Assis-toi

Food columnist Simon Thibault visits Japan --- in a Halifax kitchen.

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Okinomiyaki Recipe
You'll need
Water 160mL
2/3 cup unbleached cake flour (or unbleached white flour with two teaspoons corn starch or arrowroot flour)
2 eggs
1/2 cup cabbage, cut into fine strips
2 stalks green onion, finely chopped
Pinch of salt
Seasonings
1 bottle of Japanese mayo (available at most Asian grocers)
1 bottle of Okinomiyaki sauce (available at most Asian grocers)
Dried chili flakes, such as Nanami Togarashi (Japanese chili blend)
Toasted nori (Japanese seaweed used for sushi) cut into flakes
Optional Toppings
Sausage, cut into 1/4" pieces
Japanese rice cakes (mochi), cut into pieces
Fresh shrimp, deveined and shelled
Scallops cut into quarters

**Personalize your toppings, because Okinomiyaki means "your favourite things grilled"**

Whisk salt and flour together, then add water, mixing flour well into a batter. Add the two eggs, and whisk until well blended. Add the cabbage and chopped green onion to the batter.
Laddle the batter into a hot frying pan and wait 30 seconds for the batter to start crisping up. Add the toppings on top of the wet batter, and continue to cook for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the pancake begins to set.
Flip the pancake over and cook for 4 or 5 minutes, until the pancake has properly set and the ingredients have cooked through.
Remove from pan and drizzle on the okinomiyaki sauce and Japanese mayo. Sprinkle on some chili flakes and nori, if desired.
Now say, "Itedakimas" and dig in!!!

Food critic Melissa Buote cooks up some scallops.

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Recipe for Scallops and Grapes
10 Digby scallops
1 small shallot, minced
1/2 cup grapes, sliced in half (we mixed green & red, you could use either... I'm guesstimating the amount)
1 1/2 TB butter
1 TB olive oil (guesstimate, again)
1 TB fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
juice from 1 lemon
lemon zest
pepper
sea salt

Season the scallops with salt & pepper.
Heat olive oil & 1/2 TB butter in a skillet. When the oil shimmers/butter melts add the scallops. Let cook about 2 minutes (until caramelization) on one side, flip and cook for another 1-2 minutes. Remove from pan, put on a plate and tent with tinfoil to keep warm.
Add the rest of the butter to the pan, add the minced shallot and let it cook out for about a minute until golden. Add the lemon zest, grapes, lemon (just squeezing out the lemon halves into a pan) and a bit of salt & pepper. Heat until the grapes are warmed through. Add the scallops and any of the runoff juice back into the pan and toss in the sauce. Throw the parsley in at the last minute, do another quick toss and then voila! Plate 'er up.

Hang on to Simon Thibault's every word has he shares the secret to hanger steak.

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Recipe for the Hanger Steak:

Ingredients:
1 Hanger steak
Marinade:
½ cup soy sauce
½ cup Worcestershire sauce
Juice of 1 large lemon (approx. ¼ cup)
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded & finely chopped (optional)

Directions:
1. Whisk all ingredients for the marinade.
2. Lightly score (shallow slashes) both sides of the steak and marinate overnight in fridge or at least 2 hours at room temperature.
4. Grill steak 6 minutes per side for medium-rare.
5. Allow to rest for five minutes.
6. Thinly slice meat across the grain (short side).

Serve with fresh green salad or fingerling potatoes.