Musings on food, cooking, and dining by a New Orleans Foodie

This past Saturday was my first foray into the world of Sushi-Making. I'm a huge fan of sushi*, but for some odd reason, there's a certain level of intimidation that keeps people from making their own. What I learned was that making a traditional (by our standards) sushi roll is a pretty easy task; it just takes the right ingredients and a little coordination. Since we were being guided by John and Laura, some friends who have more experience in the skill of sushi, we went all-out. Beyond the basic sushi roll, there are many ingredients that are foreign to the average cook, and when it comes to the elaborate dishes, it's not as simple as it looks.

Over a five hour period, we must have prepared 15 or 20 different dishes, composed from an arsenal of nearly 30 ingredients, including soft shell crab, shrimp, snapper, scallops, tuna, salmon, avocado, seaweed salad, cucumber, carrot, lemon, green onions and Sambal chili sauce. I wish I could name all of the dishes or even explain them, but many of the rolls were invented on the fly and consumed soon thereafter. My favorite of the evening was a "Scallop Special," chopped scallops mixed with scallions, fish roe and mayonnaise that can be served on top of a ball of rice or in a "sushi cup" made of seaweed paper. We also had an assortment of Japanese beer for the occasion and I gladly took the lead on enjoying the beverages.

With all of the ingredients and the various techniques, it seems we may have gone a little overboard. We probably had enough food for six or eight people and I really didn't need to eat as much as I did (I was just being polite). After stuffing four people and sending leftovers home with our teachers, we still had enough for a large lunch on Sunday. Before this party, I may have asked, "Is there really such thing as too much sushi?" I now know the answer to that question. I think I'll take a break from sushi for the next week or two.

Instead of instructing on the basics of making sushi here today, check out this quick tutorial on the web. Oh, and don't go to the grocery store and pick up the $40 "Sushi-At-Home" kit, stop by an Asian market and have them assemble all of the tools necessary. Almost all of the ingredients were acquired from Asian markets, and the seafood came from Cox Seafood on Dale Mabry in north Tampa.

If you have the opportunity to hold a sushi party at your home, I urge you to do a trial run first. We were lucky to be taught by a couple that has held some great sushi-making parties along with a couple doozies. Make sure that your guests are truly interested in making the sushi; otherwise they may be better off at the local sushi joint being served by a waitress. Also, be mindful of the portions. Remember that one roll will contain multiple ingredients, and may only require less than an ounce of fish. Keep that in mind when you belly up to the fish counter and order a pound of each fish! I can't emphasize how much fun I had learning a new skill. Still in my frenzy, I even made a sushi roll on Sunday morning to go with my breakfast. As we were preparing a frittata in the oven, I set aside some of the filling and along with the leftover rice made a roll of smoked salmon, cream cheese and asparagus (the picture is above). See, the possibilities are endless!

* The word "sushi" simply means rice topped with fish, and although it is often used in error to describe other preparations, I've used it here interchangeably.

As promised, here is the July 4th recipe that was the hit of the day:

Lamb-Burgers, Mediterranean Style

Courtesy of Kevin Lacassin
www.NolaFoodie.com

Makes 16-18 miniature Lamb-Burgers

Ingredients

Burgers

2 lbs. Ground Lamb
¼ White Onion (chopped)
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Lemon (zest)
Red Pepper Flakes
Ground Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Pita Bread Halves

Garnish

1 Cucumber (peeled and chopped)
3 Roma Tomatoes
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

Tzatziki Sauce

1 Cucumber (peeled and grated or shredded)
16 oz Plain Yogurt
4 cloves Garlic (minced)
1 Lemon (juice)
Kosher Salt
Ground Black Pepper

To make Tzatziki sauce:

In a small food processor, add shredded cucumber, garlic and the juice of one lemon. When blended, pour mixture into a bowl and combine with yogurt. Season to taste with black pepper and salt.

To make burgers:
In a large mixing bowl, mix the ground lamb with finely chopped white onion, garlic and the zest of one lemon. Season with red chili flakes, Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

To make burgers, form the ground lamb mixture into 16-18 small, round 2 oz. burgers.

Cook burgers on the grill, broiler or grill pan for several minutes. Turn over and continue to cook until done.

To serve, open up a pita bread half, stuff with one burger and top with Tzatziki sauce and cucumber-tomato relish.

This July 4th, a few friends threw together an impromptu poolside party that included a bunch of cocktails and some great food. I originally suggested we do some cooking and relaxing, but after the past couple parties and the daunting task of cleaning up after guests, I was too tired. Unfortunately I live in a pretty hip condo complex with a thriving social scene, so a couple of the single girls decided that my place would be the best venue for their cause (meeting people). I agreed, only because I do have a pretty cool place, and all of the cooking was to be outdoors anyway. While the day at the crowded pool was filled with spring break antics, I guarantee our group was eating the best; definitely not your typical grilled fare of hot dogs and hamburgers.

To keep my costs reasonable, I agreed to cook the main dishes as long everyone else provided the side dishes and alcohol. We ended up with some fantastic cole slaw, pasta salad, green salad and several appetizers to complement my grilled pork tenderloin and a recent creation, the Lamb-Burger.

Yes, you read it right, I didn't mis-type; I said "Lamb-Burger.". A while back I saw a food network chef make some little lamb appetizers on brioche bread rounds, so I took the idea and ran. I figured I could add some Mediterranean seasonings to ground lamb, then make miniature burgers and serve them inside of pita bread halves, garnished with Tzatziki sauce and a relish of tomatoes and cucumbers. The end result was similar to a Greek Gyro, only different. This dish turned out to be the hit of the day, and although it was July 4th, I didn't hear any complaints about our cookout lacking the uninspired traditional cheeseburger. A couple of people even asked me for the recipe, so I'll have it posted here tomorrow.

To keep in the "American" tradition, we also had some Corona, Heineken and I mixed up quite a few mojitos. On a side note, I did grill a pack of Nathan's hot dogs to appease my New York girlfriend. We spent all day eating, drinking and soaking in the pool to fight off the heat of a Florida summer day and enjoyed every minute of it. For a finale, a few of us grilled some sirloin steaks topped with blue cheese and I made some Cajun garlic mashed potatoes. A great end to a great day.

Stay tuned for the Lamb-Burger recipe...