a harvest of etegami

Considering that autumn is my favorite season in Japan, and that it provides an abundance of inspiration for etegami, I have no excuse for posting so little of my new work these past few months. So today, let me give you a peek of some of the fruit of my autumnal labor.

The top photo shows the fourth and last in the series of seasonal recipe sets I was asked to create this year for the bilingual newspaper, The Japan Times- ST. The series began with a set of four lily bulb (yurine) recipes published in January; continued with the edible wild vegetable (sansai) set in April and the pickled plum (umeboshi) set in July; and ended in October with the persimmon (kaki) set. Each set stretched my meager artistic talent and taught me a lot about problem-solving. I received some often-encouraging, always-stimulating feedback from readers and newspaper staff. It was a wonderful job.

Half-way through the year, I came to realize I was not going to find the time to create a new desk calendar for 2016. Once I accepted that fact instead of fighting it, I felt lighter and happier. And guess what? At the end of September, everything suddenly fell into place, and ideas that had been percolating in the back of my subconscious allowed me to capture and express them in etegami. 

Combined with a few works from my archives, I ended up with two new desk calendars. No doggies or kitties-- or even barnyard animals-- this year. My theme this year is impactful quotes from the Bible. One calendar is a collection of all Japanese etegami, the other is all English. And though the theme is the same for both, the images are completely different.  They will not be listed on Etsy except by private reservation. Contact me by email, Etsy message, Twitter, Facebook message, or whatever, for a reserved listing.

I was also kept busy this year with more than the usual number of custom orders, a trend that may take over the bulk of my work next year. The final photo is of a very special custom order, a project of which I was honored and moved to be a part. The Japanese words say "Strength and Courage." And that's about all I am free to tell you for now.

2015 illustrated recipes: set 3 (pickled plums)

I'm happy to report that the third in my series of illustrated recipes for The Japan Times ST was published in the July 24th issue. The ingredient I chose to focus on for the summer set (four recipes from appetizer to dessert) was umeboshi (Japanese pickled plums).

Umeboshi comes in more forms than you might think.  First, and most typical, is the red, wrinkly, soft umeboshi that is so sour and salty it sets your teeth on edge. It is a great accompaniment to fish with strong flavors, such as the sanma (pacific saury) in my recipe for Pacific Saury with Shiso and Umeboshi.

Lately, though, some of these umeboshi are marketed as "marinated in honey," a treatment that takes the edge off the extreme tartness and makes them suited to dessert recipes like my Umeboshi Cheesecake.

Then there is the small, crunchy umeboshi (kari-kari ume) that comes in both green and red varieties. Green is the natural color of the unripe ume fruit, and red is the outcome of pickling the ume with purple shiso (perilla) leaves. The small crunchy umeboshi are great as a snack, or when you want that crunchy texture in a refreshing summer salad like my Naga-imo and Umeboshi Salad.

There is also the pureed umeboshi that comes in small squeezable tubes, and the crumbled, freeze-dried (from puree) version that comes in small plastic bags. Umeboshi is considered to have health benefits, but it is also high in salt content, so beware of eating too many at one time. FYI, ume are not really plums at all, but a type of apricot. You can learn more about umeboshi from this Wikipedia entry.

sansai recipes published

This is my third center-page feature in the Japan Times ST, and the second in a series of four-course etegami recipes sharing the same seasonal ingredient. The theme of this set is spring sansai, which includes the young leaves, shoots, and buds of several edible wild plants. You may remember that I posted a photo of the actual etegami in my March 20 post.

The word-image balance of this set is an improvement over the first set, which featured lily bulbs and was published in January. But the hand-written text still takes up more space than I like, so my goal is to simplify future layouts even more. The summer menu is due by late June, and the ingredient I've chosen for that set of recipes is umeboshi (salt-pickled ume, which are often translated plum, but are actually a kind of apricot). I do so enjoy this kind of work! (happy sigh)

2015 illustrated recipes: set 2 (edible wild plants)

I've mentioned before that I was asked by the Japan Times ST to create 4 sets of illustrated recipes this year-- one for each season. For a while I was afraid I wasn't going to make the April 1 deadline for the spring set. But I find that-- for better or for worse-- deadlines hold a kind of magical power over me.

Somehow I was able to draw on hidden reserves of energy, and I managed to finish these with time to spare. I'm scared to examine them too closely lest I find new reasons to start all over from the beginning. (I do that a lot... A whole lot.)

Each recipe features what the Japanese call sansai --wild edible plants, especially those that signal the end of winter and the beginning of spring. In this case, the fiddlehead ferns, field horsetails, wild mint, butterbur, dandelions, wild mitsuba, mugwort, and even the leaves of the yaezakura cherry tree that grow in my very neglected back yard. They serve as my excuse when the neighbors wonder out loud if I ever plan to "do anything with that jungle."

The "jungle" is unclaimed by dogs or cats, untouched by either artificial fertilizer or week killer, partially-enclosed by a wall and not particularly close to heavily-trafficked roads. So it's quite safe to eat the edible weeds that grow there-- in moderation. Besides, it wouldn't be right to greet a Japanese spring without adding sansai to the menu. It just wouldn't.

works in progress (illustrated recipes)

You may remember that I have been commissioned this year by the Japan Times ST to create four sets of illustrated recipes --one for each season. I chose to feature lily bulbs in the winter set of recipes, which was published in January.

The deadline for the spring set is fast approaching, and after having been sick and unmotivated for a couple weeks, I'm glad to say that I'm finally back at work. Here's a sneak peak at two of my works-in-progress in a 4-recipe set featuring edible wild plants (some people call them weeds!).

All the "weeds" used in this set of recipes grow wild in my back yard, which-- being far enough from heavily-traveled roads, untouched by artificial chemicals, and unclaimed by dogs or cats-- I have little reason to hesitate using as my outdoor pantry.

When completed, the two cards shown here will describe recipes for (1) Butterbur Shoot (Petasites japonicus) and Miso Dip with Toast Points, and (2) Mugwort (Artemisia princeps) Cake served with Wild Mint Tea. The other two recipes in the set will be Dandelion Salad and Soba Noodles Tossed with Lemon-Garlic Fiddlehead Ferns and Field Horsetail. I'll post those pics next week.

Do you cook with wild plants? If so, please tell me what and how. Thanks!

lily bulb recipes published

The first set of the illustrated recipes I was asked to create for the Japan Times ST was published as a center spread this week. The theme of this set is  yuri-ne (lily bulb, also called lily root), which I used as the main ingredient for a soup, an appetizer, a main dish, and even a dessert!

Hokkaido produces over 95% of Japan's lily bulbs, most of which get sent south to Kyoto where they are used in classical Japanese cuisine.

Fresh lily bulbs are creamy white, and look like slightly-flattened heads of garlic. They have a delicate, mildly sweet flavor, and are crunchy when raw and silky-creamy when cooked. In classical Japanese cooking, the segments are separated, then steamed or boiled. I recently tried the very non-traditional method of roasting them whole in the oven, which intensified their flavor and texture, and was practically swept off my feet by their yumminess. Check out this link to read more about yuri-ne.

My next set of illustrated recipes will be published in April. Stay tuned!

2015 illustrated recipes: set 1 (lily bulbs)

I caught a bad cold over the holidays that I still haven't licked, but I managed to make the deadline for the first set of illustrated recipes I was asked to do for the The Japan Times-ST. It's been a while since I last painted an etegami-style illustrated recipe. If you've been following me long enough, you know I've done many in the past for They Draw and Cook, one of my favorite art & recipes sites in the whole wide world.  If you are a food-loving artist who has never submitted a recipe to TDAC, you really should. And whether or not you do that, it's loads of fun just to browse their website.

featured on tdac blog

You may remember these illustrated recipes as being three of the many that I've submitted to the They Draw and Cook website over the years. I haven't had time to submit anything new to them in a long while, but even so it turns out that I have one of the biggest collections of illustrated recipes on TDAC.  I learned of this when I stumbled across their latest blog update: Top 11 Recipe Collections. What a thrill! Thanks TDAC!

illustrated recipe contest

They Draw and Cook has announced a new illustrated recipe contest that is actually open to worldwide submissions, and not just the US (believe me, this is rare). Who wants to take up the challenge? http://www.theydrawandcook.com/glad-party

galaxy cheesecake

It's been a long long time since I added to my illustrated recipe series, but my love of cheesecake and my fascination with the "galaxy" pattern revealed in a cross-section of kiwi fruit inspired me. This is already posted on They Draw and Cook so you can see an enlarged version by clicking the link.

I'm still struggling with the gray-ish cast of my scans. I hope you can enjoy the image anyway.

holiday sweet & holiday savory

They Draw and Cook has published two delightful new collections of illustrated recipes just in time for the holidays. The first is Holiday Sweet: 40 Illustrated Holiday Recipes by Artists from Around the World. (click title to see sample pages).  It includes 40 deliciously illustrated recipes for holiday cookies, cakes, beverages and candies!  My etegami recipe for Matcha Cheesecake is included in this book! Yaaay!

The second of the two collections is Holiday Savory: 30 Illustrated Holiday Recipes by Artists from Around the World. (click title to see see sample pages.) Even if cooking isn't one of your passions, either collection makes a great coffee table book, conversation starter, or gift! Double those benefits by getting both. : )

etegami recipe card give-away

I painted each of these recipes over two washi postcards taped together side by side. They are the originals of the illustrated recipes in my gallery on the They Draw and Cook website.  Some of them are also included in my mini-book An Etegami Sampler, which can be purchased from my Etsy shop.

The colors have softened quite a bit since they were first painted, and rather than keeping them boxed away in storage where they aren't bringing new pleasure to anyone, I've decided to separate the two cards that make up each recipe, glue the two cards back to back, and laminate them for giving away to subscribers of the Etegami Fun Club Newsletter. If you become a subscriber to the newsletter, you can enter the drawing.

I have at least fifteen different illustrated recipes to give away. I cannot promise which recipe you will get if your name is picked. The drawing will be open until August 1. Winners will be announced in the September issue of the newsletter which is scheduled to be emailed to subscribers on August 15. Please indicate your desire to participate in the drawing by commenting below, OR send me a private email.

where the wild things are

This is my tribute to Maurice Sendak (June 10, 1928 – May 8, 2012), author and illustrator extraordinaire. Thank you, Maurice, for helping to awaken my love for language, and for inspiring so many delightful daydreams. All the wild plants in this recipe are found growing freely in my small, wildly neglected, and wildly alive backyard. To see my gallery of illustrated recipes, click here.

more illustrated recipes

This is one of three illustrated recipes I've submitted to the "Eat Pretty for the Holidays" contest. Salmon (especially salmon sashimi) is my favorite fish, tied for first place in my heart with Pacific Saury. You may have noticed that those fish often feature in my etegami. The deadline for submissions to the aforementioned contest is December 4, if you care to give it a try.

I'm also thrilled that my illustrated recipe for Umeboshi Cheesecake was featured in the December issue of an American cooking magazine called "Where Women Cook." The recipe spreads over two pages and includes an interview of me. (happy dance)

Click here to see my Illustrated Recipe Calendar for 2012.

more colorful produce

Hokkaido has entered the dormant season where the once-colorful leaves have crumbled to brown dust and snow will soon cover all traces of ground vegetation and even the mis-matched colors of our house roofs and automobiles.

This is when I really start appreciating the colors of our fruits and vegetables. Sure, we have beautiful produce during our brief summers, but I guess I don't appreciate their colors as much as they deserve, because, outside, the leaves on the trees are all shades of green, flowers bloom like pieces of the rainbow, and butterflies flit like floating flower petals.

In the setting of a monochromatic winter, purple-skinned sweet potatoes and persimmons the color of the sun really brighten my world. I picked out a couple samples from my illustrated recipes as evidence.

media goes wild over cookbook

It seems so long ago (at the same time it seems like just yesterday) that I first began to submit illustrated recipes to the They Draw and Cook website. It was a fun and quirky challenge, and an enormous thrill to see my etegami posted alongside some of the most delightful artwork I've ever seen. I never dreamed that one of my works would make it into TDAC's first published collection of illustrated recipes.

It seems the artists who submitted to the cookbook aren't the only ones thrilled by its quality. The media have been raving about it left and right. And for good reason. Because of its great low introductory price, I had expected an economical paperback with grainy pages. My jaw dropped when I first held it in my hands.

It's a beautifully bound hardback with a spine that allows each recipe (they spread across two adjoining pages) to lie flat without your having to use a brick to hold the pages down like you have to with lots of other cookbooks. High quality paper is used for pages. The color printing is awesome. It is thick and heavy, and exudes presence. A coffee table book rather than something to flip through while you're mixing ingredients on a messy kitchen counter. A source of unending culinary inspiration and a delight to the senses. A window into the cuisine of exotic cultures and regions, as well as dishes that are comfortably familiar. Get yourself a copy. Give someone a copy for Christmas. You won't regret it.

etegami calendar 2012

My very first attempt at putting together an etegami calendar is this Illustrated Recipes Calendar. (For Sale Here) I really wanted to make one based on my Earthquake series, but you know how important the explanatory text is for each one of those, and I haven't yet found a feasible way to combine both image and lengthy text in a calendar. If you have experience with this sort of thing, I'd appreciate advice. :)

more illustrated recipes for kids (#3)

This is my third and last submission to TDAC's Cooking 4 Kids contest. The color is more somber than my other illustrated recipes, but the fact is, I feel very passionate about lotus root. The flavor, texture, and versatility of this vegetable is enough to make it a star in my cookbook, but it's the shape that really enchants me. The cool shape adds fun and excitement to any dish you use it in. And-- assuming you have a choice-- fun food beats boring food every time.

more illustrated recipes for kids (#2)

It's been so long since my kids were little (and even longer since I was a kid), that it wasn't easy to remember what amuses a child's mind and tickles his taste buds, but I thiiiiink this recipe and illo get pretty close. This is my second submission to TDAC's Cooking 4 Kids contest. If you haven't seen my earlier submission, it's here.

illustrated recipes for kids

Here is my latest illustrated recipe. I painted it for TDAC's Cooking 4 Kids contest. It's a simplified version of the Sushi Jewels on my cooking blog Itadakimasu!