Lasagne is a collated noodle dish.

My perfect lasagne would be straightforward al denté noodles framed with luscious sauce, just as lightning, seen against extravagantly swirling deep blue and grey clouds, is both dramatic and simple.

This recipe is not that, but it is luscious, subtle, to remember, to repeat.

As Christmas 2012 dinner, it is especially memorable because we shared it with an unexpected and charming guest.

Summer’s end.…from anticipation in May,
temptation in late June to early July,
satisfaction in August,
suspecting the transitory state of life in September,realizing in October that it’s time to turn the heat on!This post is only the (pictorial) progress of a couple of shiso plants in one summer.

WordPress.com has a new “gallery” format. See what you think of the “mosaic tiling.” Hover over individual photos to see a caption. Click on one and you can see a carousel of the pictures from a previous post. Most of the pictures include a brief description.

Last year our gingko tree produced a massive crop of nuts leading to the question of how to preserve them. I carefully washed and dried the unshelled nuts and put them into sealed plastic containers. Some I stored in the pantry, some in the fridge, and some in the freezer.

The gingko nuts from the freezer were chewy, and while they retained a little gingko-ness, they were not the ephemeral seasonal gingkos. They are fine to add to a hot pot, or soup, or steamed with vegetables because they would add a nice texture, but they are only a sorry memory of a bountiful autumn.

Our beautiful tree won’t have many nuts this year…

My recent casual but frequent abuse use of umeboshi, the sour salty pickled plums loved in Japan, set in motion a series of meals involving kimchi and fresh Korean soba noodles. Little Tess went to the Galleria to pick up some more umeboshi for me and saw that they were selling the same brand of fresh soba she loved in California. Like any good shopper who doesn’t stick to her list she fell for a container of kimchi which she’d been craving.

This is a recipe we have often enjoyed.
In 2004, I copied it from The New York Times, from Mark Bittman’s Minimalist column called
“Crossing Over to the Dark Side” (July 14).
My old computer still has some files (recipes, emails, pictures) we occasionally want to look at: No matter how many times I print this recipe, it gets lost. I want to post this favorite recipe on my blog so it will be easier for me to find in future. And I hope you appreciate it as well.

This is a very nutty pesto—just the right sauce for an original wafu spaghetti,
or other culturally crazed noodles, Japanese-style.
You could call this recipe a mistake, because I filled a 2 cup measure ¾ full for ¾ cup of almonds…
How did that work out?
Oh nuts!

Nothing looked prettier on ice at the fish counter than some pale pink and silver trout fillets to accompany the new potatoes and really ripe tomato from the farmers’ market. The green beans were so fresh they really did snap!

This post outlines how to “salt-grill” fish, and how to prepare green vegetables so they retain their bright color. Both are valuable techniques to add you your cooking repertoire.

This recipe is an interesting variation of the classic combination of umeboshi and shiso with chicken. By adding sauteed onions to a paste made with umeboshi and shiso, the flavor becomes richer, a little like a French sauce, yet clearly retaining its Japanese character. This chicken is roasted in the oven so it’s easy to prepare, but tastes as if you spent hours in the kitchen.

My pot of shiso is still going strong, though we are reaching the time when I must allow it to flower and die.
My daughter took these pictures. The beauty of the beetle prevented me from killing it. The beauty of the wasp is alarming.