Okonomiyaki Ok It’s Not Irish, But It’s Cabbage!

Nigel is very happy to have enough green cabbage for you all this week.  Very often by the time St. Patrick’s Day rolls around cabbage is just about finished here.  For all of you traditionalist I know you have your corned beef on order or on hand and our cabbage will make your meal perfect.  But for those of you, like myself, not such a huge fan of the corned beef and cabbage, you might try this delicious Japanese dish.  I ate this at Heathrow last summer and absolutely loved it.  When one of our members sent me the recipe, kind of out of the blue, I was so excited to try to make it at home.  The boy’s Mom Frances and their Grammy Harriette were here for lunch today and I thought I would try the recipe out on them before I put it in the newsletter.  We all enjoyed it very much.  The one mistake I made was making them too big for any of my plates.  SO when you flatten these cabbage pancakes out in your fry pan make sure they aren’t bigger than your plates because you do need to flip them.  We ate the Okonomiyaki with our homemade yogurt, a little soy sauce and toasted almonds.

Okonomiyaki (Japanese Pizza)

2 cups Cabbage, finely shredded 1 cup Leeks, well washed and chopped 2/3 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour a couple pinches of fine grain Sea Salt (I thought it could use more) 2 Eggs, beaten 1+TB Olive Oil Garnish: toasted slivered almonds, chives/herbs

Combine the cabbage, leeks, flour and salt in a bowl.  Toss until everything is coated with a dusting of flour.  Stir int he eggs and mix until everything is evenly coated. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add a generous splash of olive oil.  Scoop the cabbage mixture into the pan and using a metal spatula press it into a round pancake shape, flat as you can get it.  Cook for 4-5 minutes, or until the bottom is golden.  To flip the okonomiyake, slide it out of the skillet onto a plate.  Place another plate on top and flip both (together) over.  If you need a bit more oil in your skillet add it now, before sliding the okonomiyake back into the skillet.  Again press down a bit with a spatula and cook until golden on the side - another 3 - 5 minutes. When you are finished cooking, sprinkle with toasted almonds and chives and slide it onto a cutting board to cut into wedges.  Enjoy immediately.  Serve 1-2.

What To Do With Collards In my mind collards are cooked in bacon fat, slow and long, or maybe under a pork roast.  I am aware that most people don’t share my love of pork fat - I also prefer my sauerkraut gently warmed in pork fat!  So I tend to be at a bit of a loss when I think of Collards sans pork, but last night I was looking through the latest issue of Bon Appetit and there was Pan Roasted Salmon with Collards and Radish Raita.  The collards were cooked simply and whether you are interested in pairing it with Salmon or not this is a delicious simple way to cook them.  I am only writing up the recipe for the Collards and the Salmon, if you need the info on the Raita shoot me an email drinwellsofters@gmail.com 4 tsps Olive Oil, divided 1 Garlic Cloves, sliced 1 bunch of Collard Greens, center ribs and stems removed, leaves cut into 1” strips 2 6 oz pieces skin-on Salmon Fillets 2 red radishes, trimmed, thinly sliced 2 tsp Sherry Vinegar

Preheat oven to 350.  Heat 2 tsp Olive Oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and cook stirring constantly, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add Collard Green to pot, reduce heat to low, cover , and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, het 2 tsp Olive Oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat.  Season fish with salt and pepper; cook skin sie down until skin is crisp, 5-8 minutes.  Transfer to oven (do not turn fish); roast until opaque in the center about 4 minutes. Add Radishes and Sherry Vinegar to Collards; season with salt and pepper and toss to combine.  2 Servings