Croquettes avec Bacon and Mozzarella

Between posting status on Facebook and keeping the foodblog up, I am finding out that I have been forgetting to update "which ones!?"... Some people are online 24x7.   My threshold for online  after work is...who knows...much less than a year ago.

This is my concoction ... After seeing so many different new recipes being whipped into the new "fusion" style of this and that why not this?  I thought.   

Ingredients:

About 4 nice medium size potatoes.  Scrubbed and washed.  Boiled till cooked through - e.g. To check doneness - Stick a wooden chopsticks in without resistance.   You know how to boil potatoes right?

Run the potatoes under faucet and "slide" the peels off.  Mash them in a bowl.

Sliced Mozzarella.  The size that would be enclosed in your croquettes.  I buy a large block and cut it myself.   Unused portions are vacuum packed and refrigerated.

Prepare natural no nitrate Bacon in George Foreman's hamburger grill.  Break them into pieces that would fit into croquettes. About 1 to 1-1/2 inches.

1/2---1/4 tsp salt (optional because you are sandwiching Bacon and Mozzarella that are already salted) 

Black Pepper or white pepper

2 to 3 C PANKO bread crumbs in a large rimmed plate/dish

1---2 C flour for dipping, season it with some chili flakes, tiny pinch of lavender flakes, any other spices you want

2 to 3 large eggs.  Beat 2 eggs in a flat rimmed dish.  Add some spices, if you like.  Reserve one for later use, if needed.

Deep frying pan filled  with EVOO

Deep fryer tongue

Large receiving plate lined with Tempura papers. 

Depending on the size of croquettes you want to make, Take 1/3 C of mashed potatoes in the palm of one hand.  First make it into a snow ball then flatten it into an oval shape then place a pieces of bacons and Mozzarella and top with mashed potatoes to enclose it.  Flatten and form it into oval shape.  

Set aside and do the same for the rest.  

Heat the frying oil.  Drop a piece of mashed potato or panko.  If it starts dancing in the oil and floating, the oil is ready for frying.  Maintain medium low heat...about 325--350'F.  All you are doing is to brown the Panko--the outer shell (without burning, of course).   Coat the prepared croquette with flour, then in egg, then in Panko and fry till Golden brown.  You can also dip it in egg, then flour, egg again, then Panko to make a sturdy outer shell, if you want.

This one is without the  bacon.

Polly's Food Adventures In Japan

These are some of the photos of the popular food available in Japan.   Too bad that I only have one stomach.  I took a few pictures to satisfy my eyes.
My favorite Okonomiyaki - Japanese pancake with variety of ingredients.

 

 The interior of this OKONOMI YAKI san (Japanese Cabbage pancake)

 

This is at BAIKA Chinese Restaurant.  Banquet menu served at my friends' gathering.  They already served a few dishes of appetizers before I arrived.  They were delicious!

 

One of my favorite dish -  braised Abalone with Shiitake and chicken wings  -- this one has chicken wings in  it... that was new to me.

Ended the banquet with Almond Pudding with GOJI berries.

My first evening's dinner at one of the local eateries - Teshoku of the day.  Chahan with Ramen.

 

 

Last night in Japan, I ate my dinner at local restaurant at the train station. 

 

This 6 pc Gyoza I ate for lunch while visiting Sunshine City mall on last day in Japan.

 

I love these food models made of ??? whatever it is, I love it since I was a kid. 

Ahh... all sorts of train station eateries/restaurants, but only one stomach... This shop is specialized in fried noodle fusions.  They really love to add Japanese Mayonnaise ...

 

If you want to know all about Japanese RAMEN, then, visit SHIN-YOKOHAMA's RAUMEN Museum

 

Inside the 'RAUMEN Museum' (No, this is not a spelling mistake.  They really spell their RAMEN museum as "RAUMEN." )

 

Automated Cashier - Just add your money, then, select from the menu.  Hand your order ticket to the waiter/waitress.  Wait a moment, and they bring you Piping Hot Bowl of Freshly Made Ramen!!

 

This is my first choice.   "Thick Noodle" style with ChiaShu.  It was delicious.  The pork/ham's fat rendered itself in the Hot soup.... It tasted incredibly great!

My next choice is the Ramen shop across from the Shanghai Ramen, KUMAMOTO

Kumamoto's OOSAMA Ramen I ordered is filled with delicious pork, topped with garlic chips and black peppers with milky pork soup.  Unfortunately I became soooo Fuuull from the first bowl at the Shanghai Ramen that I was only able to finish half a bowl at the Kumamoto.   How many bowls do you think you can handle?  All seven or eight prefectures represented?

This is AOMORI prefecture's specialty - mochi cookie on the stick.

 I think this is called ROKU ROKU MEN - Cold noodle soup I had after hot spring bath SUKAYU ONSEN, AOMORI prefecture.  How long do you think you can soak in 42'C hot spring?

 At train station, Bento is made fresh at this location for the train commuters.  Can you guess what he is making?

 Buying Bento before boarding the train - normally for the Shinkansen - Bullet train riders.

 

This is my BENTO - Rice balls (in triangle shape) wrapped in Nori.

 

My quick snack - cold beer and pickled cucumber after a visit at AKITA's Tohoku ROKON Matsuri - Festivals of Six Prefectures.  A special festival to bring communities together that were affected by the Tsunami disaster.  It was a very hot day - 38'C.   I looked around for cold beer to drink at the event ground, but finally found one outside the festival.   It tasted great.  And pickled cucumber was quite refreshing.

  

Then, I spotted a vendor making my favorite TAKOYAKI.  When I heard that there is no bus service back to the train station (even though there is bus service to the festival vicinity,) I had to walk back in the hot sun... luckily I had my parasol (with UV protection).  I got hungry right there and then and my Takoyaki was calling me.  The vendor was very happy to let me take the picture.

 

I enjoyed them on the way back on board the Shinkansen. 

Sunshine City shopping mall is the mega shopping center in Ikebukuro area.   It is reachable by foot walking from my east entrance C1 straight through to C35 west exit.   It was like a mile walk within the underground train station.  The stores in there would remind you of Valley Fair in San Jose. 

 

The banner hanging overhead of escalator into Sunshine City is advertising the ongoing  GYOZA Festival and Desert Festival.  Including OKINAWA product event.

Another food for eyes only - Crepe Omelets

 Crepe and Gelato Shop

 

Japanese hold their outdoor events no different from American style.  I want to say "I was bit surprised by it."  But looks like this is very normal.

MANPAKU food festival in Tachikawa.

Miles and miles of Rice farm lands between AKITA and OOMIYA.

Found Coco's in my hometown - HIGASHINAKAGAMI.  And our family friend's CHUKA SOBA restaurant - still in business after 50 years.

 

 Takaosan area's specialty - SAN FUKU YAKI DANGOand TENGUN YAKI sweet pastry

 

 I was sooo full still from the Ramen I had at the museum.   Even after hiking 3.8 km up hill at TAKAOSAN, I only had eyes for these beautiful YAKI DANGO.   I wished I had just bought them to eat on the train, but Photos for my eyes only.

 TENGUN YAKI - specialty of Takaosan - TAKAO Mountain, is a pastry filled with sweet beans.

I wished I had purchased a dozen of it to bring back to share....

but that is it for now with photo journal.

There are more pictures at: https://picasaweb.google.com/pastrydavinci

Enjoy!