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Monthly Archives: September 2007

Dashi: Japanese broth

Dashi is a broth and a staple in many Japanese soups, sauces and stews. The ingredients are inexpensive (well, if you have easy access to a Japanese or Asian grocery store), and it’s a breeze to make! Avoid boiling with kelp, and don’t let the bonito flakes steep for too long —both could result in […]

Whole bass roasted in a packet

One of my fondest food memories of London was at FishWorks in Chiswick. They prepared a whole bass with garlic, olive oil and herbs (rosemary and/or bay leaves), served hot from the parchment packet in which it was roasted. Oh, my, was it amazing. Photo by Simon. This recipe is my attempt to replicate that […]

Seeking online gallery software

I’m looking for a flexible (if not powerful) online gallery package. What are the free, preferably open source choices for online galleries? There are quite a few! Wikipedia has a photo gallery comparison article. However, it’s not comprehensive since it’s a stub which needs cleanup (e.g., lists only basic features, and doesn’t mention other projects […]

Paprika

The feature-length animé Paprika has been my favorite movie this year. (Easily surpassing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, fun as it was, as well as the films seen at Cinequest. Yes, I rarely go out for movies.) Directed by Satoshi Kon, who worked on Perfect Blue and Paranoia Agent, it contains his […]

Popcorn soup: Posole with chile, onion & garlic

In spite of my lifelong exposure to Mexican food, I haven’t eaten posole (a.k.a., pozole) before. I love dishes made from masa (tamales!), and the lime-treated corn kernels which get ground into masa flour are also referred to as posole or hominy. The motivation for this recipe comes from Deborah Madison’s Posole with Red Chile […]

Dragging my feet

This site is about my hobbies. I’ve posted a lot on food, a little about software, and even a teensy bit about gardening and plants. But I haven’t written up much about another big interest of mine: stories. Novels, comic books, animation, and occasionally television and movies. I just love consuming tales and histories! I’ve […]