“Ex-Ohh” Ragu

SAVORY

Mar 22

Dried Scallops and Shrimp, Chinese Sausage, Pepperoni, Spam, Ginger, Shallots, Garlic, and Bonito Flakes

Chef Nico Cezar of Tonari | Washington, D.C.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings

Tonari, Rising Stars alum Katsuya Fukushima’s Wafu Italian restaurant, is hardly “fusion.” “You can always fuse cuisine together,” says Chef de Cuisine Nico Cezar. “But Wafu is ubiquitously Japanese.” Wafu Italian was born post-World War II, when Japanese chefs hoped to replicate Italian cooking. But unable to source Italian ingredients, they used what they had on hand, like swapping ramen noodles for spaghetti or ketchup for marinara sauce. Cezar’s “Ex-Ohh” sauce, for example, starts with finely chopped Chinese sausage, pepperoni, Spam, and bonito flakes to mirror the smokiness of bacon. The preserved meats are rendered in oil, then set aside for aromatics and an earthy Okinawan sugar to cook in the fat, before the meats are thrown back into the pan to simmer with dried scallops and shrimp for an added layer of umami and briney salt. Pillowy Hokkaido flour gnocchi are added to the assertively funky XO and the pasta water blends with the meaty oils to create a glossy, ragù-like sauce. Finished with a generous sprinkle of breadcrumbs, orange zest, and parsley, the gnocchi nails the Wafu Italian flavor profile. “All the umami. All the natural salt,” says Cezar. “It’s a very forward-tasting dish.”

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup dried scallops
½ cup dried shrimp
Shaoxing wine
1 pint canola oil
4 ounces minced ginger
6 ounces minced shallots
1 cup minced garlic
1 cup minced scallions
3.25 ounces chopped pepperoni
3 ounces chopped Spam
2.5 ounces chopped lap xuong
1 cup orange juice
4 ½ ounces Okinawan black sugar
2 tablespoons white sugar
2. ½ tablespoons doubanjiang
4 bay leaves
2 star anise
6 orange peels, dried
1 cup chiffonade parsley
½ cup bonito flakes

METHOD:

In two separate bowls, cover dried scallops and dried shrimps with Shaoxing wine. Let the shellfish soak at least 1 hour. Drain shellfish and keep separate. In a rondeau over medium flame, heat canola oil. Meanwhile, lightly chop the scallops and shrimp. Add ginger, shallot, garlic, and scallion to the rondeau and sweat until soft and translucent. Strain out the sweated vegetables and set aside. Add all meats to the rondeau and sauté until most of the fat has rendered and meats are lightly browned. Deglaze with sake and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated. Return the vegetables to the rondeau and add all remaining ingredients and chopped shellfish. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook down at least 2 hours. Adjust seasoning with salt or sugar.

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