Cooking Place
Original Recipes
Darryl Gibson
Izu Cooks is a work in progress where I hope to offer some cooking links, some recipes and possibly some philosophy of cooking as a hobby. The recipes included will be of necessity somewhat inexact because my personal belief is that in the kitchen, the tongue, the nose and the eye must be the final determinators of the finished product. I try to taste, smell and see what I'm doing as I go along and the recipes reflect this somewhat haphazard, but generally successful approach.
In creating a dish or meal, I tend to let the ingredients determine the direction of the day. Rarely do I begin with more than a vague idea that carrots might look good today or I that heard the fishermen brought back some nice swordfish.
Freshness is the most important starting point for every meal and even if I go to the market looking for salmon steaks, I can just easily come home with eggplants and tomatoes because they had the most appeal in the market itself.
The tiny ravioli in the pasta section came about simply because some of our guests for dinner that night were vegetarian, the shop had some black olive paste in stock and the butcher was featuring a just-started Italian air-dried ham (proscuitto crudo) that offered the beginnings of the fillings for the non-veggie ravioli.
Fresh swordfish, or a plump chicken, almost always get me thinking, and buying, and several recipes reflect this bias toward firm fish and fresh poultry.
I hope the recipes are interesting and I do strongly recommend the knives from Due Buoi - they fit the hand perfectly, are reasonably priced and the service from Mr. Centa is excellent.Appetizers
Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Appetizer
Main Dishes
Roast CHICKEN with Lemongrass Gravy
St. Valentine's Day Pancakes (or any other day)
Fried Rice with Salmon, Swordfish and Ikura
Sauce for Tuna or other firm-fleshed fish
Grilled Swordfish and Garbanzo (chick pea) Salad
Pastas, Risottos and other SaucesTomato and Mascarpone Shrimp for Pasta
Ravioli with Pancetta-Red Pepper Sauce
Cream Sauce with Pancetta (pasta, ravioli)
Desserts
Mango Granita
Salmon Appetizer
3-4 sashimi-sized pieces of fresh king salmon per person.
1-2 tbsp chopped tarragon and mint (Fresh!).
1 tbsp butter.
Salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tbsp lime juice (Fresh or bottled).
Sauté, very quickly, the salmon pieces in the butter, salt and pepper to taste.
Remove to serving plate, then deglaze the pan with lime juice, add fresh herbs and continue to sauté for 30 sec.
Pour over fish.
Can be served either hot or at room temperature.Servings depend on amount of salmon
Shrimp and Artichoke Heart Appetizer
8 oz jar artichoke hearts, washed and drained
10-15 fresh shrimp
Cayenne pepper or pepper flakes to taste
Crumbled feta cheese
Olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Thinly sliced green onions
Sauté the shrimps (butterflied) in oil, salt and pepper and cayenne until tender.
Remove.
Sauté artichoke hearts, add shrimp and mix.
Transfer to serving plate, crumble feta over, sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve hot.Asparagus, Ikura Appetizer
10 fresh asparagus spears.
75 gr ikura (salmon roe).
1 tbsp mustard.
2 tbsp "Kewpie" style mayonnaise.
1 thick strip fried and diced finely pancetta.
Tabasco to taste.
Peel asparagus, cut in thirds and blanche about 3 min. in boiling water.
Remove and plunge in ice water to stop cooking.
When cool, pat dry and arrange on serving plate. (A "star" pattern from the center is good).
Sauce
Mix mustard, mayo, pancetta and Tabasco and pour into center of serving plate.
Sprinkle ikura around and over the asparagus and garnish plate with freshly ground pepper.
Serves 4Mushroom Torta
500-600 gr mixed mushrooms (shiitake, maitake, awabi, white, brown, etc.)
1 small onion, diced
Nutmeg, cinnamon, star anise
250 ml heavy cream
4 eggs
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Green Tabasco to taste
1-3 tbsp flour
Fry mushrooms and onions in olive oil until well cooked and very tender.
Add spices to taste, begin in very small amounts and adjust to your preference. Stir flour into mixture (almost like making a roux) then remove from heat.
Beat eggs lightly, beat in cream and fold in mushroom mixture.
Pour into a pie pan, preferably fluted and bake in hot oven until center is firm.
Remove from oven, sprinkle with paprika, nutmeg or whatever until it looks nice
Serve hot.
Serves 3-4
Roast CHICKEN with Lemongrass Gravy
Simple, easy and delicious!
Roasting chicken 2-4 kg
Fresh lemongrass 1 pkg.
Salt (lots!)
Pepper (to taste)
Olive oil
White wine
Lea and Perrin's and/or green Tabasco (a few shakes to taste)
Corn starch or flour (just a little to thicken)
The Bird
Wash and prepare chicken, liberally salting and peppering the cavity.
Stuff with lemongrass, cut into pieces about 5 cm long. Slather skin with good, cooking-grade extra virgin olive oil and then VERY liberally salt and pepper all over the outside (After putting lots of salt on the skin, do it again! The extra salting really makes a difference in the final taste.
Roast in a 240 C (375F) oven.
And, this is the secret to a perfectly moist and delicious result, begin the bird upside down (breast down) and roast for about 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on size, and turn over to brown the breast only for the last 20 minutes or so.
I use a convection oven, so cooking time may vary in other types.
The Gravy
Take all the drippings, still in the roasting pan if practical, add about 300-500 ml water and deglaze the juices on the stove. Add about half the lemongrass stuffing to the gravy pan, about 250 ml of white wine and continue to cook. Salt and pepper to taste and add a liberal amount of Lea and Perrin's to taste. (green Tabasco doesn't hurt either) and then thicken with a little more water and corn starch or flour to the consistency of a relatively thin gravy.
Serve carved chicken with roasted potatoes and carrots (or other favorite vegetables, rice, either white, or especially wild, is nice too) gravy on the side, and another vegetable such as fried peppers and zucchini.Serves 2-4
Stone Fruit Tenderloin
2 15 cm pieces of pork tenderloin (thicker is better)
Fresh mango
Fresh plum
Mango chutney (about 3-4 tbsp)
Corn syrup
Cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise (to taste)
Honey (2 tbsp)
Butterfly the tenderloins and press down flat.
On one piece (the bottom) layer thin slices of fresh mango.
Then layer thinly sliced plum on top of the mango.
Drizzle small amount of corn syrup over the fruit.
Spread 3-4 tbsp sweet mango chutney over the fruit.
Place second piece of tenderloin on the top and tack well with toothpicks.
Wrap all in heavy foil and barbeque at med-high 18 min on one side, 10 min on the other. Open the foil to let out steam and when done to your preference transfer to platter and let stand about 10 minutes before slicing.
Meanwhile, pour the juices into a saucepan, add 2 tbsp honey and reduce to reasonably thick sauce.
Slice tenderloin to preference, transfer to plates and drizzle sauce over the meat and fruit mixture.
Serves 3-4 depending on size of tenderloins.
Good with baked potatoes, salad and favorite vegetables.
A nice Shiraz or Zinfandel goes well with Stone Fruit Tenderloin.
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Peanut Chicken
5 cm piece of fresh ginger.
Olive oil.
2 chicken breasts (with skin).
1 large red onion, chopped.
Chopped red and yellow peppers (1 each).
1 sliced carrot.
1 cup chopped broccoli.
1/3 cup water
Lime juice.
Mint.
Sauce
3 tbsp peanut butter.
1-2 tbsp Thai hot dipping sauce (the red kind).
1-2 tbsp Chinese plum sauce.
Water to make sauce consistency of thick, but "runable" sauce.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Sauté chopped ginger and skins from chicken in a little olive oil until all the flavor is extracted from both.
Strain oil and return to pan, add more oil if needed.
Quickly sauté the chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces, until browned. Remove and reserve.
Add onion and sauté until translucent, add peppers and sauté about 2 more min. Add carrot and broccoli and sauté another min.
Add 1/3 cup water, cover and let simmer.
Separately, combine peanut butter, Thai dipping sauce, plum sauce and add enough hot water to make a very thick sauce.
Add sauce to wok (pan) along with salt and pepper to taste and more water if sauce seems too thick.
Return chicken "bites" to pan and simmer until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve over rice, garnished with roughly chopped mint and drizzles of lime juice (fresh preferably, but bottled if just fine).
Serves 2-4 (add more chicken to increase serving sizes).
St. Valentine's Day Pancakes (or any other day)
Basic pancake mixture.
Fresh blueberries.
Sauce
1 mango.
2 tbsp honey (Greek preferably).
5-10 fresh strawberries (to taste).
Fresh mint leaves.
Puree all sauce ingredients and serve in bowl on table.
For pancakes, pour pancake mixture into buttered, hot griddle.
Once the bottom had begun to firm a little, add 15-15 blueberries to top, flip when flappable and finish cooking.
Serve hot, with butter, fruit sauce and Maple syrup if you like.Serves 2-3
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Fried Rice with Salmon, Swordfish and Ikura
200 gr fresh salmon
400 gr fresh swordfish
300 gr ikura (salmon roe)
Green onions
1 pkg fresh tarragon
1 pkg fresh mint
1 pkg fresh basil or fresh shiso leaves
1 large onion
1 large tomato
1 large red pepper
1 large yellow pepper
sesame oil
Salt, pepper
Thai dipping sauce
Butter, olive oil
Rice
Cut the salmon into thin strips and quickly sauté in butter and olive oil. Remove.
Dice the swordfish into 1 cm cubes and quickly sauté. Remove.
Add small amount of sesame oil, salt and pepper to taste and sauté onion, peppers. When soft, add about 3 tbsp Thai dipping and then remove.
Wash and chop roughly herbs, mix into onion, pepper mixture.
Slice green onions finely for garnish.
In large wok add tiny bit sesame oil, bit of butter and bit of olive oil.
Add 5-6 cups cooked rice and fry, turning frequently until glistening and very hot.
Add the cooked salmon, mix.
Add the onion, pepper, herb mixture, mix.
Add the swordfish and mix.
Taste - if it needs more dipping sauce, add some more.
Remove from heat, mix in finely chopped tomato and gently mix in the ikura.
Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.
Serves 5-6Back to Some Recipes
Sauce for Tuna or other firm-fleshed fish
2 tbsp Thai honey-chili dipping sauce (available in most markets, the red colored sauce).
1-2 tbsp good olive oil.
Dash of balsamic vinegar.
Squirt of anchovy paste from tube (available most good grocery stores).
Mix well and well drizzle over grilled or fried fish.Serves 2-3
Grilled Swordfish and Garbanzo (chick pea) Salad
1 small can garbanzo beans, drained
2-3 small slices (about 100-150 gr) swordfish
3-4 sprigs watercress, finely chopped
2-3 sprigs fresh spearmint, finely chopped
2 thin slices of onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
Ground cumin, several pinches to taste
Best quality olive oil
Best quality balsamic vinegar
Green Tabasco, to taste
Salt, pepper, to taste
Grill swordfish in grill pan until well-marked with grill marks on both sides and then pinch ground cumin on one side, let stand and dice into 1 cm cubes
Add drained garbanzos, swordfish, chopped watercress, spearmint, onion, garlic to small serve and mix thoroughly.
Dress with good dollops of olive and oil and balsamic (to taste), adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and green Tabasco
Serve warm or at room temperature
Serves 2 (can be easily expanded by increasing all ingredients)
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Tomato and Mascarpone Shrimp for Pasta
5 shallots.
½ onion, finely diced.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Red, orange and green pepper, finely died.
1 giant or 2 regular tomatoes, chopped finely.
1 tbsp dried basil.
3 tbsp red wine.
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar.
3 tbsp good olive oil.
3-4 tbsp mascarpone cheese.
2 cloves minced garlic.
10-15 medium shrimp, (butterflied is prettiest).
Sweat shallots, onions, salt, pepper in olive oil until caramelized, add garlic and sweat another 1-2 minutes.
Add tomatoes, wine, basil, balsamic and let gently boil until a smooth sauce forms.
Remove from heat, blend in mascarpone, add shrimp and serve immediately the shrimp are cooked over, fresh is best, cooked pasta.
Serves 2-4
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Porcini and Duck Risotto
2 cups Arborio rice
1 duck breast (diced)
20 gr dried porcini (roughly chopped after reconstituting in 1 cup boiling water)
1 rasher pancetta (diced)
1/2 red, yellow or green pepper (diced)
1 large onion (diced)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup while wine
1-3 cups chicken stock
olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
fresh oregano (several sprigs)
fresh basil (several springs)
salt, pepper (to taste)
Remove skin from duck and render on med-high heat in large stock pot (about 5-10 minutes)
Cube duck breast and pancetta and add to pot, sauté until just cooked through and remove to dish (remove the skin and discard)
Add olive to cover bottom of pot, add onions and sauté 5 minutes until translucent. Add finely chopped garlic and diced peppers and sauté another 2 minutes
Add rice and stir constantly until rice just begins to "toast," about 3-5 minutes
Add 1 cup white wine and stir until liquid is absorbed
Remove porcini from reconstituting liquid and chop roughly (set aside) add reconstituting liquid, salt and pepper to taste to pot and stir until liquid is absorbed
Add cooked duck and pancetta mixture, chopped porcini, grated parmesan and then add hot stock in 1/2-1 cup increments, stirring until all liquid is absorbed before adding the next increment.
Taste for salt and pepper, doneness -- risotto should be creamy and still firm when fully cooked. Add more stock if needed and, just before serving, stir in roughly chopped oregano and basil.
Serve immediately with more grated parmesan on the side
Serves 3-4, depending on amount of rice
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Ravioli with Pancetta-Red Pepper Sauce
Sauce
1 100 gr slice of pancetta
6-7 minced shallots
½ red onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3-4 tbsp red wine
3-4 tbsp Sambucca
1-2 tbsp dried basil
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
Olive oil
Fry pancetta (whole) on low heat until it just begins to render, about 5 min.
Remove pancetta, add 1-3 tbsp olive oil, shallots and onions and sweat until medium caramel color, add peppers and fry another 2-3 min.
Add tomato, basil, balsamic, wine and simmer for 15 min. Add more wine is becomes too dry.
Dice pancetta and add to pan. Add Sambucca and cook until most of the liquid is gone.
Serve over homemade ravioli.
Serves 2-3
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Homemade Ravioli
Pasta
375 gr Durum semolina
4 large eggs
1 tbsp BEST olive oil
1 tsp salt
To make good pasta, put semolina in center of pastry board and make a well.
Add salt, oil and 1 egg into well and mix into semolina with a fork. As the egg is absorbed, add next egg, until all 4 are used. Knead for about 10 minutes and set aside to rest before rolling into sheets for the ravioli.
I use a ravioli form for make the ravioli more quickly, but can be done by hand too.
Fillings
Sundried tomato paste
Olive paste (black and/or green)
Pesto paste
Proscuitto crudo chopped fine and mixed with grated parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper.
Salami, chopped fine and mixed with parmesan and pepper.
To make ravioli, place on sheet of pasta dough over the form and add fillings (not too much) to each square. Cover with second pasta sheet and roll to cut into individual ravioli pieces.
The pesto, olive and sundried tomato fillings are great for vegetarian guests.
To cook, bring salted water to full rolling boil and add ravioli. When they rise to the surface, they are usually done - check with a taste test.
Serves 4
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Cream Sauce with Pancetta (pasta, ravioli)
50 gr pancetta diced finely
½ red pepper
½ red onion
Olive oil
Freshly ground pepper
Mushrooms
250 ml 35% cream
Sauté pancetta, peppers, onion, mushrooms (choose your type).
Remove from heat, add the fresh cream and serve over ravioli or other pasta.
Serves 2Putanesca-like Linguini
1/3 large onion, finely chopped.
Red pepper, sliced.
Italian seasoning mix, to taste.
5 cloves garlic, roughly chopped.
3 thinly sliced basil flavored sausages (available from several companies, Gotemba is nice).
3 chopped tomatoes.
Olive oil (about 5-6 tbsp).
Generous amount of sliced green olives.
1 can of anchovies, including oil
Generous squirt of harissa (Moroccan hot sauce), very generous squirt of tomato paste.
About ¼ cup water.
Fresh basil leaves.
Add peppers and onion to hot frying pan in which enough oil to cover has been added.
Fry until soft and yellow, add garlic and continue cooking until soft.
Add sausage slices, chopped tomatoes, more olive oil if needed, green olive slices, anchovies, harissa, tomato paste, water and basil leaves.
Simmer until cooked soft and consistency to your liking.
Serve over freshly made or regular linguini.
Good with a strong Italian wines such as Barolo, Barbaresco.Serves 2-3
Spiced Pears and/or Apples
350 ml chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
2 dashes cinnamon
1 dash either cloves or star anise
2 tbsp brown sugar or honey
1 pear or apple per person (or one half of each)
Peel and half fruit, removing tough inner fibers.
Place in saucepan with boiling wine, sugar and spices. Taste and adjust spices.
Cook until wine is reduced to thick syrup and fruit is cooked.
Remove to dessert plate, slice the fruit thinly and drizzle syrup over top.
Pears have a wonderful consistency for this simple dish, but apples are okay too, especially when pears are out of season. The combination of the two is nice as well.
The wine does not have to be great stuff, but if you can't drink it by itself, don't cook with it.Servings (2 fruit halves per person)
Mango Granita
2 Philippine mangos, quite ripe is fine
Dash lime juice
3 tbsp sugar
2-3 cups or more
water
fresh mint
Peel and slice mangos, then puree.
In pot on stove, bring water to boil, add sugar and then 2/3 the mango puree.
Cook for about 5 min.
Remove from heat, add remaining mango, dash lime juice - taste for sweet/tart balance and adjust with honey or lime juice if necessary.
Allow to cool and pour into a fairly big pan or dish so it is about 1-2 cm deep.
Place in freezer and every 30 min. or so mix with fork to make into an icy slurry.
As it gets harder, keep the stirring up until to becomes similar to crushed ice.
Serve as a palate cleanser or even dessert, garnished with fresh mint sprigs.
Serves 6-8 depending on as palate cleanser or as a dessert.
Substituting other fruit, champagne etc., works equally well.