6 each asparagus stalks, peeled
1/2 cup shiro miso
1 tbsp mustard, powdered
Directions
Snap the tips from the asparagus and save for future
use. Slice the stalks lengthwise into strips 1/2"
wide, then cut these into 1 1/2" lengths. Over high
heat, bring 2 c water to a boil. Add the asparagus,
return to the boil, and drain immediately in a sieve.
Run under cold water to cool them quickly, and pat dry
with paper towels.
In a small mixing bowl, combine the miso with the dry
mustard & mix until smooth. Spread half the mixture
in a shallow baking dish & cover with a double
thickness of cheesecloth the size of the dish. Place
the asparagus in one layer on the cheesecloth & cover
with another double thickness of cheesecloth. Top
with the remaining miso & mustard mixture. Marinate
for about 3 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate
overnight.
Discard the dressing before serving the asparagus.
"Foods of the World" Recipes: The Cooking of Japan.
Time/Life Books. Posted by Earl Cravens.
Servings: 10 servings
Karashi Zuke (Miso-Marinated Asparagus) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Japanese; Vegetable
The History of Recipes
We can trace the history of `recipes` far back into the distant past, in fact as far back as the early Egyptians, and maybe further still. Having said that, sadly, these old records were just basic hieroglyphic instructions for meal preparation.
In fact, the most ancient recipe discovered so far, according to Professor Solomon Katz, is a series of ancient tablets in ancient Sumerian describing the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel wonderful and blissful. Progressing into Roman times around 25BC a roman called Apicius created a collection of scripts showing how to cook the recipes cooked by the Romans. In his publication, Apicius tells us how the meals were separated into hors d`oeuvre, entrees and dessert, a style of dining still practiced today. This early Roman chef informs us how the Roman cooks were skilled in the use of many different aromatic flavors, including a few you will know for example bay, mint and parsley. Later on, there were some interesting books dating from the 14th Century : a recipe book called `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Amusingly, these are nothing to do with the curry that is popular today, but instead recipes for the types of food cooked for the rich people of the time. Later on in the 1400s, people returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods, spices and herbs from Arab cuisine, including basil and rosemary. These new spices and herbs caused a surge in publications on food, many of which are kept safe in private libraries. For the next few years, the upper classes strove to offer the best banquets, and because of this the best cooks and their collection of recipes were highly sought after. Even so, it wasn`t until the 1800s that fine cookery and recipe collections became popular. Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally well-known Fannie Farmer in the US, devoted much of their lives to assembling, trying out, and publishing the recipes of their peers. By the advent of the twentieth century, cookery books are greatly in demand due to higher levels of literacy, people having more leisure time and being a little richer. The introduction of the TV gave us TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. Which brings us neatly up to date and the invention of the internet, permitting us all to access massive numbers of recipes like those on sites such as the one you are reading now. |
We hope you enjoy this Karashi Zuke (Miso Marinated Asparagus) recipe.
