It seems fitting that this blog should get it’s revival, after several months of disorganized silence, at a time when I have just parted ways with the kitchen it was created for.

It’s true. I have parted ways with my dream kitchen (*sniff*). The reason being that I moved back to Montreal and the kitchen, despite my begging and pleading, stayed in Seattle. Oh well. I am told that the chef makes the kitchen, rather than the other way around, but that doesn’t help the fact that I really miss my island, my double sink, and my garberator, but such is life. (The daunting hunt for a Montreal apartment with a Seattle kitchen begins this spring…).

For now here’s a list of food related lessons I learned while living in the Northwest:

1. Winter greens, spinach, chard, kale, are hugely underrated. They’re quick to cook, versatile, and with appropriate spicing, they can beef up (no pun intended) just about any dish: Pasta, soup, fritattas, casseroles, sautes–even on their own as a side they’re pretty tasty. And they’re available (and fresh!) all year round.

2. IPAs are damn good beers when done right. ‘Nuff said.

3. Recipes are really just suggestions, and there’s no sense in buying an acorn squash when you have a delicata squash sitting in your pantry (especially when it’s a 15 min. drive to the nearest grocer that will have *any* squash).

4. Recycle. The last of the grilled meat makes a good fritatta filling, cooked veggies and cob salads were meant to be, and just about *anything* can be made into a pizza topping. Also, the line between sauces and salad dressing is a fuzzy one: I cross it regularly.

5. The freezer is your friend. Not only for obvious stuff like chicken broth and tomato sauce, but also for serrano chiles (if you chop them while frozen then they are less likely to burn you), rotting bananas (freeze ’em until you get enough to make a loaf).

6. Speaking of loaves (and muffins): Stop buying them at the grocery store! It’s cheaper and healthier to make your own, and a good way to use up surplus veggies (zucchini, squash, sweet potato etc.). Once you buy all the basics (flour, baking soda etc.) all you really need are eggs and butter, and in a pinch you can sub in applesauce, pumpkin puree, or oil, or some mixture thereof for the butter.

So, while I am glad to have my bakeries, cheese shops, ethnic food, and fruiteries back, a little part of me will miss cooking everything myself, because towards the end, I was starting to really enjoy it. Maybe I’ll find the perfect kitchen here in Mtl. and get the best of both worlds.

In the meantime, here is something you can cook with minimal culinary equipment, but you will need a Miso source (I found mine at the Fruiterie down the block–Thank You Montreal!).

Instant Umami

(makes 2 servings)

This was meant to be a combination of this recipe and this one. It ended up being more like the first one, with mushrooms added. I decided noodles, tofu, and mushies was a bit much for a simple soup.

These are the amounts I used, you can tweak it however you want though:

2 c broth (I used chicken, veggie would work fine though)
1 c firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1/4 c green onions sliced thin
1/2 c mushrooms, sliced thin
1 1/2 c spinach, rinsed and chopped
2 Tbsp red miso paste (or to taste)

In a small pot, add the broth and 1 cup of cold water, cover and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, lower the heat, and add all other ingredients.

Cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, until spinach is wilted, mushrooms are cooked through, and miso paste is dissolved. Make sure that the soup does not come back to a boil after the ingredients have been added.

The next version will have noodles. And pictures. I promise.