About a week ago I made Saizeria Milano Doria which is an example of a class of Japanese dishes inspired by European cuisine.  (Doria are gratins on a rice base.  The first Doria was invented in the Hotel New Grand in Yokohama in the 1930s with seafood.)  This version is adapted from a charming Japanese website, www.cookingwithdog.com, in which a small dog sits on the kitchen counter and supposedly narrates a cooking demonstration by a Japanese woman.  This version is for 2 people and is based on weighing nearly all the ingredients and cooking the rice in a rice cooker, like the Japanese original.  I made 5 times this recipe for a family dinner the night before Thanksgiving, and it was a big hit.  It takes about an hour to make.

For the Rice

150 g. Japanese rice

200 g. water

60 g. diced onion

30 g. diced carrot

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1/3 tsp. chicken Better than Bouillion (or 1/3 stock cube)

For the White Sauce

150 g. diced seafood (I used 2/3 shrimp, 1/3 salmon)

1 Tbs. dry white wine

Freshly ground black pepper

20 g. butter

80 g. chopped onions

2 Tbs. all-purpose flour

50 g. chopped mushrooms (I used shitakes and specialty mushrooms)

300 ml whole milk

½ tsp. salt

1 Bay leaf

30 g. grated cheese (I used half mozzarella and half mild cheddar)

Wash the rice and put it in a rice cooker with the water and the chicken bouillon.  Put the onion, carrot and garlic on top of the rice.  Turn the rice cooker on to cook the rice.  When done, stir the vegetables into the rice.

Put the wine and the seafood into a small skillet.  Over medium heat, partially cook the fish.  Remove the fish and any liquids to a bowl.  Melt the butter in the skillet and saute the onions until translucent.  Sprinkle in the flour and combine with a whisk.  Cook for a couple of minutes.  Mix in the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes.  Gradually whisk in the milk.  Add the bay leaf, salt, and some freshly ground black pepper.  Stir frequently until the white sauce thickens.  Stir in the reserved seafood and any liquids from the bowl into the skillet.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a suitably sized baking dish make a bottom layer of the rice.   Put the white sauce on top of the rice.  Sprinkle the cheese on top.  Bake for 7-8 minutes until the cheese is the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly.