Trying to get back on the wagon after too much beer last night.
Lunch today was much healthier, I think…
A big bowl of arugula topped with a red pear, pecans, bleu cheese, pumpkin and kabocha seeds, and black pepper. I coated it with a drizzle of honey and olive oil, perfect!
On the side: tomato soup with a big spoonful of kabocha puree mixed in. Warm and comforting.
I feel good knowing I got my greens in today!
Sometimes, all that will do is beer and cheese.
Yesterday Jeff informed me that a new craft beer store that we’ve been hearing about for months and anxiously awaiting the arrival of finally opened in Decatur. Field trip!
Ale Yeah! is a small specialty beer store showcasing tons of sticky Belgians, dark brews, imports, charcuterie and cheeses, and home-brewing essentials. This is no liquor store, it’s more like a fine beer boutique. I’ll do a full post on them another time because it was just too awesome. I’m so glad we live about a mile and a half from this fantastic find.
Anyway, we picked up two beers to sample and two of Ale Yeah!’s signature pint glasses and headed home to watch a movie.
I put together a plate of sliced cheese, shaved prosciutto, and whole grain mustard for us to munch on. We didn’t end up using the new pint glasses because they needed to go through the dishwasher.
Instead we filled a couple of Stella glasses with this Third Coast Old Ale by Bell’s Brewery. We both love Bell’s, everything they make is scrumptious. This one was really dark and super intensely-flavored. I tasted espresso and prunes and spices, heavy but good!
We watched a Netflix movie while assembling the goods on crackers. I get this prosciutto from our local farmer’s market, which isn’t really a farmer’s market so much as it is an international foods warehouse.
I think people pass up the prosciutto a lot because of the $18.99 a pound price tag; but here’s the secret, no one buys a pound of prosciutto! I always ask for 8 to 10 slices shaved very thin and it never comes out to more than $3.00! It’s great for making a grilled cheese sandwich fancy, and cheaper than the pre-packaged stuff you see in grocery stores which is closer to $6 and cut too thick for this delicate delight.
I like to spread a little mustard right on the cracker and top with cheese, then prosciutto. Then I hold it with two hands to bite down because the cracker always breaks into a bajillion pieces and I have to hold it together. It’s worth it though!
Eating healthy is great and all, and healthy food truly is delicious, but sometimes…… sometimes you just gotta cram your face full of cheese and liquid carbs and not let it bother you in the slightest! I like to actually enjoy my indulgences, thank you.
What are your favorite things to stuff your face with?! 😀
So you’ve got a handle on making donburis now right? You know, make rice, put stuff on top of it? Yeah, that.
Time to graduate to the next level, which involves cooking by simmering some or all of the ingredients in a flavorful liquid. It’s easy, trust me.
Here’s a simple method to making the Japanese classic, gyudon (beef bowl.)
Like so many dinners I make, it started with sauteing an onion and a red pepper in sesame oil.
While those were softening up, I got to work on making a stock to simmer the beef in. I put one small piece of kombu seaweed in a pan with enough water to cover. Kombu is the seaweed you use to make dashi stock, and while I haven’t seen it at any of the major grocery stores, it’s pretty accessible in any health food store, asian market, and I think I’ve even seen it at Whole Foods before. It’s ok if you don’t wanna track it down though, I’ve found that a small handful of dulse works pretty well and is more widely available, but you can do without seaweed entirely and still make a tasty dish.
I let that come up to a simmer for a few minutes before removing it. Don’t ever boil kombu, it makes the broth really slimy if it gets too hot. Just gently steep it like you’re making tea.
Next, I flavored it with miso. This “red” miso, as opposed to your standard “white” or “mellow” miso, is just what I happened to have on hand. Any kind you can get your hands on is fine.
I added a big dollop like this…
…and whisked it into the hot liquid.
It’s like a lava lamp watching the miso roil away in the hot broth.
At that point I took some strips of flank steak that had been marinating for a few hours in soy sauce, mirin, and rice vinegar, and swirled them around in the broth to partially cook.
This is the fun part. Turn up the heat on both pans to medium high. As the beef gets cooked through, start transferring it to the veggie pan along with a ladle-full of the broth. As the pan of broth boils away getting more and more concentrated, your veggies are soaking up their own broth and quickly about to start burning on the pan. Add another ladle of broth and wait for the meat and veggies to soak it all up before doing it again. When everything is cooked through and coated in a sweet glaze made by the concentrated broth, cut the heat and serve it up!
You can serve this over sushi rice or plain white rice. Don’t forget to spoon over some more of the delicious cooking liquid and garnish with sesame seeds!
Whatever you do, don’t throw out the remaining broth. It makes a delicious soup base to add mushrooms, scallions, and noodles to. I’ve got some in my freezer right now saved up for a rainy day.
This was one of those dishes that had us saying “Mmmm” the whole time we were eating it. Definitely one for the “make over and over again” file!
Beef gyudon
A simple take on a Japanese classic. Thinly sliced beef in a rich sauce with peppers and onions.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients
Cooking Directions
