miso soup.

one evening every month i like to have a friend over for dinner and drinks. tonight jess came for some miso soup, shrimp and vegetable tempura, and sierra nevada beer. i had wanted to fix gin & tonics, however, texas has this damn liquor policy about grocery stores and i had no time to visit a liquor store separately.

miso soup is surprisingly simple to fix and i would do it again in a heartbeat.
ingredients:
2 cups vegetable broth mixed with 2 cups water
30 spinach leaves
1/2 lb. tofu, diced
2 scallions, sliced
3-4 tbsp. miso
japanese all-spice to taste (optional)

bring the broth and water to a boil. add the spinach leaves and simmer for two minutes. add the tofu and scallions. set the heat to low. mix in the miso. that's it.

i created a huge mess in the kitchen when the hot oil scattered about with the tempura, but the process was fun.
ingredients:
1 1/2 c. flour
3/4 c. cornmeal
ice cold sparkling water

blend the flour, cornmeal, and water together in a bowl to form a paste. dip your vegetables into the paste and place in hot oil in a skillet. cook for several seconds on each side, then place on paper towels. i used broccoli, carrots, green beans, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and shrimp.

we ate by candlelight at my kitchen table and it was nice to have the miso soup on such a cold night.....