First, sushi does not mean “raw fish.” It may contain cooked fish, or no fish at all. Just wanted to put that out there in case you were about to move on too quickly. Now, let’s get cooking.

First cook up the rice;
3 cups Japanese rice
3 1/4 cups water

It will take about 18-20 minutes to cook over a low flame. While it’s cooking prepare the vinegar mix:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Stir in a pan over a low flame until the sugar is dissolved, then cool the liquid. Once rice is cooked stir it in a big wooden bowl, being careful not to damage the rice grains, along with the vinegar mix.

Now, spread some rice on a sheet of nori (Japanese Seaweed) placed on a bamboo mat. The seaweed is about 9 inches across. Here we have fake crab legs (surimi) along with cucumber and avocado. Rolling the sushi and cutting it takes a bit of practice, but it’s fun and you can use whatever ingredients you like, the only limit is your imagination.

This is what the California roll looked like after it was cut up.

Next, we made shrimp tempura maki, see last month’s recipe for the tempura. We really like this one and it’s great to make a restaurant quality Asian dish in your own house.

Both kinds of sushi are served with pickled ginger. If you don’t live near an Asian grocer, you may find these ingredients in a foreign foods aisle in your local supermarket or you can order by mail. It turns out to be quite fun once you get the hang of it and far less costly that going out to a restaurant for sushi. Let us know if you try this dish and liked it!

written by admin \\ tags: california roll, japanese recipe, shrimp tempura maki, sushi

This is easier than you’d think and tempura makes an impressive appetizer. The best part of this recipe is you can make whatever veggies you like, nearly anything will work.

Tempura Batter Recipe

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
2/3 cup ice water

Easy – in one bowl, mix all dry ingredients. In a separate bowl beat the egg and ice water, then whisk in the dry ingredients. Don’t over mix, it’s ok if it’s a bit lumpy. Some people add yellow food coloring.

To keep the oil to a minimum, we used a small pan, and just enough oil that we had to flip whatever we were frying. Peanut oil has a high burning point and is a good oil to use for tempura. Above are two shrimp, skewered on bamboo sticks to keep them straight. (You can see, it’s a small pan)

This is a sampler of what we made that day, broccoli, zucchini, and the shrimp. You can use cauliflower, carrots, even chicken “fingers.”If you try this recipe, let us know. Thanks for stopping by!

written by admin \\ tags: chicken, shrimp, tempura, vegetables

This dish takes a bit of skill. Many I’ve talked to just can’t get the sauce right, and it’s a matter of knowing the texture you are looking for. This lends itself to a thought – a couple posts in the future on sauces, especially those that start with a roux. Depending on the interest, I’ll start thinking about an upcoming ‘sauce series.’

Now the cream sauce for today’s dish:

Start with a stick (1/4 lb) of butter and melt in the pan. Slowly add 4-5 tablespoons flour while whisking continuously. Before the roux (this flour/butter mix) starts to brown, add one pint heavy cream, still whisking. Once the cream is incorporated, add 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.

Serve over poached salmon and shrimp or scallops, whichever you prefer. You can choose among many sidedishes, we prefer to keep it simple, brown rice and steamed carrots.

Any leftover sauce can be the start of a nice mac and cheese for lunch.

Enjoy.

written by admin \\ tags: cream sauce, salmon, shrimp

Let’s start with a bit of an introduction. This dish falls under a number of categories, it’s a great side dish, served either warm or cold, depending on the main course and time of year. It’s perfect for those on a diet, as the calorie count for this entire recipe is about 800 calories. It’s frugal and will let you use up the zucchini from your garden or a friend that brought you a basket of it.  Zucchini high season is toward the end of the summer so we wanted to get this posted before it was harvest time. Last, it freezes well, so fits nicely with the other recipes we’ve done targeted for the “cooking ahead” strategy.

By the way, if Ratatouille sounds too fancy, just call it “veggie stew,” which reminds me, serve this to your vegetarian friends and they’ll know you really care. Now, let’s get cooking.

Ingredients
4 lbs zucchini
3 red peppers
2 Vidalia (or sweet) onions
2 28oz cans tomatoes (I use one whole and one crushed)
1 tbl crushed garlic

First, fry the garlic with a little olive oil, for a few minutes, then add the onions and cook over a low heat. You want the onions to soften and it’s ok if they caramelize a bit. (Note, this is an 8 qt pot. If your pots are smaller, you might need to cut the recipe in half)

Cut up the zucchini into big chunks, as shown. I cut off the ends and washed the zucchini, but not peeled it. No need to.

This is when the food photographers get my admiration. Five shots and this was the best I could do. You get the idea, though. Once those onions are done, you’re going to put in the zucchini and peppers, and both cans of tomatoes. Cook for about two hours covered, on low heat and be sure to stir every twenty minutes or so.

You can take the lid off once the zucchini has softened and cook till it’s the thickness you prefer. It can be served over rice or noodles, or by itself. You notice I didn’t mention any seasoning at all? If I have fresh basil, I put in a dozen leaves or so, chopped fine. You can add oregano, if you like, about a table spoon or so. After you make it the first time, try whatever variation you wish. You can add eggplant, carrots, turnip, whatever. I know some people will add salt to everything they cook. Not us. Try this dish once and we’re sure you’ll find that you make it again and again. Let us know what changes you make to it by leaving a comment. We love to hear from our readers.

written by admin \\ tags: ratatouille, recipe, side dish, zucchini