1. Over the last week or so, I've been out of the house a lot -- breakfast in Post Falls, lunch in Spokane, the Elks Roundup parade, a trip to the CdA Casino, a hike at Coal Creek, a walk uptown to vote and visit Radio Brewing, family dinner, etc.
With all of this in and out, I neglected basic household chores.
Today, I stayed home. I did most of my laundry. I cleaned up the kitchen. I vacuumed the living room. I've got more to do on Thursday, but I got off to a good start today.
2. When I bought Chilean sea bass at Pilgrim's a week ago Saturday, I also bought a container of miso paste.
In the opening of Midnight Diner, we see a pot with bacon, chopped carrots, and other items sizzling away and Master pours broth or water over them and then, I think, he mixes in miso paste in order to make miso soup.
Whether I'm right or wrong in what he's doing, today I decided to try making a similar soup. I chopped up two slices of bacon and half an onion and cooked them until the bacon was about halfway done and onions were tender. I added chopped carrots and celery to this, let them cook for a while, and then I added water and covered the pot for about 4-5 minutes. By now, the vegetables were tender and I added a little over two tablespoons of miso paste and some chopped tofu to the soup, stirred the miso paste until it dissolved, and let it all simmer for about ten minutes.
I enjoyed the results a lot. Miso is a fermented paste. Therefore, this soup was subtly sour and savory at the same time. I enjoyed the way the sweetness of the carrots and smokiness of the bacon added dimension to the soup and the onion and celery enhanced its aromatic qualities. The tofu absorbed the different flavors and, since I really enjoy tofu, I enjoyed what it brought to my soup.
I was reminded of the much simpler miso soup I used to eat in Eugene at Pure. I'll continue to experiment with miso paste, read up a bit more about other ways to make miso soup. For sure, I'll experiment with combining my homemade chicken stock with miso. I'll also make some soup with meat in it -- pork or chicken or fish would no doubt work. In time, I'll buy some kelp, some bonito flakes, some wakame seaweed, and try out these ingredients -- and others.
I don't know what will work well, but I do know that I loved eating miso again.
3. I relaxed this evening by finishing off an opened bomber of One Tree's Heartbreaker Cider. It's a raspberry cider whose sweetness is offset by a surprising and light kiss of Jalapeno pepper. It's an intriguing combination and helped cap off a productive stay at home day.
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