Roasted Enoki Mushrooms Izakaya Style

Whew! I am back from all my travels and am finally back in my own kitchen. I miss the beach and the excitement of travel, but it's good to be home. I need to hit the gym, cook at home for a while and catch up on some serious laundry.

I ate well on the road; almost grossly rich food in Savannah at Paula Deen's restaurant The Lady and Sons, and a classically elegant supper of local-caught flounder eaten by candlelight during a thunderstorm while overlooking a park at the historic Olde Pink House.

Las Vegas brought excellent off-the-strip Thai food at Lotus of Siam, followed the next night by a meal at Michael Mina's STRIPSTEAK that was as expensive as my mortgage payment, only I was fortunate enough to not be paying for that meal. Thanks Becky!

Imagine black-truffle dusted duck-fat fried French fries, foie gras "sliders", A5 Japanese Kobe beef steak that was seriously the price of a low-end car payment, Shafer Hillside Select Cabernet, jalapeno creamed corn, truffled mac n cheese and freshly fried mini doughnuts and beignets with dipping sauces, along with many more items I am leaving out. OH MY GOD!! Here is a photo of me and chef Ben Jenkins and me & the girls with who might be considered the greatest thug in the kingdom of rap, Suge Knight. It's Vegas after all...we also saw Magic Johnson and Adrian Grenier of Entourage and Devil Wears Prada.


Laguna Beach and Newport Beach brought respite from Vegas with sleepy mornings, a brown-bag lunch at the beach and early dinners before a glass of wine and early bedtimes.

Sushi ruled the day, any that's how I stumbled on the inspiration for this recipe. My favorite sushi bar frequented by locals is San Shi Go (345) in Laguna Beach. Sushi chef Yoshi not only served me an amazing omakase-style sublime sushi experience, but when I finished I asked where else I should eat while in Orange County and he steered me to sister restaurant Oki Doki, an Asian fusion place known for Izakaya style food.

So...what is Izakaya? I was thrilled to discover it's a Japanese style of restaurant/bar/pub not unlike a tapas bar (Spain) in that it's small plates meant for sharing while enjoying drinks with friends and/or colleagues.

My really sweet and (so earning brownie points) boyfriend Brian flew in to surprise me on Thursday and stayed for the weekend, so Friday night found us at Oki Doki where everything was absolutely delicious, but the mushrooms roasted in foil stuck in my head. Here is my version - this is amazingly simple and really good.

Roasted Enoki Mushrooms Izakaya Style:
(serves 1, can be increased as needed)
1 small bunch enoki mushrooms
1 tbs sake
1 tbs ponzu sauce (ponzu shoyu (with soy sauce added) is best here, not plain ponzu)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp to 1/2 tbs butter (use what you want)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400. Make a small pouch in a piece of foil, add mushrooms and then seasonings (except butter). Toss mushrooms until coated, top with butter, then close foil packet. Roast for about 15 minutes. Serve immediately!

Chicken Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Pan Sauce, Parmesan & Black Truffle Oil

After our beautiful sunny weekend it turned cold and rainy again so tonight I wanted something earthy and comforting as I settle in to watch the finale of Top Chef.

Another thing cheering me up is after my terrible incident (see comment 3) with my white truffle oil last week, tonight I went shopping at Trader Joe's and saw they now sell white and black truffle oil - at an unbelievable price. I told my sad story and showed my now-healing cut to the clerk who kindly gave me a free bottle of white truffle oil and I bought the black also. I LOVE Trader Joe's.

Chicken Ravioli with Wild Mushroom Pan Sauce, Parmesan & Black Truffle Oil:
(serves 1, can easily be adjusted for any number)
6 chicken ravioli (recipe below)
1/4 c dried wild mushrooms
1 tbs butter
Salt and pepper
2 tbs finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbs Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
1 tsp (or to taste) black truffle oil

Directions:
Boil an ample amount of salted water over high heat. Meanwhile, soak dried mushrooms in hot tap water for 20 minutes or so, until softened. Roughly chop mushrooms, reserving soaking liquid.

Drop ravioli in boiling water. Meanwhile heat skillet with butter and saute mushrooms. Add mushroom soaking liquid and reduce over high heat. When reduced by more than half, take ravioli out of boiling water, add to pan and continue to simmer.

Remove ravioli to serving dish, simmer sauce until only 2 tbs of liquid remain with mushrooms. Stir in parsley, pour over ravioli. Top with Parmesan cheese, drizzle with truffle oil and garnish with additional parsley. Serve immediately.

Chicken Ravioli:
(makes about 36 ravioli)
The chicken ravioli is a great recipe for doubling or tripling and freezing the extra. Layer ravioli between sheets of parchment paper and store in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Drop into salted boiling water (still frozen) and they are ready in minutes.

2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled, whole
8 oz mushrooms, finely chopped
1/4 c bread crumbs (or as needed to absorb moisture)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive oil, as needed
2 tbs fresh chopped parsley
1 package round or square wonton wrappers
1 egg for an egg wash

Directions:
Poach chicken breasts and garlic in simmering water until chicken is cooked through -about 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile, sauté mushrooms, onions and garlic in olive oil until softened and turning golden. Remove from heat and combine all ingredients (except wonton wrappers & egg) in a bowl, set aside.

Mix egg with a splash of water and beat with a fork for an egg wash. Meanwhile, lay out wonton wrappers in an assembly line. Working quickly, spoon 1 full tsp filling on wonton wrapper. Using a pastry brush or your finger, spread egg wash around the edge of the wonton wrapper. Gently lay another wrapper on top, press all the air out and make a tight seal. Trim edges with a ravioli cutter.

Wild Mushroom Risotto

This risotto is very basic, made decadent by using imported wild mushrooms and real Parmegano Reggiano cheese. The Italian parsley adds a peppery zing, leave it out if you don't like the taste but I think it gives a nice clean bite to a creamy and rich risotto.

Wild Mushroom Risotto:
(serves 2)
1 c arborio rice
2-3 c chicken stock, warmed
1/2 c dried wild mushrooms, rinsed and soaking in 1 c hot water
2 tbs olive oil
1/3 c shallot, chopped finely
2 tbs Italian flat-leaf parsley, chopped finely
1/4 c white wine
Salt and Pepper to taste
1/4-1/2 c grated Parmegano Reggiano cheese

Directions:
Heat saute pan over high heat, add olive oil. Saute shallots until softened, add rice and saute until rice begins to be translucent around edges. Add wine, simmer, stirring until all liquid is absorbed. Add 1/2 c stock at a time, stirring constantly and not adding any more liquid until all has absorbed. Once rice is creamy and almost all liquid is absorbed, stir in mushroom soaking liquid and simmer until almost absorbed. Add mushrooms, cheese, parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately with more grated cheese on top, if desired.