No.11

［No.11］

　　 Spring in full bloom ! Spring has come in Kansai ! 3/18/2014

　The other day, celery arrived from Mr. Isozaki on Hachijojima Island. I immediately wrote a thank-you letter and made pickled celery. Usually his celery arrives every New Year's Eve, but this time it arrived at the beginning of March inadvertently. The reason why might be because the weather was not good this year. I have explained to you how to make pickled celery before. I was able to make delicious sweet pickled celery with a lot of sugar this year.

　And also, I was making boiled sand lance, ikanago-no-kugini, at the time when the celery reached my house. Ikanago fish also didn’t have a good harvest last year, but I got good sand lance this year. My brother Masanori loves ikanago, so I made it for him and sent it as a spring gift of Kobe. How do you make sand lance, Ikanago-no-kugini?

　Sand lance, 1kg; ginger, 50g; granulated sugar, 250g; soy sauce, 250cc; sake, 30cc; mirin, sweet cooking rice wine, 70cc

1) Wash sand lance under running water until the water is clean and clear in a colander

2) Place all the ingredients besides the fish in an aluminum pot and boil over high heat.

3) Carefully add the fish so as not to crush them. Do so in 3 stages to make sure everything is covered without stirring.

4) And cook 15 minutes over reduced heat while skimming the lye

5) Simmer slowly and carefully over med heat with a lid that can be placed deep inside the pot broth.

6) Turn off the heat and expose to cold air when there is no more broth.

7) It is ready when it has cooled.

　I could enjoy sand lance quite well this year, because I got some good side dishes as well.　Masanori in Oregon, America will surely taste delicious Ikanago and think about Kobe.

　Gift of spring from Kansai region is not only sand lance. Osaka sumo tournament begins from March 9, National High School Baseball Tournament at Koshien starts March 21, it continues with the opening of professional baseball, and after all, full bloom of cherry blossoms. Cherry blossoms in Kyoto include Arashiyama and Nanzenji, Tetsugakunomichi and Tenryuji, Maruyama Park and Daigoji etc., those cherries are beautiful. 　

　How about enjoying Kansai spring with me？

　　　　　Queen Elizabeth

　　　　　Queen Elizabeth 2

　　　　　Queen Elizabeth

　　　　　いかなごJapanese sand lance：http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/イカナゴ　　　　　

　　　　　　春爛漫、関西！　　　　　3/18/2014　

　　　　　　　Spring has come in Kansai!　　

　先日、八丈島の磯崎さんからセロリが届いた。早速お礼の手紙を書いて、セロリのピクルスを作った。毎年12月の大晦日にセロリが届くが、今年は何かの事情で3月の初めに届いた。天候が今年は優れなかったからかもしれない。セロリのピクルスの作り方は前にも紹介した(Book4-4 1/29/13)が、今年は砂糖を多くして甘いピクルスが美味しく出来た。

　そのセロリと同じ頃イカナゴの釘煮佃煮を作った。去年は不作で作れなかったが、今年は良いイカナゴが手に入り弟が大好きなので神戸からの春の贈り物として彼にも作って送ってあげた。

　イカナゴのくぎ煮の作り方は

　イカナゴ1kg　土しょうが50g　ザラメ砂糖250g　濃い口醤油250cc

　日本酒30cc　みりん70cc

1）　イカナゴをザルで静かに水がきれいになるまで流水で洗う

2）イカナゴ以外の材料をアルミ鍋に入れ強火で煮立てる

3）イカナゴを3回に分けて身が崩れないよう静かに入れて全体に

つけ汁が馴染むように入れて煮る

4）灰汁を掬いながら強火で15分煮る、かき混ぜるのは禁物

5）煮汁が少なくなったら落としぶたをして弱火でじっくり味を

絡ませる

6）煮汁がなくなったら火を止めて冷たい空気に触れさせる。