Incredible Red & Smoked Cheese Okonomiyaki
Peachy Canyon Incredible Red & Smoked Cheese Okonomiyaki
The backing spice aromas of this Zinfandel interplay well with the savory okonomiyaki sauce. The melted smoked cheese is addictive. Adding nagaimo (taro root) makes the batter fluffy. Mix the batter just before grilling, as the vegetables will release moisture as time passes. Enjoy the unique flavors of the smoked cheese and okonomiyaki sauce with the wine in place of the typical mayonnaise.
(Serves 2 / Cooking time: 20 minutes)
■ Ingredients
Thinly sliced pork belly 100g
Cabbage 350g
Smoked cheese 100g
30g green scallion onions
A 20g Tempura bits (agetama)
A 15g red ginger
90g flour
200 ml of dashi (fish stock), cooled and ready to use
50g nagaimo (taro root)
2 eggs
2 teaspoons salad oil
Okonomiyaki sauce to taste
green seaweed flakes to taste
dried bonito flakes to taste
Instructions
1. Roughly chop the cabbage, cut the smoked cheese into 1cm cubes and chop the green scallion onions into small pieces. Add [A] and mix to combine.
2. In a separate bowl, mix the flour with a whisk to break up any lumps. Add the dashi broth in two parts, then add the grated nagaimo with their skins and mix further.
3. Just before frying, take half of the mixture in step one and step two and combine with one egg.
4. Heat 1 teaspoon of salad oil in a frying pan over medium heat, pour the mixture in step 3 into a circle and place half the pork belly slices on top. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. When one side is done, turn the pork belly side over and steam it again, covered, for 5 minutes.
5. Flip once more and brush the top with the okonomiyaki sauce and sprinkle with aonori and bonito flakes. Repeat with the remainder of the mixtures.
Key Points
Use your favorite stock, such as katsuo dashi or other broth.
Mentioned in this blog
Zinfandel Specialists of Paso Robles
Peachy Canyon Winery is a family-owned and operated winery in Paso Robles, in California’s Central Coast. Founded by Doug and Nancy Beckett in 1988, and considered one of Paso Robles’ earliest 10 wineries, Peachy Canyon has long been praised as a producer of award-winning California wines that epitomize respect for terroir and dedicated winemaking. Peachy Canyon was instrumental in establishing Paso Robles’ reputation as a key California wine region with its exemplary Zinfandels.
Today, Peachy Canyon Winery is managed by 2nd-generation owners, Josh and Jake Beckett, who spent their childhood in the vineyard and winery alongside their parents, Doug and Nancy. During their decades long career path in the industry, the brothers recognized an opportunity for more unorthodox brands in the market. In 2004, they took a leave from Peachy Canyon to create their own brand, Chronic Cellars. Through shrewd marketing and remarkable quality wines, they built Chronic Cellars to 17,000 cases before selling to Winery Exchange in 2014 and subsequently completing the five-year buyout agreement in early 2019. Promptly thereafter, Josh and Jake returned to Peachy Canyon Winery to relieve their parents of the daily operations and responsibilities of the family business.
Although Peachy Canyon has historically been known as a Zinfandel house, a full 40% of what is planted today is Rhone and Bordeaux variety based. Josh and Jake recently acquired some new vineyards. The family now cultivates 102 acres planted on Paso’s westside, all within the 3 most coveted sub AVA’s: Willow Creek, Adelaida and the Templeton Gap. Future plantings will include Zinfandel, Rhone and Bordeaux varieties as the brothers are interested in continuing to develop their production of Estate wines and blends. Beginning with the 2019 vintage, Peachy Canyon will use fruit exclusively from its 102 acres of family-owned, estate vineyards in Paso Robles.
