Continuing to live WELL this morning by preparing for myself a breakfast inspired by "making the most of what I have" and global influences. If I can spend every day learning/practicing something, teaching something, and doing something to the best of my ability, I never get bored.
Had a savory, tapas-style breakfast using:
Toasted Tortilla (2-4 -- serves 1-2 people)
Various veggies (~1/4 cup of white mushroom, ~1/2 poblano pepper, depending on the size, 2 green onion stalks, 2-3 stalks of broccolini)
Butternut squash soup
Spicy peanut sauce
served on different plates with a glass of filtered, clean water.
Here is the general recipe, for posterity and to help record for future use:
Prepped veggies beforehand. The night before, when experimenting, I selected the highest-quality, freshest ones, rinsed them under tap, although some swear by using baking soda and/or vinegar for getting rid of pesticides -- the veggies I used were cooked on high-heat, so there's that. I think ideally, maybe next time, I will try rinsing with vinegar to help reduce the likelihood of organophosphates. See this discussion for more information/context: https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/8mwi0l/does_washing_off_fruits_and_vegetables_before/
I stored the green onions overnight in an open bath of cold water, along with sliced poblano pepper in the fridge overnight. The next morning, I found the poblano slices to be still crisp as if I had just sliced them, and the green onions still relatively fresh -- I've tried various methods over the years, from taking home from the grocery, to storing in a wet paper towel, to storing in a mason jar, but I found that a roomy open bath is just easier, and requires less work. I store the rubber bands in a container somewhere in a ktichen drawer. You know, the tiny blue ones.
For the tortillas, I quartered them by hand (folding in half, then half again) and tore evenly along the seams (using a technique I used when learning origami) to give it a slight rustic edge, but even portion/sizing. I toasted them in my carbon steel pan (no oil) over gas heat. It is extremely easy to tell when to flip/check when they are ready to desired level of toast, simply using your eyes/hands/pair of tongs or other utensil. Adding a smidgeon of oil in the high-heat just creates more smoke, but if one wants that taste, it makes more sense to brush on oil/butter after toasting, maybe with any added aromatics or spices like cilantro and/or garlic.
Pan-roast the poblano slices in a steel pan, then set aside. They are done when parts of the skin blisters and turns grey/black. This particular veggie prep was inspired by jalapeno-cheese tamales.
For the white mushroom, slice into cubes and toss in with sliced green onion, cut at 90 degrees. There is a bit of moisture in the mushroom that cooks out, and I found there is a peak of taste when one pours out the entire mix to serve once it gets a beautiful sheen in the pan.
For the broccolini, these are more hardy vegetables, so they don't need to be as carefully stored, but they can be stored in water if one wishes to lengthen longevity. Rinse then slice on an angled bias. Add a tiny splash oil (about 1/4 tsp) into a carbon steel pan/wok/pan over high heat, add broccolini slices, then add a splash of soy sauce and a dash of sansho pepper / white pepper. This is inspired by Chinese stir-fry techniques. Remove to serve when the vegetables are glistening, and the soy sauce has evaporated and slightly caramelized into the crucifer.
For the butternut squash soup, I had prepped the day before. Using leftover old vegetables from the fridge (like organic purple kale), and other scraps and peels that are still edible/safe, but not excellent for immediately consuming, I cooked them in water until boiling, then simmered on low heat for at least 1-2 hrs -- I added in salt -- to make a homemade veggie broth. (This was inspired by farm-to-table techniques.) After tasting, I added about a spoonful of this to a pot, and added some rosemary and freshly cubed butternut squash to create a silky rich butternut squash soup/puree. After a taste test, I found it was lacking something, so I added sliced organic Thai chili pepper that was given to me as a generous gift, which completed the soup. I added the rest of the unused veggie broth in a glass mason jar and stored in the fridge, with a label and date. For this morning, I simply reheated the soup in the microwave.
For the spicy peanut sauce, I used small spoonfuls of gochujang paste, creamy peanut butter, a splash of apple vinegar, and a sprinkling of sesame seeds, then mixed with a small spoon.
Served toasted, slightly charred tortillas separately from rest of the ingredients - each component was served on its own mini-plate, with beverage of choice. Bon appétit!
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