Grilled Fish, Romagna Style

2 1/2 to 3 lbs whole fish gutted and scaled, or fish steaks
salt
pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tb lemon juice
a small sprig of fresh rosemary chopped fine, or 1/2 tea dried
1/3 c fine, dry, unflavored bread crumbs

1. Wash the fish or fish steaks in cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
2. Sprinkle fish liberally with salt and pepper on both sides, put it on a large platter, and add the oil, lemon juice, and rosemary. Turn the fish two or three times to coat well. Add the bread crumbs, turning the fish once or twice again until it has an even coating of oil-soaked bread crumbs. Marinate for 1-2 hours at room temperature, turning and basting the fish from time to time.
3. Preheat grill and place fish 4-5 inches from the heat. Grill on both sides until done, turning the fish once. Depending on the thickness of the fish steaks, or the size of the whole fish, it may take between 5-15 minutes. While cooking, baste the top with any leftover marinate. Serve hot from the grill.

Fried Zucchini Sauce with Garlic and Basil

by Marcella Hazen

1 1/2 lbs fresh, young zucchini
salt
10-12 fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup flour
Vegetable Oil
3 garlic cloves, peeled
4 Tb butter
1/2 c freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano
1 lb pasta (best with fettuccine)

1. Soak the zucchini for 20 minutes in cold water, them wash free of all grit. Drain, trim away both ends and cut zucchini into sticks 2 1/2 inches long and 1/4 inch thick.
2. Put zucchini in a colander and sprinkle liberally with salt. Toss the zucchini 2 or 3 times to distribute the salt evenly, and let stand for at least 2 hours.
3. Remove the zucchini and pat dry with paper towels. Rinse and dry the colander, which you will need again.
4. Rinse the basil in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and tear the leaves by hand into small pieces. Set aside.
5. When you are ready to fry, set the colander over a platter, and put the zucchini back in it. Dust the zucchini with the flour, shaking the colander to coat them evenly and shed excess flour.
6. Put enough veggie oil in a frying pan to come 1/4 to 1/2 inch up its sides. Add the garlic and turn the heat on high. When the oil is quite hot, put in as many zucchini sticks at one tiem as will fit loosely in the pan. Check the garlic and as soon as it begins to turn brown, remove it and discard it. Turn the zucchini sticks, cooking them until they become colored a golden brown all over, then transfer them to a cooling rack to drain or to a platter lined with paper towels. Continue adding zucchini to the pan in as many batches as necessary until it is all done.
7. Cook and drain pasta. Add butter to pot that pasta was cooked in and let it start to melt. Add zucchini, basil and cheese and mix together. Add pasta and toss thorouhghly. Serve at once.

Clay-Pot Miso Chicken

From www.epicurious.com

Makes 4 generous (main course) servings

2 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, with skin and bone
½ c wood ear mushrooms
5cups water, divided
About 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1stalk burdock root (sometimes called gobo)
1/2 teaspoon distilled white vinegar or fresh lemon juice
1 and one 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 lb fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded, large caps quartered
1 and one ½ tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger
1 and one ½ tablespoons finely chopped garlic
1/2 cup mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
1/2 cup white miso (also called shiro miso)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 lb mustard greens, tough stems and ribs discarded and leaves coarsely chopped (8 cups)

Accompaniment: steamed rice
Garnish: chopped scallions

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle. Pat chicken dry, then roast, skin side up, in 1 layer in a shallow baking pan until skin is golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. While chicken roasts, soak wood ear mushrooms in 2 cups water until softened, about 15 minutes. Drain in a sieve, then rinse well and discard any hard pieces. Drain well, squeezing out excess water.

Transfer roasted chicken to a bowl and pour pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a glass measure. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and discard fat. Add enough stock to bring total to 2 cups liquid. Reduce oven to 300°F and move rack to lower third. Peel burdock root, and, if more than 1-inch-thick, halve lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Transfer burdock root to a bowl, then add vinegar and 1 cup water.

Heat oil in a 7- to 8-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onions until softened and beginning to brown. Add shiitakes, ginger, and garlic and sauté until garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Add mirin and boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, 1 minute. Stir in miso and soy sauce, then stir in chicken, wood ear mushrooms, burdock (drained), stock mixture, and remaining 2 cups water. Bring to a boil, skimming off any froth. Cover pot and braise in oven until chicken is tender, about 1 hour.

Stir in mustard greens and continue to braise, covered, 5 minutes. Serve in shallow bowls over rice.

Springtime Hot Pot

Ingredients: (Include as few or as many as you desire)

konbu (dried kelp)
negi (Japanese leek)
shungiku (chrysanthemum leaves)
hakusai (Napa cabbage)
fresh shiitake mushrooms
fresh shimeji mushrooms
fresh enoki mushrooms kuzukiri (arrowroot starch noodles) or thin rice noodles
medium tofu daikon radish (for grating)
ponzu (citrus, soy sauce and vinegar based condiment) beef or pork sliced paper thin (Uwajimaya sells it already sliced and labeled “for sukiyaki” or “for hotpot”) garlic chili sauce, if desired

Preparation:

About two hours before dinner, soak two 2-inch pieces of konbu in a stockpot-full of cold water. About an hour before dinner, soak the kuzukiri noodles in a bowl of cold water. Now grate the daikon radish and cut all the other ingredients into bite-size pieces and artfully arrange on serving plates. Just before dinner, bring the stockpot with the konbu to a simmer -- but don't boil.

To serve:

Place the donabe on a portable burner on the dining table, surrounded by plates of ingredients. Gather your guests around. Arrange the first round of ingredients in the donabe, fill with the konbu broth, cover and bring to a boil. Once boiling, serve in bowls, topped with grated daikon and a hit of ponzu and garlic chili sauce. Eat. Repeat.

(This is a fairly traditional Japanese recipe, but I found it on www.japanesefoodreport.com)