Tag: rice

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tonkatsu

You and tonkatsu have probably met each other’s acquaintance at your local sushi restaurant. It’s usually an option in a bento box of some kind, alongside other Americanized favorites—salmon teriyaki, vegetable tempura, California rolls. Like Argentine milanesa or Italian chicken parmesan, tonkatsu is basically a pounded piece of meat that is breaded, fried and served with sauce. It’s hard to go wrong.

We don’t do anything fancy with our tonkatsu. It is easy to prep and takes just 10 minutes to fry (and you can shallow fry it – no need to bust out the dutch oven and a liter of oil).  We usually serve it in a large bowl with shredded cabbage, vinegar rice and a few garnishes picked up during the occasional visit to Japantown. It’s not traditional to serve tonkatsu with vinegar rice, but I love vinegar rice and it’s my kitchen. Plus it helps jazz up cabbage.

Tonkatsu | The Answer is Always Pork

Tonkatsu 
2 thin cut, boneless pork chops, pounded a bit (you could also use chicken)
1/4 cup flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
salt and pepper
high temp oil for frying (safflower, sunflower, or canola oil)

For Serving
Vegetable and Fruit Sauce (Japanese BBQ sauce)
Vinegar sushi rice (1 cup rice, 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon salt)
Shredded cabbage, about 1/2 cabbage cut into thin slices (toss with some rice vinegar if you’re not making vinegar rice)
Pickled ginger (optional)
Togarashi (Japanese dried chili pepper, optional)

Tonkatsu | The Answer is Always Pork

Cook your rice according to your rice cooker or the package directions. While your rice is cooking, make the sushi su by combining 1/4 cup rice vinegar,  2 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan and heating until the sugar and salt dissolve. Slice your cabbage into very thin slices and set aside. Then prep the pork.

Using a rolling pin or the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the pork cutlets until they are about 1/2 inch thick. Season well with salt and pepper. Then dredge the pork in the flour, then the egg, then the panko. Set aside or refrigerate if your rice still has a while left to cook.

When your rice is done cooking, heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy sauté pan or cast iron skillet. When the oil is hot (test by dropping a bit of panko into the batter. If it immediately starts to bubble, the oil is ready), add the pork to the pan. Cook 5 minutes per side, until the pork is golden brown. Remove from the pan and let drain on a plate with paper towels or a cooling rack. Cut into thin strips.

Add the sushi su to the rice and stir gently to distribute.  Split the cabbage between two medium bowls. Top with some rice. Then top with the tonkatsu. Serve with Vegetable and Fruit sauce, togarashi, and pickled ginger.

-Emily

Tonkatsu | The Answer is Always Pork

 

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fresh corn risotto

We’ve been on a serious corn kick lately. Summer corn is just so irresistible. Sweet, fresh, and crunchy—I want it on everything. This is our summer take on a winter favorite, leek and butternut squash risotto. I’ve swapped the butternut squash for corn and topped it with a fresh tomato ‘salsa’ to give it the extra acidy I crave in warmer months.  It was so easy to build off of this risotto base—it’s impossible to go wrong with rice, white wine, cream and parmesan—and this variation turned out beautifully. I’m brainstorming combinations for each season so stay tuned.

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Fresh Corn Risotto with Tomato Salsa 
2 medium spring onions, diced (or 1 large yellow onion or 3 leeks)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
6 cups vegetable broth (chicken broth would also do just as well)
3 ears of corn, cut off the cob and cobs scraped of their juice
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
salt and pepper
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon chives, minced

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In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Saute the onion until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the rice and stir until the outside of the kernels becomes translucent and a few are starting to brown, but the inside is still white. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly.

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Add the stock, 1/2 cupful at a time,  stirring until it is absorbed. Continue to add stock by the 1/2 cupful until the rice is tender and the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently with each addition.

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While your risotto is cooking, chop the tomatoes into small chunks and mix with the minced chives. Add a little sprinkle of salt.

Once you’ve incorporated all the broth and the rice tender, add the corn, cream and parmesan. Cook for a few more minutes to cooke the corn. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm with a spoonful of the tomato salsa on the top!

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-Emily

 

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katie’s leek and butternut squash risotto

The thing that I love most about food is that certain dishes can be so tied to a place, to a moment, to a particular understanding of yourself, that when you taste those dishes again all of those memories come flooding back and you’re transported, regardless of how much or little time has passed. In my humble opinion, this is the one of the best reasons to record and share recipes.

Like my Nonnie’s pecan shortbread cookies, my mother’s red beans and rice, and Jordan’s steak au poivre, this risotto holds a special place in my heart. My friend Katie made it for my going away dinner before I left D.C. for Buenos Aires and again during our last year of college for an intimate dinner with a few friends. It is beautiful, seasonal and has just enough going on to keep your attention. Most of all, it is comforting and absolutely delicious. I’m thankful she gave me the recipe, along with several others from her repertoire.

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Leek and Butternut Squash Risotto, from Katie Norton
1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
4 tablespoons olive oil
6 cups chicken stock
3 large leeks, white and light green parts only, sliced thinly, about 3 cups
2 cups arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup parmesan, grated
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped finely
salt and pepper

One year ago: Braised Short Ribs
Two years ago: Alice’s Cauliflower Soup

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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the squash with 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet and roast until tender, about 40 minutes. You can roast the squash in advance, or do it while you’re babysitting the risotto.

Bring the stock to a simmer in a large saucepan. Reduce heat to low, cover and keep warm.

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In a large, heavy saucepan or dutch oven, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and saute until soft, but not brown. Add the rice and stir until the outside of the kernels becomes translucent, but the inside is still white. Add the wine and simmer until absorbed, stirring constantly.

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Add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until it is absorbed. Continue to add stock by the 1/2 cupful until the rice is tender and the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently with each addition. Once tender and creamy, add the squash, cream, parmesan and sage. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy warm!

-Emily

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fennel and rice soup

This is another recipe from David Tanis’ The Heart of the Artichoke. I decided to go for it because I’ve never had a fennel soup. It did not turn out as I expected, but was good nonetheless. I had anticipated a much more prominent fennel flavor, but the fennel was subtle and balanced by chicken broth, onion and rice. Jordan thought that the soup was super comforting and he was a big fan of the herb sauce on top. Not only is this soup inexpensive, it will also use up any herbs lingering in your fridge.

Fennel and Rice Soup with Herb Swirl, adapted from The Heart of the Artichoke by David Tanis

For the soup
1/4 cup olive oil
2 – 3 fennel bulbs, sliced
1 onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves
salt and pepper
1/4 cup long grain rice
6 cups chicken broth or water

For the swirl
1 cup fennel fronds, roughly chopped (from the tops of your bulbs)
1/2 cup parsley
1/2 cup basil (I didn’t have basil and instead used dill)
1/4 cup scallions (I didn’t have scallions and instead used shallot)
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

In a dutch oven or stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel, onion and garlic. Season well with salt and pepper. Saute until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned.

Add the rice and broth. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to simmer. Add more salt. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the herb sauce. In a food processor or blender, puree the herbs and scallions with the oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Puree the soup in a blender until you have a smooth puree (or, in my case, with an immersion blender until you have a chunky puree). David recommends that you strain the soup after you’ve pureed it, but I skipped that step. I like rustic food and I was attached to the idea of little rice pearls in the soup.

To serve, ladle the soup into a bowl and then spoon some of the herb sauce on top. Jordan requested that I bring the herb sauce to the table, so I’ll recommend that to you as well. Some cheesy toast never hurt either.

-Emily

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albondigas y arroz

When I lived in Argentina, I had dinner with my host family almost every night. It was at these dinners that I really learned how to speak Spanish, really fell in love with my host family and really learned to love meat (after 5 years of vegetarianism!). Like most moms, my host mom Josefina had a repertoire of dishes that we enjoyed on a regular basis. All of her food was good, but one of my favorites was her albondigas y arroz—meatballs and rice.

While I do enjoy spaghetti and meatballs (and may have claimed that they saved my life in the past), meatballs and rice have a really special place in my heart because of those many dinners with Josefina and my host brother Juan. Josefina—in true busy-working-mom form—would prepare the meal in advance and then heat it back up right before serving. She would reheat/saute the rice in plenty of delicious Argentine butter, ladle on tomato sauce and top that with beef meatballs. The dish was so satisfying, so comforting, so simple … perfection that transcended language barriers. This is my adaptation of her recipe.

Albondigas y Arroz
For the tomato sauce
1 onion, diced
3 to 5 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 T olive oil
2-16 oz cans of whole tomatoes
1/4 cup sugar
2 t red wine vinegar
salt, pepper, chili flake (a sizable pinch of each)

I think that tomato sauce pairs best with the meatiness of the meatballs if it is sweet and just slightly spicy. The kick from the chilis is not very Argentine, but sure is delicious.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan, saute the onion in olive oil over low heat, until translucent. Add the garlic. Saute for another minute or two. Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper and chili flake. Simmer uncovered for 20 – 30 minutes, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Taste for seasoning and adjust. Puree until smooth with a blender or food processor taking care to not splash yourself with the molten liquid.

You can make this sauce in advance. It can also be frozen. This recipe makes a lot of sauce and a lot of meatballs, the idea being you can freeze half and whip that out for a quick meal when you’re feel nostalgic for albondigas y arroz. 

For the meatballs
3/4 pound ground beef
3/4 pound ground pork
1 large egg
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt, pepper, dried herbs of your choice

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine beef, pork, egg, breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and herbs. Mix with your hands to combine. Shape into 1 inch diameter balls and place them about 1 inch apart on a baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, until firm to the touch.  Don’t worry too much about the doneness of the meatballs; they will cook for another 10 – 15 minutes in the sauce as you reheat it.

Put on a pot of rice. I used long grain white rice—1 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of rice. Bring the water and a little butter to a boil, add the rice, simmer for 20 minutes and then turn of the heat until ready to serve. If you make the rice in advance, fluff it with a fork and then saute in some butter over low heat until warm. Meanwhile, reheat the tomato sauce and meatballs over low heat until warmed through. To serve, pile on the rice and top with the meatballs and sauce.

-Emily

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un wok

When I was living in Argentina – land of meat, meat, more meat and sausage – my host mom would often try and oblige my very un-Argentine desire to eat vegetables. One of her concoctions to meet my green-loving needs was a rice, vegetable and chicken dish she called “un wok”. I’m certain she called this dish a wok because it contained rice and was seasoned with soy sauce instead of table salt – it doesn’t get more Asian than that. I enjoyed it and its higher proportion of vegetables regardless.

Jordan and I made “un wok” last night using some leftover chicken, veggies from our CSA and of course, soy sauce and rice. Our adaptation of Josefina’s wok added a few additional seasonings, but was equal to hers in its vaguely asian quality.

Un Wok
1 cup leftover chicken, cubed or sliced
broccoli, sliced
carrots, sliced
green garlic, sliced (or regular garlic, minced)
white rice

For the sauce:
Mix some soy sauce, sriracha, sweet chili sauce, and fresh ginger together in a small bowl. We just guessed with this sauce and added a bit more of each ingredient until it tasted good. You can’t really mess up this pan-asian dressing.

In a saucepan, make rice according to package directions. In a sauté pan, sauté chicken in a little olive oil until it is warmed. Pour sauce over chicken and toss. Add vegetables and sauté a few more moments until al dente. Pour the saute over rice. Ta-da! Un wok!

-Emily

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we don’t just eat pork and desserts

Jordan loves pork and desserts. I love desserts and pork. Still, most nights we eat reasonably healthy (those just aren’t always the most fun to blog about). Last night, we ate great! (And local! And balanced! And pretty darn healthy!) It was awesome.

The menu:

Pan-seared sturgeon – salt and pepper, sear briefly on each side, rest, add a squirt of lemon

Red rice – 2 parts rice to 3 parts water, cook covered for 25 minutes, rest for 5 minutes

Sauteed green cabbage – toast some pistachios, sauté the cabbage for 3 – 4 minutes, add a little shallot, add chicken stock, cook until evaporated 4 – 5 minutes more , stir in nuts

Green salad with pesto and cara cara oranges – wash greens (and well when you get them from your CSA box and they are full of grit), supreme oranges, top with pesto (carrot tops, pistachios, orange zest, garlic, salt, pepper, olive oil all mushed together in a mortar and pestle or blender)

I would recommend all the items this menu. It was delightful and satisfying. I especially loved the pesto!

-Emily

P.S. It couldn’t be all healthy, so there’s a little lemon, brown butter sauce on the fish.  I simply browned about a tablespoon of butter, added some lemon zest and salt and spooned a little over the fish.

-Jordan

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paella, per se

Let’s start this off by saying, I’m a lucky girl. Why am I a lucky girl? Because my wonderful boyfriend makes me yummy dinners while I sit at the table after work and putz around on the internet. Why else am I a lucky girl? Because that same boyfriend rides his bike down to purchase quality (and reasonably priced!) seafood at Sun Fat Seafood (23rd and Mission) even though its 9 million degrees out in San Francisco today. And one more reason …

… He is incredibly dashing in the kitchen.

Let’s get down to business …

Brown some PORK! chorizo*. Take out the chorizo, but leave that delicious fat in the pan. Toss in some diced onions and garlic. Let those brown a bit. Add broth (Jordan did 3 cups of vegetable stock and 1 cup of clam juice).

*Chicken chorizo was available, but we just don’t see the point in that.

Add saffron. Ours was a gift from our neighbor and came all the way from Dubai! It adds a nice floral taste, and added bonus, the broth will turn a lovely yellow-orange color.

Bring it all to a boil and add Calasparra rice. Use 1 parts rice to 4 parts liquid. We thought “That’s crazy!” but it really is quite absorbent.

Let it simmer for 20 – 30 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and it has a creamy consistency. Then toss in some veggies (we did peas and red piquillo peppers), the sausages and …

the seafood! Jordan’s catch of the day included shrimp and scallops, which he quickly sauteed in some butter before adding to the rice. He wanted to get a nice sear on the scallops, but he’s a bit out of practice. I think this means more scallops in my future!

And the final dish …

Served with lemon and parsley.

Conclusions: Jordan was looking for a paella shortcut and looks like he found one. It still took a while to execute, but not much was lost in the way of flavor. Tasty and satisfying!

But the best part of the meal (according to Jordan at least) was not his paella, but …

this romesco sauce from Bi-Rite Market (18th between Guerrero and Dolores). It was good, but I’m partial to his paella.

-Emily