miso and mayhem

There are so many things I love about not having a day job right now, but topping the list at the moment is the fact that I have a fully equipped kitchen at my fingertips for my "lunch hour". A pot of loose-leaf tea and hearty miso soup... mmmm.

I've loved miso soup ever since a little family-run sushi place opened up across the street from my high school; a bunch of us would go and only a couple of kids would order meals, but the lady would kindly bring tea, salad and soup for all of us. Unfortunately - and unsurprisingly - the restaurant didn't stay open long.

I never bothered learning to make it for myself, though, until recently, when my friend Marissa clocked my terrible diet and took it upon herself to start making me dinners. What she produces is a meal unto itself - more like a chunky stew - and contains a little bit of just about everything she has on hand at the time. It's worlds away from the tiny bowls that accompany your california rolls, but still has that wonderful, salty, cloudy broth that I love. Here's my interpretation; or at least, today's version:

Molotov's Kitchen Sink Miso Soup

• a fistful of chopped broccoli florets
• a 1/4 in slice of red onion, diced
• handful each, cubed green and red bell peppers
• handful spinach leaves (I keep a bag of frozen organic spinach in my freezer for stuff like this)
• 1 1/2 TBL white miso paste
• approx. 1/2 c cubed tofu
• dried seaweed of some description (I couldn't find wakame, which is what I think you're supposed to use, so I bought nori - the sheets of roasted seaweed used to roll sushi - and tore a sheet into 1 in. squares)

Cover the broccoli, onion and peppers with fresh cold water (about 2 cups; adjust according to how much broth you like), add a dash of salt and set to boil. Once boiling, stir in miso paste until completely dissolved; add tofu cubes and continue to boil until vegetables are tender. Add spinach, stir for a few seconds until soft but not slimy; then remove from heat, stir in dried seaweed, and serve. If you like, you can add a dash of of salty ume-boshi vinegar.

Makes one main course serving.

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When the soup has settled and the blogging is complete, today is loose ends day. I cut out a bunch of cute handbags aeons ago and never got around to sewing them - that's getting done today. A few items need alterations, some supplies need sorting, etc. Tomorrow: skirts. And I plan to have the website launched by January 1st!