Saga Wagyu Panzanella Food

ROASTED CARROT AND AVOCADO PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with 1/4 cup of the olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread in an even layer and bake for about 12 minutes, until golden and almost crisp. Transfer to a bowl and let cool. Keep the oven on.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss the carrots, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and the coriander and cumin seeds. Squeeze the orange and lemon over the carrots, then add the squeezed fruit to the bowl, too. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss to mix. Spread on two large rimmed baking sheets and roast for about 25 minutes, until lightly charred and tender. Let cool; discard the orange and lemon.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, shallot, mustard, and the remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil. Season the vinaigrette with salt and pepper.
• On a large serving platter or in a serving bowl, gently toss the bread, carrots, and avocados with the vinaigrette. Add the watercress, season with salt and pepper, and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature.

POTATO NOODLES

Steps:

• Peel potatoes and then slice into thin slices. Wash sliced potato in water and let sit. Drain the water. Deep-fry the potato slices in peanut oil until crispy. Garnish chicken.

VEGETABLE SUSHI

Steps:

• Make the rice. Combine the rice and 3 1/4 cups water in a rice cooker and cook according to the manufacturer's instructions. A rice cooker is the best way to get perfect sticky-firm rice, but if you don't have one, just use a saucepan. Fold in the vinegar. Combine the vinegar, sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Transfer the cooked rice to a large wooden bowl (traditionally, a wooden tub). Drizzle a quarter of the vinegar mixture over a wooden spoon or spatula onto the rice. Fold the rice gently with the spoon to cool it and break up any clumps; be careful not to smash the grains. Fold in the remaining vinegar mixture and let the rice sit 5 minutes. Spread the rice.
• Cover a bamboo sushi mat with plastic wrap. Place a half nori sheet rough-side up on the mat. Moisten your hands and scoop a handful of rice, slightly larger than a lemon, onto the nori. Press the rice to spread it evenly up to the edges of the nori, moistening your fingers as you go. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
• Prepare the vegetables. Peel the cucumber and slice into matchsticks. (Morimoto cuts the entire cucumber into a paper-thin sheet, then quickly slices it into strips-but he's had some practice.) Thinly slice the avocado, tomato and red onion; peel the tough ends of the asparagus. Add the filling. Carefully flip over the nori so it's rice-side down on the mat with the short end facing you. Spread a bit of wasabi paste in a line about one-third of the way up the nori-it's spicy, so use it sparingly. Arrange a few pieces each of lettuce, cucumber, avocado, tomato and onion in a tight pile in the lower third of the sheet. It's OK if the vegetables hang over the edges of the nori. Roll the sushi. Roll the sushi away from you with your hands, tucking in the vegetables as you go. Remove the mat from under the roll and place it on top. Press the roll into a compact rectangular log, using the mat to help you. Slice the roll. Cut the sushi roll into 4 to 6 pieces. Repeat with the remaining nori, rice and vegetables. Serve with pickled ginger and more wasabi. Photography by Rick Lew

ANGRY CHICKEN

Steps:

• This is one of the most popular dishes on my menu. I have a restaurant in Mumbai, so I visit India often, and here you can see how I've been influenced by one of my favorite Indian dishes: Tandoori chicken. The bird is first marinated in spiced yogurt before being roasted in a very hot oven. For garnish, I make a zesty sauce from the marinade and serve the pieces of chicken with whole grilled fresh chiles. The secret ingredient here is the hot sauce. I always use Frank's, a Louisiana-based sauce with a distinct red pepper flavor, which is neither as hot nor as sharp as other brands. As a result, the marinated chicken is certainly spicy, but not incendiary. If you want more heat, I encourage you to eat the chiles. The noodle topping is dramatic, and you'll always see it at the restaurant, but at home you can consider it optional.
• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Trim any excess fat from the chicken. Rinse and pat dry. Place the chicken quarters in a large bowl. Measure out 1 cup of the Spicy Yogurt Marinade and reserve for the sauce; refrigerate in a small covered container.
• Pour the rest of the marinade over the chicken. Turn the pieces to make sure they are all well-coated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 and up to 24 hours.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade and arrange the pieces on 1 or 2 half-sheet pans or large baking sheets. Discard the chicken marinade.
• Roast for 40 minutes, until the chicken is tender and lightly browned and the juices run clear when the thighs are pricked with the tip of a small knife. Transfer the pieces to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
• While the chicken is roasting, make the sauce. Boil the chicken stock in a medium saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to 1 cup. Whisk in the reserved 1 cup Spicy Yogurt Marinade and cook just until heated through. Do not boil, or the yogurt will separate. Keep the sauce warm.
• As soon as the chickens are done, preheat the broiler. Toss the chiles with the oil to coat lightly and spread them out on a broiler rack or small baking sheet. Broil the chiles about 4 inches from the heat, turning them a couple of times, until they are blistered and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• To serve, layer the chicken and chiles on a large platter. Pour the sauce around the chicken. Top with the Fried Rice Noodles. Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over the chicken.
• To make the marinade, grind the peppercorns, cumin, coriander seeds, and cardamom in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add the chili powder, garam masala, and salt. Add the hot sauce, yogurt, cream, and soy sauce and whisk until smooth and well blended.
• Add vegetable oil to reach about 2 inches up the sides of a large saucepan or a wok. Heat the oil over high heat to 340 degrees F. Separate 1 bundle of thin rice noodles into 2 portions. Working with 1 portion at a time, add the noodles to the oil. They will puff up almost immediately. Using a large wire skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain.

SPICED CAR

Steps:

• Moisten the rim of a glass and dip one side in shichimi togarashi. Combine 2 ounces Japanese whiskey, 3/4 ounce triple sec, 1/2 ounce yuzu juice and a bar spoon (or teaspoon) of honey in a shaker with ice. Shake well. Add ice to the glass, then strain the drink over the ice. Garnish with lemon peel.

SOY MARINATED WAGYU WITH CONGEE, GINGER AND SCALLION

Steps:

• Rinse rice until water runs clear, transfer to a small bowl, add the scallion oil and toss to mix well. Let this stand at room temp for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Soak the scallops in warm water to cover for 20 minutes, drain and flake into small pieces. Combine the rice, scallops, stock and water, bring to a boil, then reduce to med-low heat, stirring often. Simmer until rice is broken down into porridge. Season with salt, to taste.
• Combine all sauce ingredients.
• Marinate beef in sauce, quickly grill over very hot flames. Serve over warm congee, drizzle with sauce and garnish with fresh ginger and scallion.

PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the tomatoes in a colander and sprinkle over 1 tsp sea salt, then leave to sit for 15 mins.
• Spread the chunks of bread out on a baking tray and toss with 1 tbsp of the oil. Bake for 10-15 mins, or until lightly toasted.
• In a bowl, whisk together the remaining oil, the vinegar and shallot. Season to taste. Toss the anchovies with the tomatoes, croutons, olive oil dressing, the olives and half the basil in a large bowl. Spoon the panzanella onto a serving plate and top with the remaining basil.

PASTRAMI AND RYE PANZANELLA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F with the rack in the middle. Put the onion in a bowl and cover with 1 to 2 cups of cold water. Swish the water around and rub the slices with your hands. Strain and repeat the process two or three times, letting the slices soak and changing the water at 10-minute intervals. (Soaking raw onion in cold water mellows the harsh bite.)
• Meanwhile, spread out the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are crispy and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.
• On a cutting board, finely chop the garlic with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Using both the blade and the flat side of a chef's knife, chop and scrape the mixture into a paste. Put the oil and vinegar into a bowl, add the garlic paste and whisk to combine.
• In a large bowl, combine the cooled bread, tomatoes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine, gently pressing the tomatoes a bit to release some of the juices.
• Peel the cucumbers in a zebra pattern and cut on a diagonal into half moons. Drain and pat dry the onions. Add the onions, cucumber, celery, basil leaves, pastrami and parsley leaves to the salad. Whisk together the dressing, add it to the salad and gently toss to combine.