Wood Ear Mushrooms

I must have been born in Asia in a previous life because I love the textures that most westerners dislike: gelatinous, chewy, jelly-like. That's wood ear mushrooms in a nutshell. They are completely bland and absorb the flavor of the food they are cooked with, similar to tofu.
I pour hot water over them and let them soak for 15 minutes. I drain then, slice them into slivers, and add them to any type of stir-fry.

When dry they almost seem to be made of paper and are the color of mice!

Celery Leaves

I think many people throw celery leaves away but I love to add them to whatever I am making.
Today it was salmon cakes, which would not taste the same without chopped celery.
I made this small drawing of gold celery leaves on a red ground after being inspired by miniatures from the Middle Ages - in that case it was acanthus leaves on a red ground.

Persimmon & Sardines

As in my sister blog, "Wardrobesketch," where I sketch the clothes I wear, I intend to regularly sketch the food I eat.

First here is a hachiya persimmon I bought at an Asian market on Saturday, seen from above. I first tasted them at the Monterey Market in Berkeley, CA close to 20 years ago. They also sold dried Japanese persimmons, which I have not been able to find here in the East Coast (not that I have been searching in earnest).   Every year I only eat two to four of them because of the time it takes to get them ripen to that super soft mushy state. I saw people yesterday buying them by the case. There is a recipe in the Green's cookbook for a persimmon spice cake that I made... 20 years ago... but the memory of it remains. Persimmons are too expensive here to buy the amount I need to bake a cake.

The shape of the top of the persimmon reminds me of classic architectural details. I am sure the Japanese must have converted this shape into some sort of textile pattern. If I had the time I would do it too!

At the Asian market I also bought 3 sardines. I am concerned about getting my dose of omega-3's, so I have been trying to eat fish at least twice a week. These looked very healthy and fresh, but part of me wishes they had been a bit younger. Once again they bring me back to a memory of the Bay Area: I bought them at the farmer's market in Civic Center in SF, but cleaning them was disgusting. This time cleaning them was not such a big deal (the fishmonger refused to do it for me). 

Right now they are marinating in olive oil, garlic, and salt; I plan to grill them soon.