Pot au feu or pot luck ? Seafood veggie red stew.

A long time ago, a very cheerful lady asked if I liked French pot au feu and I said that was not my favorite dish. She was very disappointed as she had just discovered the dish in a “traditional French restaurant” here in Osaka, and she said : “Really I love everything spicy with tomato sauce, chick peas, seafood and hot dog sausages…”. It seems, she ate an original variation for sure that drifts far away from what most call pot au feu in France.
Well, I’ve made it today without the knackies. I don’t know if that has a name. Maybe the Spanish “cocido de pulpo con patatas”, but I don’t see it with sausages. Well, they are not here.
I have the pulpo (octopus) :

Hokkaido octopus.

Into a broth (onion with cloves, chick peas, bouquet garni, mushrooms).

Boiled.

Added potatoes. Later tomato sauce and a little red wine. a little hot chili.

Kyoto red kabu turnip.

I first added pieces of the root, then stalks, then at the end leaves.

Put it in a pottery.

Cover and announce “pot au feu” or whatever name…

Brochettes et marrons

Brochette is the French for skewer, and it’s usually meat and veggie ones. Then the season of kuri (Japanese chestnut)is open…

Small steak cuts of lean Japanese beef.

On skewers with onion and red sweet pepper. I’ve passed olive oil, salt, black pepper and thyme. Let one hour.

Then grilled.

The chestnuts roasted with a few small sweet potatoes.

This fiery soup is made in the blender with the cut outs of onion, red pepper, a glass of white wine, 2 tbs of sesame, 1 ts of miso. Then simmered a few minutes.

Caramelized onion polentart

A golden version of the pissaladiere, the onion and anchovy tart from Provence.

I add a second polenta tart crust left from when I baked this tarte polenta.
I’ve painted it with olive oil, baked it.

Garnished with onions cooked till brown in the olive oil from a can of anchovies with a little garlic. Garnished the crust. Added red chili and a few anchovy filets. Re-baked briefly. Decorated with green olives and thyme. You can make it without anchovies if you add a little soy sauce to the onions.

Cut when it’s cooled. I eat it at room temperature, and in this season that means warm.

Veggies for katsuo tataki (seared bonito)

Katsuo tataki. Bonito “tataki”.

I could just say I’m proud of my nice dish. But that’s cheating as I bought the tataki (seared fish) already cooked and I only had to cut and mix with its ponzu sauce. But I prepared the vegetables.
Under there is a layer of onion slices. I cut them, salted and rinsed after 10 minutes.

Sprouts of okra (gombos). I simply washed them.

Then new ginger’s refreshing power. Cut in cubes.

A few chili flakes on top. That’s ready :

Shhhlggg green salsa

So quick, so fresh… A very green salsa dip with refreshing okra.

Sweet green chili pepper. I took out the seeds, juiced a hand full. Add another hand full cut into the blender. Plus a little minced garlic, cut onion. A little hot green pepper. A little salt.