Dayrecipe Food Community

Yakitori at its simplest is a chicken shish kabab with a very Japanese
flavor. Pieces of dark meat are served either by themselves, neatly speared
onto the ends of small bamboo skewers (three makes a serving), or
interspersed with bits of green bell pepper or scallion. As the meat is
grilled, it is dipped into a sweetened soy-based sauce. The servings are
tantalizingly small, but you can have as many as you want. If you are hungry
enough for a full meal, you can serve yakitori on a bowl of rice with tea and
pickles on the side.

Makes 4 main course servings, or up to 8 with drinks.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium chicken legs (thighs and drumsticks), boned
• 1 large green bell pepper
• 8 tablespoons japanese soy sauce (shoyu)
• 4 tablespoons sake
• 3 tablespoons sugar

DIRECTIONS 1. Cut the boneless chicken leg meat into 1-inch chunks. If some skin
separates from the meat, discard it; leave any skin that clings naturally.
Halve, core and deseed the bell pepper, then cut it into 1-inch squares.

2. Thread two pieces of meat on to a skewer followed by a piece of bell
pepper. If you are preparing bamboo skewers, Japanese-style, push the meat to
one end and keep alternating two pieces of meat with a piece of pepper until
you have loaded about 3 inches of each skewer. If you are using long metal
skewers, you can thread their entire length, leaving each end empty. Thread
all the meat in this way, using as many skewers as required. Cover with
plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.

3. Meanwhile combine the soy sauce, sake, and sugar in a small pan and bring
to a boil. Lower the heat and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

4. Preheat an indoor broiler or an outdoor charcoal grill. Position the
skewers 4 to 5 inches from the heat source and grill for 4 to 5 minutes on
each side or until the meat is three-quarters cooked. Brush with the sauce
and grill briefly on both sides until the meat is almost done. Brush with the
sauce a second time and grill for another 30 seconds on each side. Serve hot.

A food processor is the cleanest, quickest way to get the toasts to a
sand-and-pebble consistency, but you can also leave the Melba toast in the
packaging, let out any excess air and crush them with a rolling pin.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon dijon-style mustard
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 package (5 1/4 ounces) plain melba toast, pulsed to sand-and-pebble texture
• 4 drumsticks and 4 thighs, skin removed
• spray bottle filled with vegetable oil or vegetable-oil cooking spray

DIRECTIONS 1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position andheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix eggs, mustard, thyme, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Put Melba toast
crumbs in another shallow dish. Set a large wire rack over an 18-by-12-inch
foil-lined jelly-roll pan.2. Using one hand for dry ingredients and the other for wet, lay chicken
pieces, 4 at a time, in egg mixture; roll to coat. Then lay 1 piece at a timein Melba crumbs. Press a mix of crumbs into top of chicken. Turn piece over
and repeat, pressing crumbs into other side. Gently shake off excess.3. Set chicken on rack. Spray top portion of chicken pieces evenly with oil.
Bake until chicken is nutty brown and juices run clear, 30 minutes for
drumsticks and 35 minutes for thighs. Serve immediately.

If you can’t get sorrel at your local market, arugula leaves or large basil leaves are a good alternative.

Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Makes about 60 hors d’oeuvres.

INGREDIENTS

• 6medium yellow or red beets (2 1/2 lb with greens), trimmed, leaving 1 inch of stems attached
• 1/4cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2(1 1/2-inch-diameter) logs fresh mild goat cheese (herbed or plain;8 oz total), chilled
• 30fresh sorrel leaves (about 4 by 2 inches), leaves halved lengthwise and center ribs and stems discardedspecial equipment:a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter (at least 1 inch deep); wooden picks

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 425°F.

Wrap beets in foil in 2 packages (3 per package) and roast in middle of oven until tender, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. When cool enough to handle, peel beets and cut off stems and root ends. Halve beets crosswise and arrange, cut sides down, on a work surface. Cut out a cylinder from each half with cookie cutter. Halve each cylinder lengthwise, then cut crosswise into generous 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Line a tray with plastic wrap and brush plastic wrap with some oil. Cut cheese logs crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices with an oiled knife, then halve slices. Arrange cheese slices in 1 layer on tray and brush with some oil, then top each with a slice of beet.

Arrange sorrel leaf halves, veined sides up, on work surface. Put a cheese and beet stack in middle of each leaf half, then wrap sorrel over stack and secure with a pick.

Cooks’ notes:
• Beets can be roasted and sliced 2 days ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic bag.
• Cheese and beet stacks (without sorrel) can be assembled 1 day ahead and chilled on tray, covered with plastic wrap.
• Sorrel leaves can be trimmed 1 day ahead and chilled in a sealed plastic bag lined with dampened paper towels.
• Hors d’oeuvres can be assembled 4 hours ahead and chilled, loosely covered with plastic wrap.

“My grandmother was a reporter in New York before she got married and moved to Montana to start a new life on a ranch,” writes Joyce Litz of Albuquerque, New Mexico. “At the time she didn’t know how to cook, and learning wasn’t easy — the place didn’t even have running water. Still, she appreciated good food, so she persevered and became a great cook. Later my grandmother taught me ranch-style cooking, a lot of which involved getting simple but flavorful, hearty meals ready in a hurry.”

Boost the payoff with a scoop of ice cream.

Makes 12 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 2cups sugar
• 1/2cup plus 2 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2large eggs
• 2teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2cups all purpose flour
• 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1teaspoon baking soda
• 1teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 2pounds golden delicious apples, peeled, cored, coarsely grated
• 1cup walnuts, toasted, choppedpurchased caramel sauce, heated

DIRECTIONS Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan. Using electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and beat just until blended. Stir in apples, then walnuts. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake cake until top browns and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan.

Cut cake into squares and serve with warm caramel sauce.

The wasabi powder, which can be found in the spice aisle or Asian foods section of most supermarkets, gives the crust a spicy kick. Serve with: Packaged Asian rice pilaf enlivened with a bit of lemon peel, and green beans sprinkled with sesame seeds. Dessert: Tapioca pudding.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4cups panko (japanese breadcrumbs) or fresh breadcrumbs made fromcrustless french bread
• 4teaspoons wasabi powder
• 1/2teaspoon salt
• 1/4teaspoon pepper
• 2eggs, beaten to blend
• 4skinless boneless chicken breast halves, flattened to 1/3-inch thickness between plastic wrap4tablespoons peanut oil3tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 3tablespoons sake
• 3tablespoons low-salt chicken broth
• 3green onions, thinly sliced

DIRECTIONS Combine panko, wasabi powder, salt, and pepper in large shallow dish. Place eggs in pie dish. Dip chicken, 1 breast at a time, in egg, then in panko mixture. Turn to coat completely.

Heat 2 tablespoons peanut oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté 2 chicken breasts until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to platter. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken.

Add teriyaki sauce, sake, and chicken broth to skillet; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Drizzle sauce over chicken. Sprinkle with sliced green onions and serve.