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Thank Sushi it’s Friday!

Monster Tuna spotted at H Mart & wonderful variety of Sashimi at Nijiya Japanese Store, Hartsdale NY

Monster Tuna spotted at H Mart & wonderful variety of Sashimi at Nijiya Japanese Store, Hartsdale NY

“It’s Moby Dick!”  my co-blogger, told me on sight of this pic of the monster Tuna I’d just found in my local Asian Supermarket.

Several   hours of shopping, slicing, stirring and rolling later,  Moby had proven the inspiration for my family’s home made Sushi dinner.

I’ve made Sushi for the last few years and here’s the basic recipe I use, in pictorial form.

Rice and Seasoning

Ingredients and prep of Sushi Rice

Ingredients and prep of Sushi Rice

For 4 , use 4 cups of sushi rice, 8 desert spoons of rice vinegar, 4 desert spoons of sugar and 1/2 desert spoon of salt.  Wash the rice,  pop it in a rice cooker cover with water and cook. Seasoning is simple. Add the vinegar, salt and sugar to a saucepan, warm till it dissolves and allow to cool slightly. Add the seasoning to the cooked rice. Hey presto? Perfect sushi rice.

Now, slice your fish.  For Nigiri, across the grain with a  sharp Yanagiba knife works for me. Use the same knife to slice the Nori Seaweed sheets to 2/3 of original size horizontally.

Maki

The stages of creating Maki

The stages of creating Spicy Tuna Inside Out Maki

Spicy Tuna, use minced tuna, Japanese Mayo, a hot pepper sauce and green onions.  Mix the ingredients in a bowl. Follow the steps in the pictures to the right (clockwise from top right corner), using a wooden rolling sheet to form the rolls.

The stages of making Salmon Avocado Maki

The stages of making Salmon Avocado Maki

Salmon Avocado Maki. Use the same technique but now add  Salmon + Avocado strips  before rolling the Maki.  Sesame seeds dusted on the outside add crunch and flavor.

Nigiri

Easy to make / easy to eat. Roll the rice in a ball in ones palm, add a dab of wasabe,  place the fish slice on top and ta da!

The steps to assemble Nigiri with Bream, Shiso Leaf and Plum Sauce,

The steps clockwise from hand rolling to assemble Nigiri with Bream, Shiso Leaf and Plum Sauce,

My favorite one adds Shiso Leaf under the Tai (Bream) fish with plum sauce to decorate and add a certain zingy sweetness.

Good Luck & Enjoy. My family certainly did. They polished off the lot in 25 minutes!

 Tuna Nigiri & Japanese Soda with Manga-tastic colors

To end, because I couldn’t resist, Maguro Tuna Nigiri & Japanese Soda in Manga-tastic colors!

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 One in the Eye!

London, such a vibrant city, so much going on…

Last night I stood in a pod on the London Eye drinking Aspall Suffolk Cyder  learning about Vivienne Westwood, the iconic British fashion designer at the 32 Londoners event.

32 Londoners – here we go!

 

Ian Kelly, our host had an amazing insight into Vivienne’s life as her biographer.  Ian recounted the stories, pointing out the important sites  as we slowly rotated round as the sun set.

From Worlds End, Kings Road – home of punk culture to Conduit Street and Davies Street, the flagship, MAN & couture stores of iconic British design.

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Sunset from the London Eye

How did the cyder taste?   Very refreshing, slightly fruity & sparkling

– just like our evening!

Thanks  to Ian Kelly and curators – Antique Beat & A Curious Invitation for  one in the eye!

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When not in Rome…..

My perfect Espresso Machiatto with views outside Cafe Latte towards the Hudson River

My perfect Espresso Machiatto with views outside Cafe Latte towards the Hudson River

For over 20 years, Caffé Latte, a small coffee shop in Dobbs Ferry NY, has been a local institution. Its owner, former Italian accountant Basilio Collaizi, emigrated to this part of the world from Villa Santa Maria, near Rome in 1989 in search of his American dream.

Basilio making coffee and scenes from his cafe

Basilio making coffee and scenes from his cafe

Basilio says he wanted to bring the culture, taste and feel of the Italian cafés he loved in his native country to this corner of NY.  At Caffé Latte, come rain, shine or even several feet of snow (weather popular in this North East corner of the US), one can saunter in, grab a perfectly executed caffé macchiato a flaky, sweet sugar crystal dusted cornetto alla crema and one is miraculously transported back to an Italian vacation, sipping coffee at a café on the street in Rome.

Italian Juice & Cornetto

Cornettos & Italian juices

How does he achieve it? The coffee (served in china, as it tastes better that way he says), the delicate cornetto, crunchy cantucci and melt in your mouth gelato served are all the genuine item that Basilio imports direct from bakeries in Italy. Added to this, he remains as Italian as the Puccini opera to which he often sings, as he makes espresso imbuing Caffé Latte with a perfect Roman ambiance.

Maybe it’s quirky to insist on serving the real McCoy so many 1000s of miles from Rome but it works. For that, as an ex-pat Londoner who misses his weekend breaks in Italy, this café is a local treat!