Pan-fried Oyster Mushroom 平茸の洋風ソテー

We like mushrooms. Since we start using Weee, we regularly get several varieties of fresh mushrooms. Shiitake is our favorite followed by “hen of the woods”. Others that we like are oyster, woodear, shimeji, and enoki mushrooms. This time I decided to cook the oyster mushrooms Western style based on a recipe I saw on-line. Spices and flour coating make it crispy with lots of flavor (#1). This is very different from the more traditional Japanese ways of preparation I have been using and we really like it.

Ingredients
10 oz oyster mushrooms, (300 grams whole or torn into pieces).
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon light soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free, (you can also use low-sodium soy sauce if the light kind isn’t available).
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
½ teaspoon turmeric
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon black pepper
⅔ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour for gluten-free flour
Olive oil for cooking

For Balsamic Parmesan Oyster Mushrooms:1 tablespoon aged balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions
If mushrooms are large, tear them into 2-3 pieces. Toss mushrooms in a bowl with olive oil, soy sauce, spices, and flour until evenly coated. Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a single layer, leaving space between them. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until crispy and golden brown. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with lemon wedges and flaky salt, or drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cold Jade Eggplant in broth 茄子の翡翠煮

When we get “Asian” eggplant from Weee, I try to make as many dishes as I can so they don’t go to waste. Although the eggplant I got from Weee is not the genuine Japanese variety, I still made it as “Hisui-ni 翡翠煮” . “Hisui” in Japanese means “jade”. The name comes from the subtle green hue of Japanese eggplant cooked this way, although my rendition did not have this color because of the type of eggplant I used. The jist of this dish is to precook the eggplant; either microwave, deep fry or simmer. Then however, it is cooked it is further simmered and soaked in light broth then served cold topped with bonito flakes.   I took the easiest route and microwaved the eggplant first and then simmered and soaked it in the broth. This is a very light and refreshing dish. 

This is not based on one particular recipe. This is how I made it and is note so that I can reproduce it.

Ingredients:
1 Japanese (Asian) eggplant (long light purple one) or more authentic Japanese eggplant, peeled and cut into segments (about 2 inches in length)
Bonito flakes for topping

For broth
1 cup Japanese kelp and bonito broth (I used my usual dashi pack
1-2 tbs shiro-dashi 白出し*
1 tbs mirin

*shiro-dashi is a type of seasoning liquid made of Japanese broth,  white and light colored soy sauce,  and mirin. Although one can make this from scratch, commercial bottled ones are available which I use.

Directions:
Place the eggplant in a silicon microwave safe container and microwave it for a few minutes or until the eggplant is soft. Cut into half inch buttons.
Put the broth in a pan on low heat, add the eggplant and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature in the broth and then refrigerate (at least several hours or overnight).
Top it with “katsuo-bushi 鰹節”  bonito flakes and serve cold.

This is a very gentle and refreshing dish and perfect for the very first appetizer.

Persimmon and “Kabu” turnip salad 柿と蕪のマリネ

This is a quick impromptu dish I made one evening. This dish came about since I had a small fresh Japanese “kabu 蕪” turnip from Suzuki Farm, and “Fuyu” persimmon 富有柿 from Weee. In addition, I had leftover “Kabosu miso カボスみそ”. So I made a quick marinated kabu and persimmon with added  wakame わかめ dressed in “Kabosu miso”. This was a refreshing small dish with interesting texture and flavor. The raw kabu turnip has a nice crunch with distinctive flavor (pungent in a good way) combined with the sweetness of persimmon in a dressing made of mixture of home-made sweet vinegar and olive oil. All worked well together. Although wakame is usually dressed with “Sumiso 酢味噌”, “Kabosu miso” worked as well or even better.

Ingredients (2 servings or 4 small servings like the one in the picture).
One small Japanese “kabu” turnip, top removed, skinned, halved and sliced thinly (depending on your preference; the thicker the crunchier)

One “Fuyu” persimmon, (firm one), peeled, halved and sliced similar to the “kabu”
1/2 tsp salt

Marinade/dressing:
1 tbs “amazu” sweet vinegar*
1 tbs extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

*Amazu 甘酢: there are a few variation (see “daikon namasu” section of Norio’s New year dishes”). The one I had was made some time ago and kept in a jar. It was made of equal parts rice vinegar and water as well as sugar equal to half the amount of vinegar used and a pinch of salt.

Directions
Add the salt to the kabu, knead and let stand for 5 minutes and squeeze out any excess moisture.
In a small bowl, add the kabu and persimmon. Add the dressing and mix.
Refrigerate for 5 minutes before serving.

Because of the acidity in the dish, sake is the libation of choice.

Fried “Renkon” Lotus Root with “Aonori” dried seaweed (laver) レンコンの磯辺揚げ

In the past, we could not get fresh “renkon レンコン” lotus root. We could only get packaged boiled renkon. Occasionally we got fresh renkon from our Japanese grocery store or Hmart (through Instacart). We are now getting fresh renkon any time we want from Weee.

Although renkon is called “lotus root” and written in the Japanese kanji ideogram “蓮根” meaning “lotus root”,  renkon is actually the “stem” not the root of the plant. I have posted quite a few renkon dishes in the past. When I receive fresh lotus root, I separate the segments, clean and dry the surface, wrap the individual segments in paper towel, vacuum pack, and refrigerate. With this preparation the renkon will last at least a few weeks or more. But sometimes I become complacent and let them sit in the refrigerator too long and the vacuum packed renkon goes bad. This time, I wanted to make sure I used up the renkon in time. So using the longest segment we got with this batch, I immediately made two renkon dishes, this is one of them. 

This is a variation of fried renkon chips made with onori 青海苔” called isobe-age*.  I got the inspiration for this dish from e-recipe website. I made a batter of cake flour, water and Japanese aonori. I shallow fried it and served it with kosher salt. This is a perfect small appetizer with the lovely salty briny smell and taste of aonori and the crunch of renkon.

* Aonori is dried seaweed also known as green laver.  When it is used in a dish the name of the dish includes the word “Isobe 磯部” (meaning “rocky beach”). This is because the briny smell of the aonori is reminiscent of the briny ocean smell characteristic of the rocky beach where it grows. So this dish I made is called “Isobe a-ge 磯辺揚げ” (or literally rocky beach fry).

This is not a recipe per se but a note to myself.

Ingredients:
3 inch long segment of fresh renkon, peeled and parboiled (for 3-4 minutes). This will prevent the renkon from breaking into fragments when sliced. 

Batter:
3 tbs. cake flour
1 tbs. dried “aonori” flakes
4 tbs. water (I used cold water from the refrigerator. The amount of water is just enough to make a pancake batter consistency).

Vegetable oil (enough to cover the frying pan bottom about 1/2 inch deep) for frying.

Directions:
Cut the renkon lengthwise in half, slice 1/4 inch thick crosswise to make half-moon shaped pieces.
Add the renkon slices to the batter to coat.
Add the oil to a frying pan on medium flame.
Make sure the oil is hot (test by dropping a small amount of batter into the oil. It should start sizzling immediately).
Add the renkon and fry for 4-5 minutes until slightly brown, turn it over and cook for a few more minutes.
Place the fried pieces on a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle on some salt.
Serve immediately.

These heat up well in the toaster oven—they actually got crisper. 

You can have variations of this dish. You can fry the renkon pieces as is for renkon chips, or dusted with flour, or regular tempura batter. By add a leavening agents (baking soda, baking powder) and/or beer instead of water to make the batter the fired renkon becomes a renkon fritter.

Salted “Kabocha” 塩かぼちゃ

The quality of “Kabocha かぼちゃ” Japanese pumpkin/squash” from Weee is excellent. In the past, the quality of kabocha we bought from other places was hit-or-miss. Sometimes, the texture was watery and did not have the dense texture or “hoku-hoku ほくほく” or sweet taste characteristic of good kabocha. In any case, instead of making the usual simmered kabocha, I made this “salted kabocha 塩かぼちゃ” using a kabocha we got recently from Weee. After checking recipes on-line, I used one of simplest ones I saw on Youtube. This was dubbed: “even watery kabocha turnes out sweet and “hoku-hoku”. Turned out the recipe was correct; I am impressed. Even without the addition of any sugar the dish was sweet with a subtle salty taste and nice dense texture (#1). 

Ingredients:
1/4 kabocha, skin mostly removed by shaving it off using a heavy knife, cut into half inch cubes
1 tsp salt

Directions:
Add the kabocha and salt in a bowl and coat the surface. Let it sit for several hours or overnight in the refrigerator until some water accumulates in the bottom of the bowl
Add the kabocha and accumulated water into a pan which snuggly accommodates the kabocha. cubes (I used a frying pan with a high rim)
Cover with a tight lid and on low flame cook until the kabocha is tender when tested with a fork (about 15 minutes)
Check occasionally and if needed add a small mount of water (I added 1 tbs of water after10 minutes)
After it finished cooking only a very small amount of water was left in the bottom of the pan. when cooled all liquid was reabsorbed into the squash (picture #2)

This is an excellent and simple way to cook kabocha. 

Custardy Apple Cake カスタードアップルケーキ

This is one of my wife’s baking projects. This recipe appeared as “Dori Greenspan’s Custardy Apple Squares” in Washington Post which drew my wife’s  attention. Since we get nice large Washington state Fiji” apples from Weee, this recipe appeared perfect to try. I helped by preparing the apple. This is very good. The layers of apple slices with custard in between (picture #1) is very refreshing and not too sweet. Perfect dessert for us not serous dessert eaters.

Ingredients: 
2 tablespoons (28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more softened butter for the pan
3 medium juicy, sweet apples, such as Gala or Fuji, peeled (1 pound/454 grams total)
Generous 1/2 cups (68 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cups (67 grams) granulated sugar
1 pinch fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
6 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch square baking pan with a little butter.

Slice the apples from top to bottom using a mandoline, Benriner or sharp knife, turning the fruit 90 degrees each time you reach the core. The slices should be about 1/16 inch thick -- elegantly thin, but not so thin that they’re transparent and fragile. (If they’re a little thicker, that’ll be fine, too.) Discard or compost the cores.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder until combined.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and salt until the sugar has just about dissolved and, more importantly, until the eggs are pale, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then the milk and the melted, cooled butter. Add to the flour mixture and whisk to form a smooth batter.

Add the apples to the bowl, switch to a flexible spatula and gently fold in the apples, turning the mixture until each thin slice is coated in the batter. (I used my hand to individually coat each slice with the mixture). Scrape the mixture into the pan, smoothing the top as evenly as you can. It will be bumpy; that’s its nature.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and puffed — make sure the middle of the cake has risen — and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool for at least 15 minutes or completely. (I cooked this in the toaster oven and it took about 35 minutes.

Variations
You can add a couple of tablespoons of dark rum, calvados, applejack or armagnac or a drop (really, just a drop) of pure almond extract to the batter. If you have an orange or a lemon handy, you can grate the zest over the sugar and rub the ingredients together until they’re fragrant. You can also change the fruit. Pears are perfect, and a combination of apples and pears is even better. Or make the cake with 2 firm mangoes — the texture will be different but still good — or very thinly sliced quinces. Finally, if you want to make this look a little dressier, you can warm some apple jelly in a microwave and use a pastry brush to spread a thin layer of it over the top.

Appetizers; one with Shad Roe 酒のつまみ

Those are two sets of appetizers I made on different evening. One unusual one is a variation of the nagaimo-tarako gellee 長芋とたらこのジェル寄せ. Instead of “tarako” cod roe, I used shad roe since it was in the freezer and getting old. I made several dishes from shad roe including American classic of cooked with bacon.  In the picture #1, from left to right; 1. nagaimo-shad roe gelee 長芋とシャドロウのジェル寄せ, 2. Wakame and cucumber in miso dressing 和布と胡瓜の酢味噌あえ, 3. picked herring (from a jar) topped with yogurt dip, 4. daikon “namasu”  in sweet vinegar 大根なます, and 5. daikon kimpira 大根の金平.

Nothing particulary new but two may deserve some notes:

1. Nagaimo-shad roe gelee: 
Japanese tarako is slat marinated but not cooked. I used tarako without further cooking for this dish. 
Since Shad roe is not slated or cooked, i modified my recipe. I first removed the roe from the sacs and  marinated in  the equal mixture of x4 concentrated Japanese noodle soup and mirin for several hours in the refrigerator (good amount of the marinade get absorbed). 
After draining the excess marinade, I cooked the roe in the frying pan with melted butter in low heat until the color changes (or cooked). Let it cooled down and use it like tarako. 

I used 1 cup of Japanese broth with 3/4 envelope of unflavored gelatin. Seasoned with splashes of dark sesame oil and tabasco or sriracha. For the nagaimo layer,  I seasoned with small amount of sushi vinegar.

2. Daikon Kimpira:
I had the last of a good daikon from Suzuki Farm. I peeled (a bit thickly) and cooked with a pinch of raw rice grains (which can be used in simmered dishes such as oden. I cut the peels with skin in match stick and made kimpira with daikon green (from daikon from Weee we just got) and fried “abura-age” tofu.

In the picture #2, i served the nagaimo-shad roe gelee (top center), kelp salmon roll 鮭の昆布巻き (left lower) and salmon nanban 鮭の南蛮漬け (right lower). 

Grilled Beef Tongue 牛タンの焼肉

We like beef tongue which is not always easy to get. We like tongue prepared Pennsylvania Dutch style; boiled with aromatic vegitables which gives it a nice tender texture which is particularly good as  a sandwich meat. Another favorite is tongue stew also made from Pa Dutch style prepared tongue. In Japan, the most common way to prepare beef tongue, either thickly or thinly sliced, is grilling it or “Yaki-niku 焼肉”. The city of Sendai 仙台 in the Northern part of the Japanese mainland is famous for grilled tongue. We tried it some time ago while we were there visiting Japan but we did not like it. It was very tough and too chewy. We recently found that Weee offers two kind of frozen sliced beef tongue. Although details were a bit vague, one kind appears to be thin sliced and the other is a thicker slice judging from the reviews. We got the kind that was very thinly sliced (#2). As per Japanese fashion, we seasoned it with salt and pepper and briefly cooked it in a frying pan and served it with wedges of lemon. Since we had left-over croquettes (potato with ground pork and chicken), we heated them up in the toaster oven and served them as a side. The thinness of the beef tongue slices really helped but they were still a bit on the chewy side.  Nonetheless it had a lot of flavor. This is good but not our favorite way to have beef tongue.

The tongue came frozen and vacuum packed (#2). Skin was removed and the meat sliced very thin. Once thawed, it is relatively easy to separate into separate slices. I salted and peppered only on one side after the slices were in the frying pan.

Knowing that the thinly sliced version of beef tongue from Weee is still a bit chewy, we suspect the thicker slices would be even more so. 

Lotus root salad with Yuzu-kosho Mayo 柚子胡椒マヨ蓮根サラダ

This is the second dish I made from fresh renkon (lotus root) we received recently from Weee. This a simple renkon salad. I have posted several renkon salads and this is a variation of renkon salad dressed in yuzu-mayonnaise. I think I saw a recipe on line from which I got the idea for this but could not locate it again. In any case, the dressing is made with mayo plus yuzu-kosho* 柚子胡椒 so in addition to yuzu flavor it has some heat from the yuzu-kosho. This was a really good dish. The renkon is crunchy. It absorbs the yuzu flavor which gives it a bright citrus taste. The mayo mutes the spiciness of the yuzu-kosho but it is still there. Just for green color I added blanched green beans.

* Japanese condiment/ paste made from chili peppers, yuzu peel and salt, which is then allowed to ferment. Usually made of green pepper but also made with red pepper.

Again this is not really recipe. Just for my notes:

Ingredients:
3 inch renkon, peeled, blanched and cut into small bite sized pieces.

Some green for color (blanched green beans, broccoli etc)

Dressing:
1 tbs mayonnaise 
1/2 tsp yuzu-kosho (more for spicier dressing)
1 tsp ponzu shoyu ポン酢醤油
(Because the ponzu also has yuzu juice in it the dressing gets a double dose of yuzu Japanese citrus flavor)

Directions:
Boil the renkon in salted water with a splash of rice vinegar for 10-15 minutes.
Let it cool to room temperature.
In a bowl, add the renkon and dressing and mix.
Add the green beans cut diagonally in a bite size. 

This is a very refreshing salad. The crunchiness of the renkon combined with the bright citrus taste and slight spiciness of the yuzu-kosho provide lovely contrast of flavors for any meal. 

Wood-ear Mushroom in Sesame Sauce キクラゲの胡麻和え

This is another dish I made to finish up the fresh wood ear mushrooms I got from Weee. Although we prepared the mushrooms by boiling and washing them before storing them in the fridge, I repeated the process for this dish since they were getting old. I got the idea for this dish from a recipe I saw on line.  I prepared the sesame sauce the way I usually make it using freshly re-roasted sesame seeds rather than following the recipe. The re-roasting adds a fresher sesame flavor. I also added golden thread egg or “kinshiran 金糸卵” mostly for color. This turned out to be quite a good dish. The wood ear mushrooms gave a nice crunch in contrast to the softer vegetables.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup blanched and washed wood-ear mushrooms, cut into thin strips (I used whatever was left which was about 1/2 cup)
2 small carrots, peeled, cut into thick match sticks about1 inch long then boiled in salted water for a few minutes and cooled
7-8 green beans (I had ones already streamed for 3 minutes and cooled), cut into the. same size as the carrots. 
golden thread egg for garnish (optional)

Dressing:
1 tbs white sesame seeds, dry roast using either small dry frying pan or a special sesame roasting pan
1 tbs white sesame paste
1 tbs soy sauce
2 tsp sugar
1-2 tsp rice vinegar

Directions:
Add the roasted sesame seeds in a Japanese mortar and pestle or “suri-bachi 摺鉢”  and grind them until some oil comes out.
Add the sesame paste, sugar and soy sauce and mix using the pestle or “suri-kogi すりこぎ” . Taste and add more soy sauce if needed. Add the rice vinegar.
If the consistency is too thick and the seasoning is strong enough, add warm water to make the consistency appropriate for dressing.
Dress the vegetables and mushrooms and garnish with the egg threads.

This is a nice dish. It can go as a small side dish for a Japanese meal or a drinking snack. It can also go with red wine especially if you do not make the dressing too vinegary.

Kabocha Blini かぼちゃビリーニ

Recently, in keeping with the fall season, we got a whole Japanese “Kabocha” 南瓜 squash from Weee, I made the classic Japanese stewed kabocha かぼちゃの煮物 and potage かぼちゃのポタージュ.  Both dishes were great mainly because of the quality of the kabocha was extremely good—very tender (not dry and chalky) and slightly sweet. After some time, we had some of the potage left. My wife decided to make “Kabocha blini” from it. This turned out to be pretty good. It has a nice yellow color, moist inside crispy outside. The kabocha flavor is subtle but it’s there. This is a good blini variation.

Ingredients: makes 12 blini
2 cups kabocha puree (or in this case thick soup/potage)
6 tbs melted butter
3/4 cup cream
6 large eggs, beaten
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup + 4 Tbs. cake flour
1 Tbs + 1 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
may need additional liquid to bring the batter to the consistency of pancake batter.

Directions:
In a bowl add the kabocha puree, melted butter, cream and eggs. Stir until well blended. Then add the flours, baking powder, and salt and whisk until well blended. (You may need to add some additional liquid so the batter is the consistency of pancake batter.)

Melt 1 Tbs. butter. In a cast iron platar, brush some of the melted butter to grease each of the platar cups before adding the batter. Pour the batter into the cups until they are full using the largest ice cream scoop. Cook over moderately low heat, turning once, until set, about 5 minutes or more per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and batter.

These were remarkably good. They had a tender texture, were slightly sweet and had a lovely subtle kabocha flavor. They tasted great toasted and topped with butter. This just proves the possibilities for blinis are limitless.

Salmon Shrimp Pâté with Shiitake 椎茸入り鮭とエビのパテ

About 3 years ago, at the recommendation of my wife’s sister who used to live in the Philadelphia area before moving to California, we stumbled across an old cookbook called “Frog Commissary Cookbook”. In its hey day, this cookbook was a “must-have” especially in the Philadelphia area.

We completely forgot about this cookbook until a few days ago when my wife was looking through our blog for an “Appetizer” to make and she came across “Salmon and scallop pâté”.  We realized the recipe came from this cookbook. My wife quickly located the book and we started looking through the recipes. My wife found a few she would like to try. (You may expect to see them here at some later date.) We remembered that the salmon scallop pâté was quite good. So, I decided to make the pâté again but realized we did not have any scallops and we did not have any spinach to make the center layer. But we did have shrimp which I could substitute for the scallops and a cooked shittake mushroom/shallot mixture which I could substitute for the spinach used in the center of the pâté (#1B).  Making the layers this way was much easier than the original recipe. I served the salmon shrimp pâté with a wedge of Myer lemon and leaf of arugula from our window sill veggie garden (#1).

In the original recipe, the center is spinach and scallop mousse (#1B). Although it looks nice it is more work than my current variation and the spinach didn’t really add much flavor. In terms of texture, the original salmon/scallop version was a bit softer. But the scallops basically only contributed to the texture not the taste; The main flavor was salmon. In my salmon/shrimp version, you definitely taste the shrimp.

Ingredients:
(The original recipe was essentially restaurant sized and too large for our home consumption. When I made it last time, I scaled it down to 1/4 of the original amount which made one small loaf of  pâté. This time I essentially halved the original amount and made two loaves of pâté).

175 grams salmon, skin removed and cut into small cubes.
175 grams shrimp, shell removed and cut into small cubes.
1 whole egg (Original recipe called for just the egg white.)
120 ml cream (I used light cream, the amount of cream depends on the consistency of the mousse. You want a consistency that is not quite “pourable” but not too loose.)
salt, pepper, cayenne pepper (to taste)
14 ml brandy

(for the center layer)
4 tbs of minced and sautéed shiitake mushrooms (mostly chopped up stems) and shallots*

*When we get fresh shiitake mushrooms from Weee, I remove the stems and small caps and chop them up into small pieces. I sauté them in olive oil with finely chopped shallots seasoned with salt and pepper. This can be used in many other dishes such as meat balls, risotto etc. I put the remaining whole caps into a Ziploc bag with a paper towel. This keeps them fresh much longer than if left in the original packages.

Directions:
Add the salmon, shrimp, egg, and about the half of  the cream into a food processor (I used a mini-food processor) and make a smooth mousse. Add more cream to get the right consistency and season the mixture.

(for the center layer)
Take 1/3 of the salmon shrimp mousse and add the shiitake-shallot mixture and blend well.

I made the pate in 2 small loaf pans (14x6.5x5cm) (I used a silicone pan. No need to oil or line it with a parchment paper). Fill the bottom of one of the the pans with 1/4 of the salmon-shrimp mousse and smooth the surface with a silicon spatula (#2 right) and top it with half of the mushroom mousse to form the center layer (#2 left). As was done with the bottom layer smooth the mushroom layer with the spatula. Add another 1/4 layer of the salmon-shrimp mousse to form the top layer and smooth the surface (#3). Repeat the process for the second pan. Cover the loaf pans with aluminum foil.

I preheated the oven (I used the toaster oven in a convection mode) to 350F.

I placed the loaf pans in a larger baking pan with a high rim. Poured hot water to the middle of the depth of the loaf pans (bain-marie) and cooked for 35 minutes (internal temperature of 135F).

Un-mould and let it cool (#4).

Slice (#5) showing the center mushroom layer.

As far as I was concerned, this was as good as the original salmon-scallop pate. (My wife said she liked it better because in the original version the spinach layer didn’t “bring much flavor to the show”. In contrast the mushrooms in this version added a lot of complexity to the flavor which was very good. This version was also a bit firmer in texture and had a lovely shrimp flavor. The only mistake I made was salt. I pre-salted the mushroom mixture and also shrimp after thawing. All this accumulated and the pate was a lightly salty side for our taste but still extremely good. We had this without sauce or just with lemon juice which was all it needed.

Hiyaoroshi Sake and Matsutake ひやおろし酒 “如空”と松茸

We almost missed out on getting some “Hiyaoroshi 冷やおろし” sake to celebrate autumn this year. We posted about “Hiyaoroshi or Akiagari 秋上がり” sake before, but to reiterate, it is a seasonal sake brewed the previous winter, bottled in the spring then cold-aged until autum or “Aki 秋”. The type of sake used for this treatment is usually “Junmai 純米” class sake.  Belatedly we tried to get some hiyaoroshi sake from Tippsy sake and almost all were sold out except one. It was from Hachinohe 八戸, Aomori 青森 brewed by Hachinohe Shurui 八戸酒類 called “Jyoku 如空”. I assume the name means  “like sky”. The sub-title for the sake is “Risu no Shukakusai sake リスの収穫祭酒” meaning “Squirrel’s Harvest Festival Sake” (right panel of picture #1). The label (left panel picture #1), shows the kanji character “aki 秋” meaning autumn and shows two squirrels having a party partaking of the bounty of autumn i.e drinking hiyaoroshi sake and eating nuts. Too cute! This sake is made from “Hanfubuki 華吹雪” sake rice and table (or eating) rice produced in Aomori prefecture. We really like this sake. It is rather complex with umami and some savory flavors and fruitiness. We thought the ultimate autumnal delicacy “matsutake 松茸” would go well with this sake so we got some.

In the past, we have gotten North American or Mexican matsutake from several sources. For the last few years, however, we have been getting it from Weee. It comes from the North West (probably Oregon or Washington state). We like the quality, and the amount while smaller than from other sources is more manageable for us. One box contains about twice as much matsutake as shown in picture #2. This time, following the suggestion of Chef Kasahara on his YouTube channel, I quickly washed the mushrooms in water. (This is contrary to the common culinary wisdom of: “do not wash/soak matsutake in water”). Then using wet paper towels, I wiped the dirt off of the matsutake. I blotted them dry with another paper towel and let them air dry for 10-15 minutes before cooking. This worked very well. The matsutake did not absorb the water and they were much easier to clean.

Our favorite way of eating matsutake is “Touban-yaki 陶板焼き” (Picture #3). Which is matsutake grilled on a lidded earthen plate. I also cooked ginko nuts or gin-nann 銀杏 to complete the autumnal scene.

Next we had grilled autumnal eggplant or “aki-nasu 秋なす” (picture #4). Autumn is supposedly when eggplant is at its finest. I grilled it in the toaster oven, after piercing the skin generously to prevent it from exploding when heated. (Which has happened to us when we forgot to pierce the skin.) I cooked it until the skin blackened in a few spots. I cut off the stem end and peeled the skin. I served it with soy sauce and topped with bonito flakes or “katsuobishi 鰹節”. This is one of the simplest and best ways to enjoy this peak season eggplant.

Finally, we had a “matsutake chawanmushi 松茸茶碗蒸し” (picture #5). I did not add too many additional items so the matsutake could take “center stage”. I added some shrimp, ginnan, shelled edamame in addition to the matsutake. I semi pre-cooked the shrimp by poaching it gently in its shell. Then I removed the shell and cut it up into smaller pieces before adding it to the chawanmushi.

So, this was our harvest festival featuring the special autumnal sake from Aomori. No squirrels were invited, however.

Cabbage and pork belly stir-fry キャベツと豚バラの炒め物

In Japan, one of the popular cuts of pork is thinly sliced pork belly 豚バラの薄切り. As in other Asian dishes, the meat/pork is used basically as a “seasoning” in vegetable dishes rather than as an “entrée” on its own. Weee sells thinly sliced pork belly (6mm in thickness) which is a bit thicker than Japanese style sliced pork belly (picture #3). After debating for some time I finally decided to get it. It comes in a one pound package (about 450 grams) which was a bit larger than we would use for one meal so I separated it into three portions (about 115-120 grams each). I vacuum packed and then froze them. These packages were the right amount to make one dish. I used one of the packages to make this stir-fry dish for lunch one day from whatever I had in the fridge which turned out to be mostly cabbage. But cabbage and pork go well together. The seasoning was totally ad-hoc. Besides salt and black pepper, I used oyster sauce and soy sauce. I topped this with a fried egg (picture #1) (since I was out of pasteurized eggs, I had to cook the yolk. A runny yolk would have been much better in this dish). In any case, this was a fairly low-carb lunch.

Picture #2 shows the dish just finished in the wok. You can see the ingredients better including small pieces of pork.

This is not a recipe per se but just a note to myself.

Ingredients (two servings):
1/3 lb (or more) pork belly, (skin off) and thinly sliced (in this case it was 6mm thick but thinner is better), cut into 1 inch long pieces 
1/4 head of cabbage, thick center removed and leaves cut into 1/2 inch squares
1 large onion, halved and cut into small wedges
2 small carrots, peeled and cut into large match sticks
10 green beans, blanched and cut into 1 inch segments
1tsp each of garlic and ginger,  minced
2 eggs (optional)
2 tbs vegetable oil

Seasoning:
1 tbs “shoko” Chinese cooking wine 紹興料理酒
1 tbs soy sauce
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs oyster sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
In a wok or frying pan on medium high flame, add the 2tbs oil, when heated add the ginger and garlic until fragrant. Add the onion and stir for a few minutes. Add the pork and cook until the color changes.
Add the vegetables and stir for a few minutes until wilted and soft.
Add the seasoning and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste.
(optional) Cook the eggs and top the servings. The best is fried eggs with runny yolks but I cooked the yolk through since we did not have pasteurized eggs.

The flavors in this dish worked well together.  The pork was good but it was a bit chewy compared to Japanese thinly cut pork belly.

Oyster Mushroom and Chiku-wa Stir-fly with Yuzu-kosho 平茸と竹輪の柚子胡椒炒め

I realized I got a package of fresh “Hira-take 平茸” or oyster mushrooms from Weee a week ago and decided to use it up. I came across this recipe using chikuwa 竹輪 fish case and “Maitake 舞茸” hen-of-the-wood. Since I had a package of frozen chikuwa which was getting old, this seemed a perfect recipe except I had oyster mushrooms instead of hen-of-the-woods. Although we also got hen-of-the-woods mushroom at the same time as the oyster mushrooms, I used them in a dish with sage brown butter, and we finished it somedays ago. No problem, I figured the oyster mushrooms should work just as well for this recipe. We especially liked the idea of adding yuzu-kosho 柚子胡椒  (one of our favorites) into the seasoning. Although oyster mushrooms themselves don’t have a strong flavor, the combination of chikuwa and yuzu-kosho worked well. Depending on how strongly you season this dish, this can be a good drinking snack or an accompaniment for rice.

Ingredients:

1 package (6oz) of oyster mushrooms, the root-end removed and separated
6 small chikuwa fishcakes, thawed and cut on the slant into bite sized pieces
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 tbs oil

Seasoning: (mix all ingredients below in a small bowl)
2 tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce
2 tbs mirin
1/2 tsp (or more) Yuzu kosho

Directions:
Add the oil to the frying pan on medium flame, add the mushrooms and the fish cake and stir for 1-2 minutes
Add the seasonings and stir for 1 minute
Add the scallions 

The chikuwa itself has some sweetness and the seasonings are a bit on the sweet side as well. Either using soy sauce instead of the noodle sauce and/or reducing the amount of mirin would be better next time. I would also add a dab of yuzu-kosho on the side in case additional seasoning to what is in the sauce is desired.

Mapo (sort of) Eggplant “麻婆風” 茄子

This is another one of the “use-up the eggplant dishes”. I have posted a similar dish “Mapo-eggplant 麻婆茄子” before. This is a variation. It is seasoned like “Mapo-tofu  麻婆豆腐” but uses eggplant instead of tofu. Although ground pork is usually used in both Mapo-tofu and Mapo-eggplant I used left-over roasted pork cut up into small pieces. I also added fresh shiitake and wood ear mushrooms since I had them. The appearance is similar to another eggplant dish I made (Eggplant stir-fry with oyster sauce), the seasoning however, is different. The hot smoked (in the Weber grill) pork roast adds a nice smoky flavor. I like this version better than the one using ground pork.

Ingredients:
1 Asian Eggplant (long skinny kind), skin peeled into two strips, cut into relatively large (1 inch) “rangiri 乱切り”
3 tbs + 1/2 tbs vegetable oil
1 tsp each finely chopped ginger and garlic
2 scallions, white parts finely chopped and green part thinly sliced
5-6 fresh shiitake mushroom caps, cut into quarters or halves, depending on the size
5-6 fresh wood ear mushrooms (previously blanched and washed), cut into small strips
5-6 slices of smoked and roasted pork, cut into small squares
1 tbs potato starch in 1 tbs water (for thickening)

Seasonings (mix in a small bowl):
1 tsp toubanjan 豆板醤, more if you like it spicy
1 tsp tenmenjan 甜麺醤
1 tsp Japanese “koji” miso 麹みそ
1 tbs Chinese cooking wine 紹興料理酒
1 tbs mirin
1-2 tsp soy sauce or concentrated Japanese noodle sauce
2-3 tbs water

Directions:
Add the 3 tbs oil into a frying pan on medium flame. Add the eggplant. Toss to coat all the surfaces of the eggplant.
Turn the eggplant pieces skin side down and cook a few minutes and then turn them over to the fresh sides to lightly brown (another 2-3 minutes).
Set aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining 1/2 tbs oil, sauté the scallion (white parts), ginger and garlic.
Add the shiitake and wood ear mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes.
Add back the eggplant and add in the pork, toss to mix.
Add the seasoning mixture and simmer for a few minutes.
Add the green part of the scallion.
Drizzle in the potato starch slurry in several batches and mix until thickened, let it come to a rapid boil before turning off the heat.

This was a very savory satisfying dish. It also used the last of the eggplants we got from Weee this time. 

Impromptu Eggplant Mushroom Stir-fry 茄子と椎茸のオイスターソース炒め

This is an eggplant dish I came up using what I had on hand (#1). I got some ideas from other recipes I saw but I did not base this dish on any one particular recipe. I made simmered pork or “Nibuta 煮豚” the other day. So instead of ground pork, I used finely chopped nibuta. Since we got groceries from Weee this week, I processed fresh shiitake mushrooms by removing the stems. Then I chopped up the stems into small pieces and sauted them with olive oil and finely chopped scallion. I seasoned them with salt and pepper. (This can be used to make other dishes). I placed the shiitake caps in a Ziploc bag with a paper towel to absorb any moisture which comes out of the mushrooms while they are in the fridge. I also washed and blanched fresh wood ear mushrooms and placed them in a Ziploc bag with paper towel too. I have found that processing the mushrooms this way makes them last much longer. Unfortunately, I have not come up with a way to make fresh eggplants last longer, so I have to use them up fairly quickly. So this is my impromptu eggplant stir-fly with shiitake and wood ear mushroom, finely chopped nibuta pork, ginger, scallion and seasoned with Chinese “Shoko-shu 紹興酒” cooking wine, mirin, concentrated noodle sauce and oyster sauce. This was not particularly special but certainly more than edible. All the ingredients I used gave it a lot of flavor

Ingredients:
One large Asian eggplant, stem end removed, and cut into long “ran-giri 乱切り” (#2).
3-4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut in half or quarters
4-6 fresh wood ear mushrooms (previously branched and washed), cut into strips
2 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
4-5 slices simmered pork “Nibuta 煮豚”, finely diced
1 tbs of finely chopped shiitake mushroom stems and shallot sautéed in olive oil (optional)
1 tbs finely chopped ginger
2 tbs + 1/2 tbs oil
1 tbs potato starch slurries for thickening the sauce

Seasonings (mix all seasonings in a small bowl)
6 tbs water
2 tbs Chinese “shoko 紹興料理酒” cooking wine
1 tbs x4 concentrated Japanese noodle sauce or soy sauce
1 tbs oyster sauce

Directions:
Add the oil into the frying pan on medium flame, add the eggplant, toss for a few minutes to coat with the oil. 
Turn the skins side down (#2) and cook until skin side browns, turn over and brown the fresh sides and set aside

Add 1/2 tbs oil in the same pan, add the shiitake stem mixture, ginger and stir for 30 seconds, add the mushrooms and sauté for a few minutes
Add back the eggplants and sauté for one minute.
Add the seasonings and cook for a few minutes
Taste and adjust the seasoning
Add the potato starch slurries and mix until thickened (#3)
Add the scallions and serve (#1)

Notes to self:  it was a bit too sweet for me. Next time I should consider reducing the mirin. The chopped simmered pork has almost disappeared. Probably, I should have added more. But overall, this is not too bad.

“Renkon” Lotus Root in sweet vinegar 酢れんこん

We received fresh “renkon” lotus root from Weee. Since it was quite a large amount of renkon, as usual I cleaned, washed, dried the surface, and wrapped each segment in paper towel and vacuum packed it. This treatment makes renkon last for a longer time in the refrigerator.  Although I made quite a variety of renkon dishes, I have not posted this rather basic renkon dish called “su-renkon 酢蓮根”. Actually more elegant version called “hana-renkon 花レンコン” or “hanawa-renkon 花輪レンコン” is always included in Sushi Taro osechi box. In this rendition, I did not bother to make a decorative cut and also added seasoned strips of kelp called “shio-konbu 塩昆布” which added flavor/umami but colored the renkon a bit. I served it with salt-broth soaked snap peas スナップ豌豆の塩浸し”.

Sweet vinegar 甘酢
There are many variations. The basic is rice vinegar, sugar and salt but this combination can be made milder by adding broth or water. The recipe shown below is the current sweet vinegar recipe we like. Not too strong but not too watery.

Ingredients:
For sweet vinegar
75 ml rice vinegar
75 ml water
20 gram sugar
1/4 tsp salt

2 inch segment of fresh renkon, 2 inch, peeled, sliced in 1/5 inch (3mm) thick, immediately soak in cold water (I sliced it a bit thickly for a nice crunch).
1 dried japanese red  pepper, seeds removed, cut into small rounds, optional
1/2 tsp Japanese salted kelp strips (shio konbu 塩昆布), optional

Directions:
Boil the renkon 3-4 minutes (you want to leave some crunch), drain, salt lighly while hot, set aside
In a bowl, add the renkon, red pepper and salt kelp and add the sweet vinegar so that all is just covered.
Marindate 2-3 days in the refregerator.

It came out really nice. The renkon is crunchy and fresh tasting but not too harsh. I removed the visible red pepper flakes especially for my wife but it was not spicy at all.

Nappa Cabbage Cream Stew 白菜のクリームシチュー

This is my effort to use up whatever we had on hand. The first item was nappa cabbage or “hakusai 白菜” I got from Weee. It was fairly big and it was time for me to start using it. We also had one link each of chicken and pork sausages which we got from a local gourmet grocery store fresh (uncooked). I boiled them few days ago. Several carrots started sprouting and needed to be used. After some thought, I decided to make “cream stew”. I did not follow any specific recipe. This was our lunch one day and it was quite good, very comforting dish. The chicken sausage flavors were apple and sage but in the stew, a subtle, pleasant spiciness which we hadn’t noticed before came out and was very pronounced. 

This is not really a recipe but notes to myself.

Ingredients: (makes about 6 servings)
6 leaves of nappa cabbage, the white stems and leaves separated. The stems halved lengthwise and then cut in an angle (“sogi-giri” or “shave-cut” 削ぎ切, see #1 in the composite on the right most side), the separated leaves (#2)  cut into about 1 inch wide
1 each chicken and pork sausages (previously boiled) cut into medallions (#3)
4 caps of fresh shiitake mushrooms, cut into small bite size
1 tbs olive oil
2-3 cups of chicken broth

For béchamel sauce** (#4)
One shallot, finely chopped (#1 on the left)
2 tbs finely chopped shiitake stems and shallot, sautéed in olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper* (optional)
4 tbs flour
2 tbs butter
salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste
about 100 ml or so milk

*When I receive fresh shiitake mushrooms (from Weee), I separate the caps and stems. The caps are packed in a ziploc bag with paper towels which makes the fresh shiitake last longer. For the remaining stems, I cut off the very ends, then shred and finely chop them. I saute this in olive oil with chopped shallots. This concoction is handy to have for making other dishes such as mushroom risotto. 

**The usual béchamel uses same amount of butter and flour but by adding finely chopped onion/shallot  in butter before adding the flour, you can reduce the butter in half. The flour clings to the surface of the onion/shallot which prevents the flour from clumping up. No need to add the milk gradually. Just dump all at once.

Directions:
For béchamel sauce
Melt the butter in the non-stick frying pan on medium-low flame, sauté the shallot until soft, add the shiitake stems and shallot mixture and sauté for one more minute. 
Add the flour and cook until no dry flour is visible, add the milk (at once) and start mixing (first with a whisk and then with a silicon spatula) until thickened. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and set aside (#4)
In a pan on medium flame, add the olive oil.  When hot, add the sausages and lightly brown both sides, add the cabbage stems, carrots, shiitake mushrooms and sauté for few minutes (#5)
Add the chicken broth so that the vegetables and sausages are just covered and cook 20-30 minutes.
Add the béchamel sauce and mix. Simmer fro 5-10 minutes and add the nappa cabbage leaves (#6)
Season with salt and pepper if needed.

I made the stew several hours before serving. The green color was nicely vibrant right after I finished cooking the stew but the green color faded (the top serving picture) before I could serve it. This was a rich savory stew with a complex range of flavors. The creamy texture was luxurious. The combination of the precooked shitake mushrooms and shallots was an outstanding addition to the soup. The sausage was a nice meaty addition as well. This was a very comforting soup.     

Anchovy Onion Cocktail Biscuit アンチョビイと玉ねぎカクテルビスケット

I made “plupo al ajillo” from boiled Spanish octopus legs from D’Artagnan. They were the last of the octopus legs we had gotten from D’Artagnan. I did this since the octopus was not getting any better in the freezer and has been facing some fierce competition from the very good ones we have been getting recently from Weee. Instead of just salt I used filets of oil packed anchovy. This came out extremely well. After simmering in olive oil for 5 minutes, the octopus was very tender and the anchovy really added nice salty and umami-rich flavor. With my mini-baguette, this was a really good appetizer. 

Nonetheless after this, we were left with 4-5 more anchovy fillets. (There usually seem to be more anchovies in a can of anchovies than we can usually use). My wife came to the rescue. She found this recipe for “Anchovy onion cocktail biscuit” in the Washington Post. Given the “excess anchovy” situation and since we are big fans of savory cookies and biscuits, there was no way we could “pass”. This was a really good biscuit. It tasted so good with a glass of red wine. Caramelized onion and anchovy made this biscuit really savory and the texture was great.

Ingredients (makes 50 bite-size biscuits)

For the onions
1 medium onion (6 ounces), halved and sliced
4 anchovy fillets, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (we used small amount of cayenne pepper)
1/2 teaspoon salt (adjust depending on the saltiness of the anchovy)
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream (we used light cream)

For the dough
1 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (226 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for the counter
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice and frozen (#1 in the composite)
3/4 cup (2 1/2 ounces/71 grams) grated Gruyère cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired (#1)
2 1/2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce/15 grams) grated parmesan cheese, plus more for sprinkling if desired (#1)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Heavy cream, for brushing (we did not use)

Directions
Step 1
Make the onions: In a skillet over medium-low heat, combine the onion, anchovies, oil, crushed red pepper flakes (in our case cayenne pepper) and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat as necessary, until the onions are soft and golden, 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool, then chop the mixture. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the cream and refrigerate for about 15 minutes.

Step 2
Make the dough: In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder and salt and pulse until combined. Add the frozen butter and process until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, about 15 seconds. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the cheeses until combined (#1). Add the onion mixture and pepper and, using a fork, stir just until the onions are evenly distributed. The dough will be crumbly.

Step 3
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Step 4
Lightly flour a work surface, turn the dough out on it and shape it into an 8-inch square. If the dough is too dry to stay together, sprinkle it with more heavy cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, just until it holds its shape. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, cut it into quarters. Stack one quarter on top of another so that you have two stacks (#2). Push them close together; then, using a rolling pin, gently flatten and roll it out into a 1/2- to 3/4-inch-thick square. For neater biscuits, trim any uneven edges of the dough with a bench scraper or sharp knife, reserving the trimmings, then cut the dough into 1-inch square biscuits.

Step 5
Reroll the trimmings and cut additional biscuits as needed. Working in batches if necessary, arrange the biscuits about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet (#3).  Lightly brush each biscuit with heavy cream. Sprinkle them with additional gruyere or parmesan, if desired. (We didn’t do this). If your kitchen is very warm or the dough has gotten soft, chill the cut biscuits in the refrigerator for about 10 minutes.

Step 6
Bake the biscuits for 7 minutes, rotate the pan front to back and continue baking 4 to 5 minutes more, or until the tops are golden (#4). The biscuits are tender, so if the sprinkled cheese on top melts causing them to stick to the parchment, gently free them with a thin spatula before lifting them.

Step 7
Serve warm or room temperature.

These were surprisingly good biscuits.They started out with a very strong onion flavor which as they cooled down mellowed into a smooth slightly sweet carmelized onion flavor that blended well with the saltiness of the anchovy. The texture was a bit surprising. the outside was crunchy like the crust of a pie but the inside was a very soft combination of butter and cheeses.  These make great “small-bites” to go with a glass of wine.