Welcome back one and all to another culinary experiment that is our “eat like your anime faves” series! Each and every single week we bring you food that appears in anime and break it down for you so that you can make it on your own and truly dine like the royalty that you are. This week as well is no exception. We have been joking nonstop about how Amaama to Inazuma and Shokugeki no Souma are goldmines of good recipes and we are not kidding! Here is another delectable dish for you to chow down on.
This week is actually an adaptation of another one of our previously featured dishes Gratin, but this time, it helps out anyone who wants to dig in but is not willing to go all the way for all of the carbs. Hey, carbs are not easy. This is also one for those who are vegetarians and interested in Japanese food but are restricted. Sorry about that one; the backbone of cooking in Japan almost always will involve some form of meat. There are plenty of vegetarian dishes, but they are not often used. The other thing to note too is that this is friendly to pescatarians as well as there is no dashi or fish stock being used. We talk about soy sauce, sake, and mirin being the backbone of Japanese cooking, but dashi is the soul of Japanese cooking. It will be in everything, but good news! It is not in this dish. That being said, let’s get to this gem!
Veggie Gratin from Amaama to Inazuma
TOKYO MXにて４話をご覧頂いた皆様、ありがとうございました！お野菜たっぷりのコロコログラタン美味しそうでしたね！続いては読売テレビにて25:59〜放送です！#甘々と稲妻 pic.twitter.com/NFwbSDhrT9
— アニメ「甘々と稲妻」公式 (@amaama_anime) July 25, 2016
This time around, we will be making a veggie gratin. Green, red, orange, and yellow are the colors of this dish because it’s all veggies. You can even make this seasonal and add in pumpkin! Gratin is an extremely traditional dish and the version that most know best is the potato based version. This is still a viable version! Just remember that this will spike a number of carbohydrates in the dish itself. The best part about gratin is that you simply need to get your veggies, slice them up, and then dump them into a ramekin or dish, and bake.
Gratin, after the initial slicing and sautéing, becomes like a cake, where you do all the work upfront and then relax as it cooks! If you are worried as to whether or not you will like this, this recipe does not make a massive portion, so this is a great recipe to experiment with and see if you like gratin! Let’s go.
What you will need:( Note: Serves 1-2 people.)
Optional Notes:
Optional ingredients are sliced bell peppers, onions, pepper seeds, jalapenos, and really anything else that you like. Even pumpkin or squash would work wonders here! For the pepper seeds and jalapenos: this is for those who like their gratin a bit more than just cheese and basic spices. Adding these ingredients will give you a flavorful, well-rounded gratin. Other vegetables that work here are cucumbers, potatoes, and more! Honestly, the sky is the limit for what you would like to add to this dish!
How to Cook It:
1
Begin to heat up some olive oil in a frying pan on low heat.2
While that is getting ready, mince or slice your garlic.3
Once done with the garlic, begin to slice the eggplant, spinach, carrot, and any other veggies you may be using. They do not need to be thick, as you will be sautéing them.4
Once done, add the garlic and spicy ingredients, if you are using them, to the frying pan and begin to sauté them.5
Once the garlic is aromatic, aka when you can smell the garlic, add in the veggies and stir fry them.6
Leave the pan on low heat as you do not want to overcook your veggies.7
Gently season with salt and pepper mixing it in.8
Transfer your now semi-cooked veggies to a small baking dish. A ramekin will work, as will small glad baking dishes.9
Once you have placed the veggies in the dish, pour in the tomato sauce/white sauce and then generously coat with cheese. Shredded cheese is best here.10
Pop it in your toaster oven (ideal), or oven, and once the cheese has melted, take it out.11
Once it cools a bit so you can eat it, it’s ready! Dig in!
(Note: If you are using an oven, be careful and don’t burn yourself! )
If you did everything right, it should come out looking something like this!
Yum!
Final Thought
If there is ever a dish that you would like us to create for you, please comment below and let us know! We are always looking to make something new or delicious. Now if you will excuse us, our stomachs are growling and it’s time for us to eat! Till next time!
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Author: Nagareboshi