Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Horiuchi Vegetables Garden

October 30, 2010 dragonlife 2 Comments

“We grow vegetables 364 days a year, and sometimes 365 days!”, replied Mrs. Satoko Horiuchi/堀内里子 when asked how busy she and her husband were.

Her family has been growing tea and rice for 6 or 7 generations (“I don’t remember!” confided the sweet old lady with a laugh).

Eggplants.

The Horiuchi family was introduced to me by my good friend Natsuko Koyanagi/小柳奈津子from Agriroad/アグリロード in Miwa/美和　in Aoi Ku/葵区 in Shizuoka City.

Basil.

“Whenever we are short of vegetables at Agriroad Market, we just give her a call and she will fill the place again!” Natsuko explained.

Komatsuna/小松菜 or Japanese Mustard Spinach.

The Horiuchi family cultivates vegetables over an area of 25 acres.
Satoko and her husband do most of the work with occasional from their daughter.

Satoimo/里芋, taro

As far as fertilizer is concerned they use a combination of organic manure fertilizer and artificial fertilizer.

Can you guess what these are?
Peanuts/Rakkasei/落花生!

Exploring their garden is like a lesson!
These are kabocha/南瓜 flowers!

The kabocha itself. Still too young and soft yet!

Edamame/枝豆! They are actually soy beans/daizu/大豆 harvested still green like you would do with string beans.

Enormous okra/オクラ!
The Japanese like them small, although I like biting through their seeds after having steamed and marinated them!

Satsuma Imo/Sweet potatoes/薩摩芋.
The Horiuchis use as little pesticide as possible although it is a daily fight with their daughter who wishes to grow more organic vegetables to satisfy the new demands!

Broccoli in front and myoga/myoga ginger/茗荷 at the back.

Japanese lettuce variety.

The Horiuchis on the average will grow at least two if not three of vegetable varieties on the same plot of land depending on the season.

Cucumbers.
This particular greenhouse is their daughter’s organic domain!

Beautiful and healthy!

The “heart” of the garden!

All these are the Horiuchis’ property, not counting the oranges and tea fields in nearby mountains!

There is a constant demand for peppers or piman/ピーマン in Japanese!

Daikon still at an early stage.
Don’t forget that the leaves are also edible. They make for great pickles!

And the leeks/negi/葱　naturally!
I’m convinced that the Japanese must be some of the highest consumers in the world!

You will understand why I will have to visit their garden in the near future!

Incidentally they also take direct orders apart of of selling their vegetables in many markets. Give them a call to find out what is available!

Horiuchi Garden
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Nakanogo, 32
静岡市葵区中乃郷３２
Tel.: 054-296-3886

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Vegetarian French Lunch with Shizuoka Ingredients at Tetsuya SUGIMOTO (2010/10/28)

October 28, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Ranking：
Service: Highly professional and friendly
Equipment: Great overall cleanliness. Beautiful washroom
Prices:~
Strong points:Freshest produce and ingredients only, mainly from Shizuoka Prefecture. Organic vegetables. Seasonal food only
Map (Japanese)
Entirely non-smoking!

I have to keep regularly to Tetsuya Sugimoto Restaurant as his ingredients are seasonal and nothing else!
As today is practical for a light lunch I visited him a bit late on purpose to have ample time to report. Tetsuya does not mind at all and actually always welcome the chat!

As there was no real local meat around, we kept it purely to vegetables.
He didn’t say he had that many form Shizuoka, only to show a dozen Tupperware to choose from!
Now, the mushrooms above are wild ones from Fujinomiya City’s vicinity at the foot of Mount Fuji!
They are called “Shougenji” mushrooms. And these were bigger than the cultivated variety!

Tetsuya Sugimoto is quickly turning into the Alain Passard of Shizuoka!
So he started “shopping” among the incredible (and he said small!) array of his vegetables.
The above are organic chayottes (hayato uri in Japanese)f from Hamamatsu.

His vegetables and all other ingredients are stored with such great care!

Now, can you guess what this vegetable might be? If you can, you owe my respect as this was a first for me!

Rice stalks or “ine” in Japanese. These are grown that thick on Amagi Plateau in Izu Peninsula!. The thick core is very easy to cook!

Look at these! All from Shizuoka Prefecture and organic to boot!

The other vegetables included:
Lotus root (“renkon” in Japanese, slightly boiled preserved in its own water) from Asabata, Shizuoka City
Winged Bean (“Shikaku Mame”) from Hamamatsu City
White and violet “Mabiki” Daikon, Tsurumurasaki and Carrot (“Ninjin”), all from Matsuki Biofarm at the foot of Mount Fuji!

The vegetables were first slowly fried with some white butter and a minimum of water and covered with a lid to prevent the juices to evaporate.

The vegetables were taken out in order according to their size and softness.
A minimum amount of water was added from time to time to help the larger vegetables to cook properly.

A lttle butter was added to liaise the sauce made up of the vegetables juices only as well as a little salt and a little lemon vinegar. Nothing else!

In front of me!

From another angle!

Testuya told he is going to scour the Izu Peninsula in search for seaweed varieties (Shizuoka has the largest number of varieties in Japan!) to create a vegetarian marine cuisine!

Tetsuya SUGIMOTO
４２０－００３８ Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Umeya,, ２－１３，１Ｆ
Tel./Fax: 054-251-3051
Opening hours：１１：３０～１４：３０，１７：３０～２１：３０
Holidays: undecided
Cedit cards OK
ＨＯＭＥＰＡＧＥ

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Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/10/27)

October 27, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

Baird Beer & Taproom Events Bulletin

Seasonal Release: Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale

Dear Taproom Friend & Baird Beer Enthusiast:

The 2010 baseball World Series is set to start with the improbable match-up of the San Francisco Giants versus the Texas Rangers. We celebrate the playing of the Fall Classic annually with the release of our tribute beer to the 1975 and 1976 world champion Cincinnati Reds (the Big Red Machine).

*Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale (ABV 6%):

This American-style Red Ale features a brawny malt character balanced deftly by a wonderfully spicy and sprit hop essence. Much as the rare combination of power and finesse was a hallmark of the Big Red Machine on the field, so too is it a hallmark of the Big Red Machine in the pint glass!

Big Red Machine Fall Classic Ale begins pouring from the taps of each of our Taproom pubs on Thursday, October 28. It also will be available both on draught and in bottles (633 ml) through the fine network of Baird Beer retailing pubs, restaurants and liquor stores throughout Japan. Visit our online E-Shop (http://bairdbeer.com/en/shop/) for consumer purchases direct from the Baird Brewery.

Cheers,

Bryan Baird

Baird Brewing Company
Numazu, Japan
HOMEPAGE

The Japan Blog List

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Must-see tasting websites:
-Sake: Tokyo Through The Drinking Glass, Tokyo Foodcast, Urban Sake, Sake World
-Wine: Palate To Pen, Warren Bobrow, Cellar Tours, Ancient Fire Wines Blog
-Beer: Good Beer & Country Boys, Another Pint, Please!
-Japanese Pottery to enjoy your favourite drinks: Yellin Yakimono Gallery
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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/76): Fried Shrimps Te-Mari Sushi Bento

October 27, 2010 dragonlife 4 Comments

The Missus is “geared up” for making bento on Wednesdays so things had to be kept simple today!

As you can see it was almost all sushi!
After steaming the rice she blended it in sushi rice fasion addin finely shredded pickled daikon.

She fried shrimps she had beforehand seasoned and coated with a little cornstarch.
She shaped the te-mari sushi (small sushiballs) between her palms before pressing their top to form a small bowl in which she placed a little coleslaw and a shrimp.
She wrapped each te-mari in lettuce and placed them in the bento box.

For more garnish and dessert I had the onsen tamago again with its yolk beautifully running and sprinkled with black sesame seeds.
She also included daigaku-imo she made the night before with two kinds of sweet potatoes.
The daigaku-imo are called so as they were very popular with penniless students in Tokyo back a long time ago!

Tasty and hearty!
No complaints!

Adventures in Bento Making, American Bento, Beanbento, Bento No1, Bento Wo Tsukurimashou, Cooking Cute, Eula, Hapabento , Happy Bento, Jacki’s Bento Blog, Kitchen Cow, Leggo My Obento, Le Petit Journal Bento & CO (French), Lunch In A Box, My Bento Box, Vegan Lunch Box; Tokyo Tom Baker, Daily Food Porn/Osaka, Only Nature Food Porn, Happy Little Bento, The Herbed Kitchen, J-Mama’s Kitchen, Cook, Eat, Play, Repeat; Bento Lunch Blog (German); Adventures In Bento; Anna The Red’s Bento Factory; Cooking Cute; Timeless Gourmet; Bento Bug; Ideal Meal; Bentosaurus; Mr. Foodie (London/UK)

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/75): Chicken & Burdock Root Rice Bento

October 26, 2010 dragonlife 6 Comments

Interestingly enough, today’s bento could really qualify as a “leftovers” bento!
Last night the Missus had made a very tasty Japanese stew of chicken and burdock (gobou/牛蒡) root with some other vege including small dices of carrot.
As she hade enough left over this morning she turned my bento into a new experience!

So last night she covered the rice to be steamed this morning with chicken and burdock root stew leftovers to allow them to season the rice and its water.

Once the rice had been steamed she mixed a lot with a spatula and filled the first box with it.
She sprinkled generously with roasted sesame seeds and added some Japanese pickled (and shredded) daikon for colour and taste.

She kept the “garnish” box as light and healthy as possible while providing for colours and design.

She put a good portion of boiled carrot and string beans seasoned with gomadare/sesame dressing, Ameera Rubbins pearl tomatoes and Japanese-style onsen egg, that is softly boiled and and marinated overnight, which makes for a tasty runny yolk once you cut it. She sprinkled the latter with black roasted ssame seeds and added a little lettuce bedding.

For a second look of the onsen tamago/soft-boiled egg.
The dessert consisted of walnut and apple pieces cooked in roselle (hibiscus) jam I made last week!

Plenty of colours and very healthy (and tasty!)!

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Alain Passard’s Visit in Shizuoka!

October 26, 2010 dragonlife 8 Comments

Shizuoka Prefecture is at long last receiving the attention it deserves!
From Monday October 25th through Friday October 29th, Alain Passard will hold no less than 4 dinner shows and one demonstration for professionals in Shizuoka, Hamamatsu and Itoh Cities!

At the official Press Conference inside the Shizuoka Prefecture Hall.

Alain Passard is an establishment in France where he has been awarded the three Michelin Stars for the last 14 years for his Restaurant, Arpège, in Paris.
A few years ago, conscious of environment and health in general, he took a big risk and won the challenge of offering high class gastronomy mainly based on vegetables and fruits.
He has already introduced French gastronomy in Japan on many occasions, but this was the first time he concentrated his visit on Shizuoka Prefecture only!

Suzuki Gakuin, the scene of Alain Passard’s demonstration.

Why did such a celebrated chef choose our Prefecture?
A very simple reason: the quality and variety of Shizuoka Prefecture’s vegetables and fruit had finally reached his ears, and as a true professional chef and a lover of good food he could ignore our region any longer, the more for it that it reminds him of his native Bretagne, another region world-famous for its superlative vegetables and extraordinary seafood.

During the Press Conference, Mr. Passard was the image of a true ambassador with a passion and a warmth that quickly won everybody’s heart. A model of civility without ostentation, he explained his reasons for coming at last to Shizuoka and discover its long hidden treasures.
He personally invited me for a private lunch with his staff and Government officials where he showed an intense interest for all I had the time to tell about my adopted home.

Shizuoka ingredients line-up!

At 14:00 we found ourselves in Suzuki Gakuin Cooking School for a demonstration reserved for paying professionals only.
Although the place was crowded to the very limits, many guests had to wait until the other event, the dinner at Nakajimaya Hotel, to have a chance to witness Mr. Passard’s art.

More than 80 professionals were attending!

Among them, some very famous local chefs from all over the Prefecture!

Participants, however far from the stage, could follow the demonstration from overhead mirrors,

and two live TV screens!

Apart of an official interpreter, Alain Passard had his own two aides on hand, Isabelle Schipp from Alsace and Julien Lebon from Paris, two extremely capable lieutenants than no true chef can do without!

Alain Passard’s was not only a demonstration of his skills and inventiveness, but of the whole concept of preparing food.
First, he insisted on the importance of shopping for ingredients when he chose from the array of vegetables displayed in front of him.

Second, having chosen the ingredients of his fancy, came the moment of intense reflection on what he would create with them. As he so justly explained, a true chef has always his moments of uncertainty he has to overcome before immersing himself in his art.

And then the show finally started in earnest!
A long video might have done a better job but at least let me show you the results I had such a great pleasure to witness!

Except for the butter, milk and salt, all ingredients were from Shizuoka!
We were offered three recipes, all created on the moment!

1) Shizuoka Onions (Fondue) and Mandarines (Confit) with Wasabi and Fresh Peanuts, as appetizers.

For a closer view!

2) Shizuoka Small Turnips and Cherry Tomatoes with Shiitake Mushrooms and Ciboulette Leeks, as a main dish.

3) Shizuoka Melon (Carpaccio) and fresh Ginger with Shishito Peppers and Roquette (Luccola) for dessert!

Did I mention this was a vegetarian delight?
If you have more precise questions about the whole (cooking) process, I’ll be glad to oblige!

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French Gastronomy with Shizuoka Ingredients: “Shamo” Chicken at Tetsuya SUGIMOTO

October 23, 2010 dragonlife Leave a comment

I suppose I will have to repeat myself again and again, but If you happen to visit Shizuoka City, you will find many restaurants and izakayas serving and mainly using produce/products and ingredients from Shizuoka Prefecture. There are many treasures to be discovered in this hoard!
One of them is the French restaurant going by the name of Tetsuya SUGIMOTO!

Now, Mr. Sugimoto is always looking for the best and the best only in our Prefecture.
This particular dish was made with a superb chicken called “Shamo/軍鶏, more precisely Ikkoku shamo/一黒軍鶏, a variety of Shamo Chicken raised in Central and Western Shizuoka Prefecture.

Male Ikkoku Shamo Chicken.

Female Ikokku Shamo Chicken.
The latter certainly deserves her name of “black” Shamo!

M. Sugimoto used chicken raised in Makinohara/牧の原 in the south-central part of our Prefecture.
These chickens are fed along very strict rules, with only natural feed. Their coops are at least 1 meter above soil and maintained as the healthiest environment as possible.
They are culled usually at 130 days when they reach 4 kg for the best quality.

Their meat has no “fibers” or unwanted smell.
Their meat contains less water and more nutrients than usual chicken. They can be served raw as sashimi in all safety.
Their flesh is extraordinarily tender and soft. and their skin delicious when fried thin and crispy.

From another angle!

Mr. Sugimoto first fried thick breast slices on their skins over a thick skillet and then finished them in the oven.
The sauce was made with the juices of the chicken, wild mushrooms and Sherry vinegar.
The mushrooms are all wild Japanese mushrooms!
A superb dish for the Fall/Autumn!

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SHIZUOKA GOURMET

Monthly Archives: October 2010

Shizuoka Agricultural Products: Horiuchi Vegetables Garden

Vegetarian French Lunch with Shizuoka Ingredients at Tetsuya SUGIMOTO (2010/10/28)

Bryan Baird’s Newsletter (2010/10/27)

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/76): Fried Shrimps Te-Mari Sushi Bento

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’10/75): Chicken & Burdock Root Rice Bento

Alain Passard’s Visit in Shizuoka!

French Gastronomy with Shizuoka Ingredients: “Shamo” Chicken at Tetsuya SUGIMOTO