This recipe comes from my sushi bar days. This is based on the frugality typical of Japanese Buddhist cuisine. We used a lot of spinach and had a lot of stems sitting around. I had seen a recipe where the “root crowns”-the cluster of stems that gather into the root at the end of the bunch- were blanched and dressed and served as a little side dish. We served these as a little gift from the chef when people first sat down. The hardest part of this recipe is cleaning the crowns. Lots of water is the trick here. You won’t get a lot of these from a bunch, but they are worth doing as the take little time and are very good.
INGREDIENTS:
Crowns from 1 bunch of spinach (or more if you have them)
½ cup Japanese style sesame “vinaigrette”
Sprinkling of toasted black and white sesame seeds if you have them
METHOD:
Use scissors to cut away the crowns from the bunch of spinach, and then to trim the crowns to around 1½ inches long.
Wash the crowns until all the grit is gone. Submerge the crowns in a large bowl of cold water and agitate vigorously until clean.
In a pan just large enough to hold the crowns, heat lightly salted water to a boil. Drop in the crowns, being sure they are all submerged, and cook until just barely done. Immediately drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water. When cool, drain well.
Transfer crowns to a bowl and cover with dressing. Turn the crowns in the dressing to be sure they are thoroughly coated.
These will keep for a day or so. Store in the refrigerator and serve cold or room temperature.
Serve in small dishes and garnish with sesame seeds.
INGREDIENTS (Sesame “Vinaigrette”):
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup water
1/8th cup sugar
1 teaspoon roasted sesame oil
dash of soy sauce
3 tablespoons neutral flavored oil such as grapeseed
METHOD:
Combine first five ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake like mad until sugar goes into suspension.
Add the oil and shake to combine.
Shake well just before dressing the spinach crowns.
Chef’s Notes:
This is a basic version of this dish. There are other dressings that would work with this preparation. Some use miso, others sesame paste. Grated ginger would be a nice addition here as well. This is not a dish that keeps well, so eat it up in 24 hours.
Serves: 4 as an appetizer
Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
