Japanese Grilled Cheese & Kale Salad, #SundaySupper, #FamilyDinnerTable

This post is sponsored by American Family Insurance. All opinions are my own. 

Before Commodore Perry of the US Naval Forces pressured Japan to give up on a 200 years plus isolation policy, which prohibited interaction with foreigners, the Tokugawa shogunate ruled with an iron fist. Peace did prevail for the most part and the arts flourished. (Theatre, poetry, lacquer ware and art.) Many prints from the Tokugawa period (also known as the Edo period) depict farmers harvesting rice, samurai visiting sake wine shops and kimono clad geisha girls serving tea.

Teatime! (Photo credit)

I’ve yet to see art from ancient Japan capturing the smile of a samurai as he munched on mozzarella. Cheese is not a part of traditional Japanese cuisine. However, as foreign ideas were introduced in the late 1860s, dairy made an entrance into Japanese culture.

Today Japanese versions of cheese exist. Some who travel to Japan may be disappointed by the lack of variety. Cooking with cheese can be challenge for newly arrived ex-pats and those accustomed to the huge selections available at American supermarkets. Creativity and thinking outside the box are essential. Of course, imported cheeses are always an option for those with big budgets. But it’s more fun to get creative, right?

Japanese cheese tends to be mild and does melt pretty well. Think mild Monterey Jack. Mac ‘n cheese, lasagna and homemade pizzas are completely do-able. 

Local spices sold in Japan will quickly heat up any mild
Japanese cheese in your lasagna.

If desired, karashi mustard, shichimi spice blends and togarashi chili pepper spices can bring heat to the mild cheese. If you are living in the U.S. and want to add a bit of zing to your Monterey Jack, use paprika and red pepper flakes.

Whether one is living in Japan or in America, and life is demanding everyone to move at (Shinkansen) bullet train speed, if grated cheese is in the freezer, dinner can be done in minutes. So by all means grate leftover cheese and place it in the freezer for that frenetic meal on the run day.

One of my favorite quick meals on the go is a Japanese grilled cheese sandwich. In the middle of soft bread, melted sharp cheddar with slices of sautéed shiitake mushrooms are discovered. It’s the perfect food to take the edge off of hunger. Many vegetarians use Portobello mushrooms instead of meat. Shiitake have a similar texture and pleasing pungency. 

An American classic grilled cheese with a Japanese shiitake mushroom twist.

Also, if you’ve got an extra minute, homemade cheese bread makes the grilled cheese even better. Substitute the milder cheese blend in the bread recipe with sharp cheddar if you want an extra, extra sharp cheddar flavored grilled cheese. 

Goat cheese crumbles are sprinkled atop an au courant kale salad.
America's latest green obsession is dressed up with
Japanese daikon radish circles and enoki mushrooms.

Kale salad sprinkled with goat cheese and garnished with enoki mushrooms and daikon radish slices pair well with the sandwich. As kale and daikon are both vegetables with a bite, a creamy goddess or similar salad dressing with a sweetness works well.