Sushi

Sushi

Every so often, the Guinea Pig and I get a craving for sushi.  A while back we figured out that it was a lot more cost effective to make our own than to go out.  Tricky part is finding ingredients.  Lucky for us we have an "Asian" supermarket nearby.

Most of the time we pick up a nice, sushimi grade fillet of salmon and go to town.  Last night was no different.  We enjoyed some California and Alaska rolls.

To make life easier for me, I make the rolls in an "outside-in" way, where I put the rice on the inside of the roll instead of the outside.  This eliminates the need for me to use a bamboo mat to aid in making the roll and keeps things a bit neater in the kitchen.

To make a roll is very simple.  Required ingredients and tools:  a sharp knife, nori, rice, and filling (i.e. salmon, avocado, masago, etc...).  Take a sheet of nori, fill it with rice leaving about an inch strip, add the fillings to that inch, roll keeping everything tight, and cut.

We usually have left over salmon, so it is not uncommon for us to have sushi two nights in a row.  Tonight I'll be making some eel rolls as well.  Too bad we don't have access to a wider variety of fresh, sushimi grade fish.

Zucchini Pancakes

Zucchini Pancakes

This is another one of my grandma's recipes, which I made for dinner for the Guinea Pig and myself last night.  The pancakes came out light and delicious.  They were served with a dollop of sour cream as is traditional.

The recipe was super simple too.  Take two zucchini's, peel and grate them.  To that, add some flour, salt, baking soda and an egg.  Mix all and fry in a pan of olive oil until browned.  If mixture gets too soggy, add more flour.  The whole thing takes about a half an hour from peeling the zucchinis to taking the pancakes out of the pan.

Weird Request

My Guinea Pig had a weird craving/request for me for a while now.  He wanted some chicken livers.  Who am I to disappoint him?

Traffic was a bit backed up yesterday, so I got off the highway a few exits early and decided to stop by the grocery store since it was almost on my way.  All that the Guinea Pig wanted was some avocados and salmon for sushi rolls, implying that he would like me to make sushi that night.  I got those and a whole lot more.

They had some very nice, freshly packed, young chicken livers that I couldn't pass up knowing how much we both would enjoy eating them.  I also couldn't pass up what seems like half the store because my forearms are feeling the burn today after carrying all the groceries around the store (I only had the hand basket since I went in for just a few items).  I must have bought enough food for a week to a week and a half.

When I let the Guinea Pig know what I had purchased, he quickly decided against the sushi rolls and asked me for chicken livers for dinner instead.  I ended up pan searing the livers and making some sautéed mushrooms and mashed potatoes as sides.  Sushi will have to be made tonight.