Harvest Moon Celebration

[Guest guest]

Love of healthy cooking and enjoyment

of the skies all comes together this time of year, so I am

cross-posting to my favorite cooking and astronomy groups. Thank you

all for the participation and richness you have brought to my days in

the kitchen, and evenings under the stars. Would that we could all meet

together with scope and spatula!

lc carol

ps., The recipes , altho tradional, are slightly modified for very low

fat heart -healthy cooking (a la Ornish), vegetarian, and delicious!

 

 

HARVEST

MOON

A

timely last- of summer celebration is the coming of Harvest Moon.

Thanks for the bounty of the harvest, enjoyment of the warm evenings

and slowing work pace,good food and company, all presided over by the

beaming celebrant.

The Moon

Festival in China spread to Japanese a thousand years ago where the

custom of Moon viewing is taken to a hight art. Tsukumi falls this

year on Saturday Sept 14.

Keeping

with the winding down of the season, Tsukumi is a quiet feast. . Late

summer grasses decorate a simply set table. Taro and dumplings set in

offering . Time is taken to watch the moon rise, and give thanks.

 

What

better way to accompany this than a light grilled supper followed by

a tradiional dessert?

 

Start up

the coals on a tabletop grill or hibachi, prepare and skewer

components ahead of time, then relax and enjoy.

 

 

 

Yaki-dofu

Grilled

Tofu

Ingredients:

I block

firm Tofu, pressed to release extra liquid

1 medium

large scallion

1 tbsp

sugar

2 tbsp

sake

3 tbsp

mirin

3 tbsp

soy sauce

*Bamboo

skewers (soaked in water to prevent burning)

Preparation:

Cut the

tofu into bite-sized pieces, and ,marinate in 2 T soy sauce, and a

little ginger. Cut scallion into 1 inch lengths. Skewer the tofu and

negi in alternating order. To make teriyaki sauce, mix sugar, sake,

mirin, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Grill the skewered tofu over

hot coals, basting with teriyaki sauce until the tofu is heated and

nicely browned is.

Makes 2

servings, multiply as needed.

 

 

 

Grilled

Vegetables:

Yams,

sliced thin

Red

Peppers cut in 1” squares

Onion

cut in 1 “ squares. (steam a little in Microwave ahead if desired)

Dried

Shiitake mushrooms, soaked or fresh

Japanese

Eggplant

 

 

 

Sauce

3/4

vegetable stock

3 tablespoons sweet cooking rice wine (mirin)

2

tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 tablespoons red

miso

1T toasted sesame seeds, ground

Cook

the sauce ingredients over low heat to blend flavors

Bead

the vegetetbles on bamboo skewers, grill and brush with sauce.

Garnish

with more toasted sesame if desired.

 

 

 

 

Kushidango

Japanese

Moon viewing dumplings

Ingredients:

1 1/3

cup brown rice flour

 

3/4 cup

warm water

Bamboo

skewers

Preparation:

Put rice

flour in a bowl and add warm water. Knead the dough well. Make small

round dumplings. Place the dumplings in a steamer and steam them on

high heat for 10 min. Cool the dumplings and skewer them in bamboo

sticks. (3-4 dumplings each stick.).

The

Chinese fill their Mooncakes. I'm thinking to try a little dab of

this sweet red bean paste inside of each dumpling

 

Sweet

Azuki Bean Puree

1 cup azuki beans, washed

1/4 cup

raisins

1/8-1/4 tsp. sea salt

2T

molases

 

Pressure cook the beans together with

raisins

for about 50 minutes. Remove from flame, allow

pressure to

come down and place on a low flame. Add

sea salt and molasses. Cook for another ten minutes or so.

Mash the beans

with a wooden pestle or grind in a suribachi

(Japanese mortar

and pestle arrangement), until they become

a thick, fairly

smooth paste.

For

Sauce: 2/3 cup water

1/2 cup

brown sugar

2 1/2

tbsps soy sauce

1 1/2

tbsp cornstarch

1

1/2tbsp water

 

Mix water, sugar, and soysauce in a pan and put

it on medium heat. Mix the water and katakuriko starch in a cup and

set aside. When the sauce boils, add the starch mixture and mix

quickly. Slightly grill the skewered dumplings and brush the sauce

over them

Serve

warm with sliced pears and late summer fruit.