Totally terrific tajine!!

Who knows what a tajine cooker is? I must admit I did not, until Keizo was telling me about it over Skype one evening before I moved in with him. He was very excited--he'd just bought it at Lumiere (Japanese store with almost everything at a low prices) and it made cooking for one a breeze! I smiled and nodded, asking what he ate. For the next few days, the answer was always some combination of meat and vegetables that he just put into his cooker raw and ta-da! ate fully cooked only minutes later. Finally I asked him to show me this amazing kitchen addition.

It's a two piece ceramic dish that is brilliantly engineered to steam food to perfection over a gas range or in the microwave. Originally from Morocco, they are a popular in Japan, maybe because a whole meal can be cooked in one dish, over one flame, in your tiny one room apartment. Regardless, our first tajine supper converted me on the spot.

VEGETABLES AND SALMON IN MISO BROTH. Keizo found the recipe in Japanese on the internet. I really hoped he bookmarked it because it was beyond good. The veggies were not overdone and the fish stayed moist. It probably helped that we bought it literally minutes before. Menu planning is not something we practice at the moment. Generally dinner comes about rather last minute, involves a trip to the store for fresh ingredients and the sort of impulse buys one only makes when hungry, with a sit down time much closer to 8PM than 7PM. For now it sort of works, and in this instance, it was great success!

The second tajine dinner was also a result of last minute meal planning and while good, didn't quite match up to the first. SHOGAYAKI and HAKUSAI with PONZU DIPPING SAUCE translated means ginger pork and Chinese cabbage with a soy sauce vinegar sauce. Too many words. This probably would have been a bit more successful had I grated, rather than just chopped the ginger and put it between every layer in the tajine cooker, instead of just over the meat as directed in the recipe.

For the recipe, I only used about 5 leaves from the giant Chinese cabbage we bought from the farm stand in the supermarket for a mere 200 yen. There are probably about 30 more leaves left on that one, and as if we didn't have enough, Keizo's thoughtful parents sent us a huge cooler box of produce from their garden today, which includes another one of even greater size and a regular cabbage the size of a large dinner plate. Time to get creative I guess!

Tried and true

I doubt even celebrity TV chefs can make gourmet meals day in and day out. So considering my non-TV chef status and the frequency that I have been cooking lately (lunch and dinner, several days a week) it's not a surprise I have fallen back on some easy favorites.

First up is TACOS RICE! Tacos rice and I first fell in love during a vacation in Okinawa during my first stint in Japan. Steamy white rice, smothered with taco meat, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and salsa. Eating is believing. Of course it helped that I hadn't eaten real Mexican food for months prior to my introduction to tacos rice. But even after a year back in Arizona, I still think tacos rice is legit. Which is why it appeared on the table during a recent lunch hour.

And second, the ever popular KARE RAISU! Or in plain English, curry rice. I had no idea that curry was a popular Japanese convenience food. Not that it's the same "curry" you would find in India or Thailand; for starters, its about 1,000 times milder. I like my curry with tons and tons of vegetables. And only vegetables. But since I am cooking in lieu of rent these days, I also need to satisfy Keizo's dietary needs, so I believe I put some pork in this batch. Whatever was left over from dinner the night before. Plus carrots, onion, kabocha (Japanese pumpkin,) potatoes and some eggplant. Keizo made the salad, which is spinach with frozen mixed veggies and apple slices with a lemon shiso dressing. Oishikatta! (It was delicious)

What the in world is a betsu bara?

"Betsu bara" is a Japanese expression that translates literally to "separate stomach." It is usually used to refer to a person who after eating a large meal still has room for dessert. For those who know me well, it should come as no surprise that this is one of my favorite Japanese expressions.

My betsu bara plays by the rules (i.e. always space for something sweet after a meal) but my boyfriend Keizo's betsu bara is more of a free spirit, engulfing anything from cake and ice cream to several extra helpings of curry and rice. If I worked out for a living (he's a professional rugby player) I would probably do the same. But since I don't, his stomach capacity never ceases to amaze me.

Food and eating play a large role in our relationship. Since meeting in 2008 we have both tried new cuisines and honed our culinary skills--first in my kitchen with nearly zero counter space and now in his where the slightly larger work surface takes up any floorspace that could be used by a second chef. Despite the odds (food related and otherwise), we have turned out some delicious meals. There is little doubt in my mind that food tastes better when shared, so this blog is for sharing our delicious victories and maybe even a few comical failures.

Here's to continuing the adventure!!