The Missus has gotten used to having some pretty good stuff for Sunday lunch recently. I guess She thinks I'm on a bit of a "streak" so why mess with it. It's sometimes a bit of a challenge as like this past weekend. The Missus wanted me to make some Buta Kakuni for Her friends, but since She really doesn't "do pork" wanted a couple of pan seared scallops.
Oh, and just to see if I could pull it off, why not use some of the virgin coconut oil She purchased at TJ. Coconut oil? I'm trying to cook something, not make suntan lotion…..
Anyway, this gave me a chance to make something I've been wanting to for a while. The Missus loves Okinawan Sweet Potatoes. Which by the way is not ube. When we're back home in Hawaii, the Missus will just stick a couple in the microwave and just eat them whole. When I left Hawaii, Hawaiian Regional Cuisine was just taking off. (Remember the Great Chefs of Hawaii TV series?) And mashed Okinawan Sweet Potato seemed to be on every menu. Anyway, as much as the Missus loves the stuff, butter is persona non grata in our household….at least for cooking, so I've kinda kept away from making the stuff….until earlier today. I used a just about 2 tablespoons for a pound of sweet potatoes, along with creme fraiche, heavy cream, and a touch of salt.
The Missus loved the sea scallops, simply seasoned with sea salt, smoked salt, fresh cracked black pepper, and lime zest. Dusting it with some potato starch gave it a nice crisp layer. Komatsuna, Japanese turnip greens, simply sauteed with garlic and some crushed red pepper gave the dish a nice color.
The potatoes turned out well, the cream aided in fluffing it up when I folded it in with a fork. Kind rich and heavy stuff, though.
Ignore the egg and daikon….that's part of the Buta Kakuni I was making. I ended up having at Buta Kakuni Bowl.
You can tell that I'll soon be needing a nap, right?
Last week the Missus wanted some smoked salmon, which was easy enough to do. I got a nice piece of wild salmon and took by Camerons stovetop smoker out of the cabinet. Seasoned with sea salt, smoked salt, and cracked pepper….topped with a couple of sprigs of dill and smoked for 20 minutes…….
The Missus finished every little bit of this along with the dill-caper sauce I made with creme fraiche, lemon zest, and a touch of good 'ol mayo (texture).
I guess we don't have to worry about the Missus starving to death anytime soon, do we?
The pork is starting to work on me, so I think I'll take a nap. Here's another photo of some meal I had recently just to clear out the memory card.
Happy Sunday!