Author: Emi Uchida

Ginger Chocolate Buckwheat Biscotti

I initially planned to post this biscotti recipe in the fall two years ago but things got sidetracked and thoughts drifted away. Although the original recipe came from my Italian chef twin sister years ago, I had been adding, subtracting and once again adding unique ingredients along the way. Eventually the final result of these experimentations settled on a few pieces of paper featuring the below ingredients, left nestled in between pages of my recipe journal for quite some time.

Warm heat from the ginger and the distinctive flavour from the buckwheat together with anise make the biscotti a welcome addition to chilly autumn afternoons. All you need is to make sure you keep your pantry well-stocked, as this recipe is quick and easy for unexpected baking cravings. For a more wintery presentation, I sometimes add dry cranberries.

Ginger Chocolate Buckwheat Biscotti


Makes about 15 pieces
1 cup unbleached white flour
½ cup buckwheat flour
½ cup blanched almond meal
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon cardamom
2 teaspoons anise seed, ground
1/3 cup salted butter, room temperature *if you are using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt
½ cup plus 1 tablespoon cane sugar
2 free range eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, cut into ¼ inch pieces
1/3 cup dark chocolate, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup pecans, chopped into small pieces
1/3 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the flour, almond meal, baking powder, cardamom and anise seed in a bowl, and whisk well. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until creamy and add the sugar a small amount at a time. Beat well and scrape the side of the bowl as necessary to ensure all the ingredients are well combined.

Add the eggs one at a time, and beat to combine.

Add 1/3 of the dry mixture and stir on medium speed. Continue to stir and add the other 1/3. Reduce the speed, add the rest of the mixture and continue until well mixed.

Stir in the ginger, chocolate, pecans and coconut. Mix thoroughly until combined.

On a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment paper, spread the dough into a rectangle shape, about ¾ inch thickness.

Bake in the centre of the oven for 20 minutes. Take the baked dough out of the oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

Set the oven to 300F.

Then gently cut the dough into strips, about ¾ inch each, using a serrated knife. Bake cut side down for 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

Let cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container.

Shiso Pesto Roasted Chicken

How’s everyone’s summer going? Here in the Lower Mainland in BC, Canada, we’ve had the driest July in history. That means we have an abundance of veggies and fruits compared to the past few years. It is indeed overwhelming to choose what to cook so as not to miss out on each food’s prime season. Thanks to the heat, we have been enjoying plump and juicy tomatoes every day!

Today’s recipe is a celebration of shiso (Japanese herb), whose scent always brings back memories of my grandma’s tiny garden, full of weed-like green and red shiso plants that she used to pickle umeboshi. Since this plant is prone to vigorous growth, one only needs to plant a seedling or two to obtain a sufficiently abundant supply.

In this recipe, shiso is used to create a pesto that is inserted under the chicken’s skin to impart a unique flavour to the dish. Make plenty so you mix the leftovers into pasta and/or sneak it into grilled sandwiches for easy weekday meals. We truly enjoyed sandwiches made the next day with the leftover shiso pesto chicken plus fresh tomato slices!

 

Shiso Pesto Roasted Chicken

Serves 4, or 2 plus leftover

Shiso Pesto
½ heaped cup hazelnuts
¼ cup sunflower seeds
3 garlic cloves
¾ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
A bunch of shiso leaves, stems removed, rinsed and patted dry
1 sprig flat parsley
½ teaspoon sea salt
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon melted butter

1 free-range chicken, rinsed and patted dry
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Olive oil
A bunch of carrots, leaves removed, rinsed and patted dry

Make pesto. Roast the hazelnuts and sunflower seeds until aromatic and golden. Place all ingredients except oil in the bowl of a food processor and pulse to combine. Start adding oil in a steady drip, and continue to pulse until pesto becomes smooth. It is okay to leave some coarse texture. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the chicken on a roasting pan, chest side up. Salt and pepper the chicken. Insert the pesto from the openings and spread evenly under the bird’s skin through the breasts to thighs and repeat the same for the back–be careful so you don’t tear the skin.

Remove the pesto from your hands and smear on the outside of the chicken. You can add 2 more tablespoons or so of the pesto and continue to rub the entire chicken, making sure it’s well coated. Rub the inside of the carcass too. Finally, drizzle some oil over top, and coat the outside of the chicken evenly. Tie the legs with some kitchen string.

Roast until done; for example, it will take about 1 hour and 10 minutes for a small bird. Alternately, wait until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part of the poultry reaches 165F.

When the chicken is halfway done, add the carrots (lightly coated with salt, pepper and oil) to the roasting pan.

Baste the chicken and carrots periodically.

Remove from the oven, and rest for a few minutes. Carve the chicken and serve to individual plates with carrots. Serve immediately. Keep the rest of the pesto in an airtight container, and refrigerate for another use.

Smashed Cucumbers with Sesame Sauce

Cucumber is often treated as an accessory vegetable; tossed into salad or sliced for sandwiches to add crunch.

However, this veggie truly shines once a year when fresh cucumbers start to appear in the garden. Cucumbers that have swelled from daily diligent watering: juicy and sweet; the true treats of the summer season. I remember as a child growing up with hot Japanese summers, soaking cucumbers in icy cold water, breaking a whole cucumber in half and dipping it into a bowl of mugi miso (barley miso) or umeboshi (pickled plum) dip, and devouring it all as a healthy, refreshing afternoon snack. But my favourite way to eat this underrated vegetable has always been with this sesame sauce. Enjoy!

Smashed Cucumbers with Sesame Sauce

Serves 2

2 large freshly harvested cucumbers
Sea salt
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, ground
2 tablespoons brown or natural cane sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 ½ tablespoons tahini
2 Thai chili peppers, dry or fresh, seeds removed and sliced thinly (optional)

Rub cucumbers under running water and remove prickly thorns if any exists. Pat dry.

Sprinkle some salt on the cucumbers and rub by pressing hard against a clean working surface, rolling until soft.

Let sit for 5 minutes so that the moisture drains from the inside.

Smash with a rolling pin into bite size pieces, and transfer to a colander that is fitted in a bowl that catches excess moisture. Let drain completely for about 20 minutes or longer, then cover in the refrigerator.

In the meantime, make sauce. Combine well the sesame seeds, sugar, vinegar, soy, tahini and peppers in a small bowl.

Transfer the cucumbers to a serving plate, drizzle 3 tablespoons (or more) of the sauce over top and serve immediately. You can store the rest of the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to about 3 weeks.