Spaghetti with Spicy Ragù and Roasted Eggplant +1 焼き茄子入りスパイシーラグーのスパゲティ(+1)

Spaghetti with spicy ragu and eggplant 茄子入りスパイシーラグーのスパゲティ, by naotakem on Flickr.

Bought a huge eggplant (as large as a small pineapple) on a whim - had to think for a while about what to do with it, but came up with this vegetable-heavy yet hearty pasta sauce.

こぶりのパイナップルぐらいの大きさのナスをスーパーで見つけて「ついなんとなく」買ってしまい、どうしたものかと思案した結果こんなパスタソースを作ってみました。野菜たっぷり、でもソーセージでコクのある味です。

Cut up the eggplant into bite sized chunks, sprinkled some salt and pepper on them, then roasted them in an oven on an ovenproof pan coated with a thin layer of olive oil for 10-15 minutes. This extra step allowed me to avoid the eggplant from getting too soggy with oil (which would've happened if I cooked it with the other vegetables in the sauce).

ナスは一口サイズに切り、ほんの少々塩コショウしてから軽くオリーブ油を引いた耐熱皿に載せてオーブンで10-15分焼きました。ソース作る時に他の野菜と調理するとナスが油を吸ってべっとりするので、それを避けるための一手間です。

Meanwhile, in a deep pot, started making the ragù by sautéing some mirepoix (mix of chopped onions, celery, and carrots) in olive oil over medium heat adding some finely chopped garlic halfway. Once the vegetables were nicely browned and soft, added some italian spicy sausages removed from the casing, and continued sautéing until everything was nicely mixed and the sausages were browned. Added a dash of red wine to the mix, mix and cook until evaporated, then added a large can of crushed tomatoes and lowered the heat to simmer for 30 minutes or so.

一方でスパイシーラグー（ミートソース）を作成。オリーブ油を少々引いた鍋でタマネギ、セロリ、ニンジンを細かく刻んだミレポワを（途中で刻みニンニクを加えつつ）中火で炒めます。野菜にいい炒め色がついて柔らかくなったら皮を取り除いたスパイシーイタリアンソーセージ（生タイプ）を加え、全てが良く混ざり合い、ソーセージに火が通るまで良く炒めます。そこに赤ワインを少々垂らし、蒸発するまで炒めたら潰したホールトマト大缶一つ分を加え、火を弱めて30分ほど煮込みます。

To finish, add the eggplant to the ragù, mix and season to taste, then serve over spaghetti cooked to al dente with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

仕上げにナスをソースに加え、塩コショウで味を整えたものをアルデンテに茹でたスパゲッティにかけて、刻みパセリと摺り下ろしたパルミジャーノをふりかけて頂きます。

Now for the "plus one" - Had a lot of leftover sauce so made this casserole a few days later. Mixed the sauce with cooked rigatoni (any macaroni-type pasta would do), and some asparagus cut into small pieces, placed in a casserole lined with butter, added a mix of cheeses (used Cheddar, Gruyère, Swiss,  and Gorgonzola), then sprinkled with a mix of breadcrumbs, chopped parsley, and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Baked in an oven until golden brown. You guessed correctly - another dish making use of leftovers!

そしてこれがプラスワンですが、ソースを大量に作ったので残りを活用してこんなグラタン風なものを作りました。上のソースを茹でたてのリガトーニ（マカロニ系のパスタなら何でも良い）と短く刻んだアスパラガスと和え、バターを塗った耐熱皿に入れたら各種チーズ（チェダー、グリュイエール、スイス、そしてゴルゴンゾーラ）を加え、上にパン粉、刻みパセリ、摺り下ろしたパルミジャーノを混ぜたものを振ります。それをオーブンで焼き上げ、出来上がり。そう、これまた残り物大活用の一品でした（笑）。

Rigatoni with asparagus in a Gorgonzola sauce リガトーニとアスパラガスのゴルゴンゾーラソース

Rigatoni with asparagus in a Gorgonzola sauce リガトーニとアスパラガスのゴルゴンゾーラソース, on Flickr.

One "guilty pleasure" that you occasionally crave so much that you just know you have to make it.

たまに無性に食べたくなって作ってしまう「罪悪感を伴う旨いもの（ギルティプレジャー）」の一品。

Blanched the asparagus (cut into bite sized length) in lightly salted water, then sauté them in a pan with some olive oil. Add some milk and crumbled Gorgonzola cheese, stir until cheese is melted and smooth. Add the rigatoni (or penne) cooked a minute or two short of al dente with a splash of pasta cooking water, toss well, then mix in some chopped parsley and freshly ground black pepper to serve. Hard to fight the temptation to make a large batch and have seconds of this...

食べやすい大きさに切ったアスパラガスを軽く塩ゆでし、オリーブ油を軽く引いたフライパンでさっと炒めます。牛乳少々と細かくほぐしたゴルゴンゾーラを加え、チーズが滑らかに溶けるまで混ぜます。そこにアルデンテ１、２分手前まで茹でたリガトーニ（ペンネでも良い）を茹で汁少々と共に加えて良く混ぜ、刻んだパセリと引き立ての黒コショウを混ぜ込んで仕上げます。大量に作って食べたいという欲望と戦うのが大変な、後を引くパスタです。

Pajeon (Korean pancake with garlic chives and scallions) ニラ・ネギ入りパジョン（チヂミ）

Pajeon パジョン, a photo by naotakem on Flickr.

Another way of utilizing leftover vegetables for a quick meal.

これもまた残り野菜を使い切るために作った料理です。

Made a batter using a flavored flour mix for Japanese okonomiyaki (savory pancakes), water, and eggs, then mixed with a generous amount of garlic chives chopped into 1-inch strips and scallions chopped into small slivers. Cooked the mix in a cast iron skillet with some canola oil to achieve a crisp surface with a fluffy inside. Served with a dipping sauce made with minced garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, and hot chile sauce.

お好み焼き粉を水と玉子で延ばし、１インチ程度の長さに刻んだニラと薄切りの青ネギをたっぷり混ぜたら油を引いた鉄鍋で両面をこんがり、中はふわりと焼き上げます。豆板醤に醤油、胡麻油、刻みニンニクを混ぜた辛いタレを添えて出来上がり。

Roast pork with rice and bok choy 叉焼飯(風)

Roast pork with rice and bok choy 叉焼飯(風), a photo by naotakem on Flickr.

チャイナタウンか中華スーパーで出来合いの叉焼を買ってご飯に添えて簡単に、と思っていたら売り切れだったり店が閉まっていたりで、結局豚バラ肉を買って翌日に自作してしまった、という一品です。（当日は外食しました）

The initial idea was to buy some roasted pork belly at a Chinese supermarket or a shop in Chinatown and just have it with some rice for an easy dinner - but by the time we got to the stores they were either sold out or closed. So instead, we bought a pound of pork belly and roasted the pork at home on the next day. (We ended up eating some noodles that day)

豚バラ肉は上の写真のように皮に格子状に切れ目を入れ、そこにニンニクの薄切りを挟んだら全体に塩コショウをたっぷり擦り込み、低温（250°F＝121℃）のオーブンで時々醤油と酒、ハチミツを合わせたものを塗りながら１時間〜１時間半ほど焼きます。油を落としながら焼くのでグリルパン等を使えばひっくり返す必要もなく出来ます。

To prep the pork belly, cut the skin and fat into a cross hatch and inserted thin slivers of garlic into the incisions, then rubbed in plenty of salt and black pepper all over the meat. Placed it into a 250F oven to roast it slowly at low temperatures for about an hour to an hour and a half. The idea is to slowly render the fat on the top out and baste the flesh so if you use a grilling pan there's no need to flip the meat over. For flavor, occasionally basted the meat while cooking with a mix of soy sauce, sake, and honey.  

上のようにいい焼き色がついて、中の温度が150℉（66℃）になったら出来上がり。オーブンから出してアルミホイルに包み、寝かしておきます。その間に白米を炊き、チンゲンサイをさっと塩ゆでしたものを用意します。冒頭の写真のように、ちょっと厚めに切った豚肉とチンゲンサイを添えて叉焼飯の出来上がり。

Once you achieve a nice, glazed color on the outside and an internal temperature of 150F, the pork is done - remove from the oven, wrap it with foil and set aside to rest. Used that time to cook the rice and blanch some bok choy (in lightly salted water). Serve thickly sliced pork with the rice and bok choy like the photo the beginning for a satisfying one-plate dish.

Farafelle with kale, sausage, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic 野菜とソーセージのファルファッレ

Farafelle with kale, sausage, carrots, tomatoes, and garlic #leftovers #pasta, a photo by naotakem on Flickr.

Put this pasta together to make use of some kale, carrots, and tomato that had been sitting in the refrigerator (and a couple of Italian spicy sausages in the freezer) for a while - but it turned out to be quite tasty to our surprise.

冷蔵庫に残っていたケール、ニンジン、そしてトマト（と冷凍庫にあったイタリアン生ソーセージ）を使い切ろうと思って作ったパスタですが、予想外に美味しく出来ました。

Removed the sausages from their casing and cooked them in a skillet with olive oil with some garlic and red pepper flakes until browned throughout. Added finely chopped carrots, mixed well, then added the tomatoes (peeled and seeded) until cooked.

ソーセージをケーシングから出してオリーブ油でニンニクと唐辛子と共に炒め、焼き色がまんべんなくついたら細かく刻んだニンジンを加え、少し炒めたら湯剝きして種を取り除いたトマトを加え、しばらく煮込みます。

Meanwhile, cooked the farfelle in well-salted water until al dente, and added the chopped kale during the final minutes of cooking to soften. Drained the pasta and kale, added to the sauce, tossed well, and served with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

並行してパスタを塩を聞かせたお湯でアルデンテに茹で（刻んだケールを最後の１、２分一緒に茹でて火を通します）、ざるにあけてからソースに加え、良く和えます。パルミジャーノを下ろしかけて出来上がり。

カボチャの煮物 Stewed Pumpkin

カボチャの煮物 Stewed Pumpkin, a photo by naotakem on Flickr.

先日に引き続き出汁を活用して作った野菜料理です。

Another Japanese style vegetable dish made using the dashi stock used to make the dishes in this post.

カボチャは良く洗い、皮は残しつつ石突きと種をとって少し大きめに切り、ボウルに入れて上から砂糖少々と一つまみの塩を振り、ラップをして冷蔵庫に数時間入れておきます。途中で一度混ぜますが、これによりカボチャから水分が抜け、味が凝縮されます。

Washed the pumpkin well, removed the stem and the seeds, then cut it up into fairly large chunks with the skin on. Placed in a bowl, sprinkled a few spoonfuls of sugar and a pinch of salt - then covered with a plastic wrap and placed in the refrigerator for a few hours, tossing once. This extracts moisture from the pumpkin and condenses the flavor within the flesh.

冷蔵庫から出したカボチャを深鍋に移し、半分ぐらい浸るまで出汁を注ぎ、火にかけて中火で沸騰させます。沸騰したら弱火にし、醤油、酒、みりんを2:1:1ぐらいの比率で合わせたものを少量加え、実を崩さぬように軽く混ぜたらカボチャが崩れない程度に柔らかくなるまで煮ます。火を落として冷まし、30分ほど置いて味をさらに染みこませたら出来上がり。

Took the pumpkins out of the refrigerator and put them in a pan with some depth. Added enough dashi so the pumpkins are halfway immersed, then brought to a boil with medium heat. Once boiling, reduced the heat to a simmer and added a mix of soy sauce, sake, and mirin (ratio = 2:1:1) to season, gave it a gentle stir, then cooked until the pumpkins became tender, but not quite falling apart. Removed from the heat to let it cool for about half an hour (which allows the flavors to permeate) before serving.

3 Japanese Style Vegetable Dishes Using Dashi Broth 出汁を使った野菜料理三品

昆布と鰹で取った出汁を使った野菜料理を三品まとめて。これはお湯をかけて油抜きした油揚げと小松菜を出汁＋醤油＋酒＋砂糖＋みりんで煮たもの。ワカメとタマネギの味噌汁、納豆を添えてベジタリアンな夕食に。

Three vegetable dishes made with a big batch of dashi stock made with dried kombu kelp and katsuobushi bonito flakes. This one is a stew of aburaage (fried tofu) and komatsuna (mustard spinach) cooked in a mix of dashi, soy sauce, sake, sugar, and mirin. Trick is to use the flavoring agents besides the dashi sparingly - you don't want to make it too salty, sweet, or reeking of alcohol. Had this with natto (fermented soybeans) and miso soup with wakame seaweed and onions for a vegetarian dinner. 

これは水菜のおひたし。刻んだものをさっと茹でて冷水にさらし、水気を絞った水菜を器に盛り、暖かい出汁をかけまわして鰹節を振ったもの。

This is an ohitashi - a side dish of blanched greens briefly marinated in warm, unseasoned dashi - of mizuna greens. Trick is to dunk the blanched greens in cold water to stop cooking and preserve the colors, then squeeze gently to remove excess water to achieve a good texture. Pour warm dashi over the mizuna, let stand a few minutes, then garnish with katsuobushi to serve.

最後はカブの実と葉両方を使った味噌汁。カブの実を良く洗って薄切りにしたものを出汁で煮て味を含ませ、味噌を溶いたらあらかじめさっと茹でて刻んでおいたカブの葉を加えて出来上がり。

Last but not the least - a miso soup of kabu turnips, using both the root and the leaves. Washed the kabu roots well, sliced thin, then cooked in dashi until soft. Stirred in the miso (the white variety, which has a milder flavor which works better with root vegetables), and added some pre-blanched and chopped turnip leaves before serving.

Spaghetti with Cabbage in a Tomato Garlic Bacon Sauce キャベツとベーコン入りトマトソースのスパゲッティ

Spaghetti with cabbage in a tomato garlic bacon sauce キャベツとベーコン入りトマトソースのスパゲッティ, a photo by naotakem on Flickr.

冷蔵庫の余り野菜処分的かつ料理と呼ぶのもどうかな、という簡単なパスタですが、意外と旨かったです。

Made this simple (not sure whether I should call it "cooking") pasta to use up some unused vegetables in the refrigerator, but it turned out surprisingly tasty.

刻んだベーコンとタマネギ、ニンニクを少量のオリーブ油で炒め、火が通ったら皮を剥いて刻んだトマトを加え、塩コショウで味を整えて軽く煮詰めます。

Sautéed some chopped bacon, onions, and garlic in olive oil until soft and translucent, then added a peeled and diced tomato. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer while cooking the spaghetti.

その間にスパゲッティを塩を十分に効かせたお湯でアルデンテに茹で、最後の２分間にキャベツのざく切りも加えて火を通してしまいます。

While the sauce is simmering, cooked the spaghetti in well-salted boiling water until al dente, and added roughly chopped cabbage during the last 2 minutes or so to cook through.

スパゲッティとキャベツをざるに空け、水気を切ったらソースと混ぜ、刻みパセリを散らして出来上がり。ソース2に対しパスタは1ぐらいの配分で健康的に仕上げました。

Drained the spaghetti and cabbage in a colander, shook off excess water and tossed it well with the sauce, then garnished with parsley to finish.  Fairly healthy, with a sauce to pasta ratio of about 2:1.