Food rolled up

The first time I had Sushi was only 3 years ago. Now I love it and could eat it every week, except going out for it means spending at least $60 or more depending if it is all you can eat, and I typically leave still hungry. Hopefully once Jenn graduates from Physiotherapy school and I become Mr. Mom we will be able to go out for it more often. Until then occasionally I become Masaharu Morimoto and make it .
My parents got me a sushi cook book for christmas and it gives a good description on how to make proper sushi rice. It essentially requires you to boil equal parts of water and rice for about 10 minutes then letting it sit for an additional 20 minute. Then you take the rice out of the pot and place it in a big bowl and pour a mixture of rice vinegar, sugar and salt over the rice while fanning it so the mixture coats the rice but doesn't make it too mushy. This is a very important step because unseasoned rice means the sushi will taste pretty bland.

We made some California rolls (avacado, cucumber, crab) and philly rolls (cream cheese, green onion, smoked salmon) the first time. We also made what I call a dragon roll (California with avocado on the outside) and salmon sushi. Nori is the paper like black sheets that wrap up the ingredients allowing the sushi to be rolled up. Putting the Nori on the outside allowed us to make the sushi pretty easily. Mise en place is very important once you are ready to start rolling.

I think the output turned out pretty good. It all tasted great but their is still lots of room for improvement. For comparison is a photo of Jen and mines favourite sushi place large boat sushi platter.

Yeah their is tones of room for improvement looking at this picture.

Apple Smoked Mac and Cheese

I like mac and cheese but I am not one to rave about it. After I made this recipe I think I will be making mac and cheese more often. I watch the Food Network more than the average person, so I often pick up ideas from some of the shows. Road Grill is a pretty good show but I find Matt Dunigan annoying at times when he is describing ingredients......."oooooooohhhh look at this chili powder" he is just way to over the top at the dumbest ingredients. However after trying his smoked mac and cheese I now like him both for his football and food knowledge. It is basically cooked macaroni, layered with tomato, bacon, onion and cheddar cheese, smoked with apple wood for about 1 hr. Could be done on weekdays for a meal or on the weekend for a side.

Mussels are at Costco, WE WIN!

Costco started to carry PEI mussels at our location. Jenn and I have bought them a few times now. Because they only come in a 3 kg container, we usually have them for dinner and not just as an app. Last time I was in Costco getting mussels some one saw me with the mussels and was like wow how do you cook those. I thought it was kind of funny because they are literally one of the easiest thinks to cook. I typically like to fry a clove of minced garlic and shallot in some olive oil with a diced up chili. Then after 3 or 4 minutes add a cup of dry white wine and a splash of rice vinegar. Then through in about a pound and a half of mussels in the pot then crank the heat up and let them steam for 5 minutes until they open. Sprinkle some fresh parsley on top for garnish.
Bobby Flay had a "Moules Frites"(mussel and fries) throw down recently and he lost. The guy he lost to did a bacon and blue cheese mussel recipe. I thought it was quite a weird combo so Jenn and I thought we better try it out. Well this guy knows what he is doing because they were amazing.

Gyro Time

Jen and I have found a really good Gyro and Sovlaki place in Windsor called the Greek Grill. I have made home made gyros a few times at home but have often used the left overs from a leg of lamb. After my first attempt at making some lamb sausage(which is what is usually used for gyros) I don't think I'll ever make them other way. I used a recipe by Alton Brown. I found out about this recipe from an old quater-back of mine who I saw in the grocery store one day. I think this recipe can compete with the Greek Grills Gyro.

I used half ground beef and half lamb as the meat. Being a student I am always looking to cut a price in a recipe with out sacrificing the output. I rolled it into a log and wrapped it tight with saran wrap. I then grilled it at medium heat for just under an hour. Served with some rosemary and garlic roasted potatoes and a greek salad makes one of may favourite take out meals now a fun make at home meal. I had quite a bit of gyro meat left over so I froze the rest for a easy and fast gyro dinner for another night.

The Ideal BBQ Treat

When I first started to BBQ it consisted mainly of a grilled protein (chicken, pork chops etc) that was seasoned and maybe had some BBQ sauce slopped on at the end. Well that was a while ago and I am now learning more about adding a little smoke in the mix. I have done pulled pork a few times but never really thought it was as good as it should be. I think the first mistake most people do is use the wrong cut of meat.  I won't lie, I have taken a pork tenderloin, thrown it on the grill for 40 minutes or so, then shredded it and slopped some BBQ sauce all over it. This was usually done for pulled pork Quesadillas where the pork isn't the main star. But if you are going to make a proper pulled pork sandwich the meat should always be a pork butt often referred to as a boston butt. This cut of meat ironically comes from the shoulder of the pig and has lots of fat and connective tissue running though out the meat. So when it is cooked nice and slowly this fat can melt into the meat making it nice and juicy. Another important step is cooking it at the right temperature which should be around 250 degrees. Also most people may think that the pork is ready to come off at 165 degrees (which is when pork is safe to be eaten). In this case when using a pork shoulder, the internal temperature should be 190. This is because the shoulder has a lot of connective tissue running through it that needs to be broken down in order to make it for tender, the connective tissue and fat at this temperature will then turn into gelatin at this temperature making the pork nice and tender.
      The first step is always applying a dry rub to the shoulder the night before it is going to be cooked. This is the initial step in bringing flavour to the meat. I often add oil to the dry rub to allow the rub to adhere to the meat better. A normal 6 pound roast will typically take around 8 hours or so to cook so planning is needed. After smoking the roast should have developed a nice thick dark coating (that almost looks burnt) called the bark. This bark is inviting you to flavour country.

You know you have done a good job when the meat is fork tender and shreds with little effort.

Classically it is served on a nice soft bun with some bbq sauce and some coleslaw. I had some nice fresh tomatoes from the market so I just put a slice on top instead. This is a meal you will see a lot on this blog.

                                      

Lobster is on Sale!

Every spring and summer when ever I go to the market and grocery store Jen and I both check to see if lobster is on sale. Although we do buy it a couple of times of year at full price, this time seeing it on sale (below $10/pound) made us want to do something with it other than just steaming them. We had planned on going to the Leamington beach in the afternoon so we both agreed that a Lobster roll would be a perfect beach lunch.

After steaming 2 lobsters I cracked open the tail, claw and knuckle to pull out the meat. I then coarsely chopped it leaving nice big chunks of meat. Jen mixed a few tablespoons of mayonnaise with the zest of one lemon and a couple tablespoons of the juice. Chopped parsely was then added to the mixture to give it some colour and additional freshness. After seasoning the mixture with a little salt and pepper we choose to top it on a chibata bun instead of a traditional hot dog bun. Jen and I enjoyed them while watching our dog enjoy a swim in lake Erie.