Homemade Sushi

There is certainly no shortage of great sushi spots in NYC.  Whether dining at the acclaimed and renowned Nobu (which I do not frequent) or grabbing take-out from the hole-in-the-wall spot down the street from my apartment, I think it's safe to say I would willingly eat sushi at least 5 days a week. 

Flashback to State College, PA, home of my alma mater Penn State, where sushi was not quite as prevalent and the pure logistics of being in the middle of nowhere left me slightly uneasy about consuming anything aside from vegetable rolls! This inspired me to try my hand at making my own sushi and it has been a fun project to take on every now and then ever since. Although it can sometimes be a time consuming process, it is not that difficult of a culinary feat when you keep things simple as I like to. 

On a recent trip home, the sheer sight of ample counter space sparked my culinary inspiration and making sushi for my family was just one of the outcomes of escaping from my shoebox NYC kitchen. 

The recipe:

You will need:

Sushi mat and paddle

Nori

Short grained rice (they sell specific sushi rice in stores, but any short grained rice will work)

Rice vinegar

Sugar

Salt

Sushi fillings (suggested - tuna, salmon, avocado, cucumber, red pepper, green onion, cream cheese)

Sesame seeds, wasabi, pickled ginger (optional)

Preparing the rice

Rice aka kome (vinegared rice) 

- 2 cups kome + 2 cups water --> 3 3/4 cups cooked kome

Measure out the rice and wash in water to remove the excess starch. Drain, rinse and repeat until the water comes clear. Once clean, soak the rice for 15-20 minutes and then drain a final time.

Add to a saucepan with water (1 cup of water for each cup of rice). Cover and heat on medium until boiling, then simmer until water is almost all absorbed - about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with scraping paddle (shamoji). Remove from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes, then transfer to a separate dish (if necessary, dip paddle in rice vinegar solution, below, and use to help release rice from saucepan).

Sushi Su - rice seasoning 

Combine 1/3 c. rice vinegar, 3 tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp salt in saucepan and cook until sugar is dissolved. Set aside. 

Rice vinegar solution - use this to prevent the rice from sticking to fingers and paddle. Do not mix into rice. 

Combine 1/2 c. vinegar and 1 1/2 c. water

Mix the Sushi Su/rice seasoning into the rice (to taste). Fan to cool the rice - you will need to bring it to room temperature before rolling the sushi. Remember to dip the paddle and fingers in the rice vinegar solution as you go to remove the stickiness.  

Rolling the sushi

Slice all ingredients to desired size. If using sushi grade fish you will want to slice the pieces of fish against the grain.

Cover your rolling mat in plastic wrap. Lay piece of Nori, rough side up, on the mat. Using the paddle, scoop rice onto the Nori and spread around to make a thin layer. If rolling rice on the inside, leave ~1/2 inch at the top with no rice; if rolling rice on the outside, cover the Nori entirely with rice then flip over.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds and then layer toppings about 1/2 inch from the end as desired. Start rolling the nori over the ingredients, ensuring that they stay in place. Continue to roll and release mat, squeezing into the shape of a roll or log. 

Allow the roll to set for a few minutes. Using a sharp knife, slice sushi into pieces. Clean knife with rice vinegar solution to make slicing easier. 

Enjoy sushi with wasabi and soy sauce. 

Baked Burrata

I'm all for balanced meals, but cheese for dinner is totally warranted when that cheese happens to be burrata...wrapped in phyllo dough...with roasted tomatoes. Swoon.

A quick ingredient lesson: Burrata means buttered in Italian. Buttery cheese - think about THAT one for a second. Although it's technically not the same as mozzarella, the easiest way to describe Burrata is essentially as a ball of mozzarella with a creamy-velvety-cheesy interior. I'm still trying to figure out exactly how this twist on Baked Brie made it's way into Cooking Light magazine, but I am pretty thrilled that it did.

As is probably evident from my posts, most of my cooking is for my own benefit with the occasional dinner guest(s) to partake in the end product, so you can imagine my excitement when I had a good friend to conjure up a new creation with. Yet in all the excitement, following some of the directions went a bit out the window. Case in point: the phyllo dough. Dough might be a bit of a generous term for these paper thin sheets. Nonetheless, we improvised on the de-frosting process and never turned back - we couldn't risk having to wait any longer to dig into our Saturday night treat, ahem, I mean dinner.

Because I'm a seasoning junkie, I would recommend a few tweaks to the original recipe, but on the whole, I applaud you Cooking Light for highlighting this fabulous ingredient that somehow manages to fly under the radar.

The recipe
(Adapted from Cooking Light)
Notes on prep work: you will need to freeze the burrata ahead of time and defrost the phyllo dough ahead of time


1 (8-ounce) ball burrata or 2 - 4 oz (my preference)
Olive oil
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
4 large garlic cloves, chopped and divided
3 large ripe plum tomatoes, halved
6 (14 x 9—inch) sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking spray

Unwrap burrata; gently pat dry. Wrap burrata in several layers of plastic wrap to preserve the "ball" shape. Freeze 8 hours or until completely frozen.

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine 2 tsp oil and next 5 ingredients, using half of the quantities listed for thyme through garlic; toss to combine. Arrange tomatoes, cut sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet and pour the mixture over top. Bake at 425° for 35-40 minutes or until blistered and liquid almost evaporates. Cool. Chop tomato mixture.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time (cover remaining phyllo to prevent it from drying), lay 1 sheet on a flat surface, and coat with cooking spray. Stack another phyllo sheet at a slight angle over the first, and coat with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining phyllo and cooking spray, angling each phyllo sheet slightly over the previous sheet. Note: if you do use the 2 4-oz burrata balls, you can improvise a bit/use your judgement on the phyllo - half sheets might suffice.

Using a slotted spoon, spoon tomato mixture in center of phyllo stack, and discard any liquid. Unwrap burrata, and place frozen burrata on tomato mixture.

Sprinkle remaining half of each of the seasonings directly onto the burrata.

Fold the phyllo edges over to enclose cheese and tomato mixture, pressing to seal. Turn ball over with tomato mixture on top, and place on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Brush phyllo with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Preheat broiler to high. Broil cheese ball 2 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately.