Shrimp balls, two colors エビ団子の二色あげ

It was getting to be a corn season (it was July when I made this dish). Fresh local corn in husk was reasonably priced and plentiful in the grocery store.  Last week, I got 10 ears of corn. My wife made fresh corn pudding (amazingly, 10 ears only made 5 small ramekins of pudding, so each ramekin had 2 ears worth of corn in it, but it was the pure concentrated essence of corn). This week I bought 5 ears. I did not know what I would make, so I just boiled them in salted water briefly and removed the kernels (by cutting them off using a chef's knife) (see #1 in the composite picture below). I found this recipe on line and decide to try it. It is essentially ground/chopped shrimp made into a ball covered with chopped corn kernels and soybean (called two tone shrimp balls since one is green and the other yellow). The oil I used may have been a bit too hot since the balls browned quickly. I served them with two kinds of salt; green tea salt and ukari ゆかり(dried powdered red perilla with salt).

This was much more difficult to make than I had thought especially forming the shrimp paste into balls. This may be due to the imprecision of the amount of egg white and potato starch I used.

Ingredients: (the amounts are from the original recipe which reportedly makes 8 small dumplings)

Shrimp, shell off, 120g (I used about 8 medium count frozen shrimp, thawed in running water. I salted them and let them stand for 10-15 minutes before using) 

Egg white：10g、potato starch：1/2 tsp (this was how the amount of specified in the original recipe. I ended up using egg white from one egg and much more potato starch.)

Corn kernel 60g (I just used a part of what is shown in #1)

Soybeans, boiled, shelled 60g (I used frozen soybeans and used only part of what is shown in #2)

Egg white, potato starch, salt

Directions: (I modified the recipe as usual, especially as I had no idea what 10 grams of egg white was. I probably added too much egg white which then forced me add more potato starch).

1. I chopped up both the corn kernels and soybeans. I squeezed out any excess moisture using a paper towel.

2. I finely chopped the shrimp until it stuck together with a paste-like consistency. I added the egg white (about 1 egg worth). After adding the egg white, the shrimp paste became very soft. I added about 2-3 tsp of potato starch and a pinch of salt. 

3. Wetting my fingers, I made small balls (total of 8), dredged them in potato starch, then coated with egg white. I then covered the surface with either the corn or soybeans. It was still rather soft and difficult to make into a ball.

4. I dropped the balls into a 350F oil (#3), which immediately started browning (#4). The oil may have been too hot.

5. I fried them turning several times for 3-4 minutes.

This was a nice dish. It essentially had the nice firm texture of shrimp. The corn variation was the better of the two--the sweetness of the corn perfectly complemented the sweetness of the shrimp. We are not sure about the soybean version. The soybeans did not add much flavor to the dish.  We tried both types of balls with two kinds of salt, green tea and red perilla flavors, both were good. We also tried with soy sauce but the soy sauce overwhelmed the subtle shrimp flavor of the dish. If I make this one again, I may simple mix the corn and/or soybeans into shrimp paste and fry it.

Parmesan Broccoli Balls (a.k.a Stuffing balls) パルメザンチーズ ブロッコリー ボール

We had some blanched broccoli left over from last weekend and my wife found this recipe on line. This appealed to her since it is basically bread stuffing in ball form. It is amazingly good, although it is not dietetic. 

You can see small florets of  broccoli are embedded in the ball. I also served it with more blanched broccoli and skinned Campari tomato topped with mayo and Dijon mustard.

This was baked in the toaster oven but still developed a nice crunchy crust. Since it has a good amount of butter, even baked, it is like oven fried.

We made some adjustment to the original recipe, since we did not have garlic salt or margarine (we do not use margarine in any case). We also sautéed onion and garlic before mixing in.

Ingredients:
One head of broccoli, thick stem removed and discarded, separated into florets, blanched in salted  water and cooled (original recipe calls for frozen broccoli).
1 (6 ounce) package flavored dry stuffing mix.
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (it was a bit of work to grate this much).
1 medium onion, finely chopped
5 eggs, beaten (original recipe calls for 6)
3/4 cup butter, unsalted, melted (original recipe calls for margarine)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper

One clove of garlic chopped and 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt (original recipe calls for garlic salt)

Olive oil for cooking onion and garlic

Direction:

1. In a frying pan with olive oil, saute the onion and garlic until soft and onion is semitransparent (#2).
2. In a large bowl, mix broccoli, stuffing mix, Parmesan cheese, onion, garlic, eggs, butter, pepper, and salt (#1). 
3. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator approximately 1 hour, until moisture has been absorbed.
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
5. Roll the chilled mixture into 1 inch balls, and arrange on a medium baking sheet (#3 and 4). We used a medium sized ice cream scoop to portion out.
6. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until browned.

We really like this dish. This may replace my wife's stuffing for the holiday dinners. The amount of butter, eggs and Parmesan cheese make this dish not particularly diet worthy. We wondered at the role the broccoli played in this dish but decided, although the flavor is subtle, it helps. There was too much for us to eat at once so we froze most of it. This reheated very well in the toaster oven. Having something like this to pull from the freezer as a quick hors d'oeuvre is really handy and can make a workday evening a little more special. 

Cold pasta with cilantro Jalapena sauce 冷製パスタのハロペニョソース

This was a cold pasta dish I came up with for lunch using all the leftovers we had one weekend. When I made cold pasta with cherry tomato, I cooked too much linguine. Thinking of something similar to cold ramen noodle, I came up with this "fusion" cold noodle dish.

I added leftover  slices of barbecued and hot smoked pork loin,  spicy baked tofu,  simmered cold vegetables (I only used carrot for color), julienne of cucumber.

I garnished it with cilantro leaves.

The sauce was also made on a whim. In my immersion blender container, I added Dijon mustard, finely chopped seeded and veined Jalapeno pepper, fresh cilantro, olive oil with splash of dark sesame oil and ponzu-shoyu sauce (from the bottle) and emulsified using my immersion blender.  Because of the mustard, it stays emulsified for some time. I dressed the cold linguine with this sauce which is similar to the sauce used in cold ramen noodle with some additional flavors of Jalapeno and cilantro. For an impromptu leftover control dish, this was not too bad.

Flat iron steak with Chimichurri sauce with avocado フラットアイアンステーキのチミチュリソース添え

We only rarely eat beef. Chicken and pork are the main stays of meat for us. When we eat beef, we tend to choose filet mignon. Other steak choices may be skirt steak (for Fajitas), New York strip, hanger steak, and flat iron steak. Flat iron steak is from the shoulder and flavorful but is not known for tenderness. I had a package of flat iron steak in the refrigerator bought some time ago  (it was now a few days from the "sell-by" date). We also had fresh oregano and thyme left over from when we made baked cauliflower with chimichurri sauce. So, we decided to have flat iron steak with chimichurri sauce on one work week evening. I served this with grilled tomato and potato salad and my baguette.

I added small cubes of avocado to the chimichurri as well.

This time I did not bother with finishing the steak in the oven (this was a very hot day) and, instead, cooked the steak in a cast iron skillet. 

The steak (left to warm to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking) was simply seasoned with salt and black pepper and cooked in the cast iron skillet with some melted butter. After searing both sides (smoke is inevitable, thank goodness for our efficient exhaust fan), I reduced the heat and cooked it for 7-8 minutes for medium rare. I cut the flame and let it rest in the pan for 10 minutes before slicing. Since this is a rather tough cut, I pre-sliced it thinly across the grain.

The chimichurri sauce I made was also very simple. I just whisked lemon juice, salt, black pepper and garlic (passed through a garlic press) and olive oil. I then added finely chopped fresh herbs (fresh parsley, oregano and a small amount of fresh thyme) into the mixture, mixed and let it stand for 30 minutes before using. Since I had ripe avocado, I made small cubes and also added it.

I would have thought that the acidity and garlic flavors may have been a bit too assertive but because of the strongly flavored meat, the sauce went well and did not compete with the red wine too much despite the acidity. The wine we had was a bit unusual called Bodegas Bioenos Pulchrum Crespiello 2011. The grape is called  Crespiello or Vidalillo. This was the first time for us to taste wine made from Crespiello.  The below is the quote from WA review by Luis Gutierrez. Rating: 92

"Drink 2015 - 2020 The 2011 Pulchrum Crespiello is sourced from a very old vineyard of the red grape Vidadillo -also known as Crespiello- one of the few remaining in the zone. The wine is aged in oak barrels for a long time as the wine maker feels the tannins of the fruit need it. It has smoky, balsamic oak aromas, with black, ripe fruit and some mineral hints. The palate is medium-bodied, with abundant, grainy tannins and flavors of chocolate, coffee and plums with a mineral finish. It should polish its tannins with a little bit more time in bottle. Bioenos is the consulting form of Pepe Gracia who also produces wines with his own label. He seems to be somehow specialized in Vidadillo/Crespiello an old, almost extinct red grape in the zone. Well-made, slightly technological wines."

We really liked this wine. We tasted nice minerals with mostly dark fruit and rather strong tannin.  This wine went very well with the grilled meat and chimichurri sauce. The sauce added multidimensional herbal bright notes to the wonderful flavor of the meat. The additional avocado added a different texture and almost seemed like another type of meat. This meal was quite the splurge!

Prosciutto rolls 生ハムロール

This is a quick snack to have with a glass of wine. We had leftover prosciutto from the previous day's cold pasta lunch. I decided to make rolls and served it with my baked spicy tofu (served cold).

Inside the rolls, I included my wife's Greek yogurt (which she made by draining regular plain yogurt overnight in the refrigerator) mixed with olive oil and seasoned with salt and fresh cracked back pepper. I also included, cucumber, thinly sliced Vidalia onion and watercress.

I wanted the watercress to look like it was sprouting from the roll.

I suppose anything can be rolled in prosciutto. Blanched asparagus or cheese would be the common choice.  I added our favorite Spanish olive oil to the Greek yogurt. I spread the mixture on 1/3 of the slice of prosciutto added the onion and a button of cucumber (American mini-cucumber) and watercress. I simply rolled it and cut it in half and stood it up on the cut surface. I drizzled on more olive oil. Although there is no cheese on this plate but the combination of Greek yogurt and olive oil and tofu are almost like some type of cheese. This is indeed an excellent starter dish.