Shiso returns!

So this year again. The shiso which I got from my friend last year, made new leaves. I mean, little seeds spread out in the planter and has growen everywhere! Even under the vase... Shiso is incredibly strong!!! ... and it became a little forest of Shiso! So, some of them I gave to my friends, some of them I made salad or cooked with chicken... but still, there are too much!!! I looked up on the internet and then I found a recipe. It is "Shiso Cordial". Simply it's shiso syrup. Good for summer to refresh!

Here the recipe:
100g of Shiso leaves
500cc Water
250g Sugar
2 full of spoon of Lemon juice

Boil water and put Shiso which is well cleaned.
Continue boiling for 10 minutes.
Divide leaves and liquid and add sugar.
Mixing them well until the sugar is well melting.
Add lemon juice.
Put in the bottle.
... and done!

Hina-matsuri, Girls day!

Today in Japanese tradition is girls day. Usually we display dolls wearing kimono. Ever year my mother send me cards designed with this dolls. This year here it is!



It's a 3D card 5cm x 5cm. it's very little. and yesterday, i found some peach flower branches at flower shop. It fits very good with black vase which is my aunt gave me.





and also usually on girls day we make "Chirashi-zushi". it's a kind of sushi salad. the base of rice is sushi-like. and decorate with fish or vegetable you like. i usually put carrot and dry porcini cooked in soy sauce and sugar, salmon or shrimp, and then this time i put "cima di rapa" kind of broccoli sprout, and on the top egg crepes slices. in Japanese cooking is important the color. so if you can't find broccoli sprout it's ok anything green, green pie or spinach. instead of salmon or shrimp, if you find salmon eggs.. so you can arrange the topping as you like it. Important thing is just be colorful!

and as dessert, i usually do chopped strawberry with ice cream. or strawberry cake..
Now has just began strawberry season so anything with strawberry it's good!

so here is Girls day in Japanese style!
hope you enjoy!

Tiny

There's a market every Friday near office. I often go there to discover something new. I like market very much. There's many thing and also i can see what is eaten in Italy.
and i found. i found tiny tiny white fish. They are also eaten in Japan too. They are becoming sardine or anchovy.. Yes! They are "Bianchetti" in Italian and "Shirasu" in Japanese!



The one i found in the market was boiled. In Italy it seems they eat with olive oil and lemon but in Japan, they use usually as topping of tofu, salad, pasta, or mixing with rice.

So I made "Shirasu Gohan". It's really simple. just cook rice and at the end mix with bianchetti and some wakame (algae). The bianchetti is already salted so i think it's enough tasty. If not add some salt.

Soup seasons

Winter is the season i don't like so much... the one thing i appreciate that it's good for Soup season. Because i like very much Soup! Each winter i experiment new soup.
Soup of Finocchio. (Finocchio is fennel in italian and i use the part of bulb), Tomato, Carrot, Zucchine, Green Piece, Porro... I usually combine with potato and at the end i use blender to mix them all up. The result is 50/50. Sometimes is good and sometimes not... anyway. my experiment is just begun so this winter during the holiday season i will try some more. and it is good to rest your stomach from heavy festivity dinner or lunch...