- Used Book in Good Condition.
Product Description
Bento fever has recently swept across the West, fueled not just
by an interest in cute, decorative food, but by the desire for an
economical, y approach to eating in these times of
recession. A leading light in the popularization of bento has
been Makiko Itoh, whose blog, Just Bento, boasts hundreds of
thousands of subscribers, all of whom love her delicious recipes
and practical bento-making tips.
Now, for the first time, Itoh's expertise has been packaged in
book form. The Just Bento Cookbook contains twenty-five
attractive bento menus and more than 150 recipes, all of which
have been especially created for this book and are divided into
two main sections, Japanese and Not-so-Japanese. The Japanese
section includes classic bento menus such as Salted Salmon Bento
and Chicken Karaage Bento, while the Not-so-Japanese section
shows how Western food can be adapted to the bento concept, with
delicious menus such as Summer Vegetable Gratin Bento and
Everyone-Loves-a-Pie Bento.
In addition to the recipes, Itoh includes sections on
bento-making equipment, bento stes to make and stock, basic
cooking techniques, and a glossary. A planning-chart section is
included, showing readers how they might organize their weekly
bento making.
In a market full of bento books that emphasize the cute and the
decorative, this book stands out for its emphasis on the
and economic benefits of the bento, and for the very practical
guidelines on how to ensure that a daily bento lunch is something
that can easily be incorporated into anyone's lifestyle. This is
the perfect book for the bento beginner, but will also provide a
wealth of new bento recipe ideas and tips for bento aficionados.
From Just Bento: Deconstructed Salade Niçoise Bento
Salade Niçoise is a classic composed salad that originates from
the sunny town of Nice in the south of France. It’s perfect for a
summer bento lunch. Makes 1 serving.
Ingredients
* 1 medium potato
* 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
* 6–8 quail eggs, or 1 chicken egg
* 2 tsp red wine vinegar
* 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
Directions
Make ready three bento boxes: a large one to hold the lettuce
and greens; a medium one for the potato, eggs, and tomatoes; and
a small one for the tuna, olives, and dressing that fits inside
the large one if possible. Wash, peel, and cut up the potato into
½ inch (1cm) cubes. Put the potato pieces in a small pan and add
enough cold salted water to cover. Boil until tender, about 10
minutes. Drain well. Coat lightly with 1 teaspoon of the olive
oil. Carefully pierce the rounded end of each quail egg with a
thin needle before boiling; this will make them easier to peel.
Quail eggs only need to be boiled for 4 minutes to achieve the
hard-boiled state. Peel the eggs. Make a simple vinaigrette by
combining the rest of the olive oil, the vinegar, mustard, salt,
and pepper in the small bento box. Mix well.
To Assemble This Bento
Put the potato and eggs in the medium bento box. Decorate with
the cherry tomatoes. Put the well-drained tuna, the capers, and
the olives in the small bento box with the vinaigrette. Fill the
largest bento box with the salad greens and lettuce. Nestle the
small bento box in the greens, and put on the lid. You may want
to pack everything together with an ice pack in hot weather. When
ready to eat, simply put all the salad components into the large
bento box: the potato and eggs first, and the tuna mixture on
top. Mix well and enjoy!
Timeline
Prepare the potato, eggs, and tuna the night before and store in
the refrigerator. Wash and dry the salad greens beforehand also.
Pack the greens into the bento box in the morning for optimum
freshness. If you eat a lot of salads, you could make vinaigrette
in quantity and stock it in the refrigerator. I like to use a
screw-top jar for this, and give it a good shake before using.
From Just Bento: Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-fry Bento
This beginner bento is made with everyday ingredients that you
may already have in your pantry. It can be assembled in twenty
minutes or less without any advance preparation. It’s a good one
to start your bento-making adventures with.
Makes 1 serving.
Contents
* Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-fry
* Instant Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles
* Blanched Broccoli
* Basic White Rice
* Cherry Tomatoes
Chicken and Three-Color Pepper Stir-fry
You can spice up this versatile and colorful stir-fry by adding
some hot pepper sauce such as sriracha to taste. To ensure fast
and even cooking, cut the peppers into small, regular cubes. *
1/2 Tbsp olive or other vegetable oil
* 3 Tbsp roughly chopped green onion
* 2 tsp peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger
* 1/3 each medium-sized red, green, and yellow sweet peppers,
de-seeded and cut into 1/2 inch (1 cm) chunks
* salt, for sprinkling
* 2 oz (60g) less, skinless chicken , cut into 1/2 inch
(1 cm) chunks
* black pepper, to taste
* 1 Tbsp soy sauce
* lettuce or shiso leaves used as dividers, optional
Heat the oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the green
onion and ginger and stir-fry for 1–2 minutes until the oil is
fragrant. Turn the heat up to the highest setting and add the
peppers to the pan. Stir-fry with a spatula or long chopsticks.
Sprinkle in some salt—this draws out moisture from the vegetables
and cooks them a bit faster. Continue stir-frying for 4–5
minutes, until the peppers are cooked. Push the vegetables to the
sides of the pan, and add the chicken to the exposed bottom.
Leave for a couple of minutes, then turn over to cook the other
side. Stir everything together, and add black pepper and soy
sauce. Turn the stir-fry from the pan onto a cold plate so that
it cools rapidly. When cooled, pack into the bento box, using the
lettuce or shiso leaves as a divider. Ahead-of-time note: Cut up
the vegetables and chicken the night before, so everything is
ready to just cook. Be sure to keep the raw chicken stored
separately from the vegetables for safety.
Instant Cabbage and Cucumber Pickles
Instant or overnight pickled vegetables are very popular in
Japan. They are like dressing-less salads, and the salty,
slightly sour crunch provides a nice contrast to other foods.
They can be eaten immediately or kept stored in the refrigerator
for 3–4 days. * 1 large green cabbage leaf
* 2-inch-long (5 cm) English cucumber, sliced into thin rounds
* 1/2 tsp sea salt
* squeeze of lemon juice
Cut out the tough vein of the cabbage leaf, and slice the rest
into strips. Sprinkle the cabbage and cucumber with the salt, and
massage well with your hands until the vegetables go limp. Let
rest for at least 5 minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.
Squeeze out any excess moisture before packing into a bento box.
I like to put the pickles in a bento divider cup or cupcake liner
to prevent the flavors from mingling with other flavors in the
box.
