American Wagyu tataki with grated daikon and ponzu sauce アメリカ和牛のたたきポン酢大根おろし和え

This is actually leftovers from the Wagyu steak we had. When the steak was cooked the marbled fat layer became transparent and sort of disappeared but when the steak get cold, the marbling reappears as white streaks. Although this was not a true "Tataki" preparation, this Wagyu New York Strip steak cooked medium rare is really close. So the next day, I sliced the steak paper thin and served it as though it was beef tataki*.

Dressing: I grated diakon (about 1/4 cup), squeezed out the excess moisture and added ponzu shouyu sauce (from the bottle) and 7 flavor Japanese red pepper powder 七味唐辛子 and mixed. The amount of ponzu is as much as grated diakon can absorb.

I garnished this with thin slices of scallion.

Ponzu and grated diakon really cut the fat of the beef and makes this dish. Because of the acidity of the ponzu, sake will be the best bet. We still have more than 1/4 of the Wagyu stake left. I can make something else.

*Tataki: "Tataki" preparation can mean two totally different Japanese cooking techniques. The first is to chop up raw fish as in "Aji-no-tataki" 鰺のたたき. The second is to sear only the surface of the fish or meat and keep the center raw such as in "Katsuo-no-tataki" 鰹のたたき. Beef can be prepared this latter way.

Sweet shrimp ceviche and shrimp roe scrambled egg 甘エビのサビーチェと海老の卵入りスクランブルエッグ

The second day after we receive amaebi, I tend to make it to ceviche. This time I had very large roe-bearing amaebi or side spotted prawns. I made cerviche and, from the roe, made scrambled eggs similar to the shad roe dish which appears to be the only fish roe besides cavier and salmon roe available in the U.S.. Shad roe is not considered to be gourmet or high-end food like caviar. I have never seen shad roe in Japan.

For cerviche, I shelled and cut up the shrimp (2 huge ones) and mixed with scallion (2, finely chopped), Jalapeño pepper (1/2 medium, seeds and veins removed, finely chopped), salt, pepper, lime juice (about 2 tbs, from one lime). I also added a small amount of hot sauce (Sriracha, instead of regular Tabasco. The taste test by "Cook illustrated" chose Sriracha as the Best and Tabasco the worst. We do not totally agree with this but Sriracha has thicker texture, less vinegary and a bit more complex). I also put few drops on the top as a garnish.

For scrambled eggs, I first removed the roe and made sure all the shells were removed (left, this is from two large amaebi). In a non-stick frying pan, I melted a pat of butter (1/2 tbs) and sautéed the roe. After one minute or so, I added beaten eggs (two large) and scrambled. I seasoned it with salt and pepper.

Since the heads were too large, I decided to just go for the inside stuff not the outer shells. In the past I have put large heads in miso soup but this time I baked it for 20 minutes in a 450F toaster oven (antennae trimed). To eat, we removed the outer shell and ate whatever inside and portion of legs that was crunchy but edible. We seasoned with  some salt and lime juice.

The cerviche was kinda hot but not tongue numbingly so. The difference between Sriracha and Tabasco may be less in this type of preparation but Sriracha has a slightly sweet and complex taste beside heat. The shrimp roe scrambled eggs were interesting. Although, the roe are mostly for texture, the combination of the soft texture of the scrambled eggs was very nice and enjoyable. My wife added extra juice from the cerviche to the eggs. As far as the shrimp heads are concerned, the best stuff is inside and baking is easier than deep frying and maybe a bit more healthy to boot. We have to find a source of calcium elsewhere.

Non-frozen yellowfin tuna, yellowtail and amaebi sashimi with roe キハダマグロ、はまち、甘エビの刺身

Catalina has not had bluefin tuna, either "Akami" or "Toro", for a long period of time but almost always has fresh sashimi "Yellowfin" tuna キハダマグロ listed as in-stock. I decided to try the fresh yellowfin tuna as well as fresh wild caught yellowtail or Hamachi ハマチ. They also had "live" side spotted prawn or "amaebi" 甘エビ (more like "botan-ebi" 牡丹海老). The only uni they had was "Premium" not "Gold" uni. I decide to give it a go and ordered these items.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed. The yellowfin tuna was kind of dry and mealy in texture exactly like the frozen block we can get any time from our local Japanese grocery store (I should not have expected more). The wild caught hamachi was not bad but, as they cautioned, it was not as oily and lean. (Maybe this was because it is spring and they haven't had the summer to fatten up? I like frozen hamachi better.) The amaebi were too big; only two were the size I like but the remaining 3 were very large with lots of roe. The uni tasted good but it was very soft and color was not as nice as the highest grade "gold" uni we are used to.

The sashimi servings we had the first night are shown above.  We felt guilty after seeing all the roe these prawns had. Rather than wasting  them (they are attached to the outer layers of the shell of the abdomen not to the meat), I removed and sautéed them in butter and seasoned with soy sauce in a small frying pan. I let them cool down and served them in a cucumber cup (left in the picture above--the one looking darker red) with tobiko roe (bright red on the right). It is more about the texture than taste but not bad for a fringe benefit.

I served the amaebi more like lobster sashimi (cut-up) since it was so large. This time they arrived all dead but they were still fresh enough. The meat was succulent and sweet as you can see in the above picture.

I used two small and one large amaebi for two of us. After I deep fried the shrimp heads, I cut the large one in half. The small ones we could enjoy everything including the shells which became crunchy. But with the large one, the outer shell was too hard even after prolonged frying and we consumed only what was inside. It was like eating crackling--very crunchy with a pleasant ocean flavor. It is the best part in any case. 

Ragu of lamb with chickpeas 子羊とひよこ豆のラグー

Recently, I stumbled into a nice blog by Marc Matsumoto. His recipes span many different food cultures and his food pictures are very nice (he is a professional food photographer and his recipes are occasonally featured on the PBS website). His pictures look professional--not like mine which are done quickly using a point-and-shoot camera (we tend to be hungry before the photo-shoot and cannot afford to devote too much time to it). In any case, you can see some influence from his pictures. I am using a lower angle and taking advantage of the shallow field of focus (see the second picture, Whuuuum, the focus is not really sharp. I blame it to my small point-and-shoot camera.)

In any case, this is based on his recipe but I took a few shortcuts and modifications and I decided to call it a "Ragu".  Please refer to the original recipe for a more authentic "Braised lamb with chickpeas"  but the end result was pretty good and satisfying.

 Lamb: Instead of a whole shoulder of lamb, I used cubed stew lamb meat which is also from the shoulder (1 lb).

Spices: I deviated a bit from Marc's recipe. I used cumin (2 tsp), Garam masala (1 tsp), Kosher salt (1 tsp), black pepper (1 tsp), brown sugar (1 tsp) and curry powder (1/2 tsp). Curry powder is my addition and I did not have "Pomegranate molases" which was called for in the original recipe.

I placed the spices in a Ziploc bag and put in the meat. I shook the pieces well to coat. I placed it in a refrigerator removing as much air as possible from the Ziploc bag. I planed to cook  this soon after I started marinating it but it ended up sitting in the fridge in the meat compartment for 4 days (probably several hours or overnight would suffice).  I was expecting some juice to develop after 4 days but no excess liquid came out. In the original recipe, this was cooked in a 250F oven for a long time but I chose to just cook it on the stove.

Vegetables: Onion (1 large, finely chopped), garlic (4 fat cloves, finely chopped) and Garbanzo beans (8oz can). The original recipe calls for dried Garbanzo beans but I took a shortcut here and used pre-cooked canned Garbanzo beans. 

In a deep pot, I first added olive oil (2 tbs) and when the oil was hot and shimmering, added the cubes of lamb. After few minutes, I tuned the meat to brown the other side.  I could really smell all the spices at this point. After the meat was seared, I removed the pieces to the plate and set aside. The bottom of the pot developed a brown crust (fond). I added the onion and garlic and sautéed. The moisture from the onion and the use of a silicon spatula helped to dislodge the "fond". I sautéed until onion was soft, semitransparent and garlic fragrant (5 minutes or so). I put back the meat and poured chicken broth to cover (about 1 cup). I placed my Ms Piggy silicon "otoshi buta" lid and the regular lid of the pan askew to encourage evaporation. I simmered this for over an hour. I let it come down to room temperature and placed it in the refrigerator.

The next day, my wife tookover before I came home. She removed the otoshi-buta and added the drained garbanzo beans and simmered it for 30-40 minutes. After I came home, I separated the meat and the beans. I placed the meat in a small bowl and, using a large spoon, shredded the meat (it was very tender and easy to shred by just pressing on the pieces with the edge of the spoon). I kept the remaining liquid simmering to reduce (probably less than 1/4 cup at the end). I mixed the shredded lamb and garbanzo beans into the reduced liquid. One of the problems with slow prolonged cooking is that all the tastes become muted and a bit tired. So, it is important to add fresh herbs at the end. I added fresh parsley (5-6 sprigs stems removed and finely chopped) and several grinds of freshly cracked black pepper. Just before serving, I garnished it with fresh mint (4-5 sprigs, stems removed and finely chopped). Instead of flat bread as suggested in the original recipe, we cooked up Pennsylvania Dutch egg noodle as the starch.

This is a very satisfying dish. Although the lamb flavors are muted in long cooking with the spices, the parsley and mint added fresh bright notes. The meat was very tender but not dry and the texture of meat and the Garbanzo beans go very well together. With a glass of good red wine, this cannot go wrong.

Barbecued Rolled leg of lamb 子羊のもも肉のバーベキュー

Since it was Easter and my wife loves lamb, we decided to have a lamb barbecue. I saw a relatively inexpensive (especially compared with the rack of lamb) leg of lamb (bone-in), I decided to make a rolled leg of lamb cooked in our usual Weber kettle. Often, we butter-fly a leg of lamb since it is quicker and easier to cook and the exposed surface will be well cooked. Even if we buy a previously deboned and rolled leg of lamb, I remove the trussing and open it up. I do this because I cannot know how much exposure the meat has had to the environment while it was being prepared at the store. When it is rolled the exposed surface gets tucked inside the roll and often is not fully cooked especially if it is cooked to be slightly pink inside. If I debone and roll it myself, I know the inner surface was not exposed to the environment much before it was rolled.

Lamb: This was bone-in leg of lamb and was around 4 lb with bone (I think). I did a bit of surgery to removed the bone (including the knee joint). I cleaned the sliver skin, excess fat and fibrous tissue around the joint.

Seasoning: I could have stuffed the leg but I decided to make it simply. I made a mixture of parsley (6-7 sprigs, stalks removed and finely chopped), garlic (3 fat cloves, finely chopped), lemon zest (1 large, zest removed using a micrograter, about 2 tbs).

I seasoned the inside of the lamb (the portion that used to face the bone) with black pepper and salt and smeared the parsley mixture and rolled. Using butcher's twine, I trussed it to make  a neat cylinder. I rubbed the surface with olive oil and then seasoned rather severely with black pepper and Kosher salt.

I cooked this in the Weber kettle using indirect heart like I do with whole chicken. I did not use wood chips so that the delicate flavor of the lamb and the parsley/lemon zest seasoning would come through better.  As usual, we wrapped sweet potatoes and whole onions in aluminium foil and put them on the grill around the meat. After 45 minutes, I inserted the temperature probe in the middle of the thickest part of the meat and cooked another 15-20 minutes or until the thermometer registered 140F (for medium). I cooked a bit more than I would have liked. I removed the meat to a plate and covered it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 10-15 minutes.

The smell of the garlic, lemon, and roasted lamb wafted throughout the kitchen while we were preparing for the side dishes of onion and sweet potatoes. The vegetables were all prepared by my wife including roasted carrot with tarragon and green beans. I think she added butter, soy sauce and a splash of sushi vinegar to the onion and just butter and soy sauce to the sweet potatoes.

Fresh lemony and garlicky flavors with still fresh tasting parsley were wonderful. I usually use rosemary for the lamb, but without rosemary, it is more delicate tasting. The sweet potatoes were particularly sweet. (I asked my wife if she added any sugar and she said no, all the sweetness came from the potato itself).

Of course, the libation has to be a good red. We were having Gundlach Bundschu Carbernet Souvignon 2007. Initially when we tasted this without food, we thought it was a bit muted. With the lamb, it really tasted better. It is not one of these fruit and vanilla-laden kind but subtle complex black fruit, earthy spices with good minerality were coming through. This is obviously not a sipping wine but a very decent food wine.

Easter breakfast; whole wheat cross bun and scrambled egg イスーターの朝ごはん

Although this is obviously not Izakaya item, the creamy scrambled egg with shiitake mushroom and asparagus is a perfect dish as a drinking snack. My wife is into making all kinds of bread (taking over most of what I used to bake and going further) especially whole wheat breads. She baked hot cross buns for Easter breakfast this time. Instead of the usual sweet sugar-laden icing, she made it from cream cheese and milk with much reduced sugar.

I have to ask my wife to provide recipes for the whole wheat hot cross buns and icing. 

The recipe comes from Laurel Robertson's cookbook "The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book". Of course the recipe I used varied somewhat from the one in the book. For the bread: Raisins and chopped dates (2 cups total), 1 cup walnuts toasted and then rubbed in a towel to remove the bitter tasting brown skin. 2 Tsp dry yeast, 1/2 cup warm water (to proof the yeast), 6 cups whole wheat flour, 2 tsp salt, 2 large eggs, 3 tbs honey, 1 cup hot water, 1 cup cold buttermilk. I added the salt, the honey and hot water to dissolved the honey and salt. I let it cool down. I proofed the yeast. Using a mixer (Kitchen Aid - Professional 5 - with a dough hook), I then I added the yeast, honey and salt mixture and cold buttermilk to 4 cups of the wheat flour. I then added more wheat flour 1/2 cup at a time until the mixture started to form a dough. Then I added the eggs. I continued to add more flour 1/2 cup at a time until the dough formed on the dough hook and pulled away from the sides. I then added 1/4 cup butter cut into small slices. I continued kneading after the butter was fully incorporated for another 7 to 10 minutes. For the last few minutes of kneading I added the dried fruits and nuts. I removed the dough from the bowel did a few rounds of hand kneading and then put into a bowel coated with about 1/2 teaspoon of oil to keep the surface moist during the first proofing. I deflated the dough and let it rise again. After it doubled in size I deflated it again and formed it into small round balls. I put the balls in a heavily greased glass Pyrex baking dish slightly separated but close enough so that the buns would touch after rising (I'm not wild about a lot of crust on these types of buns). After they doubled in size I put them into a 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  

Icing: I used one block of 1/3 less fat Philadelphia cream cheese, 1 tsp butter, 3 tsp honey 1/2 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp of milk. Using a mixer, I softened the cream cheese and butter. When it was creamy I added the honey and cinnamon and kept mixing. I added just enough milk to make the mixture a spreadable consistency.  

She asked me to make something goes with the hot cross buns for breakfast. I made creamy scrambled egg with shiitake mushrooms garnished with asparagus tips. If I had, I would have made this with black truffle but no such luck this time. I made the scrambled eggs very soft and creamy by using a double boiler or "bain marie". Since I will not totally cook and harden the eggs, I used pasturized eggs with the addition of cream.

For two servings;

 I sautéed fresh shiitake mushroom (4, medium sized stem removed and finely chopped) and shallot (1, medium, finely chopped) in butter (2 tsp) until soft (several minutes) seasoned with salt and freshly cracked white pepper and set aside to cool.

I beat the eggs well and strained them to remove any clumps of egg white and chalaza (3, pasteurized eggs) which will make an unpleasant congealed hard spot in an otherwise creamy scrambled eggs; situation similar to making "chawanmushi" 茶碗蒸し.

On a bain marie (gently simmering hot water), I melted butter (1 thin pat, less than1 tsp) and when the butter melted, I added the beaten eggs and the sautéed shallot and shiitake mushroom. I gently mixed it with a silicon spatula while scraping the bottom and the sides. After few minutes, eggs started to congeal. I added salt and freshly cracked white pepper and mixed more vigorously until it was cooked but nicely creamy. I took the pan from the bain marie just before it reached the desired doneness and kept stirring.

I used egg-shaped small glass containers as you see on the left of the above image. On the right of the image above, the lid was open revealing the contents. I garnished it with slices of shiitake mushroom (sautéed) and asparagus tips (microwaved and cut in half lengthwise).

The creamy scrambled eggs were infused with the shiitake flavor. The slow cooking over the bain marie and the addition of cream and butter made the scrambled eggs like soft custard. The hot cross buns were also excellent. They had the nice nutty flavor of whole wheat that combined well with the roasted walnuts, dates and raisins. The icing was not too sweet but had rich flavor that complemented the buns--a great combination. 

American Wagyu New York strip steak アメリカ和牛のニューヨークストリップステーキ

Wagyu 和牛 is a breed of cattle developed in Japan (As I understand it they are a cross between Japanese native and western cattle. Reportedly, only a few pure native Japanse cattle remain in Kagoshima 鹿児島 and Yamaguchi 山口 prefectures). The breed was selected for its highly marbled meat. To us, classic Japanese Wagyu beef is too fatty when eaten as a steak but it is considered one of the most prized beef. When eaten raw, it has a mouth feel reminiscent of  fatty tuna but once cooked it tastes a bit too fatty to me. Beef fat has a strong taste to me particularly when in excess (unlike pork fat which can be eaten to any excess as far as I am concerned).  Dependining on the regions of Japan in which a particular breed was developed, it is named, for example, "kobe-gyu"  神戸牛, "Matsuzaka-gyu" 松坂牛 or "Oumi-gyu" 近江牛. Often, this beef is served thinly sliced for grilling (yakiniku 焼肉) or sukiyaki すき焼き.

My niece married into a family of cattle farmers near Sapporo. They raise Wagyu but I was told they mostly raise the cross between Wagyu and black Angus. I learned from my niece and her husband that the wagyu is rather delicate and has to be housed in a barn during the cold snowy season but the cross breed with black Angus is much more robust and can stay outside in the snow and survive (and thrive).

In the U.S., one could get genuine wagyu beef imported from Japan but it is prohibitively expensive (we never tried it). It is not worth it in my book. Instead, like ones raised in my nice's farm, American wagyu (cross between Wagyu and Black Angus) is raised in US and Australia and its meat is widely sold in a gourmet market at a reasonable (relatively speaking) price. The meat is much redder and not as highly marbled compared to genuine Wagyu beef as you can see in the picture below but it is much fattier and marbled than typical American prime or choice beef. The cut I got this time was  New York strip steak and I bought it as one serving. It weighed almost 1lb! (Between two of us we ate only less than half this evening).

I did not do anything special to cook the steak. I first let it warm up to  room temperature and seasoned it with Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Using a small amount of light olive oil, I seared both sides on medium high flame until a nice brow crust was formed (The above image on the right). I finished it in a 350F oven for 8 minutes (for medium rare  as you can see below). I removed the steak from the pan to a plate and covered  loosely with aluminum foil to let it rest for 10 minutes. It was homogeneously pink without the center being totally raw. The marble lines were almost not visible since the fat became semitransparent but it was there.

I served it sliced with the side of oven fried potato. For sauce, I degrazed the pan with sake (4-5 tsp) and reduced it to 1/3 and added soy sauce (1 tsp). I then added 4-5 pats of butter to make an emulsion.  Off heat, I added real wasabi (1/2 tsp) and poured it over the slices of steak (the first picture).

This was certainly a great steak. (Of course, it was perfectly cooked, if I do say so myself). The wasabi flavor did not come through as much as I expected. Is it better than U.S. prime stake? I am not so sure. The oven fried potatos were excellent. They had a crunchy crust and creamy soft inside (my wife's contribution). We were still enjoying the wonderful 2007 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon with this steak.