Miso Meals
"What's new?" People ask me this all the time these days, because I frequently call or Zoom them to feel some connection to the Before Times and the larger world, but has there ever been so little that is new for most of us now, on a day-to-day basis? Almost all the days seem the same, and many are colored by rage or apathy or despair. I guess what's new is compromised mental health.
I did something last weekend, though, that was new: I scheduled a vacation day. On my vacation day, Sunday, no one could ask or expect anything of me. Oh, it was heavenly! I slept in, I worked on some writing, I read half of a very good book (The Wonder Spot, by Melissa Bank), and I weeded and planted seeds in my garden. I ate cheese and crackers for dinner, which made me so happy. Next it will be my husband's turn for a vacation day. I think I will schedule one for me about once a month. Don't tell me YOU can't do this because "that would last about 5 minutes in my house" - you CAN do this, and you can say "no" when someone asks you to do something, because it is ONE DAY and your family can survive without you for ONE DAY. Don't be a martyr. We all need a break, pandemic or not.
(Edit: I feel very sheepish that I was overlooking single parents when I first wrote this. You surely need a vacation day more than anyone, but your family may NOT be able survive without you for a day! I'm sorry - I hope you get a few hours to yourself now and then.)
Anyway, you're here for thoughts on food, not lectures about attending to your mental health, so let's talk miso. I am not sure why miso comes in gigantic bags, but I'm never going to get through all of that in any reasonable period of time. When I buy it, I spoon quarter-cups of it into individual small storage containers, and freeze them, and I pulled one of those babies out for a couple meals over the last week.
First up was "Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta" (NYT Cooking). It was easy, which is not to say that I executed it correctly; don't be silly! I tried to halve the recipe and of course I halved everything but the water, so the sauce was sadly soupy. Tasty, but soupy.
The next day I redeemed myself by boiling down the leftover sauce to the right texture, and putting it on leftover mashed potatoes, which was DIVINE.
By they way, my sister reminded me that potatoes are excellent quarantine food. She lives in England and calls baked potatoes by their adorable English name, jacket potatoes. "The jacket potato 🥔 is our best friend. Get to know him as intimately as we have. He’s so flexible and filling! He’s a meal unto himself! He microwaves in 7 minutes!" Truth.
I have been staving off a ramen craving lately because ramen noodles are an example of something no one has in stock right now, but a friend helpfully procured some for me (perhaps there is a black market for ramen?), so I put them to work in "Miso Ramen with Bok Choy" (This Healthy Table), with more of the leftover miso.
I was worried the bok choy stems wouldn't get soft if they only cooked for a minute, so I threw them in right away after the ramen. That was fine, although maybe it would have been fine if I'd only given them a minute, too. Shrug.
Rather than poaching the eggs, at which I suspected my backup dancers would balk, I beat two raw eggs and drizzled them into the dish right before taking it off the stove - like making egg drop soup.
There was a problem, naturally: I was tripling the recipe, but I only had about 3 tablespoons left of miso. As a result, even though I made the recipe with 2 parts stock and just 1 part water, it was still really bland. Again I pulled out a redemption the next day, when I threw a (vegetarian) boullion cube into the leftovers, and it came out great.
And now for a topic that combines the pandemic AND food: the New York Times published an article about the current challenges to the meat industry. It contains both some great and meaty (pun intended) reminders about why I have been trying to eat less meat since the Before Times, and some interesting info how there may simply be less meat to eat at some point during and after the current Dark Times, for various reasons. Two years ago, had someone predicted that meat was going to be less of an option for consumers, I'd have been dismayed. Today, I feel completely ready.
I did something last weekend, though, that was new: I scheduled a vacation day. On my vacation day, Sunday, no one could ask or expect anything of me. Oh, it was heavenly! I slept in, I worked on some writing, I read half of a very good book (The Wonder Spot, by Melissa Bank), and I weeded and planted seeds in my garden. I ate cheese and crackers for dinner, which made me so happy. Next it will be my husband's turn for a vacation day. I think I will schedule one for me about once a month. Don't tell me YOU can't do this because "that would last about 5 minutes in my house" - you CAN do this, and you can say "no" when someone asks you to do something, because it is ONE DAY and your family can survive without you for ONE DAY. Don't be a martyr. We all need a break, pandemic or not.
(Edit: I feel very sheepish that I was overlooking single parents when I first wrote this. You surely need a vacation day more than anyone, but your family may NOT be able survive without you for a day! I'm sorry - I hope you get a few hours to yourself now and then.)
 |
| "Greengarden" daffodil in my garden. I love the bright outer petals contrasting with the pale inner ones. |
Anyway, you're here for thoughts on food, not lectures about attending to your mental health, so let's talk miso. I am not sure why miso comes in gigantic bags, but I'm never going to get through all of that in any reasonable period of time. When I buy it, I spoon quarter-cups of it into individual small storage containers, and freeze them, and I pulled one of those babies out for a couple meals over the last week.
First up was "Five-Ingredient Creamy Miso Pasta" (NYT Cooking). It was easy, which is not to say that I executed it correctly; don't be silly! I tried to halve the recipe and of course I halved everything but the water, so the sauce was sadly soupy. Tasty, but soupy.
 |
| My backup dancers gamely ate the soupy pasta anyway, bless them |
The next day I redeemed myself by boiling down the leftover sauce to the right texture, and putting it on leftover mashed potatoes, which was DIVINE.
By they way, my sister reminded me that potatoes are excellent quarantine food. She lives in England and calls baked potatoes by their adorable English name, jacket potatoes. "The jacket potato 🥔 is our best friend. Get to know him as intimately as we have. He’s so flexible and filling! He’s a meal unto himself! He microwaves in 7 minutes!" Truth.
I have been staving off a ramen craving lately because ramen noodles are an example of something no one has in stock right now, but a friend helpfully procured some for me (perhaps there is a black market for ramen?), so I put them to work in "Miso Ramen with Bok Choy" (This Healthy Table), with more of the leftover miso.
I was worried the bok choy stems wouldn't get soft if they only cooked for a minute, so I threw them in right away after the ramen. That was fine, although maybe it would have been fine if I'd only given them a minute, too. Shrug.
 |
| I had black rather than regular sesame seeds, which are a perfectly fine substitute |
Rather than poaching the eggs, at which I suspected my backup dancers would balk, I beat two raw eggs and drizzled them into the dish right before taking it off the stove - like making egg drop soup.
 |
| The only real value added by this photo is you get to see that I painted my fingernails sparkly blue |
There was a problem, naturally: I was tripling the recipe, but I only had about 3 tablespoons left of miso. As a result, even though I made the recipe with 2 parts stock and just 1 part water, it was still really bland. Again I pulled out a redemption the next day, when I threw a (vegetarian) boullion cube into the leftovers, and it came out great.
And now for a topic that combines the pandemic AND food: the New York Times published an article about the current challenges to the meat industry. It contains both some great and meaty (pun intended) reminders about why I have been trying to eat less meat since the Before Times, and some interesting info how there may simply be less meat to eat at some point during and after the current Dark Times, for various reasons. Two years ago, had someone predicted that meat was going to be less of an option for consumers, I'd have been dismayed. Today, I feel completely ready.
Comments
Post a Comment