Turn leftover mashed potatoes into these beauties.

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. There have been many times in the past when I’ve considered incorporating some of the Asian pantry staples I use on a regular basis into the holiday meal. But in the end, I’ve kept it mostly traditional. My family enjoys and looks forward to those Thanksgiving food traditions we’ve established and I enjoy knowing what my menu is going to be.

What I like to do is fuse my leftovers with a little Asian flair. Grab up your kimchi, wonton wrappers, panko, ramen, and yes, sushi basics and check out a few clever ways to use up Thanksgiving leftovers:

Cranberry Sauce

• Mini fried pies – Mix cranberry sauce with a little sugar, ground and fresh ginger, splash of bourbon, butter and cornstarch. Place a hefty teaspoon in the middle of a wonton wrapper. Seal the edges tightly in any shape you like and fry until the wrappers are golden. Dust with powdered sugar and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream or egg nog.
• Toasted Walnut and Mushroom Maki - Make this delicious veggie roll without the oven-dried tomatoes. Add a good smear of cranberry sauce inside before adding the walnuts and mushrooms.

Turkey

• Turkey & Kimchi Pita Pizza – Toss kimchi with some pizza sauce. Spread over a pocketless pita. Top with cooked turkey (shredded or diced). Add some shaved onion or chopped scallions. Top with Parmesan or shaved Asiago cheese. Heat in the oven (400 degree F) until cheese melts.
• Baked Curry Buns – Make these crunchy buns using chopped leftover turkey instead of ground lamb. Get more leftover bang by using leftover veggies like green beans in the mix, too.
• Turkey and Egg Donburi (Turkey and Egg over Steamed Rice)- Simmer shredded turkey in a skillet with a little water, soy sauce, mirin and finely grated ginger to make a thin glaze. Keep warm. Scramble an egg. Place steamed rice in a bowl and top with the glazed turkey and the scrambled egg. Top with chopped nori strips.

Mashed Potatoes

• Potato and Bacon Dumplings – Use this gyoza recipe to create a delicious variation on dumplings. Omit the ground chicken and substitute and equal amount of mashed potatoes. Add a few slices of crumbled, cooked bacon to the mixture. The dumplings can be deep fried for extra crunch or cooked gyoza style.
• Potato Korokke (Potato Croquettes) – Form cold mashed potatoes into small ovals. (If you like, you can mix in vegetables or scallions before making the ovals.) Dip the potato ovals in egg white and coat with panko (Japanese breadcrumbs). Fry in oil heated to 350 degrees F until golden and warmed through.

Ham

• Miso Ramen – Get rid of the seasoning packet inside the pack and use turkey stock or another stock as the base for the soup. Boil the noodles in the stock and stir in miso paste to taste. Add chunks of ham, turkey, and green leafy veggies like kale, sauteed cabbage or spinach. For extra yum factor, add a poach or boiled egg. Top with chopped scallions.

Crunchy Buddha's Delight - An Upcoming Recipe

Vegan Sushi Recipes

I have been quite overwhelmed with the response over my vegan sushi pages. Vegans- you rock! I really appreciate you checking out my sushi pages. And in return, I’ve decided to up the vegan sushi ante, so to speak. Check back with me as I post new vegan sushi delights. And if you have questions about ingredients, techniques or even requests for certain types of sushi related recipes, let’s talk. I hope that you will find some new favorites and that these new posts will inspire you to create your own delectable sushi.

Happy (Vegan) Sushi,

Marisa

Sushi was once seen as an up and coming fad, that like many others, would eventually fade away. Instead, the popularity of sushi has continued to grow. The cuisine can be seen on menus across the nation, in grocery stores, specialty food markets and even gas stations. Sushi can be found nearly anywhere and sushi influenced dishes can be found in applications that are completely separate from Japanese cuisine.

For fans, this is a wonderful convenience. But it is also one that comes with a price. Due to demand for seafood, there are many practices used today that are not ocean-friendly. It would be to our advantage as a collective group of sushi lovers to learn more about eating and requesting sustainable sushi options at the sushi bar.  Our choices affect the future availability of seafood species as well as have an impact on our environment.

Over the past few years, I have been eliminating trouble seafood from my sushi making practice. I consider it extremely important to pledge not to eat or prepare seafood that is not sustainable. This may involve avoiding some sushi favorites such as bluefin tuna, freshwater eel and hamachi, but you may be presently surprised to find some new favorites. Items that you may not have previously considered eating often have interesting textures and flavors that work quite well in sushi applications. And doesn’t it always feel great to do the right thing?

Check out my favorite sustainable seafood resources.

The Book:

Sustainable Sushi: Saving the Oceans One Bite at a Time by Casson Trenor

Website:

Sustainable Sushi

www.sustainablesushi.net

Website:

Monterrey Bay Aquarium – Seafood Watch

Offers extensive information on seafood species and provide seafood and sushi pocket guides. Also look for their seafood app available for iPhones and Android.

Sushi_Yall

A Southern Sushi Project

I have committed to a big goal: 800 kids, 35 sushi workshops, 15 Southern towns, 1 heck of a sushi trail left behind. Project Sushi, Y’all will use sushi as medium to promote sustainability, culinary diversity and creativity among kids in the South.

To reach this goal, I am using the micro-funding website kickstarter. Anyone with an Amazon account can make a $5 or more pledge. Funding is all or nothing, so I must reach or exceed my goal by the end of pledge drive.

Check out Sushi, Y’all: A Southern Sushi Project

And check back here for project updates!

In the greater Memphis area, I’ve been told that The Fresh Market has good sushi. (This is usually followed by an apology to me as if eating supermarket sushi is a crime.) The evidence of this is overwhelming. Each time I venture in, I am amazed at the number of people hovering around that case displaying refrigerated gourmet pizzas and sushi. It disappears as quickly as it is made.

On one particular outing, I happened to be standing in the check out line during the lunch hour. I watched as nearly everyone in line around me had a box or two of sushi. And more than one person had already begun to eat their share while they waited in line.

I glanced down at my sushi-free buggy. Hmm, must be good, I thought. After all, it couldn’t be that bad if it was being made fresh, right?

I’ve pondered buying a box just to give it a try on several occasions. In fact, every time I shop, I meander over to the bottled salad dressings (which is located conveniently next to the sushi case) and pretend to look for dressings. I love watching as people mull over their options: cucumber rolls, spicy tuna topped with avocado, eel rolls, crunchy shrimp, California rolls, and some sort of concoction that looks like it exploded. With the exception of the mystery explosion roll, everything looks appetizing. And though I doubt most of the patrons need it, there is a handy chart that tells how many days each selection will last in the refrigerator.  I can respect that.

But would I try it? Well, we’ll see….I’m not a sushi nob, but I usually just make my own when I have a craving.

What are your thoughts? Is supermarket sushi a do or a don’t?

It seems these days that everyone is looking for an excuse to drink more red wine. The old adage of “white wine with fish, red wine with red meat” is losing ground as a hard rule as red wine lovers experiment with fish pairings. Additionally, red wine has been the subject of a number of recently published medical studies suggesting that compounds found in the drink may promote cardiovascular health and aid in prevention of certain types of cancers.

And now, some sushi fans are thinking outside of the (sake) box. Though sake, beer, green tea and sparkling white wines have long been the accepted sushi pairings, red wine is gaining momentum as sushi chefs and sommeliers experiment. Trend-setting restaurants such as Sushi-Ko and Nobu promote wine lists that include reds meant to be paired with sushi.

Sound like bizarre combination? Perhaps it’s not too far off the mark. After all, pinot noir and salmon are no strangers. Grilled salmon is often promoted as a good pairing for pinot noir. Thus the idea of fresh or even smoked salmon sushi with pinot noir is not so foreign. With this in mind, it is possible to see why one would be curious about other such sushi matches.

Personally, I think the idea has great merit. I love a great red. I love sushi. When sushi is eaten properly – not drowned in soy sauce or overwhelmed with wasabi – the combination can be quite nice. Smoked duck and salmon were two of my favorite red wine and sushi pairings.

Have you ever tried red wine with sushi?

“Do you sharpen your own knives?” people often ask.

Of course! Most chefs do. Knives are sort of a chefly pride. The contents of a chef’s knife case is one of the mechanisms we use to size each other up. A cool knife collection earns base points, knowing how to use them properly adds more, and having the sharpest ones in the kitchen definitely gives you the edge. We love our knives and we love flaunting our ability to sharpen them. Ever seen a chef whip out a big scary knife and run the blade briskly across a metal steel?

But did you know that using a honing steel doesn’t actually sharpen the knife? Instead it conditions the metal blade, giving the appearance of sharpness. This is a great way to keep knives going in between sharpening. To truly sharpen a knife, some of the knife’s metal must actually be removed.  This can be achieved with a ceramic whetstone or an oil stone.  If you own carbon steel knives, a ceramic whetstone must be used. Never use an oil stone to sharpen carbon steel knives.

For the home cook, investing in sharpening stones may be too costly as quality stones can run upwards of $50 each. If you don’t want to invest in a stone for your stainless steel knife, try one of these creative sharpening methods that I picked up from Chef Ben Smith of Tsunami restaurant in Memphis, TN. These methods should only be used on stainless steel knives and are not appropriate for carbon steel.

The Coffee Mug Method (Stainless Steel only!)

pictured above

Grab coffee mug and flip it over. If it has a rough circle (often white) that feels like unfinished ceramic, then you can use it for sharpening. To sharpen, place the blade of the knife flat against the mug (the unfinished circle) as close to the base of the knife as possible. Glide full extent of the blade across mug then flip the knife over and repeat on the other side. Do this a few times making sure that both sides were stroked the same number of times. Run knife under water and wipe clean to remove debris before use.

The Unfinished Ceramic Method (Stainless Steel only!)

Have a piece of pottery with a flat, unfinished bottom? It can also be used to sharpen a knife. Turn pottery piece over to the unfinished side. Place blade of knife flat against piece of pottery as close to base of knife as possible. Glide the full extent of knife blade across the unfinished ceramic.  Flip knife over and repeat on the other side. Do this a few times making sure that both sides were stroked the same number of times. Run knife under water and wipe clean to remove debris before use.

This polishing method, from Harris Salat of The Japanese Food report, works wonders on any sort of knife, including carbon steel sushi knives. Use this for fine-tuning for an already sharp knife. (Thanks so much, Harris for this tip!)

The Newspaper Method (All knife types)

Make sure you knife is dry. Place a sheet of dry newspaper (all black and white ink) flat. Lay the blade of your knife flat on the newsprint and gently glide the blade across the paper, keeping blade flat the entire time. Do this a few times and repeat the same number of times on the other side of the knife. If knife is one sided carbon steel, it is not necessary to repeat on both sides evenly. Run knife under water and wipe clean to remove debris before use.

The Golden Knife Rule : NEVER pick up a chef’s knife without permission!

Trevor Corson, author of The Story of Sushi, weighs in on the American sushi chef. Atlantic Monthly Article: American Sushi (June 2009)

Slideshow Narrated by Trevor Corson

Of interest Mo Rocca on White Sushi Chefs- Is Sushi Chefdom Still a Birthright?

Sashimi to Contemplate

Because I create fusion style sushi for a restaurant inspired by the flavors of the Pacific Rim, I get to incorporate a world of flavors in my sushi creations. Though the same is true of sashimi, it is to be noted that any successful fusion sashimi is best served in the Japanese tradition – very fresh and very simple.  

Here, I infused sashimi with a touch of India. Hawaiian tombo (albacore) is served simply with jalapeno mint chutney on a few baby greens. The spicy chutney eliminates the need for wasabi, while a sprinkling of sea salt replaces the need for soy sauce. (Soy sauce would not pair as well with the flavor of the chutney.)

Have you ever tried fusion style sashimi? If so, what were some of your favorites or least favorites?