Braised Beef Sandwiches with Cucumber Wasabi Cream

By Adrian J.S. Hale as featured on The Oregonian

Makes 8 to 10 sandwiches

This roast can be made either with bone-­‐in or boneless chuck roast. The bone lends richness and flavor, but both will generally be the same. If you get bone-­‐in, use the larger roast size. Fresh wasabi loses its vibrant heat pretty quickly after being grated. For best results, grate the wasabi right before serving.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup soy sauce  
1/2 cup mirin
1 cup water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
One 4 to 5 pound chuck roast
1 onion, split in half lengthwise
5 garlic cloves
1 bay leaf Cucumber-­‐sesame cream
1 small cucumber • 1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
3/4 cup yogurt
8 to 10 rolls, for serving
Fresh wasabi root, for serving

To cook the meat: Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine soy sauce, mirin, water and sugar in a small bowl and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Fit the meat, onion and garlic into a large Dutch oven. Pour the soy sauce mixture over it (the meat will not be fully submerged). Set the pan over medium-­‐high heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, add the bay leaf, cover and transfer to the oven. Cook for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, turning occasionally, until tender enough to fall apart. (Alternatively, cook in a slow-­‐cooker on low for 7 hours.) Transfer meat to a cutting board and allow to cool slightly. Using two forks, pull the meat apart into shreds. Strain the cooking liquid into a large measuring cup, allow fat to rise to the surface and spoon off as much as possible. Return liquid to the pan, set over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the liquid by half until it is thick and slightly sticky. Remove from heat, add the shredded meat and allow to cool. (Can be prepared and refrigerated up to three days ahead.)

To make the cucumber-­‐sesame cream: Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cucumber into a bowl. Toss with the salt. Transfer to a colander or strainer. Set over a bowl or in the sink. Let sit for about an hour, then press on the cucumbers to drain off the excess moisture. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, rice vinegar, sesame oil and yogurt until thoroughly combined. Stir in the drained cucumbers. To assemble the sandwiches: Split the rolls lengthwise, but not all the way through. Pile with a good helping of beef, and spoon about 3 tablespoons of sauce over it. Freshly grate the desired amount of wasabi

Wagyu flank steak tataki with smashed wasabi-avocado and nori crunch

By Chris Whaley, The American Local, Portland Oregon

4 oz wagyu flank steak
1 ripe avocado
1 oz shaved wasabi
1 lime
1 sheet nori
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 water
1 tsp toasted sesame
1 tbsp sliced scallion
High quality olive oil
Togarashi to taste
Salt to taste

Lightly season flank steak with salt and togarashi, sear on high heat on all sides (approx 20 secs per side). Submerge in ice water for 1 minute, pat dry with towel. Smash avocado with mortar and pestle, fold in juice of half lime, scallion, wasabi and salt to taste. Make this slurry of rice flour and water, dip nori sheet in slurry and fry for 2 minutes at 375 degrees. After cool down, pulse in food processor. Stir in 1/2 tsp lime zest and sesame seed.. Thinly slice steak, dress with sea salt and olive oil. Top with dollop of avocado mixture and sprinkle with nori crunch.

Photo courtesy.

Beef Ribeye with Wasabi Butter & Wasabi Leaf Sauce

By Chef David Padberg

These are two wasabi sauces that go well with steak. The butter would be served on top of the steak, while the leaf sauce would be a plate sauce with the steak on top.

RIBEYE

Ribeye 2 steaks, 10 to 14 oz
Butter 4 tbsp
Wasabi 1 tbsp
Salt 1 tsp

Season the ribeye with salt and pepper and grill to your preference. Meanwhile, grate the fresh wasabi and place it into a small bowl with tempered butter, warm but not melting. Add the salt, and start to work them together into a smooth paste, then shape the butter back into a cylinder. You can roll the butter back up in the waxed paper it came in. Place it in the fridge to chill and firm up slightly. Then cut slices of the butter and place them on the steaks when they come off the grill.

WASABI SAUCE

Spinach 400 grams
Wasabi Leaf 200 grams
Dashi 100 grams
Salt 1 tsp
Xanthan Gum ½ tsp
 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Plunge the cleaned spinach and wasabi leaves into the water. Once it is tender, remove and plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain thoroughly and then weigh the greens. Rough chop them and place them in a blender with the dashi. Puree until smooth, which will take longer than you might think, a full 3 to 4 minutes. Then, while the blender is still spinning, add the xanthan gum, a common cornstarch which thickens without heating (It is now a common item used to stabilize vinaigrettes and used in gluten free baking. You can find it on the shelf of most grocery stores). The puree will look much smoother after adding the xanthan gum. The puree will benefit from passing through a fine mesh strainer to remove excess fiber.

Chef David Padberg