#nancy singleton hachisu

[allwaysfull]

Japan: The Cookbook | Nancy Singleton Hachisu

[justaweekendchef]

This recipe comes from Nancy Singleton Hachisu’s Preserving the Japanese Way, and is a variant on a recipe from an earlier cookbook of hers. I added my own twists to the recipe, and the end result is pretty damn good. I need to follow my own advice from earlier in this blog for poaching eggs, though - I tried rushing it here, and ended up with an egg blob. ^^; 

Country Miso and Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2.5 c dashi

1 medium daikon (about .25 lbs), scrubbed

1 medium carrot, scrubbed

2-3 spring onions (negi if you have them)

1.5 T awase miso paste (blend of red and white miso)

lemon (or yuzu if you can find it you lucky bastard) zest

poached egg to top (if you’re so inclined)

(I also added some fried tofu chunks)

Take your daikon and carrot, and make sure they’ve been scrubbed (they won’t need to be peeled unless there are blemishes, or they’re too tough). Half the carrot lengthwise, and then slice into thin half-moons, and set aside. Take your daikon, halve it lengthwise, and then halve those halfs (so that you wind up with quarters), and slice into thin wedges. Take the spring onions, cut the white and pale green parts into thin slices (save the tops for garnish), and then toss with the daikon pieces. 

Warm your dashi (if you didn’t make it right before starting the soup, that’s what I usually do), until it comes to a gentle simmer. Then, add your carrot slices, and cook for three minutes over medium heat. Add the daikon and spring onions right after, cooking for another three minutes. 

Nancy recommends thinning the miso paste with a small bit of the broth at this point separately, but I just whisked the miso right into the broth. Remove from heat, and add the spring onion tops and lemon zest to the broth. I also added in fried tofu at this point. If you’re so inclined, add a poached egg to top it all off, and enjoy the amazing flavor combinations!

[cool-cookbooks]

Preserving the Japanese Way

by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, 2015

[citygritnyc-blog]

Next Guest Chef featured in Sept Food & Wine Mag

California-born cookbook author Nancy Singleton Hachisu found love with a Japanese farmer. Here, a glimpse into the couple's rural, farm-to-table life.

[gailmonaghan]

JAPANESE FARM FOOD by Nancy Singleton Hachisu, And a recipe for Homemade Panko

JAPANESE FARM FOOD-- with a passionate forward by Patricia Wells and enthusiastic blurbs by Alice Waters-- came out last year and I was— and still am— completely enthralled. It’s beautiful and informative. In addition to providing delicious recipes and wonderful photography of both food and the countryside, its pages provide all sorts of fascinating information about life on an organic farm in rural Japan. After graduating from Stanford, the author, Nancy Singleton Hachisu-- captivated by the world of sushi-- set off for Japan with plans to study food and the language before returning to the US for graduate school. Instead she met and married an organic farmer. This book is the collected experience of living on the land as a wife, mother, cook, cooking instructor, and sometimes farmer for over 20 years.   Hachisu makes a good case for this super-flavorful, farm-to-table food which requires only a minimal number of Japanese staples— all of which can be purchased in Soho or the East Village if you are a New Yorker-- or online-- to be combined with fresh ingredients from your local green market, butcher and fishmonger. A great find if you’re up for a bit of kitchen experimentation with zero complication or intimidation. Next month I’m teaching a class based on the book. I’ve chosen a relatively simple menu that  begins with soba noodles in a savory dipping sauce unexpectedly (and brilliantly) pairing walnuts with more typical Japanese aromatics. The main course is spectacular-- crispy pork cutlets breaded with homemade panko, fried up, cut in strips, served over brown rice, and sauced with an eggy, salty-sweet sautéed onion-ginger-soy melange. Hachisu waxes extensively on the superiority of homemade panko (Japanese dried bread crumbs) to the store bought and gives a recipe. It’s super easy to make these tasty crumbs and well-sealed they keep for month in your fridge. You can substitute them for bread crumbs in western-style recipes also. PANKO Using the grating disc of a food processor or in a blender, grate French or Italian white bread. Spread the  grated bread out on a cookie sheet, on deeper than 1/2 inch. Place in the middle of an oven preheated to 300 degrees. Bake for 12-16 minutes or until dry to the touch but not browned. Stir frequently. When cool, store in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Keeps for several weeks or much longer.

[beanbuffs]

Wishlist: Book on Japanese Farm Food

   An American girl marries a Japanese farmer, settles down in rural Japan and cooks happily ever after. Nancy Singleton Hachisu has beautifully documented Japanese home food in her book Japanese Farm Food . She starts her book with, " I came to Japan for food but stayed back for love," . Now someone with that much courage and conviction is definitely poised to have an interesting and exciting views about life.

The book is on our wishlist. In the meanwhile we came across this beautiful video where you can watch her talking about her passion for food. A must watch. You can also follow her blog Indigo Days .