Poached Chicken Breast with Cucumber Salad

Here's a very refreshing, yet protein-rich side dish for the upcoming warm season. I'm listing the basic soy sauce + sesame oil flavor, but you can be creative by adding mayonnaise, mustard, miso, minced umeboshi, or hot chili sesame oil (ラー油).

Poached Chicken Breast with Cucumber Salad

• 2 Persian cucumbers, thin-sliced 
• 1 Chicken breast
• 1/2 tbsp ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Sake
• White sesame seed
• 1 tsp Sesame oil
• 1 tsp Soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar

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makes 2 servings

1. In a heavy bottomed pot ( I use Le Creuset pot), place a piece of chicken breast, add sake and just enough water so that chicken won't stick on the bottom. Cover with a lid and cook in a low heat.
2. Once water start boiling, cook for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Keep the lid on, and let it steam for about 5-10 minutes.  
3. In a bowl, add sliced cucumber, sprinkle some salt and mix. After 5-10 minutes, squeeze the cucumber and drain extra water. 
4. Take out the chicken from the pot, shred it with your hand, and add them to the cucumber. 
5. Add chopped ginger, sesame oil, soy sauce and vinegar to the bowl and mix them well.
6. If time allowed, chill for 15-30 minutes, sprinkle sesame seed at the end.  

Note: .

Using Stocked Red (Tomato) Sauce: Chili con Carne

Heres's one way to turn your stocked Italian red (tomato) sauce into a hearty & warming, Tex-Mex style chili. Can be served by itself with some tortilla chips or bread. You can also use it for tacos, Chili Nachos, or filling for quesadilla. Great stocking food during cold winter.

Chili con Carne

• 1lb ground meat
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 jalapeño pepper, chpped
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 cups red (tomato) sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, drained 
• 1-2 bay leaves
• 1 cup beef broth (or chicken broth, or water)

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makes about 6 servings

1.  In a saucepan or Dutch oven (I use Le Creuset pot), cook garlic and onion till they turn golden and fragrant, add jalapeño and bell pepper, continue over medium heat-high heat. Once they are soft, add ground meat.
2. Add all of dried ingredients (chili powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, cumin, cocoa powder, and bay leaves), stir occasionally and brown the meat.
3. Stir in Tomato (red) sauce, bring to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer for 30 min, stirring occasionally.
4. Stir in beans. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until desired thickness.

Note: Adjust the amount of broth or water, depending on the thickness of your tomato (red) sauce.

Marinated Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

I almost never cook steak at home, but this is the only option. Skirt steak is a part of beef that is relatively thin, easy-to-cook, yet is as flavorful as some of more expensive cuts. Chimichurri sauce is an Argentinean condiment which consists of olive oil, parsley and oregano. It goes perfectly with a juicy skirt steak and is a healthier way to eat steak with.

Marinated Skirt Steak 

• 1lb of skirt steak
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2-3 cloves garlic, grated
• salt and pepper
• a wedge of lemon or lime juice

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makes 2-3 servings

1. Season steak with a pinch of salt & pepper on each side, grate garlic over the meat, pour soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, flip the meat and marinate each side. Refrigerate the steak for at least 2 and up to 4 hours.
2. Once the steak has finished marinating, remove it from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature (for about 30 minutes).
3. When ready to cook the steaks, prepare your grill for grilling.
4. Grill the steak over medium-high heat till the edge looks shrunk/crispy (4-6 mins), flip over, cook till the meat feels firm and thickened (4-6 mins)  to serve it rare to medium-rare.
5. Once cooked, lay the steak on a clean cutting board, and allow it to rest for 5 to 10 minutes to let the meat redistribute its juices.
6. Serve with chimichurri sauce and a wedge of lime or lemon.

Chimichurri Sauce

• 1 1/2 cup (packed) fresh Italian parsley and/or fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves (or 4 teaspoons dried oregano)
• 2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 3/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

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makes about one cup

1. Pulse the garlic and shallot in the food processor until finely chopped. 
2. Add the rest of ingredients in processor, puree them. Transfer to bowl. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover and let stand at room temperature.)

Note: 

You can simply chop all the vegetable finely with a knife, if not using food processor. It'll give you a more earthy flavor.

The left-over chimichurri sauce can be packed in a small ziploc bag and be frozen for a later use. If kept in a fridge, use them up in a few weeks.  Some ideas for alternative use include omelettes, quesadillas, or on other grilled meat dishes.

How to make Red Bean Paste (Anko: 餡子)

Anko, red bean paste, is used in many confectionery in Japan, most commonly used for wagawashi (traditional Japanese confectionery). Anko is often used in a similar way as chocolate, sometimes wrapped in pastry, bread, mochi (we call it Daifuku), or topped on ice cream. I simply like to eat it with sticky mochi, or in Zenzai style, a soupier version with mochi inside. This is my comfort sweets around New Year.

 Red bean paste (Anko: 餡子)

• 10 oz (283.5g) Azuki red bean 
• 280g suger
• water
• a pinch of salt

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1. Rinse azuki beans, let them soak over night with a plenty of water in Donabe (earthenware pot) or other deep pot. Pour water till 1-2 inches above the beans.
2. When soaked, start heating the pot, bring them to boil in high heat. Covered.
3. Once boiling, scoop the scum off the surface, reduce heat to low, cook for 1-2 hr, covered.
4. keep adding water so that beans are always covered.
5. Pick one azuki bean and squeeze it with your fingers. If it is smushed easily, it’s done. Check few azuki beans and make sure all beans are soft. ( *Once you add the sugar, uncooked beans will harden like a stone.)
6. Dump azuki beans into a strainer, drain water completely.  
7. In a pot, add 70mil of water and sugar, then cook till sugar is dissolved.
8. Add drained azuki beans, cook in high heat even after boiling, keep mixing gently to avoid burning the beans, or mash beans too much.
9. Stop the heat when beans a thicker and syrupy (they will harden as they cool down), add a pinch of salt.
10. Move azuki bean into a container, let them cool down completely before you eat. You can wrap extra portion with saran wrap, keep in a freezer. 

Note: Cooking time varies depending on the kind of Azuki bean you're using, and how old they are, as well as the kind of pot you're using. The brand I used tend to cook in about 1 hour.  The sweetness of azuki bueans also  depends on what kind of sugar you use. White sugar tends to be too sweet to my taste. Experiment with different kinds of sugar and discover your own favorite. 

Quiche Lorraine

Quiche is a classic French tart originated in Germany. It consists of savory custard with cheese, meat, and vegetables.  Quiche Lorraine is a popular kind that uses spinach, onion and bacon. I usually make one in a 11-Inch Round Quiche Pan, then keep it in a fridge as a breakfast supply for a few days. In the morning, cut up a piece, heat up in a toaster oven till crispy outside, serve with a salad. I find it remains tasty until finish the last piece.

Quiche  Lorrain

• 6 large eggs, beaten
• 3/4 cups heavy cream
• 2 or 3 tbsp of shredded Cheese (such as Swiss, mozzarella, etc.)
• 1 box of frozen chopped spinach, thawed in room temperature
• 1 small/medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 slices of bacon, chopped (this time, I used 6 slices of soppressata instead)
• 1 sheet of puff pastry (I used Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry)

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makes about 5-6 servings

First, thaw the puff pastry overnight in a fridge, or 2-3 hours in room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

On a lightly floured surface, spread out the dough big enough to cover 11-inch round quiche pan.  

Coat a surface of the quiche pan with 1/2 tbsp of melted butter, fit the dough into the pan.  

Heat a pan on a stove, and brown bacon till crispy, take them out and drain on a paper towel/ newspaper. Take the excessive oil out of pan, as well. Discard the fat or reserve for another use.

Using the same pan, sauté onion till clear, add spinach, season with salt and pepper, cook till liquids are evaporated, then add the crispy bacon.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, add heavy cream and cheese, whisk together.

Layer the spinach in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top.

Bake until the custard is golden, puffed, and set yet still slightly wiggly in the center, 30 to 35 minutes.

Key: Cook the bacon till crispy and sautéing vegetable separately. This will make the flavor stronger.
Caution: Make sure to hold the edge of the quiche pan, since the center part is removable.  

The Quiche Pan I used:
Kaiser Bakeware Basic Tinplate 11-Inch Round Quiche Pan with Removable Bottom

Bratwurst dinner

This is my nice n easy, weekday-night German style supper. Sip a beer while you cook, dip a sausageinto a mustard of your choice.

Brown the surface of bratwurst crispy in Le Creuset pot, take them out, then throw in chopped garlic, onion, shiitake mushroom.  Saute until they smell nicely.  Add washed and drained sauerkraut, shredded apple. Season with bay leaves, cayenne pepper, and caraway seeds.  Add chicken broth, bring them to simmer. Add browned sausage back in, cook for about 30 minutes.

Make the potato salad while you wait.

Highlights:  Definitely the sauerkraut.  Tasty and healthy. You can get creative on this. Make a batch, and you're set for a week. Great with beer.