Innie or Outie

Here’s an original idea with a twist on one of the popluar local dishes, Papa’s Portuguese MaboDofu:

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For the meal, hubby used Portuguese sausage, leek, tofu, tobyanjan sauce, minced garlic paste, white pepper, mustard greens, bonito dashi, chicken broth granules, and cornstarch on a bed of freshly-steamed rice.

This is a quick and tasty snack that makes further use of more leftovers, Tofall Cheddar Basil Hoagie:

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Simply place two tofalls with tomato sauce on the bottom half of a sliced bun; then place a slice of cheddar cheese and fresh basil leaves on the top half of the bun; and microwave for approximately 1 minute.

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We added a whole dill pickle as a side munchie to the hoagie to complete the snack.

Papa’s Tofu Snack is a quick and easy tidbit which is seen more often in smaller sizes at Japanese restaurants. The snack consists of tofu (in liquid) with dried bonito flakes, spring onions, and soy sauce dressing.

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I often sing the praises of one of my favorite household appliances around this time every year, the kotatsu or table heater. Tonight I’ll show one of the advantages of having such a convenient and energy saving item in the house. This recipe is one variation on a very popular wintertime dish in Japan:

Kani (Crab) Nabe for Two

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Dashi

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3 cups water
1 ½ pieces dashi konbu (a variety of seaweed) – break as needed

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6 pieces musubi konbu (another variety of seaweed)

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1/3 cup katsuo dashi (liquid type)

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1 tablespoon mirin
½ teaspoon minced ginger

Platter

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Crab legs (halved)
Shungiku (spring chrysanthemum stems) – cut into large chunks
Nametake mushrooms
Shironegi (leek) – cut into 1 inch pieces
1 block Shimadofu (tofu) – cubed
Chinese cabbage – cut into large chunks

Other Items Needed

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1 ceramic nabe pot with lid
1 crockette (mini-slow cooker)
1 portable tabletop butane burner

I began in an unconventional way by using a crockette (mini-slow cooker) to prepare the dashi. I did this for three reasons:

• Hubby’s schedule is so spontaneous; we have a hard time setting specific timetables for meals.
• It’s my belief that stocks taste better when given lengthy steeping periods.
• I don’t like having to stand over or repeatedly check the stove while the stock is steeping.

Place the water, dashi conbu, and musubi conbu in the crockette and cover.
After four hours remove two-thirds of the dashi conbu. Leave the remaining one-third for additional flavor.
Stir in katsuo dashi, mirin, and ginger. Cover and let continue to cook for at least another four hours.

You can prepare the platter at your convenience and place in the refrigerator, if needed. I usually start preparations approximately one-half hour prior to setting table for dinner.

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At dinnertime, prepare the table with the tabletop burner, eating utensils, and individual bowls.
Place the platter on the table.
Transfer two-thirds of dashi and musubi conbu to the nabe pot. Place the pot on the tabletop burner and add small portions of each item of the platter. Cover with the nabe pot lid and let come to a low boil. (Veggies are done when slightly soft to the touch. Crab is done when red in color.)

Serve cooked items combined in individual bowls accompanied by a small amount of dashi liquid.

After dinner, strain any remaining dashi liquid into a container. Remove the final one-third dashi konbu from the crockette. Add the crockette liquid to the container and store in refrigerator or freezer to use as starter dashi for the next time you prepare nabe.