Refresher Course

I finshed my first term in graduate school on Thursday and planned to cook Friday, but was swept away by meetings and grant proposals and the First Annual Winter Picnic at my daughter's school.

During the last two weeks of every term, my meal consciousness dips precipitously from careful consideration with flexibility to coffee, coffee, coffee, something solid (probably sugary), coffee.

That being said, it is now time for the post-finals recovery diet which includes switching from coffee to tea, from sugar to protein, from quaaludes to actually sleeping, and this meal:

Miso Soup with Dashi Broth

• Soak a bunch of kombu in a pot full of water for a few hours. The package says 1-2" for every cup of H2O, but I'm sure it's wrong, so I use 2-4" for every cup.
  
• Bring the water to a boil. Throw in a bunch of bonito flakes. A BIG bunch. Like two packages. Maybe more if you're inclined toward fishiness.
  
• Turn of the heat and let the fish flakes just swirl around in the hot water for about five minutes. Maybe ten if you're on the phone or something.
  
• Strain the broth in --this is the important part-- the EASIEST STRAINER TO CLEAN IN YOUR HOUSE!. That's right, those bonito flakes stick like an insult to your favorite outfit. Rinse the strainer right away. And remember to make sure there's something underneath the strainer to catch the broth, or else you have to start all over again.
  
• Add miso. A lot of miso. Good miso is the key. I like red miso. Or golden miso. Even brown miso will work, but quality is the key. Don't be a cheapskate. And by all means taste it every now and again to find out when it's time to stop adding miso already.
  
• Cut up some soft tofu into cubes. Cut up some scallions into tubes. Sprinkle 'em in there and serve.

Chicken Udon Salad

• Cook some noodles. Don't overcook them; that's just foolish.
  
• Cook some chicken. You can grill it, saute it, braise it, roast it--it doesn't matter as long as you kill the possibility of foodborne illness when you do it. I usually give mine a nice long bath in Trader Joe's Oy Vay marinade because, hey, what could be better than teriyaki sauce with a yiddish moniker?
  
• Cut up vegetables, doesn't matter what, doesn't matter how big, doesn't even really matter if you remember this step. In my house it's all about the chicken. Who needs vegetables?
  
• Toss everything together and dress it tastefully. (This is the hard part, I know, because good taste is just not that common.) Use some lemon juice, some nice expeller pressed sesame oil (Only a touch, dahling. You ruin the whole thing with too much sesame oil), some salt (for gawd's sake use salt) and a bit of soy sauce if you must.
  
• Chop up some cilantro and throw it on top. Green stuff shows them you really care.

Serve with green tea and PLENTY of hot sake. (I said refresher, not retirement.)