One of my favorite things about cooking is experimenting with new ingredients. Sometimes the results are fantastic, and other times I’m left scratching my head and doing research. Here are two success stories using micro-vegetables (aka microgreens) from Koppert Cress.
On Mother’s Day, my mom made a simple but delicious tomato salad that, after tasting it, made me think of the rock chive cress. We combined them with her tomato salad on a toasted bread, and a crostini was born. With a mild garlic flavor and bright green stems, the rock chive cress added both flavor and a pretty visual that we really enjoyed.
Ingredients:
- Cherry tomatoes
- Yellow tomatoes
- Red onion
- Capers
- Rock chive cress
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Cut the cherry tomatoes and the yellow tomatoes in small pieces. Thinly cut the red onion, and use sparingly. We don’t want to overpower the palate with onion. Add a few capers, and toss with salt and pepper. Toast some thin sliced bread. Strain the juice from the tomato preparation as to avoid getting your crostini soggy. Place rock chive cress on top and enjoy. Simple and delicious. Capers can be substituted with chopped kalamata olives if unavailable.
If you’re like me, and get frequent tuna kobachi cravings, but don’t want to go out to sushi restaurants six times a month, the next recipe is for you. No sushi making experience required.
Ingredients:
- Sushi grade tuna
- Seaweed salad
- Mustard cress
- Sakura cress
- Wasabi paste
- Sriracha chili sauce
- Sesame oil
- Black sesame seeds
- Cucumber
- Pickled ginger
- Soy sauce
First and foremost, be sure to buy high quality sushi grade tuna from a trusted source. When purchasing tuna, stay away from cuts that have the blood line in it. If you tell the fishmonger it’s for a sashimi prep or search the Online Fishmonger, they usually will cut you a piece without it.
If it’s a thick piece cut it in half to make two thinner pieces. Placing the tuna in the freezer for a few minutes makes it easier to cut. Cut the tuna into pieces about 3/4 of an inch. This is a good size cube to pick up with chopsticks. Once cut, place in a bowl, add some sesame oil, soy sauce and some sriracha sauce. Start light and taste. If more oil or chili sauce is needed you can always add more.
Roast the black sesame seed in a heavy dry pan for a minute shaking the pan occasionally. Remove and mix in with tuna. Place mixture in a mound on one side of the plate. Put mustard Cress on top of the tuna, and on the other side of the plate place the seaweed salad with Sakura cress on top. Add ginger, some dollops of wasabi paste, and thinly sliced cucumbers for added crunch.
The wasabi, ginger and sriracha sauce, can be found in most grocery stores now a days. The seaweed salad I got via take out from a sushi restaurant on the way home from the fishmonger.
The mustard cress has a wasabi/mustard taste that really matches up perfectly with the tuna. The sakura cress tastes like black radish, and this is also a great addition to the seaweed salad. Until now I’ve made this dish without the cress. The mustard cress, and sakura cress elevated this dish to another level, both in flavor and presentation.
Tuna craving satiated……for now.
Photos: Dante Fillipelli
[…] Koppert Cress microgreens and other specialty products can add flavor and ‘pop’ to food presentation. Their products can be found at gourmet and specialty food shops, and are available for hospitality industry purchasing at usa.koppertcress.com. […]