Food Porn: Izakaya Seki

Earlier this month, I celebrated another birthday. Something else that is noteworthy to point out, is that Washingtonian Magazine had recently released it's Top 100 Restaurants issue, which is one of my regular go-to publications for things to do in DC. So I decided that for my birthday, I would check out one of the restaurants listed. I settled on Izakaya Seki, a small Japanese restaurant that I had walked by before with a friend and wondered what it was all about. I was told it was a great place to go for an authentic Japanese meal and that I would not be disappointed. And I most definitely was not. This place was wonderful.

My dinner companion and I had several different dishes, but I'm highlighting the three most visually appealing here. The first of which, shown above, was a special dish. All of the details are a bit foggy (we also consumed two bottles of sake), but from what I can recall, this was a scallop in a ridiculous amount of butter. This was so rich, I'm glad it came early in the meal so that I could fully enjoy the flavor. So delicious.

The next photo, shown on the right, was a raw tuna dish. I'm a big fan of sushi-grade tuna and this was no exception. This was called tuna tataki. It was a yellowfin tuna served with garlic chips. I don't have words for how flavorful this was. And light. A great follow up to the rich scallop.

Lastly, I present to you the Inaniwa Udon noodles with pork belly. I've been on a big noodle bowl kick this winter, regularly finding myself trying different noodle bowl dishes throughout the city. This is probably a close second to one I had with duck at Union Market several weeks back. The flavor on this was comforting and it was a great way to end a meal. This is my kind of dessert!

So if you haven't tried this place out, I'd suggest giving it a go. You can visit the website at http://sekidc.com. My parents are coming into town this coming weekend so I plan to hit up another place off the Washingtonian list. Write-up to follow!

Apple Brandy-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

Cooking with booze. I'm sure there's a cookbook by this name. And if there isn't, I might have just discovered my next million dollar idea. A few weeks ago, I decided to make this dish, which was featured in one of my holiday issues of Cooking Light. Anyone who reads my blog knows I'm a big fan of pork. And apples. And alcohol. So why not combine the three?

This was a simple recipe but the hardest thing for me to find was brandy. I eventually had to go to one of the higher-price liquor stores to find it and I only had one option for purchase, so this is what I went with. I apologize for the lack of food photo on this, but I made this around the time I spent the better part of a week trying to get my new iPhone fully functional, so I'm guessing the picture got lost during one of many attempted backups. So you'll just have to settle for a picture of booze. With this crowd, I doubt this is that disappointing.

But to be honest, I wasn't crazy about this recipe. It was a little on the bland side for me (I was more interested in the roasted fingerling potatoes I served with it!) So now I have all this brandy...so this won't be the last of my "cooking with booze" posts.

Apple Brandy-Glazed Pork Tenderloin (serves 6)

Ingredients:

3 cups unfiltered apple cider

1/2 cup brandy

3 thyme sprigs

1 large shallot, sliced

2 TB butter

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper, divided

1 1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, trimmed

Cooking spray

Directions:

Combine first cider, brandy, thyme and shallot in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 30 minutes). Remove from heat; discard thyme and shallot. Stir in butter, mustard, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Preheat oven to 475°.

Sprinkle pork evenly with remaining 3/8 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Place pork in a roasting pan; bake at 475° for 9 minutes. Turn pork over; brush evenly with 2 tablespoons cider mixture. Bake an additional 8 minutes or until thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of pork registers 140°. Let pork stand for 10 minutes.

Slice pork, and serve with remaining sauce.

Nutty Almond-Sesame Red Quinoa

As I mentioned earlier this month, I have a few friends who decided to go vegan for the month of February. They all continue to do well on their cleanses, and I've tried to be supportive in making vegan dishes this month for our various dinner get-togethers. Quinoa has become a regular fixture as a result, and here is another great quinoa side dish...this time of the red variety!

Nutty Almond-Sesame Red Quinoa (serves 4)

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 cups water
• 1 cup red quinoa
• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 TB lemon juice
• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. dark sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced

Directions:

Bring water and quinoa to boil in a medium saucepan. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 12 minutes or until quinoa is tender. Drain if necessary.

Stir in almonds, juice, oils, salt and onions. Serve warm.

Cinnamon-Sugar Mini Muffins

It's a fairly rare occurrence that you can look at a recipe and realize that you have EVERYTHING needed to make it. No need to go to the store. Knock on a neighbor's door for a fraction of a teaspoon of a certain spice. These are a rarity, even with the amount of cooking that I do!

We have a snow day today. And if you're anything like me, you try to be productive in your home and find this a good time to cook food. But I have a ton of leftovers from food I'd made earlier this week, so I find myself uninspired to make more food at this time. And I elected not to run to the grocery store in a panic yesterday. I had my toilet paper. I had my milk. I had my leftovers. I'm good for a few days as far as I'm concerned. But maybe you want to bake and need a little inspiration. I'm here for you. And so is this recipe.

I made these mini muffins last week. They are simple and I'm guessing many of you have the needed ingredients already. So bake away, you won't be disappointed. They taste a little like Snickerdoodles...for breakfast!

Cinnamon-Sugar Mini Muffins (makes 2 dozen mini muffins)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fat-free milk
• 1/3 cup butter, melted

Topping:

• 2 TB sugar
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and allspice. Combine the egg, milk and butter; mix well. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Spoon into greased or paper-lined mini muffin cups.

Bake at 400° for 12-14 minutes or until muffins test done. For topping, combine sugar and cinnamon.

 

Brush the tops of warm muffins with butter; sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar.

Pierogies with Kielbasa and Caramelized Onions

Some people would say that there are two primary food groups in Pittsburgh: meat and potatoes. There's a certain comfort to eating these types of meals, and it makes me feel at home. But there's just something about starch wrapped in starch with tube meat that gets me infinitely more excited than your standard comfort food fare. So last week, I finally cooked the frozen pierogies that I picked up while home in Pittsburgh over the holidays. And these ain't no Mrs. T's. These were large and in charge and made by the Polish ladies of Pierogies Plus in Pittsburgh. Seriously, they are the best. You should order some of these. http://pierogiesplus.com/

Pierogies with Kielbasa and Caramelized Onions (serves 4...but let's be real...more like two hungry people)

Ingredients:

• 3 TB olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lb frozen potato and cheddar pierogies, do not thaw
• 1 lb kielbasa, sliced, any variety will work
• 2 TB apple cider vinegar
• 2 TB whole grain mustard
• fresh parsley, chopped for garnish (optional)

Directions:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 T olive oil over medium heat. Add onions, stirring occasionally, until they turn a golden color, about 15-20 minutes. Spread pierogies on top of onions in a single layer. Lower heat to medium, cover pan and let cook another 5 minutes, stirring every other minute. Add sausage slices and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until pierogies and sausage are cooked through and starting to turn golden brown.

 

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together vinegar, mustard and remaining 1 TB olive oil.

Add dressing to pan with the sausages, pierogies and onions and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. I did not add salt because this was plenty salty enough. And I LOVE salt!

 

Garnish with parsley, if you want.

Vegan Quinoa and Black Bean Salad

I have several friends who are either a week in to a 30-day vegan cleanse, or have elected to go vegan for the month of February. I tip my hat to you. Last week I was asked to bring a vegan side dish to a family dinner, and I found this great recipe online. This had a nice kick to it flavor-wise and is something that I could see making again as a side dish...perhaps to a nice steak. ;)

Vegan Quinoa and Black Bean Salad (serves 4-6)

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa 2 cups water 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 limes, juiced 2 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste 1 1/2 cups halved cherry tomatoes 1 15-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed 1/14 cup chopped fresh cilantro salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until quinoa is tender and water has been absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk olive oil, lime juice, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes together in a bowl.

Combine quinoa, tomatoes, and black beans together in a bowl. Pour dressing over quinoa mixture; toss to coat. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and black pepper. Serve immediately or chill in refrigerator.

Southwest Beef and Bacon Roll

In part deux of my bacon-fest earlier this month, I present to you one of the more glorious ideas out there. Meat wrapped in meat. To say this meat roll was hearty would be an understatement. Needless to say, this part of the class evoked a lot of dirty jokes and inappropriate comments. My friend took a great photo of all our dishes...this roll is on the bottom right. With some brussel sprouts.

So in addition to a photo of this meat roll in all its glory, I present to you a glorified shot of me taking way too much pleasure in handling this meat. But don't worry...I wore protection!

Southwest Beef and Bacon Roll (serves 3-4 people)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 pound bacon
• 1 8 oz. skirt steak
• 3/4 tsp. cumin, divided
• 3/4 tsp. ground coriander, divided
• 3/4 tsp. epazote (Mexican oregano), divided
• 3/4 tsp. ground chipotle powder, divided
• 1 small onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 6 oz. medium bodied lager (Mexican beer is great!)
• 1 large tomato, diced
• 1 15 oz. can of black beans
• Fresh cilantro, to garnish
• Salt and pepper, to taste.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F and lay the strips of bacon out on sheet pans lined with parchment. Bake bacon until mostly cooked – but definitely not crispy – about 25-30 minutes. Reserve bacon as well as rendered bacon fat. Keep oven on.

Lay out the bacon strips shingling them slightly running up the length of your cutting board.

Lay out the skirt steak with the grain of the muscles running sideways on top of the bacon strips, with the fatter end closer to you. Season the steak with salt and pepper, as well as ¼ tsp each of the cumin, coriander, epazote and chipotle.

Roll up the bacon and streak, and tie off like a roast with kitchen twine. (This I found very difficult, but it doesn't need to be perfect. Just enough to keep everything in its place.Place the roll in an oven safe roasting pan.
Heat a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, add some reserved bacon fat and then add onions and sauté until very soft – about 5-8 minutes. Add the garlic, and remaining cumin, coriander, epazote and chipotle. Cook for about 1 minute. Add the beer, and bring to a boil. Let boil for about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and beans, and bring to a boil again.

Pour the bean mixture over the top of the beef and bacon roll. Cover the pan the roll is in (either with a lid or with foil) and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, until the beef registers about 140° F.

Remove roll from the beans, remove kitchen twine, slice roll in about 1” slices, and serve over the top of the beans garnished with fresh cilantro.

Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately with extra parmesan and freshly ground black pepper at table.