One way to beat the heat this summer is to enjoy some lighter cuisine – something that isn’t going to be too rich or heavy. One such cuisine is Japanese and this month we’ve paired it with a wine event focused on Rieslings. I provided a sampling of 5 Riesling wines and a handful of dishes, while my attendees bring over a Japanese inspired dish to share.
Riesling is a white grape variety which originates in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally pure and are seldom oaked. As of 2004, Riesling was estimated to be the world’s 20th most grown variety at 48,700 hectares, but in terms of importance for quality wines, it is usually included in the “top three” white wine varieties together with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Riesling is a variety which is highly “terroir-expressive”, meaning that the character of Riesling wines is clearly influenced by the wine’s place of origin. — Wikipedia
Here are pictures of the events, along with some of the recipes of the dishes my guests prepared. (I’m still waiting for some recipes!) A couple of bloggers also participated in the corresponding Japanese & Riesling blogging event and their submissions are included below. Entries featuring Japanese recipes and recipes using Riesling wines were highlighted for this blogging event. A special congratulations goes to Becke of Columbus Foodie… she won the blogging event giveaway for this blogging event! She will be receiving a bamboo cooking utensil set to enjoy! Now onto the food & recipes…
Toasted Brown Riceshared at the event by Joelen
Edamame
shared at the event by Joelen
Caramelized Sesame Sweet Potatoes
shared at the event by Abbie
Ginger Beef Stir Fry
shared at the event by Linda
Vegetable Gyoza/Potstickersshared at the event by Linda
Cucumber Wrapped Sashimi
shared at the event by Christie
Pork & Vegetable Eggrollsshared at the event by Joelen
Ginger Cheesecake
shared at the event by Susan
Mochi Sweet Bread
shared at the event by Jen
Chocolate Chow Mein Spiders
shared at the event by Christie
Japanese Style Potato Salad
shared at the event by Sandra and Mike
recipe from Bento.com
1 lb. russet potatoes
1/2 cucumber (see directions)
1/2 small white or yellow onion, thinly sliced (see directions)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (a touch of Dijon mustard is also nice)
3 large sandwich slices of ham, cut into small squares
1/2 cup mayonnaise
Salt and black pepper to taste
Boil the unpeeled potatoes. Meanwhile, cut the cucumber lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut the cucumber into thin slices and place them in a small bowl. Add one teaspoon salt and mix well. Cut the onion into thin slices and soak them in cold water until you’re ready to use them. When the potatoes are done, remove the skins and cut the potatoes lengthwise, then cut them into pieces about 1 inch wide. Wash the cucumber with water and squeeze the water out. Also squeeze the water from the onion. Place the potatoes, cucumber and onion slices, ham, and the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
Japanese Style Green Beansshared at the event by Jen
recipe from
allrecipes.com
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 pound fresh green beans, washed
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Warm a large skillet or wok over medium heat. When the skillet is hot, pour in canola and sesame oils, then place whole green beans into the skillet. Stir the beans to coat with oil. Cook until the beans are bright green and slightly browned in spots, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in soy sauce; cover, and let sit about 5 minutes. Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds.
Cold Peanut, Chicken, and Soba Noodle Salad
shared at the event by Teresa
recipe from Emeril at FoodNetwork.com
12 ounces dried soba noodles, or other buckwheat noodles
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions (green tops only)
1 jalapeno, seeded, stem removed, and minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon minced gingerroot
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup chicken stock
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon Sherry
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 whole skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into strips and lightly poached, and chilled
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 tablespoons chopped roasted unsalted peanuts
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the noodles and cook until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with 1 tablespoon of the sesame oil, cover and refrigerate.
In the bowl of a food processor, combine 2 tablespoons of the green onions, the jalapenos, garlic, and ginger, and process on high speed. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sesame oil, the peanut butter, soy sauce, chicken stock, cilantro, fish sauce, sherry, lime juice, sugar, and pepper flakes. Toss the sauce to taste with the noodles.
To serve, toss the noodles with the chicken strips, bell pepper, cucumber, peanuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons of green onions, and serve.
Wasabi Ginger Salmon
shared at the event by Joelen
recipe: original
2-3 lbs salmon, cut into filets
1-2 teaspoons wasabi powder
ginger sesame salad dressing
salt & black pepper to taste
In a large freezer bag, combine wasabi powder, salad dressing, salt & pepper.
Place salmon in freezer bag and marinate for at least 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
After marinating salmon, reheat oven to 350.
Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Place salmon on parchment and bake for 35-40 minutes until done.
180 g package okonomiyaki flour
180 ml water
2 eggs
3-4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3-4 oz. savoy cabbage, sliced thinl
3-4 oz. diced chicken
Kewpie Mayonnaise, to taste
Okonomi Sauce, to taste
Mix together the okonomiyaki flour, water, and eggs into a batter, and then add in mushrooms, cabbage, chicken and any other ingredients you’d like to incorporate.
In a greased frying pan (I used olive oil spray) over medium high heat, ladle batter and spread out to fit the bottom of the pan. Allow to cook until underside is lightly browned and edges are set, and then flip over and allow other side to brown. Serve immediately dressed with Kewpie mayonnaise and Okonomi sauce.
Ingredients : Sushi rice, nori, kamaboko, tamagoyaki (eggroll), shiso leave, kampyou, lettuce, cucumber, mushroom, kani, mayonaise, denbu ( you can choose the ingredient for inside of sushi) but the primary ingredients are sushi rice and nori.
Place one sheet of nori lengthways across bamboo mat. dip finger in a bowl of vinegared water. pick up rice and place across center of nori and spread the rice over nori until covered, leaving little bit space of nori.
Place mushroom, eggroll, kani, shiso leave and lettuce ( or anything you want) on top of rice. Rolling the sushi forward with pressing gently but tightly. Cut roll with sharp knife in half, and slice both rolls again to give eight bite size pieces.
Filed under: Asian: Japanese, Blogging Event Round Ups, Menus, Party Ideas, Wine and Dines | Leave a comment »
This month for our wine & dine event series, we focused on red wines and fall foods. We had a fabulous turnout with quite a bit to eat and drink. I provided 12 various red wines including: Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Syrah, and Sangiovese. To pair with these wines, friends shared some of their favorite fall dishes. Unfortunately I couldn’t take pics of everything that graced the table, but here are some pics I did manage to take of the event:
Macerated Peaches in Red Wine shared by Linda:
Fresh Artisan Goat Cheese shared by Linda:
Grape & Rosemary Foccaccia Sticks shared by Linda:
Onion, Tomato & Avocado Salad shared by Lennie:
Butternut Squash Soup shared by Dorothy:
Chicken Pesto Rolls shared by Teresa:
Roasted Lemon & Caper Chicken shared by Howard:
Turkey Meatloaf shared by Art:
Digging in!
Maki Rolls
Linda’s Olive & Fired Roasted Tomato Plate:
Linda’s Kefta Kabobs:
Kara’s Mediterranean Roll Ups:
Teresa’s Tabbouleh:
Joelen's Culinary Adventures 