(no subject)

Since a couple of people have asked....

The butternut-squash-and-miso filling for the onigiri wasn't made with any particular recipe, but here was the method (which is quite easy):

First, I baked a butternut squash. First I skewered it with a knife (to provide a steam vent) and microwaved it for 7-10 minutes, until softened enough to be easy to cut. I let it cool a bit, then halved it lengthwise and scooped out the seeds. Then I preheated the oven to 400F, seasoned the cut sides of the squash with salt and pepper, put it on a baking sheet, lightly oiled the cut sides, and baked for half an hour, until just starting to brown.

Then, as it happened, I used the first half for pasta sauce. But the second half I wrapped well and put in the fridge, and the next day I made the butternut-miso onigiri filling.

The filling was made thusly:

Scoop out about a cup of butternut squash. Mash with the back of a spoon. Add miso. The amount will depend on the pungency of your miso—I used a fairly mild brown rice miso, and about 1/4 cup of it. Milder miso will require more, stronger/saltier miso (like red or black miso) will require less.

Mash some more. Splash in some mirin (say about another 1/4 cup). Mash some more. Stir. Taste. Adjust mirin and miso. When it tastes good (savory-salty-sweet), it is done.

If you're putting it in onigiri, pull portions out with a slotted spoon and let any accumulated moisture drip out before you us it as a filling.

(The smoked salmon and umeboshi require no recipe. The salmon was just flaked with my fingers. The umeboshi I pitted and otherwise used intact.)