The new cookbook Love Japan, like the authors’ Brooklyn restaurant, Shalom Japan, highlights everyday Japanese home cooking from Okochi’s Hiroshima upbringing, peppered with influences from Israel’s Jewish heritage. For this summery sando (colloquial Japanese for sandwich), seek out pillowy shokupan bread and fresh shiso leaves, both easily found at Japanese markets. The authors recommend you “match the size of the fillings to the bread, cut ingredients to roughly fit its shape and place them in an even layer, taking care not to be too heavy in the center or thin around the edges.”
Veggie Deluxe Sando with Shiso Pesto
From Love Japan: Recipes from our Japanese American Kitchen by Sawako Okochi and Aaron Israel (Ten Speed Press)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 zucchini, cut into slices
- ½-inch thick Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- 1 Japanese eggplant, cut on the diagonal into slices
- ½-inch thick 8 slices shokupan (Japanese milk bread), or your favorite sandwich bread, toasted on one side
- ¼ cup Shiso Pesto*
- ¼ cup Kewpie mayonnaise
- 8 slices provolone cheese
- 4 ¼-inch-thick slices heirloom tomato (preferably as large as the sandwich bread)
- 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled and seeded (use technique of your choice)
Instructions
In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over high heat. Lay the zucchini in the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Flip, season the other side and cook until lightly browned and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel. Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil over high heat. Lay the eggplant in the pan, season with salt and pepper, and cook until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip, season the other side, and cook until soft and lightly browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the zucchini to cool.
Arrange the bread toasted-side up. Spread 1 tablespoon pesto evenly over 4 slices. Spread 1 tablespoon Kewpie mayonnaise over the other 4 slices. Place 2 slices of cheese over the bread with the mayonnaise. Layer the zucchini over the cheese, then top with eggplant, tomato and a piece of roasted pepper, dividing them evenly among the sandos. Season with salt and black pepper. Top with the bread slices, pesto-side down, cut each sando in half and serve.
*How to Make Shisho Pesto
Blanch 2 packed cups shiso leaves (or substitute basil) for 15 seconds in boiling water, then transfer to an ice bath to cool. Squeeze out liquid and add to blender or food processor with 6 tablespoons olive oil, 1 clove garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Blend until smooth. Keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Wine Pairing
Sauvignon Blanc is often cited as an ideal pairing for vegetables because of its “green” notes. Yet, it can be the wine’s crisp fruit flavors—citrus, passion fruit, white peach, underripe melon—that make this pairing work, perking up veggies and herbs much like a cheery salad dressing. For this dish, choose a California Sauvignon Blanc, which tends to be more fruit-forward than mineral or grassy. Try: Merry Edwards 2021 Sauvignon Blanc (Russian River Valley)
This article originally appeared in the June/July 2023 issue of Wine Enthusiast magazine. Click here to subscribe today!
Last Updated: June 27, 2023
