It’s late, we’re tired and the house is cold. A nice plate of colorful pasta or gnocchi is my favorite dish in that situation!! I had some snap peas, some cherry tomatoes and a bit of bacon left, together with olive oil and pepper, it made a great sauce for short pasta. I choose conchiglie, but orrechiete or penne would work good too as they would get soaked in the sauce and become little recipients which would bring all the flavors and consistency at once in the mouth. Another simply delicious recipe.
Itosho – いと正
Last year I tried Daigo and a temple that serve Shojin-精進 cuisine. This time it is the turn of the Michelin one star Itosho in Azabu juban. The number of restaurant serving this kind of cuisine seems to be slightly increasing but Itosho is one of the long runner, since it started almost 50 years ago. And it has been run by chef Ito, a nice little character that serves himself the dishes he prepares. The place is in a small street of Azabu juban area and it is much less luxurious than Daigo, but the private room simplicity (all classic Japanese style seating) and neatness is perfect to make a time shift and appreciate the cuisine. Of course Ito uses fresh seasonal products, and it is perfectly delicious. Paired with some sake from Takayama, his region of origin. The tofu is amazing and the use of egoma is just right. And honestly it is quite affordable. Booking is mandatory and choosing the size of the menu also. We picked the middle one (I thought my father would complain with the smallest one) and it was quite a huge amount of food already!
Itosho – いと正
3-4-7 Azabu-Juban, Minato-ku, Tokyo; (03) 3454-6538
Open daily for lunch 12-3 p.m. and dinner 5:30-9:30 p.m. Cash only for payment.
Colorful vegetables
Well after taking a bit more time and cooking for 4 people it’s now back to crazy at work and coming back home late, working weekends. So dinners have become simpler. It goes together with a typical March weather, when one day is rainy and cold and the next is warm and sunny. When you crave for spring vegetables but it feels like winter. In these times my best dinner solution us a plate of olive oil sautéed vegetables: sweet potatoes, new carrots, beet root and some boiled chick peas. Add a bit of curcuma, and a few snap peas for spring greens and it is ready. Simple, warm, colorful and vegan!
Shiitake and spinach quiche
This is the end of winter, but it is still chilly and though the spring greens are quite attractive, sometimes a good all winter quiche with spinach and shiitake is a perfect dinner. And because I find that a short movie is easier to understand the technique than long sentences I am trying again to make videos of the cooking process. Tell me how you like it. I’m craving to know your opinion to improve from your feedbacks!
Spinach and shiitake quiche:
For the quiche crust
– 160g of flour
– 20g of wheat bran
– a pinch of salt
– 1 egg
– 40g of butter
– a bit of water eventually
In a bowl mix all the ingredients and knead until the dough is soft. Add water or a bit of flour to adjust the hydration level. In a floured top roll the dough to the size of your pie dish.
For the filling
– 3 eggs
– 20cl of milk
– spinach to your liking
– shiitake to your liking
– salt, pepper
Wash and blanche the spinach. In a bowl beat the egg, the milk and yhe salt and pepper. Set in the dough. Wash and slice the shiitake. Add the spinach and shiitake.
Bake at 170deg for 30min (the cooking time depends on the depth of the filling) or until golden.
Have a nice week!!!!
Japanese style pasta
And here we are with a new recipe of Japanese pasta. Honestly I didn’t think I would like this combination so much but in the end I prepare some more than often after the one with pickled cabbage. So this time I prepared a vegan base with new onion, canola, snap peas, fried tofu, to which you can add some bonito flakes. Served with spaghetti or liguine, and a few drops of soya sauce. Simple and delicious! Have a nice weekend!
No-name recipe
It’s neither a clafoutis nor a quiche nor a cake. It has the fluffiness of a cake, the moisture of a quiche and the edges of a clafoutis. This is simply what I have cooked last night for dinner. With my parents at home I try to come back earlier from work and t gives me the opportunity to cook food that I usually don’t cook because it takes too much baking time. I wanted to prepare a cake with plenty of vegetables but what I often don’t like in cakes is that they are too dry and so not too pleasant to eat. But clafoutis have no pretty shape. And a quiche for 4 won’t fit in my little oven in Tokyo. So I opted for a new option that fixes all the problems, and the result was awesomely delicious!!! The base is that of a cake with flour, baking powder and eggs, in which I have added a huge piece of silky tofu and olive oil. It gives this unique texture to the cake that make it moist and soft. I added some vegetables: 2 tomatoes diced, 1 new onion sliced, a handful of shiitake sliced, and for those who like, some grilled bacon. Except for the tomatoes, I grilled the vegetables in a little of olive oil to soften them. Add all to the mix, plus salt and pepper and bake for 30-40min or until all golden. I served it with a little green salad and sprouts.
Have a nice end of the week!!!
Spring is in the air!
Well, at least in the farmers market! Because it’s still quite cold in Tokyo… but all these greens were so appalling that I couldn’t resist making a little green risotto for everyone! Simply with one leek for the creaminess, and then fava beans, green peas and snap peas. That’s the vegan base. But with my parents at home I need to adjust to everyone taste, so basically I prepared 4 different risotto. For the vegetarian I added some Italian parmegiano cream cheese, for the macrobiotic version I added some horse mackerel cut in bites, and for those who like everything they add both, even topped with gratted parmegiano. Everyone was very happy with their personalized version!!
Little getaway: Bise
In the end of winter when spring is coming but too slowly, there is nothing such as a little getaway to the southern islands for a bit of real spring, with temperatures above 20 degrees and the ocean around 22 degrees. And with my parents visiting we all took off to Okinawa main island for the weekend. It’s only 2h30 flight away from Tokyo, but it’s a totally different world! This time we headed to Nago and enjoyed the sea, the nature, the culture of the Ryukyu islands. Very typical architecture, pristine blue water, lush green of the tropical forest… Swimming, marine sports, hiking are probably the main activities. The biggest surprise of our trip was probably Bise. A beautiful small village by the sea with alleys of trees that create a magic atmosphere, and where for some reason we’ve not been before. We stayed in a house just by the sea and surrounded by these beautiful trees. We also enjoyed some local food of course, the delicious tofu from Okinawa, with a different mode of preparation than tofu from the mainland (they keep it warm in the supermarket instead of having it in a fridge!); the umi budo; the gusuku seaweed; the pork long cooked and all melty; the natural black sugar; the shikwasa and the tankan citrus fruits to count only a few. The best to visit the island is to rent a car, it’s very easy to drive around. To stay in Bise try Ocean Blue or Chanya for a unique beach side experience. The huge marine park near Bise has a beautiful exhibition about the Pacific islands culture that I warmly recommend.
Other things to do in Okinawa main island: Shuri-jo and a walk in the narrow streets around; Nakamura house; Gyokusendo caves; beach, beach, beach
Kumquat and carrot salad
Fresh, simple, delicious and just a Japanese twist for the white miso dressing for this salad, that was inspired by my IG watching.
You need a few carrots, a few kumquats, a tbsp of white miso, and a bit ofkonbu dashi or water. Slice or grat the carrots, cut the kumquats in quarters, and stir the carrots and the kumquats in a bowl. In a small bowl, mix the miso with a tsp of dashi or water. Add with the vegetables, and stir. Ready to eat!
I wish you a very good week!
