It sounded like a very odd idea to Hiromi at the time, but both of us were converts after we tasted the results of this variation of hiya-yakko.
A few weeks ago, after a rushed trip to Leavenworth, we went nashi picking near Everett, at an orchard owned by the family of a friend.
We ended up with such a bounty that we needed to exercise an unusual level of creativity to find uses for our treasure.
I suggested we try grating the nashi in the style of daikon-oroshi, to which we added some grated fresh ginger. We placed this atop of kinugoshi (soft) tofu, added a bit of chopped scallion, and splashed on a small amount of Japanese soy sauce.
It’s a surprisingly refreshing seasonal twist on a classic side dish.
Hiromi used to ask me what we needed to buy when she made a grocery shopping trip, but I usually suggest just buying whatever vegetables look tempting, and I promise to figure out something to do with them. For this meal, that was a running theme… I worked out a Japanese-ish treatment of the day’s purchases.
We ate a nice tempura of mataike and arugula.
Hiromi had picked up some patty pan squash and shiitake, so I made a simple itamemono from that.
I also made daigaku-imo, which is usually a snack rather than a side dish, but that didn’t stop me.
