Time Between

A few weeks ago, the recipe index on the Gazette’s website was updated to highlight the many cuisines and ingredients embraced over the years. While I pored over the recipes we’ve published, I found myself musing about how well they complemented one another. I could so easily envision the dishes spread out on the table, awaiting eager fingers and forks. All the more inspiring were the seemingly infinite permutations I could conjure for that spread. These recipes are promiscuous; they wish to dance with more than one partner.

While we may not be hosting large gatherings yet, we fantasize and prepare for the day we can. It seems to draw nearer, and none too soon.

In celebration of the new indexes and a (re)newed feeling of hope, a menu will begin appearing in your inbox every two weeks, built from the recipes and ideas published in the Gazette.

This week’s menu honors the threshold between seasons. Transitions are never simple. With subzero mornings and 60-degree noons, green shoots growing amidst bergs of snow, my tastebuds crave clarity and comfort. In their honest, sweet-bitterness, soba noodles provide both. I plan to top my coiled noodles with sake nanban-yaki—seared salmon, basted in butter, mirin, and soy sauce. While the salmon rests, I’ll sauté shiitake mushrooms—or wispy enoki, torn into clusters—in the residual heat of the pan. Should I have the patience to peel it, I’d not mind a softly steamed egg, its white just set against a liquid yolk. Either way, everything meets in the bowl with a scatter of scallions.

Perhaps while the salmon marinates and the water boils, I’ll char a Japanese eggplant on the grill, cut lengthwise and brushed with oil, until soft, just so I can dress it warm with a yuzu koshō vinaigrette. The citrus and chile in the vinaigrette will brighten the eggplant’s sultry smoke and wake my appetite meanwhile.

To finish, something salty-sweet, winter-spring. I’ll drizzle a spoonful of miso caramel over a bit of vanilla ice cream—whether homemade in a pandemic purchase ice cream maker or bought from the store. A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds on top will echo the miso’s nuttiness and give the eye something to play with.

As the weather warms and the sun returns, I’ll surely crave bolder flavors. For now, I want something gentle to shepherd me to spring.

Netta Keesom, editor of the Cook’s Gazette

Menu for the Time Between

Japanese eggplant with yuzu koshō vinaigrette

Soba noodles with sake nanban, steamed egg, shiitake or enoki mushrooms, scallion garnish

Miso caramel over vanilla ice cream, sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds