Sakana’s Sushi bar and restaurant (1046 Coast Village Road, Montecito) is a favorite spot of ours and we frequent there often. Teru and I quickly bonded over our joint love for gardening. I would bring Teru produce from my garden and in return, he would create the most magical culinary creations. He has a gift for mixing the most beautiful flavors in new and imaginative ways. Teru gave me seeds to plant shisho leaves, shishito peppers and daikon radish in my garden. I then added Japanese eggplant to the mix.  Now, thanks to Teru, I have a whole Japanese section in one of my beds. Bring on the sake!

Teru’s talent for cooking directly from the garden captivated me and we set a date to cook together. Recently, my friends gathered at our house to learn the art of Japanese cooking from Teru. Teru brought his lovely wife Ellie, who is a wonderful cook in her own right. Ellie is from Macao and speaks Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese, English and a little Spanish.  We had a truly fantastic evening filled with amazing food, laughter and admittedly, a little too much sake.  No table was set, we just gathered in the kitchen around the island cooking, drinking wine and sake, what a spectacular night!

The biggest lessons learned that evening from Teru encompassed the importance of fresh, clean flavors; simple ingredients are best and you can tempura just about anything and it will taste fantastic! The tempura chive blossoms and beets were my favorites.

Here is a peek at what was on the menu:

Borscht is such a refreshing and healthy summer soup that often gets overlooked. This recipe was taken from David Tanis’s A Platter of Figs (a great cookbook for those looking to buy another for your collection). I made this as a starter for 70 guests at my daughter’s end of the school year appreciation luncheon. The beets were just popping out of my garden, and I thought it would be so fun to use them in a non-traditional sort of a way. I prefer yellow beets for this soup instead of red ones, because I think the color makes the soup a more appetizing shade than the typical bright-pink borscht. To make the soup an even more vibrant golden color (because the beets lose some of their intensity after cooking) I added a dash of ground turmeric. Additionally, I used Greek yogurt thinned slightly with whole milk, and a nasturtium pesto (below) to garnish in lieu of the herb garnish David Tanis suggests.

Golden Beet Borscht

1 ½ pound beets

8 cups water

2 large shallots, sliced

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon coriander seeds

2 or 3 cloves

½ teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons red wine, or to taste

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

1 cup whole-milk yogurt

chopped dill or chives

Peal and slice the beets and put them in a large saucepan. Cover with the water and add the garlic, shallots, cayenne, sugar, vinegar and olive oil. In cheese-cloth, wrap up bay leaf, coriander, and cloves and place in with the beets. Add a good spoonful of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Check the seasoning of the broth – it should be distinctly sweet-sour, peppery, and flavorful. Correct the seasoning, adding salt and cayenne if necessary and freshly ground pepper.

Remove the cheese-cloth filled with spices and puree the soup well in a blender, then strain into a large bowl. Chill in the refrigerator or over ice.

Just before serving, whisk in the yogurt. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding a splash of vinegar if necessary. Thin with a little water to achieve the correct thickness – like a thin milk shake.

To serve, pour into small water glasses. Garnish with freshly ground pepper, and if desired, fresh dill or chives.

For the Nasturtium pesto: combine a few cloves of garlic, Parmesan Reggiano, olive oil, and salt and pepper with nasturtium blossoms in an electric mixer fitted with a steel blade.

Note: After the soup chilled, I adjusted the seasoning, added turmeric and lemon, then spooned the yogurt and pesto on top. It’s wonderful to use as a dip with your favorite raw veggies, too.