Enjoyment of Food

One of the biggest reasons that we cook is for enjoyment. Not only enjoyment of eating the end result, but enjoyment of the process, the smells, the interaction with each other, and the anticipation. One of the best ways to enjoy food is as a social event, and we had a chance to remind ourselves of that last night, making Kimuchi Nabe with our friend Rosalind. We just got this beautiful clay donabe this week, for making Japanese Hot Pot (or nabe), Shabu Shabu and Sukiyaki.

In honor of the event, we also got a little gas burner, and decided to have Rosalind over, as we knew she was a big fan of hot pot. We've made this basic recipe a number of times in our large Le Creuset cast iron pot, but this was our first time trying it in the donabe. We prepared all the food in the kitchen, grouped it all on plates, and then headed out to the table with it.

We used fried tofu, oyster, enoki and shiitake mushrooms, green onion, our homemade kimchi, and thin sliced pork. The broth was 4 cups of dashi stock, 1 cup sake, 2 tablespoons shiro miso paste, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon sesame oil.

The hot pot turned out deliciously cooked in the donabe, probably the best one we've made yet. But the real best part about doing it this way was the process. Prepare to just relax and enjoy.

First, just put the broth in the pot, and let it get nice and hot, so it is just barely simmering, not really bubbling. Sit and chat, drink some beer, and notice the broth becoming fragrant.

Toss in the green onion and the kimchi, let it sit for a few minutes, and then taste it to make sure there is the right amount of spice.

We ended up adding probably 1/2 lb or so of our own kimchi. Results will vary depending on how spicy the kimchi you have is, and how spicy you like things.

Let that simmer for a little bit, drink some more beer, and note how the smell changes. By the time you are done with this dish, your whole house will smell like delicious food. Next, stick some of the thinly sliced pork into the hot broth - if it is thin enough, it will cook almost immediately. Pile tofu and mushrooms on top, and then put the lid on and let it steam for a while.

Once the mushrooms are soft, everyone dishes up into their bowl - mostly the solid items, leaving most of the broth in the pot.

Add the rest of the pork, mushrooms and tofu on top of the pot, put the lid on, and again let it simmer while you're eating what you just removed from the pot.

 

You will notice the smells continue to change, and we noticed that the second batch of things we pulled out of the pot tasted notably different than the first - the flavors continue to develop, to deepen, and to even get better than they were the first time.

Finally, finish the broth with some delicious noodles, or dried, baked mochi squares, which puff up and get crunchy in the oven. All that delicious, rich broth gives so much flavor to the noodles or mochi, and it's the perfect way to finish off the meal.

So, give it a try. Make your meals a chance to spend time with people you enjoy. Cook with them, chat with them, and enjoy the entire process. Share the whole experience of preparing, cooking, and eating something really delicious. I can hardly imagine that you will regret it.

Koresht Fesenjan

We recently went to a cooking class on Persian food, given by Hip Cooks, and this was one of the dishes that we made in the class. It was delicious, and pretty simple to make, so when we finally found the pomegranate molasses, we decided we would have to try it out on our own. It turned out brilliantly, so well that we plan to keep the pomegranate molasses and some walnuts in our standard pantry stock, so that we can make this on a regular rotation. This is one of those dishes where almost the best part of it is smelling it cooking, so please try it out for yourselves, you won't regret it.

If you can't find the pomegranate molasses, you can make it by cooking down 100% pomegranate juice with sugar until it is a thick syrup. It's expensive to do it that way, but if you have no other option, it works. Recipes for that can be found online.

edit: The last time we made this, I did the walnuts with a manual nut chopper instead of the small food processor, and it was actually quicker and worked better. With the food processor, you have to pulse it so that you don't burn the nuts, but with the manual chopper, you can just keep going, and it actually chops the walnuts at least as finely.

This recipe would be a good lunch or dinner for about 4 people.


Ingredients

• 12 chicken thighs
• 1 1/2 cups whole, raw, walnuts
• 2 onions
• About 3/4 cup pomegranate molasses
• 2-3 tsp sugar
• A couple handfuls of chopped mint, parsley, and cilantro
• Greek yogurt

Directions

1. Using a small food processor or nut chopper, chop the walnuts until they are a coarse meal. If using the food processor, pulse it, so that you don't heat up and burn the nuts.
2. In a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat, lightly toast the walnuts, just until they become nice and fragrant.
3. Add the 3/4 cup pomegranate molasses and about 1/2 cup of water to the pan, and mix well. This will cook down for basically the rest of the preparation time, but you may need to add a bit more water periodically if it gets too dry. Stir periodically to keep it from burning.
4. While that is cooking down, finely chop your onions, and cut the chicken thighs into small pieces.
5. In another skillet over medium heat, add a few tablespoons of oil, and saute the onions until they become translucent, then add the chicken and saute it until it just turns color on the outside.
6. Add about 3 glasses of water to the chicken and onions, bring to a boil, and let boil for 20-30 minutes.
7. In a rice cooker or pot, start 2 cups of jasmine or basmati rice cooking.
8. Once the chicken and onions are done boiling, and the pomegranate/walnut sauce is nice and thick and rich, strain the liquid out of the chicken and onions, and add the chicken and onions to the pomegranate/walnut sauce.
9. Mix the chicken and onions into the sauce, and then add a bit of the cooking liquid from the chicken and onions. Mix everything together well, and let it all simmer down for another 10 minutes or so.
10. Meanwhile, chop up your mint, parsley and cilantro.
11. In the skillet you used for the chicken, add some oil, and once the oil is hot, toss in the herbs, and saute briefly until bright green and fragrant.
12. Stir the herbs and some greek yogurt into the pomegranate/walnut sauce, remove from heat, and serve over the jasmine or basmati rice.