Bear Cuisine

Japanese Farm Food

As much as I love Thanksgiving,it doesn't take too many days after the day for me to start longing for lighter fare. My thoughts begin to turn to light broths and winter salads. Japanese food is the perfect antidote for the traditional heavier foods of the holidays.

Los Poblanos hosted a demonstration class with Nancy Singleton Hachisu in late October and she provided an excellent introduction to Japanese food and cooking. She went to Japan for the food and fell in love with a Japanese organic farmer. For the last 20 years she has been living in Japan, raising her family and learning how to cook and eat Japanese farm food. Her new book, Japanese Farm Food, recounts her cooking, eating and living adventures in Japan and gives us insights into a very different culture as well as some great recipes.

Nancy Singleton Hachisu is  amazingly energetic and a persuasive spokeswoman for the glories of simple, rustic Japanese cuisine.

Japanese Farm Food is a beautiful book in every way. The writing is clear and evocative; the pictures are gorgeous and it is beautifully bound. Even if I had no interest in the food, I would want this on my shelves simply because it is such an enticing, well-made object. (The curse of the collector)

These are appetizers that won't ruin anyone's appetite for the main course. The centerpiece of this platter is Eggs Pickled in Soy Sauce.

EGGS PICKLED IN SOY SAUCE

(serves 6)

• 8 fresh eggs at room temperature
• 1/4 cup soy sauce

Fill a medium-sized saucepan three-quarters full with water and bring to a boil Place the eggs in a small strainer and lower into the boiling water. Boil for 8 to 9 minutes, depending on size. Set a large bowl in the kitchen sink and fill with cold water. Scoop the eggs from the boiling water with the strainer and immediately plunge into the water. Run more cold water if the water temperature feels warm. When the eggs are cool, gently crack by rapping and rolling on a cutting board. Put the eggs back in cold water for a few more minutes, then peel Try to get to the inner membrane and peel by running your thumb under the membrance to free the shiny white egg.

Lay the peeled eggs in a dry dish towel. Pat dry,then place the eggs in a freezer-style gallon resealable plastic bag. Pour in the soy sauce, tip the bag to distribute, press out all the air and roll up any unused portion of the bag to create a tight cylinder. Refrigerate overnight. Serve before dinner with drinks or as a side dish for a barbecue or picnic. Best on the first day.

CHICKEN SALAD WITH SESAME-MISO VINAIGRETTE

(serves 6)

1. 2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts (about 9 ounces/250 grams each)
2. 2 tablespoons sake
3. 2 teaspoons grated ginger
4. 1 teaspoon sea salt
5. 2 small heads of butter lettuce
6. Sesame-Miso Vinaigrette

Fill a deep frying pan or wok halfway with water and bring to a simmer over high heat. The pan should be large enough to be able to set a steamer over but not in the simmering water.

Sprinkle each chicken breast with 1 tablespoon sake, then smear each piece with 1 teaspoon grated ginger and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Wrap in foil. Set the foil-wrapped chicken in the steamer and cook for 20 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove the steamer from the heat and allow the chicken pieces to cool in their juices.

Tear off any outer discolored leaves of the lettuce and cut off the stem end with a sharp knife about 1 inch from the bottom (this helps remove unwanted dirt). If possible, don't wash the lettuce--just wipe away any clinging dirt with a damp towel. Leave the lettuce leaves whole if they are not too big, otherwise cut crosswise into 3-inch wide pieces.

Make the sesame-miso vinaigrette--but reserve a teaspoon or so of the ground sesame seeds to sprinkle on the salad after dressing. Whisk again right before serving.

When the chicken is cool, remove it from the foil packets but do not discard the liquid. Shred the chicken by hand into 1/4-inch thick pieces and moisten with a tiny bit of the steaming liquid if the meat seems slightly dry.

When ready to serve, remove the lettuce from the fridge and mound attractively on a large platter or individual plates Strew the chicken pieces over the top, drizzle sparingly with some seasame-miso vinaigrette and sprinkle with reserved roughly ground sesame seeds.

SEASME-MISO VINAIGRETTE

(makes enough for 1 main-dish salad)

1. 2 tablespoons unhulled seasame seeds
2. 1 tablespoon brown rice miso
3. 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
4. 4 tablespoons rapeseed oil*

Measure the sesame seeds into a small frying pan and roast over medium-high heat while lifting and shaking the pan to avoid burning the seeds. (They burn easily!) When the seeds start to pop, remove from the heat.

Slide the seeds into a Japanese grinding bowl (suribachi) or mortar and grind roughly (reserve a teaspoon or so of the smashed seeds to sprinkle on the salad after dressing). Mash in the miso to form a thick paste and add the vinegar to lighten and brighten the miso-sesame mixture. Whisk in the rapeseed oil slowly until emulsified. (Be sure to whisk again right before dressing your salad.)

Strew the dressed salad withe reserved roughly ground seeds.

RATIO: seasme:miso:rice viegar:rapeseed oil--2:1:2:4

*Rapeseed oil is marketed here by the name of Canola Oil. I tend not to like becuase it is often rancid by the time it reaches our grocery shelves and stands a very good chance of being contaminated by GMO's. Grapeseed oil can be a good substitute. Whatever you use, it needs to be light and bright.

Toad-in-the Hole Italiano

This is another quick-and-easy dish for a family supper from Sara Moulton's Everyday Family Dinners.As it happens, all of these ingredients are available in our fridge and freezer most of the time. So for us this is the perfect fallback dinner. Sara calls it Italiano because she uses Italian sausage rather than an English variety and she has added bell peppers and cheese to make it a legitimate one-dish meal. If we think of recipes as guidlelines rather than blueprints, we should feel free to make changes that suit our tastes as well.

TOAD-IN-THE-HOLE ITALIANO

(serves 4)

1. 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2. 1 1/4 pounds sweet or hot Italian sausages or a mixture of the two
3. 1 medium red bell pepper
4. 1 medium green bell pepper
5. 1 1/2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
7. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
8. 4 garlic cloves
9. 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
10. 2 large eggs
11. 3/4 cup whole milk

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet with an overproof handle over medium heat until hot. Add the sausages and cook until browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the red and green bell peppers (about 1 cup each). Grate the cheese using a microplane or the fine side of a box grater (about 1/2 cup) and , if using the fresh herb, chop the oregano (about 1 1/2 teaspoons). Chop the garlic into a small dice.

Remove the sausages to a plate and let cool; reserve the drippings in the skillet. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, the bell peppers and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.

Cut the sausages into 1-inch chunks and stir into the mixture.

 

Combine the flour, cheese, oregano, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl. whisk the eggs in a large glass measuring cup until frothy, whisk in the milk, 1/3 cup water, and the remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil. Gradually whisk the milk mixture into the flour mixture just until the batter is combined. It can still be slightly lumpy.

 

Pour the batter over the sausage mixture and bake until puffed and golden 30 to 40 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Grill-Fried Bacon and Eggs

In Salted Mark Bitterman has a chapter about cooking on salt blocks. I was completely intrigued and ordered one from The Meadow.I didn't try the entire recipe, but the eggs I did cook were truly wonderful. Quite unlike any fried egg I have ever had before with a "sheen of salt simmering underneath the egg."

I am confident that the full monty will be even better. If you try it, let me know how you like it.

 

GRILL-FRIED BACON AND EGGS

(serves 2)

• 1 (8by8by 2-inch) block Himalayan pink salt
• 4 large eggs
• 8 slices baguette
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 thick slices bacon
• freshly cracked pepper to taste

Start heating the block before you even begin assembling ingredients for your dish. Set a burner on your stove to its lowest possible setting and place the block over the heat. Giving your salt block 10 or 15 minutes to warm from temperature to 150 or 200 degrees F allows it to evaporate out and off any moisture locked up in the matrix of the crystals and allows the heat to spread evenly through the block, minimizing the stresses caused by expansion.

On a gas stove increase the heat in increments every 10 minutes, from low to medium to medium to high. It should take around 35 minutes to heat a block from room temperature to its high temperature of about 600 degress F.

Crack the eggs into individual ramekins or other small containers and set aside.

Brush the bread slices with oil and set aside.

When the salt block is very hot (you should only be able to hold your hand above it for 2 or 3 seconds), lay the bacon slices on the block so they are parallel to one another and separated into two groups of 2 slices each. Cook until sizzling and browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.

Flip the bacon. Carefully pour 2 eggs on top of each group of 2 bacon slices. Pour slowly and guide the eggs with a small spatula so that they land right on the bacon. The eggs will start to set up as soon as they hit the salt block. Don't worry if some egg white runs over the edge of the block. Cover with a large lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the white is set but the yolk is still runny.

While the eggs are cooking, toast the bread slices.

Lift each portion of bacon and eggs off the grill onto a warm plate. Add the toast and season the eggs liberally with fresly cracked black pepper.

Using an oven mitt remove the salt block from the burner and set aside to cool before cleaning.

Green Chile-Cheese Grits Souffle

Grits! How do I love them?  Let me count the ways. One of the ways I love them is to make a Green Chile-Cheese Grits Casserole or Souffle. I  haven't read a recipe for this dish, although there are are probably several floating around in the food universe. This has just evolved over the last several years and changes a little every time I make it. Combining southern and New Mexican ingredients, this is a wonderful side for just about any roasted meat. It could even find a place on your Thanksgiving table.

You must start with the best possible grits you can find. This means that no instant grits are allowed. Some folks swear by Anson Mills, but my favorite continues to Hoppin' John's Old fashioned Speckled Grits.

GREEN CHILE-CHEESE GRITS SOUFFLE

First you have to cook the grits. This is a slow process, but the time you take will reward you later with creamy and full-flavored grits.

• 4 cups water
• 1 cup grits
• 2 tables spoons salted butter
• 2 to 4 cup cream

Heat the butter and water in a heavy saucepan until the water is boiling. Pour in the grits, stirring as you do so that lumps won't form. Bring the grits to a boil, then turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook , stirring from time to time, until the water is absorbed. This could take from 10 to 12 minutes. When the liquid has been absorbed, add a half cup of cream and , again, simmer for 10 minutes or so until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process until the grits have reached the grits are thick enough so that they won't run on the plate; the cooking time should be at least an hour. Now the grits are ready to be transformed in a souffle.

• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chopped roasted chile ( hot,medium or mild or a combination)
• 1 to 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
• Kosher Salt and  Freshly Ground Pepper
• 4  extra-large eggs, lightly beaten

If you want your casserole to be more like a souffle, separate the yolks from the whites. Whip the whites until they hold soft peaks. Stir  the yolks, cheese, chiles, salt and pepper into the grits until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed. Then fold in the egg whites. Place the mixture in a buttered casserole or souffle dish and cook at 350 degrees F. for approximately an hour. When the tip of a knife inserted in the center, comes out clean, the souffle is done. This won't be like a cheese or dessert souffle, light and airy; but it won't be as dense as it would be if you simply stir in the whole eggs.  Either way, the dish is delicious and satisfying.

If you have any left over, you can spread it in a pan and put in the refrigerator. In the morning you can cut into squares, dip in egg and breading and fry for breakfast. Some even like the left-overs better than the original dish.

Frittata

I love Frittatas. They are easier to make than omelets and you can expand them to feed a large number of people if you need to. I had read recipes for Frittatas, but never really wanted to cook one until I read Pam Anderson's explanation in How To Cook Without a Book. You can use whatever you have on hand to make these gems and, unlike omelets, there is no technique to master.

To make a frittata, set the oven rack in the upper middle position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Depending on the size of the frittata , a 10 to 12-inch heavy-duty, ovenproof, nonstick skillet is your pan of choice. You can cook the filling and eggs in the same skillet.

Start preparing the frittata ingredients. If you are using vegetables like potatoes or asparagus, you will first steam them, then sautee them in the frittata pan. To steam , place the cut up vegetable , minced garlic clove along with a few tablespoons of water, some olive oil and a bit of salt and pepper. Cover the pan and cook on medium-high heat until the vegetable has steamed and the water has almost evaporated. Remove the lid and sautee the vegetable in the oil.

Vegetables like peppers or onions need only a quick sautee. Heat the oil while you are cutting up the vegetables.

While the filling ingredients are cooking, beat the eggs and grate the cheese. When the filling is ready, add the eggs and cook until they start to set around the edges.

 Then slide the pan into the oven and cook for 10 to 12 minutes until the frittata puffs.

Pam offers recipes for The Big Frittata (8 large eggs) which serves 4 and The Bigger Frittata (12 large eggs) which serves 6. You adjust the other ingredients accordingly. My only word of caution is to avoid overloading the pan with too many or too much filling ingredients. It's easy to do, but the end result isn't as fluffy or satisfying.

Serve with a salad for a quick and easy supper.

A final word about this cookbook. The subtitle is Recipes and Techniques Every Cook Should Know by Heart and I think this is a book that every beginning or aspiring cook should have in their library. What she is trying to do is to create a culinary culture in which the cook can use whatever is at hand and exercise her imagination without being tied to a recipe. If you learn from this book, you will cook with greater confidence and pizazz and you will have repertoire of go-to recipes in your head. That's no small achievement.

Pam Anderson. How To Cook Without a Book. New York: Broadway Books, 2000)