Super green soup!

In these glorious days of sun I'm enjoying gardening and I go riding my bicycle to go work. Everything is green, and is so warm that if I close my eyes i really can believe to be in Tuscany riding above the hills.
So I went to the grocery near Nothing Hill and I sunk my hands in all that possible. Crispy lettuces, spring onions, lemons, blueberries...
And after a bath in the crowd of tourists I just felt to relax and refresh my mind with a fresh soup... And to be tone on tone with these days I made a green one.
It is perfect spring, delicious and cool, beautiful and fresh, warm and cool all at once.

{Ingredients}

1 leek

3 spring onions

Some lettuce leaves

4 broccoli tops

4 leaves of pointed cabbage
1 bok choy

3 tablespoon of lemon juice

2 tablespoon of white sweet miso

1 to 1+1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 nori sheet

1 tablespoon of toasted sesame oil

½ cup of quinoa

4+1/2 cups of spring water

 {technique}

{Quinoa}

Bring to boil 1 cup of spring water with a pick of salt. In a heavy pan toast the quinoa until a nutty flavour comes out.

Add the water to the quinoa and leave to cook on a slow flame until perfectly dry. Then add the toasted sesame oil and leave aside.

{soup}

In a pan bring to boil the left water with the salt. Meanwhile cut all the veggie in very small pieces.

When the water is boiling add all the veggie and boil covered for 5 minute over a full flame.

Take out of fire. Save 4 broccoli tops for decoration.

Add miso, and blend with an hand blender. Place again on the stove over a slow flame stir for 3 minute and then add the lemon juice and mirin.

{to assemble}

Place the soup in bowls and with a tablespoon add some quinoa in the middle, garnish with the broccoli’s tops and nori.

Serve warm or room temperature. 

triple berries cranachan with amasake

    I do love any kind of desserts especially the ones that make the right compromise between smooth and crisp, sweet and tart. I always loved to find something crunchy inside a pudding or a sour fruit in a chocolate or inside a biscuit, so I always look for that. I remember me leaving the ripe fruit on my Nanny's table to run outside and take my own one still green from the tree. Because the skin was so sour an the middle already sweet.  Is like flipping through the sensations, one by one on your tongue. That make me happy.

    I saw Cranachan months ago, in a restaurant named one of the better Scottish in London, and, I've immediately thought that was perfect to turn into a fantastic macrobiotic dessert. I never saw the original recipe so this is my personal interpretation by eyes. For this goody you need Amasake, a cream made with sweet rice and koji. You can make at home or buy in healthy shops.

{ingredients}

 

{triple berries sauce} 

1 cup raspberries (save some)

1 cup strawberries

1 cup blueberries (save some)

3 tablespoon of kuzu

1 tablespoon of agar agar flakes

a pick of unrefined sea salt

{oats}

½ cup of whole oats

3 spoons of barley malt

{cream}

½ cup of amasake 

1 vanilla pod

3 spoons of almond meal

½ spoon of almond butter (optional)

¼ cup of soya yoghurt or silken tofu.

Barley malt or rice syrup (optional) 

{technique} 
{triple berries sauce}

 Wash and drain the fruit then place in a sauce pan with a spoon of water and cook for 10 minutes stirring. Dissolve the kuzu in some water and add to the fruit stirring. Add the Agar flakes and boil until dissolved. Add the rest of the fruit and some malt or rice syrup if necessary stir for 1 min and set in some glasses filling them over ¾ .

{oats}

Place the oats in a pan and cook in the oven for 10 minutes at 150°C or until brown and crunchy. Mix with the barley malt and set aside. [you can add also some oat flakes if you like]

 {cream}

Cook (near to boil)  the amasake with half vanilla pod and some water if needed for 15 minute or until taste enough for you. Take out the vanilla. Mix in a food processor or mill in a suribachi all the {cream} ingredients.

{to assemble}

 When cool spread on the top of the sauce a spoon of the oats and cover with the cream. Assemble just before your meal otherwise the oats lose crispness. 

Enjoy room temperature or a bit chilled.

 

Genova Focaccia Bread

An other lovely sunny week end. The only places were I want to be is my kitchen and my garden. So this recipe is just what i need for a nice picnic. ( sorry i forgot to take a shot, so instead I placed the normal Kayu bread, I promise to make a nice shot next time to replace this one).

Kayu is the Far East word for “soft grain”, Rice Kayu Bread is the favourite bread among macrobiotic people, and this is my personal recipe for a Genovese Focaccia Bread. I really love this recipe and I'm so proud to share with you!

As a perfect marriage between Macrobiotic and my Nanny's recipes, I truly love this bread, and I wish you'll love as well.

If you are in a good health condition you can eat this focaccia once a month, try to do not exaggerate, baked food is really yang, in addition focaccia needs a lot of oil (actually more than I'm using in this recipe).

Bread comes better during sunny days and clear nights, is alive, it born and rise in you hands, need your love and comprehension, take the time to take care of it.

When I make bread I clean my mind, and in the brightening silence of the night I deeply relax kneading my dough.

This recipe is about metal because the baking but can also be about Tree because the fermentation.

{tools}

Pressure cooker or heavy pan for the rice

Oven round pan

Wooden or ceramic pot

Steamer

A warm place for the dough

Clean tea towes

{ingredients}

{rice}

1 cup of brown rice

4 cup of spring water

a pick of salt

{dough}

2 cup of soft cooked brown rice (like a porridge)

2 cup of your favorite wholemeal flour (I mill the grain at home so usually is a mix of barley,  rice and  wheat)

2 to 3 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

½ cup of extra virgin olive oil or sesame oil

¼ cup spring water

2 sweet and not watery tomatoes (mix green or yellow and red)

Smoked tofu cut in cubes or crumbled (Dragonfly Organic)

A bounce of mixed beetroot leafs (white, yellow and purple)

Some lettuce leaf.

Basil, oregano and rosemary to taste

{technique}

{rice} 

Wash the rice and set aside to soak for half an hour, than dry and  place in the pan, add the water. Bring to boil, add the salt and turn the flame to the low and cover. Leave to cook until soft and dry.

Leave to cool down until warm in a ceramic or glass pot.

 {dough}

Mix together the flour and 1 tesp of salt.

Add the flour to the rice mixing gently and form a dough into a ball.

Knead the dough 400 times adding a little flour time to time to prevent sticking. When you are kneading, relax your shoulder and breath calm. The dough should be quite soft at the end.

The amount of flour change on the weather, so always you can adjust it following your instinct.

Whisk 1/8 cup of olive oil with 2 spoon of water and oil with this mixture a 24 cm round pan.

Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a round pan pressing down gently.

Place the pan in a warm place covered with a wet towel 10 or more hours, occasionally moisten the damp towel. The dough is ready when is approximately the double from the initial size.

{topping}

Cut in half moon the tomatoes and take away the seeds, spread a little bit of salt over and leave aside.

Mince finely the herbs.

Whisk the left oil with ¼ cup of spring water, the teasp of salt and your minced herbs.

{to cook}

When your dough is ready, preheat the oven at 300 degree. [Wait to have the condiments ready before take out your focaccia from the warm place in order to avoid a temperature shock.]

When everything is ready take your focaccia out and, with your fingers, make  much holes as possible all-over the surface.

Spread the focaccia with the water and oil mixture filling the holes. Rise the tomatoes from their water and top with them the surface.

Place in the oven for 30 min at 250° C or until cooked.

Remove from the oven and leave to cool down until warm, then garnish with steamed tofu and coloured beetroot leafs.

{ to assemble}

Steam the other leaf and the lettuce and serve as a focaccia side dish with some pressed carrots and daikon.

Macha Creamy Kanten

I have to admit it, I got a sweet teeth! In particular for a creamy dessert.

When I go back home in the evening I slightly think about what to cook, I will decide when I see inside the fridge. But I've clear in my mind which dessert I'm going to do! Actually I remember my that with my Nanny was always forbidden the after dinner dessert. Because sweet doesn't let you sleep well. But living in a big city we are always stressed and a macro sweet sometimes can help to calm down. But if you are having tumble in sleeping or so, is maybe better to follow my Nanny suggestion and bring it in your lunch box.

 

{ingredients}

{for kanten}

 

1 Liter of rice milk

6 Table spoon of agar agar flakes (or see package instruction)

3 Tablespoon of almond meal

1 Tablespoon of rice syrup

1 Tablespoon of Chef Macha powder (a less expensive option for cooking)

{for the sauce}

1 Red plum

1/2 Cup of apple juice

2 Tablespoon of beetroot juice

1 Tablespoon of kuzu

{technique}

{kanten}

Heat the milk with almond meal, rice syrup and agar agar. Bring to boil. Simmer 10 minutes or until agar flakes are dissolved.

Dissolve the macha tea in few spoons of rice milk. Add to the milk, simmer for a couple of minutes (don't panic is not important that is completely, perfectly dissolved).

Leave to set in individual moulds.

When ready, run under hot water and tip out.

{plum sauce}

Bring to boil the juices with the plum in half moon slice simmer for 10/15 min to reduce.
Dissolve the kuzu in a couple of spoon of juice and add it whisking constantly for 3 minutes, until thick.

{to serve}

Make a beautiful decoration to satisfy all your senses and serve a bit cold.