No longer updating, but hope you enjoy the recipes!
Unfortunately, I got too busy to go back to blogging, after I was forced to take a break from it in 2015 because of tendonitis.
But you can still follow my cooking, eating, and travels on instagram: (@spontaneoustomato)
Mole Enchiladas (Guest Post)
We love mole in this household. Before we took on the daunting task of making it ourselves, I would always buy the solidified stuff that comes in jars. It would be my go-to dinner whenever we had guests (my go-to breakfast for guests has always been chilaquiles).
One of the first meals I made for Allison’s father and siblings was chicken mole (I was not proud of that meal as I added too much chicken broth and the mole tasted a little diluted, to me at least). I also made chicken mole for Allison’s family friends who visited us from Philadelphia. I even had the privilege of preparing mole, and therefore introducing Mexican food, to a very thankful Japanese friend.
All of these mole meals were from a jar; I’m so ashamed just thinking back on it.
Blistered Shishito Salsa with Roasted Cod
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It may seem backwards to title this post “Salsa with Roasted Cod” instead of “Roasted Cod with Salsa,” but this is a salsa-centric recipe; to be honest, the whitefish fillet underneath the salsa was an afterthought.
Dicing up green shishito peppers, bound for fresh salsa, transported me back to Japan nearly ten (!) years ago when I had just started getting to know my now-close-friend Mimi.
After I prodded and pestered my way into her life, seeking the company of another native English speaker my age, in our rural-ish Japanese town (before I could put more than two or three words of Japanese together), we discovered that we had in common not only a nerdy love of language learning, but also a hedonistic, sentimental, and impassioned love of food.
This led to the loveliest of Thursday night rituals—a weekly dinner out with Mimi at our beloved Orange Cafe, frequent weekend lunches at our town’s one and only Indian restaurant, and—occasionally—actually cooking together.
Continue Reading: Blistered Shishito Salsa with Roasted Cod…
Peach Rhubarb Oatmeal Bars
I’m on the East Coast where summer is in full swing. Although in many ways, it’s already swung; it’s practically fall. This week I crunched on leaves with my niece and waved my nephew off to his first day of (pre-kindergarten) school.
Back in California, I don’t think we’re quite there yet. When I left, we were up to our elbows in peaches (I’ve been regretting not scarfing one more down on my way to the airport). Peppers are piling up and heirloom tomatoes are just entering their swoon-worthy stage.
One curious springtime stowaway sits nestled among the tomatoes and greens at our local farmer’s stand: rhubarb! The stalks are thicker, greener, muddier than the perfect thin ruby ones I look for in the spring, but still… there they are.
Paula noticed them first, and came home with a big bundle. I’m not sure how it happened exactly, but I seem to have gotten Paula just as excited about rhubarb as I am (and that is saying something). I think it has something to do with this recipe.
Caprese Crepes
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A little disclaimer as I dive in to writing this post: I don’t think it will have much to do with food; I hope that won’t stop you from reading it.
This has become so much more than strictly a food blog; it’s a record of my life, seen through food.
There’s been so much going on in my life recently. This month my grandfather passed away. I turned 32. I spent hours searching for near-future and distant-future plane tickets. Paula and I started planning our wedding.
I’ve been very sad but not surprised about my grandfather. He was diagnosed with cancer back in March, and refused treatment for the cancer itself (only accepting treatment for the pain). He still suffered greatly despite pain medications and could no longer walk. I think he may have been scared to face death, but I’d like to think that he was also a little relieved (and finally free from pain) when it arrived.
Lychee Mojitos
I love lychees (and longans and mangosteens and rambutans).
If you’re not sure what all of those are, you could google them… or better yet, go to your local Asian market, check the produce section, and taste them for yourself. Inside the distinct—and in the case of rambutans, downright bizarre—husks or peels is a translucent, juicy, sweet fruit that will transport you to Southeast Asia.
In countries like Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Taiwan, you can easily find these fruits for sale from street vendors. You can also enjoy lychee smoothies, or lychee-flavored “milk tea” milkshakes with boba tapioca bubbles.
In fact, my first instinct when I found fresh lychees (the rarest of treats around here—for sale at Trader Joe’s of all places!) was to smoothie-fy them and toss in some boba. But I already had fresh mint in the house… and we always have limes… you can see where this is headed.
Cinnamon Coffee Ice Cream
It’s August, so I’m writing about ice cream! Don’t even try to stop me.
(I know, I know… you would never stop me, but the weather here is another story!)
The thing is, this summer Santa Barbara has been decidedly un-summery. Every morning it’s been overcast and chilly—a case of our Central California “June Gloom” going rogue and sneaking into July and now August. Around noon it clears up and gets sunny, but there’s still a little nip in the air.
It’s especially cold in the office where I sit and attempt to work on my dissertation every afternoon, wearing a hoodie and drinking cups of hot hojicha. Can you imagine that—needing hot tea to warm your hands in August? Are you feeling cooler already just thinking about it?
spontaneous tomato 