipe just isn’t quite the same without the fatty richness of the beef or the tart sweetness of the fresh pomegranate.

When you take that perfect bite, one with a hearty dollop of hummus on top of soft pita bread with a bit of spiced beef, spices and olive oil, herbaceous fresh parsley, and a few pomegranate arils for good measure, your tastebuds will sing.

Black Sesame & Black Bean Hummus Recipe with spiced beef and pomegranate

Ok, so I’ll admit: while the final result is quite pretty once you’ve got all the toppings on there, there’s no ignoring the fact that the hummus itself looks a bit like dark gray, wet cement.

Black beans, as it turns out, aren’t black on the inside, so even with the addition of the black tahini it’s not enough to turn this hummus pure black (which I think is what I envisioned when I set out to make it). Appearances aside, this hummus would make quite a splash at your next dinner party or gathering.

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2GTondM

Vegetarian Kabobs to Pair With Charcuterie 

Skewers with beets, peppers, broccoli, and more make a great vegetarian addition to a charcuterie plate.

Pair them with the purĂ©ed chickpeas dipping sauce seasoned with fresh oregano, shallots, capers, oil, and vinegar to add even more flavor. For variety, try adding mozzarella balls, cauliflower florets, small artichoke hearts, or even meatier additions. 

Yield: 12 Kabobs
Prep time: About 1 hour 
Shelf life: 2-3 days

Ingredients 

Dipping sauce
1 (15.5-ounce) can garbanzos, drained, 4 tablespoons liquid reserved
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
3 ounces extra virgin olive oil, for sauce + 2 ounces for vegetables
1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons drained capers in brine
½ teaspoon salt 
⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper 
¼ cup minced shallots
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh oregano leaves

Vegetables 
3 golden or red beets, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, trimmed 
12 white boiling onions 
24 red peppadew peppers, drained
12 white mushrooms, about 1 ½ inches in diameter, stems trimmed and wiped
12 broccoli florets
12 (2-inch) baby carrots
1-2 green bell peppers, cut into 1 ½ inch squares
1-2 yellow bell peppers, cut into 1 ½ inch squares
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt 
12 (10-inch) bamboo skewers
Balsamic glaze 

Preparation

  1. Heat the oven to 400° F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.
  2. In a food processor, combine the chickpeas, the 4 tablespoons reserved liquid, garlic, 3 ounces of the olive oil, vinegar, capers, salt, and pepper and purée until smooth. Add the shallots and oregano, pulse to combine, and scrape into a container. Set aside.
  3. Brush the beets lightly with oil, wrap tightly in foil and bake in a flat pan until almost tender, turning once, about 40 minutes. Remove and, when cool enough to handle, peel and cut into quarters. Set aside. Leave the oven on.
  4. Meanwhile, bring a pan of salted water to the boil. Add the onions and boil for 2 minutes. Transfer to ice water, drain, cut off the root ends and slide off the skins. Blot dry. Cover the bottom of a skillet with a little oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sautĂ© over medium-high heat until golden, cover, reduce the heat and cook until just tender, shaking the pan often. Set aside. 
  5. In a large bowl, combine the beets with the peppadew peppers, mushrooms, broccoli, carrots, and green and yellow bell peppers squares. Add enough oil to lightly coat the vegetables, season with oregano and salt, and roast until the vegetables are lightly browned and almost tender, about 30 minutes, turning them a couple of times. Remove.
  6. Thread the vegetables onto the skewers. Lay them on a platter, season with salt and pepper, drizzle with a little olive oil and balsamic glaze, and serve.


from Prepared Food Recipes https://ift.tt/2ulFXVh

Grasshoppers Return to Safeco Field

Safeco Field, home to Major League Baseball’s Seattle Mariners, is bringing back grasshoppers as part of its concessions program, reports Nation’s Restaurant News.

The stadium’s foodservice provider, Centerplate, sold about 25,000 orders last year at $4 per order of 30-40 insects. The grasshoppers are imported from Mexico and come vacuum-packed and sealed. They’re seasoned with baked-on chile-lime seasoning at the stadium.

“It’s a quick grab-and-go item,” stadium chef Taylor Park told NRN. “People pick them up and do the Instagram photo with them. It’s hilarious.”

The stadium is also upgrading sandwiches and barbecue and dim sum and adding a donut machine, according to the report. Full Story 

Related: Safeco Field to Serve Fried Grasshoppers in 2017; Are Edible Insects Actually Sustainable? 



from Food Trends https://ift.tt/2IRq2B8

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Bars

Tender, buttery shortbread with a hint of almond and studded with mini chocolate chips. This recipe is ridiculously easy to prepare, making it a perfect recipe for stress-free entertaining!

My mom is the one who came up with this new variation of my Cranberry Almond Shortbread Bars, which makes perfect sense, because if anyone’s the queen of chocolate chips, it’s her, so it’s not surprising to me that she came up with such an idea.

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Recipe

The shortbread itself is virtually identical to the original, soft and buttery, with just a hint of almond, and oh-so-easy to prepare. But here, instead of orange peel and dried cranberries, I’ve added mini chocolate chips.

But cranberry and chocolate chip are just the beginning, this shortbread is incredibly versatile and could serve as the foundation for myriad flavor variations. I mean, I can think of about a dozen sitting here right now (so needless to say, you’ll probably be seeing more shortbread recipes in the near future!)

Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Recipe Chocolate Chip Shortbread Cookie Recipe - Perfect for dunking!

The hardest part of this recipe? Deciding whether to cut it into squares, triangles, or sticks. I mean, I stood there with a knife in my hand for at least 15 minutes staring at these bars, willing them to ‘speak to me’ and help me decide.

And then I thought that these cookies would be particularly good dunking cookies.

Sticks it is, then! The perfect shape for dunking!

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil https://ift.tt/2GdjPh8

All Natural Strawberry Yogurt Pie

Loaded Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

A hearty beef stew made with carrots, onions and celery and served over a heaping bed of creamy mashed potatoes: it’s basically Shepherd’s Pie in stew form.

It’s officially spring, but winter isn’t taking the hint. And while I’m hankering for shorts and sandals weather, that doesn’t mean that I’ll thoroughly enjoy a few extra days (or weeks) of soup season while I can. There’s little more satisfying on a chilly day than a hearty beef stew or a heaping bowl of creamy, steamy mashed potatoes. But together? Well, you might stop wishing for spring to come afterall!

Loaded Beef Stew Recipe Served Over Mashed Potatoes

The idea for this recipe came after I posted a food styling tip in my facebook group about using instant mashed potatoes to style soup (the potatoes offer a moldable surface under the liquid to help ‘prop’ up the soup bits and make them more visible on the surface). Someone commented that this—mashed potatoes served with soup—was actually a thing, and, well, it got me thinking that it’d actually be pretty darn delicious.

I originally wanted to do a loaded potato soup with mashed potatoes, but thought that might be a bit too much potato for one bowl. Ultimately we settled on a hearty beef stew served over a mound of creamy mashed potatoes. Like an inverted Shepherd’s Pie, if you will (and indeed, Shepherd’s Pie Stew is the alternative name for this recipe).

Hearty Beef Stew served over Creamy Mashed Potatoes (Like Shepherd's Pie, in stew form!)

The stew itself is quite simple, intensifying the inherent flavors by reducing it on the stove until it’s thick and luscious and bursting with flavor. Inexpensive chuck stew meat serves as the base, combined with your basic stew veggies and little more than chicken stock, tomato paste, and a dash of soy sauce for depth of flavor.

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil http://ift.tt/2pv3Tji

Bourbon Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Rich and chewy double chocolate sugar cookies spiked with bourbon and rolled in bourbon-infused raw sugar for a satisfying crunchy finish. The result is a brownie-like chocolate cookie with a beautifully crinkly top that’ll knock your socks off!

At this point, I’ve baked bourbon into bundt cakes and brownies, bourbon balls and caramel sauce… it’s about time it made its way into some cookies.

Bourbon Chocolate Sugar Cookies

This is one of those recipes that exceeded my expectations on the first try. I wanted a soft, chewy chocolate sugar cookie, and boy did these deliver. And the beautifully crackly top? Well, that was an unexpected bonus.

I incorporated the bourbon in the dough itself as well as in the bourbon-infused sugar in which the cookies are rolled.

To make bourbon-infused sugar, combine raw turbinado sugar with a few teaspoons of bourbon in a mason jar, and then shake the dickens out of it until the sugar is evenly moistened with fragrant Kentucky gold.

Even with such a small amount of bourbon, the sugar is still rather moist and clumpy (a bit like wet sand). I wasn’t sure it was going to work at first, but the overall effect is gorgeous, with clumps of glittery sugar crystals clinging to the crackly chocolate top. More geode than cookie, if geodes were edible and tasted like vanilla and chocolate.

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil http://ift.tt/2G4AxCv

Blackberry, Ricotta & Onion Savory Tart

Beyond the Kitchen: Well Said. Well read.

I’ve gotten to the point where I’m not even writing reviews of books that I rate less than 4 stars. There’s just too many of them and I feel like all my reviews start to sound the same.

Perfectly good books, but not amazing books.

These, on the other hand, are the rare ones.

The books that grab you from page 1 and keep you turning until the final period of the final page, and even then refuses to leave you alone.

The books whose characters invade your dreams.

The books whose morals make you want to become better than yourself.

The books that drag you into the story whether you like it or not and then teach you a little something too once you’re there.

The books that make your decision to cancel cable once and for all not even a hesitation in your mind; because if one book like this exists, how many others are out there yet to discover? There’s simply no time for TV if I want a chance at reading all the books that have found their way onto my list.

That’s the kind of book that gets 5 stars from me.

God bless the book people for their boundless knowledge absorbed from having words instead of friends. – The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue

While all these books are worthy reads, technically only the first 2 warranted that coveted 5 star rating (Are my standards too high? Maybe they’re too high…) The others I gave 4.5 stars (if goodreads allowed such things as half stars, that is). Still truly great books worth sharing, but just not quite enough to warrant the 5 star rating. Most of the time I can’t even pinpoint exactly what was lacking that caused the loss of half a star.

If you don’t already, follow me on Goodreads where I’m trying to be better about posting reviews of things as I finish them.

(As always, there are affiliate links in this post but all opinions are entirely my own).

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil http://ift.tt/2FKD2Xe

Cheese Focus: Food Safety: 8 Key Tips for the Cheese Counter

Top cheese retailers share some of their best food safety advice on everything from employee training to sanitation procedures to temperature monitoring. 

Among the many concerns that can keep a retailer awake at night is the prospect of selling contaminated food. Operating at a profit is important, but operating safely is even more so. The deaths and illness traced to cheese from New York’s Vulto Creamery last year raised alarms and convinced many retailers to review and tighten sanitation procedures. Unfortunately, a merchant looking for guidance relevant to cheese-counter operations will not find much.

The American Cheese Society is developing some web-based materials to guide cheese retailers in safer food handling. Sarah Spira, content manager for ACS, expects to have resources available sometime this year. In the meantime, interviews with retailers highlighted some common practices that may not be, but probably should be, standard operating procedure.

  1. Keep a receiving log. Create your own or ask other merchants to share their template. Record every incoming cheese: invoice date, source, batch number or lot code if available, and anything amiss such as an atypical odor or smashed box. Quarantine anything that’s suspect. If the cheese was on a refrigerated truck, you probably don’t need to record its temperature, although some retailers say they are heading that way. Laura Downey, co-owner of Fairfield Cheese Company and Greenwich Cheese Company, both in Connecticut, says that a small, local distributor once dropped off an order in his Subaru. “Part of me knew it was probably fine, but I refused it,” says Downey. 
     
  2. Create sanitation procedures and log each activity. Then scrutinize the log. Sanitizers lose potency over time and need frequent monitoring. A staffer should test the solution every couple of hours—more if it looks questionable—and note when it was changed. “If it’s not recorded, it hasn’t happened,” says Kate Arding, co-owner of Talbott & Arding Cheese and Provisions in Hudson, New York. At the Cowgirl Creamery shops in San Francisco and Point Reyes, California, managers complete a daily sanitation checklist; supervisors review the forms weekly and flag any incomplete information.

    Clean your cheese wire between cheeses. If you’re using a knife, use a sanitized one for each cheese. At Talbott & Arding, used knives go immediately into a sanitizer tub so a monger won’t be tempted to re-use it until it comes back from the dishwasher.

    Some retailers use color-coded knives, boards, and wires for different styles of cheese, like washed-rinds and blues. Others use paper to avoid contact between cheese and cutting board, minimizing the chance of cross-contamination. No busy store can sanitize boards between every customer, but you can implement a two-hour rotation.

    Thoroughly clean cheese cases weekly, at a minimum. Take everything out. Sanitize all surfaces, then reset the case. 
     
  3. Monitor and record refrigeration temperatures. “We check our walk-in and our reach-ins four times a day,” says Maureen Cunnie, operations manager for Tomales Bay Foods, which operates the Cowgirl Creamery shops. At Antonelli’s Cheese Shop in Austin, electronic gauges record the cheese case and walk-in temperatures every 15 minutes—costly technology for a small shop but worth it, says owner John Antonelli.
     
  4. Set standards for employee hygiene and enforce them. Long hair pulled back. Scrubbed, unpolished fingernails. Clean clothes and clean aprons. These expectations are standard practice in foodservice, but managers often let lapses pass. Louise Kennedy Converse, owner of Artisan Cheese Company in Sarasota, Florida, requires employees to take their aprons off if they go outside. She also bans cell phones, personal food, and beverages behind the counter. No customer wants to see a monger noshing and then return to cutting cheese.
     
  5. Teach hand washing: the how and the when. “If people are new to food work, they don’t realize how easily they can contaminate a product,” says Cunnie. New Cowgirl employees are taught to scrub their hands for as long as it takes to recite the alphabet. Florida is a “glove state,” with no direct contact allowed between food and hands. Still, says Converse, employees are constantly washing up. “You handle money; you wash your hands. You touch your face; you wash your hands. You come behind the counter; you wash your hands,” says Converse. “We have no fingerprints left.”

    Downey has similar hand-washing policies and her team members gently police each other because it’s so easy to get distracted and forget.
     
  6. Review your sampling procedures. Sampling is a huge part of selling, but don’t bare-hand it. Put the sample on a small square of deli paper, then hand it to the customer. Converse uses attractive wooden paddles that her woodworker husband made. Each customer gets a clean paddle, and Converse’s fingers never touch the cheese. “If I’m sampling at the same time, I put my sample on a toothpick,” says the monger.

    Passive sampling is more problematic from a hygiene perspective, although it definitely moves cheese, says Arding. She keeps the sampling station near the cheese counter so she can monitor it for egregious customer behavior. If you do passive sampling, keep a dome on the cheese and clean toothpicks front and center.
     
  7. Seek advice from colleagues and observe what others do. Most retailers are happy to share their practices, even with near competitors. If a customer is sickened, the whole cheese community suffers. Do reconnaissance at other cheese and deli counters, taking note of good practices and bad. 

    “Thinking from the vantage point of the customer has helped me be better behind the counter,” says Converse. “I’m constantly making a mental note of what others do well and what isn’t happening, and I bring that information into my store.”
     
  8. Lead by example. A food safety plan is only as good as the people who follow it, says Downey. “You can have all these rules and a really robust plan, but you have to train and remind. And if I’m telling people they have to do it this way, I better be doing it as well.” 

Janet Fletcher writes the email newsletter “Planet Cheese” and is the author of Cheese & Wine and Cheese & Beer.

 
 



from Food Trends http://ift.tt/2FCxmyq

Puffy Pancakes

Fluffy, puffy, soufflé-style pancakes inspired by the cafes of Japan. With a light and airy center and a tender, buttery crumb, these pancakes are as delicious as they are impressive.

What makes these pancakes so puffy? They are made with whipped egg whites for extra loft and cooked within metal pastry rings to give them their shape and height. But the real trick is in the flip: it may take you a few tries to master the technique (I’ve included a handy video below to get you started!) but trust me when I say that even the rejects will be delicious (I should know – we ate a lot of them!)

Japanese-inspired Puffy Pancake Recipe

Japan has a habit of taking something quintessentially American and taking it to new heights. Literally, in this case, with this ultra tall twist on a classic buttermilk pancake.

The most famous puffy pancake shop in Japan is Cafe Gram. They prepare only 3 batches of pancakes each day, and the demand is high: the lines can get rather ridiculous (personally there are very few foods worth waiting in line for, especially when there’s a line-free alternative that’s just a good).

Rather than spend our precious vacation time standing in line for pancakes, we sought out in the lesser-known but no-less-delicious pancakes from Hoshino coffee, which has a few locations throughout Tokyo (pro tip: the one in Shibuya offers a fabulous view of the crossing). Their pancakes aren’t quite as tall or jiggly, but the golden brown tops, tender crumb, and tempting topping options (not to mention no lines) make them the winner in my book. So much so that, after a single bite, I knew I had to try and recreate them at home.

Thick Soufflé Pancakes Recipe inspired by Hoshino Coffee's Pancakes in Tokyo, Japan

Which turned out to be a bit easier said than done. Getting a sky high pancake might be easy, but flipping it so that both sides are perfectly golden brown, is not.

But I persevered, testing this recipe nearly half a dozen times until I got the technique just right.

Sacrifices, guys. I do it for you.

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil http://ift.tt/2paGD9U

Fluffy Cinnamon Gluten-Free Waffles

Hot Pink Rhubarb Compote

Future Fridays: David Ceasar on Vertical Farming

David Ceasar of Green Skies Vertical Farm talks about the positive effects of vertical farming and trends that are driving its growth potential, including movements toward indoor agriculture, in-store grow kiosks, and in-restaurant grow units. Learn more in this Excite Talk from the Winter Fancy Food Show, part of a weekly series highlighting thought leaders, innovators, and influencers. Go to videos on specialtyfood.com for more in this series.

Related: SFA News Live Innovator Series: David CeaserQ&A with David CeaserFuture Fridays: Camas Davis on Responsible Meat Production and Consumption



from Food Trends http://ift.tt/2oZGreL

Future Fridays: Bruce Friedrich on How to Sell the Plant-based Revolution

In this week's Excite Talk, "Selling the Plant-based Revolution," Bruce Friedrich of Good Food Institute talks about the inefficiency of animal agriculture in terms of food waste and impact on the environment, his work with companies producing alternative proteins, and how to grow alternatives as viable options for the masses. Price, taste, and convenience are what consumers want, Friedrich stresses. "Those wanting to make an impact on industrial animal agriculture can't rely only on consumers who care about issues like sustainability. They have to maket the products price competitive and taste like [the real thing]."

This13-week Future Fridays video series highlights thought leaders, innovators, and influencers who participated in the Specialty Food Association’s Excite Talks at the Winter Fancy Food Show. Go to videos on specialtyfood.com for more in this series.

Related:  Future Fridays: Ben Anderson on B Corporations; Q&A with Bruce Friedrich



from Food Trends http://ift.tt/2twjzb4

Baked Salmon with Chimichurri Sauce

Ginger Miso Udon Noodle Soup with Roasted Mushrooms

This simple soup has become my new favorite comfort food, with a light and slightly salty white miso broth with just a hint of ginger, and thick, chewy udon noodles. It’s flavor and comfort in one delicious bowl.

We topped our bowls with cubes of firm tofu, steamed baby bok-choy, and shiitake mushrooms that have been tossed with soy sauce and sesame oil and roasted until the flavors sing, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds and green onions to finish it off.

Ginger Miso Udon Noodle Soup Recipe with Roasted Mushrooms and Bok Choy

Japan has altered our culinary outlook more than any other place we’ve visited. I find myself craving their soups most of all: simple yet complex, with oodles of noodles and other fun bits and pieces waiting to be discovered within.

We have made a slightly different, soy-sauce based udon noodle dipping-soup, or Mentsuyu, before (the soy base can be thinned to make it into more of a soup vs a dip). While this recipe starts out the same way, with a dashi broth made from bonito flakes and seaweed, the final broth is lighter in color and flavor, with a touch of mild white miso paste and a hint of fresh ginger. You can also add a splash of soy sauce or hot chili paste if you’re hankering for a bit of extra kick.

But my favorite part of this dish has to be the mushrooms. The first time we roasted shiitake mushrooms was for these beet and barley bowls, and we haven’t cooked them any other way since. Tossed with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce, the mushrooms’ flavor is concentrated as they shrink in size in the oven, browning and becoming almost crispy in the thinnest parts.

Japanese Udon Noodle Soup Recipe with Ginger Miso Broth, Bok Choy and Roasted Mushrooms

You can make homemade udon noodles, or, if you have an Asian market convenient to you, look in the freezer section for blocks of thick frozen udon noodles. They are more expensive than dried, but they are seriously amazing. We plan to stock our freezer with them the next time we’re in that part of town, because this is one of those dishes that is easy to throw together on those nights when you just want something light and comforting.

(more…)



from Love and Olive Oil http://ift.tt/2Fdfcrb

5-Minute Pesto Arugula Breakfast Sandwich

Vibrant Spring Vegetable Chowder

Triple Lemon Layer Cake

Lemon lovers: this one’s for you! Layers of light and buttery lemon cake (the reverse-cream method produces a particularly cotton-soft textu...