Oshitashi (boiled spinach with soy and sesame seeds)

This is a very common side dish you will find in most Japanese 

restaurants and few ingredients are needed for its preparation.

You can have it as a side or eat it with a bowl of rice with pickles,

umeboshi, mentaiko, bonito flakes, etc... The options are endless!

 The flavors are delicate, clean and perfectly balanced.

Ingredients:

- 1 bag pre-washed spinach

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 1 tsp sesame seeds

- 1 tsp soy sauce

Directions:

Bring a pot or large pan of water to boil, with a little salt added. 

Add spinach to boiling water and cook for a minute. Take the spinach out as soon as it starts to wilt a little (don't wait until it's completely wilted). Shock it in a bowl of cold water and ice (this stops it from cooking). 

Remove the spinach from ice water and squeeze out as much water as you can without pressing too hard on the spinach. You'll end up with a ball about the size of your hand. Roughly chop it, squeeze out a bit more water and gently separate the leaves. 

Put the spinach in a bowl and add soy, sesame seeds and sesame oil. Mix well and serve!

Japanese pasta with mushrooms and watercress in soy and butter sauce

I love Japanese pasta because it's so easy to make

and has so much depth of flavor. This one is an earthy and savory 

mushroom pasta with some fresh watercress 

to add a little something peppery and interesting.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 lb dry spaghetti

- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

- 1/4 lb shiitake mushrooms

- 1/4 lb beech mushrooms (bunashimeji) or other Japanese mushroom

- 1 tbsp sake

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 3 tbsp butter

- 2 tbsp neutral oil

- 2 shallots, finely chopped

- a handful of fresh watercress, roughly chopped

- 1/2 cup pasta water

- fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to the boil.

In a large pan over high heat, add oil, 1 tbsp butter and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes and add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes. Add shallots and cook for 2 minutes. Add half of the watercress and mix well. Turn heat off and wait until the pasta is cooked.

While the pasta is boiling, reserve about 1/2 cup of pasta water. Drain your pasta and add to the pan of cooked mushrooms. Turn the heat to low and add what's left of the watercress. Mix well and add soy sauce and sake. Mix well again, making sure all the pasta is coated with all the ingredients. Add a good amount of fresh ground black pepper and a little bit of the pasta water to make the sauce more unctuous. 

Serve with fresh parmesan.