Sushi!

Last week I made something I would never have thought I would put in my repertoire of food creations.

Sushi.

I love sushi, but I had doubts I could make my own. I have to admit I was intimidated by the idea too. But after a short lesson from my friend I took it on by myself and it was a success! And it was easy!

The part that takes the longest is the rice and I took the easy route of 'set it and forget it' and cooked the rice in the...wait for it...rice cooker. Once the rice was done I sprinkled about a tablespoon of rice vinegar on it to keep it from becoming too sticky.

I cooled the rice completely, but also got the tip that you really don't have to. If the rice is still warm it helps to keep the nori flexible. I did have a little trouble with the nori being a little crispy. Nori, by the way is the seaweed paper that you roll everything up in.

 

I cut up various veggies and seafood to include in the rolls.

Shrimp and Imitation Crab



Avocado, carrot, cucumber, and the non-traditional pickled beans          Smoked salmon

 

Chili Paste for a little kick

 

 

I did not use a bamboo mat to roll them, I just simply flattened the rice onto the nori, added a combo of ingredients and rolled. Easy Peasy. Then I just cut them into pieces and served.

 

1st roll was shrimp, cucumber, avocado, and chili paste

 

 

2nd roll was smoked salmon, cream cheese and pickled beans (Named this the Vollmer Tavern Roll) This was my favorite.

 

 



 

3rd roll was crab, carrot, avocado

 

 

Next time I'll have to get a little more adventurous and graduate to raw tuna or something along those lines. I'll definitely be rolling some more of these lil guys again in my near future.

Super Bowl Party

So there was one more football party I did not take into account since the Packers had been taken out of the equation.

Super Bowl Party.

And with the Packers out of the running the only thing that this day means for me is time to watch the commercials, the half time show, the Puppy Bowl and, of course, making food.

On the menu for the big game was Chimichurri Pork and Chorizo Mexican Lasagna and Pizza Dip. Let's start with the dip.

Pizza Dip

This dip was a spin on my world famous Jalapeno Popper Dip. Well maybe not world famous, but at least Vollmer Tavern famous. Stay tuned, I will post this recipe at some point. I really wanted a pizza dip though, so I came up with this.

Ingredients
2 8oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 can of diced tomatoes
20 pepperonis

Topping
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 tbl olive oil
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Mix cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, mayonnaise, garlic, Italian seasoning in bowl with a handheld mixer until blended. Cut pepperonis into small pieces and fold into mixture with a large spoon. Add a 1/2 can of diced tomatoes with some of the juice into the mixture an gently mix it all together. Spread into a 2 quart casserole dish. To make topping mix all ingredients into a bowl until coated with the olive oil. Sprinkle over the top of the mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Serve with tortilla chips or Italian bread.

I accidently only took a before picture. I'm still new at this.



Chimichurri Pork and Chorizo Mexican Lasagna

I got the inspiration for this from a co-worker I overheard talking about how easy it is to make Mexican Lasagna. I thought I should probably make this and put pork and chorizo in it! Double meat is always better.

1 package of chorizo
2.5 lb pork shoulder, bone in
1 can of black beans
1 package (10-15) of flour tortillas
2 cups of salsa (I made my own, naturally)
1 can diced tomatoes (I actually used the other 1/2 from leftover from the pizza dip)
1 cup shredded queso fresco
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
Chimichurri sauce (see below)


Chimichurri Sauce

1/2 cup olive oil                                                    
4 cloves garlic                                             
3 tablespoons rice vinegar,                                                                      

salt and pepper to taste                                                                     

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin                                                                     

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes                                                                                                                                 

1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves                                                                     

1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves                                                                     

1 bunch flat-leaf Italian parsley

If you have a food processor, it's very easy. Put it all in the food processor and pulse until smooth.

 

Salsa

 

4 tomatoes, some of the liquid removed

1/2 bunch fresh cilantro

2 jalapenos, seeds removed

1 onion

Salsa seasoning - I love Mrs. Wages for this, it's a nice blend.

Salt to taste

 

Also, blend it all in the food processor. So easy.

 

 

The pork shoulder was slow cooked in a cock pot for about 6 hours with onions, beer, hot sauce, taco seasonings, salt and pepper. It could have gone longer, but I was getting anxious to assemble.

 

 

 

Cook the chorizo in a frying pan and add can of black beans and sauté until meat is cooked.

 

 

 

To assemble, layer in a 3 quart casserole dish.

 

Lay down some chimichurri on the bottom of the dish to prevent sticking. Layer tortillas to cover the bottom. Add pork on top of tortillas, cheese, salsa and chimichurri. Another layer of tortillas, chorizo/bean mixture, cheese, salsa and chimichurri. Tortillas and tomatoes, salsa and chimichurri. Top with remaining cheese.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until it starts to bubble. Remove cover and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese on the top.

 

 

Serve, enjoy and cheer on your favorite puppy, I mean football team.