Free Maximum Flavor: Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook by Aki Kamozawa, H. Alexander Talbot Page A

spices and seasonings works well in a wide range of dishes, giving them a slightly exotic edge that we enjoy. One great curry powder, usually Japanese, is always in our cabinet because we just don’t use enough to keep all of the ingredients on hand to make our own curry blends. And of course, no pantry is complete without Old Bay, that classic American seafood seasoning that is equally at home on blue crabs or potato chips.



TOMATO & NORI SALAD
    THE KEY TO REVITALIZING THIS FAVORITE SUMMERTIME STAPLE is a unique seasoning. Tomatoes and nori are both rich in naturally occurring glutamates, which boost the umami qualities in food. Bringing them together in this salad gives it a savory flavor that lingers on your palate. This particular combination of earth and sea is surprisingly harmonious; once you’ve tasted it you’ll swear that tomatoes and seaweed were meant to go together. We like to use small tomatoes in this salad because they have a great flesh-to-seed ratio and a nice texture, but you can easily substitute your favorite sliced tomatoes instead. Shichimi togarashi, often labeled simply togarashi, is a widely available Japanese chile pepper blend that may contain up to seven different ingredients, including sesame seeds, citrus zest, and dried nori to balance and enhance the flavor of the chiles.
    SERVES 6 AS A SIDE DISH
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    18 small tomatoes (not cherry), each about 2 inches / 5 cm in diameter
    1 teaspoon / 6 grams fine sea salt
    ½ teaspoon / 1 gram togarashi
    6 sheets of nori
    36 fresh basil leaves
    2 limes
    1 medium jalapeño
    2 tablespoons / 28 grams lemon olive oil
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    Fill a large bowl with ice water. Set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Use a slotted spoon or spider to lower 3 to 4 tomatoes at a time into the boiling water to blanch for 15 seconds and then transfer them to the ice water bath. Let the tomatoes cool for 5 minutes. Remove the tomatoes and pat dry. Use a paring knife to peel off the tomato skins. Reserve the tomato skins and put the tomatoes in a shallow baking dish. Season the tomatoes with the salt and togarashi and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour. The tomatoes will exude some of their juices.
    Transfer the tomato juices to a blender and add the tomato skins. Tear up 3 sheets of the nori, add them to the blender, and add 24 of the basil leaves. Grate the zest from the limes onto a plate and leave the zest at room temperature to air-dry. Juice the limes and strain the juice into the blender. Turn the blender on low, increase the speed to high, and puree until smooth. Transfer the nori vinaigrette to a bowl, cover, and reserve in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
    Use a vegetable peeler to peel the jalapeño. Use a mandoline to slice it into slices that are ¹/ 8 inch (3 mm) thick and put them in a bowl of ice water for at least 1 hour. This will help tame the heat of the raw peppers and give them a crisp texture.
    Drain the jalapeño slices and pat them dry. Put them into a bowl, add the lemon olive oil, and mix to coat evenly. Spoon the nori vinaigrette onto the bottom of a platter. Arrange the tomatoes on the platter and then top the tomatoes with the slices of jalapeño. Drizzle the lemon olive oil from the bowl over the tomatoes. Sprinkle the dried lime zest over the tomatoes. Tear the remaining nori sheets and basil leaves into 1-inch (2.5 cm) pieces and scatter them over the tomatoes and the platter. Serve immediately.



CUCUMBER KIMCHI & POTATO SALAD
    THERE WAS A TIME WHEN EVERYONE WAS BUYING SMALL butane torches to make crème brûlée at home. The problem was that no one knew what else to use the torches for. We discovered that they are very handy for charring fruits and vegetables without actually cooking them. This gives them a great caramelized outer layer while preserving most of their texture and some of their fresh uncooked flavor; the char is especially nice in salads such as this one, which is good in summer and