Category: Cooking

 It's quite strange….or maybe not. Since our return from Japan, the Missus has been wanting me to make Japanese food. Some things, like Nishime are a pain. The Missus has requested Sukiyaki the last two weekends…….not super hard; a bit of prep. I was taught to make it a certain way and I still stick my guns…if you get Sukiyaki for less than $15-25 pp, it's not going to be very good.

Anyway, I really wasn't going to do this post, but Frankie needed some emergency dental surgery, so I've been kind of preoccupied this weekend. So how about something short and sweet like this? It's still the same as what I posted on in 2006….some things just don't need to be changed.

It's about understanding all the facets, the prep, how flavors work, and timing. I always make the sauce; the Warishita, the night before.

1/2 Cup Soy Sauce 3/4 Cup Mirin 1/2 Cup Sugar 1/4 Cup Water 1/4 Sake 1/4 tsp Dashi No Moto(optional) 1 clove garlic smashed (optional)

Combine Warishita ingredients(except for dashi no moto) and bring to a boil while stirring, turn down heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes to burn off alcohol. Remove from heat and add dashi no moto, if desired. Remove from heat and cool. Let the sauce "rest" at least 20 minutes, or over night.

Nowadays, I always make a double recipe. The Missus will occasionally ask me to change the recipe and I do….knowing perfectly well She'll say to change it back the next time. The warishita may seem sweet, but the flavors of the meat and other ingredients will buffer that. The flavor of the tofu is not the same without that much mirin.

1 lb Thin cut rib eye or sirloin 2 Medium Round Onions sliced 2 Packages Shirataki(Yam Noodles), open packages and place in a colander. Pour boiling water over Shirataki to remove the "smell". 1 Block Tofu drained well – I wrap a paper towel around the block of tofu to drain then place a plate on it for a few minutes, and cut into 1 inch cubes 1 Can Bamboo Shoots – If the smell bothers you, pour boiling water over Bamboo Shoots, drain, then cut into slices lengthwise. 8-10 Fresh Shiitake Mushrooms 1 Bunch Enoki Mushrooms (optional) 2 Bunches Watercress, or 1 bunch Shingiku (Edible Garland Chrysanthemum) 1 Bunch Green Onions(green parts only), cut into 1 inch lengths 4-6 Eggs or quail eggs 

1. Lightly oil the bottom of a Tetsunabe (Iron Pot),do not use a donabe(earthenware pot). You can also use a large heavy bottom skillet. Place on a tabletop stove.

2. Arrange items in a single layer on the bottom of the skillet.

3. Heat skillet over medium heat. Pour half of the Warishita over ingredients covering the meat.

4. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 3-5 minutes.

5. Add ingredients and sauce as they are depleted.

6. If you desire, pick out ingredients and dip them in lightly beaten egg right before eating.

Quail eggs seem to work well for us nowadays…..

Oh and we even tried out that Wagyu from Japan in addition to our wagyu sirloin. We have a marble slate that we often use to keep meat cold for grilling and such.

We just dipped this into the warishita as it boiled….not too long or it'll disintergrate.

 And as before, I take inspiration in one of the few items I still have from my Mother. This little booklet was published before I was born and has such charming little sections as how to properly wrap your obi, 'The Japanese Smile", flower arranging, the furoshiki, New Years customs….quite a bit for a tiny 69 page booklet. It was written by "Fumiko"….just one name.

As for when it was published….I'd say before 1959….

Definitely before I was born……. The recipes are dated, which means it was based on what was available in Hawaii at that time….mirin for instance, was very hard to get. Anyway, just flipping the pages gives me inspiration….it's part of my roots, my heritage.

As for Sukiyaki, it's all in the prep and presentation….I've made it for 2 and a few years back for 30, it's all the same. If you haven't made this, I hope you give it a try…

Thanks for reading!  

In retrospect, I shoulda thought of this when I made Gobo Salad back in 2008. We bought a bag of the stuff in one of the market in Kuromon Market in Kyoto. I really loved it and just ate it plain, though I think it was intended as a garnish for salads and other dishes.

The Missus requested that I make this when I got back….and She loved it so much that I've made it four times so far. Nothing fancy here……..

All you need is a single, firm stalk of gobo…..the best way to peel it is to use a spoon to peel. I usually worry about how quickly gobo discolors, but don't worry in this case as since you'll be deep frying, you won't have to worry about that.

Once the gobo is peeled….I usually do a half at a time. It's much more easy to manage.

Anyway, you can give it a quick rinse, pat off excess moisture and fry in 370 degree oil…..the Missus oil du jour is Avocado Oil…….you need about two cups.

I fry in batches, it takes about 2 1/2/ – 3 1/2 minutes, depending on how crisp you like your chips.

I remove from heat, then lightly salt with Himalayan Salt….but I'm sure good number of flavor combinations will work.

The frying really brings out the mild sweetness in the gobo, it's good fiber, you can control how crunchy you want the gobo………. Plus, I'm sure you can find a number of ways to use these.

Easy, huh?

Have fun!

So why call this Carne Guisada? Well, I didn't quite know what else to call it…..

I could have named it "what to do with that block of Achiote seasoning in the cupboard", but that would be a bit too long. This is actually the Missus' idea….She basically requested that I come up with something. So far I've made it three times with prime sirlion, pork butt, and a combination of dark and white meat chicken. The amount of meat is the same, about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds. The process is the same…….brown the meat, then braise. The winner by far is the pork…..which is kind of a pain; trimming it down to size and keeping just the right amount of fat. It's typical browning, season with salt, pepper, ground cumin, and granulated garlic, then if it's beef or pork, drain the fat and start the aromatics. If it's chicken, keep most of the fat since it's much leaner. The fundamentals are the same; help to seal with parchment and braise in the oven. If you ever get the chance, check out Molly Stevens' book, All About Braising, it has some rally great fundamentals, I love the first 36 pages or so of the book. Beer really helps the flavor and I thought it would be a nice touch…..I realize that two cups is 16 ounces and two cans of Tecate, which is what I used is 24. I'm sure you'll, ahem, find some use for the other 8 ounces….

We have celery growing in the yard. The Missus isn't fond of celery, but I've convinced Her that using the leaves almost as a herb is wonderful and She has bought into it.

As always, you know your preferences….we should treat these type of recipes as a palette for your palate. I basically use what I have on hand. I like to garnish with cilantro, onions, and lime….topping it with an egg is very nice. The Missus doesn't eat much rice anymore and we have no tortillas in the house, but those do well….I'm thinking enchiladas would be really good as well. The Missus likes Hers with slices of avocado.

It seems like a lot of steps, but is really pretty simple.

Carne Guisada:

2 1/2 – 3 pounds of cubed chicken (a combination of white and dark meat), pork butt (trimmed of excess fat), or beef

1 Tb ground cumin

1 Tb granulated garlic

3 Tb Avocado Oil s

alt and fresh ground pepper to taste

The sauce:

1 3 1/2 ounce block of achiote seasoning

2 – 15 ounce cans of tomato sauce

5 Cloves of garlic

1/4 cup soy sauce (I used Aloha Shoyu)

1/4  cup Worchestershire Sauce

1-2 Habanero Chilies (optional)

3-4 Tb Agave Syrup

The rest:

1 medium onion sliced thin

1/4 cup celery leaves roughly chopped

1/2 tsp ground Cayenne Pepper (optional)

1/4 cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped

1 Tb Mexican Oregano

1 Tb Ground Cumin

1 Tb Granulated Garlic 4

bay leaves 2 cups beer (I used Tecate)

2 Tb Red Wine Vinegar

– Preheat oven to 325

– Combine sauce ingredients in a blender and blend into a sauce

– Combine Meat with 1 Tb ground cumin, granulated garlic, salt and pepper

– Heat pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add oil and brown meat in batches. Do not crowd. Remove meat to a large bowl or pan when browned.

– If using pork or beef drain excess oil from pot, keeping about 1-2 tablespoons. Add onions, celery leaves, cayenne pepper (if using) and saute until onions are translucent.

– Add oregano, ground cumin, granulated garlic, and bay leaves. Allow spices to "bloom". – When nice and fragrant, add beer to deglaze.

– When liquid is simmering, add sauce into the pot. Bring to a simmer add Red Wine Vinegar.

– Add meat. It should be in almost a single layer completely covered by the sauce. Add cilantro.

– Place a layer of parchment paper, just enough to touch the food and extending over the edges of the pot. – Cover and place in the oven.

– Check after 30 minutes. If the stew is simmering too vigorously lower the temp by 10-15 degrees or so. I also have a taste at this time and adjust my seasonings.

– Check every hour until your desired texture of the meat is reached. If you will not be eating on the same day, stop a bit earlier. Carry-over cooking will take care of the rest. 

All hail the Drowned Man……

We always return from our trips having learned a little something….about ourselves, our tastes, there's always a new wrinkle. While in the Czech Republic, we fell in love with this "hospoda" (pub/tavern) specialty; Utopenci, literally "drowned man". There's just something about these tart-sour-porky sausages that really refresh when you have it with a cold one.

Why "drowned man"…well, we heard two stories, typical of the rather dark, ironic, humor we found in the Czech Republic,….the "Czech twist" we call it. The first is that the inventor of this dish, a pub owner, got drunk one night and drowned to death, hence the "drowned man". The second story is that these pickled tubular meat items look like drowned bodies bobbing around in the jar……

We tried Utopenci wherever we saw them on the menu in the Czech Republic and even bought a couple from markets when we went shopping. The Missus could be heard exclaiming "I really am craving a drowned man…." in the airport….luckily, we were in Prague so other than the tourists, everyone else knew what She was talking about…. I think.

These are knackwursts from Tip Top Meats, smoked forcemeat type sausages. If you buy an uncooked sausage, you can heat them in the pickling liquid before bottling.

Couple of key points, it is important to make that slice two-thirds of the way through. It ensures that the sausage absorbs all of that pickling goodness. Second, as with the Pickled Onion recipe, this is a "starter" type deal. Make adjustments to your taste, this uses a 2:1 ratio of vinegar to water…add celery, chilies, garlic….smoked pork!

Main thing is that those little "men" floating around in your fridge hit the spot……

Utopenci – The Drowned Man:

3/4 Cup Water

1 1/2 Cup White Vinegar

1 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp Whole Peppercorns

1/2 tsp Whole Allspice Berries

2 Bay Leaves

1/2 Onion sliced 1

1/2 lb Smoked Sausage – kielbasa/smoked knackwurst, or whatever sausage tickles your fancy.

– Combine water, vinegar, and salt in a pan and bring to a simmer.

– Add bay leaves and simmer for 5 minutes. Add in peppercorns and allspice

– Once liquid cools slice sausage 2/3 way through – if using kielbasa cut down to size first.

– Place a slice of onion in sliced part of sausage. Place a couple of slices of onion at the bottom of a sterilized jar.

– Pack sausages in the jar

– Cover with liquid, seal jar and leave 5-7 days before eating.

There you've a set of drowned men you can call your own!

Meet our latest "staple", something the Missus says we should always have on hand……

Basically, duck legs, cured, then cooked at a very low temperature covered with fat (oil poached) for hours, which produces and amazingly flavorful, juicy, and tender product. It can then be stored in it's own fat for rather long periods of time. Most folks hear "duck confit" and think it;s something difficult to make; but at its core it's basically a preservation method, with animal fat used as a barrier to the elements. It is amazingly easy….basically prep, cure, rinse, dry, poach in oil, cool, put in the fridge.

Prepping them for a meal is also easy; the most basic method being putting in a 400-425 oven and baking until heated through and the skin is crisp. I prefer doing this on the stovetop, starting with a cold pan and under low heat. The fat renders out…which we later use for eggs or potatoes. The idea is to heat through slowly while crisping up the the skin. I usually raise the temp a bit near the end.

This one had a simple pan sauce where the duck fat is poured off into a bowl for later use, shallots are softened, since we're still not doing cooking with alcohol at home; I used veal stock to deglaze and reduce. When reduced I add a touch of Date vinegar, and creme fraiche, since it's fermented and allowed. This one is served with a version of stoemp, made a bit more creamy with the cooking liquid from the sauteed vegetables and some duck fat. It is, in a word, quite the meal.

All you really need for curing the duck is really salt….but of course, the Missus needs that little "Chinese touch", because She believes all duck should have that flavor profile, so I use Five Spice powder…..from QingDao…where you actually go to a herbalist/pharmacy to have them mix up for you. The duck legs I order from Bristol Farm, I pick them up, usually the day it is delivered….it's never frozen and quite fresh.

Duck Confit – mmm-yoso style

Seasoning per duck leg:

3/4 Tb of coarse sea salt – we use Maldon Salt because it's pretty easy to get

several grinds of black pepper

1/4 tsp Chinese Five Spice

1/2 tsp granulated garlic

Duck fat to cover/submerge duck legs. About 6 cups or so. (you can supplement with pork fat, or other neutral oil – not too much)

– Rub seasoning into duck and place fat side down in a single layer in a pan

– Place in the fridge overnight

– Wipe cure off duck and place duck in a single layer in a pot and submerge in duck fat

– Cook at a low temperature, preferably 180-190 degrees….the lowest in our oven is 200, which I measured at 210, so I make due.

– Cook for 4-8 hours. We're usually at the low end.

– When a skewer goes easily into the duck legs remove from the heat- the tricky part is to stop before the duck start breaking down. It will keep cooking as it cool.

– Cool, and remove to a container, cover with fat and place in the fridge.

Once you've finished eating your duck, you can reuse the fat for confit a few more times before it gets too salty…..