by Nanette Geller

The sardines I cooked last Sunday were enough for twice. Here is how the leftovers were served a few days later. Again, this was a simple meal of homey comfort food.

Sardines simmered in sake and mirin with ginger and umeboshi (pickled plum), served with purslane and sprigs of shiso buds

Roasted asparagus and grated daikon radish with finely sliced green onion. The daikon, which acts as a dressing for the asparagus, was seasoned with calamansi juice and a little salt

“Tataro” taro salad, steamed greens with peanut dressing, and sugar snap peas simmered in dashi (Japanese fish stock)

Sake (Kurosawa)

When we’d finished our sake, I served chirashi sushi rice and a clear soup of dashi with enoki mushrooms, green onion and a touch of ginger.

Sardines from Whole Foods (frozen). They’re much smaller than the fresh sardines I used to buy in Japan. Ginger and sugar snap peas from Pit Farm. Purslane, daikon and green onion from Otsuji Farm. Shiso buds from SKA Tropicals. Asparagus from Milner Farm. “Tataro” taro salad from Taro Delight (we like this so much I buy it every week).

The peanut dressing for the greens is super simple: mix peanut butter with a bit of rice vinegar or citrus (I used calamansi juice), mirin, and dashi or water to thin to the desired consistency. I sometimes use ginger syrup from PacifiKool instead of mirin. Proportions? Just keep tasting until you like it.

The rice was Sunday’s leftover rice, warmed in the microwave, mixed with canned chirashi sushi mix (Shirakiku Chirashi Sushi no Moto, available at Safeway, Longs and elsewhere) and served room temperature. Enoki mushrooms from Don Quijote.

Permalink posted by Nanette @ 3/19/2011 09:13:00 PM