Showing posts with label Potato. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Potato. Show all posts

Monday, September 30, 2024

Mashed Potato Blini マシュポテトのビリニ

Since my wife was on a roll coming up with roasted pepper blini, pesto blini and corn blini, she looked at the bowl of mashed potatoes in the fridge and was hit with a brilliant flash—potato blini. These were mashed potatoes she prepared when we cooked a whole chicken in the Weber grill. Usually, we place two aluminum wrapped Russet potatoes in the Weber with the chicken. She removes the skin of the potatoes. mashes them and adds butter, cream cheese with onions and chives (sold in a tub), seasoning it with salt. Then she pours in the juice accumulated while the chicken was resting. These potatoes are very nice and flavorful. We like them but we generally cannot finish them. From the leftover potatoes, my wife makes gnocchi (of which we have a backlog in the freezer). I often make “potato croquettes” (but again we have a backlog in our freezer). “Mashed potato blini” seemed like a perfect use of the left over potatoes particularly since there was no backlog in the freezer—yet. This turned out very well. The crust is crunchy but the inside is quite tender with mashed potato flavor and a hint of barbecue chicken. With this dish we found another way to use up leftover mashed potatoes.



Ingredients(X3): makes 14 blini
2 cups of mashed potatoes
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup sour cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup + 2 tbs. cake flour 
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
enough additional cream or buttermilk to make it the texture of pancake batter 

Directions:
Run the mashed potatoes through a ricer to work out any lumps. Put the riced potatoes in a bowl.  Add the egg, the melted butter and sour cream, then add the flour, baking powder and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add more cream so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

In a cast iron platar, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Use the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are mostly full. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

This is a great way to use the left over mashed potatoes. The outside is crispy and the inside has a nice smooth moist texture. The overall flavor of the potatoes really comes through. These would be really good slathered in the butter for breakfast or as a side for lunch or dinner. 

Thursday, November 30, 2023

Sweet Potato and Chestnut Rice サツマイモ、栗ご飯

My wife got three relatively small Japanese sweet potatoes or “Satsuma-imo” さつまいも from Whole Foods.  She was vaguely thinking of making sweet potato muffins but the amount was not really enough. I suggested making sweet potato rice instead (I ended up using all three potatoes for three different dishes). Since we also had prepared chestnuts, I made sweet potato chestnut rice. To extend the autumnal theme, I also made miso soup with mushrooms and lily bulb. Since I also made new batches of pickled daikon and “asazuke” 浅漬け cucumber, I served those on the side.



This is a close-up of sweet potato chestnut rice. I sprinkled “goma-shio” ごま塩, a mixture of black sesame and salt.



For the miso soup, I added shimeji しめじand shiitake mushroom along with lily bulb 百合根 which sank to the bottom. We picked the lily bulb up with the chopsticks so they got their place in the photo op.



Ingredients:
2 cups (using the cup came with out rice cooker) of short grain rice (we used “Yumepirica” ゆめぴりかHokkaido rice we got form NY rice factory).
1 inch square kelp
1 Japanese sweet potato, peeled, diced and soaked in cold water
10 prepared chestnuts
1 tbs x4 concentrated “Mentsuyu” Japanese noodle sauce

Directions:
Wash the rice, place it in the rice cooker, add the specified amount of water, add the seasoning, sweet potato and chestnuts and turn on the switch.
When it is done (see below), remove the kelp and gently mix.



This is a very autumnal and nice rice. Nice sweetness from both the sweet potato and the chestnuts with contrasting texture of soft and somewhat crunchy. I just sprinkled the “goma-shio” and my wife, as usual, added butter and soy sauce. The soup also went very well. The nice sweetness and crunchy texture of the lily bulb and mushrooms worked well together. We were also pleased with the daikon tsukemono.

Monday, November 27, 2023

Sweet Potato and Tuna Salad サツマイモとツナのサラダ

This is dish is on the theme of using up a can of tuna. We had one more can of albacore tuna which we bought during the Covid protein shortage, aging in the pantry. The idea for this dish is very similar to the tuna and daikon salad ツナと大根のサラダ but I replaced the daikon with sweet potato. Again mayo saved the canned tuna. This is also a good dish for a small appetizer.


The recipe came from e-recipe.

Ingredients:
1 small Japanese “Satsuma-imo” sweet potato, microwaved for 3-4 minutes until soft in a silicon container, peeled and mashed leaving some small chunks
1 can of tuna
1 tbs mayonnaise
1 tbs Greek yogurt (strained home-made yogurt my wife made)
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley

Directions:
Add the tuna and mashed sweet potato in a bowl, add the yogurt and mayo and mix
Season with salt and pepper and mix in chopped parsley.

This is another good dish using canned tuna. It is quite different from the tuna and daikon salad I posted before. The sweet potato has nice soft texture and sweet taste which went very well with tuna containing dressing.

Monday, October 2, 2023

Mid-autum Full Moon Gazing 月見中秋の名月

Full moon on September 29 (Harvest moon) in Japanese is called “Chuu-shuu-no-meigetsu” 中秋の名月. Traditionally, the Japanese admire (gaze) at the full harvest moon and that “celebration” is called “Tsuki-mi” 月見. Some plants such as pampas grass or “Susuki” ススキ and balloon flower or “Kikyou” 桔梗 (shown below) are associated with tsuki-mi. As for the food associated with Tuskimi it is usually something spherical in shape i.e. resembling the full moon. The most famous is “Tsukimi-dango” 月見団子 which I’ve made several times before, using “mochiko” flour and tofu. I made it again this year. The picture below shows the “tuskimi-dango” in front of  a “Tenugui” Japanese washcloth depicting “Chuu-shuu-no-meigetsu” and balloon flower. This is the prototypical scene depicting tsukimi.  Unfortunately, it was cloudy on the 29th and we could not see the moon. We had to be satisfied with gazing at the full moon on the wash cloth.




It is the tradition for tsukimi to make a pyramid using 15 of the dango (9+4+2) . I made 20 dango. We couldn’t resist and tasted 2 with “Mitarashi sauce”.  These type of dango are called “Mitarashi dango” みたらし団子 which I posted before. Nonetheless despite this early indulgence we still had enough dango to make the appropriate pyramid (shown below).



Just for convenience, I duplicate the recipe we published previously.

Ingredients:
for the Dumpling:
"Mochiko" rice flour 100gram
Sugar 2 tbs (30gram)
Silken tofu about 1/2 (gradually added until right consistency is attained)

for Mitarashi sauce:(all weighed since amounts are rather small).
Soy sauce 40ml (or grams)
Sugar 60 gram
Dashi broth 100ml (or grams)
Mirin 15ml (or grams)
Potato starch 15 gram

Directions:
For Dumpling:
Add the flour and sugar in a bowl (#2).
Add a small amount of the tofu (#3) at times to the dry ingredients and mix by hand.
Add more tofu until the dough forms but is still soft (#4) (The Japanese instructions say "texture of an ear lobe).
Using a small ice cream scoop, make small balls (need to make at least 15, I made 19).
Cooking them in boiling water until they float on the surface and cook additional 3 minutes (#5).
Put cooked dango in ice cold water for few minutes and drain (#6).

The best way to enjoy the dango is “Mitarashi dango” みたらし団子. We microwave the dango and heat up the sauce (I use a small pan, if it gets too watery add more potato starch slurry). Coat the heated dango and just for show, I skewer the three dango together (see below).



This year, I also made “nitsuke” 煮付け or “nikkorogashi” 煮転がし(left in the picture below) using frozen “Sato-imo” 里芋 taro which we got from Weee. I usually do not use frozen taro but I was curious enough to get it some time ago. It is very interesting that the frozen taro are perfectly spherical. When I was looking through the Japanese cooking site “e-recipe”, one of the dishes they listed for “Tuskimi” was this dish since frozen sato-imo is spherical and an appropriate representation of the moon                                     for Tsukimi’ 



Although we could not see the full moon on the 29th, we could see the near-full moon on the 27th. Not really a good picture but it was beautiful.


The dango were a real treat. The ones made with rice flour had a very pleasing texture. They were fluffy and soft. The mitarashi coating was a perfect combination of slightly sweet and slightly salty. The taro dango were a nice addition. They were soft but not mushy and perfectly seasoned. What fun. 

Thursday, May 25, 2023

Root Vegetable Stew 根菜の煮しめ

“Nishime” or “Nitsuke” 煮付け, 煮しめ is a type of traditional Japanese cooking method in which food items are simmered in seasoned broth. I have posted many variations mainly based on what was simmered in the seasoned broth. I understand that there are differences between “Nishime” and “Nituske” but that is too esoteric for me. The broth can be based on either vegetarian (kelp, dried mushroom and vegetables) or more commonly including  bonito flakes, kelp, and other dried fish. The basic seasonings are soy sauce, mirin, sake or sometimes sugar. Food items in nitsuke could be vegetables especially root vegetables, mushrooms, fish cakes, tofu, chicken or fish. I made this because I had a package of boiled renkon lotus root 蓮根 which I needed to use. I also got assorted frozen fish cakes for oden and boiled frozen “satoimo” 里芋 taro root (this is the first time I got this, I usually get fresh ones and prepare them myself) and also a package of “shirataki” noodles tied into a knot called “musubi-shirataki” 結び白滝.  Using these ingredients, I made this without much effort. It was nothing special but a homey, gentle and comforting dish. The picture below shows daikon (left), renkon (center), satoimo (bottom left), fish cake (bottom righ). I also added blanched green beans and carrot.



The layer below shows three different kinds of fish cakes (straight chikuwa ちくわ), chikuwa with squid ika-chikuwa イカちくわ, ganmodoki がんもどき(all cut in half) and a knot of shirataki “musubi-shirataki 結び白滝”. Please notice, the taro “satoimo” is perfectly shaped since this is frozen packaged one.



Using prepared vegetables and assorted fish cakes, makes it much easier to make this dish. Beside using prepackaged items, the recipe is essentially the same as I previously posted.

Thursday, February 16, 2023

Shrimp and Avocado Croquette エビとアボカドのコロッケ

This is another variation of Japanese potato croquette. I have already posted quite a few variations on this potato theme previously. I got the idea of adding shrimp and avocado to a croquette from watching one of the YouTube episodes. Since my wife had made mashed potatoes when we cooked chicken in the Weber grill a few days ago and we also had a ripe avocado which had to be used quickly, this was a no-brainer. I served this as an appetizer one evening with a side of Tonkatsu sauce. On the cut-surface, you can see pieces of the shrimp and avocado.



Ingredients (this made 9 small croquettes):
6 large shrimp, thawed, shell and vein removed, cut into bite size, salted and sprinkled with sake (#1).
1 ripe avocado, skin and stone removed and cut into bite-size cubes, tossed in juice of a half lemon (#2)
Mashed potatoes (I used the mashed potatoes my wife made (#3). (The amount is uncertain but they were made from 2 russet potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil cooked in the Weber grill when we cooked two small chickens. We ate a small amount of the potatoes with some of the chicken for dinner the night of the barbecue. My wife added butter, cream cheese with onion and chive, and seasoned with salt).
Flour, egg and panko bread crumbs for dredging and breading

Oil (I used peanut oil) for frying.

Directions:
Mix the mashed potatoes, avocado and shrimp (#4)
Portion out the mixture (I used an ice cream scoop) (#5)
With hands wet with water, press and form an oval-shaped disk.
Coat with the flour, egg-water and Panko bread crumbs for frying.
Refrigerate for a few hours before frying (or freeze)* to prevent the croquets from exploding while frying.
Fry for 2-3 minutes each side (#6)
Drain and serve immediately or heat up in a toaster oven after placed in the refrigerator for later consumption.

*I made this twice. The first time, I just refrigerated the mixture for one hour before shallow frying. It was mostly OK but some of the croquettes crust did not remain completely intact. The second time, I froze the breaded croquettes overnight and deep fried them without thawing which produced a much better result.



The contrast of the shrimp’s firm and avocado’s soft and creamy textures makes this croquette very nice. The potatoes served as a nice creamy background for the shrimp and avocado. The breading provided a very satisfying crunch juxtapose to the creamy filling. We really like this croquette.

Tuesday, June 28, 2022

Duck-fat potato Focaccia bread アヒルの脂肪入りジャガイモフォカッチャ

This focaccia bread is based on a recipe from a new cookbook called "A good day to bake".  We got the cookbook at the recommendation for my wife's sister. She read a good review of it in the New York Times The original recipe calls for goose fat. But we did not have goose fat. We did, however, have frozen duck fat (leftover from making duck confit). This is essentially a recipe for the standard focaccia bread but instead of olive oil, it uses duck (or goose) fat plus thinly sliced potatoes and rosemary as toppings. It came out nicely with the potato almost like potato chips (see picture below).


Ingredients:
450 g (3 and 1/4 cups) bread flour
7gram instant yeast
300 ml (1 1/4 cup of water )(or a bit more or less depending on the dough consistency)
1 tsp Kosher salt
80g duck fat or goose fat
1tsp sugar

Topping
3-4 baby red potato, eyes and skin removed and sliced thinly (I used a Japanese mandoline "Benriner")
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary, leaves removed and roughly chopped.
More duck fat to coat the potato slices.

Directions: (Since the amount of flour and water is the same as my focaccia bread, I used my usual procedure of the food processor fitted with a kneading blade instead of a stand mixer or by hand).

Add the flour, salt, sugar, yeast and duck fat in the food processor. Pulse it to roughly mix. Turn on at low speed and drizzle in the water until a dough ball forms above the kneading blade (the amount of the water may need to be adjusted). Let it stand for 5 minutes so that the moisture distributes evenly. Turn on the food processor to low speed and knead the dough for 1 minute. Take the dough out onto a floured board, and knead 5-7 minutes and make a tight ball. Put a small amount of olive oil (or duck fat) in a bowl, place the dough ball turning a few times to coat in the oil/fat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let in rise until the volume doubles (1-2 hours) (I used a bread proofing box at 80 F). Place the dough on a 38x26cm(15x10 1/2 in) lightly oiled (I used olive oil but duck and goose fat can be used) baking pan, spread to fill the pan (may need 5-10 minutes rest to relax the dough). Cover it with a plastic wrap and let it rise for 45-60minutes (the baking pan did not fit into my proofing box, so I just put it on the top of the box without the lid. Preheat the oven to 375F (the original recipe calls for 435F but to me that is too hot since we do not like a hard crust).

Coat the dough surface with oil (I used olive oil) and make deep dimples using your fingers. Spread the duck fat coated potato slices and roughly chopped fresh rosemary leaves (see below).


Bake it 25-30 minutes or until the surface is brown/golden (see below picture). Take it out on the wire rack and let it cool.


Thinly sliced potato adds an interesting crunch texture almost like potato chips (but not quite that crispy). We could taste the rosemary but not the duck fat.



We had similar experience with the pan baked potato with duck fat. Somehow the duck fat does not add much of the flavor. I would rather use olive oil to reduce the amount of saturated fat. In any case, this is a good focaccia but I will make it without duck or goose fat next time.


Wednesday, May 4, 2022

Chicken spinach curry ほうれん草入りチキンカレー

This is another one of my wife’s curry projects. This is based on a recipe from Madhur Jaffrey’s  “Quick & Easy Indian Cooking” called Chicken in cilantro, spinach and mustard sauce. Since we did not have fresh cilantro, we omitted it and we added potato based on our belief that potato goes well with almost any curry. We replaced “hot green chili” with Jalapeño pepper. My wife made additional changes as well. This may not be the dish in the book but this tasted very good with a nice creamy sauce.



Ingredients:
3 bay leaves
6 cardamon pods
1 inch stick cinnamon
5 whole cloves
2 or 3 onions chopped
1 cup raisins
1 cup greek yogurt
1 1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
2 inch piece of fresh ginger peeled and chopped
2 Jalapeno peppers, deveined, seeded and chopped finely
Package of fresh spinach
3 tablespoons of grainy mustard
4 chicken thighs
Generous handful of cilantro tops (optional)
chicken broth as needed if the sauce gets too thick or starts to scorch

Directions:
Gather together the spices and ingredients (#1 & #2). Combine the yogurt and mustard and set aside. Put the bay leaves through cloves in a pan with hot peanut oil. Fry until the bay leaves start to brown and the spices become fragrant. (Remove the cardamon pods and cloves. The bay leaves and cinnamon can stay because they are big enough not to be eaten by accident.) Add the raisins to the hot oil. (Frying the raisins really transforms them. They puff up and their flavor becomes more intense.) Add the onions and fry until they are soft and slightly brown. Add the jalapeno and ginger and fry a few minutes. Add the yogurt/mustard combination with the salt and cayenne pepper. Mix until the sauce is distributed. Nestle the chicken into the sauce, add the potatoes and makes sure they are all covered in the sauce. Lastly add the spinach (#3). Cover and simmer gently until the spinach has wilted into the sauce. (#4). Gently simmer for about 1 hour until the potatoes and chicken are cooked through. (If the sauce gets too thick or starts to scorch dilute it with some chicken broth.)



This is a really good curry. It was different from the previous curries. The raisins give it a deep fruity flavor which contrasts with and is offset by the vinegary sharpness of the mustard. It results in a really nice kind-of sweet and sour combo. The Yogurt makes the sauce very rich and creamy. The potatoes absorb the flavor of the spices and also add to the creaminess of the sauce. The spinach adds additional texture and a slight bitterness on the tongue. Another great choice for lunch or dinner. 

Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Potato mozzarella croquet モッツァレラチーズいりコロッケ

My wife was inspired to make these cheese croquets after viewing a similar dish on Webspoon (Youtube). Of course, ingredients and directions are hard to remember since there appears to be no written recipes for Webspoon. This recipe (as shown on the web site) was mashed potatoes with some starch, salt and grated parmesan cheese added. Mix and make discs, place mozzarella  cheese on one disc and cover it with another to make cheese enclosed by potato and fry it. My wife decided to make this dish and as usual took the web recipe as advisory. For the potatoes, she used her gnocchi recipe. The picture below shows the result; crusty outside, soft creamy potato with melted mozzarella cheese oozing out. This is a good version. As usual, I will ask my wife to take over. 




Ingredients:
16 oz. of mashed potatoes* (3 cups) 
4 oz. of AP flour (3/4 cup)
1 egg
1 tsp. salt

Low-moisture while cow’s milk Mozzarella cheese

*The mashed potatoes are made from russet potatoes wrapped in aluminum foil cooked in the Weber when we cook either pork or chicken. My wife then removes the potato skins, mashes them in a bowl and adds about 1/2 stick of butter, 1/4 cup cream cheese and chives, salt and drippings from barbecued meat. (These are pretty luscious mashed potatoes as is, especially wrapped in crispy chicken skin.)

Directions:
Put the potatoes through a potato ricer to remove any remaining clumps not previously mashed. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until it forms a dough. (Shown in the bowl in #1. You may need to add more flour until the dough forms.) Form a patty and put it on a parchment paper covered cookie sheet. Put the cheese (also shown in the lower right in #1) on the patty. Take another clump of potato mixture put it on top of the cheese covered patty and seal the edges. After the patties are formed dredge them in flour (#2). Fry the patties in peanut oil (#3) until they are golden brown (#4). 



These are a great way to eat potatoes. The potatoes themselves have great flavor from the cream cheese, butter and barbecue meat drippings. They have a nice crispy outside texture and a soft creamy interior. Also, there is no way to go wrong with the added feature of cheese oozing out. They also crisp up nicely in the toaster oven. 

Tuesday, March 29, 2022

Shepherd's pie

It was St. Patricks day so what would be the best way to celebrate? My wife suggested that at the very least a shepherd's pie should be involved. Since St. Patricks day fell on a weekday, we made this shepherd's pie on the following weekend. I theoretically knew what shepherd’s pie was but I had never made it and I do not think I ever even tasted one. In any case, here is a Shepherd's pie made from ground lamb in small individual ramekins topped with cheddar cheese.  This one really tasted lamb-y/mutton-y with nice mashed potatoes on top. So to continue, shouldn’t a traditional Irish meal include some cabbage?  My contribution was a Japanese-style cabbage dish. (This is a simple home style dish my mother used to make. I realized I never posted it. Therefore, subject for future post).  This Irish celebration was rounded out with the addition of a slice of Irish soda bread my wife made recently. 


Ingredients: (from Washington Post, for 4 servings which made 8 small ramekins, see below #1)
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced (I chopped it in fairly small dice)
1 teaspoon minced thyme (I used dried thyme since we did not have fresh one)
1 tablespoon flour
1 1/2 cups low-sodium beef broth (I used chicken broth)
2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley (Our parsley in the fridge was too old and we did not have dried one, so we skipped this altogether).

--The potato topping was my wife's territory---
2 russet potatoes
4 tablespoon unsalted butter
4 tablespoons onion & chive cream cheese
1 cup cheeses, grated (optional) (we used cheddar and smoked gouda).

Directions:
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees.

In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until shimmering. Add the lamb and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste. With a slotted spoon, transfer the meat to a medium bowl. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the pan. Stir in the onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft but not browned. Add the carrot and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the broth, increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil, stirring.

Return the meat to the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15, or until the lamb is cooked through and the sauce has slightly thickened. Stir in the parsley and adjust the seasonings to taste.

Meanwhile, for the potatoes: Cook in the microwave with skin on for about 10 minutes (5 minutes turn and another 5 minutes) until a screwer goes in easily. Peel and put in a bowl. Add the butter, cream cheese, salt and stir until smooth.

Using a large spoon, transfer the meat mixture to a medium casserole dish or 4 ovenproof 8-ounce ramekins (As you can see below, we used small ramekins which made total of 8 servings, #1). If there is any sauce left in the skillet, add it to the casserole or divide it among the individual ramekins. Drop spoonful of the mashed potatoes on top, then spread the potatoes across the meat mixture, forming peaks, and to the edges of the dish(es) (#2). Add the cheese (#3). Bake at 450 for 20 minutes (#4).


This was a great meal of Irish dishes (with a slight Japanese twist on the cabbage dish). The lamb/mutton taste was very pronounced (read: STRONG). My wife really likes lamb and thought it was great but it was a bit too strong for me. We think with this celebration we adequately honored St. Patty and his day. 


Saturday, March 12, 2022

Pirogi ピロギ

One day, my wife made these pirogi. She was inspired after reading a recipe in the Washington Post at the start of the Russian war with Ukraine for Ukrainian "pierogi". Somehow this triggered a memory of the pirogi she used to eat as a young child. They were part of special family dinners out, in the summer, after an afternoon spent swimming. In rural Pennsylvania, at that time, dinner out often consisted of stopping at the local Tastee Freez and consuming your purchases in the car in the parking lot. (According to my wife, at least the scenery overlooking the beautiful Pennsylvania farmland from the parking lot was quite nice.) For some reason, this Tastee Freez sold food items other than just ice cream; one of which was pierogi. My wife clearly remembers how good they tasted, particularly when she was hungry after an afternoon of swimming. 

(Note from me: Just to bring the record up to date, I researched Tastee Freez and there are presently none located in PA. In addition, pirogi are not on the menu of those not located in PA.). (Note from wife: I was very young when we ate there. On reflection, maybe it was a Dairy Queen). (Note from me: There are lots of Dairy Queens in PA  but like Tastee Freez they don’t serve pirogi.) (Definitive note from wife’s older sister: It was not a Tastee Freez or Dairy Queen, it was a privately run food stand that subsequently went out of business and yes their pirogies were great.) (Note from wifey and me: Oh!)

In any case, my wife again raided my stash of gyoza/wonton skins instead of making the dough from scratch. I tasted the pirogi just boiled and it was quite good although the "cheese" flavors didn’t come through strongly. (My wife told me that she added a lot of cheeses). I recently saw a recipe for Japanese gyoza made basically by filling gyoza skins with potato salad. This sounds like a Japanese version of pirogi. Maybe, I should try this recipe. In any case, as a shime/ending dish one evening I cooked the pirogi my wife made in the style of ravioli. I made a quick tomato sauce from skinned Campari tomatoes and shallots.  I garnished with chopped fresh parsley and grated parmesan cheese. For good measure, I drizzled on some of our favorite Spanish olive oil. This was very carbo-intensive but tasted very good and was certainly rather filling.


The recipe is from Washington post. I am sure my wife modified the recipe. So I will ask her to take over.


Ingredients:
2 russet potatoes
4-6 tablespoons unsalted butter (or to taste)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped and caramelized in a sauce pan.
2 cups of shredded sharp cheese (I used a combination of smoked gouda, Monterey Jack and Irish cheddar)
Salt to taste
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Chopped fresh chives, dill or scallions, for garnish (optional)
1/2 package (about 20) gyoza skins

Directions:
To make the filling: Cook the potatoes, skin on, in the micro wave (about 10 minutes). Peel and mash in a bowl adding all the other ingredients (#1).

To assemble the pierogi: Wet the edges of the wonton skin with water. Add about 1 tablespoon of the potato filling to the center of the Wonton skin. (I used the smallest ice cream scoop). Fold over the skin to enclose the potato mixture and press firmly to seal making sure there are no air pockets. (I used the handy-dandy presser (see picture below).


Repeat with the remaining dough and filling (#2). The pierogi can be frozen at this point.

To finish, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Drop the pierogi in a few at a time, so as not to crowd the pot, gently stirring them so they don’t stick together (#3). Cook until they begin to bob to the surface, about 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon. Drain them on a rack (#4) While still hot coat with olive oil so they don’t stick together after they cool.


My wife admitted that while good, these pirogi were only vaguely reminiscent of the pirogi of her childhood. (Maybe an afternoon spent swimming is required seasoning for this dish?) Although the cheese flavor wasn’t pronounced, the overall flavor was very rich. The caramelized onions were very nice. Served this way with the tomato sauce, the pirogies were more like ravioli (can’t go wrong with that). 

Thursday, November 25, 2021

Pork with chickpeas and potato curry 豚肉、ジャガイモと雛豆のカレー

This curry is a variation of "Pork with chickpea curry". This time, in addition to the chickpeas, she added black beans (left over from making pumpkin and black bean quesadilla) and potato. We decided having potato in any curry is a nice addition reminiscent of any good Japanese-style curry.  We added skinned Campari tomato and blanched broccoli before reheating and serving the curry.



Ingredients
1 can black beans
1 can of chickpeas
3 small red potatoes peeled and cut into pennies
3 garlic cloves
1 1/2 inch cube of ginger sliced
3 Tbs. chicken stock
1/4 tsp. cardamom
4 bay leaves
1 inch cinnamon stick
3 medium onions peeled and coarsely chopped
1 Tbs. ground cumin
1 Tbs. ground coriander
1 Tsp. ground turmeric
3 medium tomatoes peeled
1 Tbs. salt
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste

Directions:
Put the ginger, garlic, and chicken stock in a food processor with a blade. Pulse until it forms a paste.
Put several Tbs. oil in a frying pan. Add the cardamom, bay leaves and cinnamon. Heat until the spices bloom and become fragrant. Add the onions and stir until they are partially caramelized. Add the ginger garlic paste and stir until the garlic smells fragrant and the mixture has been incorporated with the onions. add the cumin, coriander, and turmeric stirring until they become fragrant. Add the potato and tomato. Mash the tomato. Cook gently until the potatoes become soft. Add the chickpeas, beans and the stewed pork with the liquid in which the pork was cooked. Cook for 20 minutes until all the flavors meld. If the curry looks too soupy reduce it on low heat until the desired consistency is reached.




Although this a variation of a previous curry recipe the slight variations makes it different somehow. The chickpeas add a slightly firm texture while the black beans add a creaminess. The potatoes absorb the curry flavor and add yet another texture. This makes a very satisfying dinner or even lunch.

Saturday, October 2, 2021

Potato and pork curry 馬鈴薯と豚肉のカレー

 This is one of my wife’s curry projects. Since we are now buying bone-in big pieces of pork (either butt or shoulder) which I divide up into one large roast (for cooking in Weber grill), one small roast (to make pot-roasted pork or “nibuta”). I cut up the remaining odd pieces and cook them in a chicken broth and then task my wife to come up with some kind of curry/stew. This is her variation (instead of lamb, she used pork) on a recipe in a cookbook by Madhur Jaffrey called “Indian Cooking”. I forgot to take a serving picture of this curry before we finished it. I love having these curries over rice especially for lunch. She makes it “spicy” as in many spices but not spicy hot.



Ingredients:
2 to 3 onions peeled and chopped
1 to 2 jalapeño chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tbs. ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp. Ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 tsp. Salt
2 to 3 peeled fresh tomatoes (or to taste)
5 to 6 small round red potatoes peeled and cut into bite sized cubes.
Several cups of pork trimmings previously cooked with the liquid they were cooked in.

Directions:
Sauté the onions until they are wilted and partially caramelized. Add the garlic and jalapeño and cook them until they become fragrant. Add the spices (the picture below) and bloom them until they become fragrant. Add the tomatoes, potatoes and the pork along with the liquid from cooking the pork. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are done.


This was a very satisfying curry. The potatoes absorbed the flavor of the spices and made a good addition. The pork was tender and tasted wonderful in the combination of spices. This dish had a lot of flavor which unfolded in various levels but was not too hot. 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Potato salad with tuna and pesto ペストとツナのポテトサラダ

We made pesto and froze it when we had a bumper crop of basil sometime ago. My wife found two small plastic containers in the freezer recently and tasked me to use it. I made two kinds of garlic mozzarella bread, one with original garlic scallion butter and another with the pesto. The one with pesto was quite good. That left me with the 2-3 tbs of pesto. From the depth of my memory I remembered a recipe for potato salad with tuna and pesto from the “Frugal Gourmet*" cookbook. I sort of remembered how this was made but I decided I needed to find the recipe. After going through a number of his cookbooks which we have in our collection, I found the recipe in "Frugal Gourmet cooks with wine". It was called "tuna and potato salad" which was introduced as an "American Italian" dish. In any case, I made this salad and finished up the pesto. It was definitely very distinctive and very good; quite different from my usual potato salad.

*When his show was popular on PBS in1980s, it was our routine to watch it on the weekend and we bought most of his cookbooks. Looking back, however, we think our cooking has advanced since then but at the time his recipes were quite inspirational. 


I made a few modifications as usual.  



Ingredients:
2 medium russet potatoes, boiled with skin on and then skin removed, cut (crumbed) into bite size chunks (original recipe calls for 6 small red potatoes).
One can of tuna in water, drained.
Blanched green beans, arbitrary amount (I prepared from fresh green beans, the original recipe calls for a 10 oz. package of frozen green beans, thawed, cooked and drained).
2 tbs pesto
3 tbs mayonnaise and 3 tbs Greek (strained) yogurt* (The original recipe calls for 1 cup mayo)
3 flat anchovies mashed (optional). I did not used them.
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tbs chopped parsley (I skipped this since I did not have fresh parsley)



Directions:
I seasoned the potatoes with salt, pepper and sushi vinegar while they were hot and I them cool in a bowl (my addition)
Cut the green beans in half inch length and add to the potato.
Add the pesto and tuna.
Add the mayo and Greek yogurt and mix.
Taste and season it with salt and pepper if needed.

This is a good salad to have. We really liked it.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Squid and potato, lightly simmered イカとじゃがいもの軽い煮込み

I found two packages of frozen squid in our freezer.  I got them from “Vital Choice” when we got frozen Pacific oysters. I did not have a chance to use them until now. These were quite good, much better than previously-frozen-and-thawed cleaned squid we used to get from our regular grocery  store. After thawing, I washed them in cold running water. They were cleaned including bodies and tentacles. No fishy smell and the body tubes were nicely intact. I have made quite a few dishes using squid.  Since I am running out of new dishes, I have been on the look-out for any new recipes. I found this recipe in the digital edition of one of the Japanese newspaper sites. This was a bit unusual in that no traditional Japanese seasonings (soy sauce, ginger, etc) were used. The original recipe calls for “parsley” sauce (mixture of chopped parsley, olive oil and salt). Since I did not have fresh parsley, I had to improvise. Despite that, this dish was really good.  The evening I made this dish, we had it warm (picture below).


Next day, I served this cold. It tasted equally good cold. We may even prefer to serve this cold especially in summer.



Ingredients:
170g cleaned and frozen squid and tentacles, thawed* (I used half of a12oz package), washed and the body cut into tubes, and tentacles cut into bite sized pieces
2 small potatoes (I used red potato), skinned and cut into 1/4 slices
150 ml water
1 tbs olive oil
salt to taste
1 tb white wine
1/2 garlic clove

For parsley sauce
5 sprigs of fresh parsley finely chopped (Since I did not have fresh parsley, I used combination of finely chopped scallion and Jalapeno pepper)
2-3 tbs olive oil
1 pinch salt

*The original recipe calls for a one large squid.

Directions:
Sprinkle the white wine on the squid. 
Add the water, olive oil, the garlic and the potato in a pot. After it reaches boiling reduce the heat and cook 15-20 minutes with the lid askew. When the potato is cooked, season it with salt.
Add the squid and cook for 30 minutes stirring. Then cut off the heat and let it steep to finish cooking.
Serve with the potato on the bottom top with dollops of the sauce.

Although I could not make the parsley sauce, this was a very refreshing and nice dish. Actually the combination scallion and jalapeño may have been more flavorful than a parsley sauce. The squid was tender since it was cooked for a short time. It was sort of Western-style and perfect for hot summer when served cold.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

Scalloped potato with cauliflower puree

My wife came up with this dish one day. A few days before I had made my usual Cauliflower puree. Beside eating it as an “adult baby” food, we have made Mac-and-cheese using the puree instead of Béchamel sauce. I am not sure how she came up with this dish but, it is essentially scalloped potatoes made with the Cauliflower puree, cheese, onion and jalapeño pepper. This was topped with several kinds of cheese and baked.


After the servings were cut out, you could see multiple layers of thinly sliced potato with cheesy sauce. The green bits are chopped Jalapeño pepper. She ended up making a quite large amount but we managed to enjoy it all as a side for lunches and dinner and also as appetizers. Probaly not as rich as if we made this with full-fledged Béchamel sauce but it was quite good.


I ask my wife to provide the recipe. I help her by slicing potatoes, onions, and chopping up Jalapeño pepper.


Ingredients:
Two russet potatoes thinly sliced
2 onions thinly sliced
2 jalapeño pepper
1 cup of cheddar cheese grated
1 cup monterey Jack cheese grated
1/2 cup parmesian cheese grated
Several slices of smoked gouda to top.
Enough cauliflower puree to cover several layers


Directions:
Cover the bottom of an oven casserole dish with the puree. Distribute a layer of potatoes (#1) then the sliced onions, jalapeño pepper and the various cheeses (# 1&2) then the cauliflower pure (#3) Keep layering until all the ingredients have been distributed. End by putting on slices of smoked gouda (#4). Cook in a 400 degree oven covered for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue cooking for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender and a knife slides in easily. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.



This is a very comforting dish with thin layers of potatoes between custard like layers of warm cheese. The jalapeño peppers and onion give a nice flash of flavor. You would never guess that cauliflower was one of the main ingredients. It heated up nicely in the microwave. This would the a staple for any menu. 

Monday, May 10, 2021

Potato dill muffin ポテトとディルのマフィン

 This is another muffin from the “Mostly muffin” cookbook. My wife made this since we had leftover mashed potatoes made from russet potatoes baked (in Weber grill with pork roast). The mashed potatoes were seasoned with buttermilk, butter, salt and pepper. This is a very nice muffin with a clearly identifiable dill flavor but also a hint of the mashed potato.


Here again, I ask to my wife to take over.


Ingredients
2 cups AP flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup cooked mashed potatoes
1/4 cup lightly salted butter melted and cooled
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. Sriracha hot sauce
1 1/2 tsp. dried onion (or onion powder or 2 Tbs. chopped scallions)
2 Tbs. dill chopped

Directions:
Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (Flour thru salt). In another bowl mix the wet ingredients (i.e. the rest of the ingredients). Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated. Scoop (using 2nd largest scoop) into 12 heavily greased muffin tins. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes until a cake tester in the middle muffin comes out clean. Let cool for about 5 minutes before removing them from the muffin tin.

These were very hearty muffins. The dill flavor was the most noticeable. The rest of the flavors were a bit muted. Next time I might increase the hot sauce and onion. Nonetheless this was a good muffin for breakfast or even lunch. 


Sunday, May 17, 2020

Japanese sweet potato muffin Version3 サツマイモ マフィン バージョン3

This is the third iteration of Japanese "Satsuma-imo" sweet potato roll/muffin. In dealing with various food shortages during the covid-19 crisis we took an inventory of the foods we had in the freezer. My wife discovered a package of prepared satsuma-imo which she had prepared in the fall but forgotten about. She immediately decided to make sweet potato muffins. She basically used the recipe for the first version of sweet potato muffin and did not rise the dough over night in the refrigerator as she did in version 2 . The good news is that we finally have regular yeast again (from Amazon, Fleischmann's instant yeast* 1 lb) so she did not use biga to make this. She used the usual amount of active yeast.

* Digression alert:
This is the largest amount of yeast we ever bought but this was the only package available. We usually buy a 4 oz jar of Fleischmann's active yeast. We are bit confused about  the differences between "active", "instant" and "rapid-rise" or "rapid-acting" yeast. This is a somewhat confusing subject but this web site appears to provide the most clear explanation. The following is what we understand from reading this article.  The only difference between "active" and "instant" yeasts is the size of the granules. The granules in "active" yeast are larger than in "instant" yeast and require "proofing" or "activating" before being mixed into the rest of the ingredients.  Because the granules in "instant" yeast are finer it can be mixed into dry ingredients without proofing. In addition, instant yeast unlike active yeast can be frozen--which we will have to do since this is such a large quantity. "Rapid-acting" and "Rapid-rising" yeasts are brand-specific names. These yeasts include additional ingredients that make rising faster and these yeasts are not suited for long fermentation such as overnight rising in the refrigerator or making over night pre-ferments.

This 3rd iteration of sweet potato muffin, is basically the same as the first version. The major difference is the mixture used for the stuffing. My wife didn't have enough sweet potato to just use that in the stuffing as she did in the original version so she used a mixture of ricotta cheese and sweet potato instead. As you can see, as it cooked steam made a space over the stuffing but the muffin tasted really good. We like this stuffing better.


She brushed the top with melted butter before placing into the oven.


Ingredients:
for the bread
1 cup of processed sweet potato (1/2 cup for the bread and about 1/2 cup to use as filling in the bread)
4 1/2 teaspoons (two 1/4-ounce packets) active dry yeast
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3 large eggs
3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 to 3 1/2 cups flour, plus more for the work surface
Oil, for greasing the proofing bowl.
an additional 1 tsp butter to brush on the muffins before baking

for the stuffing
1/2 cup processed sweet potato
1/2 cup ricotta cheese

Directions:
Process the sweet potato by cooking several Japanese sweet potatoes either in the Weber grill or microwave. Let cool, peel and thoroughly mash in a food mill so it is smooth. (Since we made this batch of sweet potatoes in the Weber one weekend to have with barbecued chicken it had butter and soy sauce previously added).

Combine the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer; proof for 5 minutes.  Add the eggs and beat on low speed, then add the remaining sugar, the butter and salt. Beat on low speed for about 2 minutes (no need to scrape down the bowl), then add the sweet potato and beat for about 1 minute. Add 1 cup of the flour at a time, beating to form a slightly stiff dough that has pulled away from the sides of the bowl; add flour as needed to form dough. Knead on speed 2 for 7 to 10 minutes. 

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface; knead for 2 to 3 minutes. When it is smooth and springy, shape it into a ball. Use oil to lightly grease the inside of a large bowl, then place the dough in it, turning it to coat evenly. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; let the dough rest for about 1 hour or until it has doubled in size. The dough will be ready when you can push 2 fingers into it and the indentations remain.

Meanwhile mix the remaining processed sweet potato and ricotta cheese in another bowl and set aside. (shown in picture below).

Punch down the dough. Cut into pieces weighing about 2 oz. each (about 56 g). Flatten the dough and put a small scoop of the sweet potato ricotta mixture in the middle. Pinch the dough around the sweet potato ball and form into a muffin. Place in a greased baking dish. Cover with plastic wrap; let the muffins rise for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until doubled in size. Just before baking brush with 1 tbs of melted butter. Cook in a preheated oven of 375 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes until golden.


These sweet potato muffins are definitely one of our favorites. They are very nice when stuffed with just excess processed sweet potato but these stuffed with sweet potato and ricotta cheese are even better. The ricotta cheese picks up the flavor of the potato and seems to accentuate it. It has a mild sweetness. In addition the filling is very smooth and creamy. This goes very well with the tenderness of the bread's texture.

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Puff pastry loaf with roast beef, cheese and potato salad ローストビーフ、チーズ、ポテトサラダローフ

My wife invented this loaf which is a variation of egg and smoked salmon in puff pastry. She already made one variation using smoked salmon, cheese and mashed potato. This time, we were in cleaning-up-leftovers mode. Although we rarely eat beef, one weekend we made a beef roast on the Weber grill with hot smoke. We used thin slices of the roast beef for sandwiches during the week but still had some left over. In addition, I had made potato salad a few weeks ago and a good amount was still left.  (The potato salad is made with rice vinegar and strained yogurt i.e. Greek yogurt in addition to the usual mayonnaise, and these two ingredients act as a kind of preservative. As a result the potato salad lasts a long time but even so there is a limit so we had to use it up). My wife came to the rescue with this dish using roast beef, potato salad and her variation of cheese stuffing. This is like a "pasty", all inclusive--starch, veggies and proteins from the meat and cheese.



Ingredients:
sheet of puff pastry thawed

for cheese filling:
4 oz. feta cheese
3 oz smoked mozzarella cheese
2 oz. Monterey jack
5 oz. ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
sprinkle of red pepper flakes to taste

Other ingredients
roast beef cut into thin slices.
cup of potato salad (or amount needed to top the cheese filling)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Crumble the feta cheese into small pieces. Grate the mozzarella and Monterey jack cheeses. Mix the crumbled and grated cheeses with the ricotta, egg and red pepper flakes. Roll out the thawed puff pastry on parchment paper. On half of the pastry dough, add layers of thinly sliced roast beef, the cheese mixture and potato salad (shown below).


Fold the other half of the pastry dough over the filling and seal the edges by painting on a mixture of water and flour and pressing the edges using the tines of a fork.  Dock or prick the top of the dough with the fork. (This lets steam escape as the loaf cooks). With the loaf still on the parchment paper place it on a rack and put the rack on a cookie sheet. (This allows the bottom to cook thoroughly). Cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown.


Again, you can't go wrong with this combination of pastry, meat, cheese and potatoes--its a meal in itself. The potato salad was an interesting addition. It added a slight vinegar tang and the mayonnaise yogurt blended into the cheese mixture adding a creaminess. The onions and carrots in the potato salad were a nice dimension that was not present in previous versions of this loaf. The smokiness of the barbecued beef also added its "voice" nicely. (Although the roast beef was very nice, we decided that maybe we preferred the saltiness of the smoked salmon used in previous versions a bit better). Slices of the loaf heat up well in the toaster oven. This is nice to have after work with a nice glass of red wine of course.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Pork, potato and green bean stir fry 豚じゃがインゲン

This is a variation of Japanese style "meat and potato" dishes. Since I had baby red potatoes that were  getting old and some partly shriveled  up, one-week-old blanched green beans and vacuum packed pork tenderloin which had just passed its "best used by" date, I came up with this variation of pork, potato and green bean dish. My mother used to make a simple variation of this dish using braised potatoes and green beans seasoned with mirin, sugar and soy sauce. In this version I expanded on my mothers recipe by adding pork. As is often the case with Japanese braised dishes, this one was seasoned "ama-kara" 甘辛 or "sweet and salty" with "salty" coming from soy sauce.


I did a bit of pre-treatment/seasoning to the pork to prevent it from getting dry, since these were the trimmings from tenderloin which tends to get dry when cooked. For an impromptu dish, this turned out to be quite good.


Ingredients:
10-12 baby red potatoes, skinned.
1/2 package of green beans, blanched in salted water, cut into 2-3 inch long pieces.
1 lb thinly sliced pork tenderloin (or pork belly may work better).
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup dashi broth (I used bonito-dashi pack)
1-2 tbs soy sauce
1-2 tbs mirin

For the pork marinade
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs sake
1 tbs mirin
1 tsp potato starch
1/2 tsp grated ginger (optional)

Directions:
Add the marinade and the pork into a ziploc bag, remove the air and close. Massage it well so that the marinade and potato starch permeates the meat (the potato starch keeps the moisture in the meat).  I marinaded the meat for 30 minutes.

In a wok on medium flame, add 1 tsp olive oil and the meat (marinade was totally absorbed). Stir and cook for a few minutes until done. Take out the meat and set aside. Wipe clean the wok, add 1 tsp of olive oil and add the potatoes. Stir for a few minutes until the surface of the potatoes are coated with oil. Add the dashi broth, the soy sauce and mirin, put on the lid and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked. Add the set-aside cooked pork and green beans, stir for several minutes until the liquid is reduced. Taste and add more soy sauce and/or mirin if needed.


Because of the marinade and potato starch, the meat came out moist tender and well seasoned. The green beans were still slightly crunchy. This is a really homey comfort dish.