Home Cooking 2023


Tomato and Eggs. All from the farmers market except sea salt, sugar, and ketchup.

Eggs from La Banh Ranch.
Scallion from Thao Family Farms.
Heirlooms and cherry tomatoes. (Forgot which one).

Next time will peel the tomato skin. You can see the skin right there in the pic.
Maybe a touch more salt, or a drop of soy sauce.
A touch more sugar as it was pretty tart.
Would add more scallion to really flavor the oil prior to the eggs.

8 Likes


This is a staple in Taiwanese households. Daikon and Pork Bone Soup. At minimum daikon, pork bones, and salt. I added in some carrots and goji.
Super light tasting might be considered bland for some. Nice collagen jello the next day! The soup will naturally get darker the next day

6 Likes

If you drop the tomatoes into boiling water briefly, would the ‘skin’ come off?

1 Like

Yup that is going to be my method.

Some years ago I did that prior to freezing and then using in winter…with corn and okra :slight_smile:

I feel like that was stuff my parents would do in a slow cooker. :slight_smile:

1 Like

A splash of dashi. #MoreGlutamate

4 Likes

Lentil Chili sin Carne - red lentils, button mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, red pepper, kidney beans, onion, scallions, garlic, cumin, paprika cooked in a mixture of diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Topped with some sour cream.

5 Likes

You can also freeze the tomatoes and the skins come off very easily when thawed. If you let them just barely thaw on the outside you can basically just rub the skins off by hand.

However, the pulpy part of the tomato is much softer after this process (for the same reason that makes the skin so easy to remove, I think) so maybe not for every application where you want a nice, peeled tomato. The plus side is basically no work or boiling water on your part, it’s much easier to skin large amounts of tomatoes (especially small tomatoes) and the tomatoes weep clarified tomato water so that’s kind of nice.

1 Like

That’s FANTASTIC!!! Take dang near all the work out of it. Thanks

It’s awesome for processing a bunch of tomatoes in the summertime if you have the freezer space (especially the very prolific cherry tomatoes). Doesn’t do much for seeds but it was a real lifesaver when we started doing it this season.

One other advantage to this method: You don’t have to process your tomatoes imminently after harvest. Instead you can chuck 'em in the freezer until you have enough to justify processing then do them all at once. Some folks don’t even wash them before freezing since they’re a little easier to wash when solid…but our tomatoes are grown next to the neighbor’s dog run so we always wash the bejeesus out of them.

1 Like

This is my new favorite recipe for this classic dish. Peeling the tomato makes such a difference…

And yes, nearly all the Taiwanese moms that fed me this dish growing up used Ketchup! :wink:

–Dommy!

6 Likes

Lamb meatballs (garlic, chili, cumin, cinnamon, paprika, turmeric) first seared, then braised in a sauce made from crushed tomatoes, chicken broth, onion, garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon, peas, dried dill and mint). Served over mashed potatoes

6 Likes

When we get to this time of year I start dreading the loss of summer vegetables. So last night I did a ‘melange.’ Let’s see if I can remember everything. Onion, garlic, red bell pepper, yellow summer squash, broccolini, asparagus and a huge handful of spinach at the end. Cooked in a little olive oil and butter. When done I mixed it in with TJs Harvest Grains cooked in chicken stock. And Bob grilled some chorizo. I think winter will be fine

5 Likes

Kare Raisu with chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots, ginger, garlic scallions, chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and curry paste (which was made from turmeric, coriander, ginger, cardamom, cumin, cinnamon, fennel seeds, fenugreek, garlic powder, brown mustard, sugar, butter, flour and miso). Served with sushi rice and fukujinzuke

8 Likes

Wait, did you make your own curry paste???

Yes - there was an interesting recipe in Cook’s Illustrated which turned out quite nice

4 Likes

MISO! Brilliant!!!

I tried Just One Cook Books Curry Brick Recipe and HATED IT. The butter threw the whole thing off. I would rather use the Vermont Brick and start tweaking from there. This is my current secret to off the charts Japanese Curry at home… I pick it up at Mitsuwa at Del Amo.

https://www.amazon.co.jp/-/en/Curry-Plus-Fried-Onion-Paste/dp/B01BSLIPAQ

2 Likes

Curry Cauliflower “rice” (shredded cauliflower cooked with water and curry powder) with seared shrimps and garlic. Served with cucumber salad with olive oil/apple vinegar/honey/fresno chili/dill vinaigrette

2 Likes

If you have her cookbook Sonoko Sakai’s recipe is excellent to make your own curry brick. But i guess before I get too excited to tell you about it, it does have butter as well so may not be up your alley. Have to say i don’t really notice a strong butter flavor in the finished curry YMMV of course

2 Likes