What's that green?

-DeborahWalking across Central Park this Friday afternoon I was floating on air; the promise of a new season had me elevated. Good fortune found me with my camera. Bad fortune showed the battery quickly dying. I managed to shoot a few Springtime sightings before the camera went black.

Daffodils are beginning to pop up at the 69th Street entrance on Central Park West.

Buds!

and more buds!

The grass is doing its damnedest to make an appearance.

Even the sea lions at the zoo were taking advantage of the blast of sunshine.

My giddy mood altered quickly when I got home to discover my sweetie hubby sick and cranky with a wicked head cold. SOUP was all he wanted, so I got down to business, looked into my empty cupboard and fridge and improvised a simple miso soup to soothe his throat and warm the belly.

Miso soup is so easy to make and it can handle a variety of ingredients. The miso paste itself comes in several types. I like a medium flavored miso (red) for soups rather than the dark versions (barley) or the light (white) misos. I'm not a connoisseur, but I find the medium color the most versatile. It is fun to sample different misos to see which you prefer.

MISO SOUP
Preparation:
•Heat up a quart of water or vegetable stock in a saucepan.
•When it comes to a boil add a cup of thinly sliced or grated vegetables
-some possibilities are scallions, carrots, winter squash, summer squash, mushrooms, sprouts, leafy greens, tofu, green beans, sea vegetables
•cook for about five minutes until the vegetables are tender.
•add a swig of soy sauce.
•add a small bundle of rice noodles, stir and cook five more minutes.
•place a quarter cup of miso into a stainer and lower the strainer into the soup pot stirring to dissolve the miso into the broth, do not let soup boil once miso has been added.
•taste and adjust seasoning
•serve

My husband was grateful for the steaming savory liquid, but seriously questioned what the green stuff was. SPINACH, eat it!

Amanda I would love a glass of wine right now. Forget the miso soup. What will make me think of Spring?

Amanda
In the wine world, nothing shouts "Spring" more than a beautiful, crisp glass of Rose! I haven't gone that route yet. Rather I am waiting, ever so patiently, for that first perfect Spring day. I don't want my first sip of Rose for the year to be wasted on a not-so-great day. I wait too long for that moment to have it thrown away if the weather is not "just right". So I will continue to wait.

There's nothing like sipping a glass of Rose outside, on a warm, sunny Spring day. Extremely versatile when it comes to food, pair a pretty pink wine with barbeque, grilled vegetables, salads, fish, and even omelets. There are so many wonderful values out there, and a plethora of styles to choose from. For a bigger, bolder style, seek out a Rose from the Bordeaux region of France. The Chateau Fontenille Bordeaux Clairet is a fine example, and only $11.99! A blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon, this Rose is full of fresh fruit and fine character. For something more crisp and light, France offers plenty of options. Look for something from Tavel, or Cotes de Provence. Domaine Ott, while pricey, can offer beautiful representations of Provence. Their Les Domaniers is a spicey blend of Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah. At around $22 it's not necessarily an "everyday" wine - but it is worth the price! Looking for something with loads of fruit? Check out a Rose from Chile, Spain or Argentina. One of my perennial favorites is the Crios Rose of Malbec from Susanna Balbo. This Argentine gem can be found in the $10 price range.

Roses are fun, warm-weather wine. Remember, these are meant to be enjoyed when young - do not cellar these. Make sure the ones you are buying are recent vintages too - look for 2010's. Stay away from anything like 2008 or before. So, go stock up on some Roses! Crack open a bottle on the first perfect Spring day that comes your way!

a change of scene

Deborah

Body baring weather is quickly upon us. My season changing ritual is to head to a day spa for some desperately needed rejuvenation. It seems that Koran spas specialize in body scrubs and that is what I am looking for when shedding the winter doldrums. My current favorite is Aura Wellness Spa on 33rd Street in Manhattan. The polished interior makes me feel pampered, it has never been crowded any time I go, AND they have these amazing igloo shaped saunas and steam rooms with crystal incrusted interiors. You have to see it to believe it. The decor says relax and indulge but once you get behind the treatment-room doors it is all business. The body scrubs are SERIOUS and I happily endured the aggressive handling in order to kiss my winter skin behind.

Skipping home post-scrub all smooth and silky I passed by countless Korean restaurants with very tempting menus and I had kimchee on my mind. But pressed for time I headed straight home to stir up some miso soup for myself.

Thinly sliced vegetables cook quickly in Miso soup and still retain a little crunch.

Miso is so versatile and is really easy to use. There are many traditional recipes for miso soup, but I allow myself to improvise for a quick light meal. This version started with some stock (vegetable or chicken), the miso, a handful of thinly sliced vegetables, a sheet of nori cut into thin strips and some rice noodles. Within 10 minutes I had a delicious and very satisfying soup. 

My new skin and I are going on a week long vacation with my husband to the Caribbean Island of Antigua. I have arranged to take a cooking class while I am there with cooking instructor Nicole Arthurton who runs the cooking school out of her beautiful home. I am SO EXCITED and can't wait to share with you what I learn from Nicole when I get back.

Simple Miso Soup

4 cups Vegetable or Chicken Stock

1 cup of thinly sliced Vegetables (scallions, zucchini, celery, carrot, cabbage, green bean, snow pea, etc.)

1 sheet of Nori cut into thin ribbons (I fold the sheet of nori up and use a scissor to cut it)

4 oz Rice Noodles soaked in hot water for 10 minutes and drained

4 Tbs. Miso

1 Tbs. Soy Sauce

1 Tbs. Sesame Oil

Heat the stock in a sauce pan, when it comes to a simmer add the vegetables and cook for 5 minutes. Ladle from the pot about half a cup of the stock and put it into a small bowl. Mix the miso into the bowl to thin it out. Pour the miso mixture back into the soup pot. Add the noodles, soy sauce and sesame oil and simmer for one more minute. ENJOY!

Rice noodles come in lots of shapes and sizes. I have seen different instructions for cooking on various packages from adding cold water, to boiling water, to luke warm water. It seems to work fine if you soak the noodles in warm water for 5-8 minutes till noodles are tender and then use them in a soup or stir fry. 

Amanda
I hope you are enjoying a relaxing, wonderful vacation, Deb! Sounds terrific. I cannot wait to hear about it - especially the cooking class!

I happened to be in Whole Foods this afternoon, and picked up the ingredients for this soup. I am a huge fan of Miso Soup and it is always a must when I go out for Japanese. This was my first attempt at the soup, and I was happy to see how incredibly easy and quick it was. But it didn't taste anything remotely akin to restaurant miso. It was good - just very different. Deb - isn't miso, well...miso? What could account for such a completely dissimilar flavor? Would it have to do with the brand of miso? Are there different qualities or blends?

I followed Deb's basic recipe, but added a twist here and there. I did not use noodles. And, instead of the nori seawood, I used Akame. It is actually more noodle-like, and I used quite a bit of it, along with onions, carrots and cabbage. I intentionally filled it up with veggies and seaweed to make it a little more substantial and hearty - so I could have it for lunch all week and it would satisfy me. (My appetite is on the bigger side). The soup came out light and delicious - and filling.

But - as for the wine - there really is no wine that I would pair with this. There is honestly not one that I could think of that I would want to sip alongside Miso Soup. However, whenever I dine on Japanese food, I love to sip Sake. Not the inexpensive, warm, not-so-great quality Sake. I love the higher-end, sublime Sakes that have a higher percent of the rice grain polished away (which makes a higher quality Sake). I find the varied flavors and styles of Sake so incredibly delicious, and interesting; and I would not hesitate to make it my drink of choice when it comes to Miso Soup.

While Sake is referred to as a "rice wine", it is actually brewed more in the style of beer, then fermented like wine. Futsu-shu is ordinary Sake, with the same status as table wine. Tokubetsu is special or premium Sake - the kind I enjoy. These Sakes are distinguished by the degree to which the rice is polished.

Recently, I participated in a sushi and Sake tasting at which I tasted a wonderful line-up of premium Sakes. One of my favorites was Ama No To Heaven's Door Tokubetsu Junmai. (at least 30% of the rice grain is polished away). With a slightly earthy, raisiny flavor and subtle elegance, this Sake would work perfectly next to Miso Soup. I love the idea of this combination! The Ama No To Heaven's Door can be found for around $34.