Dinner Date – Aug. 2014
Aug 01, 2014 02:07PM ● By Style
Miso-Creamed Kale and Mushrooms with Soy Sauce Eggs
Eggs on Top: Recipes Elevated by an Egg by Andrea Slonecker
(Chronicle Books, 2014, 24.95)
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1 bunch kale, preferably lacinato, thick center stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped
- 1/4 cup dry vermouth, sake or white wine
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/4 cup white miso paste
- Salt
- 4 oz. shimeji or shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and trimmed
- 1 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 cups cooked brown rice, hot
- 2 Japanese Soy Sauce Eggs, warm or at room temperature
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. When it’s bubbly, add the shallot, garlic, and a pinch of pepper. Sauté until tender and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the kale, one big handful at a time, tossing with tongs to wilt the leaves before each addition. Cook the kale, stirring occasionally, until just tender and bright green, 3 to 5 minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the vermouth, and cook until almost dry, about 1 minute. Stir in the cream and miso, reduce the heat to medium and cook until it’s a thick sauce that clings to the kale; about 5 minutes more. Taste and add salt and more pepper as needed, keeping in mind that the mushrooms and eggs will be quite salty because of the soy sauce.
Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s bubbly, add the mushrooms and sauté until they’ve given up their liquid and then lightly browned; about 5 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce; it should be absorbed by the mushrooms and reduced to dry almost immediately.
Divide the rice between two warmed plates. Spoon a portion of the kale over each and arrange the mushrooms on top and around the plates. Cut the eggs in half and nestle them on the side. Serve with chopsticks. Serves two.
Japanese Soy Sauce Eggs (Shoyu Tamago)
In Japan, hard-cooked eggs are braised in soy sauce to impart a salty, savory flavor. The process dyes the eggs a striking shade of brown. Though hard-cooked eggs are traditional and make a brilliant snack by themselves, I like to use eggs with molten yolks to top Japanese-inspired dishes, like Miso-Creamed Kale and Mushrooms with Soy Sauce Eggs, but the choice is yours.
Makes 4 Eggs
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Japanese soy sauce (shoyu), preferably tamari
- Four 5- to 13-Minute Eggs (below), cold and peeled
Bring the soy sauce to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and simmer, occasionally swirling the pan and turning the eggs in the thickening soy sauce with a wooden spoon and a gentle touch. Continue until the soy sauce is mostly evaporated and the eggs are dyed coffee brown. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the eggs to a plate to cool, or serve them hot. The color doesn’t stay nice for long, so make them within a few hours of when they will be eaten
TRACK 7 BREWING COMPANY PANIC IPA
Track 7 is a local Sacramento brewery that was named for its proximity to the old Western Pacific railroad tracks west of Curtis Park, and to pay homage to the vital role the railroad has played (and continues to play) in the capital’s rich history. A fairly new brewery, their handcrafted brews are made seven barrels at a time. Without loyalty to one particular “style,” they’re able to experiment with all varieties, from stouts and blondes to ambers and ales. Track 7’s Panic IPA, at seven percent alcohol by volume and 70 IBUs, is a heavily hopped version of West Coast India Pale Ale with subtle citrus flavors, stone fruit and a smooth body. The brewery flirted with the recipe for several months before creating an IPA that made Sacramento go wild. The salty, earthiness of this month’s Miso-Creamed Kale and Mushrooms recipe complements the beer’s complex and distinctive flavors nicely.
—Heather Zamarripa, Executive Chef,
36 Handles - El Dorado Hills, CA