3. Today's main course: sea bream and spring vegetable acqua pazza with spring cabbage râpées!
4. "Done!"
5. Karin's Dish
In Italian cuisine, acqua pazza refers to poached white fish, or to the lightly herbed poaching broth. Here Karin uses bream, a family of white fish. It's described as being juicy, dense with a meaty texture and having a clean flavor which pairs well with many seasonings. Râpées is French for grated.
6. "No one wants to eat it..."
7. "But once it goes out of season,"
8. "Its youth makes it appealing."
9. "It's just like this asparagus."
10. Asparagus
Asparagus is in season during the spring and is picked after the spears are 15-20 cm tall, called young asparagus. After the spring, the spears are left to gather nutrients for the next year's harvest. These old asparagus are woody and tough and are generally not eaten.
11. "Ah well, who cares about that?"
12. "This is a pinot grigio from a port in italy. It pairs really well, so you should try some!"
13. Pinot Grigio
A white wine named after the grayish-blue color of the grapes. Described as dry and slightly acidic with notes of citrus, it is often paired with light (non-fatty/oily) foods, such as white fish, chicken, rice, and vegetables. Like most wines, it has an alcohol content of 12.5-13.5% ABV.
The port Karin is likely talking about is Trieste, in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region; known as one of the best areas for pinot grigio.
14. "A5 grade meigyu!!"
15. "Huh? Huuuh?!"
16. Wagyu
Meigyu is used here as a pun on wagyu, meaning Japanese beef. A5 is the highest grade, is the most expensive, and is considered the most delicious.
Wagyu is ranked on both the yield grade (the amount of edible meat) and the intramuscular fat (or marbling, the pattern of meat and fat) of the beef. The yield grade is given in letters: A for above average, B for average, and C for below average. The marbling is ranked on a five point scale, (with 5 being highest) which takes into account the fat level, texture, and color.
