Short photo post…

I bought a portable gas stove at the Japanese store recently!
It says outdoor use only but I bet none of the Japanese people that are buying things from the store believe that. So I didn’t either.

Mmm, salmon sukiyaki. Just like regular one, minus the meat but plus thinly sliced salmon. (I didn’t have chinese cabbage at home though… *sigh*)

I could use some hints on how to use it though – I love cooking over a gas flame but can you grill on it or is that unhealthy? I know some other bento’ers use gas stoves so if you know a good link, please send it my way!

Read Full Post »

Bento #144 – homemade pasta

I made homemade 4-cheese ravioli tonight!
It was the first time I made pasta from scratch – the baking bug has bitten me.

Making the pasta dough was pretty easy, despite it being my first try with homemade pasta! I used the recipe from my trusty allround cookbook for 6 portions of dough – 6dl flour, 4 eggs, a teaspoon of salt, a few tablespoons of olive oil and water.

The filling is made of 3/4 of a tub (150-200 g) of Ricotta, about 6 Tsp. grated Parmesan cheese, 150g finely crumbled Feta, about 50g of shredded Cheddar and some grated pepper.
When I last visited my mom, I saw those pasta shapers lying forlornly in one of her moving boxes – she had just moved house and a lot of things surfaced in her kitchen she had bought but never used. I thought they might be useful for making Chinese dumplings, and she was glad to get rid of them – a perfect trade! With the smallest shaper and the help of a round glass to cut out circles, it was no problem making a big bunch of ravioli in record time (though one person rolling and one stuffing the ravioli definitely helped most…)!

I let them rest for a bit to give the dough a chance to dry a little. Then I just boiled them portionwise in salt water for 2-3 minutes.
Instead of a sauce, I decided to go with browned salvia butter (just melted butter with salvia in it). At the last minute, I decided to also throw in some red and yellow cherry tomatos and melt them in the butter a little. And since I personally love vinegar, my portion was also drizzled with a little reduced balsamico vinegar.

The filling got really lovely and creamy when it boiled! Though I learned that half a teaspoon per dumpling was definitely enough – they got HUGE when they boiled and I was afraid I had overstuffed them. They were really filling too!

I made enough to pack two bento boxes and freeze a few for later.

They’re again tossed in salvia butter and cherry tomatos. More tomatos and some slices of zucchini as decoration (I’m going on vacation next week – not many greens in the house!). As dessert there’s some more of those lovely ripe strawberries.
The BF gets the same:

Read Full Post »

Bento #143 – happy midsummer!

It’s midsummer here in Sweden* and I packed bentoboxes to bring on a celebratory picknick.
Most of the food is Swedish food that’s somewhat typical to have at parties like midsummer. The upper box contains brussel sprouts, a hardboiled egg, locally grown ripe and luscious strawberries (drooool!), chili cheese bits on picks instead of meatballs for me, and baked red beets (typically it should be salad but I don’t like them in a salad).
The lower layer is filled mostly with tiny new potatoes baked in the shell – they’re not bigger than the cheese bits! Then there are some more brussel sprouts and a silicone muffin cup of pickled herring sill with cream and caviar sauce and a blue pick for easier eating.

There were a lot of potatoes, prepared to share with the BF.

His box contains the same stuff, except for the sill, which he doesn’t like. It’s replaced with red beet salad, which I in turn am not too fond of :)
Although I have to pat my own shoulder here and say that since I made it myself, it’s actually not that bad – for red beet salad…

Have a happy midsummer, everyone!

*) It’s summer solstice everywhere else as well, but it’s not as hugely celebrated outside scandinavia, I think…

Read Full Post »

Bento 142 – for the BF

Homemade tortillas (half corn-, half wheatflour) filled with woked veggies, salsa, greek yoghurt, orange grated cheddar and a few leaves of fresh cilantro.
Cherry tomatoes and sugarpeas on the side and a silicon muffin cup with sugared ginger sticks and blue grapes.

Photo credit goes to my boyfriend because my nose itches so much I literally couldn’t get the camera to focus. Stupid summer cold!
For that, he’ll get the bento (psst – it’s totally not because the restaurant at work serves vegetarian moussaka tomorrow! ;) )

Read Full Post »

Bento #141 – mixed pickles

I love shopping days. I usually end up making a whole lot of different fresh foods that day!
After using up fridge contents last week, I have leftovers for bento today.
1/4 of a mini pie with feta and sundried tomatoes, rucola, two heirloom tomatoes and a fishy with vinaigrette in the top layer.
Half a marbled muffin (homebaked), tabbouleh, fried mushrooms, tiny baked potatoes with rosemary, some more heirloom tomatoes and olives in the bottom layer.

Since the BF will eat his at home, he does not get a box today. I was lazy and just put everything in the pie form! (I think it looks great. Heh. And he doesn’t mind.)

Read Full Post »

Bento #140 – first crop!

I harvested my first homegrown zucchini today!
A piece of it is in this bento, stuffed with risotto. Then there’s triangles of rosemary polenta, ratatouille, some salad leaves and grapes for dessert.

The BF has the same, with polenta cut into hearts (I’m soppy…):

The cutouts are hidden underneath the ratatouille.

The ratatouille and polenta are leftovers from yesterday; today’s dinner was the first zucchini that ripened on the windowsill! I hollowed it out and stuffed it with risotto. A recipe is here.

I just love a fresh zucchini. It got quite big – bigger than last years’ storebought specimens – but I think it could have ripened a bit more. We’ll see if I can get another one to grow!

Read Full Post »

Bento #139 – summer noodles

Cold noodles with a dressing of sesame oil, mirin, soy, sugar and lemon juice topped with woked veggies, salmon and prawns. It’s a recipe adapted from a restaurant food I had a while ago – and just the right thing for summer!
In the small compartments are more noodles with spring onions topped by a fishy with dressing, a piece of grapefruit, purple grapes and a mozart ball.

BF has the same in the “big boy” box.

Annnd a closeup!

Read Full Post »

Gardening diary: Comic-y love!

NaNoMangO is a LiveJournal community dedicated to the same idea as NaNoWriMo – but with comics! You write 30 comics in 30 days, on which topic does not matter.
Here’s one of mine…

Read Full Post »