How to make acorn flour

The Autumn has arrived!  It is our favourite season of the year because there are so many things you can forage in the woods - autumn olives, apples, pear, and ACORNS!  We love acorn more than any other nuts.  It has a deeply earthy flavour that is between pecan and walnut.  We use it to make cookies.

This year the acorns grow much better than the last two years.  We got plenty of them so that we can have enough to make cookies and soup.

We pick acorns in the woods.

We also collect the acorns on the roadside in the city.

The recently dropped acorns are the best because they are less likely to have worms and contain higher fat content.  Of course, the flavour is also stronger.

We need to do a float test for the acorns.  Fill a sink of water and add the acorns.  The good acorns will sink and the bad acorns will float.

Crack the nuts and remove the shells.  Put the flesh in a jar of cold water.

Continue to soak the flesh in the water for two days in order to leach out the tannin.  You will find the water turns slightly brown and it is the tannin that causes bitterness.  Change the water twice a day.

Put the flesh in a blender with some fresh water.  Process it until really fine.  Pour the mixture over a tea towel and squeeze out the milky liquid.  While holding the tea towel tightly, rinse and squeeze the processed acorn meal under running water until the liquid runs clear.

Add the acorn meal to a non-stick pan.  Toast over low heat until it is totally dried.  

Store the acorn flour in a ziplock bag and keep it in the freezer for later use.

Oven Roasted Shrimp and Squid Kebab

A simple yet delicious seafood skewer that is wonderfully flavoured with the exotic masala spice.  The sweet and tangy pineapple enhances the freshness of the seafood and the bright red bell pepper brings the colour of the dish to life.

Here I used metal skewers.  If you are using wood skewers, always remember to soak them in water for 10 minutes prior to prevent them from burning.

INGREDIENTS:

10 Squid Tentacles

20 Shrimp, shelled and deveined

1 Red Bell Pepper, deseeded and cut into chunks

1 canned Pineapple

Marinade:

1 teaspoon Garam Masala

1/2 teaspoon Sweet Paprika

Pinch of Black Pepper and Salt

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

DIRECTION:

1. Pre heat the oven to 360F.

2. In a mixing bowl, add squid, shrimp, and bell pepper.  Add marinade; mix until the seafood and bell pepper are coated.

3. Put the ingredients on the skewers.  Roast them in the oven until the seafood turns red and is cooked through; about 20 minutes.  They are great to pair with rice.

Creamy Roasted Butternut Squash Turmeric Soup

The butternut squash is roasted until soft and nearly caramelized.  Then it is blended with carrot and mushroom broth with fresh thyme and a touch of turmeric.  It is creamy, comforting, and filling!

INGREDIENTS:

1 Butternut Squash

1 Yellow Onion

2 Carrots

 6 garlic Cloves

1/4 cup Butter 

1 Litre Mushroom Broth

1/2 cup Milk, 2%

1/2 teaspoon Turmeric

6 sprigs Thyme, fresh

Salt to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Pre heat oven to 360F.

2. Cut the butternut squash in half lengthwise.  Scoop out the seeds and cut off the hard skin.  Cut the flesh into cubes.  Add the cubes in a mixing bowl with two tablespoons of vegetable oil; mix well.

3. Pour them on a foil covered roasting pan.  Roast in the oven until they are soft and caramelized; about 25 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, cut the onion into small chunks.  Peel and smash the garlic.  Cut the carrot into small pieces.

5. When the squash is ready heat up butter in a soup pot over high heat.  Add onion, carrot, thyme and turmeric; sauté for a few minutes.   Add mushroom broth and roasted squash.  Bring it to a boil and then continue to cook until the carrot has totally softened; about 20 minutes.  Discard the thyme.

6. With a blender, process until the soup is smooth and chunk-less.  Add milk; season the soup with salt and pepper to taste.  

We love to serve the soup with injera bread.

Goat Cheese, Sun Dried Tomato, and Spinach Mini Quiche

These mini quiche are quick and easy to prepare, and you can't go wrong with the classic combination of goat cheese, tomato, and spinach.  They are a healthy grab-and-go breakfast.  Be sure to make a large batch to last for the whole week.

INGREDIENTS: makes about 9 muffins

7 Eggs, large

1/3 cup Milk, 2%

1 cup Baby Spinach, fresh

1/3 cup Goat Cheese

5 pcs Sun Dried Tomatoes, cut into small pieces

1 Garlic Clove, minced

1/2 teaspoon Sweet Paprika

Salt and Pepper to taste

DIRECTION:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 360F.

2, In a large bowl, beat the eggs until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients; mix well.

3. Brush the muffin pan with vegetable oil.  Pour the egg mixtures into the muffin pan, and make sure to distribute the ingredients evenly.

4. Bake it in the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the egg is set. 

Stir-fried Radish Greens | 蒜香蘿蔔葉

Every Wednesday I will go to visit the farmers' market outside City Hall.  It is a place for the city folks like me to purchase some local vegetables and fruits during the busy week.  I often look for the golden beets, heirloom carrots, and sweet corn.

Yesterday when I was passing a vegetable stand, I saw a lady who was purchasing a big bundle of radishes.  She told the stand-keeper to snap off the greens and just took the radishes with her.  Then, the radish top greens were tossed into a big box under the table.  "What a waste!" I thought to myself.  So I approached the stand-keeper and asked if she would like to give the radish greens to me.

"You have a rabbit?" she asked curiously.

"No, no, no!" I laughed. "It is for myself." I explained.

Then, I told her how I usually prepare radish greens and what they taste like.  She looked very interested and said she recalled a chef who was using radish greens in a cooking show she watched on TV.  She gave me a big bundle of the greens and I made it the side dish for dinner.

Radish greens are actually more nutritious than the radishes, and eating them raw can be even better for our body.  So next time when we purchase radishes or beets, remember to save the green tops.

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch Radish Leaves

5 Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed

1 tablespoon Shaoxing Cooking Wine

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1/3 teaspoon Salt

材料：

1 束  蘿蔔葉

5 瓣  蒜頭，去皮，拍扁

1 湯匙  紹興廚酒

2 湯匙  菜油

1/3 茶匙  鹽

DIRECTION 做法:

1. In a wok, heat up vegetable oil with the garlic cloves over high heat, until the garlic is fragrant.

2. Add radish greens and stir fry until they start to wilt; about 2 minutes.  Add shaoxing wine and season it with salt.  Continue to stir fry for another minute.  Remove it from the heat and serve when it is warm.

1. 在鍋內加入菜油和蒜頭，用大火燒至蒜香四溢。

2. 下蘿蔔葉，炒至其開始變軟；若2分鐘。下紹興酒和鹽調味，繼續多炒1分鐘。離火，趁熱享用。

Crunchy Salad Green and Strawberry Salad with Fresh Strawberry Vinaigrette | 青脆草莓沙律配草莓醋汁

Although it is nearly the end of the summer the weather is still so hot and humid.  It is joyful to have a big bowl of crunchy salad that is packed with leafy greens and juicy fruit.

For the dressing, I used fresh strawberries to make the vinaigrette, adding another layer of fruitiness.  After trying this dressing, you will agree how much it goes well with the greens.

INGREDIENTS: (2 servings)

1 cup Baby Arugula

2 cups Cabbage, shredded

10 Strawberries, hulled and quarter

1 Mini Cucumber

A handful of Walnut, roasted

DRESSING:

6 Strawberries, hulled, quarter

2 tablespoons Sugar

5 tablespoons Olive Oil

3 tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar

small pinch of Salt and Pepper

材料：(2 人份)

1 杯  芝麻菜

2 杯  椰菜，切幼絲

10 粒  草莓，去蒂，切4份

1 條  迷你青瓜

少量  合核，烤過

汁料：

6 粒草莓，去蒂，切4份

2 湯匙  糖

5 湯匙  橄欖油

3 湯匙  意大利黑醋

少撮鹽和黑胡椒粉

DIRECTION:

1. In a small mixing bowl, mash the strawberries from the dressing ingredients along with the sugar, until there are no big chunks.

2. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients; mix well.

3. On a serving plate, arrange the salad ingredients.  Drizzle the strawberry vinaigrette.  Serve immediately.

做法：

1. 在一只小碗內，加入汁料用的草莓。用搗碎器壓至無大顆粒。

2. 下所有汁料用的材料；拌勻。

3. 沙律材料在餐碟上排盤；淋上草莓醋汁食用。

Konnyaku and Enoki Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing | 蒟蒻金菇湯律味噌汁

Konnyaku is made of konjac, a type of yam that is high in dietary fibre with nearly zero cholesterol.  Konnyaku has little taste and it has a jiggly texture like jello.  You can usually see konnyaku in white or grey colour like the one in the photo below.  The white one is the original flavour and the grey one is added with seaweed.  My family found the seaweed version more delicious so I usually just buy the grey one.

Enoki mushrooms taste sweet when eaten raw; it pairs so well with the umami flavour of the miso dressing.  This miso dressing can go well with many leafy greens so please feel free to substitute the rest of the ingredients for other vegetables on hand.

INGREDIENTS: 4 servings

1 pack Konnyaku

2 packs Enoki Mushrooms

2 Heirloom Carrots, peeled, cut into sticks

8 Cherry Tomatoes

1/2 Green Lettuce, rinsed and torn into bite size

2 Mini Cucumber, cut into bite size

1 bunch Coriander, leaves only, roughly chopped

DRESSING:

3 tablespoon White Sesame, toasted and slightly ground

2 tablespoons Miso Paste

2 tablespoon Rice Vinegar

1 tablespoon Sesame Oil

1 tablespoon Sugar

材料：4人份

1 塊  蒟蒻

2 束  金菇

2 條  蘿蔔，去皮，切條

8 粒  車厘茄

1/2 棵  生菜，洗淨，撕成小塊

2 條  小黃瓜，切大粒

1 束  莞茜，葉部份，切碎

汁料：

3 湯匙  白芝麻，烤香，磨碎

2 湯匙  味噌

2 湯匙  米醋

1 湯匙  芝麻油

1 湯匙  糖

DIRECTION:

1. Bring a small pot of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil.  Add konnyaku and boil it for 2 minutes; drain well.  Cut the konnyaku into bite size; set them aside.

2. Cut off and discard the root of the enoki mushrooms.  Cut the enoki mushrooms in half.

3. In a mixing bowl, add all salad ingredients and toss them to combine.

4. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients until it is smooth.  Drizzle it over the salad green before serving it.

做法：

1. 燒熱一小鍋水和一茶匙鹽。下蒟蒻，煮若2分鐘；取出，切成小粒，備用。

2. 切去金菇底部；把金菇切成兩半。

3. 在一只大碗內，加入所有沙律材料；拌勻。

4. 在另一只小碗內，加入所有沙律汁材料；拌至幼滑。淋上沙律食用。