Many people who come here have never heard of Shiso (perilla frutescens). It's a versatile herb, showing up often in sushi, salads, and as a garnish, and you see it all over Japan. It's about 10 yen per leaf at the grocery store so the bill adds up quickly if you want to use it in any quantity. It's a vigorous, somewhat weedy member of the mint family (it will re-seed and come back with a vengeance next year) with a flavor that combines mint and basil with hints of anise, clove and maybe even cumin.Last year, there were lots of little baby shiso seedlings popping up everywhere and someone decided to plant a row of it. The little plants quickly grew into bushes. A few hundred leaves turned into thousands. They flapped in the wind. We wondered what to do with it all.
Not wanting to see a good thing go to waste, I stripped all the leaves off one of the plants and made a batch of pesto, replacing the basil with shiso. To my surprise, nobody complained at lunch, and actually most people really liked it. So shiso became a new staple. We made batch after batch and ate it all through the year... and here we are now, finishing up our last bag right as we're harvesting this year's shiso.
This is a good example of of how growing your own food and eating locally can challenge you to be more creative in the kitchen. This, combined with the sheer number of WWOOFers passing through, each bringing in different approaches to the same ingredients, means that I am always on my toes and constantly learning. I like learning how to deal with large amounts of one ingredient (I'm thinking back on how we ate turnips every meal for quite a while last winter) just as I like learning how to cope without ingredients I'm accustomed to using because they're not in season or not available in Japan.
Shiso Pestoa few cups green shiso leaves
a handful of nuts (pine nuts, walnuts, cashews, or whatever you've got)
a few peeled garlic cloves
half a cup or so parmesan cheese
olive oil (add enough to make it a nice smooth consistency)
salt to taste
Blend everything in a blender. Serve over pasta.
p.s. This year the recipe has devolved quite a bit-- we've nixed the nuts, cheese, and olive oil (I know, it hurts!) because they aren't locally made and they're somewhat expensive. Not as good as the original but it still does the job.
This is an excellent idea and I may try to find some Shisu @ Uwajimaya. Neat. Way to go.
ReplyDeleteI have seeds for green and purple shiso as well as myoga coming in the mail! Shiso pesto in Boston next year, I hope!
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