Category Archives: Gastronomy

Bento, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/29): Sakura Anago Sushi Bento!

April 28, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

The Missus was very busy this morning as she had to prepare not one but three bentos!
She did have to come up with practical ideas, hence a sushi stylle!

After having steamed the rice and prepared it as sushi rice she made three types of “te-mari/手まり sushi, that is sushi in the shape of small balls ( you shape them insde cellophane paper:
1-Sakura Te-mari: the rice was mixed with real pickled cherry blossoms.
2-Anago te-mari. She mixed the rice with home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds and topped them with broiled anago/conger eel.
3-Pickles and cheese te-mari. She mixed the rice with finely chopped Japanese cucumber pickles before introducing small pieces of processed cheese inside.

As for the side dish she prepared tamagoyaki/Japanese omelette with chopped shiso/perilla inside. She placed them in the box with shizuoka-grown cress and Ameera Rubbins pearl tomatoes and quite a few broad beans.
For dessert she added sweet stewed beans.

Solid and tasty!

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野菜, 野菜亭, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Seaweed, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian cuisine

Vegan’s Paradise in Shizuoka: Yasaitei!

April 28, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly and attentive
Facilities: Very clean overall. Superb toilets.
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Great choice of local & Japanese vegetables. Kansai-style oden. All traditional ladies staff in tradtional izakaya. Good wines, shochu and sake List.

Spring is a boon for an izakaya like Yasaitei which specializes in vegetable cuisine (although you can get anything from fish to meat). Although I’m not, it is always great fun to ask for vegan or vegetarian dishes to Ms. Aki Suzuki/鈴木朋, chef at Yasaitei.

As vegetables are only seasonal, it is a good idea to sit at the counter and have a good look at them:

I will let you guess them out (mind you, it is not too difficult!)!

Enormous, aren’t they?

Local, fresh and big!

While I was teasing Aki San I was brought my snack with my first drink.

This seaweed is called “mekabu/和布蕪”. It is found in the shape of balls in the nearby sea and has to be chopped first before serving it with some ponzu and sesame seeds. It is said to be extremely healthy, full of nutrients and especially beneficial to humans! After all, seaweed is the vegetable of the ocean!

As for my drink I chose a rice shochu, brewed by Hana no Mai Brewery in Hamamatsu City, called Acho no Tsubome.
Incidentally, this shochu is vegan! And the art so cute!

I was not here for a full dinner but for a quick snack before going back to work.
So Aki san fried shiitake mushrooms, tomatoes and plenty of Spring cabbage in peperocino style and served them decorated with local fresh cress.

For such cuisine Aki San will use only absolutely top-class Italian virgin olive oil and a minimum of seasoning, mainly salt, pepper and chili so as to preserve the true taste of the vegetables.
Let me show you some closer shots for a better look!

From the top.

From the top, a little bit closer.

A side view.

And another.

Although she cooks all kinds of dishes, including omnivore, Aki San will be glad to oblige and devise strictly vegan or vegetarian dishes for you and even a full meal if requested at least a day in advance!

YASAITEI/野菜亭
Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Tokiwa-Cho, 1-6-2 Green Heights Wamon 1-C
Tel.: 054-2543277
Business hours: 17:30~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Reservations highly recommended
Seating: 6 at counter + 12 at tables
Set Courses: 3,000, 4,000, 5,000 yen
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)

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Bento, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, 弁当

Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/28): Wasabi Zuke Bento!

April 27, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

Wasabi Zuke/山葵漬 is wasabi fermented and pickled with the white lees of Japanese sake. This is a prime product of Shizuoka Prefecture which outputs 80% of all wasabi in Japan!

The Missus being very this week didn’t have much time for shopping yesterday and made ends meet with waht was available in the pantry!

After steaming the rice she mixed it with home-pickled wasabi stems and chopped seaweed/konbu (she pickled them together).
She added wasabi zuke (very high qulaity even in Shizuoka Prefecture made by Tamaruya Co.) for extra seasoning and zip.

As I like yakitori hot, cold or canned, she opened a small tin of it and spread it over the rice. Simple and effective!LOL

The side dish looked like a flag!

The Missus included her favorite trick, half an avocado fille with the half of a boiled egg. She coated the inside of the avocado with tartatre mayonnaise for seasoning. The cut tomatoes on a thick bed of Shiuzoka-grown cress is Shizuoka-graown Ameera tomatoes (very sweet!)

She added some cheese for the necessary balance. As for dessert, home-made apple compote and (imported) blueberries.

Today promises rain. I wonder what the Missus will come up with?

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野菜, Gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tourism, vegetables

Italian Cuisine: Shizuoka Agricultural products as Appetizers: Aquavite!

April 27, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

First appetizer from the side.

Service: Excellent and very friendly
Facilities: great and very large washroom, great cleanliness overall
Prices: reasonable to expensive. Top-class Italian wines. Private room for~8 people.
no-smoking-logo1 Non-smoking at counter!

You don’t need to go for the whole course to sample Shizuoka agricultural products at your favorite restaurant.
If it is a good enough restaurant, especially in Japan and Shizuoka, a great chef will be more than happy to serve you a few appetizers of his own with the drinks you have pordered. True to say, you do need to build a special relation with the chef, but that is one reason why you visit the restaurant, isn’t it?

First appetizer from the top.

Last night I did visit Aquavite in Shizuoka City where I asked the chef, Masaru Aoki/青木勝 to concoct a few tidbits as I was having a late break from work.
I did have quite a few but I will introuce the best two of the evening!

The first appetizer “from the back”.

The first appetizer consisted of a scallop lightly fried in olive oil to keep it half raw inside. It was topped with a piece of fried lotus root/renkon from Asabata, shizuoka City and decorated with shavings of home-made karasumi/カラスミ/botarga in Italian or boutargue in French, a Shizuoka specialty of the dried mullet roe.
The salad spinach came from Nagomi Organic Farm in Fujinomiya City.

The second appetizer.

The second offering of the evening was not all from Shizuoka Prefecture but it was certainly worth a second and third look!

The Little Summer Tomatoes came from the Shizen No Chikara Farm in Shizuoka City and were fried in olive oil just long enough to extract their sweetness.

The fresh shiitake mushrooms had been sent by a friend of Masaru’s from Nagano Prefecture.

The topping/decoration was created with finely chopped Italian raw ham fried to a crisp!
The whole needed little seasoning, what with the sweetness of the tomatoes and the saltiness of the ham, finely balanced with the juicy shiitake mushrooms!

This promises to be the beginning of a neverending story!

AQUAVITE
Address: 420-0034 Shizuoka Shi, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg. 3F
Tel. & fax: 054-2740777
Opening hours: 11:30~14:00 18:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

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葱, 農業, Gastronomy, Leeks, Shizuoka agricultural products, vegetables

Japanese Vegetables 6: Leeks

April 26, 2011 dragonlife 4 Comments

negi-1

Leeks, or “negi/葱” in Japanese, are an almost universal vegetable.
It is used in cuisine at restaurants and homes on all continents and have been recognized for ages as very beneficial plant.

Recent research has demonstrated that they are an effective cure against colds in particular, not only for humans, but for many animals, too.
Some people do not appreciate them because of their pungent smell and taste, but this can be taken care of with a couple of simple steps.

Back home in France, we boil the central part of fat leeks and eat them under the name of “poor man’s asparaguses”!

FACTS:
-Season: leeks can be bought all year round, but the best season is from November to February in the Northern Hemisphere.

-Analytic data (as per 100g):

Energy: 28 kcal
Water: 91.7 g
Carbohydrates: 7.2 g

Inorganic qualities:
Potassium: 180 mg
Calcium: 31 mg
Manganese: 0.10 mg
Phosphorus: 26 mg
Iron: 0.2 mg
Zinc: 0.3 mg

Vitamins:
B1: 0.04 mg
B2: 0.04 mg
B6: 0.11 mg
C: 11 mg
Folic acid: 56 microg.

Dietary fibers: 2.2 g

TIPS:
-Fatter specimens will have more taste.
-Choose specimens with a “wet” bottom cut.
-If you use large specimens raw in salads, first cut 5~8 cm long sections, then cut them thin lengthwise and leave them some time in clean cold water. The pungency will greatly diminish.
-To chop leeks for cooking, cut them first in 5~10 cm sections, then cut them thin lengthwise, and only then, chop them crosswise.

HEALTH FACTS:

-Combined with Judas’ Ear Mushrooms, or sardine, or mackerel, or seaweed, holps lower blood cholesterol and high blood pressure, and prevents blood vessels hardening.

-Combined with umeboshi/Japanese pickled plums, or Japanese sake, or ginger, or shiso/perilla, helps prevent and cure colds, combats ageing and helps recovery from diseases.

-Combined with onion, or cucumber, or garlic, or Judas’ Ear mushrooms, helps blood flow and combats blood clotting.

-Combined with seaweed/wakame, or sweet potato, or lotus root, helps combat constipation and obesity.

VARIETIES:
There are innemurable varieties in the World, but I will introduce here the main varieties encountered in Japan:

negi-senju
“Senju”
The most common and popular variety. Also called “Nefukanegi”

negi-hakata-manno-negi
“Hakata Manno”:
A choice specimen raised in Kyushu Island

negi-hime
“Me” or “Hime”:
Could be called leek sprouts,too.
Eaten raw in salads, sushi, finger foods.

negi-ito-negi
“Ito” or Thread Leek, used in the same way as “Me/Hime”.

negi-kositsu-negi
“Koshizu”, another common and popular variety.

negi-kujo-futo-negi
“Kujo-Futo”:
A choice specimen originting from Kyoto.

negi-kujo-hoso1
“Kujo Hoso”. Same as above, but a lot thinner.

negi-riiki
“Riiki”
A short fat specimen popular for “nabe” and soups.

negi-shimonita-negi
“Shimonita”.
A fat variety with a short stem and long leaves. Popular with soups and “nabe” (Japanese-style pot-au-feu)

“Sakutonosama Negi”
A variety of the above. Turne sweet upon beig cooked.

“Aka Negi”
Red Leeks in Japanese, soft with little pungency. Considered as a delicacy.

“Wakegi”
Spring onion, a cross between onion and leek. Very popular in salad and as sesaoning.

“Asatsuki”
Chives

“Miyanegi”
From Tochigi Prefecture. Fat and short, their scent and taste are different. Turn sweet with frost.

“Sendai magari Negi”
From Miyagi Prefecture. These leeks bend naturally as they grow!

“Kannon Negi”
From Hiroshima City.

‘Hirokko”
From Yamagata and Akita Prefectures. Very popular cooked with eggs or meat.

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茶, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tea

Green Tea: Shizuoka First Auctions in 2011

April 25, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Tea growers are early-risers!
Since Marufuku Tea Factory (Shizuoka City) in the person of Ms. Asami Itoh/伊藤麻美 had kindly invited me to attend and interview at the official first day of the new tea auctions (officially) held today (April 25th) I found myself the only European (journalist) present at the early hour of 6:30 a.m.!

The event was held at the simply named Shizuoka Tea Building whose premises, inside and outside, were already crowded to the limit!

More than a participant was glad to buy and grab some breakfast/brunch (Japanese-style!)!

Another even bigger project called CHA 88 (coming report!) took the opportunity to advertise itself!

This event held by the whole of Shizuoka Prefecture was inaugurated on the 23rd!

One could enjoy the sight and demonstration of tea massage by an expert!

As a special guest I was wearing a cap with Marufuku Tea Factory written on it (the only journalist offered the privilege that day!)!

All the names of the union member tea companies for an easy check!

A map describing the diffrent tea producing regions of Shizuoka Prefecture!

And plenty of explanations on the different tea varieties!

The official “tea Ladies” of the day! Pretty, aren’t they?

Even the “big guns” had come early: Shizuoka Governor Kawakatsu!

And the new 49-year old Shizuoka City Mayor Tanabe!

This was before the “official speeches”. People got very serious then!

As for the press, TV and other journalists, this was open war! I can’t say I was impressed with their manners… And people think that the Japanese are the epitome of politeness…

The auction room was divided into regions/territories (in Japanese parlance!) for good order!

Now for real business:
The blue caps are for individual sellers, the yellow ones for buyers and the green ones for the JA and other big government-controlled farm cooperatives.

Hard bargaining!

Checking the samples and their price tags!

A sample of fairly good tea.

17,000 yen a kg. Quite high for a cooperative in Fuji City!

All transactioins and bargaining done with old-fashioned abacus/”soroban” in Japanese. A very practical system, actually!

Marufuku Tea Factory’s Tea Master seemed pretty happy with business!

There are some great pictures to be taken at such an event!

Note: This year’s tea is of a very good standard as opposite to last year’s disappointing crops!

Next report will be in the tea-fields picking up the Ichiban Cha (First leaves of the year)!

Marufuku Tea Factory
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu, Cho, 25
Tel.: 054-271-2011
Fax: 054-271-2010
Mobile: 090-3250-4188

CHA-O (Director, Ms. Asami Itoh)
420-0006 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Wakamatsu Cho, 94
Tel: 054-253-8421
Fax: 054-253-8413
HOMEPAGE

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Gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Tomato, vegetables

Italian Cuisine: Cold Pasta Salad With Shizuoka-grown Ameera Tomatoes

April 25, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Cooking is so easy when you have the right and superlative ingredients within your hand’s reach!

Japan, and especially Shizuoka prefecture, is renown for producing all kinds of succulent varieties of tomatoes.
The Missus came back home with a batch of Ameera (meaning “sweet” in local dialect) tomatoes grown in the Western part of Shizuoka Prefecture. They are the size of large plum tomatoes and are very firm and sweet. You could actually eat them as fruit!

The weather having turned mild (it will soon be hot), cold pasta salad becomes a favorite!

The Missus prepared some Spaghettini and let them cool down while she boiled some broad beans and peas in the pods.
The latter once cooked (but still firm), she peeled the broad beans and cut the peas in the pod in halves at a slant.
She sliced the tomatoes and fried them a little in olive oil.
Once everyhing had cooled down to the same temperature, she tosssed the lot (including the tomato juices) with cold basil pesto based sauce and some pepper.
Nothing else! The fresh and natural combination of sweetness and light saltiness with basil was just perfect!

Easy, yes. Great ingredients, yes!

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Chicken, 野菜, 観光, 農業, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Recipes, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Soba, Soba Restaurant, Sugii Brewery, Tourism, vegetables

Soba Restaurant: Soba Sake Kawakatsu

April 24, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Friendly
Equipment: traditional. Clean. Beautiful toilets
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Very fresh ingredients. Most ingredients not only local but sef-grown or self-raised! Local sake and shochu!
entirely non-smoking!

Mototsugu Kawabe/河辺基次, after graduating from the celebrated Kyoto University decided to go back to its roots and help with his parents’ soba shop in Fujieda City. But he did so with a remarkable difference!

Mototsugu and his parents.

First of all, like many young people of his generation, he decided to go “local” as much as possible.

Choose you cup for your sake!

But he went one and two steps ahead: The soba served at the their restaurant are all made with buckwheat he grows himself in Fujieda City!

Yamahai Junmai by Sugii Brewery in Fujieda City!

He also grows most of the vegetables used at their restaurant and all the chicken served there comes from an average of 240 Ikkoku Shamo Chickens, a very valauble species in the whole of Japan, as they also specialize in chicken served with their soba and also in yakitori. He must be a rarity not only in Shizuoka Prefecture but in the whole of Japan for taking the pains of using so many local ingredients!

Japanese and expats alike will grow fond of the place for its traditional Japanese atmosphere!

A bottle bag from Sugii Brewery, Fujieda City! Soba Sake Kawakatsu serves no les than 6 of their brews!

I’m sure you will get tempted to take the bottle out and ask it to be filled!

As it was my first (and certainly not the last!) visit, I knew what to ask for: Ikkokoku Shamo (Chicken) eiro (chicken in stock with large leeks) Soba!

The soba are made with 100% own buckwheat!

One dips his/her soba in the broth and eats the leeks and chicken in between!

The dashi Tamago Yaki/出し卵焼き is made with the eggs of the same chickens!

Beautiful both in looks and taste!
I know quite a few expat friends who would travel all the way for it!

The restaurant serves not only 6 different sake from Sugii Brewery in Fujieda but also 3 different shochu from the same brewery!
The above shochu was made with buckwheat grown by Mr. Kawabe!

Kawakatsu Buckwheat shochu private label bottle!

蕎麦酒　/sobashyu means buckwheat shochu!

An to appreciate and finish my shochu. a beautiful plate of “okamisan no nuka zuke”/vegetables pickled in rice bran by his Mother!

Next time, see you there for dinner!

Sake Soba Kawakatsu
426-0034, Fujieda Shi, Eki mae, 1-8-4
Tel./Fax: 054-645-1770
Business hours: 11:30~14:00, 17:30~22:00
Closed on Mondays, 1st & 3rd Tuesdays

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/27): Salmon & Seaweed Bento!

April 23, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

To tell the truth the Missus was very grumpy today and you could almost feel it through the colors of her bento! LOL

She filled the first box with two dinstinctive layers of rice.
First she laid the first one and covered it with dry seaweed, a typically Japanese technique. She then spread a second layer and placed two smalls quares of nori/dry seaweed fo pattern and sprinkled the lot with plenty of roasted sesame seeds.
She finally placed on top a slice of salted salmon (fried in light teriyaku styke) she had been frying after the rice had been ready.

Beans, corn, tomato and sweet hijiki seaweed salad with lettuce, lightly pickled zucchini and sliced renkon/lotus roots fried with black sesame seeds,

No dessert… I told you she was in a bad mood!LOL

Very tasty and soid in spite of her character!

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野菜, 観光, Gastronomy, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Soba, Soba Restaurant, Tourism

Soba Restaurant: Soba No Mi

April 23, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Friendly
Equipment: a bit old but clean
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Very fresh ingredients. Old-fashioned atmosphere
entirely non-smoking!

It’s been some time that a lot of friends have advised me to pay a visit to Soba No Mi, one of the most-established soba restaurants in Shizuoka City.
I finally managed to find some time on this afternoon lunch to check on the establishment!

It is a bit small in spite of the large entrance, but it certainly looks authentic!

I love the sober-looking nore/entrance curtain!

Another large noren inside makes for a clever partition between the guests sitting at tables (12) and those sitting on the tatami at the front of the establishment (~8).

The menu was larger than expected, and I chose a favorite I can find in all soba restaurants worth their name: Momioroshi Soba and Tempura.
Notice that all soba are over 95% buckwheat, a pretty high level by any standards!

For lunch (except on Sundays) you will be offered an additional small bowl of rice mixed with buckwheat seeds. Tasty! Of course you will also be served some o-shinko/Japanese pickles.

I do have a rule of the thumb for any soba restaurant worth reporting on: they must at least serve one local sake!
After all, in Edo times people drank sake at soba restaurants!

Masu Ichi, Junmai Ginjyo by Masu Ichi Brewery in Shizuoka City!

The buckwheat noodles were served with colorful buckwheat sprouts/hime soba, and dry seaweed, finely chopped thin leeks, and plenty of momijioroshi/grated daikon mixed with chili pepper.

The tempura consisted of beautifully fresh kogomi/Ostrich fern (sansai/mountain vegetable) and succulent shrimps!
I ate the tempura as it is first (it doesn’t need any seasoning) with the rice. Later I poured the soba sauce into the soba and mixed it with the seaweed, chopped leeks and momijioroshi. I finished my meal by pouring some soba dashi (stock soup) into the leftover soup to drink the lot as a beautiful soup!

Definitely worth a second trip!

Soba No Mi
Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Kawabe Cho, 2-2-3
Tel.: 054-251-8000
Business hours: 11:00~21:00 (or until soba are exhausted)
Closed on Tuesdays and third Wednesdays
HOMEPAGE

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/26): Bamboo Shoots Bento!

April 22, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Bamboo are in season and “take gohan/bamboo shoots rice” can be seen everywhere!

A very colorful rice dish!
The Missus prepared the finely chopped carrot and the bamboo shoots (cut into small triangular pieces) beforehand to soften them a bit and than steamed them on top of the rice before mixing the lot.
She placed a fresh sansho/Japanese pepper sprig (very much in season) on top for more color and seasoning.

A solid side dish! (I’m just recovering from a very bad cold and I need the calories!)

Pork fillet she pan-fried and which she seasoned (while still frying) at the last second with mayonnaise and capers. Very Italian/French/Japanese!
Shizuoka-grown Ameera Rubbins Peral Tomatoes, green and white asparagus tip, stick Junior Broccoli and lettuce.

The other showing the kabocha and sweet black beans salad!

I did have a dessert consisting of ornage, grapes and prunes!

Healthy, solid and really tasty!

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農業, French Cuisine, French Restaurant, Gastronomy, Tourism

French Cuisine: Shizuoka Products at Hana Hana!

April 22, 2011 dragonlife Leave a comment

Service: Very friendly. Slow food
Facilities: Very clean all over. Enormous beautiful washroom
Prices: Reasonable
Strong points: Classical French/Italian Cuisine of very good value. Good list of wines and Japanese sake. Great lunches!
Non smoking at lunch!
Map

I’ve always been a fan of Hana Hana for the simple reason that they serve top-class French food with an Italian accent at very reasonable prices and in a very casual and friendly atmosphere.
Their lunches are a particularly bargain!

You can either choose from 3 set menus (plates) for up to 1,860 yen (20 US$) or choose three dishes out of a carte menu for 3,000 yen (35 US$).

I chose the latter, although the cold cauliflower cream and consomme jelly were offered for free with that particular menu!

The Missus chose the very generous top plate, but I did have to help her finish it!

As for my “first dish”, I opted for the “country salad” which features local vegetables surrounded with duck, pork pate and fried pork! Lucky I was particularly hungry!

Now, the “second dish” was a Shizuoka Classic: Madai Wasabi Yaki/真鯛山葵焼き/that is grouper caught in Suruga Bay grilled/sauteed with wasabi!
This is a must-try for any visitor to our city!

It naturally came with its small pot of warm and soft wasabi dressing!

Shizuoka Groupers and vegetables are the pick of Japan!

Even the mango pudding dessert had a Shizuoka touch with the strawberries!

The strawberries seemed very comfortable between the two mounds of mango pudding…

〒420-0037Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Hitoyado-cho, 1- 3-12
静岡県静岡市葵区人宿町１丁目３−１２
Tel.: 054-221-0087 ‎
Business hours: 11:30~15:00, 17:30~22:00
Closed on Wednesdays
Credit cards OK

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/25): Soboro Bento!

April 21, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Soboro in Japanese cuisine means an ingredient presented in small lumps, be it scrambled eggs or minced meat!. It does for great decoration in bentos!

Hint: for a better design divide your topping slightly at a slant instead of a straightforward division and use the division line for a better accent!

The Missus used minced pork (you can use beef of course!) which she pan-fried with a generous portion of black sesame seeds. It was slightly sweet as the Japanese like it. For design (it is edible) she placed a sprig of sansho/Japanese pepper.

The second half was covered with sweetened srcumble eggs.
As for the “division line” she boiled some peas in their pods (edible). Thn she cut the pods finely for the line and placed the peas for extra color over the eggs.

The side dish was colorful as usual!
From the left, stick junior broccoli, boiled and seasoned with crushed walnut coarse powder, home-pickled myoga ginger in sweet vinegar, “chikuwa” (fish paste tubes) stuffed with home-pickles fresh ginger roots, and local oranges.

The colors should be enough to attract anyone!LOL

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Today’s Lunch Box/Bento (’11/24): Sakura Bento!

April 20, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Today’s name, Sakura Bento, had two reasons for it!
One, the sakura/Cheery trees were in full bloom in Shizuoka City.
Two, The Missus had decorated the rice with a salted (edible) cherry blossom!

Having steamed the rice, she placed it in the first box before sprinkling with dry red shio/perila furikake, finely chopped Japanese cucumber pickles, home-pickled sansho/Japanese pepper seeds and a cherry blossom!

A very colorful side dish with pk\lenty of home recipes!

Potato and peas in (and) their pods (cut to size after being boiled), boiled carrots a (some cut as pine trees!) and lettuce.

Zauteed chicken rolls of two kinds, one containing home-pickled myoga ginger leaves, the other young ginger roots also pickled in sweet rice vinegar.
Lettuce again and weet plum tomatoes.
The dessert consisted of apples simmered in kirsch, lemon and honey!

Plenty of colors, the Spring is definitely around the corner!

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sake, shochu and sushi

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野菜, 観光, Gastronomy, Italian Cuisine, Italian Restaurants, Japanese Gastronomy, Tourism, vegetables

Italian Cuisine: Horie Farm Amagi Shamo Chicken at Aquavite!

April 19, 2011 dragonlife 2 Comments

Masaru Aoki opening the “sample box” sent by Toshiyaki Horie

Mr. Toshiyaki Horie had promised me during his interview that he would send me samples of the great chicken, Amagi Shamo/天城軍鶏 he raises in the middle of the Izu Peninsula, and I had promised I would put these to good use!

I finally received the samples by “cool box” delivery on Saturday morning!

Toshiyaki had already undressed the (enormous) chickens (I’m sure there were two of them inside!) and separated the “fleshy” parts from the “bony” ones!

I left complete free reins to Masaru’s imagination and just asked him to prepare some dishes he would prepare for his own clients at Aquavite.
That is what he came up with:
Amagi Shamo Sasami and Tomato Marinade.

The “sasami/breast fillets” were very lightly seared before being tossed/marinated with Little Summer Kiss Tomatoes (organically-grown by Shizen No Chikara Garden) with the minimum of seasoning. The almost raw chicken melted in your mouth.

Amagi Shamo Warm Salad.

The small turnips/Kokabu/小蕪 and wasabina/wasabi flavor lettuce/山葵菜 were also organically grown at Shizen No Chikara Noen.

The chicken having very little fat under its skin, the latter turned quickly a crackling brown when pan-fried, making for a very tender flesh and a crispy skin to be savored together with the vegetables for best effect!

Small flesh and skin pieces of Amagi Shamo sauteed with organic vegetables.

The carrot and very young spinach were grown at Nagomi Organic Farm in Fujinomiya City.
The small pieces were reminiscent of Japanese-style crispy karaage/deep-fried chicken! A great snack for wine (or beer, or sake!)

And finally the pasta dish!

The “chirimen” cabbage and all the other vegetables were from Chizen no Chikara in Shizuoka City!

The pasta are tagliatelle.
No need of any sauce I can assure you. Such a natural dish with the true savors exploding from the pan-fried chicken flesh and crackling skin mixed with the vegetables fried to a minimum to capture their essences and the softness of the tagliatelle. Extravagant and so simple in concept!

Looking forward to the next place serving this Amagi Shamo Chicken!

AQUAVITE
Address: 420-0034 Shizuoka Shi, Tokiwa-cho, 1-2-7, Tomii Bldg. 3F
Tel. & fax: 054-2740777
Opening hours: 11:30~14:00 18:00~22:00
Closed on Sundays
Homepage (Japanese)
Credit Cards OK

HORIE CHICKEN FARM/堀江養鶏
410-3203, Shizuoka Ken, Izu Shi, Yaguma, 296
Tel.: 0558-87-0644
Mobile: 090-7449-5655
Fax: 0558-87-0763
HOMEPAGE (Japanese)