Raclett Cheese and Potato

Raclett Cheese and Potato  ジャガイモとラクレットチーズ

We recently had this in a restaurant in Zurich. It is supposedly a typical Swiss dish. You can not go wrong with the combination of potato and melted Raclett cheese. We think this is a good dish for Izakaya. It is so simple and there is no real recipe (I just recreated what we had). I used a Russet potato but the dish we had in the restaurant appears to be made using a different kind of potato. (When asked the waitress couldn't identify the type of potato). The dish may work better with something like Yukon Gold. I microwaved the potato in a covered dish for 6-7 minutes or until cooked through (depends on the size of the potato and the wattage of the microwave). I grabbed it using a towel and removed the skin while it is hot (I am sure you could leave the skin if you like). I scooped out the top of the potato to make a groove in the depth of  1/3 of the thickness of the potato and stuffed it with chopped Raclett cheese and placed a few slices to cover the top of the potato. I then put it in a 450F oven for a few minutes. You could also place it under a broiler until the cheese melts. The original we had at the restaurant did not have any garnish but I added chopped chive mostly for color. This is an especially satisfying dish particularly with a little salt on the side to enhance the flavor of those parts of the potato not covered with cheese.

Similar potato dish we also like is "potato and butter" or "jaga-bata" ジャガバタ. You start with a boiled or microwaved whole potato (you could do this step ahead of time). Cut into quoters along the long axis and put them on the grill to make char marks on the cut surfaces and to warm it thoroughly. Then cut in a crosswise fashion in half inch thick slices. Put buttons of butter on it and let it melt. Eat with some salt or with soy sauce. When we go to a near-by Robatakaki/sushi bar called Tako Grill (this is not "taco" and "tako"means "octopus" in Japanese), this is the one we always order.

Fried meat ball メンチカツ

This dish brings back the memories from my childhood. This type of deep fried minced meat dish is considered a very "homey" dish in Japan.  These type of dishes, however, are now widely available freshly prepared in many stores including the basement gourmet food floors of department stores in Japan. Any breaded and fried dish which uses "minced" meat is called "minchi or menchi katsu" ミンチカツ or メンチカツ which is short for a "minced meat cutlet". More detailed discussion of this subject can be found here, although the discussion is in Japanese.

Another variation is Japanese potato croquets コロッケ made of mashed potatoes with minced pork and onion, breaded and deep fried. In the "old days", it was said that, depending on your economic condition at any given time, the ratio of the meat and potato varied. For example, just before payday, many housewives would get by making croquettes made of 100% potatoes and onions. In any case, this is what my mother used make. It is a cross between "menchi-katsu" and "croquets". Now this is a perfect dish in Home Izakaya.

I usually use the raw trimmings and scraps left over from preparing pork tenderloins for other dishes. A more fatty portion of meat like pork shoulder may make this dish better. I mince the pork with my knife but, of course, you could use a food processor or buy ground pork, beef or a mixture of ground meat. Sauté minced onion, garlic and chopped Shiitake mushroom (optional) in a small amount of vegetable oil until soft. Season with salt and pepper and let it cool to room temperature and mix in the minced pork and chopped parsley.  I add a splash of Worcestershire sauce, freshly ground nutmeg, egg, Japanese "Panko" bread crumbs. Mix well and make golf-ball size balls. Dredge it in flour, egg water, then panko. Deep fry until golden brown. I like to serve this with "tonkatsu sauce" and hot Japanese mustard.

For the accompaniment, I made a type of coleslaw. Although, finely shredded raw cabbage will be the traditional side for this dish, my wife does not particularly like it. So I made this coleslaw. Shred or finely julienne cabbage, salt it lightly and let it stand for 5-10 minute. Ring out moisture from the cabbage. I added julienned carrot and cucumber for color. This time, I dressed it with my version of honey mustard dressing. The dressing is made of Dijon mustard, honey, rice vinegar and olive oil with salt and pepper to taste. You could use other dressings such as mayonnaise or sesame oil and soy sauce vinaigrette dressing instead.

Sauteed squid and celery イカとセロリの炒めのも

Sauteed small squid and celery イカとセロリの炒めもの (Mark's Book p64)

Here I followed the recipe in Marks' book. The result was extremely good and it is very simple to make. I mostly used the body of cleaned small squid but I am sure legs will also be good. To reiterate the recipe in the book, just cut up the squid into thin rings, slice celery stalks, and cut up center portion of the celery with leaves. In a large frying pan with small amount of vegetable oil (I used light olive oil) on high heat, sauté the squid and then celery stalk (1 minutes each) and add salt and pepper. Just at the last moment add, celery leaves. Top with the garlic butter (make a paste of garlic using the classic French technique of mashing the garlic with the back of a knife using salt as an abrasive. Mix the mashed garlic into softened butter. Shape and refrigerate the butter before use). I used a torch to melt the butter as instructed in the Mark's book (the lower picture) but it appears the heat of the dish will melt the butter anyway. Enjoy with a squeeze of lemon. The garlic butter is a must.

We love this dish. I also make a similar squid dish with sliced fennel bulb and white vermouth, which is also good but has a different flavor all together because of the anise-like taste of fennel. Another one I make often is based on a tapas recipe, in which squid sauteed with garlic are simmered in beer and tomatoes. If I make these dishes in the future I will definitely post them. This recipe definitely joined our line-up of home Izakaya dishes.

Poached Chicken Breast with black vinegar

Poached Chicken Breast with black vinegar sauce 鶏胸肉の黒酢煮

This recipe was given to me by my niece, when we visited Japan last time. It is so easy to make and it is so good. I use boneless breast meat with the skin on. In the U.S., you may have to get bone-in split breast. In that case, remove the bones, excess skin and fat. I also remove the tenders and use them for another dish. For two breasts, I add 3 tbs each of black vinegar (Chinese or Japanese variety, more about this later), sake, soy sauce and sugar (I use less sugar but it is up to your preference) in an 10 inch frying pan on a medium flame. The liquid covers the bottom of pan in a rather thin layer (about 1/4 inch).  Dissolve the sugar and add the chicken breasts skin side down, tightly cover with a lid and poach/steam for 15 minutes. Remove the breast, set aside on a plate, covered with an aluminum foil and let it rest at least 5 minutes while the sauce reduces (This step is important. If you skip this step, the center of the thickest part of the breast may not be completely done). Meanwhile, increase the heat and reduce the marinade to one third of the original volume or until large bubbles cover the surface (another 5 minutes). Slice the breast on the bias.

This time, I served the sliced chicken on a bed of sliced cucumber (mini cucumber or Japanese), thinly sliced onion (soak in water for 10 minutes and ring out moisture if too strong). Arrange the chicken slices and top with small tomato slices (the vegetables are all optional). Drizzle the sauce.

Compared to other types of vinegar, "kuro-su" 黒酢 or black vinegar is much milder and has a more nutty taste which is a key to this dish. I also made this dish by substituting the black vinegar with balsamic vinegar with a very good result.

Grilled marinated salmon 鮭の祐庵やき

Grilled marinated fish dishes are fairly common in Japanese cooking. Mark's book has Sweet miso marinated fish 魚の西京漬け (p61). Many of the fish popular in Japan are not readily available in the U.S. Among the rather limited varieties of fresh fish available in our neighborhood grocery stores, we like salmon.  It is consistently available and reasonably fresh. We often just salt it and grill or sauté (finish in the oven). We particularly like a crispy skin and I make sure that the skin gets crispy. You could use cod, sword fish, Chilean sea bass or other similar types of fish instead.

This time, I used a liquid marinade called "Yuuan-ji" 祐庵地 which is a classic Japanese marinade for grilling. There are some variations but we do not like an overly sweet taste, so I use about equal amounts of mirin, sake and twice the amount of soy sauce (1:1:2) (the classic recipe may call for more mirin).  Combine the ingredients in a small pan and let it come to a boil to remove the alcohol and to amalgamate the tastes. Let it cool and then refrigerate. Marinate salmon for 20-30 minutes (if you marinate too long, you tend to lose the actual taste of the fish and everything starts to taste like the marinade). Grill until the skin is crispy and the meat is cooked through.

I made pencil asparagus as an accompaniment. Sauté minced onion, garlic, sliced Shiitake mushroom and pencil asparagus in small amount of melted butter. Add a small amount of the marinade and let it cook down until almost all liquid is gone about 2-3 minutes. The asparagus should still be a bit crispy.

Yakitori donburi 焼き鳥丼

Yakitori donburi 焼き鳥丼

This a quick "donburi" dish using left over "Yakotori". "Donburi" 丼, which is often shorten to "don", refers to a large (relative to a regular rice bowl) Japanese bowl, like the one seen below. It can also refer to the food placed in the bowl. The basic construction of a "donburi" dish is a bed of cooked rice with whatever toppings may be available accompanied by a small amount of savory sauce. This is a very typical "whole-meal-in-a-bowl" affair. Many Japanese fast food chain restaurants are specialized in this type of dish. Am

ong the most popular are "oyako donburi" 親子丼, which is a combination of chicken and egg  ("oyako" means "mother and offspring", for obvious reason), "gyudon" 牛丼 which is made with small cut-up pieces of seasoned beef, "ten-don" 天丼 which is topped with "tempura", and "katsu-don" カツ丼 which features breaded and deep fried pork cutlet called "tonkatsu". Although I have not tried it, "Yakitori donburi" is reportedly served as a lunch item in a famous Yakitori restaurant in Tokyo. This dish appears to place freshly made Yakitori (2-5 skewer-worth depending on the price) on the bed of rice with some Yakitori "tare" sauce.

When we make Yakitori at home,  we usually will have a good amount of left-overs. When I have thigh or liver left over from a barbecue, I make my version of Yakitori donburi. (I save the left-over barbecued wings and drumettes to re-heat in the toaster oven to eat crispy and hot by themselves). If I have grilled vegetables I add them to the donburi as well.

This time, I used left-over Yakitori liver,  thinly sliced onion, shiitake  mushroom, and greens (here, I used arugula but spinach, broccoli, green beans, snow pea all work well). In a small frying pan, arrange the ingredients except for fast cooking greens such as spinach and arugula. Add a mixture of mirin, dashi, and soy sauce in about equal amounts (or use a commercial Japanese noodle sauce diluted with water). Please make sure that the broth is not too salty since it will reduce during cooking). The liquid should just barely cover the ingredients, cover the pan and simmer until the onion is soft and cooked (10 minutes). Add the greens to cook just for few minutes. At this point, the broth should be reduced to a small amount. My wife likes more broth/sauce than I do. I like just a small amount of strong tasting sauce to moisten the underlying rice rather than enough sauce to make the rice too wet. It's a personal preference, however, and the initial strength and amount of the broth need to be adjusted accordingly. Slide the topping and sauce on the bed of hot rice. I sprinkle "sansho" powder which is a Japanese version of finely ground Sichuan pepper.

Zousui 雑炊

Rice porridge with chicken and shiitake mushroom 鶏肉と椎茸の雑炊

This is a variation of rice porridge or "okayu" お粥.  "Okayu" is usually made from uncooked rice and it takes a long time to cook and usually there are no other items in it. On the other hand, "zosui" 雑炊 means to "cook various items together". The most typical way of having "zosui" is to add cooked rice to the remaining broth at the end of a "nabe" dish, especially "Muzutaki" or "Yosebabe" . This broth contains all the goodness of the vegetables and other ingredients cooked in the nabe. Adding the rice to make a savory porridge or "zousui" is one way to end your nabe feast. I often make this dish even when we did not have a "nabe" dish and it is a perfect way to end your Izakaya feast. Here I used left over "frozen" cooked rice we keep handy in the freezer (we portion the rice and put it in a Ziploc bag and freeze.)  The broth is a simple "dashi" or, in a pinch, you could use Japanese instant granulated dashi powder. Add a pinch of salt to the liquid. The proportion of broth to rice depends on how soupy you like the porridge to be but I usually use equal amounts of rice and liquid. I happened to have individual earthenware pots with a lid which is actually a rice bowl designed for making individual porridge servings. You could also use any small deep pan. You can add any vegetables. Here, I added thin (1/4 inch) daikon slices quartered, thin round slices of carrot, broccoli, and sliced Shiitake mushroom. If you have raw chicken (breast meat is good), you cut it into thin bite size pieces and add it toward the end of the cooking. I simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice becomes a nice porridge consistency.  I happened to have cooked chicken (grilled chicken breast) when I made this. I added the chicken and broccoli and eggs 5 minutes before the cooking is completed. The egg yolk has to be runny. You could add anything (any vegetables, shrimp, chicken, tofu etc) to this dish but an egg is a must.

I served this with a trio of condiments. They are 1) store-bought "takuan" pickled diakon radish was sliced and julienned and mixed with some soy sauce (it was too sweet as commercial "takuan" often is.) (top), 2) "Kelp tsukudani" that I made from left-over kelp when I made simmered daikon dish (middle), 3) "Bainiku" from umeboshi or salted plum (bottom). Mix any of these condiments, break the runny egg yolk and enjoy.