Shiso Croquette

shiso croquettes

One of dishes I clearly remember eating in my grandma’s kitchen as a child is croquettes. They were always made of ground beef, seasonal vegetables and, of course, potatoes all year round. A heap of cabbage, sliced paper thin, a few croquettes drenched with BBQ sauce and a bowl of white rice: this combination is a winner in every household in Japan.

croquette with BBQ sauce

As my garden has started to wind down, I have found a way to incorporate more shiso into my recipes. Shiso, as you may recall, is commonly served underneath sashimi at decent Japanese restaurants. It boasts a distinctive fragrance and flavour, and supposedly also possesses antibacterial properties. As such, I think it’s no coincidence that shiso has been served together with raw fish like sashimi for decades in the Japanese culinary world. I feel it is my job to bring more attention to this wonderful plant here in my blog! The characteristics of shiso can be easily recognized even after it is mixed into the potatoes in a croquette: in fact, shiso would be a good substitute for the ground beef, as it would still keep the flavour interesting.

shiso plantcroquette ingredientscroquettes for deep fryingdeep frying croquette

With nostalgic, fuzzy memories on my mind, I recently made grandma’s croquettes and savoured the moment when the shiso and creamy potatoes burst out of the crispy deep fried skin all in one in my mouth. Don’t forget to grab a bottle of your favourite BBQ sauce!

shiso croquettes

Shiso Croquette

Makes about 15 golf ball size pieces

1 ½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes, boiled and mashed with a dash of salt

1 large carrot, cut into ¼ inch cubes

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

15 shiso leaves and extras for decoration, rinsed and pat dried

Salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ all purpose flour

1 egg + a little bit of water, beaten well

1 cup freshly ground Panko (bread crumbs)

Vegetable oil

In a medium pan, stir-fry the carrot and onion with the oil until nicely browned, and then adjust with salt and pepper.

Combine the stir-fried carrot mixture and the potatoes with the nutmeg. Using a pair of kitchen scissors, cut the shiso leaves into thin strips and stir gently into the potatoes.

Divide the potato mixture into golf ball sized pieces or smaller if you prefer.

In a well organized breading station (see a picture above), flour the ball lightly, then dip in the egg mixture, and coat with the Panko. Form by gently pressing with both hands.

You can cover and rest the breaded balls in the refrigerator until cooking time. Or, if you want to eat them right away, warm the oil to 340F (170C) in a deep frying pan with oil about 1/2 inch high.

Deep fry them by turning all around until golden brown. Rest on a paper towel for a couple of minutes to remove excess oil.

Serve immediately with BBQ sauce.

 

Labour Day Weekend

pancakes with blackberries

To be honest with you, we rarely go out to eat because once you experience eating quality homegrown food, it is hard to find anything that measures up. Of course, we are very happy when chefs or foodie friends treat us with their crafts! However, this weekend we went to two restaurants in and around Vancouver area in one day! We were invited to a friend’s birthday lunch and another bon voyage dinner. The food was good but there was something lacking: “satisfaction.” My relationship with food starts from me sowing seeds on the ground and ends with composting the peelings from a meal I create. Nonetheless, the time we spent with friends was priceless. We had such a great time.

labour day weekendAn empty glass of super margarita at La Casita

As if to recuperate from the weekend affair, the very next day we gulped fresh beet juice, sautéed Swiss chard, and devoured a roasted tomato and aubergine dish. The distinctive smell of freshly harvested Thai basil and the film of greasy oil coating the slightly burned edge of hard earned summer vegetables: this is why we cherish eating at home! We mopped the remnant of the richly flavoured exotic sauce with a crusty baguette from the plate, and savoured the taste of victory.

fresh beet juicesauteed rainbow swiss chardRoasted vegetables with harissa

I appreciate all kinds of summer fruits, but especially melons, specifically cantaloupes. However, until they are ready, we’ve been enjoying honeydews from Red Barn Plants and Produce. We also recently picked up some eggplant which didn’t take off in my garden this year (by the way, I like calling them aubergine due to its romantic sound), a few colourful heirloom tomatoes and tomatillos for my roasted vegetable dish (recipe follows).

Red Barn Plants & ProduceHot peppers from Red Barn Plants & Produce

Fresh Beet Juice

We just discovered in our cupboard The Big Book of Juice and Smoothies 365 by Natalie Savona. This is a book that makes you feel energized by just flipping through its beautifully arranged coloured pages, which are organized  by each fruit and vegetable. We’ve been making smoothies with seasonal fruits, and occasionally with veggies. With beets in season, it seemed like a good time to bring back an old favourite.

Serves 2 to 3

2 large beets, peeled and quartered

1 large carrot, chopped in a few pieces

1 organic apple, halved

2 oranges, peeled

6 ice cubes

Throw them in a Vitamix and blend. Add water as needed. Alternately, you can use a juicer but you will lose all the goodies (pulps).

Adapted from The Big Book of Juice and Smoothies 365.

 

Sautéed Rainbow Swiss Chard

Serves 2-3

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

A big bunch of rainbow Swiss chard, rinsed, pat dried and cut into 2 inch pieces

A sprig of thyme

Olive oil

Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper

Parmesan cheese, ground

Warm up a large pan over medium high heat with plenty of olive oil. Sauté the garlic until fragrant then add Swiss chard. Turn the heat on high and sauté for a few minutes. The key here is to coat the vegetables with the hot oil and let them wilt in a short time to preserve the moisture in the chard. If cooked for a long time on  low heat, they become watery.

Adjust the taste with a dash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the cheese to finish. Serve immediately.

 

Roasted Tomatoes and Aubergine with Harissa

I adapted this recipe from my favourite book The Kitchen Diaries by Nigel Slater. He uses chickpeas for its Middle Eastern originality but I used the potatoes since they are in abundance in our household.

Serves two hungry big eaters

A big bowlful of assorted heirloom tomatoes, halved or quartered if large

5 medium aubergines (eggplants), cut into 1 inch pieces

6 tomatillos, peeled and halved if large

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

120ml olive oil

50ml red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Salt and pepper

3 large potatoes, cut into ½ inch cubes and pat dried

Olive oil

1 to 2 teaspoons harissa paste (Tunisian hot chili sauce)

A bunch of Thai basil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the tomatoes, aubergine, and tomatillo on a cooking sheet. Scatter with the garlic, drizzle with the oil and vinegar, then sprinkle with the cumin seeds, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes’ edges are slightly charred about 45 minutes.

In the meantime, in a large bowl, coat the potatoes well with some olive oil and place on a cooking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast until golden brown about 25 minutes.

Lift the vegetables with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Reserve the juice in a small bowl and stir in the harissa paste.

Gently mix the potatoes into the vegetables and pour in the harissa sauce.

Transfer the vegetables to a platter and scatter with the whole basil leaves. Serve with a piece of crusty baguette.

Roasted vegetables with harissa

Roasted Beet Borscht Soup

Borscht

This is a big pot of soup for a cold rainy afternoon, which can literally occur anytime here in the Vancouver area at this time of year!  You can serve this hearty soup for your guests or simply cook for two and take a day or two off from cooking over the next couple of days. The longer it cooks, the better the flavour gets so it is perfect for rainy afternoons when you can spare time for a cozy homemade meal to replenish your soul.

Ingredients

Some baby celery leaves from the previous year’s plant that I started from seeds have survived the freezing temperatures, and have now started to show the signs of spring! I like this soup slightly creamy but not too much. When I use heavy cream, I might omit sour cream or vice versa. It totally depends on your liking; feel free to adjust.

Roasted Beet Borscht Soup

Serves 6-8

1 pound beets

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 large onion, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

3/4 cup potatoes, diced

8 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

2 1/2 cups canned diced tomatoes

2 cups cabbage, shredded

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon or so salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

Sour cream, for garnish

2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped (I use whatever green leaves are available in my garden such as cilantro or chives)

Scrub the beets and remove the leaves, leaving a 1 inch stub from the top. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil and season with salt and pepper. Drizzle with oil and seal the foil tight, then roast until they are tender when tested. Large beets may take an hour or so. Set aside and let cool

In the meantime, chop the vegetables, and heat a large heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat to melt the butter. Sauté garlic, onion, carrots, celery and potatoes until softened and starting to colour, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil. Turn down the stove top to medium-low heat and skim off the foam that floats on top. Add diced tomatoes, bring to a boil and repeat the process to remove unwanted foam on the surface of the soup. Remove the skins from the beets, chop into cubes and add to the soup. Let simmer over medium-low heat for an hour with a lid, stirring occasionally.

This is the time to serve yourself a glass of wine if you haven’t yet. Take a break for a while.

The last thing to do is to shred the cabbage and add it to the soup after simmering for 1 hour. Then, let simmer for another 20 minutes. Add cream and adjust the taste with salt and pepper to your liking.

Serve in bowls, garnished with sour cream and dill.