Ikura Pasta

This recipe incorporates both the wild sockeye salmon and its gorgeous roe. Sockeye salmon eggs are smaller and redder in colour than other salmon eggs. They provide a beautiful contrast to the green shiso and seaweed. Also, because of their smaller size, the sockeye salmon eggs mix well with the pasta.

Ingredients:

noodles (spaghetti or linguine)

shizo leaves

dried seaweed

cooked sockeye salmon

sockeye salmon eggs

soy sauce

sake

mirin

butter

olive oil

salt and pepper

Method:

If you are fortunate to have caught a gorgeous sockeye salmon for dinner, you must de-bone and carefully remove the egg sac. Rinse the egg sac lightly and carefully open up and remove the eggs by using your fingers to rub gently over a mesh surface. Do not break the eggs. Place the eggs - ikura - in a bowl with a marinade of soy sauce, sake, and mirin. Marinate overnight. Broil or barbecue a side of the salmon to your liking and separate into flakes. Place the dried seaweed in water and strain after a few minutes. Strain the marinated ikura and put some aside as the garnish. Cook the pasta and strain. Add a small amount of butter and olive oil to a pan and saute the noodles quickly. Turn off the heat and mix in the strained ikura (do not cook the ikura), flaked salmon, chopped shiso and seaweed into the pasta. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish each dish with a whole shiso leaf and a spoon of ikura. Gochisosamadeshita! (Bless this food!)

Cohi Jello (Coffee Jello)

Cohi Jello is a culinary paradox: made from humble ingredients, it is the epitome of an easy, elegant, and exquisite dessert. Relatively fat-free, it is perfect on a sultry summer day after a luncheon or dinner party. As you can imagine, cohi jello is insanely popular throughout the hot and humid summer months of Japan.

Ingredients:

4 cups good quality coffee

4 Tbsp sugar

2 Tbsp gelatin powder

8 Tbsp water

whipped cream for topping

chocolate coffee beans for garnish

Method:

Mix gelatin powder and water in a small bowl. Mix coffee, sugar, and gelatin in a medium sauce pan. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Strain mixture and pour into 8 fancy crystal glasses or 8 humble jam jars, depending upon the mood and the occasion! Chill. Before serving, add a dollop of whipped cream on top of each jello and garnish with chocolate coffee beans. Serves 8 lucky people.