Scallops with Wasabi Pepper Sauce

We like Nobu's recipes. This was an easy one to make a very tasty. I like it with a strong wasabi flavor. We substituted Scallops for the Abalone when we made Nobu's Abalone with Wasabi Pepper Sauce.

Abalone With Wasabi Pepper Sauce

Nobu the Cookbook

The mild flavor of abalone is joined by the piquancy of wasabi and shichimi togarashi. the thin slices of abalone are swiftly added to the sauce when just cooked.

Ingredients

1       abalone in the shell, about 1 pound, removed and cleaned

½      cup clarified butter

1       clove garlic, thinly sliced

4       spears green asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths

4       spears white asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths

7       ounces of at least three varieties of mushroom (shiitake, yanagi matsutake, pied bleu and enoki used here), cut into bite-size pieces

sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

shichimi togarashi to taste

3/4 cup Wasabi Pepper Sauce

shredded and fried beet (beetroot) for garnish

Method

Cut the prepared abalone into very thin slices, about 1/16 inch (2mm) thick.

Place a medium frying pan over medium heat, then add the clarified butter and the garlic. When the aroma of the garlic is released, turn the heat up to high, add the asparagus and mushrooms and Sauté. Sprinkle with a little sea salt, black pepper and shichimi togamshi.

Add the abalone slices to the frying pan. Sauté briefly and then add the Wasabi Pepper Sauce, Remove from heat.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with beet shreds.

This dish should be put together with speed so the flavors of all the ingredients harmonize in an instant. If the abalone is cooked too long, it will toughen and shrivel.

Wasabi Pepper Sauce

Nobu The Cookbook

I came up with Wasabi Pepper Sauce when I discovered my customers liked wasabi and soy sauce in generous amounts with sushi and sashimi. First, I blended a solution of powdered wasabi dissolved in water with soy sauce (fresh wasabi doesn't thicken), then I added a little butter and heated it. The result was quite unlike other soy sauce-based mixtures; for a start it was syrupy, and the heating process had mellowed the nostril-burning sting of the wasabi. I added black pepper and served my first Wasabi Pepper Sauce simply with rice.

Wasabi Pepper Sauce was an instant hit, so I began serving it over fried fish, sautéed scallops and so on. Due to popular demand, I also began bottling it as my first commercially available sauce. I eventually stopped selling it as doesn't keep very long, but Wasabi Pepper Sauce is still on the menu in more refined forms. Thin it with dashi if it's too strong and salty, or add a little sake and substitute butter for olive oil and ginger for garlic according to diners' requests. “The customer is a god as we say in Japanese, and I’m happy to go along with that.

3 tablespoons powdered wasabi
2 tablespoons and 1 teaspoon water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
8 tablespoons Dashi

Dissolve the powdered wasabi in the and combine with the other ingredients. Powdered wasabi tends to settle so mix before using.

Yield 1 Cup

Rici-e-Bici

Vegetables with Romesco Sauce

If it is spring it is time for Rici-e-Bici. This is an annual right of Spring for us. We love this thick dish that is a cross between a Soup and a Risotto. Our neighborhood grocery store, Gelson's, now sells Pancetta that is already diced, making the dish even easier to make.This is a winner! You can get the recipe from our blog of: March 31, 2014. Click the date to get the recipe. While I was at Gelson's I purchased a variety of Vegetables that we roasted to serve as an appetizer. We served them with Romesco Sauce that I purchased at a neighborhood restaurant: Botanica. We served the vegetables with Hot Crispy Sourdough Bread from Friends and Family.

Lion’s Head Meatballs

Lucky Peach is a great cookbook. The recipes are excellent and not too difficult. They all have an asian aspect to them. Lion's Head Meatballs are quite good. They reminded us of Shumei. We served it over Steamed Rice. We would definitely make this again. 

Lion’s Head Meatballs

Lucky Peach

Peter Meehoan

1 lb     ground pork (preferably very fatty; have your butcher grind pork belly, for example)

1 C     chopped scallions

2 T      soy sauce

1 T      sugar

1 T      Shaoxing wine

1 T      minced garlic

1 T      minced fresh ginger

1 1      kosher salt

½ t      sesame oil

1         large egg

2 T      cornstarch

+         neutral oil

1 lb     napa cabbage or bok choy, leaves separated, chopped if desired

2 C     chicken broth

+         white pepper

+    cooked rice noodles or rice, for serving

1.           Put the pork in a large bowl and break it up with your hands. Add the scallions, soy sauce, sugar, wine, garlic, ginger, salt, and sesame oil and work the mixture to combine. Add the egg and cornstarch and vigorously mix, picking up and slapping the mixture back into the bowl a few times to create a tacky texture. Roll the meat into eight 2-inch balls.

2.           Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a Dutch i' oven and add enough meatballs to fit comfortably in a single layer. Sear them until browned all over, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with any remaining meatballs. Remove the pan from the heat and wipe out the pan.

3.           Line the pan with the cabbage or bok choy, arrange the meatballs in a snug single layer on top, and add broth to come within Va inch of the tops of the meatballs. Cover the pot and set over medium heat. Gently simmer until the greens are tender and the meatballs are cooked through, 20 to 30 minutes. Season to taste with white pepper and serve over rice noodles or with steamed rice.

The dish is sort of a stew but lighter: The meatballs, greens, and a little broth are all spooned over rice noodles. It’s commonly known as lion's head meatballs, because the wavy greens or noodles ringing the meatballs look like... a lion’s mane? Maybe if you squint.

In Chinese, they're called shih tzu tou, which the non-Chinese speakers among us can't help but see as shihtzu tou, so maybe they're really supposed to look like little lapdog heads. Even if they are taxonomically ambiguous, they are inarguably good eating.

Pan-roasted pork chops with olives and sambuca-braised fennel

Fennel Braising in Sambuca

We had a wonderful meal that Matt Molina cooked. He served pork with a Fennel Rub. When we asked him how it made it he directed us to his and Nancy Silverton's Mozza Cookbook. We decided to make the recipe. We purchased beautiful pork chops from McCall's Meat and Fish. I screwed it up by putting to much of the rub on the chops, however we able to fix it by scrapping the excess off when we served them. We had leftovers chops that we actually rinsed off then dried. All is well that ends well, as they say, lesson learned. Sometimes less is more - even in cooking. I couldn't believe that you use 2 cups of Sambuca to braise the fennel. Sometimes more is better! Cathy actually enhanced the recipe by adding giant Spanish Fabada White Beans.

Pan-roasted pork chops with olives and sambuca-braised fennel

The Mozza Cookbook

Nancy Silverton

This is a simple, straightforward secondo whose flavor is 100 per-cent dependent on the quality of the pork you use. We use pork from heritage pigs, such as Berkshire and Red Wattle, which are the most moist and more flavorful than the pork you find at a conventional grocery store. Berkshire, also known as Kurobuta pork, is the variety most available to the consumer. You can get such pork at some butchers, at high-end grocery stores, and also by mail order from online sources. I guarantee you will find the difference in flavor worth the effort it takes to get it.

Serves 4

for the fennel

3       medium fennel bulbs (about

1       pound), with fronds

2       large yellow Spanish onions, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)

20     cloves thinly sliced garlic, about ½ cup

½      cup Arbequina, Ligurian, Taggiasche, or Nicoise olives

1       cup extra-virgin olive oil

1       tablespoon kosher salt

½      teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2       cups Sambuca

1       cup Basic Chicken Stock

for the pork

½      cup kosher salt

1/3    cup sugar

4       9- to 10-ounce boneless pork chops (about 1 inch thick)

4       teaspoons Fennel Rub

¼      cup extra-virgin olive oil

¼      cup (4 tablespoons) finishing-quality extra-virgin olive oil

½      teaspoon fennel pollen

To prepare the fennel, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the fennel fronds off the bulbs and reserve them to garnish the pork. Trim and discard the ends from the fennel and, with the bulb standing on the flat, root end, slice the bulbs lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine the fennel, onions, garlic, and olives in a baking dish large enough to hold the fennel slices snugly. Drizzle with 1/4 cup of the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and pepper; and toss to combine the ingredients. Remove the fennel slices and create a bed of the onions, olives, and garlic. Lay the fennel slices on top of the onions, slightly overlapping the slices. Pour the Sambuca and chicken stock around the fennel and drizzle the remaining 3/4 cup olive oil over the fennel. If you have industrial-strength plastic wrap, which won't melt in the oven, cover the dish tightly with plastic wrap. In either case cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and place it in the oven to cook for 1 hour. Remove the dish from the oven and remove and discard the foil and plastic, if you used it, taking care not to burn yourself with the steam that will rise. Return the pan to the oven and cook until the fennel is browned and glazed looking, 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, leaving the oven on to cook the pork.

To prepare the pork, combine the salt, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a large nonreactive baking dish or large sealable plastic bag to make a brine. Add the pork chops and turn to coat them on all sides. Cover the dish with plastic or seal the bag and set aside for 1 hour. Remove the Shops from the brine, discarding the brine. Pat the pork chops dry with paper towels and place them on a cutting board. Sprinkle each chop generously with 1 teaspoon of the fennel rub and use the sides of the chops to mop up the rub that falls onto your cutting board.

Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof sauté pan over medium-high heat until it is almost smoking and slides easily in the pan, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the chops and cook until deep brown and caramelized on one side, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn the pork chops and place the pan in the oven for 5 minutes, to cook the pork through. Remove from the oven and let the chops rest in the pan for 2 minutes before serving.

Lay the braised fennel mixture in the center of each of four plates, dividing it evenly. Drizzle a spoonful of the braising liquid over each serving and lay a pork chop on top. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the finishing-quality olive oil over and around each chop, sprinkle with a pinch of fennel pollen, lay several of the fennel fronds on top, and

serve.

Marrakech-Style Veal Tangia with Smen and Preserved Lemons

Marrakech-Style Veal Tangia with Smen and Preserved Lemons is a delicious Moroccan recipe. It reminds of our travels in Morocco, where we had many Tangines. We serve it with Cous-Cous. I like dishes that are cooked in Clay Pots. There is something ancient about the technique that adds a mystique to the process. Of course, the food was excellent. There are some cooking ingredients that add a unique flavor to dish. Preserved Lemons are one. The salty acidity of the Preserved Lemons adds a sharpness to the flavors. You can get the recipe on our blog of: December 3, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Asparagus Pasta

Spring means Asparagus is coming into the market. We love Asparagus Pasta. It is simple to make and delicious. Every vegetarian should make this, it also is great for non-vegetarians like us! You can find the recipe on our blog of: April 17, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe.

Pork Stew with Prunes and Onions

This is one of those perfect winter night dinners. Pork Stew with Prunes and Onions, served on top of Mashed Potatoes is the essence of comfort food. The contrast of the sweetness of the Prunes and the earthiness Onion are a perfect balance. You can get the recipe for this dish from our blog of: September 26, 2007. Click the date to get the recipe. 

Cote du Boeuf

What a hunk!

Start by Pan Searing

After finishing in the Oven

Mashed Potatoes

Perfection

This is as good as it gets! The Dry-Aged Cote du Boeuf was from McCall's Meat and Fish. We actually reheated the Garlic Mashed Potatoes from the previous dinner. The Garlic Mashed Potatoes is our favorite recipe. It is fantastic! Here is how to reheat the leftover Mashed Potatoes on top of the stove. Place the Mashed Potatoes in a large pan, add Cream and continue to cook until hot, adding more cream if necessay. They will be just like freshly made! The Cote du Boeuf recipe is from The Balthazar Cookbook. An excellent resource for fool proof recipes that are fantastic!

Cote De Boeuf
The Balthazar Cookbook
McNally, Nasr, Hanson

One of our plats pour deux, this dish is usually ordered in waves at the restaurant. This is probably due to its dining room presentation: before slicing, the finished rib steak is sent sizzling on an oven platter ceremoniously through the dining room, which has an effect not unlike a television commercial: Suddenly everyone wants one.

For the passionate steak lover, the rib is well marbled, deeply flavorful, and expensive. It tastes best at medium-rare or medium; rare doesn't show this cut to its best advantage. For extra indulgence, melt a couple of tablespoons of butter over the steak as it comes out of the oven.

Ingredients

1  rib steak (about 3 pounds and 2-3/4 inches thick), at room temperature

1  teaspoon salt

1  teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper

2  tablespoons vegetable oi

Serves 2

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Season both sides of the steak with the salt and pepper. Using a heavy, ovenproof skillet (cast iron is ideal), heat the veg­etable oil over a high flame until it begins to smoke. Sear the steak, about 3 minutes per side, to form a brown crust.

Transfer the skillet to the oven. The steak will render a fair amount of fat as it finishes cooking in the oven, so either place a small rack (like a cooling rack for cookies) under the beef to prevent it from deep-frying, or spoon the fat out of the pan every 10 minutes or so. Turn the steak over after 15 minutes in the oven and cook for another 30 minutes—a total of 45 minutes in the oven—for medium-rare (an internal temperature of 130°F.). Allow the finished steak to rest for at least 10 minutes or as long as 30 minutes before serving.

Sea Scallops With Brown Butter, Capers and Lemon

For some reason I always feel virtuous when I have Scallops for dinner. I feel I am eating light. Of course the Garlic Mashed Potatoes compensate for the lightness, but it sure is a nice combo.  You can get the recipe for these fabulous potatoes on our blog of: November 12, 2012. Click the date to get the recipe. 

We made a standby - Sea Scallops With Brown Butter, Capers and Lemon. You can get this fast, easy and delicious recipe from our blog of: May 25, 2017. Click the date to get the recipe. The Steamed Asparagus was a fast perfect accompaniment to the dinner.

Quick Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup, Creamy Chicken and Fig Curry

We made two new dishes for this dinner. We started with Quick Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup. It was quite good and as its eponymous name suggests it was fast and easy to make. We then made an Indian influenced Creamy Chicken and Fig Curry from the book: Made in India by Meera Sodha. We love everything with figs, so it was a winner in our house.

Quick Tomato, White Bean and Kale Soup

MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

New York Times

A hearty minestrone does not always require hours on the stove. This one takes no more than an hour, start to finish. Some of the prep can be done while the soup is simmering.

Ingredients

1       tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1       medium onion, chopped

1       large carrot, chopped

1       stick celery, chopped (optional)

Salt to taste

2       large garlic cloves, minced

1-14ounce can chopped tomatoes, with juice

6       cups water

1       tablespoon tomato paste

1       teaspoon oregano

1       medium Yukon gold potato (about 6 ounces), diced

 A bouquet garni made with a bay leaf, a couple of sprigs each parsley and thyme, and a Parmesan rind (optional – but it does add flavor; use what you have for this)

½      pound kale, stemmed, washed thoroughly, and chopped or cut in slivers (4 cups chopped)

1       can white beans, drained and rinsed

Freshly ground pepper

Grated Parmesan for serving

1.        Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add the onion, carrot, and celery and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the tomatoes and juice from the can, add another pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the tomatoes have cooked down slightly.

2.        Add the water, tomato paste, oregano, potato, and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, add the bouquet garni, cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just about tender.

3.        Add the kale and simmer another 10 minutes, until the kale and potatoes are tender and the soup is fragrant. Taste, adjust salt, and add pepper. Stir in the beans and heat through for 5 minutes. Serve, sprinkling some Parmesan over each bowl.

Advance preparation: The soup tastes even better on the second day, and will keep for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. It freezes well. I've used small amounts of leftovers as a pasta sauce, adding a little tomato paste to thicken.

Creamy Chicken and Fig Curry (Anjeer Murghi)

Made in India

Meera Sodha

This is a pot of deliciousness: a mildly spiced, warming curry with a delicate sweet flavor. It’s made with dried fruit and yogurt, and if you're a fan of chicken korma, you will love this. Despite its decadence, it is a simple curry to cook and can be made predominantly with pantry ingredients, so it's an easy dish for last-minute guests or a midweek dinner. I make it over and over again, because for very little time and effort you get something really gorgeous.

Because it's a rich dish, it's best served with something green, such as my green beans with mustard seeds and ginger, or spinach with black pepper, garlic, and lemon.

Serves 4

10      soft dried figs

1-3/4  pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons homemade or Greek yogurt

1        teaspoon garam masala

1-1/4  teaspoons salt

¾       teaspoon chili powder

2         tablespoons canola oil

1-1/2   large (or 2 small) white onions, finely sliced

1         cinnamon stick

4         cloves of garlic, crushed

1-3/4-inch piece of ginger, peeled and finely grated

Boil the kettle and pour boiling water over the dried figs in a heatproof bowl to soften them. Leave them to soak while you deal with the rest of the ingredients.

Pick over the chicken thighs to remove any fat. then chop them into 3/4 x 1-inch pieces. Put them into a large bowl, along with the yogurt, garam masala, salt, and chili powder. Drain the figs and chop them into 1/4-inch cubes. Add them to the chicken mixture, stir until well mixed, and set aside.

Put the oil into a wide-bottomed, lidded frying pan on a medium heat and. when it's hot. add the onions and the cinnamon stick. Fry over a medium heat until they are soft and golden.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook through for A to 5 minutes before adding the chicken mixture. Put the lid on the pan and leave to cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so. The color of the curry will darken as it cooks, and the liquid will start to reduce, creating a lovely thick sauce.

Remember to take out the cinnamon stick, and serve with a big bowl of basmati rice (or bread if you prefer) and some greens.