Miso Mushroom and Spinach Soup!

This recipe is based off of a recipe that I found by Gordon Ramsay called "Noodle Soup With Poached Egg and Spring Onion." It's just like his, but I add a few more things here and there! ;)

My boyfriend was actually not feeling well at work so I made this tasty and healthy soup to make him feel better and I have to say...it worked! ^-^

Here is what you will need ( I forgot to take a picture of the ingredients so bear with me! ^^;):

-A package of udon noodles

-Fresh baby spinach

-Fresh sliced portobello mushrooms

-Dried shiitake mushrooms

-1 egg

-Dashi stock

-Sake

-Chopped green onions

-Freshly grated ginger

-Shiro miso

-Optional: Narutomaki or kamaboko

-Optional: Shichimi

First of all, place the dried mushrooms in a container with warm water and allow them to re-hydrate for about 20 minutes. Save the broth.

Make the dashi stock. I make it using dashi granules.

Bring it to a boil on high heat and use a whisk to make sure that all of the granules have dissolved.

Grate some peeled fresh ginger. I don't typically measure for this recipe because everything is really to your own personal taste.

After 20 minutes, remove the mushrooms from the water and chop them into slices and place them in the stock.

Bring the dashi stock to a low boil again, but this time add in soy sauce, sake, freshly grated ginger, and some of the leftover mushrooms broth to taste.

Boil the udon noodles according to the directions on the package.

Bring the stock to a simmer and gently add in an egg and poach it.

Next, get a bowl ready and add some raw portobello mushrooms to the bottom...

Followed by the cooked udon noodles...

And then add some cleaned and fresh baby spinach on top! Almost there! xD

Don't forget to chop up at least 1 green onion! 

Now for my favorite part...add in as much miso as you like! 

I'm all out of miso now :(

This one was mine! :P

Although it's optional, adding in some narutomaki or kamaboko (pictured above) adds a great flavor to the soup!

And this is the boyfriend's xD

The only thing that my boyfriend doesn't like on his is the poached egg! His kamaboko are hiding! xP

The way I make it is enough for exactly two servings! Perfect! 

Here's a close up! Just look at that tasty shichimi on top! I highly recommend using it! 

And another picture...

The boyfriend approves of this soup! ;)

I Made Tori Zosui (Chicken Porridge) For The First Time!

I noticed that I have been doing a lot of impromptu cooking lately. I had friends coming over for dinner last week and they were bringing pasta over for dinner for me to make. Lately, I have been staying away from a lot of foods that I used to love like spaghetti and some meats so I wanted to make something different for myself. Therefore, I didn't really want to have spaghetti and sauce for dinner so I got a little creative! 

I decided to make chicken porridge or tori zosui in Japanese. It's a delicious, hearty, and healthy dish that I decided to make! 

When I decide to make this again (hopefully soon), I can post the recipe! ^-^

All it consists of is chicken stock, dashi, mirin, steamed rice, chicken, freshly grated ginger, and some salt and pepper for seasoning!

Pasta Alla Carbonara with Recipe!

Pasta Alla Carbonara is one of my all time favorite dishes and I just had to share the recipe that I used. I got it from the YouTube channel stevescooking! Be sure to check his channel out for some amazing recipes that are simple, but make you feel like a michelin chef! :)

What you will need:

-2 eggs (1 egg per person)

-Pancetta (or bacon)

-Finely grated pecorino remano cheese

-Fresh chopped parsley

-Spaghetti

-Sea salt

-Ground black pepper

-Olive oil

With this type of recipe, there really isn't a set amount of ingredients. You just have to add as mush as you think is needed or to taste. I think that's what really makes this Italian dish so authentic <3

Okay! I also wanted to mention that this is my first time ever using pancetta! I bought it at a deli at a nearby Wegmans. It smells like a beautifully seasoned salami and I just knew it would taste fantastic! 

First, you cube the pancetta like in the above picture.

Next, bring a pot of water to a boil, add the salt, and then add in the pasta. Cook the pasta for as long as it says on the package or until it is al dente (firm, but not hard).

Now, add a little olive oil into a non-stick pan and make sure the pan is on medium heat, because you don't want the pancetta to burn! You want it to be nice and crispy so keep stirring it until it is done! 

After the pancetta becomes nice and crispy, sprinkle in the ground black pepper and stir! Turn heat to low.

Once the pasta is done, using tongs, place it into the pan with the pancetta. Ladle in a little of the pasta water and stir well until it gets a bit creamy. SAVE THE PASTA WATER! Adding in the pasta water makes it creamy without having to add in any cream! :)

Next, generously add in parsley and stir some more! 

Now mix the eggs with a good amount of pecorino romano cheese, a little pepper and lightly whisk it until thoroughly mixed. 

Be sure to turn the heat off at this point. Now add in the egg mixture and be sure to continuously stir because you don't want the eggs to scramble! Add pasta water until you get the desired creamy consistency! Next, turn the heat on low just to cook the eggs through and keep stirring until they are cooked! IT'S DONE! :D

Add on some more grated cheese and if you're feeling fancy, place some parsley on top! Honestly, I couldn't wait to eat this so I didn't bother! xD

This is such a delicious pasta dish and it is one of my favorites to make...and to eat! ^-^