KINPIRA GOBO AND JAPANESE HOME COOKING

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Of all types of cuisine, Japanese is the one that intimidates me the most. Making sushi at home is out of the question for me, but even other types of Japanese cooking give me pause. In a recent trip to California, we met a wonderful couple who takes a different approach: they are both Americans, but mostly cook Japanese food at home and are really serious about it. Their bookshelves are loaded with cookbooks devoted to Oriental (and vegetarian) cooking, their pantry stocked with the most exotic ingredients. They mentioned a dish they love so much that it’s not uncommon to have it twice in the same week. It uses a strange-looking root called “gobo“, also known as “burdock“. They gave me the perfect spice mix to season this traditional Japanese dish (see my previous post) and wished me luck finding gobo in Manhattan, KS. I was very optimistic, though. It turns out “The Little Apple” is home to one of the most amazing food stores I’ve ever been to, called quite simply “Asian Market“. I could not wait to get there to search for the elusive root. Not only they had a ton of it, but the owner said it’s always in stock. Call me a happy camper. And call this dinner one of the healthiest meals I’ve ever put together. And very delicious too!

KINPIRA GOBO (Sautéed Burdock)
(adapted from Hiroko Urakami Japanese Family-Style Recipes)

1 medium gobo root
2 carrots
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 Tablespoon grape seed oil
2 Tablespoons mirin (or sake)
1 + 1/2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 + 1/2 Tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Nanami togarashi to taste

Set up a large bowl with cold water. Peel the carrots and cut in julienne strips. Peel the outer dark skin of the gobo root, and working quickly, cut it in julienne strips. Soak the gobo and the carrots in water for 10 to 20 minutes. Drain well, and dry the strips using a kitchen towel.

Heat the sesame and grape seed oil on a large skillet. Add the carrots and gobo root, and sautée them together for about 4 minutes, until they are tender. Add the mirin, sugar, and soy sauce, and cook over medium heat until all the liquid has been absorbed. Transfer to a serving bowl, add the sesame seeds and the nanami togarashi right before serving.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I have a bit of trivia about gobo for you: in the 40’s, a Swiss inventor called George de Mestral was walking his dog through some woods and noticed that the seeds of a particular plant glued to everything, from his clothes to his dog’s fur. He collected some seeds, and inspected them under the microscope. He was amazed by its hooks and loops, and thought that it could be the basis of a new material. From that observation, Velcro was born. The plant was burdock. Apart from its technological impact, gobo is considered by the Japanese as one of the healthiest types of food, that they claim to “purify the blood”. It contains a lot of minerals (including iron), it is high in fiber, low in calories, and has a very unique taste. The soaking in water is necessary to get rid of tannins that can give it a harsh taste.
I love to find a new ingredient to play with! Our kinpira gobo was served as a side dish for boneless chicken thighs on the grill (marinated with yogurt and a few spices), snow peas, and brown rice. It was the type of meal that makes you feel healthier with each bite. I hope you can find some gobo and give this recipe a try, it’s a keeper… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Walnut Sourdough

TWO YEARS AGO: Thai Chicken Curry

THREE YEARS AGO: Zen and the art of risotto

2Apr2013

EVERYBODY LOVES CARROTS!

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

And to prove my point, a photo straight from one of my favorite websites, Dogshaming.com (published with permission)

Phil and I try to eat a varied diet. We don’t exclude fats or carbs, only moderate the intake of overly caloric stuff. Over the years we made some changes in our nutrition that we follow as strictly as possible. We do the seafood at least once a week, often more. We limit red meat to once a week. We save desserts for special occasions. Recently we decided to increase our consumption of carrots. Our goal is to have them as a side dish twice/week. Carrots are a fantastic source of beta-carotene, a compound that is metabolized into vitamin A and retinal in humans and other vertebrates. Retinal (vitamin A-aldehyde), is a key compound in the vision process. Interestingly, carotenes are poorly absorbed from raw carrots. For optimal absorption, the carrots should be cooked, and preferably consumed with a little oil, as carotenes are oil-soluble. I am sure the cute dog above compensates the poor absorption by maximizing uptake and grabbing each root available in the backyard… 😉 This recipe solves the problems for H.sapiens, as the carrots are roasted with a bit of olive oil. Plus, to pump the “good-for-you” index even further, they are mixed with pomegranates, themselves chock full of nutrients. Interestingly enough, did you know that both carrots and pomegranates originated in Afghanistan? That may be why they go so well together!

POMEGRANATE MOLASSES GLAZED CARROTS
(adapted from Bon Appetit)

8 carrots (any color), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses

Heat oven to 425°. Combine carrots and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, spreading out in an even layer. Clean any excess oil left in the bowl and reserve it. Roast carrots, turning occasionally, until just tender, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk honey and pomegranate molasses to blend in reserved bowl.

Transfer carrots to bowl with honey mixture; toss to coat well and spread out on baking sheet, scraping out any remaining glaze from bowl. Roast until glaze is reduced and sticky and beginning to brown in spots, 5-8 minutes longer.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I loved this recipe not only for its flavor, but also its simplicity. At first, I thought that the honey would make it overly sweet, because molasses sound sweet enough to start with. Not the case. The pomegranate component of the molasses wins the battle and the honey is needed to compensate its sharpness. Since the final roasting takes less than 10 minutes, you can pre-roast the carrots in advance, and finish the dish right before sitting down to eat. I am all for easy during weeknights.

Note to self: make a lot more carrots than you think you’ll need. Yeah, they are that good… 😉

Note to readers: if you are a dog lover and have not been introduced to Dogshaming.com, make sure to stop by. My day is not complete without a visit!

ONE YEAR AGO: Codruta’s Rolled Oat Sourdough Bread

TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Corn and Tomato Risotto

THREE YEARS AGO: Light Rye Bread

13Apr2012

SPRINGTIME SPINACH RISOTTO

Posted in Rice and Grains by sallybr

Because there’s no such thing as too many risotto recipes, I share with you this version, made more special because I used spinach freshly harvested by our friends and neighbors (the ones with the green thumb). I took one small shortcut by using a frozen bag of peas and carrots. We always have those in the freezer because they are handy additions to rice, pasta, and soups. And I wanted a bit of orange color to add contrast to the dish.

SPRINGTIME SPINACH RISOTTO
(inspired by Martha Stewart‘s Everyday Food)

.
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
10 ounces of spinach, finely chopped
8 ounces frozen carrots and peas, thawed
1 tablespoon butter

Combine chicken broth and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and keep at a low simmer (you may not need to use the full amount of liquid). In a medium saucepan, preferably wide and with round edges, heat the olive oil and add the minced shallot. Season with salt and pepper, cook until soft and translucent. Add the rice, and cook until it starts to get a little color, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly so the grains don’t stick to the bottom of the pan and burn. Add wine; cook, stirring, until absorbed, about 2 minutes. Add 2 big ladles of hot chicken broth, and cook until absorbed, stirring occasionally. Continue adding broth mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for liquid to be absorbed before adding more, stirring occasionally, until rice is just tender and creamy with a little liquid remaining in the pan, about 25 minutes. Stir in the spinach, peas, carrots, and finish with the butter. Adjust seasoning if needed.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

This risotto could be a meal in itself, but we enjoyed it with grilled boneless chicken breasts. We do like some meat with our dinner, even if risotto-purists disagree. I thought about making risotto cakes with the leftovers, but ran out of gas and simply re-warmed it in the microwave. Not a real risotto anymore, but still a pretty tasty side dish! 😉

I used frozen peas and carrots for this recipe, but would not use frozen spinach – you need the texture of the fresh leaves that get barely cooked in the final moments of the preparation. A squeeze of lemon juice, and a dusting with lemon zest would not hurt it either…

ONE YEAR AGO: The end of green bean cruelty

TWO YEARS AGO: Torta di Limone e Mandorle

20Dec2011

CARAMELIZED CARROT SOUP

Posted in Soups, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Emeril Lagasse had his trademark “BAM!” Rachael Ray goes with “Yumm-o,” and Anne Burrell chimes in again and again: “Brown food tastes good!” When they are overused these expressions get on my nerves, but I can’t argue with the importance of browning your food to pump up its flavor. So, what is happening to the food? It all reduces to a series of chemical events known as the “Maillard reactions,”named after the French chemist who discovered them, Louis-Camille Maillard (pronounced “mah-yar”).

Maillard reactions involve proteins and sugars. These molecules may react with each other if they contain atoms on their surfaces with a net positive or negative charge. Proteins consist of tens or hundreds of amino acids linked together, but the constituent amino acids of a native protein are not very reactive, because they fold into a stable 3-dimensional structure. However, subjecting the protein to high energy (heat) or a basic (high pH) environment destabilizes its structure, exposing the charges of many of its amino acids. If present, a sugar will react with the charged amino acids to produce all sorts of different compounds, many of which taste great! Note that boiling water won’t do the trick: the Maillard reactions need much higher heat, like in a skillet with hot oil, or on a grill. As we all know, these are the best approaches to browning foods.

Caramelization and Maillard reactions are often used interchangeably, but this is wrong because the former refer to what happens to a sugar alone upon heating, whereas Maillard reactions always involve proteins and sugars. The two processes are cosmetically and conceptually similar, in that both produce a brown color, but they arise from different chemistry.

and… brown food DOES tastes good! 😉

That brings me to a recipe for caramelized carrot soup, in which just a few simple ingredients….

… come together to create an incredible depth of flavor. Here increasing both the heat (a pressure cooker works its magic), and the pH (baking soda to the rescue) optimizes the Maillard reactions. Chemistry never tasted so good!

CARAMELIZED CARROT SOUP (adapted from Food and Wine magazine)

1/3 cup low fat yogurt

1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds, chopped

salt and pepper

6 tTbs unsalted butter (divided in 4 + 2 Tbs)

1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

2 cups fresh carrot juice (see notes)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger

In a small bowl, mix the yogurt with tarragon, caraway seeds, a touch of salt and pepper, and reserve. In a pressure cooker, combine 4 tablespoons of the butter with the carrots and cook uncovered until the butter is melted. Stir in the salt and baking soda, cover and cook at full pressure for 10 minutes.Carefully move the pressure cooker to the sink and run cold water over the lid until the temperature drops down and the pressure is equalized (one minute under cold water will definitely be enough). Open the pressure cooker, add the carrot juice (or a mixture of carrot juice + water), and stir to release caramelized bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Transfer the contents of the pan to a blender or food processor, add the ginger, the remaining 2 Tbs of butter, and puree until smooth. Season the soup with pepper and pour into bowls. Garnish with a small dollop of the reserved yogurt, sprinkle some fresh tarragon, and serve.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: Don’t be alarmed by the look of the carrot/butter mixture once you open the pressure cooker. The brown bits stuck to the pan will dissolve easily and they give this soup the most intense carrot flavor ever!

The box of carrot juice I used had a little less than 2 cups so I completed the volume with water. If you have some V8 juice around the pantry, it could be a nice addition. This technique won me over, I wonder if other soups could benefit from this treatment. Caramelized broccoli? Butternut squash? Only future experiments will tell… 😉 At any rate, this will be my favorite soup recipe for the year 2011. Hands down!

ONE YEAR AGO: Miso-Grilled Shrimp

TWO YEARS AGO: A Special Holiday Fruitcake