In his first cookbook, TV Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto challenges the regular cook to dip into his version of "global cooking in the 21st century."
There are fusion delights everywhere, from a spicy Lobster Masala to Toro Prosciutto and Red Miso Souffle. The cookbook, Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking (DK Publishing, $40 US), is a revelation of Asian fusion and European culinary styles.
Morimoto has included several "everyday" Japanese recipes including this one, pork chops with enoki mushrooms, napa cabbage and Tonkotsu Broth. According to the chef, pork chops are the favoured cut of the Japanese.
The chef suggests you might want to choose the vegetable garnish of your choice. Recipes reprinted with permission.
Grilled Pork Chops with Tonkotsu Broth
Ingredients:
- Four 8-oz pork loin jobs, bone-in, 1-inch thick
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp unsalted butter
- ½ lb Napa cabbage, shredded
- 1 bunch enoki mushrooms, trimmed and sliced in half cross-wise
- 1 bunch scallions, cut into 1-inch lengths
- 2 cups Tonkotsu Broth
- 5 tsp peas
- sprigs of kinome, for garnish*
Directions:
- Prepare a hot fire in a outdoor grill or heat a heavy grill pan over medium-high heat. Brush the pork chops lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the chops, for 3 to 4 minutes, rotating about halfway through, to form nice brown grill marks. Turn the chops off and grill until the chops are browned on the second side and the meat is no longer pink in the centre, about 2 to 4 minutes longer. Set aside on a plate and cover to keep warm while you prepare the cabbage.
- In a sauté pan or large skillet, melt the b utter in the remaining olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, and scallions and sauté until the cabbage softens, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- To serve, mound the cabbage and mushrooms in the centre of four large soup bowls. Add a pork chop over each bowl and ladle the Tonkotsu Broth over all. Add the peas and kinome for garnish.
*kinome is the Japanese name for young sprigs of prickly ash. Fresh springs are sometimes found in Japanese stores in the spring. The flavour is mint-like.
Tonkotsu Broth
Ingredients:
- ¾ lb pork neck bones, or pork shanks
- ¾ lb pork spare ribs
- 3-inch piece of kombu
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sake
- 1 tbsp light-coloured soy sauce
Directions:
- In a large pot of boiling water, blanch the pork neck bones and spareribs for 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, then plunge the bones into cold water to remove extra surface fat and residue. Rinse out the pot.
- Add 6 cups fresh water, the kombu, the blanched pork and bones to the pot. Bring to a boil, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. When the liquid is clear, cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 3 hours. Strain and let cool, then cover and refrigerate. The fat can be scraped right off the top.
- Add the salt, sake, and soy sauce to the Tonkotsu Broth before adding it to the Pork Chops.
Makes 2 cups.
