This is one of my favorite Japanese side dishes served with rice and cold tofu. It makes for a very quick and delicious lunch. It can be prepared well in advance and doesn’t need any attention until you drizzle the sauce over it. It is so refreshing and healthy.
Spinach shrinks drastically when blanched so you’ll need a pound of fresh spinach for two servings. Once blanched, the spinach goes into an ice bath to stop the cooking quickly.
Blanched spinach has a gorgeous bright green color to it. And with the sauce drizzled over and around the spinach it makes for a beautiful presentation.
I divided the spinach (squeezed dry) into four equal pieces and shaped them into short rolls, then sliced them into rounds before adding the sauce.
Ground roasted sesame seeds are one of my favorite additions to this dish. Not only does it give the spinach a delicious nutty flavor, it also adds contrast to the bright green rounds and golden sauce.
I opted to use instant dashi because of the small amount needed for the recipe. It is convenient and tastes great in this sauce.
A side of tofu with green onions, ginger and soy sauce (and rice) complete a healthy meal for any day of the year.
½ cup dashi (I used instant dashi picture above. ½ cup warm water mixed with 1½ teaspoons dashi powder)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin
roasted ground sesame seeds
Preparation
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Blanch the spinach just until wilted, about 30-40 seconds. Immediately drain and transfer spinach to an ice bath. Once thoroughly chilled, remove spinach to a colander to drain.
Meanwhile, combine dashi with soy sauce and mirin in a glass measuring cup (can be made in advance and kept refrigerated until ready to use). Set aside.
Divide spinach into four equal portions. Squeeze out as much water as possible from each portion and form into short rolls. Slice each roll into equal sized rounds (serrated knife works best). Place rounds of spinach on serving plate. Drizzle sauce over and around the spinach. Sprinkle tops with ground sesame seeds. Serve at room temperature or slightly chilled.
This is a quick (10 minutes max) cucumber dish that is perfect to serve alongside teriyaki meat sticks, lemon grass tofu, and Korean hamburger patties. It’s a very refreshing salad that everyone will enjoy.
Japanese cucumbers are the best choice for this salad. They are super crispy with tender skins and have very few seeds. I always have a big jar of gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) on hand. The chili flakes add a subtle heat and beautiful pop of color to salads like this one.
We have some beautiful cilantro growing in the garden so I added a few tender leaves to the salad. If you’re not a fan of cilantro, use thinly sliced green onions or chives. If you are not planning to eat the salad right away, store cucumbers and dressing separately until ready to serve.
With just three ingredients, onions, butter and miso (+ water), you might wonder how this dish from Yotam Ottolenghi, can turn out so gorgeous and flavorful. Of course these three ingredients are among the most delectable in the world of cuisine. Serve the onions alongside grilled steak or chicken, or simply over a bowl of steaming rice.
The recipe calls for very small onions, or very large shallots. Both can be difficult to find. The best option I found was to use Maui onions which tend to be on the small side. I threw in a couple of red cipollini (Italian for small onions) that I had bought at Whole Foods.
The onions are sliced lengthwise with ends trimmed ever so slightly in order to keep the onion halves intact while baking.
My version of the recipe is vegan as I switched out the butter for Miyoko’s vegan butter. It works great in this dish and all baking recipes if you are looking for a lactose free substitute for regular unsalted butter.
Light miso paste is whisked together with the melted vegan butter and warm water. This simple mixture eventually turns into a luscious sauce that coats the onions and gives them a rich, savory flavor.
The first time I made this dish, I was surprised at how much liquid there was. It crossed my mind that this might not work out! But eventually, the pale liquid reduces to a thick, flavorful sauce.
Beautifully glazed onions ready to serve alongside your favorite dinner entree.
Special equipment needed: Heavy baking dish safe for 500 degree oven
Preheat oven to 500 degrees
Halve the onions lengthwise, discarding the papery skin as well as the layer beneath it if it's tough or dry. Trim the tops and a bit off the bottom (not too much, you want to ensure the onion halves stay held together at the base). Place onions halves, cut-side down slightly spaced apart, in a 9x13-inch baking dish or one that fits your onion halves.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter and miso paste. Whisk in the warm water. Pour mixture over the onions. Cover the pan tightly with heavy duty aluminum foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove foil and turn the onions over so they are cut-side up. Baste onions very well, then return to the oven, uncovered for another 40-45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes, until the onions are very soft and deeply browned on the tops. The sauce should be reduced to a gravy consistency.
Transfer onions to a platter, pouring the sauce over and around them before serving. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat before serving.
A few years ago I tried my hand at making bagels. I experimented with several different recipes but none stood out enough to make again. They were often beautiful bagels and we ate them all but I found some to be generally too chewy. So I put bagel making aside until a few months ago when I took up the challenge again. Good bagels are in a class of their own but they are hard to come by in the Islands. Since there is nothing better than homemade bread which we make with considerable success, why not homemade bagels?
Making the dough is actually quite simple. Bagel dough is very stiff so a heavy duty stand mixer is a must for this recipe. After shaping the bagels, they go into the refrigerator to proof overnight then are boiled and baked the following day.
After testing different methods for boiling the bagels I found that the longer you boil them, the chewier they become once they have finished baking. Many recipes call for boiling bagels for a minute on each side. My preference is to boil bagels for 10-15 seconds per side. They puff up nicely and you’ll end up with bagels that have a perfectly soft yet chewy texture.
My “almost everything bagels” are generously coated on both sides with rehydrated dried minced onion, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and flaky Maldon salt. Rehydrating the onions in hot water for a half hour keeps the onions from burning when the bagels are baking.
Be generous with your toppings because inevitably, a few of the seeds will fall off when you slice the bagels.
Bagels are superb served with smoked salmon, ham and cheese, avocado, pimento cheese or just butter. According to bagel purists, toasting a bagel is verboten and that bagels should be eaten warm as they come out of the oven. They are best eaten the day they are made. So in my case, I freeze most of the bagels since there’s no way I can eat a dozen in a day. When I am ready to have one, I take it out of the freezer to defrost, slice, and toast my bagel. Then it’s ready for whatever toppings I want to add. Sometimes just a few pats of butter does the trick.
1½ teaspoons instant yeast (recommend SAF Red Instant Yeast, proofing is not necessary)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons fine sea salt
2 teaspoons diastatic malt powder (available from Amazon)
1½ cups (12 ounces) water
1 tablespoon barley malt syrup (available from Amazon or local health food stores)
1 tablespoon baking soda
egg white wash whisked until frothy
toppings of your choice
Preparation
Special equipment: Heavy duty stand mixer, kitchen scale, parchment paper, 2 large sheet pans, diastatic malt powder, barley malt syrup, wide flat slotted spoon, kitchen timer, small pastry brush (silicone works great)
Note: I use a half sheet pan and a quarter sheet pan to bake all 12 bagels at the same time on the center rack. If you use 2 large sheet pans, boil and bake 6 bagels at a time. Then continue with the second batch after the first 6 bagels have baked. It is a good idea to leave space between the bagels and not crowd them so they bake up nice and brown on all sides.
Whisk flour, yeast, sugar, salt, and barley malt powder in the bowl of a stand mixer. Pour in water. With mixer on low speed (#2 on my KitchenAid), mix until dough starts to come together, about 4-5 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides to ensure all of the flour gets mixed in well. Bagel dough is very stiff, however, if the dough seems too dry, add a teaspoon of water.
Increase the speed (#3 on my KitchenAid) and set a timer for 5 minutes and knead dough until it is cohesive and smooth. Remove dough and weigh it. Then divide it into 12 equal portions for small bagels, 10 for larger bagels. As you work, cover the dough pieces with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying. Working with 1 piece at a time, shape the dough into a smooth ball. Pinch the dough together on the bottom of the ball. Again, cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying and continue with the rest of the dough. Let the dough balls rest for 5 minutes, covered.
To shape the dough, place dough round on the counter, push your index finger into the center of each dough round so that it goes all the way through. Twirl the dough between your two index fingers to create a hole about 1½-inches wide. Place shaped bagels on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper that has been lightly oiled. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees with rack in center.
Have ready: A thick layer of paper towels on the counter to place the boiled bagels on and a large piece of parchment paper for transferring bagels once dry (they will stick on paper towels if left too long). Have a second sheet pan lined with parchment paper ready and all of your toppings (if using) plus egg wash. Remove bagels from the refrigerator.
Fill a large wide pot or Dutch oven with at least 6-inches of water. Bring water to a boil. Add barley malt syrup and baking soda. Give it a quick stir, skim off most of the foam. Working with 2-3 bagels at a time, gently place bagels in boiling water and set timer for 20 seconds. After 10 seconds have passed, gently flip bagels over for another 10 seconds. Immediately transfer bagels to paper towels using a wide, flat slotted spoon. Then transfer to parchment paper. Continue with the rest of the bagels.
If you are adding toppings to your bagels, brush bottom side of bagel first with egg wash. Sprinkle toppings over the dough, flip bagel and repeat the process. Transfer to the parchment lined baking sheet. Continue with the rest of the bagels. You may choose to leave some of the bagels plain or simply coat with sesame seeds or other toppings of your choice. Place bagels in oven and reduce heat to 450 degrees. Bake bagels (rotate pan halfway through) for about 14 minutes or until bagels are nicely browned. Let bagels cool a bit before slicing.
This dish typifies a summery meal that is refreshing and can be prepared with minimal time spent at the stove. The ramen takes just a few minutes to cook and the pesto itself is quick to make and does not require any cooking. The bright flavors of fresh basil, pistachios and lemon will delight your palate.
To make things easier, buy shelled, salted pistachios. Shelled or not, they make a tasty snack while you are preparing the dish.
During the summer months when the temperatures reach into the 90’s, there’s not much we can grow successfully in the garden. But herbs such as basil can take the brutal heat and grow nicely all year long.
This pesto does not call for cheese which makes it the perfect pesto for vegetarians, vegans, and those who are lactose intolerant. The pistachios provide all the richness necessary.
I use fresh Sun Noodle ramen (soup base packets are discarded) that I buy at Island Grocery here on Maui. I like the texture of the curly noodles and the way the pesto clings to them. If you don’t have access to fresh ramen by all means use your favorite dried ramen or pasta.
This delicious pesto ramen is definitely going into my regular rotation. We made a frittata the following morning with the leftovers and it was so delicious.
¼ cup roasted and salted shelled pistachios, plus more for serving
1 small garlic clove, smashed and peeled
1 cup tightly packed basil leaves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon: 2 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of half the lemon and a few wedges for serving
2 packages fresh ramen (about 10-13 ounces)
Preparation
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine the pistachios, garlic and basil in a food processor. Pulse until very finely chopped, scraping down the bowl as needed. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the olive oil, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice (use 1½ tablespoons for less tangy sauce). Mix well and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Cook the ramen according to directions on the package, discarding any seasoning packets that may have come with the ramen. Drain noodles in a colander and rinse under cool water just until noodles are warm. Shake the colander to remove excess water. Transfer noodles to bowl with pesto.
Toss until the noodles are evenly coated with the pesto. Taste and add more lemon juice, oil and salt if needed. Divide among serving dishes. Top with additional chopped pistachios and lemon slices (optional)
I am a confirmed lover of tofu whether it’s baked, pan-fried, in miso soup, or simply served with grated ginger, slivered green onions and soy sauce. I came across this recipe on Alexandra’s Kitchen blog recently. The original recipe came from Ruth Reichl who was the Editor in Chief of the now defunct and beloved Gourmet magazine. It struck all the right notes: fast, savory and tasty.
Firm tofu is the best option for this recipe as it keeps its shape when sliced.
If you don’t have any gochugaru (Korean chili flakes) I suggest that you buy some right away. With its gentle heat and smoky, fruity flavor, it’s the chili that I use most often. I use gochugaru for Korean pan-fried steak, and in a dipping sauce for Korean pancakes and dumplings, as well as in kimchi.
Serve the tofu with crispy cucumber slices, kimchi and Japanese rice.
2 teaspoons roasted sesame seeds (white or a mix of white and black)
¼ - ½ teaspoon finely grated garlic
3 tablespoons finely sliced green onions
Preparation
Rinse the tofu, then cover with cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Turn heat down to keep warm.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauces and sugar. Mix until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the sesame oil, gochugaru, sesame seeds, garlic, and green onions. Set aside.
Carefully drain water from pot and remove tofu to a paper towel-lined plate. Pat tofu dry. Transfer tofu to a shallow bowl and spoon some of the sauce over the top. Serve with Japanese rice and extra sauce on the side.
