Pepper-Lemon Chicken Karaage: Wheat, gluten and soy-free

Cut up the chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. You can take off the skin if you like, though it does make the chicken crispier. You can also use breast meat insteadd.

Combine the chicken stock, lemon juice, and grated lemon zest in a bowl. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and mix well. Taste - it should be fairly salty but not overwhelmingly so. Add a bit more salt if needed.

Put the chicken pieces in the bowl. Let marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes - an hour is ideal. If marinating for more than an hour (say, overnight), do not put salt in the marinade.

When you're ready to fry the chicken, take it out of the marinade and pat it dry. If you didn't add salt to the marinade, salt the chicken now and rub it in. Leave for a few minutes, and pat dry again. Grind a ton of black pepper on the chicken (it can stand a lot) .

Heat the oil; if using a temperature-controlled fryer or a thermometer, aim for 160°C / 355°F, a fairly low temperature. Toss enough potato or cornstarch into the marinated chicken so that each piece is completely coated. Fry the chicken pieces a few at a time at 160°C / 320°F until cooked through. The chicken will still be quite pale.

Take the chicken out of the oil, and drain off while you raise the temperature of the oil to 180°C / 355°F. When the oil is hot, re-add the chicken pieces and cook until a light golden brown - about 30 seconds to a minute. It won't get as dark in color as the soy-sauce marinated version. Don't overcook or the chicken will dry out.

Drain well on a rack, or old newspaper lined on top with paper towels.

Serve with lemon wedges, and even more pepper if you like.

If you use chicken stock cubes or granules, it already has salt in it so be sure to taste your marinade before adding any more.

If you do use chicken stock cubes, don't marinate it for more than an hour or so (because of the salt).

The best version of this is to marinate the chicken in unsalted chicken stock with lemon juice and zest overnight in the refrigerator. Add the salt later, as per the directions. The chicken will be very flavorful and juicy.

Potato starch, or katakuriko, is standard for karaage in Japan. It creates a wonderfully light, crispy, greaseless surface. It's not that easy to get a hold of in many places though (look in a Japanese grocery store), so cornstarch(cornflour in the UK) is an acceptable substitute. If you must avoid gluten for medical reasons, be sure to use a cornstarch that is guaranteed to be gluten-free.

The lemon juice acts in a way like the sake in the original recipe, in that it eliminates some of the gaminess of the chicken. Adjust the amount to taste; I like to squeeze on more when I eat the karaage.

If you use white meat instead of dark, cook it for a bit less time or the chicken will dry out.

You can marinate a pound or more (or around 500g) of cut up chicken in this marinade. To marinate more, just increase the amount of marinade.

Try using yuzu juice and peel instead of the lemon if you can get them, and sprinkle with sansho pepper or shichimi tohgarashi (seven-ingredient chili pepper) instead of black pepper.

(metadata for this recipe:) Author: Makiko ItohPublished: January 14, 2014

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Roasted Strawberry Whole Wheat Muffins – Dedicated to Dante

It’s hard to not think of Dante when I look at the strawberry patch. The ruby red berries are still dangling from their lengthy stems, begging to be plucked. Normally this is the time of year Dante and Sierra both would scour every inch of the patch for sweet berries. And this was the time of year that we’d share the fruit with not just our beloved dogs, but with the other garden critters and hungry, pecking visitors.

Dante was a strawberry lover and in fact, a lover of all foods. Sierra, on the other hand, is much more timid about approaching strange food, particularly anything green or in the vegetative state. But she trusted her big brother Dante and if he ate the strawberries with abandon, then it was good enough for her to copy him.

Nearly every morning before breakfast Dante would wander over to the strawberries. Sierra would follow him to the patch and watch him carefully pluck, then inhale the brightest red ones. Then she would cautiously follow suit, but plucking the small ones first, with caution to make sure it wasn’t a chili pepper.

We’d find the patch stripped of anything red and then we’d call out loud to complain about never getting to eat enough garden strawberries. Though deep inside, we always laughed it off because we thought it was so cute that Dante and Sierra would beat us to the berries. There are advantages to waking up early. We’d rather have them eat the fruit than leaving them to the bugs.

Sierra, heading to the strawberry patch

This April, there is an abundance of red fruit on the vines. Sierra doesn’t have Dante with her to give her the guidance to know which one is worth eating. She doesn’t have her big brother to follow around and watch, follow and mimic. She always did what ever he did, even if it scared her. Now, she walks over to the patch alone, staring at the fruit and waiting for Todd or I to hand feed her a berry.

Since Dante was lost to cancer last May, we still haven’t gotten used to having so many ripe strawberries from the garden. I feel like I want to save them to ripen on the vines and to let the dogs get to them first. But staring at all this fruit isn’t going to bring Dante back.

All the fruit staring back at me reminds me to celebrate him and this wonderful season of Spring where new life starts to awaken in the garden. The fruit needs to be eaten because thats what Dante would have wanted and done himself.

So, I asked Todd to make some roasted strawberries and add them to my favorite whole wheat muffins. I know Dante would have loved to have one of those, warm out of the oven. I wanted a big batch of muffins with lots and lots and lots of roasted strawberries. I wanted each muffin to be bursting with roasted strawberries. What the garden didn’t have enough of, we’ll head out to the local farm stand to get more strawberries.

I’m a lucky girl like that, where I can ask my guy to make me muffins and within the hour he’ll dedicate the first hot batch to me with an embrace.

And I’m a lucky girl because I was able to have the joy of raising my very first puppy together with Todd.

Raising our first puppy together is like raising our first baby. And anyone who has ever had a pet to love and nourish would understand both my pain and joy to have loved than to have never loved at all.

Dante, these muffins are for you. Actually, two of them. I would have snuck you two muffins.

Enjoy your Spring,

diane

Cooking Method & Notes: 

i love whole wheat muffins & roasted strawberries make them extra special

start with plump, ripe strawberries. And lots of them

slice them to bite size pieces or size them to your bite (hope that makes sense) 

toss with olive oil, light touch of balsamic vinegar, honey, sea salt, black pepper 

toss them again on a baking sheet. Ready. Set. Roast. 

can you smell these? the scent of roasted strawberries is magical. 

Dante would have loved to licked the juicy pan. I would have let him. 

fill half way, then add a layer of roasted strawberries

then top off with batter and add more strawberries on top

the yummy strawberry juices can get messy. Use a spoon….

…. or use your fingers. Make sure to lick them afterwards! fun. 

after baking, brush on some of the roasted juices as a glaze

Yield: 9 Muffins

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

The oat and whole wheat flour adds an extra heartiness to the muffins. Another dimension to the flavor and texture.

1 lb fresh Strawberries, hulled1 T Honey2 T Grape Seed Oil1 T Balsamic Vinegar1/2 t Sea Salt(optional) 1 T Port1 c (100g) Oat Flour3/4 c (100g) All-Purpose Flour, unbleached1/2 c (60g) Whole Wheat Flour1/4 c (55 g) Sugar1/2 c (110g) Golden Brown Sugar2 t (9g) Baking Powder1 t (4g) Sea Salt or Kosher Salt2 T (30g) unsalted Butter1/2 c Canola or Grape Seed Oil1/2 c Sour Cream1 Egg1 t Vanilla Extract1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut smaller strawberries in half, larger strawberries in quarter.Combine strawberries, honey, oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and port in a medium bowl. Gently mix until strawberries are evenly coated.Spread strawberries evenly onto the prepared sheet pan. Bake until juices just begin to thicken,  40-50 minutes. After cooled, gently pick up strawberries and place in a small bowl. Reserve juices in another small bowl.Use immediately or store in the fridge for up to one week.

Preheat oven to 425º F. If you have a baking stone, place stone on lower third shelf. Butter and flour 9 muffin tin cups.

Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk for at least 30 seconds to thoroughly blend.Melt butter in a small saucepan and cook on medium-low heat until gently browned.In a medium bowl, whisk together oil, browned butter, sour cream, egg, and vanilla extract. Whisk until well combined.Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour oil mixture into the well and stir until just combined.In a medium bowl, whip heavy cream to soft peaks. Fold whipped cream into batter.Using two large soup spoons or an ice cream scoop, fill the nine prepared muffin cups half way with batter. Lay 2-3 roasted strawberries over the batter. Fill muffin cups nearly to the top.Lay 2-3 slices of roasted strawberries on top of muffins. Gently press into batter.Reduce oven temperature to 400º F. Open door and leave open for 10 seconds then place muffin tin on baking stone or lower third shelf.Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserting into middle of muffins.Poke several holes in tops of each muffin with a toothpick. Brush muffins with reserved roasted strawberry juices.Gently loosen top edges of muffins and twist each muffin out. Lay them on their side in the muffin cups to cool. Best eaten same day.

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Eden Pasta, Soba Wheat and Buckwheat, 8.8 Ounce Packages (Pack of 12)

Rich, hearty and satisfying, this expertly made pasta is easy to prepare. Its flavor combines well with a variety of recipes and cooking styles. Product of Japan.

Price: $46.82

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Homemade Whole Wheat Oatmeal Bread w/ Tomato Jam

The maligned sandwich loaf. A second-class citizen in the bread world.  Soft, mass-produced, with nothing artistinal or interesting about it. Bearer of boring pb&j’s and bologna sandwiches. Oscar Meyer has a better repute than the soft sandwich loaf breads.

Yet, are they really such an inferior loaves?  Or has it become such a commercial mainstay that it becomes hard to admire its qualities. It’s like trying to appreciate Barber of Seville after watching Bugs Bunny shave up Elmer.

We say rise up!  Rise up noble sandwich loaf. Hold your crust high amongst your doughy brethren. Made in the hands of ones who love you, your crumb is one of our favorites.  You sandwich our sandwich. Especially you, the Whole Wheat Sandwich Loaf.

Your beautiful singe of crumb balanced by a delicate softness as we toast and grill you.  Yet there is still that extra layer of texture and flavor given by the whole wheat which leads us to you over your brother the White Loaf. How glorious of a grilled cheese you make when paired with smoked Gouda, paper-thin sweet onion slices, crisp sweet pickle slices and a touch of balsamic. A wonderful nutty toast your gently charred slices provide.  Perfect for a glancing spread of butter and jam.

Bow down before no other loaf.  Every loaf has its wonder and quality, and yours is no less than any others. Do not undervalue yourself gentle sandwich loaf, because we love you and will always make you. You hold the heart of a boy who bakes.

For our latest loaf, as the nation tires and continues to braves the winter chill, we thought to open some of our bottled summer sunshine, tomato jam.

Our Homemade Tomato Jam Recipe

We had a great tomato season and were determined to save as much as possible for exactly this time of year. Even though we now live in the comfort of Southern California weather, the memories of growing up months of snowy winters will never be forgotten. The cold and gloom starts to settle into the bones.  Snow isn’t “pretty” anymore.  It’s annoying. And cold. I remember and feel your frostbit toes.

So here’s a sweet reminder of the warmth of summer. The ice will thaw and warmth will come again.

-Todd

Start with the dry active yeast

mixing flours and oatmeal

allow whet bread to rise

viola, ready for the oven

 Print This Recipe

Whole Wheat Oatmeal Sandwich Bread
Adapted from Good to the Grain by Kim Boyce and Amy Scattergood. A perfect whole wheat loaf for sandwiches and toast. Soft, a touch of sweetness to the loaf from the honey and molasses. Like the authors of Good to the Grain, we make this loaf in the mixer.  If you want to make the bread by hand, they recommend kneading by hand for 15 minutes, adding flour as needed. Makes 1 large loaf.

1 c (240ml) Water
1c (240ml) Milk
1 pkg (1 T or 10g) Active Dry Yeast
1 T (20g) Honey
2 T (40g) unsulphured Molasses, not backstrap molasses
2 1/2 c (350g) Whole Wheat Flour
2 c (300g) Bread Flour
1 c (120g) Rolled Oats
4 T (60g) unsalted Butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 T (15g) Sea Salt

optional: bran or additional oats for topping loaf

lightly butter 9x5x3 bread loaf pan

1.  Gently warm milk and water to about 115 F. Combine water, milk, yeast, honey, and molasses in the bowl of a standing mixer. Stir to dissolve yeast. (If you aren’t sure if your yeast is good, wait 5 minutes to see if it blooms-bubbles. If it doesn’t throw out and start over.)

2. Add flours, oats, melted butter, and sea salt to the liquid mix.  Using the bread hook and stand mixer, mix for 6 minutes on medium speed. The dough should climb the dough hook and slap around the sides of the bowl without sticking. If the dough is sticking, add a tablespoon or two more of flour at a time until the dough comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl.

3. Cover the bowl with a towel and place in a warm area to rise. Leave to rise for about an hour or until doubled in size (to test if it has proofed enough, gently poke the dough- if it springs back, it needs to proof longer – if a dimple remains, it is ready.)

4. Shape the loaf. Put the dough on a lightly floured work surface. Flatten out the bubbles while working the loaf into a square shape. Grabbing the top edge, fold the dough down towards the middle. Grab the bottom edge and fold up to the middle, bringing the two edges together. Pinch the seam and sides, sealing them with your fingers. Roll the dough back and forth, plumping it into an even log and about the size of your bread pan. Gently place the dough into your bread pan, seam side down. Press the dough gently into the corners of the bread pan.

5. Cover the loaf with a towel and leave it to rise in a warm area for about an hour or until the dough rises to half again its size and is puffing up barely over the edges of the loaf pan.

while the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 400 F.

6. If desired, sprinkle the top of the loaf with bran or oats. Bake for about 40 minutes, rotating halfway through.  The loaf is done baking when the crust is dark brown and sounds hollow when tapped. Remove the loaf from the pan and allow to full cool on a baking rack.

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