tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59042038005449004272024-03-19T04:48:17.757-04:00Norio on Wine and FoodIzakaya foodUncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.comBlogger1836125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-19369156531425062882024-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:002024-03-13T06:00:00.135-04:00 “Roman” gnocchi ローマンニョキWe like gnocchi and every time we cook chicken or pork on the Weber grill, we also cook potatoes and my wife often makes gnocchi from any potatoes left over. She cooks the gnocchi and then freezes them. To serve we heat them up in the toaster oven. Recently, she saw a recipe for “Roman” gnocchi on the Washington post web site and decided she had to make it. This gnocchi is not made with potato but, instead, semolina flour. Also, instead of boiling and then pan frying it is baked (or more accurately oven fried in melted butter). We served this one evening as a part of multiple small “otoshi” snacks. It has nice crust with soft inside with buttery flavor quite different from traditional gnocchi.<br /><br />
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The <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/roman-style-gnocchi/">original recipe</a> came from Washington Post.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>:<br />
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and divided, plus more for greasing the dish<br />4 cups whole milk<br />1/4 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste<br />1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) semolina, preferably coarse<br />2 large egg yolks<br />3 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, finely grated and divided (1 1/2 lightly packed cups) (She used parmegiano reggiano<br />Freshly ground black pepper<br />
<br />Although I made the gnocchi according to the original recipe these are the changes I would make to the original recipe if I made it again. I would halve the recipe. I would significantly reduce the butter because under the original recipe the gnocchi was swimming in butter when it came out of the oven. I would cook the semolina in the milk slightly differently as described below.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>: (1/2 recipe)<br />2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and divided, plus more for greasing the dish<br />2 cups whole milk<br />1/8 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste<br />3/4 cups semolina, preferably coarse<br />1 large egg yolks<br />3/4 cup ounces finely grated cheese finely grated and divided (1 1/2 lightly packed cups)<br />Freshly ground black pepper<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.<br />Use a little butter to grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish (if using the original recipe, the smaller baking dish if using the changed recipe).<br /><br />
In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the milk and salt. Stirring and scraping the bottom of the pot with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching, bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low to prevent a boil-over.<br /><br />
Then sprinkle in the semolina, stirring constantly as you do. Cook, stirring, until the mixture is so thick that the spatula can stand in the middle without falling over, 2 to 3 minutes. (Although this is what the recipe suggests when I did it the semolina hit the hot liquid and immediately formed lumps. So in the future I suggest adding the semolina to the cool liquid and then gently heating it up. This way the semolina can be evenly distributed in the liquid before it starts to firm up when heated.)<br /><br />Let cool for a few minutes, then add half of the butter (4 tablespoons) and 1/2 cup of the cheese, stirring until the butter and cheese melt and the mixture is thoroughly combined. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and stir until incorporated. The mixture should be the texture of thick mashed potatoes.<br /><br />Scrape the semolina mixture onto a large sheet pan and use wet hands, a damp knife or offset spatula to spread it out evenly, and pat the top to smooth it. (It should be about 1/2 inch thick, but it’s okay if it’s a little thicker.) Let cool to room temperature, about 5 minutes.<br /><br />Fill a small bowl with water. Dip a two-inch cookie cutter, biscuit cutter or drinking glass in the water and use it to stamp out rounds, re- dipping frequently, or use a knife to cut it into two-inch squares. If cutting into rounds, mush together and spread out the scraps again and keep cutting, repeating until all of the mixture is used.<br /><br />Arrange the pieces in overlapping rows, like shingles, in the buttered baking dish (#2). Sprinkle them with the remaining cheese, and top with the remaining pieces of butter.<br /><br />Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is browned in spots (#3). Grind a generous amount of pepper on top and serve warm.<br /><br />
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This is very different from the gnocchi made with potatoes but it tasted pretty good and has real potential with a few changes. The outside was crispy and the inside soft. It had a pleasing mild flavor of the cheese. It may not be good for you since it has lots of cheese, egg yolks and then oven fried in melted butter. My wife thinks she could cut down on the butter next time. Although the gnocchi was litterly swimming in butter when it came out of the oven the melted butter in the baking dish was completely absorbed as it cooled.<br />Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-59838634753540609672024-03-10T06:00:00.001-04:002024-03-10T06:00:00.240-04:00Lobster salad ロブスターサラダFor the Valentine’s day dinner, we had “Surf-and-Turf” from what we had in the freezer; the meat from a package of several frozen lobster tails (we do not know where we bought them) and frozen filet mignon (from Omaha steak). I initially, thought the lobster tails which were out of the shell were raw and was going to sous vide both the lobster and the steaks. But once we thawed them, it became obvious that the package contained cooked lobster tails and several cooked pieces of claw meat. So the only thing I had to sous vide were the steaks which I then seared and covered with a port wine sauce I made. I sauteed the lobster in butter with fresh tarragon from the inside garden we have at the window and lemon juice. Both the steak and lobster were quite good. Nonetheless there was quite a good amount of lobster left over; about 4 tails and several pieces of claw meat. So, the next evening, I made this lobster salad. This was remarkably good despite the fact the ingredients were pre-cooked, frozen, thawed and cooked again. We added arugula from the window garden and skinned Campari tomatos.<br /><br />
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<b>Ingredients:</b><br />
Cooked lobster tails (about 4) and several pieces of lobster claw meat.<br />1 tbs unsalted butter <br />2 tsp lemon juice<br /><br />1 Campari tomato, skinned and halved (optional)<br />Arugula (from the window garden, optional)<br /><br />
<b>Dressing:</b><br />1 stalk of celery, strings removed, finely diced<br />2 tbs mayonnaise<br /> lemon juice from 1 lemon (I used Meyer lemon) and lemon zest<br />One scallion, finely chopped and soaked in water for 5-10 minutes, drained and moisture squeezed out<br />Salt and pepper to taste<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Mix the ingredients for dressing and set aside<br />Melt the butter in a frying pan on medium heat<br />Sauté the lobster for a few minutes until warmed up<br />Add the lemon juice and remove from the heat and let it cool down for a few minutes<br />Dress with the dressing and serve with the tomatos and arugula<br />
<br />The cooked and frozen lobster was not of the best quality but this tasted really good. It was a good decision to sauté the lobster in butter and add lemon juice. The dressing worked well with nice crunchy celery and lemony flavors.<br />Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-7715101673389171312024-03-07T06:00:00.001-05:002024-03-07T06:00:00.129-05:00 Salted oatmeal cookieWe are a big fan of <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=savory+cookies">savory cookies</a>. My wife came across this recipe for “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/salted-oatmeal-cookies/">Salted oatmeal cookies</a>” and decided to make it. It turned out this is not quite “savory” but has a nice contrast of salty and sweet and pretty good.<br /><br />
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The recipe came from <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/salted-oatmeal-cookies/">Washington Post</a>.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b> (made 33 small cookies)<br />12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks/170 grams) unsalted butter, softened<br />1 cup (220 grams) packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar<br />1 teaspoon baking powder<br />1/4 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon<br />2 large eggs<br />1 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />2 cups (180 grams) rolled oats (do not use quick-cooking or instant)<br />1 3/4 cups (219 grams) all-purpose flour Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling<br /><br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or handheld electric mixer for a few minutes on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl.<br /><br />Add the brown and granulated sugars, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon, beating on medium speed until the mixture is well blended. Reduce the speed to medium-low; add the eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until well incorporated.<br /><br />Reduce the speed to low; add the oats and flour stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and mixing just until incorporated. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, until needed.<br /><br />Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper.<br /><br />Form the dough into golf ball-size balls and place about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Sprinkle generously with flaky salt (the second picture).<br /><br />Bake one sheet at a time for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies are puffed and beginning to turn golden, being careful not to overbake. (The cookies should have a tender interior.) Transfer the cookies, still on the parchment paper, to a wire rack to cool completely.<br /><br />
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The contrast between the salt and the sweet are what really make these cookies. The out side is crunchy and the inside is soft. As you can see in the picture the oats retain their shape and provide an additional element of crunch.<br />
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-71864295679163523352024-03-04T06:00:00.018-05:002024-03-04T10:01:52.621-05:00Instant Pot BBQ Baby Back Ribs バーベキューベイビーバックリブSome time ago, we received an Instant Pot as a Christmas gift from my wife’s sister who recommended BBQ baby back ribs cooked in the pot was one of the best dishes she made. We did not have a chance to make it until now. I also made BBQ sauce. This was very good. The meat just slides off the bone and is tender but not mushy. It is a bit sweet to our taste, though. I served this after I removed the bone (picture#1).<br /><br />
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The recipe is an amalgamation from several sources.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />
1 rack of baby back pork ribs membrane removed<br /><br />Rub:<br />2 tbs brown sugar (I should omit this next time)<br />1 tsp salt<br />1 tsp black pepper<br />1 tsp cumin<br />1 tsp garlic powder<br />1 tsp onion powder<br /><br />Rib Pot:<br />1 cup Water<br />1/2 cup rice vinegar vinegar (the<span> </span>usual is to use apple cider vinegar)<br /><br />1/2 cup BBQ Sauce (recipe below)<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Combine the Rub ingredients in a small dish. Rub on the front and back of the ribs.<br />Pour Rib Pot ingredients in the bottom of the Instant pot and then place the trivet in the pot.<br />Place the ribs inside the pot, standing on their side, wrapping around the inside of the pot.<br />Choose “Stewed meat” which will set the Instant pot to high pressure and 25 minutes. I turned off “Keep warm”. Release the pressure 10 minutes after the cooking is completed (or let it depressurize naturally)<br />Remove the ribs from the pressure cooker and set on a foil lined baking sheet. Brush with BBQ sauce (picture #2) and set under the broiler until sauce begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes (picture #3).<br />
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<b>BBQ Sauce:</b><br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />1 1/2 cups brown sugar (319.5 grams) packed 1 1/2 cups ketchup (352.5 grams)<br />1/2 cup apple rice vinegar (119.29 ml)<br />1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce<br />2 teaspoons paprika<br />2 teaspoons onion powder 1 teaspoon black pepper<br />2 teaspoons kosher salt<br /><br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />1. Combine all the ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat.<br />2. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.<br /><br />
The length of the cooking in the Instant pot determine how tender the meat will be. We cooked it for 25 minutes which appears to be just right. It is tender and bone comes out easily but not too mushy. Next time, I will omit the brow sugar form the dry rub and reduce the brown sugar from the BBQ sauce.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-5687276884442979622024-03-01T06:00:00.002-05:002024-03-01T06:00:00.287-05:00“Maitake” Hen of Woods Mushroom in Brown Butter and Sage 焦がしバーターとセージ風味舞茸We like mushrooms. We used to get fresh mushrooms from <a href="https://www.oregonmushrooms.com/">Oregon mushrooms</a> (on-line order) and Whole Foods but recently, we have been getting many different kinds of fresh mushrooms from Weee. Besides the usual kinds of mushrooms, we can get from any grocery store, we can get shiitake 椎茸 (Good quality), enoki エノキ, kikurage 木耳 (wood ear), shimeji しめじ, king trumpet, and maitake 舞茸 (hen of woods), and hiratake 平茸 (oyster).We usually get several kinds of mushrooms when we order groceries from them. This time beside the usual shiitake and shimeji, we got maitake. When we had shad roe, I served maitake cooked in brown sage butter as a side which was really great. (My wife may have liked the mushroom more than the shad roe.)<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFimDOZB-pe03Cf5Bs7tGG1wkDEexkUPEkON9VqlvXel-HwFPBl84xLnPfKjSA8w58DcOhWv61FueL0obvF89VlAyzS4v-EReten35d9GnEXAHT5fYNk0NYpY6mV2yPmWC3Lp_tpGUlwcMh8NXuqIoAdIfYbk63I06jVoRHG2peuV_0PJ1pLwjm5yMqo9/s2511/IMG_3940.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1696" data-original-width="2511" height="346" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaFimDOZB-pe03Cf5Bs7tGG1wkDEexkUPEkON9VqlvXel-HwFPBl84xLnPfKjSA8w58DcOhWv61FueL0obvF89VlAyzS4v-EReten35d9GnEXAHT5fYNk0NYpY6mV2yPmWC3Lp_tpGUlwcMh8NXuqIoAdIfYbk63I06jVoRHG2peuV_0PJ1pLwjm5yMqo9/s320/IMG_3940.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This recipe came from “<a href="http://Foragerchef.com">Foragerchef.com</a>”. The original recipe calls for a large amount of mushrooms. I scaled it down.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><b>Ingredients</b><br />One package (35g) fresh hen of the woods (This was the size of the package I got), separated into a few fronds each in thin, long pieces</div><div>2 tbs (or about 40grams) unsalted butter</div><div>1 garlic clove finely chopped <br />5-6 fresh sage leaves (from our herb garden, I used whole leaves, since they would be easier to remove from the browned butter later)</div><div>2 tbs dry white wine (I used sake)<br />2 tbs chicken stock (our usual Swanson low salt no fat)<br />
1⁄4 teaspoon kosher salt<br />
A few turns of the pepper mill to taste<br />
A squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />In a frying pan with high sides, add the butter and the sage. Heat the butter on medium heat until melted and sizzling and brown bits appear (usual brown butter process). When the butter has reached the desired level of brown, remove the sage leaves. Then add the stock or water, salt, a few turns of fresh pepper from the pepper mill and the mushrooms. Cover with a lid, increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring occasionally to coat the hens with the pan juices for about 10-15 minutes.<div><br /></div><div>Finishing and serving</div><div>Continue cooking the mushrooms until the liquid is gone and there’s only butter. Stir the mushroom to coat with the juices, then taste a piece and adjust the salt as necessary until it tastes good to you.</div><div>Cook until the mushrooms have just started to brown lightly on the edges. Turn the heat down a bit. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two more. Add the wine and the squeeze of lemon, simmer for a minute to cook off the alcohol.</div><div><br /></div><div>This maitake is very good with sage and brown butter and garlic flavors are nice with the almost meaty texture and flavor of the mushroom. </div><div><br /></div></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-69402599757374498772024-02-27T06:00:00.000-05:002024-02-27T06:00:00.167-05:00Pickled Cucumber キュウリの漬物We really like <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/10/marinated-tsukemono-daikon.html">the pickled daikon</a> which I posted before. I am making it regularly. As I mentioned in the previous post, the marinade contains a good amount of sugar and when I placed the daikon in the marinade, the marinade was basically a slurry i.e. not liquid. It weighed a total of 170 grams (120g sugar 25 gram vinegar, 12 gram sake, 15 gram salt, and 10 gram sake). But after 1-2 days, the moisture extracted from the daikon made the slurry into a liquid. Previously I discarded the marinade after the pickled daikon was finished. But this time I decided to experiment and added several whole American mini-cucumbers into the leftover marinade to see what would happen. After two days, the cucumber looked wrinkled. Nonetheless the result was surprisingly good. The cucumber tasted fresh and had some crunch left but was not raw. Initially I thought it was too sweet but the next day, the sweetness dissipated and just complemented the fresh taste of the cucumber. <br /><br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEMmkVBiGkcTpUwWbCJYtL61buE176a2C1iQCgy4tiXFZc1FxD3gXQQgZ2XWfQWdPQMVpKL4eOMSfJIq7xck-nL_RNqcFMwhdld9cBixGOP1ouBhtMyW7SAcwIda2-RW-dgDwdupjnGEcS66Q-9dOrvlJ2FNFj_Q9H25_sQ2c_el0zC1WhrLf-ZziQpHi/s4032/IMG_3900.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigEMmkVBiGkcTpUwWbCJYtL61buE176a2C1iQCgy4tiXFZc1FxD3gXQQgZ2XWfQWdPQMVpKL4eOMSfJIq7xck-nL_RNqcFMwhdld9cBixGOP1ouBhtMyW7SAcwIda2-RW-dgDwdupjnGEcS66Q-9dOrvlJ2FNFj_Q9H25_sQ2c_el0zC1WhrLf-ZziQpHi/s320/IMG_3900.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />I wanted to see how the marinade changed after I used it for both the diakon and the cucumber. I did this by weighing it. I weighed the marinade both before and after the daikon and cucumbers were done. Before I put in the diakon, the marinade weighed 170 grams. After the diakon had been in the marinade for 2-3 weeks I removed it and weighed the marinade. It was 343 grams; meaning that 173 grams of liquid were extracted from the daikon and replaced in the diakon by the salt and flavoring of the marinade. In essence the moisture extracted from the diakon doubled the total volume of the liquid. I then added 4 American mini-cucumbers to the 343 grams of marinade and after 1week I removed the cucumber and weighed the marinade. It had increased to 398 grams. (An additional 55 grams of liquid from the cucumbers were added to the marinade). I am not sure how many times I can reuse the marinade like this but it is good to know that I can use it for at least one batch of cucumbers after marinating the diakon and the cucumbers come out nicely. <div><br /></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-7357137937070845512024-02-24T06:00:00.014-05:002024-02-24T06:00:00.142-05:00Shad roe pasta シャドロウパスタThis was the second dish we made using shad roe. Since we like <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2009/11/spaghetti-with-cod-roe.html">“tarako” pasta</a> たらこパスタ (using Japanese udon うどんnoodle), we decide to try “shad roe” pasta. Our version of tarako pasta starts with caramelizing onion and instead of spaghetti, we use thin udon noodles (“ito-udon” 糸うどん). This time we had a small amount of leftover shimeji mushroom, so we added it. It is amazing that this dish tasted exactly like one with tarako cod roe. Definitly this is a good dish to make with shad roe. We topped this with thin strips of nori seaweed (“kizami nori”) (picture #1).<div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDxyAwqhWFpkzTEKp0s_rq4DUsG0wp45cpP_77z7MRyPNT_xz_CY1IPk7_iMAlECbPwbzNRsv9-12igY7nQIMbWYEMPfo2eThgxP-teEunD0W34d-hzAYpOLCMYG3mYzdc8VapguCQNi3V24MTUhoRHOahTjS2HkyCMh9-UBqfoDsrXVHgvLyBD2ZqJT5T/s2731/IMG_3960.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDxyAwqhWFpkzTEKp0s_rq4DUsG0wp45cpP_77z7MRyPNT_xz_CY1IPk7_iMAlECbPwbzNRsv9-12igY7nQIMbWYEMPfo2eThgxP-teEunD0W34d-hzAYpOLCMYG3mYzdc8VapguCQNi3V24MTUhoRHOahTjS2HkyCMh9-UBqfoDsrXVHgvLyBD2ZqJT5T/s320/IMG_3960.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div>Picture #2 is before we added the nori. you can see the roe and shimeji mushroom and caramelized onion.</div><div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqT2NoYWwUlirt2VoQ4_KbbToLzGxUKWQMd14dk-2ylNwYa03WKYk4GCYhItosGu1K88Bsn2ldi2fdt3UA70yZIoGeRmazoCVjjvfwvIwt3M-FjkwjfQM49LcLMvv_0ZMkrQqu5fIUTtBYUGyAd-Dv4Ljn-5iI2H22deSzzA0rLxOESzWXxLNvdkZaMtBo/s2731/IMG_3958.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqT2NoYWwUlirt2VoQ4_KbbToLzGxUKWQMd14dk-2ylNwYa03WKYk4GCYhItosGu1K88Bsn2ldi2fdt3UA70yZIoGeRmazoCVjjvfwvIwt3M-FjkwjfQM49LcLMvv_0ZMkrQqu5fIUTtBYUGyAd-Dv4Ljn-5iI2H22deSzzA0rLxOESzWXxLNvdkZaMtBo/s320/IMG_3958.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><b>Ingredients</b>: (2 small servings)</div><div>Half sac of shad roe, scraped off from the membrane</div><div>Two servings of cooked thin udon noodles</div><div>1 onion, cut into thin slices</div><div>shimeji mushroom, optional</div><div>1 tbs vegetable oil and 1 tsp sesame oil</div><div>1 tbs lemon juice</div><div><br /></div><div>Marinade for shad roe</div><div>1 tbs sake</div><div>1 tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce (or soy sauce)</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Directions</b>:</div><div>Add the shad roe to the marinade and let it marinate at least 30 minutes or overnight in the refrigerator (#1 in the composite)</div><div>Add the oil to a frying pan on low heat, add the onion and caramelize (10-15 minutes)</div><div>Add the mushroom and cook for 1-2 minutes and add the cooked noodle (#2 in the composite)</div><div>Add the shad roe with the marinade (#3 in the composite)</div><div>Mix and cook for 1-2 minutes, taste and if needed add salt (#4)</div><div>Off the heat, add the lemon juice and mix</div><div>Serve with a garnish of nori strips (picture #1)</div><div><br /><p></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RiQAFy5ZgQ8iOejs-gHJTDyAYAFjFKx6EfEnEpQNc2bXp_KHwn4d-Nv7-uGi0S0_A5zdAYoseTFIDFZke1mPZ8MWAwI6oQADybfaxrfcD9-VgfdidDjzlX_7R0RlWOC_nUNMnMBqiIduOqLnXFmod9BvA_Qm0tYV-T4hgwRf8EuuAdDS5ttt3vmatM-j/s512/shad%20roe%20pasta%20comp.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RiQAFy5ZgQ8iOejs-gHJTDyAYAFjFKx6EfEnEpQNc2bXp_KHwn4d-Nv7-uGi0S0_A5zdAYoseTFIDFZke1mPZ8MWAwI6oQADybfaxrfcD9-VgfdidDjzlX_7R0RlWOC_nUNMnMBqiIduOqLnXFmod9BvA_Qm0tYV-T4hgwRf8EuuAdDS5ttt3vmatM-j/s320/shad%20roe%20pasta%20comp.jpg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br /></div><div>This is a good dish and we really like it. Only problem (?) is that we cannot tell the difference between tarako pasta and this dish except the grain of the roe is larger in the shad roe. Both taste good but the difference is negligible. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-14555376981433717092024-02-21T06:00:00.001-05:002024-02-21T06:00:00.566-05:00Simmered Shad Roe with Vegetables シャッドロウの煮付け I usually make this from <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2011/04/simmered-tarako-cod-roe.html">“tarako” cod roe</a> たらこの煮付け. Since we got some shad roe, I figured the same recipe should work and tried it. I also added daikon and carrot and garnished with <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2010/11/snap-peas-in-dashi-broth.html">salt broth soaked sugar snap</a> スナップ豌豆の塩びたし. I served this as a small appetizer dish. It is good but tasted very similar to the tarako version. The vegetables are good as they soaked up the flavor of the broth.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4LSIZgb-kBzo3kEv-PUPMUJX8EmFLL0tvhfuI07oryMZTio1aBi8QOyqp_D-3XDhgBiqTm8CmbiMrixZspwGh2b3ANLC8IXXcFUEtZMnY3wkGKKMnRjHv-zUmn0GpCCLB9visQwbs_Q1uzkaM1ti61Tgi4iGqfqA3A9yeWG9vlwdQN5EG0kNUBlk8U1B/s4032/IMG_3961.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi4LSIZgb-kBzo3kEv-PUPMUJX8EmFLL0tvhfuI07oryMZTio1aBi8QOyqp_D-3XDhgBiqTm8CmbiMrixZspwGh2b3ANLC8IXXcFUEtZMnY3wkGKKMnRjHv-zUmn0GpCCLB9visQwbs_Q1uzkaM1ti61Tgi4iGqfqA3A9yeWG9vlwdQN5EG0kNUBlk8U1B/s320/IMG_3961.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MDYpkQtST2CLKu2f5xJM1LSDoPIq9pFnBRFQtBr-QovW2rOFpmTnVFwSJlTVb2cvdHmXFnYnGT-1eqNiwYqF24aNYXaWnP-bWj8PcDxSJjke_aPuFDVQL-oaLUyO4Aa9MKXUUshVvH-MQw8m76L5zRCvgnSmvyli3m3GN8x8z_BBxVhCGchHQVOCbwu4/s4032/IMG_3964.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2MDYpkQtST2CLKu2f5xJM1LSDoPIq9pFnBRFQtBr-QovW2rOFpmTnVFwSJlTVb2cvdHmXFnYnGT-1eqNiwYqF24aNYXaWnP-bWj8PcDxSJjke_aPuFDVQL-oaLUyO4Aa9MKXUUshVvH-MQw8m76L5zRCvgnSmvyli3m3GN8x8z_BBxVhCGchHQVOCbwu4/s320/IMG_3964.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<b>Ingredients</b>:<br />Half sac of shad roe, roe sac (membrane) cut lengthwise only on one side and then cut across to bite size.<br />1 tsp ginger root, peeled and julienned<br />Precooked daikon and carrot (optional)<br /><br />Cooking liquid<br />1/2 cup Japanese dashi broth (from dash packs, bonito and kelp)<br />1 tbs mirin<br />1-2 tbs x4 Japanese noodle sauce or soy sauce<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Add the ginger to the cooking liquid and heat up to simmer<br />Add the roe and gently simmer for 10-15 minutes (roe will “blossom” since one side is still connected to the roe sac membrane)<br />I also added precooked (boiled) daikon and carrot to the simmering broth<br /><br />This is a good appetizer dish.<br />Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-38875636627461160692024-02-18T06:00:00.107-05:002024-02-18T06:00:00.429-05:00 Cranberry Camembert cheese bites クランベリーソース、カマンベールチーズ バイツWe, especially my wife, like small appetizers or bites. She came across this recipe on-line and decide to make it. We had leftover “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2017/05/figgy-cranberry-sauce-version-3-v3.html">figgy cranberry sauce</a>” which I had made for Thanksgiving. The original recipe called for brie cheese but she used camembert instead. These small bits are good but the cheese did not melt much and did not impart much flavor. This can be improved upon but has potential to be a very good appetizer. She tried two versions; one with the cranberry sauce on the top (picture #1) and one with the cranberry on the bottom (#2). Both tasted the same but the cranberry sauce on the top looked better to us.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwHku-uIJO9nnkCSt-m0oqzpl1DJkd5Mw1-HHfXG5l62GpgcS5G2pIcZbOeqxgbDC0dk0aXzWW70eWkMFScn1-shenCvRj19DdDjSZcdo7JIaUz3GzoW2xSsvxySHmnDr_rzJ1Q99d_yrB20C7qbn9tSZtxjcdmtjWR2Y7FCO5Zh1oJdnfOshhkEcW91y/s2540/IMG_3932.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2203" data-original-width="2540" height="445" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHwHku-uIJO9nnkCSt-m0oqzpl1DJkd5Mw1-HHfXG5l62GpgcS5G2pIcZbOeqxgbDC0dk0aXzWW70eWkMFScn1-shenCvRj19DdDjSZcdo7JIaUz3GzoW2xSsvxySHmnDr_rzJ1Q99d_yrB20C7qbn9tSZtxjcdmtjWR2Y7FCO5Zh1oJdnfOshhkEcW91y/s320/IMG_3932.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadpNwWwNw_7kYi9s4lIobxXKi_xgPN8ebgW9bxeDPNqxIyxzOQT4reFjWwgamdQgXbMsxUIUQX3X6dCYhdY989Caycjjf0SZurYipp3vAB9EnD4X8FalonKRgDAJtv1iaiYt4NM66p2kiqgcatbwN-5u-5oOXA0Mjs4VSBRLJ-GiVzuBVkgb-FV_Y59L3/s2507/IMG_3934.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2232" data-original-width="2507" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjadpNwWwNw_7kYi9s4lIobxXKi_xgPN8ebgW9bxeDPNqxIyxzOQT4reFjWwgamdQgXbMsxUIUQX3X6dCYhdY989Caycjjf0SZurYipp3vAB9EnD4X8FalonKRgDAJtv1iaiYt4NM66p2kiqgcatbwN-5u-5oOXA0Mjs4VSBRLJ-GiVzuBVkgb-FV_Y59L3/s320/IMG_3934.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
The original “<a href="https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/259545/cranberry-brie-bites/">Cranberry Brie Bites</a>” recipe came from “All Recipes”.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />
1 (8 ounce) round Camembert cheese<br />1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (suggest pie crust or wonton skin could be used too)<br />1⁄2 cup cranberry sauce (we used <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2017/05/figgy-cranberry-sauce-version-3-v3.html">figgy cranberry sauce</a>)<br />1⁄2 cup finely chopped walnuts sea salt to taste<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />Remove and discard rind from Camembert cheese. (Place cheese in the freezer for 20 minutes to make it easier to cut).<br />Meanwhile, oil a 24-cup mini muffin pan with butter.<br />Roll puff pastry sheet out into a 10x14-inch rectangle. Cut sheet lengthwise into 4 even strips and then crosswise into 6 even strips, making 24 squares. Separate squares and gently press each one into a prepared muffin cup (#3). (Following these instructions resulted in rectangular squares which did not fit well into the muffin cup. We found the pieces had to be either square or round to fit properly.) <br />Remove chilled Camembert from the freezer; cut into 24 pieces, approximately 3/4-inch in size.<br />Add 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce to each pastry-lined muffin cup, then press in a piece of Brie and top with 1 teaspoon chopped walnuts. Season each bite with a pinch of sea salt. Transfer muffin pan to the refrigerator and chill for at least 30 minutes, or cover and chill for up to 3 days. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).<br />Bake bites in the preheated oven until golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes (#4)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOnhhbFDBsVKfErfar76MEUAmTWoEOgMZnVXld3XCZIjl3_dzVtda_Ps78B9WyNC9NPDC5Ka8RuyYlL22HwECt0wHml2YcsocO_c-qo1ly8wCEEwDc7cTxPnxBiCKOIx5uADF2rmpJ1J3UbrApjQkHYnFJ1UhkDDVPSEA4Jyj-iG-S9n6GW7zFDyMFAYn/s2731/IMG_3922.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCOnhhbFDBsVKfErfar76MEUAmTWoEOgMZnVXld3XCZIjl3_dzVtda_Ps78B9WyNC9NPDC5Ka8RuyYlL22HwECt0wHml2YcsocO_c-qo1ly8wCEEwDc7cTxPnxBiCKOIx5uADF2rmpJ1J3UbrApjQkHYnFJ1UhkDDVPSEA4Jyj-iG-S9n6GW7zFDyMFAYn/s320/IMG_3922.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
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The most difficult part of the recipe is making the pastry cups. My wife said, she saw little point in using puff pastry since there was little room for it to expand in this preparation. She said next time she may use either commercial pie crust or wonton skin. The combination of the cranberry sauce and walnuts worked very well together. The cheese contributed little flavor but a slightly chewy texture. Next time we’ll try a nice savory cheddar.<br /><br />
P.S. Recently we were expecting 3-6 inches accumulation of snow overnight. Fortunately, the temperature was not low enough for that to happen and the accumulation was much less than expected. In addition most of the snow melted from the pavement. The grassy areas and trees, however, were covered with snow including the Japanese plum tree in our back yard that was in full bloom. This has happened several times in the past. It is one of the remarkable characteristics of this type of plum tree. It blooms early in the year; late January to early March. Yet the tree and blossoms survive even when hit with the snowy cold weather characteristic of that time of year. Also, the blossoms exude a lovely fragrance which gently wafts across the yard when it is in bloom. It is a remarkable experience to breathe in that lovely smell while looking at blossoms completely covered in snow such as the ones shown here. <div><br /><div>
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</div></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-64420660896030462832024-02-15T09:37:00.008-05:002024-02-15T09:53:47.449-05:00Shad Roe from South Carolina 南キャロライナからのシャド魚卵Although fish roe are very popular in Japan, it is not common in U.S.. Few exceptions are, of course <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=caviar">caviar</a>, <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2013/04/bottarga_9.html">bottargo</a>, and <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2012/05/pan-fried-shad-roe-with-bacon.html">shad roe</a>. We posted a <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2012/05/pan-fried-shad-roe-with-bacon.html">shad roe dish in 2012</a> but since then we have not had it until now. Turns out my wife’s sister loves shad roe. (According to my wife when she was a kid shad was considered a “trash” fish but the roe were considered a delicacy. Her grandfather particularly liked shad roe and shad roe season was an eagerly anticipated event. He particularly like the roe sautéed with bacon and served with eggs for breakfast. Due to her grandfather’s enthusiasm my wife ate a fair amount of shad roe in her childhood.) My wife’s sister apparently inherited Grandad’s appreciation for shad roe and had an arrangement with a company called “<a href="https://www.charlestonseafood.com/">Charleston Sea Food</a>” in South Carolina. They call her every year to let her know when the season opened and she would immediately sign up for a delivery. Although she would relay the information to my wife, my wife had not inherited Grandad’s level of appreciation and previously never pursued purchasing some. But this year we decided to try it. We got 4 sets meaning 4 pairs of egg sacs (minimum you could buy). It comes fresh vacuum packed and can be easily frozen for later use. It arrived in ice packs (picture #3). As before, we cooked in the very traditional way; pan fried in bacon drippings (#1). I fried blanched broccoli in the same frying pan as well as sage brown butter maitake 舞茸 “hen of woods” mushroom (subject to a separate post) as sides.<br /><br />
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You can see the grain of the roe on the cut surface (picture #2). This is much coarser than “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2009/11/julienned-potatoes-with-spicy-cod-roe.html">tarako</a>” たらこ cod roe or “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2011/01/kazunoko-herring-roe.html">kazunoko</a>” 数の子 herring roe. The texture and flavor are difficult to describe but we like it. To me this reminded me of the roe of a Japanese fish called “Hatahata” <a href="https://cookpad.com/recipe/4854313">ハタハタ</a> but the Japanese fish has a different texture (a bit slippery texture).<br /><br />
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We cooked exactly the same as before (in the previous post) but I did not finish it in the oven. I repeat this again for my convenience.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>: (small servings for two of us, this will be one serving for most)<br />
One sac (half of one set, picture #3 g one set, came fresh and vacuum packed ) of shad roe, removing attached vessels etc but keep membrane intact<br />2 strips of bacon<br />6 florets of blanched broccoli (optional)<br />Salt and pepper<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />
Fry the bacon until crispy and fat rendered, remove the bacon and set aside on paper towel lined plate leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.<br />Add the shad roe and adjust the flame to medium.<br />After one side is browned (5 minutes) turn it over cook for another 5 minutes (picture #4). Place the lid and cook 5-10 minutes until fully cooked (no pink inside)<br />Add the broccoli 5 minutes before the roe is finished and season with salt and pepper<br />Season it with salt and pepper<br />I cut into short segments and served.<br /><br />
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This was not bad at all. I served it with sides of the broccoli and hen of woods mushrooms which went well. I will try cooking it Japanese style to see how that works. I have to say shad roe fits seamlessly into my Japanese fish roe palette…also, I have to appreciate that my wife’s Grandad was a man of fine taste.<br />
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-72172784883995850732024-02-11T06:00:00.000-05:002024-02-11T06:00:00.131-05:00Sweet Onion Bread Pudding 玉ねぎのブレッドプディングI do not know how my wife decided to make this dish. She apparently saw this recipe on line and decided to make it. The recipe calls for cubes of bread. She did not feel like using o<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=milk+bread">ur home-baked milkbread or other breads we baked</a>. So we ended up getting a loaf of whole wheat bread from Whole Foods. Although the original recipe was called “soufflé”, this is not a souffle. My wife decide to call it “bread pudding”. In any case, this is a good side dish. For the first time we tasted it, onion flavor was sort of strong (even though we used sweet onion and sautéed for a long time). But it calmed down and eventually tasted just right. It heats up nicely by briefly microwaving. As shown in the picture we served this as a snack with Greek rice stuffed grape leaves (dolma or dolmadakia, store bought)<br /><br />
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The recipe came from “<a href="https://www.southernliving.com/recipes/vidalia-onion-souffle-recipe">Southern living</a>”.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients: Recipe X 1/2<br /></b>
1 tablespoon butter<br />2 cups chopped Vidalia onions<br />1 cups fresh bread cubes (crusts removed) <br />6 oz. evaporated milk<br />2 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />3/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (or combination of other cheeses)<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients (Original recipe)</b><br />2 tablespoons butter<br />4 cups chopped Vidalia onions<br />2 cups fresh bread cubes (crusts removed)<br />1 (12-oz.) can evaporated milk<br />3 large eggs, lightly beaten<br />1 1/4 cups shredded Parmesan cheese (or combination of other cheeses)<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add chopped onion, and sauté 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.<br />Place onion and bread cubes in a large bowl. Stir in milk, eggs, 1 cup cheese, and salt. Pour into a lightly greased soufflé or baking dish. (For 1/2 recipe I used the smallest pyrex baking dish). Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese.<br />Bake at 350 ̊ for 25 minutes or until set.<br /><br />
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This is basically an onion flavored bread pudding. It is very flavorful (and very rich). Initially the onion was quite strong. It got better with time as the onion flavor blended into the cheese and bread. The 1/2 recipe was perfect for us.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-79177752384995197182024-02-08T08:26:00.000-05:002024-02-08T08:26:16.058-05:00Grated Lotus Root and Tofu Ball レンコンと豆腐まんじゅうThis is a variation of “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=renkon">renkon ball</a>” (renkon manju レンコン饅頭) I posted before. Besides grated renkon lotus root, it also uses tofu. Since I had the last of the lotus root and half of the tofu, this was a perfect dish to make. I got the idea watching one of the YouTube cook shows. This is a basic version but I could add more items to make it more interesting. I could have made some kind of broth or sauce but this was pretty good as is. Picture #1 shows the cut surface with small chunks of tofu. This has nice soft interior and crunchy crust. When I made this dish I also made “nagaimo” fries which turned out really good and will be the subject of separate post (picture #1 right lower).<br /><br />
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<b>Ingredients</b>:<br />
200 grams lotus root, peeled and grated, moisture drained out naturally<br />300 grams tofu, moisture drained<br />3 tbs Potato starch<br />1/2 tsp grated ginger<br />1 tsp miso (original recipe calls for 1/2 tbs soy sauce, I used miso since the dough was bit runny)<br />Flour for dredging.<br />Oil for deep frying.<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Add the grated lotus root, tofu, potato starch, ginger and miso and mix well until smooth. Add more starch if too watery/soft.<br />Using the ice cream scoop, make equal sized balls, dredge in the flour and deep fry at 160-180F oil for 3-4 minutes turning a few times until the outside is nicely brown (picture #2).<br /><br />
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Initially, I served these hot but it can be heated up nicely in the toaster oven. It is seasoned but you could add soy sauce with grated ginger or some type of hot broth. If I make this again I could add chopped scallion, cut up shrimp, ginko nuts, mushrooms etc to make it more interesting.<BR /><BR />
A few days later, I tried to make a dish (soup) with the leftover renkon balls (picture #3). I made this for lunch. I made it a few hours ahead and re-heated just before serving. The idea was good but the execution was not so great. While the renkon balls were sitting in the broth they absorbed the broth and mostly disintegrated as you can see in the picture #3. It still tasted good. <BR /><BR />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIerrfLqV7Q6LOjbyMWNMlTWXyzPtyAUIeFgrXYjBBxEjnULKR5eLxpZ4DUEdexf6wubzzDa5frncnIf_J5-buhHnZ6iqXiSPVjXAOy5crS99SGdBGStSsZOVoFqc4XyVhcN78u6StIPgrd82gWaFJKqBahRqyJWlJ_kDmMWxsl1CXS3CYJOB_jx3bFdU/s2731/IMG_3920.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrIerrfLqV7Q6LOjbyMWNMlTWXyzPtyAUIeFgrXYjBBxEjnULKR5eLxpZ4DUEdexf6wubzzDa5frncnIf_J5-buhHnZ6iqXiSPVjXAOy5crS99SGdBGStSsZOVoFqc4XyVhcN78u6StIPgrd82gWaFJKqBahRqyJWlJ_kDmMWxsl1CXS3CYJOB_jx3bFdU/s320/IMG_3920.jpeg" width="512" /></a><BR /></div><br />
This is mostly leftover control and there is no recipe but this is how I made it.
<div><br /><b>Ingredients</b>: (for the soup)<br />
4 Renkon balls, cut in half<br />
Half package of brown shimeji mushroom, root end removed and separated<br />
1 inch daikon, peeled and drained<br />
1 spring onion, finely chopped<br />
Cooked udon noodle, amount arbitrary, this was leftover<br /><br />
For broth:<br />
2 cup Japanese broth (from dashi pack)<br />
1 tbs each of sake and mirin<br />
1/4 cup of x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce (or taste)<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />
Add the ingredients for the broth in sauce pan and heat to simmer<br />
Add the grated daikon, renkon balls and mushroom and simmer.<br />
Add the noodles and scallion<br />
Serve while hot*<br /><br />
* as I mentioned, I made this ahead of time and reheated before lunch. That was a mistake, the renkon balls absorbed the broth and mostly disintegrated. Nonetheless it tasted good and the addition of grated daikon added flavor and cut the oily taste from the renkon ball.<br /><br /></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-12494811940576236052024-02-03T11:26:00.000-05:002024-02-03T11:26:05.244-05:00Chestnut, Brown Butter, Sage Muffin 栗の粉とセイジマフィンThis fall we bought a new batch of chestnut flour. It was to replace the previous batch we had been storing in the freezer that had a Best-Use-By (BUB) date of 2015. The new batch came in bulk; 3 bags of flour. Given this “plenitude”, my wife was trying to come up with new dishes to use the chestnut flour. She came across a recipe for “<a href="https://www.seriouseats.com/chestnut-sage-muffins-recipe">chestnut and sage muffin</a>” at the “Serious eats” site. This was a perfect recipe to use for 2 reasons: 1) as previously stated we had an abundance of chestnut flour and 2) The sage bush in our herb garden still had nice lush green leaves despite several cold days and snow. The muffin was really good. Nice sage and brown butter flavor and chestnut flour made this muffin very light and moist.<br /><br />
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I ask my wife to continue as usual.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients:</b> (makes 12 small muffins)<br />Several bunches of sage (with about 5 leaves on each, one of which used in the browned butter the other steeped in the milk).<br />6 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />2/3 cup milk<br />3/4 cup all purpose flour<br />3/4 cup chestnut flour<br />1/4 cup sugar<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1/2 teaspoon salt<br />2/3 cup yogurt<br />1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract<br /><br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b> X2: (suggested to make larger muffins)<br />
Several bunches of sage (one of which used in the browned butter the other steeped in the milk. The more leaves use the more intense the sage flavor).<br />12 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />1 1/3 cup milk<br />1 1/2 cup all purpose flour<br />1 1/2 cup chestnut flour<br />1/2 cup sugar<br />4 teaspoons baking powder<br />2 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />1 1/3 cup yogurt<br />1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine milk and sage in small saucepan and heat to a bare simmer, then remove from heat and cover. Allow to steep at least 10 minutes, then remove sage, squeezing as much milk as possible from sage before discarding.<br />2. Place butter and remaining sage in small saucepan and heat over medium until melted and foamy. Allow to cook until liquid butter is golden brown and solids at bottom are deep brown and smell nutty. Transfer to a heatproof container, remove the sage and make sure to scrape out as much of the browned butter solids as possible.<br />3. Combine all purpose flour, chestnut flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium mixing bowl. Sift if necessary, or simply whisk together. In separate mixing bowl, combine sage milk, sage butter, yogurt and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Gently fold the wet ingredients into the dry until all streaks of flour are incorporated and batter is fluffy and slightly lumpy. Divide evenly between cups in a 12 cup muffin pan lined with paper cups. Bake 7 minutes, then rotate pan and bake another 3-5 minutes, until a skewer inserted into muffin comes out clean. Be careful not to overbake. Allow to cool in pan slightly before transferring to rack to finish cooling.<br /><br />
These are truly remarkable muffins. They are a combination of unexpected tastes that work extremely well together. The combination of browned butter and sage came through with a pleasing robustness. The chestnut flour added a slightly nutty dimension. The chestnut flour also contributes to the very light and tender texture of the muffin. While these muffins were a bit of surprise flavor-wise they were also a great new discovery. Next time we’ll double the recipe so the muffins are a bit larger.<br /><br />
P.S. In early February, the plum tree in our yard started blooming. It is always amazing and nice to see this when it is still winter and the weather is still cold. It is such a nice early harbinger of hope for the upcoming spring.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHvgGnDotA5tqWuOkEVMohE86viojZrp7aWlkL9GL8BfHv674eF7htbh2gwFRL794UvT6C3a60kZeJf0ykydm9uEElRDPSW4uOzm59d6lvfl_Q6dp9h8iioxYmejXcauvfYGiXJQKxzZKsXiEQlJ13MfeoML5uft5Z3GFzP0fuNCMWcDPli4RMmTKDPsm/s2992/DSC_0769.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2992" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTHvgGnDotA5tqWuOkEVMohE86viojZrp7aWlkL9GL8BfHv674eF7htbh2gwFRL794UvT6C3a60kZeJf0ykydm9uEElRDPSW4uOzm59d6lvfl_Q6dp9h8iioxYmejXcauvfYGiXJQKxzZKsXiEQlJ13MfeoML5uft5Z3GFzP0fuNCMWcDPli4RMmTKDPsm/s320/DSC_0769.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div>Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-87196023932818749672024-01-28T06:00:00.053-05:002024-01-31T17:03:57.848-05:00Beef with Kon-nyaku and Vegetable “Kimpira” Stir-fry 牛肉と蒟蒻の金平We were having some very extremely cold and snowy weather recently. One of the best dishes for this kind of cold weather is <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=sukiyaki">sukiyaki</a> すき焼きand similar <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=nabe">nabe</a> 鍋 dishes. We recently got thinly sliced (2mm in thickness) beef rib eye for sukiyaki from <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/03/sukiyaki-made-with-beef-and-edible.html">Weee</a>. This is not top quality beef but it is very reasonably priced and quite good. So, one very cold evening, we cooked sukiyaki at the table and had it with <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/12/electric-sake-warmer.html">hot sake</a> 燗酒. The package included 1lb of beef, which was more than we could eat in one sitting so besides the leftover sukiyaki, we had leftover uncooked beef as well. Thinly sliced beef is used in many Japanese dishes but we usually do not have beef (we usually have chicken or pork and occasionally lamb) so I did not have a favorite “go-to” recipe to use the beef. I looked through some beef recipes on the web but ended up with my own variation (picture #1). We had a cake of <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2016/12/buta-jiru.html">kon-nyaku</a> (konjac) 蒟蒻, and an end piece of daikon 大根. So I included those in this dish. Many Japanese dishes call for small Japanese green pepper called “pea-man” ピーマンwhich is quite different from American green pepper. Instead I used, seeded and deveined Jalapeño pepper. For the seasonings, I added “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/03/mapo-mabo-tofu.html">Douban-jang</a>”. 豆板醤 to add slight heat. For an impromptu dish, everything came together rather nicely. This is a just note to myself so that I can recreate it in the future.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1Int-dM0DqJPYgkhfFpkJoSULoaFjWT4twqDo34tJL0dUcDZGyHCKTXI6kJ3iplisuTkLgsGwSYj-CTnM65BfdPqsvEwotWZiWpMNqkAI1l0_vBwc2MkBabIHYb3NYv3k6_pEnwFQlfC-G1iySDazpn3QT6OyiNMrL7tOUOzAKhAqiTECYBYkiM1I2B/s2731/IMG_3875.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpc1Int-dM0DqJPYgkhfFpkJoSULoaFjWT4twqDo34tJL0dUcDZGyHCKTXI6kJ3iplisuTkLgsGwSYj-CTnM65BfdPqsvEwotWZiWpMNqkAI1l0_vBwc2MkBabIHYb3NYv3k6_pEnwFQlfC-G1iySDazpn3QT6OyiNMrL7tOUOzAKhAqiTECYBYkiM1I2B/s320/IMG_3875.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<b>Ingredients</b>:<br />
150gram thinly sliced beef, cut into thin strips (picture below, this was rib eye) (picture #2)<br />
One cake of kon-nyaku 板コンニャク, washed, par-boiled<br />
One small carrot<br />
2 inch of daikon<br />
One large Jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined<br />
1 tbs vegetable oil and 1 tsp dark sesame oil<br />
<br />Seasonings:<br />
1 tsp douban-jang (or more if you like spicy)<br />
2 tbs sake<br />
1 tbs mirin<br />
2 tbs soy sauce (I used x4 Japanese noodle sauce)<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtP7ACJHGRsT4Y7HldDif2eadf4U2MClU1HA4ZkddRrwpix2plS9z7BmFqh6omRAjGjA1g1qFky-rmzVcpCS70Z3Gman_lGowMd8LQs3gxqZkPFCVX_92GsPxnGhH4Lrn86MvcoG31oDOE4lLMvWfMqnOZ-JqhttbD0ubdvU3tqMDncZru2rUdKjvL-a8/s2731/IMG_3869.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtP7ACJHGRsT4Y7HldDif2eadf4U2MClU1HA4ZkddRrwpix2plS9z7BmFqh6omRAjGjA1g1qFky-rmzVcpCS70Z3Gman_lGowMd8LQs3gxqZkPFCVX_92GsPxnGhH4Lrn86MvcoG31oDOE4lLMvWfMqnOZ-JqhttbD0ubdvU3tqMDncZru2rUdKjvL-a8/s320/IMG_3869.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<b>Directions</b>:<br />
I tried to cut all the vegetables in the same, thin rectangular pieces. I halved the kon-nyaku cake in thickness, added shallow criss-cross cuts on both sides and cut into the similar rectangular shape but some came out a bit thicker and larger. (Picture #3 from left to right are kon-nyaku, carrot, Jalapeño pepper and diakon).<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6nAXwViXb7DIPmQONBilxuyHHLemjdu6XP-xhu1cDCZb_K9GiQd1apGsg-BSHTbu3ukMC0F4-jQAGPk35VATiFqHYzIfl32sMV7532d0JXx6pf4ubiOwy3dHoQJ221bATWYP7h7Ub1nSA200xKoN_2JwvxYHRuEA8yRLAis6lWIM6R-Eg5mi-H9PK3Ve/s2731/IMG_3871.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic6nAXwViXb7DIPmQONBilxuyHHLemjdu6XP-xhu1cDCZb_K9GiQd1apGsg-BSHTbu3ukMC0F4-jQAGPk35VATiFqHYzIfl32sMV7532d0JXx6pf4ubiOwy3dHoQJ221bATWYP7h7Ub1nSA200xKoN_2JwvxYHRuEA8yRLAis6lWIM6R-Eg5mi-H9PK3Ve/s320/IMG_3871.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
I added the oil in a non-stick frying pan on medium flame (vegetable plus sesame oil). I added the beef and cooked until almost done and added the remaining vegetables and the kon-nyaku and stir fried for 2-3 minutes.<br /><br />
I added the sake, mirin, and soy sauce. When coming to the boil I added douban-jang (picture #4) and mixed well. Placed the lid on and let it simmer for 5-7 minutes.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-oMrALYY8vsKD7NWtrfBbL_DXEV-5KIaOnbt_4AQQBFilV0nTOkfLfhIdjeDbhSAn73eKNlsn8xftao-uTTgttyjUIBbaHFnuBS_1mMMB23RNUgxaPHMBDWiELavChjEv6oHpbsDOn9MovyDYtmH3bGXhwOuc9aYeDeyDk6lJTi6h3DjiyyOPTDzl6DI/s2731/IMG_3873.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5-oMrALYY8vsKD7NWtrfBbL_DXEV-5KIaOnbt_4AQQBFilV0nTOkfLfhIdjeDbhSAn73eKNlsn8xftao-uTTgttyjUIBbaHFnuBS_1mMMB23RNUgxaPHMBDWiELavChjEv6oHpbsDOn9MovyDYtmH3bGXhwOuc9aYeDeyDk6lJTi6h3DjiyyOPTDzl6DI/s320/IMG_3873.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
I removed the lid and turned the flame to medium high and stirred until the liquid was almost gone. I tasted and adjusted the seasoning. In this case, it came out slightly sweeter than I intended but it had a nice sweet and salty flavor and a mild spicy kick. Certainly, the beef added more flavor. I could have cut the daikon into thicker pieces since it became very soft. The kon-nyaku absorbed the seasonings and added nice texture. We like this dish. It will go with rice or drinks. In our case, probably the latter.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-44895386745227286182024-01-25T06:00:00.010-05:002024-01-31T16:58:35.957-05:00White “Pineberry” and Red “Koyo” Strawberries 白いイチゴと昂揚イチゴWe have noticed that some of the gourmet food sites are now carrying Japanese white strawberries which are extremely expensive. (For example, at one site, a tray of 8 strawberries was $135. At another, 400 gm were on sale for $98.99). This was certainly not the strawberry scene when I was growing up in Japan. For one thing edible white strawberries did not exist; if they were white they were not ready to eat because they were not ripe. Also peak strawberry season was in the summer. Now, the best strawberry season is in the winter. (This is because all the strawberries are grown in high tech labor intensive green houses). Nonetheless even the red strawberries (ichigo イチゴ) we ate in Japan on our various trips, there were not the same “animal” they are here. They were extremely flavorful and very sweet. Not even the most sweet strawberries we’ve ever eaten here hold a candle to the ones we got on recent trips to Japan.* We are not as familiar with the white Japanese strawberries as we are with the red and therefore considered ordering the Japanese white strawberry but the price is astronomical and we decided even as good as we knew they would be it was not worth it.<br /><br />
*digression alert. The most sweet strawberries we ever ate here came from a field in California near the condominium we were renting at the time. During harvest time they were being sold right out of field at a small fruit stand. They were ripe to perfection and warm having been kissed by the sun in the field. Nonetheless they were very acidic compared to the ones we have had in Japan.<br /><br />
The other day, however, when we went to Whole Foods, my wife found “white” strawberries called “Berry de blanc” and small red strawberries called “Oiishii” meaning “delicious” in Japanese which appears to suggest its Japanese connection (picture #1). The label also listed the red strawberry as “<a href="https://oishii.com/pages/the-koyo-berry">Koyo berry</a>”. Although we were not sure what they were, they sure looked like the Japanese varieties we had just been looking at on the web so we bought them since they were not too expensive.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvFa4vBYbyIdoV62PdbEkcdIx0tQ2Cgj1ivQqpmiE34n9j2d0dfwv32RVf45KYkZ_cmBP8OxHNbGEvV-WNpdQM3JJWWVsVV86lFAT6rILwC_fWhNXYUAW_ulTRhX1SA26tQDMJ1CjfV0ix34tQ9996y2951wEu1lOm5aE5u4LbO8UKtPcIn56g0oGDfEt/s2731/IMG_3877.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIvFa4vBYbyIdoV62PdbEkcdIx0tQ2Cgj1ivQqpmiE34n9j2d0dfwv32RVf45KYkZ_cmBP8OxHNbGEvV-WNpdQM3JJWWVsVV86lFAT6rILwC_fWhNXYUAW_ulTRhX1SA26tQDMJ1CjfV0ix34tQ9996y2951wEu1lOm5aE5u4LbO8UKtPcIn56g0oGDfEt/s320/IMG_3877.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
We first opened the white strawberries (picture #2). They were a good size, pale white with red seeds and looked exactly like the Japanese white strawberries.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgdTUvevXHHDiyDAt5uqeHyAoXX1o3mGlAQNJTeMXIg4w5KlmhvtvTdpv5IVftG08ynzSne3eC6Yzq-QST0N3_WtzvgzaB5IQKuTV9GIBw3VLpn6EbZ2KG178SduzQiwSLMtYAmDhrlCtHjWqu-eqc4BQjGx6pxl1Qpehg5E1Xz2zwBBSxBQWwOMUrykf/s2731/IMG_3884.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbgdTUvevXHHDiyDAt5uqeHyAoXX1o3mGlAQNJTeMXIg4w5KlmhvtvTdpv5IVftG08ynzSne3eC6Yzq-QST0N3_WtzvgzaB5IQKuTV9GIBw3VLpn6EbZ2KG178SduzQiwSLMtYAmDhrlCtHjWqu-eqc4BQjGx6pxl1Qpehg5E1Xz2zwBBSxBQWwOMUrykf/s320/IMG_3884.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
The “Oishii” strawberries (picture #3) were small but bright red and carefully packaged in a plastic case with an individual recess for each berry.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4MuztZ47vnQenQdvO_S8V_5r9RkJqYrJ8aR95mqBddAmUHxFrJnTzPkmCMRbA808XLzE_96rP8rZLpxTjxQph_GbJqmjtSbemTebeICc-nDdO3WIoq1TsaxUy_jDoHmbou9bnAgPlvLG2cG6IdQ9r0cW9qwvc5L4NvrZSFdI_ZtwVCImN8AH_I80NE2i/s2731/IMG_3885.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd4MuztZ47vnQenQdvO_S8V_5r9RkJqYrJ8aR95mqBddAmUHxFrJnTzPkmCMRbA808XLzE_96rP8rZLpxTjxQph_GbJqmjtSbemTebeICc-nDdO3WIoq1TsaxUy_jDoHmbou9bnAgPlvLG2cG6IdQ9r0cW9qwvc5L4NvrZSFdI_ZtwVCImN8AH_I80NE2i/s320/IMG_3885.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
We also bought some green grapes called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cotton_Candy_grapes">“Cotton candy” grapes</a> (these were from Peru). We bought these one time before and liked them. So we had the two kinds of strawberries and the grapes (picture #4) as a desert for our lunch.<div><br /></div>
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The white strawberry was sweet but not as sweet as the “Oishii” strawberry and it had a different (not-strawberry) flavor. Later we learned this variety of white strawberry is called “pineberry” because it has a slight pineapple flavor. We were not sure that we could recognize the different flavor as pineapple but it was definitely different. The “oishii” strawberry was very sweet and tasted like a strawberry. Both are much better than regular strawberries available in the supermarket. The cut surfaces (picture #5) are interesting; the white strawberry is white all the way through and the “Oiishii” strawberry is completely red. Many American strawberries are red on the surface but the center is pale/white (not fully ripe?).<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkr80qTUagQNgB9DSIRFtlbrCkw7uo6XmYHjXkwUwLkRRBtKq7ti95gDpuBCqFGECyrzguIqDbm15fYjqCHpnx2WcBVpX-uYHMsLGK9lqhLTrrX8TJnYNsMjH3gLtZOrTGmQzBynoQeEUtYqdTLPxtEsYOMxi_UGQbREUdq2sywPMHMRrowzqhyx9ZVV7P/s2731/IMG_3890.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2731" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkr80qTUagQNgB9DSIRFtlbrCkw7uo6XmYHjXkwUwLkRRBtKq7ti95gDpuBCqFGECyrzguIqDbm15fYjqCHpnx2WcBVpX-uYHMsLGK9lqhLTrrX8TJnYNsMjH3gLtZOrTGmQzBynoQeEUtYqdTLPxtEsYOMxi_UGQbREUdq2sywPMHMRrowzqhyx9ZVV7P/s320/IMG_3890.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
<a href="https://www.astinfarms.com/produce/berry-de-blanc/">The white strawberry (pineberry) we got is grown in Florida</a> and <a href="https://oishii.com/">“Oishii” strawberry is grown in New Jersey using Japanese vertical cultivation techniques</a>. Do we buy these strawberries again? The answer is “probably”. It is a bit more expensive but not outrageous (like the ones from Japan) and taste better than regular strawberries.<br /><br />
Digression alert: We were curious about how these white strawberries were developed, how they could be ripe but still white. We also wanted to know what was the difference between Western and Japanese white strawberries? The strawberry genetics appear complicated and beyond me but the mechanisms for the strawberry that is ripe but still white is due to the genetics, i.e., the lack of a protein called “<a href="https://strawberryplants.org/white-strawberries/#why-are-white-strawberries-white">Fragaria allergen A1</a>” which prevents the berries from producing “anthocyanin” which gives it the red color. There appear to be many white strawberry varieties including wild ones. The version of white strawberry we got is called “pineberry” which is a <a href="https://strawberryplants.org/pineberry-pineberries/">cross between North and South American strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa and Fragaria chiloensis)</a> which was reportedly introduced to the U.K. market in 2020.<br /><br />
The Japanese white strawberries are apparently different (genetically and flavor-wise??). The first Japanese white strawberry varietal was reportedly <a href="https://www.huffingtonpost.jp/2016/11/26/hatsukoinokaori_n_13245346.html">registered in 2009</a>. Since we have not had a chance to taste many different varieties of Japanese white strawberries (it appears they come up with new varieties often), we do not know how the flavors differ.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-79637728122353617692024-01-22T10:50:00.004-05:002024-01-30T15:44:24.181-05:00Goat Cheese Scallion Muffin ゴートチーズと青葱マフィンMy wife found this recipe for “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/muffins-goat-cheese-and-chives/">Muffin with goat cheese and chive” in the Washington Post</a>. Since we are big fans of savory cookies and muffins and we happened to have a log of fresh goat cheese getting older in the refrigerator, my wife decided to make this muffin. The only problem was we did not have chives. So we used the green part of scallions and made it goat cheese scallion muffin. This is a nice muffin with soft and moist center and crunchy outside. Probably we could have used less scallion.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNXvWRdAi9jlqA2AUo0nBizVr3spCmHGEzZuqOpQtKjuhHEvkIcvUr96QePOMazjFwehkoU2wDEu5diERxJ6BWl8hdAs8EHaatjvwKa9bVwA2tnJzFjrI-at0Ob1EzyVmQPraWggZDKmq1SjUo7ZuZ348ciV6vtehs0mFZsF3O7o-oc7ureKF6Wct7-zf/s4032/IMG_3867.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtNXvWRdAi9jlqA2AUo0nBizVr3spCmHGEzZuqOpQtKjuhHEvkIcvUr96QePOMazjFwehkoU2wDEu5diERxJ6BWl8hdAs8EHaatjvwKa9bVwA2tnJzFjrI-at0Ob1EzyVmQPraWggZDKmq1SjUo7ZuZ348ciV6vtehs0mFZsF3O7o-oc7ureKF6Wct7-zf/s320/IMG_3867.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div>
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>(makes 12 muffins)<br />
1 1/2 cups (200 grams) whole-wheat pastry flour<br />
2 teaspoons baking powder<br />
1 teaspoon onion powder<br />
1/2 teaspoon baking soda<br />
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper<br />
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt<br />
1/3 cup (80 milliliters) mild-tasting olive oil, plus more for brushing the pan<br />
2/3 cup (180 milliliters) buttermilk<br />
1/2 cup (113 grams) plain Greek yogurt (homemade)<br />
1 large egg<br />
1 teaspoon honey<br />
4 ounces (115 grams) fresh goat cheese (chevre), crumbled<br />
1/4 cup green part of fresh scallions, finely chopped (original recipe calls for 1/2 cup or 22 grams of finely chopped fresh chives)<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:
<br />Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees. Brush a nonstick muffin tin with olive oil.<br /><br />In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients; the flour, baking powder, onion powder, baking soda, scallions, pepper and salt until combined.<br /><br />In a large bowl whisk together the wet ingredients; goat cheese, buttermilk, yogurt, oil, egg and honey until everything is mixed and creamy. Add the flour mixture to the milk mixture and stir until just combined. <br /><br />Using a 1/4-cup (60-milliliter) measure, divide the batter among the muffin tin cups; each should be filled about three-quarters of the way.<br /><br />Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. <br /><br />Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then run a small offset spatula or butter knife around the perimeter of each muffin before removing them from the tin. Serve warm.<br />
The muffin had a nice scallion flavor which became better and more mellow with time. We are not sure if using chives may have been a bit gentler flavor. In any case, we used shy of 1/4 cup which can be reduced further, although we do not mind the scallion flavor at all. The texture was extremely tender. This was a hardy muffin with a nice robust flavor. Great with eggs for breakfast of with soup for lunch.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-79474963476458630212024-01-05T14:56:00.003-05:002024-01-30T15:45:13.297-05:00Tomato and Egg Stir-fry with Wood Ear and Natto 納豆、トマト、木耳の卵炒めThis is on the theme of “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2020/02/tomato-and-egg-stir-fry.html">stir-fried tomato and egg</a>”. We also <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/02/tomato-and-egg-sir-fry-with-woodear.html">added fresh wood ear mushroom</a> which made the crunchiness of wood ear quite a nice contrast to the soft scrambled egg and tomato. The current dish came about because I found several small packages of <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2009/09/chilled-tofu.html">natto</a> 納豆 (dreaded Japanese fermented soybean) in the freezer. I have posted q<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search?q=納豆">uite a few dishes using natto</a>. Mixing well (400 stirs) using a special natto mixing contraption is the key to making it less pungent and (as far as my wife is concerned ) edible. For a number of years or until my mother discovered and introduced us to the “400 stirs” method my wife would not even consider eating natto. But now she certainly can eat it, although this is not her most favorite. Upon the news of finding natto in the freezer, I proposed several dishes I made previously including “<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2013/08/nattou-omelet.html">natto omelet</a>”. She then suggested adding the natto to the stir-fried egg dish with wood ear and tomato. So, I complied willingly. Since the natto was seasoned with the sauce and hot mustard that came with the package, I omitted the ginger I usually use for this dish. This was an unqualified success. The natto gave a nice nutty flavor but no pungent smell or sliminess. We had this as a drinking snack for cold sake and it was perfect.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUwU0TbzrVCCTi8qUdXJ795757Z_vWer2wGE3L0ruw1ucvGJl_H09sax4kpY698GQYcDqPnMW_OHyoKwGNTo9M3-H_KiHL9ZZ42Pq1-4K5Qo_P6Y9z7PY5uTeS2UcNnLqZGc_9fWN1eBhL9iEy4HMwUaDZZN10Ob6TjSDHVxdIKtG58h7ysjejZuoOu9e/s4032/IMG_3799.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijUwU0TbzrVCCTi8qUdXJ795757Z_vWer2wGE3L0ruw1ucvGJl_H09sax4kpY698GQYcDqPnMW_OHyoKwGNTo9M3-H_KiHL9ZZ42Pq1-4K5Qo_P6Y9z7PY5uTeS2UcNnLqZGc_9fWN1eBhL9iEy4HMwUaDZZN10Ob6TjSDHVxdIKtG58h7ysjejZuoOu9e/s320/IMG_3799.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
On close-up, you could see the natto among the tomato and wood ear mushroom.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_yBcOeZBd81LB-Gm4R8RlrpxwILHxahncbocjB8pRagD6x94S9vq1PTuSF5pPXdegKCEyptK1mGmQSiz1HqqyA6QQoH4F2UUyGTpsg681AYdOIFvy0k9ChFT9FYdye5yolSpU_FD-fhI4OYCjg1zF1zDpjwJcOqSTjmkPeYEFlU7LyBH634LXu4SUzq_/s4032/IMG_3801.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii_yBcOeZBd81LB-Gm4R8RlrpxwILHxahncbocjB8pRagD6x94S9vq1PTuSF5pPXdegKCEyptK1mGmQSiz1HqqyA6QQoH4F2UUyGTpsg681AYdOIFvy0k9ChFT9FYdye5yolSpU_FD-fhI4OYCjg1zF1zDpjwJcOqSTjmkPeYEFlU7LyBH634LXu4SUzq_/s320/IMG_3801.jpeg" width="512" /></a><br /></div><br />
There is no recipe per-se but this is how I made it (just a note for myself)<br /><br />
<b>Ingredients</b>:<br />
2 large eggs, beaten<br />
3 skinned Campari tomato, quartered<br />
1 package of natto, prepared with the season packets (tare sauce and hot mustard came with the natto), mix well (I used the special the “400 stir” natto mixing contraption)<br />
Wood ear mushroom, cut into smaller size (amount arbitrary)<br />
2 scallions, finely chopped<br />
1 tbs peanut oil plus 1 more tsp for frying the tomato<br />
1/4 tsp dark sesame oil<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />
Mix the prepared natto, eggs and wood ear mushroom<br />
Heat up the peanut and sesame oil in a frying pan on medium heat<br />
Make loose scrambled eggs and set aside<br />
Add the sesame oil in the same pan and fry the tomato for 1 minutes and add back the cooked egg mixture and cook another 1 minute.<br />
<br />In addition to the “400 stir” method, cooking the natto, further reduces its pungency and stickiness. The combination worked well. We had this as a snack but it would also be good over rice.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-56265180317940408702024-01-01T15:18:00.009-05:002024-01-31T14:43:51.038-05:00Happy New Year 2024 明けましておめでとう2024Like the last year, we put the New Year’s decoration including “Kagami-mochi” 鏡餅 and dragon or “tatsu 辰” zodiac figurines shown in the picture #1 in the room we spend most of our time rather than in the <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2016/01/a-happy-new-year-2016.html">tokonoma</a> 床間 in the “tea-room”. Upon waking New Year’s day, we learned of the magnitude 7.6 earthquake that hit Ishikwa prefecture 石川県. We hope for the wellbeing of the people affected.<br /><br />
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On New Year’s eve, we started the evening with a plate of assorted sashimi, most of the sashimi came from “<a href="https://rivieraseafoodclub.com/">Riviera Seafood Club</a>”, our most recent favorite source of “home freezer” sashimi or sashimi that we can store in the freezer here at home and thaw at any time we want sashimi. Since the portions are smaller than sashimi we can get from other sources, we can eat more than one kind of sashimi at a time. On the New Year’s plate (picture #2) we had chutoro tuna 中トロ, hamachi はまち, scollop ホタテ, and <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2022/09/octopus-leg-dressed-in-salted-plum-sauce.html">octopus leg </a>タコの足 (which was from D’artagnan). I added wasabi with chopped wasabi plant stalk (from tube) and<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2012/01/yuzu-koshou-mayonnaise.html"> yuzu kocho</a> 柚子胡椒 (from tube).<br /><br />
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On New Year’s day, we had only coffee (cafe latte and macchiato with a bit of steamed cream) rather than our usual breakfast so we wouldn’t be too full for the large lunch we planned of “Ozhoni” お雑煮 New Year’s soup. As usual, I served the soup in real lacquer ware bowls (gift from my mother many many years ago) with a side of some New Year’s dishes I made (picture #3).<br /><br />
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This year, I precooked all the vegetables and proteins that went into the soup. This included “gobo” burdock root 牛蒡, shiitake 椎茸, shimeji しめじ and wood ear 木耳 mushrooms, carrot 人参, daikon 大根, and “kinu-saya” 絹さや snow peas. The protein included <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2014/06/sous-vide-chicken-breast.html">sous vide chicken breast</a> (a few slices) and poached shrimp. As usual, I encased the “mochi” 餅 rice cake in “abra-age” 油揚 deep fried tofu pouch (peaking out of the bottom right of the soup bowl). I made the broth from the dashi packs I usually use as well as by poaching the shrimp in the dashi broth. I seasoned it with x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce. By precooking the vegetables and the proteins, I had better control over cooking everything just right. It also made it possible for me to make a better arrangement of the ingredients in the final soup bowl serving. Just before serving, I added frozen yuzu zest which added a nice yuzu 柚子 citrus favor (picture #4).<br /><br />
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The side dishes (picture #5) included the usual New Year’s dishes I like to make including: <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/p/every-year-before-new-year-comes-i-have.html">salmon kelp roll 酒の昆布巻き, salmon “Russian” marinade 鮭のロシア漬 garnished with “ikura” イクラsalmon roe, daikon namasu 大根なますand poached shrimp.</a><br /><br />
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We also had a few small glasses of sake with this as a libation to the New Year. Now, this evening we will be hitting the Sushi Taro Osechi box すし太郎お節箱. The below is a preview (pictures #6 and 7).<br /><br />
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We expect some good New Year’s feast to come with the osechi box. Already salivating!!<br /><br />
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-12848847226168039812023-12-31T06:00:00.005-05:002024-01-28T13:41:44.567-05:00Classic Pumpernickel Bread 伝統的パンパニッケル パン We used to get Pumpernickel boule at Whole Foods. We used it for certain sandwiches such as <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/04/beef-tongue-sandwich.html">beef tongue</a> and <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2015/01/pa-dutch-lebanon-bologna-sandwich.html">Lebanon Bologna</a>. We did not see Pumpernickel boule or Russian rye bread at Whole Foods for some time and my wife asked if they had any. The answer was that they are not making them any more. When we asked, “Why” they didn’t give us an answer. (Subsequently, we went to two other of our local grocery stores and found they didn’t have any rye breads either). So since we had recently gotten pumpernickel flour from King Arthur we resorted to making pumpernickel bread ourselves. This time I volunteered. It was by far the most convoluted bread I’ve ever made. The recipe also came from King Arthur and is titled as “classic” Pumpernickel. The recipe also warned that this bread was dense and suggested slicing it thinly. I decided to make this as a baseline. Indeed this is dense but very flavorful bread.<br /><br />
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Next day when the loaf was completely cooled, I sliced it. It is very dense. As you can see below. I sliced it thinly and tasted. It has lots of flavors and the inside is moist.<br /><br />
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The recipe is from <a href="https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/classic-pumpernickel-bread-recipe">King Authur.</a> I followed the recipe weighing the ingredients. Exception was mashed potato. Since we found that all our potatoes were sprouted, we used Japanese sweet potato instead. Some of the instructions appear to be missing the details. Maybe this recipe was meant for an experienced baker. (With common baker’s knowledge-CBK- I added a few extra steps and details in notes to myself).<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />1 1/2 cups (340g) water<br />1/2 cup (71g) yellow cornmeal<br />1/4 cup (85g) molasses<br />1 tablespoon butter<br />1 1/2 teaspoons (9g) table salt<br />2 teaspoons granulated sugar<br />2 teaspoons caraway seeds<br />1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process <br />2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast<br />3 cups (319g) King Arthur Organic Pumpernickel Flour<br />1 cup (113g) King Arthur Whole Wheat Flour<br />1 cup (170g) cooked, mashed potatoes<br />
<br /><b>Instructions </b><br />Combine 1 cup of water (the other 1/2 cup was supposed to be used to proof the yeast) * with the cornmeal in a saucepan and cook over low heat until thick, stirring often (about 5 minutes). Remove the pan from heat and add the molasses, butter, salt, sugar, caraway seeds and cocoa powder. Stir to combine and set aside to cool to lukewarm.<br /><br />
*I missed this instruction and used all 1 1/2 cups (or 340 grams) of water for making the cornmeal mixture but since we used “instant yeast” which does not require proofing, this worked out fine.<br /><br />Add the cornmeal/molasses mixture and mashed potatoes in the bowl of standing mixer fitted with a dough hook. Stir in the pumpernickel and whole wheat flours. Mix and knead the dough at medium speed for 10 minutes.<br /><br />
*To make the dough ball cling to the dough hook, I had to stop the mixer and push the dough toward the hook a few times and I also added a small amount of additional water.<br /><br />
Transfer the dough to a floured kneading board, quickly knead and make a ball (sticky but very dense dough). Transfer to a greased bowl, turn the dough ball to coat all surfaces. Cover the bowl, place in a 85F<a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2021/02/sweet-condensed-milk-bread.html">electric proofing box</a>. Let rise until the dough is not quite doubled; about 1 hour.<br /><br />Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased (used butter) 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan.<br />
<br />*Although no second rising was suggested, based on (CBK) I did place the loaf pan back in the proofing box and let it rise for 40 minutes (I am not sure this made any difference).<br /><br />
Slash the top*.<br /><br />
*As per instruction I did this but totally not needed. Only time this may make sense is for a decorative purpose after flouring the top of the loaf<br /><br />
Bake in a preheated 360 F oven* for 55 to 65 minutes, until the center measures 200°F when measured with an instant-read thermometer.<br /><br />
*Since I used my convection oven, again based on CBK, I reduced the temperature from the suggested 375F.<br /><br />
Remove from the oven, tip out of the pan, and cool on a rack completely before slicing.<br /><br />
As mentioned, this is a very dense bread but the inside is moist and very flavorful. Thinly sliced and cut into smaller squares, this may be good for making canapé but may not be appropriate to make a full sandwiches. Nonetheless it was extremely flavorful lightly micro-waved to warm it slightly for breakfast. We saw another recipe at the King Authur site called “Pumpernickel boule”. This may be very similar to what we used to get from Whole Foods. We (either my wife or I) will try this recipe next.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-61156113037284836982023-12-29T06:00:00.004-05:002024-01-28T13:36:23.621-05:00Tahini- Miso Cookies タヒニと味噌クッキーAs we mentioned before we are big fans of “savory” cookies which will go well with wine rather than as a dessert. My wife has made a few in this category before. Recently she I found her searching for savory cookie recipes. During this search, she came across “<a href="https://www.kitchenstories.com/en/recipes/tahini-miso-cookies-4715">Tahini-Miso cookies</a>” at a website called “kitchen stories”. Since we had tahini and miso, it was a “no brainer” to try making these. This recipe uses a lot of white sesame seeds. Good thing I just got a large jar of white sesame from Weee. The cookies are great with a taste of saltiness from the miso and nuttiness from the tahini and sesame seed coating the surface of the cookies.<br /><br />
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I will ask my wife for how this was made.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients (shown in the picture below)</b><br />225 g flour<br />¾ tsp baking soda<br />½ tsp baking powder<br />115 g butter (room temperature)<br />220 g brown sugar<br />100 g sugar<br />80 g white miso paste<br />80 g tahini<br />1 egg<br />1½ tsp vanilla extract<br />100 g sesame seeds<br /><br />
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<br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Add flour, baking soda, and baking powder a bowl and mix to combine, then set aside. Add butter, brown sugar, and sugar to a separate bowl and beat with a hand mixer until very light and fluffy, approx. 5 min.<br /><br />Add miso and tahini to the butter-sugar mixture and mix until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again. Add egg and vanilla and mix just to combine, then add some of the flour mixture and mix in on low speed. Add remaining flour and mix just until combined.<br /><br />Add sesame seeds to a bowl. Use an ice cream scooper to scoop some of the cookie dough, then add to the bowl of sesame seeds and cover the ball with the sesame. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the cookie dough is gone, (first picture below). Then cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap and chill dough for at least 2 hours, or overnight.<br /><br />
Preheat oven to 350F. Remove some cookies from the baking sheet so there’s enough room for them to spread out while baking. Bake the cookies for approx. 8 min., then use a fork to gently flatten them a bit. Continue baking for 8 - 10 more mins. Let cool completely.<br /><br />
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I did not remove any of the cookie dough from the baking sheet as advised in the instructions. They seemed evenly spaced even if they spread a bit. In addition, the instructions said to flatten them with a fork half way through which implied they needed that additional step to spread at all. I tried flattening them as instructed but it was a complete waste because the soft dough just stuck to the tines of the fork making a mess of the cookie so I stopped and just put them back in the oven to finish cooking. At the correct time I opened the oven door and…SURPRISE! The cookies had flattened into an almost solid mass as shown in the picture below; completely unexpected. (Why in the world did the original recipe require flattening them during cooking when they would do this on their own?)<br /><br />
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Nonetheless I was able to break them apart into irregular cookie like shapes. Despite the shapes they tasted pretty good. These were not really savory cookies but they also were not as sweet as a desert cookie. They had a slightly chewy texture and deep rich flavor from the miso and tahini. The sesame added an additional nuttiness but they tended to continually fall off the cookie creating a bit of a crumby mess. I’m not sure I will use them next time.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-80970976798803921222023-12-26T06:00:00.002-05:002024-01-26T16:31:48.458-05:00Blue Cheese Walnut Cookies ブルーチーズと胡桃のクッキーThis is an additional installment in the continuing tale of “we are big fans of “savory” <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/search/label/cookie">cookies</a> which go well with wine.” My wife saw this recipe for “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/blue-cheese-walnut-cookies/">blue cheese walnut cookies” in the Washington Post </a>website and decided she had to make it. We used Cambozola cheese which is a mild blue cheese; sort of a cross between blue (Gorgonzola) and Camembert cheeses. The cheese tastes better than it smells and while the cookies were baking in the oven, the entire house was filled with the smell of the cooking cheese which was not totally pleasant. In any case, the end result is worth it. The cookie is a bit crumbly with a mild cheesy and walnut flavor.<br /><br />
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I ask my wife to take over.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />3 1/2 ounces good-quality, mild blue cheese (we used Cambozola cheese)<br />3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature<br />1/2 cup flour<br />1/4 cup cornstarch<br />1/4 teaspoon coarse salt<br />1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (we used cayenne pepper)<br />1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped
<br /><br /><b>Directions</b><br />Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper in a bowl and set aside.Combine the blue cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor; pulse until thoroughly blended. We also added the walnuts to the mixture in the food processor and pulsed until they were cut up too. According to the instructions at this point we were to add the flour, cornstarch, salt and pepper into the cheese mixture and mix until a moist dough was formed. Since the food processor we were using was pretty small, we transferred the contents of the food processor to the bowl of dry ingredients to make the dough. Gather up the dough into a flat disk. Roll out the dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch. Use 2-inch cookie cutters to cut out shapes (We just cut the dough into 1 inch squares using a knife).
<br /><br />Transfer to the baking sheet, spacing the cookies 1 inch apart. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until lightly golden on the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving or storing.<br /><br />
As I mentioned earlier blue cheese cooking in the oven is not a pleasant smell. We were a little afraid of what the cookie would taste like after smelling it cook. (Not only did it smell bad but the smell permeated the entire house). Luckily the cookie tastes much better than it smelled. Initially the cheese taste was s bit strong but over time it mellowed into a tangy flavor that went very well with the included walnuts and above all goes well with the red wine we were having.Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-9166888758148350542023-12-23T06:00:00.004-05:002024-01-28T13:34:12.337-05:00Arancini and Mini-Scotch Egg アランチーニとミニスコッチエッグMy wife ordered some small appetizers from Harry and David. We were already going to order dried fruit medley from them to make <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2022/12/fruitcake.html">fruit cakes</a> and <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2021/01/not-no-knead-pecan-raisin-bread.html">bread</a>. So she added an assortment of small frozen appetizers to the order which included “arancini” among the other items. I told her that arancini is typically made from left-over risotto and I could make it very easily as long as we had left-over risotto. We tried the arancini we had ordered. During the heating, the cheese came out and it was ok but not great. Since we had made <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2017/09/shiitake-risotto-with-lamb-chops.html">shiitake risotto</a> a few days earlier, my wife took me up on my boast about how easily I could make arancini as long as we had left-over risotto and challenged me to make some. So with my feet accordingly held to the fire by this challenge I made arancini from the risotto. Since I would need hot oil for frying to make the arancini, I decided to also make <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2023/08/quail-egg-fry-and-scotch-eggs.html">mini-Scotch eggs from quail eggs</a> and ground chicken. The picture below is not a great presentation—the arancini with the melted mozzarella in the center is shown on the left and the scotch egg with the quail egg in the center is shown on the right. We ate this immediately hot out of the oil with some <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2010/09/pork-filet-mignon-cutlet.html">Tonkatus sauce</a>. Both the arancini and Scotch eggs had fresh shiitake in them and both were great. The arancini had the melted mozzarella cheese in the center, a crunchy outer shell and soft risotto with a strong shiitake flavor.<br /><br />
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For arancini<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>: (made 8 arancini as seen below, the round ones are arancini and oval ones are mini-Scotch eggs)<br />Shiitake risotto (left-over) about 2 cups<br />Mozzarella cheese, 10 small cubes, low-moisture<br />Flour, egg, and Panko bread crumbs for breading<br />Oil for deep frying (I used peanut oil)<br /><br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Moisten your hands and make a ball about 1 and half inches in diameter and insert the cheese and encase it completely. If needed lightly squeeze to make sure the cheese is completely encased.<br />Bread the balls as usual; first coat with flour, then egg water and then with Panko bread crumbs (see picture below).<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUXYisqtXI54w-O0CnfnDh9zIH8g2M6gI6p3lXsHNoeR-w4huXk5EsJjEjN0j0u83ltHUTE-70Iq7XKroZCqschHkW-6OdJnLCSAs0lPHQCDGnr4NnkNBQoR7LkGYyTv0VAe3cabZgxbn-KQNpE8nYTgww4qQ_Kk9oe1YlZ8O9kfgdNvNdQqyVG6Qkm3L/s3705/IMG_3759.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2634" data-original-width="3705" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRUXYisqtXI54w-O0CnfnDh9zIH8g2M6gI6p3lXsHNoeR-w4huXk5EsJjEjN0j0u83ltHUTE-70Iq7XKroZCqschHkW-6OdJnLCSAs0lPHQCDGnr4NnkNBQoR7LkGYyTv0VAe3cabZgxbn-KQNpE8nYTgww4qQ_Kk9oe1YlZ8O9kfgdNvNdQqyVG6Qkm3L/s320/IMG_3759.jpeg" width="512" /></a></div><br /><br />
Deep fry in 180C (350F) oil for 2-3 minutes or until the surface is golden (everything is already cooked inside). See below picture.<br /><br />
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The arancini I made were great straight out of the hot oil but they also warmed up nicely in the toaster oven. I would say the ones I made were much better than the store-bought and accordingly my wife has conceded that I met her challenge and has now commissioned me to make arancini whenever we have left over risotto.
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-23735959523544474452023-12-20T06:00:00.005-05:002024-01-28T10:32:57.705-05:00Beef Barley Soup 牛肉と大麦のスープWe really like <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/03/beef-tongue.html">beef tongue</a> which is not popular in general, not widely available in US and requires some “courage” to try it. But we like it very much either boiled and sliced for a <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/04/beef-tongue-sandwich.html">sandwich</a> or made into <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/03/beef-tongue-stew.html">stew</a>. Recently, we found that our Asian grocery delivery service “Weee” had frozen beef tongue so we got it. My wife suggested to have it instead of the usual turkey for Thanksgiving. So, we thawed the tongue and cook it up. For the dinner we had thick slices of boiled beef tongue, which were extremely tender and flavorful, with red wine cranberry sauce I made and a side of stuffing balls made by my wife, and blacked Brussel sprouts. This really “hit the spot” and as far as we are concerned is much better than ham or turkey for sure. Using the remaining beef tongue and the liquid in which the tongue was cooked, we made <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/03/beef-tongue-stew.html">beef tongue stew</a> which we really enjoyed. Still half of the boiling liquid remained which has the nice flavors of the beef and aromatics. So we decided to make “Beef and barley soup” from it. We made this soup/stew with meat from a beef chuck roast. It turned out to be an excellent soup. We looked at a few recipe on line but, at the end, we just made it our own way (not standard way) and this post is just for our own record.<br /><br />
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The chunks of the beef were very tender and the barley gave the soup a nice unctuous texture.<br /><br />
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We ended up with a quite large amount of soup, probably a bit over 3quarts (or 12 cups).<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b>:<br />2.3 lb package of bone-less chuck roast, seasoned with salt and pepper, seared on both sides and then cut into about 1 inch cubes <br />4 cups liquid from cooking the beef tongue (the liquid)<br />3 cups chicken broth<br />1/2 box (8oz) medium pearled barley, toasted in the toaster oven, rinsed and then cooked in the 4 cups of liquid from cooking beef tongue for 1 hour<br />2 large carrots, peeled and cut into half inch cubes<br />2 onions, cut into large dices<br />3 ribs of celery, cunt into 1/4 inch thick<br />2 bay leaves<br />salt and pepper to taste<br />2-3 tbs vegetable oil<br />
<br /><b>Directions:</b><br />Add one cup of the liquid and cubes of the beef in Instant pot, cook for 25 minutes under high pressure and naturally depressurize (we used 2/3 for the soup and 1/3 was added to the tongue stew to supplement the tongue)*<br />Add the oil in the dutch oven on medium flame. Add the onion and celery and sauté for 5 minutes, add the carrots. Add the cooked beef and barley with their juice. Add 3 cups of chicken broth, the bay leaves and cook for 30-40 minutes<br />Season with salt pepper to taste<br />
<br />*We cooked the beef one day prior. Placed the liquid and meat in a plastic container and refrigerated. Next day, we removed layers of congealed fat from the surface before using the meat and juice.<br /><br />
This is a very hearty and filling soup. The barley adds a creamy texture and a slight nuttiness from being toasted. The combination of broth used to cook the tongue and the broth used to cook the supplementary beef adds an unctuous and very meaty flavor. Another great soup for lunch on a cold winter’s day.Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-61902683119534947302023-12-17T06:00:00.003-05:002024-01-28T10:32:37.473-05:00Burdock Root and Mushrooms 牛蒡とキノコの煮物 This is another dish I made to use up the mushrooms (Shimeji and shiitake しめじ、椎茸). I also had “gobou” 牛蒡 burdock root. I got the idea of cooking burdock root and mushroom together from a recipe I saw on line but I just made it in my own way. Burdock root can be very fibrous but this was a good one and the the combination of simmered burdock root and mushrooms worked very well. The shimeji was good but the shiitake caps worked well imparting very meaty texture and nice flavor.<br /><br />
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The gobou gave a very distinctive flavor and nice crunchy texture but not fibrous. I seasoned it on the light and slightly sweeter side (than I usually do) and is a perfect drinking snack. As a side dish for rice, I would season it more strongly.<br /><br />
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<br /><b>Ingredients</b>: (The amount is arbitrary, I just used up all the mushrooms I had left)<br />10 inch long, medium-sized (diameter wise) “gobou” burdock root, skin scraped off using the back. of the knife, slice on angle 1/4 inch thick and immediately soak in acidulated water for 5- 10 minutes.<br />I package (100 gram) of shimeji mushrooms<br />4 caps of fresh shiitake mushrooms, quartered<br />300-400 ml Japanese dashi broth<br />2 Tbs. mirin<br />3 tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce (or soy sauce with 1 tbs mirin)<br /><br /><b>Directions</b>:<br />Drain the gobou and cook in a fresh water for 10 minutes and drain again<br />In a pan on medium low flame, add the broth, seasonings, the gobou, mushrooms and with a silicon otoshibuta, simmer for 20-30 minutes<br />Let it cool to the room temperature in the simmering broth<br />Serve at room temperature or warmed in a microwave oven especially after the refrigeration.<br />
<br />This is quite a robust dish. The mushrooms give it an almost meaty context. Especially the shitake mushroom which were very thick but tender and well seasoned. They tasted like a tender piece of meat. The burdock root was very tender and its distinctive flavor really came through. This is perfect for a cold evening with a warm cup sake.Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5904203800544900427.post-66802149599417318242023-12-14T10:33:00.002-05:002024-01-28T10:32:05.703-05:00Butter Swim Biscuit バターに泳ぐビスケットPreviously my wife made <a href="https://norioonwine.blogspot.com/2018/04/butter-dip-biscuits.html">butter dip biscuit</a> which may not be good for you but certainly tasted “good”. So when she saw the recipe in the Washington Post called “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/butter-swim-biscuits/">Butter swim biscuit</a>”, she had to try it. Is “swimming” in butter better than “dipping” in butter??? They are both basically a form of oven fried bread although butter “swimming” does it on steroids. “swimming” in butter has a soft, moist (absorbing the butter) pleasingly almost spongey center. The bottom and top are very crispy.<br /><br />
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In this close-up of the cut surface, you could appreciated fluffy texture.<br /><br />
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As usual, I will ask my wife to take over.<br />
<br /><b>Ingredients</b><br />8 tablespoons (1 stick/113 grams) unsalted butter<br />2 3/4 cups (345 grams) all-purpose flour<br />4 teaspoons baking powder<br />1 tablespoon granulated sugar (or more for a sweeter biscuit. I added two Tsp.)<br />2 teaspoons salt <br />2 cups (480 milliliters) well-shaken whole buttermilk<br />
<br /><b>Directions</b><br />Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Add the butter to a 9-inch square baking dish or cast iron frying pan and place in the oven while it preheats. (We did not have a 9-inch square baking dish so we used a 10 inch cast iron frying pan instead.) (If the oven is very slow to heat up, wait a few minutes to put in the baking dish so the butter doesn’t burn. Just keep an eye on it as it melts.)<br /><br />In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt until combined. Add the buttermilk and stir gently with a spatula just until combined. Do not overmix.<br /><br />Remove the hot baking dish from the oven and gently pour the batter over the melted butter. Use a knife or offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in the dish (see picture below).<br /><br />Quickly and confidently, use a knife to “cut” the dough into 9 squares. If the lines close up, go back and take another pass through, though you shouldn’t expect them to remain completely distinct. It can help to wipe or rinse off the knife in between cuts.<br /><br />
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Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, or until the tops of the biscuits are golden brown and the edges crisp. Following your scored lines, cut and serve.<br /><br />
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As can be seen in the pictures above this bread is truly swimming in butter. It would be helpful if there was some way to turn it over half way through cooking because the bottom became almost too high done while the top was not yet brown. Although it is made with a few simple ingredients the flavor is fairly complex. The sweetness of the sugar combines with the taste of the butter, some of which gets browned and there is the pervasive undertone of the sharp taste of the buttermilk. In my humble opinion, both are good but “swimming in butter” is better. My wife said this one is easier to make<br />
Uncle Nhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00250935358875865771noreply@blogger.com0