Autumn, a midweek dinner

The cooling rains of autumn blankets Tokyo in a misty glaze.

Shoes damp, the patter of droplets on vinyl umbrella slide downward.

Dinner Time

It's October and that means a new season of delicious eating.
I'm going to try something different and write about cooking, something I have always loved. Hopefully, its puts a name to some of the dishes one might find at a Japanese restaurant, but not necessarily know the name of.

Here are some recipes for dinner tonight that remind me of vermillion maple and the gold ginko leaves of fall.

These will be broken down into single entries, for ease of reading

1. Chilled Japanese Spinach and Chrysanthemum flowers (ほうれん草のお浸し）

This is a recipe that does well as a simple side dish to a larger meal. The mild flavor of spinach is enhanced with a light broth and the bright yellow chrysanthemum petals add a streak of beautiful color against the dark spinach.

To make ほうれん草のお浸し（Hourensou no Ohitashi), you will need:

1.) 1 Bunch of Japanese Spinach (18-20 plants) 

2.) Seasoning liquid:

1 1/4 Cup of Dashi (Bonito Broth)

A Pinch of Salt

1tsp of Mirin (Sweet Japanese Cooking Sake)

4 tsps Soy sauce

2 tsp Rice Wine Vinegar

3.) 6 Edible Chrysanthemum Flowers, petals picked, centers reserved for later use

4.) 3 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar  

5. Bonito flakes, for garnish

Directions:

1. Bring Dashi to a boil, add salt, mirin soy sauce and 2 tsp rice wine vinegar. Simmer for a minute then remove from heat. Let it rest until cool (Can be made in advance)

2. Salt a pot of boiling water and blanch spinach until just tender. Drain and shock in ice water to stop cooking.

3. Gently Squeeze out excess water from spinach, cut off and discard the base then cut into 2 inch pieces. 

4. Place into a shallow dish and pour over cooled seasoning liquid. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours

Before Serving:

bring 1 cup of water to boil, add 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

Add the Chrysanthemum petals and blanch very briefly (10 seconds or so) Transfer the petals to ice water then drain.

Remove spinach from the seasoning liquid (reserve), mix with the chrysanthemum petals then arrange on a serving dish.  Spoon over a few spoons of the seasoning liquid and sprinkle over some bonito flakes.

Finished Dish!