Japanese Cabbage and Shrimp Pancakes - Okonomiyaki revisited

My iPhone camera roll is out of control! Too many pictures in too few albums make it impossible to locate anything quickly. Last week I decided to tackle the disorganized mess, discard the surplus shots and organize the rest. Like several other ambitious plans, an enthusiastic start soon bogged down in the details. Progress slowed as I gazed at each shot, flooded with memories of the occasion. So many photos recalled special friends, fun adventures, brief moments of scenic beauty, tasty meals, etc. Gazillions of shots still need organizing, but I did find a cache of food photos, perfect for menu planning inspiration. Those colorful restaurant food shots reminded me of countless tasty meals, prompting an online search for recipes. 

Photo: Okonomiyaki plate at Arnie's in Edmonds

This amazing okonomiyaki luncheon plate shown above, an October 2014 daily special from Arnie's in Edmonds, topped my newly-inspired "must make" list. Two airy pancakes, plated atop braised spinach and a puddle of tangy sauce were so tasty I didn't want to share a single bite... though I probably offered, just to be polite. 

This week Hilary ran across the okonomiyaki recipe in my Food52 cookbook and recalled enjoying this Osaka specialty treat during a recent trip to Japan. 

I have made these savory cabbage and shrimp pancakes before (link), but wasn't thrilled with the results. Now, with renewed photo inspiration and a kitchen helper, it was time to revisit this delicious savory treat.

Hilary mixed the ingredients, aiming for a loose egg batter that would produce crispy, crepe-like pancakes. Ron grabbed a spatula and joined the party at the stove. We soon had two skillets heating on the cooktop, the oven warmed and a bowl of dipping sauce mixed and set aside. Let the okonomiyaki cookoff begin. 

The most successful technique involved adding 1/4 cup batter to a hot, oiled skillet and smooshing it out flat with a large spoon. Flatter pancakes cooked more evenly and were much easier to flip than those that held mounds of filling.

The smooth surface of the cast iron pan accounted for easy release and flipping, while the small ridges on the bottom of a Circulon skillet resisted releasing the pancakes. Messy, but doable.
  

We ended up with plump pancakes rather than flat, crispy edged crepes. No matter. The pancakes were delicious; tangy, crunchy, eggy little disks packed through with toothsome cabbage and shrimp. Tasty enough on their own, their flavor really popped with the addition of the dipping sauce. Hilary added more sriracha, Ron reached for the sweet Thai chili sauce, and I claimed more dipping sauce for myself. Win, win.

The iPhone camera roll still awaits organization, but now I'm eagerly looking for the next food inspiration as I begin to sort through the photos. 

Cabbage and Shrimp Pancakes - aka Okonomiyaki

based on a recipe at Food52.com

Yield: 12 medium pancakes

Pancakes:

4 large eggs

2 teaspoons lime Ponzu (or soy sauce and a splash of lime juice)

1 teaspoon hot sesame oil

1/2 teaspoon sea salt (optional, I find the Ponzu salty enough)

1/3 cup AP flour

2 cups thinly sliced cabbage shreds (we substituted 1/2 cup carrot shreds and red cabbage for some of the green cabbage) 

6 green onions, sliced thin

1 cup salad shrimp (or chop larger shrimp into small pieces)

Minced pickled red ginger, to taste (optional, but it adds a nice bite)

Canola oil for the skillet
Toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Dipping sauce*

1. Whisk together the dipping sauce ingredients and set aside while you make the pancakes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200 F, to hold the finished pancakes as you make several batches.
3. Using a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, Ponzu, spicy sesame oil and salt. Add the flour in several batches, whisking to blend completely after each addition. Fold in the cabbage, green onions, shrimp and pickled ginger(optional).
4. Drop a few tablespoons of canola oil into a cast iron or nonstick skillet and heat over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Give the batter another stir or two to mix in any egg mixture that might have settled out; add a heaping serving spoon of batter to the pan. Smooth out the batter to an even thickness, tidy up the edges, and cook for several minutes until golden brown. Flip carefully and cook a few more minutes until the second side is golden brown. Keep warm, covered, in the oven as you work with the remaining batter.

Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup lite Best Foods mayonnaise
2 tablespoons lime Ponzu sauce
1 tablespoon Sriracha, adjust more or less to your own taste (we recommend more)

Note: use as a dipping sauce or add to a squirt bottle and squeeze over the pancakes.

Coffee-Rubbed Cowboy Steaks with Chocolate Stout Pan Sauce

Red meat, anyone? Yes, please! Salads and roasted or grilled vegetables are undeniably healthy and tasty, and appear daily on my plate, along with some chicken or fish for protein. But every now and again I really crave beef. Visions of juicy chile cheeseburgers and thick well-marbled steaks dance in my brain. Even a well-flavored meatloaf sounds good. Okay, not as tempting as a perfectly cooked steak, but meatloaf does occasionally call my name. 

This week Food52's spicy Coffee-Rubbed Cowboy Steaks with Chocolate Pan Sauce hit the plate. A really good steak doesn't need much beyond salt, pepper and a quick sear over high heat to provide a tasty entree. But, when you begin with a rub packed with intense, tongue-tingling flavors and then finish with a rich, velvety pan sauce... oh! my! it makes the taste buds sing "hallelujah" with each bite. Yes, it was that good.

Hil took over dinner prep, with RL shining as salad-maker and #1 assistant. Me? I parked my crutches and sat at the kitchen table, sipping a cup of tea, while that cheery duo dealt with dinner prep. The aroma of warming spices and coffee was the first indication that dinner would be flavorful. Initially the familiar aroma of coffee filled the kitchen, with cumin and smoked paprika barely noticeable, but the scent of spices became more pronounced when the meat was seared over high heat. A meat thermometer helped achieve the desired level of doneness, medium-rare for this crowd. Removed from the oven at 120-125 degrees f,  the steaks were a perfect medium-rare after resting while the pan sauce was prepared.   

Photo: Checking the steaks for "doneness"

The steaks would have been a hit straight from the oven, but the pan sauce with a chocolate stout reduction and a dollop of butter added an amazing finishing note. It will be fun in the future to play with different flavored beers, spirits and herbs to see how much that changes the taste. We are definitely going to enjoy this preparation again. Thank you Hil, RL and Food52.   

Photo: Ready to reduce the pan sauce liquid by 50%

Spicy roasted cauliflower florets and a Greek salad provided some welcome crunch and healthy vitamins to the dinner, proving almost as popular as the rubbed and sauced slices of steak... almost. This was definitely a dinner to remember, and to repeat.  

Coffee-Rubbed Cowboy Steaks with an optional Chocolate Stout Pan Sauce

recipe from the Food52 Cookbook and online blog

serves 2-3

2 New York steaks, 1 to 1 1/2 inches thick
1 tablespoon ground coffee (not powder or instant)
1 tablespoon sea salt (less if you use table salt)
1 heaping teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon coarse ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 cup chocolate stout (taste test to find one you like)
1/2 cup beef stock
1 to 2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon vegetable oil to oil the pan

1. Mix together the coffee, salt, paprika, black pepper, pepper flakes and cumin. Toast lightly in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant. Empty immediately into a small bowl to stop the cooking. Mix the spices and brown sugar to make the rub.
2. Spread the rub all over the steak and let sit for awhile, at least an hour but overnight is better. If you hold it in the fridge, be sure to bring the meat up to room temperature before cooking.
3. Adjust an oven rack so the meat will be roughly 6 inches below the broiler element; preheat the broiler.
4. Heat a cast iron pan until it's really really hot ("a drop of water flicked into the pan should sizzle and bounce"). Add vegetable oil, wait a few seconds to heat up the oil, then carefully place the steak in the pan. Leave it undisturbed for 3-4 minutes to brown the bottom. 
5. Then move the pan to the oven and place it under the preheated broiler; broil to medium rare (about 125 degrees F) or desired doneness.  Transfer the steak to a warm plate or platter, tent with aluminum foil and let it rest while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce:

1. Pour the chocolate stout into the skillet and stir over medium-high heat, scraping up all of the brown bits as you deglaze the pan. 
2. Add the thyme and the beef broth; whisk together and reduce by half over medium heat. Whisk in the butter. Taste and adjust seasonings.


To serve:
Slice the steak across the grain and drizzle a bit of sauce over top. Serve the extra sauce in pitcher or small bowl.