セロリの葉はそのままに。春菊は太い茎の部分まで。ピーマンの種もおいしい。僕の遅い夕ご飯に欠かせない香り豊かな野菜です。
この香りを旨みに変えるのは、豚バラの脂。
豚バラはパッケージから形をほぐさずに取り出す。折りたたまれ重なったそのままの形でフライパンへ。できればフライパンは鉄がいい。油はひかない。強めに塩をして焦げ目がついたら裏返して、香り野菜をガサっと乗っけて蓋をして1〜2分。最初から最後まで強火のまま。かき混ぜないでそのまま盛り付ける。香りが複雑にならないように、合わせる野菜は一種類。
仕事場から帰ってきて、手を洗って、Tシャツに着替えて5分もすればありつけるごちそう。玄関に入る前から、ギネスを飲むか、冷たい白ワインなのか、片口に移して飲む日本酒なのかと考えている。
夕方まで今日は禁酒デーだと決めていたのに。僕の脳はどうしてこうも簡単に命令を書き換えてしまうのか。
家に飲むお酒がない日は、帰り道のスーパーでスパークリングを仕込んで、何より先に冷凍庫に入れて急速に冷やす。頑張っても（頑張るのは冷凍庫だけど、）飲み頃になるには15分はかかる。
香り野菜と豚バラのひと皿を眺めながら、じっと我慢の10分。熱々を我慢しちゃだめだよね。お焦げのカリカリをかじって待つ。
Override – Aromatic Glitch
Celery leaves, just as they are. Shungiku (an aromatic Japanese green) down to the thick stems. Even the bell pepper seeds are delicious. These aromatic greens are essential for my late-night dinners.
What transforms these aromas into savory depth is the fat of the pork belly.
I take the pork belly straight from the package, without separating the slices. Folded and layered just as it is, it goes directly into the pan. An iron skillet is best, if possible. No need for oil. I salt it generously. Once it’s nicely seared, I flip the meat, toss a handful of the greens roughly on top, and cover with a lid for a minute or two. High heat, from start to finish. I plate it exactly as it is, without stirring. To keep the fragrance pure and uncluttered, I only pair it with one type of vegetable.
Returning from work, washing my hands, changing into a T-shirt—within five minutes, a feast is ready. Even before I step through the front door, my mind is already weighing the options: a Guinness, a chilled white wine, or perhaps some sake poured into a katakuchi.
Until this evening, I had firmly sworn off alcohol for the day. Why is my brain so quick to override its own commands?
On days when there is nothing good to drink at home, I grab a bottle of sparkling wine from the supermarket on my way back. The very first thing I do is throw it in the freezer for a rapid chill. But no matter how hard I try (well, it’s the freezer doing the hard work), it takes a good 15 minutes to be ready.
Staring at this plate of aromatic greens and pork belly, I endure a quiet ten-minute wait. But holding back from something piping hot just feels wrong, doesn’t it? So, I nibble on the crispy, charred edges as I wait.
