Pico de Gallo, Guacamole, and n-Layer Dip

Just because I don't care about the Super Bowl, especially this year, doesn't mean I can't enjoy Super Bowl food, right? Right.



I took the opportunity that this fine American tradition afforded to make something I've been too intimidated to make before (though in retrospect, I have no idea why): pico de gallo. Maybe it was all the chopping involved that I thought I wasn't up to; I don't know.



But it actually didn't take that long, and the best thing about pico de gallo, other than it being quite delicious on its own, is that it can be easily used in two other delicious items: guacamole, and what I'm calling n-layer dip.



Pico de gallo is a simple combination of tomatoes, onion, jalapenos, cilantro, and lime juice. Take that combination and mix it with some buttery avocado and you've got guacamole. And my friends -- there is absolutely nothing like homemade guacamole.



Or if you're really in Super Bowl mode, make an n-layer dip (n because you can add or subtract as many as you like from the traditional 7-layers).



This one has 10 layers.  Really!  Doesn't really look like there's 10 layers in there, does it? It can be easily cut in half and will be delicious just the same. Just make sure you eat it with sturdy tortilla chips that won't break apart when you're scooping up the dip.



There's no hard and fast rule about the order in which you layer, but some would argue that order matters, that when done properly it makes a significant textural (and aesthetic) difference.  You decide what works best for you.  My preferred order is listed below.

Pico de Gallo

Ingredients

• 5 firm Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and diced
• 1/2-1 cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 tbsp lime juice
• salt, to taste

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.  Enjoy the same day; pico de gallo doesn't keep very well.

Gucamole

Ingredients

• avocados
• pico de gallo
• lime juice
• salt

Method

1. Mash up your desired quantity of avocados.  Mix in a generous amount of pico de gallo.
2. Add another tbsp of lime juice for every 2 avocados you use.  Add salt to taste.

n-Layer Dip (based on the one photographed above)

Ingredients (ordered from bottom to top)

1. refried beans
2. thin layer of shredded cheese
3. sour cream
4. thinly shredded lettuce
5. sliced black olives
6. chopped cilantro
7. pico de gallo or salsa
8. guacamole
9. shredded cheese
10. thinly sliced scallions

Homemade California Rolls & Ebi Nigiri

Before this weekend I'd never attempted to make my own sushi rolls. Considering how adventurous I usually am with food preparation (though not, you know, in a hygiene way), and how much I love sushi, it's kind of odd. In any case the inspiration this time came from my bf, who can eat massive quantities of rolls (so he usually comes away from Japanese restaurants a little bit hungry, because massive quantities of rolls = $$$), and was craving them. So we decided to try making our own, which would be good in a financial sense, and also fun!

Verdict: it WAS both fun and delicious, and did make more financial sense, but I have to say that it's hard work! Really, many props to sushi chefs, whose creativity and skill I'd never quite appreciated to this level before, now having tried to do what they do.

We decided to keep it simple for this first excursion (though it was amazing how complex even 'simple' stuff is!) and made California rolls and ebi nigiri. While not the perfection you'd get in a real sushi place, we were pretty proud of how our attempts came out! (Plus, no matter what it looks like, it's still delicious, so we had that going for us.)



First, we had to assemble equipment and ingredients.

Equipment:
- rice cooker
- bamboo mat
- skewers
- plastic wrap
- super sharp knife
- 1 bowl of cold water
- 1 bowl of ice water
- large non-metallic bowl

Ingredients:
- imitation crab meat (usually made of fish)
- avocado
- English cucumber
- shrimp (headless)
- tuna sashimi (maguro)
- nori (toasted seaweed)
- short-grain (sushi) rice
- tobiko (little fish eggs)
- sesame seeds
- rice vinegar
- sugar
- Kosher salt

First we made the sushi rice. Washed the rice thoroughly (meaning several changes of water until it ran fairly clear) then let it sit in water for 30 minutes. Used the rice cooker to make 3 cups (uncooked) rice. I worried that there wasn't enough liquid, but followed the rice cooker's instructions and it came out fine (if you make rice on a stove top, use equal amounts of water and rice). After it was done I let it sit and steam in the cooker for about 15 minutes. In the meanwhile, I made the vinegar mixture by heating the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in the microwave until the latter two were dissolved. Scooped out the rice into a large non-metallic bowl and let it cool for a bit, then poured the vinegar solution over it. Folded the rice together well (our research on sushi rice showed that we weren't to mix/stir the rice, as this would break the grains). Set aside to cool completely.

In the meanwhile, we started to prepare the ebi. Set a pot of water to boil. Skewered shrimp onto skewers through the head and body, all the way to the tail, so that they were stretched out fairly straight (this is to keep them from curling when they're cooking). Tossed them into the boiling water for about 5 minutes, then removed them to an ice water bath to stop the cooking process (and conveniently, to be able to handle them without burns). Twisted the shrimp off the skewers. Shelled them up to the tail. Sliced them carefully down the middle of the belly without cutting all the way through. Spread them open and removed/washed away any visible veins. I wish I'd taken photos of this process but you can find helpful videos on YouTube.

Then there was the slicing of the imitation crab, avocado, cucumber, and maguro.



Finally, assembly. We made ebi nigiri, and also used a couple of slices of maguro to make nigiri as well. That was fairly easy.

Next came the rolls! Wrapped the bamboo mat in plastic wrap. Put a sheet (or half sheet, depending on how big you want your rolls) of nori on top. Wet hands thoroughly with water -- very important step or you'll have sticky rice all over you -- then took a portion of completely cooled sushi rice and spread it over the nori. I'd have to wet my hands every so often, whenever they dried enough that the rice started sticking to them. Flipped the nori over so that the rice was on the bottom. Layered in the filling (we skipped the Kewpie/Japanese mayo that some places use) -- depending on if you use a half or whole sheet of nori you can put in more or less. Carefully used the bamboo sheet to roll it up. I learned that a very important step here is to, after you've made the first roll-in, make sure it's tucked in really tight, and continue to make sure it's tucked in tight as best as you can while you're rolling it up, because otherwise the roll will be really loose and the filling will fall out easily.







After the roll has been completed, you'll want to take your very sharp knife and dip it in a bowl of cold water. Slice the roll in half, then place the halves side by side. Dip your knife in cold water again and slice familiar-sized pieces. After every slice be sure to dip your knife in water. We learned this was a super important step to making sure that cuts were easy (otherwise the sticky rice will make it very difficult to cut).





We then rolled each piece in tobiko (or sesame seeds). In theory you could roll the big roll in tobiko, then slice into portions, but some tobiko would inevitably stay on the cutting board and get on consequent rolls in random places, which doesn't look as nice.

Serve with wasabi, soy sauce, and green tea, and enjoy!



We made a ton of rolls that we couldn't even finish, and have ingredients to make even more. Definitely the way to go if you know someone who's a bottomless pit when it comes to rolls! Next time we'll branch out and try some other kind of filling ingredients ... like shrimp tempura! Yum.

Friday Dinner: Fish Tacos

You know what I loved about this Friday Dinner? Well, actually, I loved a few things. But you know what was the best thing? The fact that Trix and I both made fish tacos, and yet almost everything about them was different. We both used tortillas, salsa, and fish, but none were the same. The other things I loved: 1) it's a healthy meal; and 2) it was delicious, yet fast and easy to prepare.



Trix used corn tortillas; I used flour. She used regular cabbage; I used Napa cabbage. She added shredded carrot to hers; I didn't. (The recipe we were basing this meal off of used shredded carrot and jicama -- I didn't feel like using carrot and I couldn't find jicama at the store, even though I've bought it before.)

I pan "grilled" my fish (flounder) using my new Le Creuset grilling pan:



She broiled her fish (halibut) in the oven:



I made a traditional tomato salsa while Trix adapted an avocado and mango salsa to an avocado and pineapple salsa. Mine was OK; she said hers was excellent. I think when mangoes are in season I'm definitely going to be trying that salsa!



We both warmed our tortillas -- she in the oven, me in the microwave -- then piled on the goodies. Since there isn't much of a recipe for this, the recipes I'll share are the two salsas!



Mango Avocado Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 ripe and firm mango, peeled and chopped
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 2 avocados, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 red onion, diced
• 1 dash garlic salt (optional)

Method

1. Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Cover and chill 20-30 minutes before serving.

Tomato Salsa

Ingredients

• 1 14.5oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/3 cup diced red onion (about half a small-sized one)
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1 tbsp fresh jalapeno, diced (about half a medium-sized one)
• 2 tsp garlic, minced (about 2 cloves)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.