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. 

Hot Crab Dip

Luckily for me, Friendsgiving is becoming an annual tradition, so not only do I get to spend quality time with my best friends, but I also get to chow down on Thanksgiving dinner more than once...Jackpot! 

In the presence of great cooks this meant there was no empty space on my plate to start the meal or in my stomach by the end of the night. Although the 40lb turkey got vetoed immediately, the spread of mouth watering side dishes were the real stars of the evening.  

My contributions to the meal started with the appetizer round. Though I can't claim to have been the genius behind the amazing pear, prosciutto and goat cheese app that kicked off the evening, I went with a hot crab dip that is a family favorite at our holiday celebrations. Usually I scoff at the sight of mayo in a recipe, but all bets are off when this delicious appetizer is in front of my face.   

The recipe:

1 lb lump crab meat

1 can artichoke hearts, drained

1 c reduced-fat mayonnaise (start with 3/4 cup and add in the final 1/4 cup as necessary)

1 c shredded parmesan cheese

1/4 c green onion

Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Make sure there are no shells in the lump crab meat. Chop up the artichoke hearts and combine all the ingredients into a baking dish (I used about a 10x7 sized dish). Bake for about 20 minutes until the dip is heated through and starting to bubble.

Easy as pie! Serve with celery stalks or your favorite crackers.

Blackened Tilapia Baja Tacos

If it weren't for the mild winter we've experienced, right around now would mark the time of year when I start really craving a beach vacation. Actually, scratch that, I am still craving one! Despite my best efforts to escape for President's Day weekend, the $800 flights to Florida just didn't seem all that logical, leaving me with culinary escape as my best option.

No food screams "island" to me quite like fish tacos so I decided to bring back a recently discovered favorite, blackened baja tacos. Last September I took a trip to California, starting in the South and making my way up to the San Francisco area. One culinary dream I envisioned was eating the best fish tacos of my life, however sadly that remained just a dream, especially because I found this recipe right before I left.

The recipe (Adapted from Cooking Light):

1/4 cup fat-free sour cream or 0% Plain Greek Yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 cup thinly sliced white onion

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
4 (6-ounce) tilapia fillets (I made 2 fillets with this quantity of seasoning and had a bit of leftover that I keep around for chicken)

Handful of red or green cabbage
6-inch corn tortillas
1/2 ripe peeled avocado, thinly sliced
4 lime wedges

Combine first 4 ingredients in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine jalapeño sauce and onion in a small bowl. Scale the quantity of sour cream up or down depending on desired level of "kick".

Combine paprika and next 6 ingredients (through ground red pepper); sprinkle evenly over fish and press in. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add fish to pan and cook approximately 3 minutes on each side or to desired level of doneness.

Warm tortillas and top with fish, avocado, cabbage and jalapeño sauce. And with that, escape to the tropics!

Poached Salmon Over Roasted Red Pepper Spread + A Side of Kale

(Forgive the ever elegant Correlle plates - I realize now they aren't the best for photographing!)

Sadly it isn’t all that practical to take a long hot shower every time I need to brainstorm ways to inject creativity into my writing, so I sit here on Day 1, Post 1 vowing (to myself) that in time I will come into my food writing voice. So, here we go.

One thing I learned quickly upon moving to NYC is that a bite-sized kitchen shared by 4 fabulous roommates does not lend itself to excess. The result: more frequent than I care to admit trips to Whole Foods and Trader Joe's. However, with that said, the feature ingredient for this dish somehow survived several months of neglect in the freezer before making it to the plate. I know, freezer packed Salmon, I'm not bragging, but with the appropriate preparations, the result was quite tasty.

The inspiration for this dish comes from a recently discovered love of roasted red pepper spread (Trader Joe’s makes a killer Roasted Red Pepper and Eggplant version) as well as a SimplyRecipes tutorial on poached Salmon...might as well learn something new as part of this whole blogging adventure, right?

While this was my first foray into poaching Salmon, I must say I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Given that I cook for myself, I opted to use the sole piece of Salmon I had, yet kept the poaching liquid at proportions that would accommodate about 1 lb of Salmon.
The recipe:

* 1 salmon fillet
* ½ cup white wine (I had Chardonnay at my disposal)
* ½ cup water
* A few thin slices of yellow onion
* Sprig of basil, roughly chopped
* 1 heaping tsp of dried parsley
* Sprinkle of dried dill, about ¼ tsp
* Freshly ground black pepper
* Roasted red pepper spread (like the kind from Trader Joe’s)
* Large handful of chopped kale
* Garlic clove, roughly diced


Combine the wine, water, herbs and onion in a saute pan, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Allow the liquid to simmer for a few minutes to blend the flavors. Place the salmon fillet (skin-side down) in the pan. Cover and simmer for about 5 minutes or until the Salmon flakes. Note: cooking times may vary depending on the size of the Salmon.

While the Salmon is simmering, add the handful of kale to a pan and drizzle with some water. Allow the kale to cook over medium heat. As it begins to soften, toss in the garlic and sprinkle some pepper.

Plate the Salmon over as much Red Pepper Spread as your heart desires, add the side of kale and voila - dinner is served!