Shimeji asparagus risotto and tofu caprese

Italian lunch all plant-based, with local season ingredients. It’s Summer !

Shimeji mushrooms and green asparagus (only the stalks as I used the tips before) are the guests of this risotto.

I make it stove-top in my rice-cooker bowl, so I can then use the RC keep hot function. Garlic, leek and a chili pepper in olive oil to flavor the rice. I used sakekasu (sake lees) and water as broth to get a cheese-like creamy flavor.

It’s not as creamy as usual. The reason is I used hatsuga mai, polished germinated rice. That’s nice too to have a lighter texture in Summer.

Other risotti (click here).

That’s very simple. A good tomato. Sliced. A good tofu. Sliced. Fresh basil. A pinch of salt over the tomatoes. A drizzle of olive oil, one of balsamico vinegar.

Royal elegance of a simple radicchio risotto.

My version of the beautiful and tasty Italian dish. Only rice and veggies, another weekday lunch.
Actually that was delicious and so luxurious that I regretted having it for a casual lunch. I mean, for a rice like that, you should throw a party, a royal wedding or something like that.

I had a radicchio (Trevise salad) waiting to be cooked. Why not a risotto ? I have cut the leaves in thin ribbons, and mixed them with good Japanese rice (polished hatsuga mai germinated rice).

I made a few risotti before with step-by-step photos

risotto compil’

I use my rice-cooker pot on the stove, then I can put it back mid-way into the cooker and use the stay-warm function.
Olive oil, garlic, a few red raisins, red wine and a broth of (edible) beer yeast and salt. Flavored with thyme.

The velvety rice !

A piccata of parsley, olive oil, lemon zest and a few spices.

Toasted almond slices.

Pomelo and sea grape temaki-zushi (green sushi cones)

Temaki means hand-roll. Temaki-zushi are casual, and ideal for sushi party at home. You put the ingredients on the table :

And guests make a cone pocket with nori seaweed sheet, and fill it with rice and whatever they like. That’s like when you fill your newspaper cone with hot chestnuts, anybody can do it.

Easy no ?

Today, the sushi-meshi (flavored rice) is a little special. The classic version is white rice with a vinegar/sugar/salt seasoning. My rice is polished hatsuga (germinated rice). My seasoning is pomelo juice + kurozato (Okinawan black sugar) and very very little salt. Because this is a salty filling :

Umi-budo, ‘sea grapes’ seaweeds (more about it here)

More veggies.

And you get a sushi that tastes like a tropical sea breeze…

Chicken wing Summer paella

A healthier paella, with germinated brown rice. It’s just as delicious.

No seafood today. I’m back to the original paella with rabbit and snails… No wait, they don’t have that at the local butchers. So I settled for chicken wings.
I don’t need a pretext for a paella but :

Our Daring Cooks’ September 2012 hostess was Inma of la Galletika. Inma brought us a taste of Spain and challenged us to make our very own delicious Paella!

If you want seafood :

a black paella (click here)

Fideuà (pasta paella) with octopus
Fideuà with shrimps
Fideuà with calamari (recipe)
Paella with asari shells
Paella with shrimps

The rice :
So this time, I have used hatsuga genmai (read here how to prepare it), germinated brown rice. I’ve let it dry one hour before using.

The meat :
I salted and grilled chicken wings. Then I’ve added them and their juices to the broth.

Veggies : season’s greens.

Making it…

The rice is al dente… Last leg of the trip.

Final flavoring : red chili, saffron and rosemary.
I have added at the start a good amount of paprika and turmeric for the color. This saffron is for the taste.