Turning Japanese: Sushi Style!

Ever since my travels to Tokyo, I have been obsessed with Japanese food! With memories of tucking into the freshest sashimi breakfast at Tsukiji market, and sampling exotic sushi whilst overlooking the Sumida River, I was really keen to try making my own.

Does the idea of raw fish make you squirm? Then why not try using cooked or smoked fish, cooked meat or even making vegetarian sushi? I love using smoked salmon and cucumber, smoked mackerel with wasabi horseradish and pork with spring onion. Part of the fun of making your own is having the freedom to use ingredients you like and trying out new combinations each time.

Making sushi is so much fun! Perfect for a dinner party with a difference – you can make it all beforehand, or prepare a selection of fillings and help guests to roll their own with whatever they choose! It’s always a laugh attempting (and failing!) to use chopsticks too, making it sociable and entertaining. How about making it during a girls-night in for a healthy treat, or using it to impress on date-night?

I bought lots of crockery and condiments for sushi whilst in Japan. However, a quick hunt down the international food isle of the supermarket showed that it’s easy to get everything you want here too. You’ll need a sushi rolling mat, seaweed sheets (nori), special sushi rice (it goes nice and sticky to prevent the sushi from falling apart), and whatever fillings you fancy.

Here’s how to make Maki Rolls:

 

1.      Cook the rice according to the instructions and prepare your fillings. Cut any fillings into long strips if possible so you can lay them neatly along the entire length of the roll.

2.      Lay a nori smooth side down on a sushi rolling mat. Spread some rice evenly over the nori, except for 1 inch along the top. Use wet fingers to gently spread the rice, but don’t squash it or the roll won’t stick together. Place your fillings in a line along the lower 1/3. Each filling should be in its own line.

3.      Now the fun part! Dry your hands and, using the edge of the rolling mat closest to you, roll away from you to cover the filling with the nori. Keep rolling away from you, ensuring it is rolled tightly.

 

4.      Now use a sharp knife dipped in boiling water to cut the sushi into several pieces. Clean the knife in the water after cutting each piece, to ensure it cuts neatly and doesn’t disturb the filling inside.

And there you have it! Use lots of different coloured fillings to really ‘up’ the visual; peppers are great for this.  To eat, dip the sushi in soy sauce, followed by a touch of wasabi if you’re feeling brave! Cleanse the palate between pieces with some pickled ginger. I also served mine with some noodles, gyoza (little steamed pasties) and tempura whitebait to add variety.

Tempura Whitebait

 

Try this easy recipe for a Noodle Sauce that’s bursting with flavour:

1.      Chop some runner beans into bite-sized chunks. Cut the kernels off a sweetcorn cob. Boil or steam the vegetables until cooked. Pop the noodles separately onto the hob too.

2.      Whilst that’s cooking, make the sauce. Very finely chop half a red onion, half a red chilli and a bunch of fresh coriander (using a food processor to do this can save time). Add 2 tbsp. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 2 tbsp. olive oil and the juice of 1 lime, then stir to combine. Season with black pepper. Adjust these quantities to your own taste.

3.      Once cooked, drain the noodles and vegetables and mix together with the sauce for a tasty dish! Serve in small bowls alongside the sushi. Or, whip up this noodle dish with some bite-sized pork pieces for a quick, ‘no hassle’ mid-week meal.

So, have a go at making your own sushi for a fun, impressive meal that is healthy too. And good luck with the chopsticks!

I’m jetting off to France now for a holiday, so look out for my next French-inspired post in a fortnight!

Fruits of the Fall: 'Tis the Season to Get Figgy...

The month of September brings us lots of exciting seasonal fruits, so here are some juicy recipes starring a few of the best. Don’t forget that fruits in season are at their tastiest, less expensive, help to support your local economy and cut down on air-miles needed to transport your food. Try them before they’re gone for winter!

First up is my favourite, figs! With availability limited to only a few months of the year, they feel like such a treat when they arrive. Don’t know what to do with them? Aside from their fantastic flavour, what I love most about figs is their versatility. There aren’t many foods that are at home as a starter, within a main course or as a dessert (not to mention the cheese board!).

I was lucky enough to pick some from a friend’s fig tree. With guests coming over for dinner, I decided to whip them up as this simple but delicious starter - Figs wrapped in Prosciutto Ham:

1.       Chop off the stalk at the top if hard, cut a cross shape no more than half way down the fruit, then squeeze the bottom with your fingers so it fans out like petals on a flower. This will reveal their vibrant colour and pattern inside, yum!

2.      Wrap a thin slice of prosciutto ham carefully around the fig. Loosely scrunch up a further small piece and stuff it gently into the centre of the fruit.

3.      Finally, drizzle with honey before popping them in the oven at 180⁰C for 10 minutes until the ham becomes crispy. The figs I had were so ripe and sweet, that I actually skipped the honey.

4.      Serve them on a bed of mild-tasting leaves, dressed with a sweet balsamic glaze, for a ridiculously quick and easy starter that looks so impressive! These are also great served on a cheeseboard, as a quirky alternative to grapes.

For a different starter, this time suitable for vegetarians, try my Fig Boats:

1.      Slice the figs in half lengthways. Shell out the flesh, being careful not to make a hole in the skin. Keep the skins to one side.

2.      Chop the fig flesh into small pieces, and combine with some crème fraiche, crumbled stilton and crushed walnuts. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.

3.      Fill the fig skins with the mixture. Bake in the oven for 5-10 minutes at 180⁰C until warmed through. Delicious!

Next up is the blackberry. I can’t step outside at the moment without seeing someone picking them off the hedgerows! After filling a basket load myself, and with apples from the orchard overflowing in my fruit bowl, I decided to put them to use with a Blackberry and Apple Crumble. I hate fussing around with desserts, but the only time-consuming part here is prepping the apples (not so laborious when ‘multi-tasking’ with the latest episode of Hollyoaks). The rest is easy:

Blackberry and Apple Mixture

1.      Peel and core the apples before chopping into small chunks.

2.      Pop them in a pan with half a cup of water and some granulated sugar (approx. 50g per dozen apples). Cook on a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples soften and the edges start to go mushy.

3.      Whilst they’re cooking, make your crumble topping. Mix together 150g plain flour, 50g granulated sugar and 75g cubed salted butter until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.

4.      Take the apples off the heat and gently stir in as many blackberries as you like. Place the fruit mixture in a baking dish, then top evenly with the crumble.

5.      Cook for 25-30 minutes at 180⁰C until the fruit juices are bubbling around the edge. Perfect served with vanilla ice cream.

This fruit mixture can also be used to make a Fruit Tart instead. Simply line a greased tart dish with some shortcrust pastry (Tight for time? Cheat and buy ready rolled…shhh). Fill with the fruit mixture, after letting it cool. Thinly slice a few apples and arrange to make a pretty pattern on top. Brush with some melted butter, sprinkle with sugar and bake for 45 minutes at 180⁰C. Et voila, another stylish dish with little effort.

And there you have it, hedgerow heaven! Try your hand at these easy recipes using seasonal fruits, or make up some of your own.

Look out for my oriental inspired post next week!

Claws 'o' clock: Lobster dinner party

I kicked off my recent move up to North Wales with a lobster dinner party on the banks of the Menai Strait! Inspired by a seafood festival in the area, where I was surrounded by an abundance of the freshest seafood, caught around Anglesey’s coast (heaven!), I decided to celebrate the local delights.

What I love most about seafood is how fun and sociable it is to eat. Table manners go out the window, everyone gets their fingers messy and there is never a scrap left! Cooking seafood may seem daunting. But hopefully I will show you how fuss-free it can be!

Lobsters can be expensive, but are a fantastic treat. If you’d prefer something under-budget, I’ve also shown how to cook mussels which are cheaper. Another trick is to buy whatever fish in season, which is not only less expensive, but also helps to sustain stocks and tastes great too.

Lobsters are so full of delicious flavour and meaty texture that I like to keep them simple. Cooking times depend on the size (ask your fishmonger or weigh and check on the internet) and, if fresh, turn from dark blue to bright red once cooked. Simply bring a large pot of water to boiling and place the lobster in the pot. Once cooked, remove and hang the lobster over the sink for a couple of minutes to drain the water from its joints. Then cut it vertically down the centre of its back, from head to tail, to split it in half. This will need a very sharp and sturdy knife, and a good pair of muscles (cue my fellow sea-food enthusiast boyfriend!) Twist off the claws, and crack them with a hammer so people can open them more easily. I served mine dressed only with some cracked black pepper and fresh parsley, providing a garlic butter (recipe below) as an accompaniment to drizzle over as desired. An alternative could be to squeeze over some lemon juice for a citrus zing.

I also cooked some mussels with a sweet onion, garlic and white wine sauce (recipe below). A simple side salad of leaves, cucumber and sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden, some buttered new potatoes dressed with chopped fresh mint, and a crusty baguette to mop up the mussel sauce made the perfect feast. The best thing with this type of meal is that it can all be cooked in advance before your guests arrive and then served cold.

 

Armed with shell crackers, lobster picks and plenty of napkins, I encouraged everyone to get stuck in. And as predicted, nothing was left by the end of the evening!

So roll up your sleeves, check out my easy recipes below, get messy and give it a try!

Garlic butter:

Simply melt a slab of salted butter in a small saucepan with crushed garlic clove(s) and some chopped parsley. Cook on a low/medium heat for 5 minutes to gently soften the garlic until it turns golden, being careful not to let it burn. Season to taste with black cracked pepper. How much garlic you add is down to your individual taste. Remember, a little drizzle goes a long way.

Mussels in a white wine sauce:

Scrub all the shells under cold water to remove sand, seaweed and barnacles. Discard any that are already open and don’t close when handled.

Place a chopped white onion into the cooking pot with a tablespoon of oil and a splash of wine. Gently sweat the onions for approx. 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add a finely chopped garlic clove and cook for a further minute. Then add a small glass of white wine into the pot, a handful of parsley and the mussels. Bring to the boil and then turn down to a simmer. Stir a couple of times during cooking. The shells will start to open after approx. 4-5 minutes, indicating that the mussels are cooked. The mussel should be completely heated through but still soft and fleshy. If they are overcooked, they become hard and rubbery, not ideal! Discard any that don’t open. Serve with all the yummy sauce and a further sprinkling of fresh parsley.

Quick note: Know where your fish comes from. It is important to ensure the seafood you buy is being sourced responsibly: complying with regulations and supporting sustainability. Your local fishmonger should be happy to answer any questions about how their stock is sourced. They can also be very helpful in explaining how to prepare fish correctly (even doing all the fiddly bits for you if you prefer) and giving great tips on how to cook them.

Look out for my next post early next week!