Tag Archives: Gastronomes

美食, 観光, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, French Restaurant, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Restaurants, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

French Gastronomy: Beau Ciel In Aoi Tower, Shizuoka City!

April 27, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Service: Pro and attentive
Facilities and Equipment: Extremely clean. Superb separate washrooms!
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Elegant restaurant and French gastronomy. Superb panoramic view of Shizuoka from Mount Fuji to the Suruga Bay. Building totally non-smoking!

Last Tuesday I had a business meeting with some famous chefs and a wine dealer that we held around lunch at Beau Ciel Restaurant on the 25th floor of the Aoi Tower built two years ago across from Shizuoka JR Station North exit.

The whole Restaurant owned by GRANDAIR Bouquet Tokai/Tokai City Services Company, is very elegant and clean, and very reminiscent of a high class hotel Lounge/Dining room!

It is open all day for lunch, tea time/cafe and dinner. Choose a table and panoramic view near one of the big bay windows. Can you see the Sumpu Castle in the picture above?

The Chef de Cuisine is Mr. Akira Uchinokura/内之倉 who used to work at Hotel Nikko in Osaka before coming to Shizuoka two years ago.
Let me share with you the elegant and inventive lunch we savored there:

We were offered a personalized menu!

Avocado and Snow Crab Tartare with Crab Bisque Gelee/Jelly.

Pressed Confit of Hungarian Foir Gras with Balamico reduction and Dentelle/Sugar Lace Crepe.

White butter, rock salt and perfumed olive oil to accompany the bread!

Home-baked bread replaced as soon as finished!

White Asparaguses Potage on Foie Gras Flan/pudding.

Seasonal fish: Ainame/Fat Greening Poele with a soup of vegetables and cockles perfumed with fresh thyme.

From another angle!

Grapefruit Granite to prepare us for the meat dish!

A-5 Ranks “Yamagata Gyuu” (Yamagata Prefecture Beef) Filet Steak with Shizuoka wasabi, new Tea Tempura and other Shizuoka Vegetables.

The beef filet and new tea tempura!

Beautiful vegetable ensemble!

Early Summer Special dessert by Chef Patissier Higuchi!

Cherry Blossoms Mousse and Shizuoka Matcha Tea Ice Cream!

And coffee as it should be served!

To be continued… Of course!

BEAU CIEL
25F Sky Restaurant
GRANDAIR Bouquet Tokai
420-0852 Shizuoka City, Aoi Ku, Koyamachi, 17-1, Aoi Tower, 25F (right across from Shizuoka JR Station North exit)
Tel.: 054-273-5250
Fax: 054-273-5251
Opening hours: Lunch 11:30~14:30, Tea Time-14:30~17:30, Dinner-17:30~21:00
Credit Cards OK
HOMEPAGE
Completely nonsmoking!

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Green Tea Club by Satoshi Nihonyanagi in Shizuoka!, Mind Some by Tina in Taiwan, Le Manger by Camille Oger (French), The Indian Tourist, Masala Herb by Helene Dsouza in Goa, India, Mummy I Can Cook! by Shu Han in London, Pierre.Cuisine, Francescannotwrite, My White Kitchen, 47 Japanese Farms Through The Eyes of Its Rural Communities, Foodhoe, Chucks Eats, Things that Fizz & Stuff, Five Euro Food by Charles,Red Shallot Kitchen by Priscilla,With a Glass, Nami | Just One Cookbook, Peach Farm Studio, Clumsyfingers by Xethia, PepperBento,Adventures in Bento Making, American Bent, Beanbento, Bento No, 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,
Susan at Arkonlite, 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), Ohayo Bento,

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

Broccolini, 美食, 農業, Furikake, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine

Japanese Furikake Recipe: Na no Hana to Tamago Furikake-Broccolini and Egg Furikake

April 27, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Furikake/ふりかけ in Ja@anese basically means a condiment you can sprinkle/sheake over food, especiall fresh rice.
It is actually a very wide range concept and can include almost anything as long as you can reduce it to a coarse powder, hot or cold, fresh or dry.
Here is a simple furikake made with eggs/tamago and broccolini/Na no hana!

INGREDIENTS for 3 persons

-Broccolimi: 3 sprigs
-Eggs: 3
-Salt and sugar: as you like!

RECIPE

Fresh Brocolini in flower! The flowers are particularly delicious.

Cook in boiling water for 2 minutes.

Drop them into a drainer and pour cold water over it to stop it cooking and cool down completely.

Press as much water out as possible.

Take more water out by folding inside a clean kitchen towel.

That is how it should look!

Chop the broccolini in 5 mm long pieces.

Sprinkle with a little salt.

Break the eggs into a bowl.

Add sugar. You may add salt and spices of your choice then.

Beat well.

Pour some olive oil in a fry pan. Switch the fire on medium low. Pour the eggs into the fry pan.

Keep the fire on medium low all the time.

Keep stirring…

Keep stirring. The eggs should take on a “dryer” aspect.

Ready for the next step!

Add the chopped broccolini.

Stirring all the time, fry to get rid of the water inside the vegetables.

Fry until the whole is dry enough (but not seared!).

Ready to serve!

NOTE:

Use a pair of log cooking chopsticks. You will attain perfection more easily than with a fork or wooden spoon!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, Eel, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Fish, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Noresore, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Japanese Fish Species 12: Conger Eel Whitebait-Noresore-のれそれ

April 27, 2012 dragonlife 5 Comments

“Noresore” appears at some select fish markets around March only, and as it will be a very short season, you will have to keep your eyes open!
Noresore stands for very young conger eels. They are called different names depending on regions: “Berada” in Okayama Pref., “Tachikurage” in Misaki, “Nagatankurage” in Wakayama Pref.
In Shizuoka, they mainly come from Hamana Lake, a seawater lake west of the Prefecture, famous for its oysters, eels and clams.

5~6cm long, they are practically transparent, save for their eyes. They emit no smell. In our Prefecture they are available only during the first two weeks of March. They are slowly but surely becoming a rarity wherever in Japan, and people come from afar just for the experience!

Before serving them, lightly wash them in clean salted water.
They are great as they are with a little “ponzu or “yuzu” vinegar, a dash of “momijioroshi” (freshly grated daikon and chili pepper) and some chopped thin leeks for a last touch of colour!

Now as sushi they are sublime as “gunkan”, or a rice ball wrapped in seaweed if you are an expert, with freshly grated ginger and chopped thin leeks again.

They can even been cooked (very quickly!) in garlic olive oil!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, Daikon, Daikon leaves, 大根, 大根の葉

Vegan Japanese Recipe: Daikon Leaves Appetizer

April 26, 2012 dragonlife 8 Comments

Too many people often discard the leaves of fresh daikon they buy at the market and it is a shame as they are a great source of healthy ingredients.
Here is one simple way to prepare them as an appetizer for all priorities! The recipe can be applied to all kinds of vegetable leaves!

INGREDIENTS

-Daikon leaves: 1 daikon
-Garlic: 2 cloves/sliced
-Aburaage/Japanese fried tofu: 2
-Olive oil: 1 tablespoon

-Soy sauce: 1 tablespoon
-Mirin/sweet Japanese sake: 1 tablespoon
-Japanese sake (if not available, dry white wine): 1 tablespoon
-Rayu/Hot sesame oil: 1 teaspoon

RECIPE

Cook the daikon leaves in boiling water till they are ready to your liking. Take out the leaves and drop into cold water to stop the cooking and cool them down completeley.

Drain as much as you can. Press water out if necessary.

Slice the garlic cloves.
Cut the aburaage across into strips 1 cm wide.
Cut the daikon leaves into strips 1 cm wide.

Heat olive oil and fry the whole rapidly and not too long.
Add soy sauce, mirin, Japanese sake, rayu and stir fry a couple of times and serve!

So simple and great with a beer!
The point is that you will make use of a great ingredient that is usually thrown away. Cooked this way the daikon leaves will not emit any sour taste!

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Uncategorized

Japanese Fish Species 11: Turbot-Makogarei-真子鰈

April 25, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

“Makogarei/真子鰈” or Pleuronectes yokohamae Gunther for the specialists is one of the many kinds of turbot indigeneous to Japan.
You will find it on the markets between June and August.
Depending where you live, you might do well to know its other names: “Aome” (Sendai), “Mushibirama” (Konahama), “Mako” (Tokyo) or “Amakarei” among many.
It is net-caught all around Japan.

It has comparatively a lot of flesh for a turbot, making it a choice morsel for nigiri or sashimi.

It can reach a length of 45 cm. Contrary to many other fish, the size will bear no incidence on the taste, but if you wish for extra taste, avoid female specimen bearing eggs/roe, and if possible, although a bit extravagant, choose a live fish (possible at Parche, Shizuoka JR Station!).
A good sushi or Japanese restaurant will deep-fry the bones and head for you, making for a great snack with great ale!

As a sushi nigiri, it is served as it is, and can be savoured with a little salt and lemon juice only as seasoning.

Many people also ask their sushi nigiri seasoned with tare/sauce.

One more way is to present it as konbujime/marinated in seaweed.

Being a large fish, it can be easily manipulated into bo sugata sushi/baton sushi with the rice inside the fish.

Small specimen are appreciated grilled whole with some lemon, soy sauce and grated daikon.

Another popular cuisine is to stew/simmer the whole fish in soy sauce, mirin and sake as ni-zakana.

The sperm sacs/shirako of the male specimens are much appreciated in European-style cuisine!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Fish, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism

Japanese Fish Species 10: Black Rock Fish-Kuro Soi-

April 24, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kurosoi/クロソイ/Black Rock Fish-Schlegel’s Black Rockfish (Latin name: Sebastes schlegelii Hilgendorf,1880) is a rock fish/scorpion Fish variety even rarer than Ainame/アイナメ/Fat Greening for the simple reason that it is one of those fish great not only for its taste but for its angling challenge!

Also known as Kurosui and Kurokara (and many local names), it is caught south of the Hokkaido Island along rocky coasts as well as off the Korean Peninsula and China.
Great efforts are presently spent on the possibility of raising them either by semi-natural methods or completely raised from egg to adult state in human-controlled environment.
Its flesh can be appreciated in any form of gastronomy, raw or cooked.

Sashimi plate.
As sashimi and sushi it should be absolutely fresh as the the flesh tends to spoil quickly.

Rare as sushi! (two on the left!)

Slow-cooked as Japanese-style aquapazza!

Its head, tail, fins and bones can be turned into a succulent Japanese-style miso bouillabaisse with other seafood!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Fish, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Gizzard Shad, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kohada, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Tourism, 小肌

Japanese Fish Species 9: Gizzard Shad-Kohada-小肌

April 24, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Kohada/コハダ/小肌、or “small skin” actually is not the Japanese name of gizzard shad, but a generic name for the small fish as sashimi or sushi.
The real Japanese name for gizzard shad is konoshiro/コノシロ, and even the same fish goes by other names depending on its size:
-Up to 5 cm: shinko/シンコ
-Around 10 cm: kohada/コハダ
-More than 15 cm: konoshiro/コノシロ

Although the main fishing/angling season is around November~December, it can be found in good sushi restaurants all year round.
This said, coming summer, it will be the small shinko season.

Choose fresh specimens. Fish with reddish eyes and flaking scales should be avoided.
The fish is particularly popular pickled in salt and vinegar before being served either as sashimi or sushi, as the smell emanating from the grilled fish is too strong for many.

Kohada maki, with no rice, is an interesting morsel for people wishing to savour it alone with a great drink.

But it is most popular as sushi!
The small size of the fish allows for all kinds of combinations, but the fun, and the skill, resides in the “shallow cutting” practiced by many chefs for best taste.

The cutting techniques are almost infinite.
I hope that the following pictures will give an idea of what to expect, or create!

Will publish the recipe to prepare the fish soon!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Filefish, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kawahagi, seafood, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Thread-Sail Filefish, Tourism

Japanese Fish Species 8: Thread-Sail Filefish-Kawahagi-カワハギ

April 23, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

Kawahagi or Thread-sail Filefish (or simply Filefish) is an angler’s favourite in summer, although it is caught almost all year round in Shizuoka.
Like any other fishes, it has other names such as “Gihagi, “Hagi”, “Gyuu”, “Subuta” or “Bakuchiuchi”.
It is fairly common in Central and South Japan.
It is called Leatherjacket down in Australia where it is considered a pest!

The skin should be rough like that of a shark and brightly coloured.
Avoid sticky skin fish.
The bigger the size, the greater the taste (anglers, enjoy!)

In Kansai area, it replaces Fugu/Globefish when it is out of season for its similarity as sashimi.

Actually it makes for superlative sashimi as demonstrated by the above O-Tsukuri served at Sushi Ko in Shizuoka City!

012

The same served with its own liver dip!

It can make for a spectacular sashimi presentation as a whole fish sashimi plate!

Both its flesh and liver can be served raw!

Australians would be surprised to discover it served as tartare on Italian-style crostinis!

The perfect Kawahagi sushi nigiri must have be topped with its own liver!

Cut in small slices, it makes for beautiful sushi gunkan!

Cooked, it is very popular simmered in soy sauce, mirin and sugar. A great accompaniment for a nice bowl of freshly steamed rice!

If you want to serve it as tempura, first season it with umeboshi/Japanese pickled plums flesh of the sweet kind.

Now, what does this remind you of? Foie gras? Almost right! Grilled kawahagi Liver!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 酒, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 豚肉, 農業, Food, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Izakaya, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, sake, seafood, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine

Japanese Izakaya: Kohaku in Shizuoka City!

April 22, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

Extravagant sashimi plate at Kohaku!

Service: Very friendly and welcoming. Great explanations.
Facilities & Equipment: Very clean and great washroom
Prices: Appropriate
Strong points: Traditional and modern izakaya gastronomy. Very inventive cuisine with introduction of some Western concepts. Great seafood. Great sake list. Wine and other alcohols available. Intensive use of local products combined with ingredients from other prefectures!

It is always an intense pleasure to discover a new izakaya even in a town where you have lived for 36 years!
My good friend, Yasushi Imaizumi, owner of IMAIZUMI Co Ltd. had been raving about Kohaku so we decided to visit the place last Friday!

Located in Shichiken-Cho Street which has recently become a “back street” with the disappearance of all the cinemas/movie theaters relocated to the 9th floor of Cenova Department Store it moved to its new address under a new name last November significantly contributing to the revival of an interesting street of Shizuoka City!

A daily hand-brushed menu posted outside is always a good sign!

Takashi Kawauguchi/川口貴士さん works there everyday at lunch and dinner with a true passion for his craft. The family is helping especially his mother, a great source of local lore, and occasionally by his sister and father. The latter surprised me when he mentioned a now defunct izakaya called “Wa no Ji” I used to patronize in the late 1970’s! I wonder if he knows some of my “secrets”!

A small but traditional entrance.
Sorry for the fuzzy picture but it was a dark rainy night!
As I will report again for lunch (they apparently serve an extravagant curry with all kinds of different toppings!) I promise to come up with a better picture!

Great calligraphy again!

The place was empty at 7:00 when we entered but we soon found out it had almost been completely reserved so be warned!
Reserve a seat the counter where you will be able to share some genial talk with the chef and the regular customers!

If you don’t read Japanese, do not worry. You will probably end up with everybody explaining everything!
Now, if you do read Japanese take your time in choosing the dishes because there is enough to tempt you coming back every week!

A traditional Japanese setting!

You will discover a great attention to details with an individual wooden tray for your plates and cups!

Plenty of drinks to choose from, especially local sake and shochu from everywhere else!
But it might be a good idea to check with the Chef first!

These top-class local Shizuoka sake were not on the menu!

Neither were these sake actually concocted by a winery in Yamanashi Prefecture!

You are in Shizuoka Prefecture looking at the richest sea in Japan, so you must order a plate of sashimi which is always bound to include a great majority of local products, some of which you will never find elsewhere unless you have very deep pockets!

The specialty of Shizuoka, fresh sakura ebi/cherry shrimps, surrounded by maguro akami/lean tuna, aji/horse mackerel and saba/mackerel!

Another rare specialty from Shizuoka, raw shirasu/hard mouth sardine whiting flanked by another famous fish of our Prefecture, katsuo, bonoto sashimi!
I know a lot of people who come all the way from Tokyo just to sample those three seafoods!

But like any izakaya worth its salt, the cooked cuisine is the main attraction at Kohaku!
Home-made liver paste! As a Frenchman, I can assure you it was a real beauty!

Now, pate and terrine spell the difference between bistros back home in France, but here in Japan home-made satsumaage/deep-fried fish and vegetable paste will tell you at once which the good izakayas are!

I will have to forget other izakayas for a while as there are just too many beauties to sample at Kohaku:
Kakuni/角煮! Dongpo pork (pork belly)!

Chef Kawaguchi takes a long time in cooking his kakuni, but he will coat it with cornstarch before frying it lightly for a last touch! You simply must sample this Chinese/Japanese true delicacy!

What with all the great sake we were drinking, there was a limit to what you could eat in a single evening. Therefore we decided to try another dish for which Kohaku is celebrated: Ox tail stew!

Now, this is real Western gastronomy served with fresh fried potato wedges!
With all that great sauce available Yasushi asked the Chef to boil some pasta on the quick, which was done on the spot. Before savoring the pasta we had poured on our plate with plenty of sauce, Takashi’s sister came to us to grate some fresh parmesan on it without being asked!
Now, I call that great attention!

To be continued, of course, what with the lunch curry!

KOHAKU/旬彩こはく

420-0085 Shizuoka Shi, Aoi Ku, Shichiken-Cho, 18-1, PIVOT Shizuoka, 1F
Tel.: 054-221-0589
Opening hours: 11:30~14:30, 17:00~23:00

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Must-see tasting websites:

Bonito, 美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, 鰹, Fish, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Katsuo, sashimi, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, sushi, Tourism

Japanese Fish Species 7: Bonito-Katuso-鰹

April 22, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Bonito or “katsuo” in Japanese are extensively caught by fishermen from Numazu, Shimizu, Yaizu and Omaezaki Harbours (all Shizuoka Prefecture). The main fishing areas are Shizuoka, Mie, Kochi & Miyazaki Prefectures.
It is also called “katsu” (Tohoku Region), “Honkatsuo” (Kyushu Island), “Magatsuo” (Shikoku and Kyushu Islands. N.B.: the same name designates another fish in other parts of Japan!), “Suji” (Yamaguchi & Wakayama Pref.).
It appears on the markets early Spring~Autumn as “sho gatsuo” (first bonito in Spring) and “modori gatsuo” (return bonito end of Autumn).
They are traditionally line-caught but nets have been used extensively in recent years.
Of the same family this is the only tuna variety whose stocks are still preserved.

It can be appreciated raw, as sashimi with its skin or without it, preferably served with a saucer of soy sauce (shoyu) mixed with thin slices of fresh garlic, or with wasabi, a touch of lemon and shoyu,

or as nigiri topped with grated fresh ginger a thin slice of garlic, unless you prefer grated fresh ginger with chopped thin leeks.

The same is done with lightly grilled/aburi (or tataki) bonito as sushi nigiri.

Another very popular way to eat it that will please Europeans and North Americans alike, is “tataki”.

The fish is first seared/grilled over charcoal until it is lightly cooked on the whole outside then plunged into iced water to stop it from cooking any longer. It is then cut into large slices and served with freshly chopped garlic and thin leeks, “shiso” leaves (perilla/beefsteak plant) and wasabi.

Note 1: in restaurants specify whether you want the skin or not when ordering sashimi.

Note 2: the same fish is a staple food in Sri Lanka where it is first smoked and then prepared as soup or curry!

It is one of the most versatile fish in Japan.
It can be appreciated in many ways:
As a simple donburi/on a bowl or rice at home (see above picture),

Lightly seared and served as carpaccio,

as bogata sushi/whole fish stuffed with sushi rice,

as oshizushi/pressed sushi,

but my favourite is probably as zuke/marinated in soy sauce, mirin, sake, etc. before being served with a slice of garlic!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

環八, 美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Fish, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Kampachi, sashimi, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, sushi, Tourism, 刺身

Japanese Fish Species 6: Amberjack-Kampachi-環八

April 21, 2012 dragonlife Leave a comment

KAMPACHI-1

With the first days of Autumn Kampachi or Amberjack is appearing on our plates in Japan, although we have them almost all year round in Shizuoka!

The fish seems to have so many names in any language: Amberjack, Purplish Amberjack, Yellowtail, Greater Yellowtail, and Ruderfish in English, whereas in Japanese it is called Kampachi, Akahana, Kampa, or Shokko among others, not accounting for regional names!.

KAMPACHI-3

It is caught along Central and South Honshu Island, including a lot in Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture!
It is a very popular fish as it happens to come just in between Hiramasa/Young Japanese Amberjack-Five ray Yellowtail in Summer and Buri/Mature Japanese Amberjack-Five Ray Yellowtail in Winter, making a favourite for the season, but bringing a lot of confusion on foreign tables because of the similar names.
Kampachi (Seriola dumerili (Risso) in Latin) and Buri (Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck and Schlegel in Latin) are very similar but their season is different. Beware of scams! Actually the meat looks different.

KAMPACHI-2 BURI-SUSHI

Kampachi vs Buri Sushi

Natural Kampachi is quite rare in Japan these days whereas human-raised are plenty.

Japanese-style simmered Amberjack

Kampachi is savoured in many ways: Sashimi & Sushi, Grilled (Yakimono), Simmered (Nizuke), Meuniere and fried.
Choose comparatively small specimens. Beware of the large cheap specimens!

Ask for a variation in Sushi called “Kampachi Aburi”/kampachi lightly grilled on one side: a beauty!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

美食, 観光, 農業, Fruit, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Strawberries, Tourism

Japan Gastronomy and Society: Own picked Straberries on Sale in Shizuoka City!

April 20, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

if you go to the country in Japan, especially in farming-rich areas you will discover many people selling thir own garden/field fruit or vegetables on makeshift stands.

I found this stand yesterday in the entrance of a small company building whose business is totally unrelated to farming but whose owner apparently grows his own benihoppe/Red Cheeks Strawberries.
He had put quite a lot on sale. 300 yen for at leat 500 grams of small but delicious, especilally for jams, is dead cheap!

Since “grown at home” is mentioned the company owner’s family muts be a local farming family!

A simple box is left on the stand for coins to be put inside.
Nobody was ther to look after it.
Back home in France the strawberries and the money box would have disappeared within five minutes!

No wonder Japan is such a safe and resilient country!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

Must-see tasting websites:

石鰈, 美食, 観光, 魚, 魚海の幸, Fish, Flatfish, Flounder, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka Cuisine, Stone Flounder, Tourism

Japanese Fish Species 5: Stone Flounder-Ishigarei-石鰈

April 20, 2012 dragonlife 2 Comments

Ishigarei, イシガレイ、石鰈 in Japanese, is another popular flatfish/flounder in this country. For the specialists the Englidh name is Stone flounder, and its Latin name Kareus bicoloratus. Interestingly enough these fishes are commonly called flatfishes in English, wheeras the Jaapnese write them as “leaf Fishes”!

In Japan, depending upon the region it will be called other names, such as Ishimochi, Ishimochigarei or Shirogarei.
Their season is mainly in Summer in Hokkaido and Eastern Japan, although they might appear a lot earlier in Shizuoka.

Ishigarei is considered the best of all flounders in this country. People generally avoid to catch them during the female egg incubation, but the same egg-bearing fish are a delicacy in Tokyo.

Always choose “lively” specimens when buying them as the taste will soon deteriorate if the fish is not dressed quickly first.
If an angler-friend of yours calls on the phone with one of them, don’t discuus and buy the fish!

Stone flounders make for such superlative sashimi that it becomes a bit of a waste to consume it in another way.

But who would pass such a Japanese-style carpaccio?

Or an Italian Carpaccio?

Sushi lovers will appreciate it as a sushi nigiri!

A truly extravagant sushi nigiri display. Eat it quickly!

Alright, you were not lucky enough to get it absolutely fresh.
In this case simmer it the Japanese way as Ishigarei Ni (Ni stands for simmer) with soy sauce, sake, mirin and ginger!

Or do it the Italian way with olive oil and dry tomatoes!

RECOMMENDED RELATED WEBSITES

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Bourgogne Gatsronomy, 美食, 鹿肉, 農業, French Cuisine, French gastronomy, Gastronomes, Gastronomy, Japan, Japanese Gastronomy, Shizuoka, Shizuoka agricultural products, Shizuoka Cuisine, Venison, Wine Stew

French Recipe: Okabe Venison Bourgogne Wine Stew and Penne!

April 20, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

My plate!

What with wild deer making themselves a real nuisance in Shizuoka Prefecture (and almost all over Japan) succulent meat is readily avalaible if you know when, where and whom to ask!
The other day my good friend Yasushi Imaizumi/今泉康さん, owner of IMAIZUMI Fashion Company and a well-known local gastronome, gave me a good 2 kg of venison from a deer that had been culled by licensed hunters in Okabe, Fuijeda City!

Being a native of Bourgogne, France, I knew the simple way to prepare it: Wine Stew/Bourguignon as for beef!
Although the meat was basically rump whereas meat on the bone would have been more proper, I still cooked it in the above manner.
This was a source of a bone of contention with the Dragon as I was for the analog recipe whereas she cooks such dishes through pressure cooking (autocuiseur/圧力鍋 !
If you are for the pressure cooker, the process is the same though the cooking will take only a few minutes but you still will need to strain and reduce the sauce.
Now, i did it the long ang and traditonal way:
-I cut the meat (about 2~3kg of it) into large chunks and marinated them overnight with a cup of whisky (you can try cognac or even vodka!), a bit of salt, plenty of pepper, bay leaves, a little sage and plenty of thyme powder (whole would have been best!).
-The next day, I took the meat out of its marinade and drained it. Some people wipe the marinade off but I don’t. The beauty of the Bourguignonne recipe is that it is wide open to priorities!
I didn’t discard the marinade!
-I cut a large carrot into big chunks, peeled a whole garlic and separated the cloves. I did not cut the latter. I peeled a large hard fresh onion. Some people would cut the onion into quarters but I wanted to keep it for the dish whereas quartered onion would have almost melted.
-I first fried cubes of baco in a little olive oil in a learge pan.
-I then fried the venison (with the bacon) all over in plenty more olive oil over a hot fire. Once the meat had completely changed color I dropped the carrot in, added some flour and cooked until the flour became a foxy color.
-I then reduced the fire to very low. I added the garlic, some tomato ketchup, the whole marinade and 2 thirds of a bottle of strong red wine (it was Italian as I didn’t have a French one!). People in Corsica also add a good portion of fresh home-made pistou/pesto, bvut I didn’t have the time or will to prepare it although I love it.
-I mixed the whole roughly and placed the onion in the middle punctured with a couple of whole cloves, put the lid on and cooked the whole on a very little fire for over 2 hours.
=I then took the venison, bacon and onion carefully out and drained the sauce.
I discarded the vegetables and reduced the sauce to a good half.
While it was reducing I cut the venison into single-bite chunks.
Once the sauce had been properly reduced I asted it and seasoned a little more and I put the venison and bacon back into the sauce and cooked it on a low fire while I was preparing some penne in plenty of salted water in which I had poured some olive oil.
I dropped the penne inside two large plates, placed plenty of venison in the middle, poure enough sauce (there was olenty left for the next two days!). On top of it all I placed the hot and (only then!) quartered onion for better effect and enjoyment. I put a finaltouch by sprinkling plenty of chopped fresh parsley all over it.

Pretty simple and open to variations!

The Dragon’s plate!

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Japanese Fish Species 4: Sole-Olive Flounder-Bastard Halibut-Tonguefish-Hirame-平目

April 20, 2012 dragonlife 4 Comments

Hirame/平目

“Hirame” could be translated in many ways depending of your country of origin: Flat Fish, Sole, Ｔurbot (although the latter should define “karei”) and what else. There are many varieties, wild or human-raised. In Japanese, the names are numerous: Hirame, Shitabirame, Ooguchikarei, Oyanirami, etc.

Actually, they can be divided into two main groups:

1)The Olive flounder or Bastard halibut (Paralichthys olivaceus; Japanese: ヒラメ/平目) is a species of large-tooth flounder native to the north-western Pacific Ocean.
It is often referred to as the Japanese flatfish or Korea(n) flatfish (광어) when mentioned in the context of those countries.
It is the most common flatfish species raised in aquaculture in Korea. They are raised in Japan and China as well.

Shitabirame/舌平目

2) Tonguefishes (shitabirame/舌平目in Japanese) are a family, Cynoglossidae, of flatfishes. They are distinguished by the presence of a long hook on the snout overhanging the mouth, and the absence of pectoral fins. Their eyes are both on the left side of their body, which also lacks a pelvic fin.

The best season is Autumn to Winter. They are still available until Spring in Shizuoka Prefecture. Wild ones come from Hokkaido and Aomori. Human-raised ones mainly hail from Oita, Ehime, Mie, and Kagoshima Prefectures.

Hirame Sashimi

The domestic wild catch is around 7,600 tonnes a year, while farmed fish amounts to around 7,100 tonnes a year. A recent increase has been observed in recent years, though. A lot are imported from Korea through Fukuoka and Shimoseki.
They are found in tropical and subtropical oceans, mainly in shallow waters and estuaries, though a few species are found in deep sea floors, and a few in rivers.

Hirame can be enjoyed in many ways:
As sashimi, cut in various thickness, according to the chef’s preference and presented artfully.

It can be enjoyed cut in small dices, as tartare, especially shitabirame/tonguefish with tomato and strawberry!

Of course, hiirame is great as sushi nigiri with all kinds of seasoning. I prefer it just seasoned with a little lemon juice or yuzu (if available) and salt (preferably “snow salt” from Okinawa!

The Japanese have a fondness for “engawa”, that is the frilled border along the fillets which are usually thrown away in other countries. The texture is different, almost crunchy.