Napa Cabbage Millefeuille with Pork Belly

28Nov09

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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…

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

Chicken and Chestnuts

14Nov09

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Chestnuts are an autumn favorite in Japan. And chestnuts are now a favorite of mine; this is the third time I’ve made this special recipe and is the best. Frozen, peeled chestnuts are a reasonable compromise for convenience. Using skinless, boneless chicken thighs, though more expensive, are a convenience well worth the cost. To replace the extra flavor added by cooking meat on the bone, I used a cup of strong homemade chicken stock rather than the dashi. If you are concerned that this compromises the Japanese flavor, you could add a piece of kombu as the food cooks, or add shiitake. By caramelizing the sugar before adding the chicken, I could be sure that the sugar really did darken and deepen the flavor. This is now a recipe I can make more than once a year. I think we will enjoy!

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Filed under: Japanese Food, Nimono, Simmering, chicken   |  5 Comments
Tags: chestnuts

Veal Soup ~ Chikuzen-Style

16Oct09

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I’d encourage my readers to give taro a try! I made Chikuzen-ni in July, and we were so impressed by the way the taro added a lovely smoothness and slight thickening to the soup that J. was inspired to make a beef stew in August. The other day I saw some veal shoulder chops on sale, and it occurred to me that I could make the Japanese recipe but substitute the veal for the traditional chicken.

Filed under: Beef, Nimono, Simmering, Western Influenced food   |  Leave a Comment
Tags: veal

Japanese-Style Braised Spareribs

25Sep09

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Spareribs are not traditionally used in Japanese cooking, but this recipe proves that the traditional Japanese braising liquid: saké, shoyu, and komezu can make a delicious balance of sweet, sour, and spicy flavors for pork ribs. This is a wonderful recipe that I forgot about until I saw some very nice ribs on sale. You [...]

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Tags: spareribs

Chikuzen-Style Simmered Chicken

13Jul09

This is a lovely Japanese chicken stew with root vegetables. Sato-imo, taro, is always included: its starch gives the broth a pleasant, thick texture.

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