I'm back :)
Disclaimer: The previous is to be read as "Somehow life ran away again and I managed to move back to Estonia and then return for my officially third Japan stay within a time span some people need to read a really-not-long-book. Not to mention all the rest of the crazyness that's been a constant background... But those are other stories for other times."
Been a while since the last writing, not really sure how it was supposed to work anymore, haha, so jumping right in with a few topics that have been running an extremely circular marathon in my head.
I have an oven now!!!
A mega-simple-super-good-spicy-sauce consists of: maple syrup + red chilli paste + (almost) unsalted soy sauce. Used it to give that last necessary touch for oven-baked stuffed peppers.
The peppers themselves came out rather funky too. If interested:
Wash, cut in half and gut the peppers, then line 'em up on a foil-covered oven tray. I used a bagful of the small green ones popular and sold cheap in Japan. In hindsight cleaning those rascals might have been a bit too much effort for the result. Hmm, then again, perhaps not - the large yellow and red ones have way thicker "flesh", more water and sugar and less of the bitterish-tart taste I wanted.
Chop up a generous amount of tsukini - as small bits as are convenient to cram into your respective peppers. I used the green one. And am very convinced that whether you use a yellow, white or purple veggie of the same family or whether you call it a pattisson, aubergine, eggplant or whatever else, it'll work just fine. Don't fret - recepies are overrated.
Next grab a bunch of spinach (or sth similar) and subject it to being hacked into about 5mm wide pieces. This needs to mix with the rest of the filling, having huge leaf pieces there will likely end up with you balancing precariously on top of a chair trying to get the paste off of the topmost cupboard.
Add a generous helping of minced meat. I used chicken. For it's fast-cookability (hadn't used the oven yet, needed testing out...) and to stay at least a bit faithful to the origin of the idea of the dish (thank you, Toriki, you hold a special spot in our hearts ;) )
Coax all the previous into a bowl, toss in a raw egg or two for binding properties, add whatever spices you feel like. I honestly can't remember what I put in, it was all of a two weeks ago that I made this, after all. But quite possibly some "cretan herbs" and some "cajun meat" + salt and pepper were involved.
Mix it all up and get stuffing. When done, into the oven it goes to suntan in high temperature. Presume (but, alas, yet again, cannot remember) that it took about 20 minutes for the tops to become brownish (and the meat to cook through). Once that happens, add a layer of grated cheese to each pepper and leave to grill until that becomes all molten and yummi.
Eat with the abovementioned sauce; just like that; with rice; hot; cold; with some cream-based sauce; or however else your body wishes... although I decline any responsibility should you undertake any socially non-acceptable activities with those poor peppers ;P .
Hm, got a bit carried away there, was actually supposed to write about shakes...
Cheers,
Hedi
