Napa Cabbage Millefeuille with Pork Belly

28Nov09

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On impulse I bought some nice sliced pork belly. I searched for a recipe for what to do with it, and found this most surprising and delicious steamed casserole of pork and cabbage. The secret umami flavor in this dish is provided by umeboshi (pickled plums)! It’s adapted from Katsutoshi Saito of Blue Ribbon Sushi Brooklyn

Mille–feuille (pronunciation: \mēl-ˈfwē, mēl-ˈfœ-ē\) is an interesting word, coming from French, means a thousand leaves. It is usually a dish composed of puff pastry layered with a filling (as salmon or cream). In this case however, cabbage leaves are layered with the sliced pork, mashed umiboshi, and kombu. Then they are arranged edgewise in a heavy pot: the layers look like petals of ruffly flower. Like many casseroles, it is not so beautiful on the plate, but the rich and savory flavor is more than enough compensation…

Napa Cabbage Millefeuille with Pork Belly

• 1 pound of pork belly, thinly sliced • ½ napa cabbage, The number of leaves equals the number of pork slices • 1 pack enoki mushrooms roots trimmed off • 5-6 umeboshi mashed to a paste • 2” x 6” long piece dried kombu soaked for ½ hour, sliced into strips equal to number of slices • 2 ounces of sake

Spread umeboshi paste onto thinly sliced pork. Remove the thick ribs of the napa cabbage leaves. Each leaf will then be cut in half. Make layers of cabbage, pork, enoki, kombu, cabbage. Place cabbage / pork layers edge-wise around a heavy bottomed pot. Begin on the outer circumference and work toward the center. Pour in sake. Steam for about 15 minutes at low to medium heat. Serve with black pepper and a little sesame oil.

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Sand Circle Birthday

Filed under: Japanese Food, Nimono, Pork, Simmering   |  2 Comments
Tags: cabbage, pork belly

Sand Circle Birthday

25Nov09

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Happy Birthday Tess!

I just realized that two years ago today, I started this blog!

Well, blog started ≆ starting to post!

≆ is “APPROXIMATELY BUT NOT ACTUALLY EQUAL TO”

Below, a small gift, just something I was doing today…
I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

…both the video and the fancy borders…

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The Japanese are not the only ones eating ketchup on spaghetti!		Napa Cabbage Millefeuille with Pork Belly

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The Japanese are not the only ones eating ketchup on spaghetti!

23Nov09

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At an Aeolian restaurant, two Italian men share a meal with an American woman.
She says, “…Pasta is the only thing your average American male knows how to prepare on his own.…”
“Pasquale was not fooled. Maybe Americans eat pasta, he said, but they don’t eat it with real sauce. “You eat pasta with ketchup on it.” He leaned back, gleeful at having coming up with the perfect characterization of what Americans eat. He nudged Fabio. “Right?”

Fabio nodded slowly. “Could be.”
~from salon.com~

The memory of all that No, no they can’t take that away from me a 1937 song written by George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin and introduced by Fred Astaire in the film Shall We Dance.

Yes. I’m still on about spaghetti with ketchup—I really did want to like spaghetti Napolitan. I have fond memories of the summer and fall of 1974, when I shared a house with three other girls, poor students all. Almost the only times we spent together were unpredictable weekday lunches when we’d find ourselves gathered in the kitchen. We’d cook up a nice pot of macaroni stirred with butter, tomato juice, and ketchup, then sit in front of the television to watch Days of Our Lives—those were noteworthy meals. Ah. Student days…

Many Americans have heard stories about folk down on their luck in the ’30’s going to a diner to order hot water, pouring ketchup into it and making a meal of “tomato soup” with the complimentary soda crackers. For those who didn’t frequent diners, there was

“Depression Spaghetti” as described by this blogger:
Ketchup Spaghetti (AKA “Depression Spaghetti”)
“So I probably don’t have to tell you that ketchup spaghetti was born out of the Depression because all it required was spaghetti and ketchup and of course, the hillbilly requirement to any dish…BUTTER.
Times were tough, and that’s all I know. My grama used to tell me that when her family did happen to have a few extra pennies, they would fancy it up with some sugar, onion and ground beef. But most of the time, it was just simply noodles and ketchup.”

One more note: When my parents visited my uncle in Karelia (a historical province of Finland) before the Soviet Union disintegrated, his wife went to quite a lot of expense and trouble to make spaghetti for them—using Campbell’s cream of tomato and Heinz ketchup. They wanted to make the American relatives welcome.

Spaghetti Napolitan
Tess’s Japanese version of Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce
This!!! I liked.
serves 2-3

• 6 oz. dry spaghetti (cappellini or thin spaghetti)
• 4 wiener sausages (hot dogs), sliced diagonally into ovals
• ½ pablano peppers, chopped small
• 6 ounces button mushrooms, sliced
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ½ medium onion, chopped finle
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup ketchup (Heinz)
• ½ cup tomato sauce
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream (I used 3 Tablespoons of half and half)
• several shakes of Worcestershire Sauce

Cook the spaghetti, in salted vigorously boiling water. Drain, but leave a little of the pasta water with the noodles. Mix with 1 Tablespoon butter. Keep warm.
Add 1 Tablespoon butter to a large skillet or heavy bottomed pot. When the butter melts over medium heat, add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the peppers. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir and fry until they are soft. Add the ketchup and tomato sauce and let it get hot. Turn the heat to low, and add the cream. Stir. Then add the spaghetti. Stir to heat.
Serve.

On a lighter more meditative note, eating hot dogs in Japan:
An interesting video showing the various people who buy sausages from a shop on a train station platform in Osaka:
Thousands of commuters pass through Kyobashi Station in Osaka every day. For 600 of them the singular highlight is a sausage.

~XOXOXO~ KISSES! ~XOXOXO~

It’s hard to believe that Dr. Who (David Tennant) would perform in an advert—never mind that Uncle Bob (Dylan)has done it— no worries, it’s only a passing resemblance here!

This is interesting because of the look-alike time-lord. Oh, and I am writing about ketchup. The advert is cute, but has an “ick” factor… Watch at your own risk.

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Spaghetti Napolitan		Sand Circle Birthday

Filed under: Japanese Food, Noodles, Western Influenced food, Yakimono   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: hot dogs, ketchup

Spaghetti Napolitan

21Nov09

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My husband doesn’t like ketchup very much. So, with J out of town, it’s my chance to make spaghetti Napolitan: spaghetti with ketchup sauce—hardly a typical Italian pasta dish. The recipe comes not from Naples but from Yokohama, Japan. Recipes include mushrooms, peppers, onions, hot dogs, tonkatsu sauce, and ketchup. Sometimes other kinds of sausages, slices of ham, or bacon are used instead of the hot dogs. Sometimes the sauce includes other vegetables such as Eggplant, D, Carrots, Broccoli, And so on.
[no dill, dates, daikon, dandelion, durian, nor dioscorea (yam)]

After World War II, the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama was used by GHQ—apparently there is a room where Douglas MacArthur stayed. The hotel must have cooked some Western-like food for GHQ, and a chef came up with the idea of making spaghetti with ketchup and other bits like ham and green pepper. Tomato sauce might originally be from the Italian city of Naples, and that explains the name, spaghetti napolitan. The recipe spread to ordinary restaurants, and has been popular as a light meal in kissaten (coffee shops), and in homes.

This blog is written by a fellow who eats napolitans almost everyday. He even considers the ancestors of napolitan today! Obsessive? But happy…

He was happily surprised when visiting Korea:
(sorry, poor computer-type translation, but you get the idea?)
“You do not have the chow mein stir-fried with ketchup?”
Ready to be happy ok! Thank you! Neapolitan moment the world is spread chow mein! Yakisoba + wood ear mushrooms + onions + carrots + + + The Neapolitan sprouts shrimp chow mein. Universal form of stability is excellent.

From what I read, it seems that the Japanese consider ketchup a very healthy food, as more of an ingredient than a condiment.

While Heinz is instantly identified in North America with ketchup, camping & backyard barbecues, the brand image of Heinz in Japan is associated with cold nights & cozy families. Why the difference? Because for the Japanese consumer, Heinz is identified with its demi-glace (for beef stew) & white sauce (for casserole), both dishesperceived as comfort food. Even now, after so many years, I have memories of eating casserole around the family table, feeling warmly secure against the cold and darkness outside. So their brand is tied to the concept of “high quality homey comfort food.”

There was a time in the U.S. when ketchup, or catsup, was considered a vegetable by the United States Department of Agriculture. The lasting legacy of that is the spelling of the word ketchup has been standardized among major U.S. food companies.

Ketchup or Catsup?
When Heinz introduced commercial ketchup to American kitchens it became so popular that other manufacturers rushed to catch-up to the ketchup craze. Soon there were Ketchup, Catsup, Catchup, Katsup, Catsip, Cotsup, Kotchup, Kitsip, Catsoup, Katshoup, Katsock, Cackchop, Cornchop, Cotpock, Kotpock, Kutpuck, Kutchpuck and Cutchpuck. All were tomato based and bottled and vied to become a household word. Only 3 major brands remained to steal the spotlight…Heinz Ketchup, Del Monte Catsup, and Hunts, who could not decide on a spelling and bottled under the names Hunts Catsup (east of the Mississippi), Hunts Ketchup (west of the Mississippi), and Hunts Tomato Cornchops (in Iowa only). In the 1980’s ketchup was declared a vegetable by the government for school lunch menus. Suddenly Del Monte’s Catsup, because of its spelling, was not on the approved list. Shortly afterward Del Monte changed the product’s name to Del Monte Ketchup. So ketchup it is.

“Ketchup” was historically a general term for “sauce” originating in Eastern Asia that was made from mushrooms or fish brine with herbs and spices – it contained no tomatoes. The word “ketchup” is derived from the Chinese “kecap manis” – which roughly translated means the brine of pickled fish or shellfish. (As you can see, there is some dispute about the origin of the word.) The original sauce more closely resembled Soy or Worcestershire sauce. I’m not sure if tomato ketchup was used in Japan before the war, but I found an article indicating that tomatoes were grown commercially.

Ichitaro Kanie, Kagome’s founder, first succeeded in cultivating tomatoes in Japan in 1899. His success led to the formation of Kagome Co., Ltd. of Japan (Kagome Japan.) From Kanie-san’s humble tomato garden has grown a company that is now the largest producer of tomato products in Japan. And no longer just a tomato company, Kagome Japan has expanded its product line to include a range of fruit and vegetable products, beverages, microwavable meals, and pro-biotic drinks, all of which follow the company’s mission to provide foods that are close to nature.

And this article from a newspaper about some Japanese people living in New Zealand: (text version)

The Bruce Herald was published at Milton from 1864 to 1971. It was one of New Zealand’s longest running country newspapers.
…Dinner is served under the name of Shiroo-Meshi at one o’clock, and consists of a goodly variety of dishes, from boiled rice to broiled fish served with ketchup or soy. …

Spaghetti Napolitan
Japanese version of Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce
serves 2-3

• 6 oz. dry spaghetti (cappellini or thin spaghetti)
• 4 wiener sausages (hot dogs)
• 1 large sweet pepper (I used ½ pablano and ½ cubano peppers)
• 6 button mushrooms
• 2 Tbs. butter
• ½ medium onion
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup ketchup (Heinz)
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream (I used 3 Tablespoons of half and half)

Cook the spaghetti, in salted vigorously boiled water. For a more authentic Japanese version boil the pasta a bit softer than al denté. But if you are planning to microwave some of this for lunch, then don’t overcook, Microwave re-heating is no friend to pasta!
Drain, but leave a little of the pasta water with the noodles. Mix with 1 Tablespoon butter. Keep warm by covering the pot.
Slice the hot dogs diagonally into oval pieces.
Cut the pepper into ¼-inch by 2-inch pieces.
Slice the mushrooms.
Chop the onion medium fine.
Add 1 Tablespoon butter to a large skillet or heavy bottomed pot. Or a wok. When the butter melts over medium heat, add the onion and cook until the onion is translucent. Add the peppers. Stir and fry for about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir and fry until they are soft. Add the ketchup and let it get hot. (If the sauce seems thick (or ungenerous), add a spoonful of water.) Turn the heat to low, and add the cream. Stir. Then add the spaghetti. Stir to heat.
Serve.
Note that I put the sauce on top of the plain noodles in my pictures. That was because I planned to have a bonus lunch from this cooking-for-one makes 2 recipe. For my lunch I mixed sauce and spaghetti together. The pasta got softer, and the flavors blended.

Also note that I personally did not like this recipe. I HATE green peppers…
otherwise, I’d say you should try this!!!

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Golden Kimizu Sauce		The Japanese are not the only ones eating ketchup on spaghetti!

Filed under: Noodles, Stir-Frying, Western Influenced food   |  7 Comments
Tags: Spaghetti Napolitan

Golden Kimizu Sauce

17Nov09

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I needed a simple but special meal this weekend. J. will be working in Buffalo for a month or two—not nearly so lovely as when he was in Florida last year. When someone is packing to go away, I feel anxious, either unable to move, or about to jump out of my skin. My stomach was in knots, but I wanted to make a nice meal before he left.

This meal is very pretty with slices of the palest pink chicken breast, bright green asparagus, and golden sauce. The breast is steamed with lemon slices and sake so it’s luscious and juicy. The kimizu sauce is made with egg yolks, sugar, and vinegar so it is sweet and smooth. I discovered that sometimes Ms. Shimbo adds a little Japanese mustard, and the bit of heat wakes up the flavors. The other advantage of this meal is that it is equally satisfying hot, room temperature, or cold. J. took a container to eat on the road. And in the creative spirit of wafu pasta, I finished it for dinner on spaghetti.

Kimizu
Egg-Vinegar Sauce
⅓ cup sauce
Have ready:
a pot of simmering water—the bowl in which you whisk the sauce should be able to float in the saucepan. I put a colander in the pan to keep the bowl more stable, yet still floating in the water.
a large bowl of cold water with ice cubes to stop the cooking quickly
Ingredients:

 

• 2 egg yolks (Ms. Shimbo asks for 3, but the sauce seems too thick)
• ⅓ teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 3 Tablespoons komezu (rice vinegar)

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl. Add, one at a time, the salt, sugar, and rice vinegar. Float the bowl in a pan of simmering water over low heat, and whisk the mixture to prevent the eggs coagulating as they cook. When the sauce has thickened, put the bowl into ice water and continue whisking until the sauce is cool.

Steamed Chicken Breast
Tori no Sakamushi Kimizu-zoe
serves 3 to 4
page 425

 

• two 5″ square kombu (kelp seaweed—the sort you make dashi with)
• 2 boned chicken breast halves, with skin attached
• salt
• 1/4 cup sake
• lemon, sliced thin
• Kimizu sauce
• a few drops of tamari
• a dozen spears of asparagus

Cut away the dry ends of the asparagus, peel off the tough skin on the bottom end, and cut them to fit your steaming dish
Cover the bottom of a metal or glass dish which will fit into your steamer with the kombu. Sprinkle with a little water.
Place the breast halves on the kombu. Pierce the skins with sharp bamboo skewer or a knife point. I’ve made this dish with skinless boneless breasts and it is much better and moister when you leave the skin on; remember, you are not adding butter or oil to cook with and you can always take the skin off when you serve.
Sprinkle with salt and rub it into the chicken. Let this sit for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle the chicken with the sake. Cover the chicken with the lemon slices.
Get your steamer up to high steam production and start your rice and miso soup going.
Put the chicken into the steamer and cook over high heat for about 10 to 15 minutes—check that the chicken is cooked with a meat thermometer.
Remove the chicken and asparagus from the steamer. Arrange on plates—it’s easier to eat if you slice the breasts, but they should be tender enough to eat with only chopsticks…
Garnish with the kimizu sauce.

~~page 2~~

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Chicken and Chestnuts		Spaghetti Napolitan

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Filed under: Japanese Food, Mushimono, Poultry, Salads, Dressings, and Sauces, Steaming, chicken   |  3 Comments