I love Japanese food.

Seriously.  If I had to decide to eat only one type of food for the rest of my life, Japanese would be pretty high up there.  It’s all in the flavor profile: ginger, sesame, lemon, garlic, soy.  Lighter and more subtle than other Asian styles.  And of course, the wasabi.  Ahh, wasabi.

I am, self-admitted, a HUGE wimp when it comes to spice and heat levels.  Chilies completely overwhelm me, curry leaves me sweating, and don’t even get me started on cayenne pepper.  BUT, when out to sushi, I load my soy sauce with wasabi.  You know why I can handle wasabi?  Because it doesn’t linger.  It hits you, WHAM!, and then it’s gone.  No burned tongue, no water-gulping.  It comes and just as quick, it goes.  I think that’s why I can handle the heat of wasabi.  That, and it’s an excellent sinus clearer

One of the best uses I’ve found for wasabi at home is in mashed potatoes.  I don’t want to undersell these: THEY ARE THE BEST MASHED POTATOES.  EVER.  Just like regular mashed potatoes, creamy and buttery, and then that hit of wasabi spice.  Just so, so good.  I eat these like whipped cream, fingerfuls at a time while making them.  It’s amazing that any of these potatoes actually make it to the table, so in love with them I am.  Yum, yum, yum.

I also love crab cakes with mashed potatoes as their base.  These could not be simpler: wasabi mashed potatoes, crab, little special soy sauce, all rolled in black sesame seeds and panko crumbs.  Bake until golden.  Just perfect.

The soy sauce I used for the crab cakes and the coleslaw is incredibly flavorful and incredibly simple.  Just a few slices of lemon, a few slices of peeled ginger, and a few crushed garlic cloves.  Pour soy sauce over them and let it all sit and marinate in the fridge for a day.  The lemon, ginger and garlic flavor the soy sauce in such a brilliant way, I swear you will never have soy sauce straight out of the bottle again.  Delish.

This coleslaw is also based on the coleslaw at a sushi restaurant near my work.  They top theirs with dried ginger and fish flakes, which really add something extra to it.  Not having these on hand, I just tossed in some sesame seeds and dried seaweed; different taste, but still delicious.

What’s your favorite flavor profile?  THG

Wasabi Crab Cakes

For mashed potatoes:

1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and quartered

1/4 cup low-fat milk

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, divided

2 Tbsp. wasabi paste

salt and pepper

For cakes:

3 small cans crab meat, drained

2 Tbsp. lemon-garlic soy sauce

1 cup panko breadcrumbs

2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

In a large pot, bring potatoes and 1 Tbsp. butter to a boil in salted water.  Continue to boil, covered, until potatoes are fork-tender.  Drain.

Place potatoes in a stand mixer with a paddle attachment.  Beat on medium to break up potatoes.  While still hot, add milk and remaining 3 Tbsp. butter.  Beat on medium-high until potatoes are completely smooth and fluffy, without any lumps.  Mix in wasabi paste until combined.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Add crab meat and soy sauce to mashed potatoes and fold in gently.  Form potato mixture into 2” cakes, flattened slightly.  In a small bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs and sesame seeds.  Roll cakes in breadcrumb mixture until well-coated, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake in center of oven until cakes are golden-brown, about 20-30 minutes.  Serve warm.

Serves 4-6

Japanese Coleslaw

3 cups shredded green cabbage

1/4 cup lemon-garlic soy sauce

2 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

In a measuring cup, whisk together soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and sesame oil until smooth.  Toss with cabbage.  Top with sesame seeds.

Serves 4-6

I’m a fairly adventurous eater.  I’ll try most any type of cuisine.  Moroccan, Ethiopian, Middle Eastern, Mongolian. 

I remember the first time I had sushi.  I was about 12 years old, and my mom took my brother (who was 14) and I to a Japanese restaurant.  I was thrilled at the idea of trying this very sophisticated and grown-up food; Ryan was a bit wary.  When our dishes came, Ryan saw that his came with a big pile of smoked salmon, which he loved.  He immediately put a whole handful in his mouth.

But it wasn’t smoked salmon.

It was pickled ginger.

Have you ever seen the face of a teenage boy who has just, unbeknownst to him, eaten a massive mouthful of pickled ginger?  It’s like a cartoon; steam from the ears, face turns bright red.  He quickly spit it out and declared sushi to be “totally gross”.  It took him until he was about 20 or so to really appreciate sushi.  That pickled ginger stays with you.

But, regardless of ginger mishaps, I loved sushi that first try.  It was really what started me on stepping outside of my food comfort zone.  If raw fish could be so delicious, what else is out there?

San Francisco is an awesome city for eating.  So much diversity, both culturally and economically.  Perfect for a cash-poor foodie like me. 

The first time I had Thai food was in San Francisco.  I was with my roommates, wandering aimlessly around 9th and Irving and completely starving.  We went into a tiny, hole-in-the-wall Thai restaurant on a whim (mainly because Gordo’s had a line out the door).  I had fresh spring rolls with mi krop and a green papaya salad. 

Heaven.

Heaven after the first bite.

I love me some Thai food.  I think it’s an excellent cuisine for people just venturing out of their own little food box.  A lot of common flavors are utilized, just in different preparations and combinations.  Garlic, cilantro, basil, lime, rice, coconut.

This dish uses some subtle Thai flavors, with lemongrass, ginger, garlic, cilantro and lime.  A little rice vinegar, brown rice noodles, shrimp, red bell pepper and mushrooms.  I did a side salad of cucumber, tomato, green beans and carrot, all julienned, with a very simple lime vinaigrette.  Just light, bright and very Thai-ish.  Adventurous but still close enough to home that anyone could enjoy it.  And no pickled ginger to be found

  THG

Thai-Style Noodles with Shrimp

2 lemongrass stalks, whites only, roughly chopped

2 whole garlic cloves

1” piece of ginger, peeled and chopped

1 lime, juiced and zested

3 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

10 oz. rice noodles

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 lb. medium-sized shrimp, uncooked, deveined and tails removed

2 cups white mushrooms, sliced

1 red bell pepper, julienned

3 Tbsp. rice wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. black sesame seeds

In a food processor, combine lemongrass, garlic, ginger, lime juice and zest and cilantro.  Process until it reaches a paste consistency.  Set aside

In a large saucepan, boil rice noodles in salted water until al dente, about 4-5 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Toss with a little vegetable oil to keep from sticking.

In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add shrimp and cook until pink, about 5 minutes.  Add mushrooms and bell pepper and cook until tender, about 6-8 minutes.  Add herb paste and rice wine vinegar and toss to coat.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

Raw Vegetable Thai Salad

1 English cucumber, peeled and julienned

2 large carrots, peeled and julienned

1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut in half lengthwise

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

Large pinch of sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine all vegetables in a large bowl.  In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine lime juice, rice wine vinegar and sugar.  Whisk in vegetable oil to emulsify.  Pour over vegetables and toss.  Serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

I have to stop watching the Cooking Channel.  I have to stop watching the Cooking Channel, because all I want to do is eat and buy ingredients I cannot afford.  But when you’re watching these cooks in their pristine kitchens, with their truffle oil and their local organic produce and their KitchenAid EVERYTHING, you can’t help but want to cook with awesome, expensive ingredients in a high-tech, fully-equipped kitchen too.  So, I occasionally get the envy eye.  Why can’t I have a steady supply of $20 olive oil and Himalayan sea salt?  Where’s my professional grade ice cream maker and custom copper cookware?  Oh yeah, I’m not a cooking show star.  I’m just a gal on a budget trying to eat better than Raman noodles every night (not that Raman noodles aren’t delicious…cuz they are

).

But all self-pity aside, I actually sometimes enjoy the budgetary restrictions.  It forces you to be creative, to use basic ingredients in new and interesting ways, and it really makes those times when you can get your hands on a prime rib or ahi tuna steak a whole lot more special and worthy of celebration.

I recently came across 2 wild Alaskan salmon fillets on sale, and bought them without a moment’s hesitation.  I love salmon.  The light, flakiness of the flesh, the beautiful pink color, the distinct, but not fishy, flavor.  It’s an incredibly versatile fish and can handle many different flavor pairings and preparations.  I really love salmon with a simple lemon and butter sauce, so I thought a piccata would be the perfect fix for these beautiful fillets.  Shawn and I are huge piccata fans, though we generally prepare it with chicken breasts.  We usually do the piccata with mashed potatoes and petite green peas.  We then mix everything together and eat it as one single dish.  We call it Chicken Picasso.  You know, because it’s all mixed up and colorful.  Yes, we are super clever and cool over here.

For the salmon, I thought a roasted vegetable dish would be a better pairing than the mashed potatoes and peas.

Fingerling potatoes and asparagus roasted in a simple mixture of olive oil, salt, pepper and basil.  It was a light and wonderful pairing to the fish, definitely elegant and gourmet feeling without the gourmet price.

For the salmon, it’s just a light flour dredge and pan-fried in an olive oil/butter mixture.  It cooks up much quicker than the chicken breasts, so be sure to keep an eye on them.  It will leave just a nice, light crust to the outside of the fish, with a juicy and flaky center.  The lemon piccata sauce is just the icing on the cake with this dish and ties all the flavors together really nicely.

So, I guess I don’t really need all the fancy oils and salts to make a delicious gourmet meal.  Just a good pan, and working stovetop and oven are all I really need.  I mean, I am the Humble Gourmet after all.  BUT, I definitely wouldn’t pass up a decked-out kitchen.  Do you hear me Cooking Channel?  THG

Salmon Piccata with Roasted Vegetables

For the piccata:

2 wild Alaskan salmon fillets, cut in half

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. ground black pepper

1 tsp. sea salt

2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 Tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Tbsp. lemon zest

2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse off the salmon fillets and pat dry.  Mix the flour, sea salt and pepper together in a bowl.  Dredge each salmon fillet in the flour mixture and set aside.  In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat.  When the butter is melted and the oil has heated to almost smoking, add the salmon fillets.  Cook, turning once, until crisp and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Remove the salmon fillets from the pan and set 1 aside.  Set the pan over medium heat and add the remaining 2 Tbsp. of butter, deglazing the brown bits from the bottom of the pan.  When the butter has melted, add the lemon zest and basil to the pan and cook for 1 minute.  Add the lemon juice and cook for another 1-2 minutes until the lemon juice has reduced slightly and the sauce has thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Remove from heat.  Add the salmon to the sauce one at a time, turning to cover both sides.  Divide the remaining sauce among each fillet and pour over top.  Serve immediately.

For roasted vegetables:

24-30 fingerling potatoes, cut in half lengthwise

1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces on the diagonal

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 Tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

Mix potatoes, asparagus, olive oil and basil in a bowl, making sure to thoroughly coat all vegetables with oil.  Add salt and pepper and toss.  Pour vegetable mixture into a glass baking dish into even layers.  Roast in oven for 30-45 minutes, tossing at least once, until potatoes are fork-tender (be sure to check after 30 minutes as fingerling potatoes tend to cook quicker than larger potatoes).  Remove from oven and serve hot.

Serves 4