Editor’s note: The theme of Gohan Lab is to help people make simple, tasty “gohan” (meals).

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After waiting for so long, many of you may be planning to see this year off by holding a party at home with family and friends.

In three parts, the final series of 2021 will focus on “winter party dishes” that are perfect for Christmas and New Year’s.

In Italian, “spiedini” means skewered dish. According to chef Kuniaki Arima, it is a classic dish in Italy served at parties held at home and is often cooked on grills. In this week’s recipe, the ingredients will be cooked in a frying pan.

A key to cooking nicely is “parboiling.” By boiling the ingredients beforehand for appropriate lengths of time, the vegetables and seafood on the skewer will not burn in the pan and turn out full of flavor.

If the ingredients are cut into the same size, they will look nicer and be easier to eat. The spiedini will also taste good when seasoned with soy sauce or chili sauce.

When eating, “The idea is to hold a wine glass in one hand and the spiedini in the other,” says Arima. So, try to have your favorite drinks on hand.

USE BAMBOO SKEWERS IF METAL ONES NOT AVAILABLE

Flat sword-shaped metal skewers were used in the recipe. Arima recommends them, saying, “The ingredients are secured and easy to handle.”

They are about 20 centimeters long and are available at hardware stores, among other locations. Two to three skewers can be cooked in a frying pan with a diameter of 24 to 26 cm.

The soft seafood pieces are less likely to fall off the skewer if they are sandwiched between the hard vegetables. If you line them up so one side becomes flat, the skewered ingredients will take on a nice golden color in the pan and become easier to eat.

If metal skewers are not available, bamboo skewers may be used instead. Since the ingredients will not remain fixed and could rotate on a single skewer, two bamboo skewers should be used.

BASIC COOKING METHOD

(Supervised by Kuniaki Arima in the cooking aspect and Midori Kasai in the cookery science aspect)

* Ingredients (Serves two)

40 grams cauliflower, 60 grams turnip, 2 mushrooms, 4 shrimp, 4 scallops, 100 grams marlin (kajiki), 1 clove garlic, bit of olive oil, 4 metal skewers

About 220 kcal and 1.9 grams salt per portion

1. Separate cauliflower florets and cut each in half lengthwise. Cut turnip and marlin into bite-size pieces. Cut mushroom in half vertically. bring 1 liter water to a boil and add 10 grams salt. Add turnip and 10 seconds later, add cauliflower and boil for 20 seconds (PHOTO A) and drain on sieve. Boil shrimp until they turn red and cook scallops for a few seconds. Immerse marlin briefly in hot water. Cool for 3 to 4 minutes until no longer piping hot.

2. Pat them dry with kitchen paper and lay on cutting board so that the vegetables sandwich the seafood. Press down lightly while sticking the skewer slowly into the ingredients from the bottom (PHOTO B).

3. Sprinkle a bit of sugar, salt and pepper on the flat side of the ingredients. Add olive oil and garlic to frying pan and warm on low heat. When aroma rises, lay skewers flat side down and cook on medium heat for 2 minutes (PHOTO C). Turn sides and cook for another minute or so. Serve with grain mustard and lemon to taste.

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Kuniaki Arima is the owner-chef of Passo a Passo, an Italian restaurant in Tokyo’s Fukagawa district.

Midori Kasai is a professor emerita at Ochanomizu University and former chairwoman of the Japan Society of Cookery Science.

ARRANGED VERSION

Salad with seafood and winter vegetables (Serves two)

In addition to the ingredients listed in the main recipe, cut 1/2 carrot and 1/4 red onion into bite-size pieces. Parboil as in No. 1 of the Basic Cooking Method and drain on sieve. Add bit of olive oil and 1/2 clove garlic in pot and place on low heat. When aroma rises, add mushrooms. When they turn golden, add all the other ingredients. Add 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 to 2 bay leaves, 1/4 cup white wine, bit of salt and sugar, and saute until alcohol cooks out. Add 1/4 bouillon soup, 1 tsp wine vinegar and place on lid. Simmer and steam for 3 to 4 minutes.

COOKERY SCIENCE

Although skewered dishes are usually prepared by threading the ingredients on the skewers and grilling over direct heat, they can be cooked in a frying pan. Some ingredients, however, can remain uncooked inside even though they are nicely browned on the outside. When cooking different ingredients at the same time, they will not burn and turn out flavorful if each ingredient is parboiled for the appropriate length of time.

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From The Asahi Shimbun’s Gohan Lab column