Tuna-Mayo Rolled Sushi

by Mika Patch

Shopping List:

5 sheets of Sushi Nori (roasted seaweed)
2 1/4 cups of Japanese short grain Rice (sticky rice)
2 1/2 cups of filtered water
4 TBSP rice vinegar (regular white vinegar is okay, but rice vinegar is better)
3 TBSP sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tuna cans
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2-3 leaves of Romain hearts cut in half
1 English cucumber
1 Avocado (optional)
15 pieces of peeled cooked shrimp or imitation crab sticks (optional)
Bamboo Sushi Roll mat (I have seen it at Hiller's or any oriental stores)
Soy sauce
Wasabi paste (optional)
Gari (pickled sweet ginger) (optional)

How to make it:

1) Wash the rice in water a few times, drain, add water and cook according to the package directions.

2) Mix rice vinegar, sugar and salt, and microwave it until sugar dissolves. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix well. Wait for the rice to cool.

3) Squeeze all the water out from the tuna cans, and mix very well with mayonnaise. You can add more mayo if you wish.

4) Cut vegetables in long strips.

5) Place Sushi mat on the table, place Nori (seaweed), and thinly spread rice over Nori. Place a long strip of green leaf lettuce in on rice, put tuna-mayo mixture on top, avocado, cucumber, and shrimp (see picture). Roll it very carefully. Cut into 8 pcs. Garnish with pickled sweet ginger on the side. Dip in soy sauce and wasabi and enjoy! Makes 5 rolls (40 pcs).

Making Sushi rolls requires some practice. I recommend reading or watching some information on the Internet before you first make them. I found following Website on how to make California Rolls. Very helpful.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/Appetizers/CaliforniaRoll.htm

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

from Loretta Harbertson


Cook one pound of Orzo 47 pasta for about 11 minutes, stirring often to keep from sticking.

Drain and rinse well, place in a large bowl to cool, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, mix well, sprinkle with some
garlic salt and savory salt.

When cooled add:
1 can sliced black olives, drained
5 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
4-5 slices of oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, minced
1/2 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/2 of a 6 oz container of tomato-basil Athenas feta cheese, crumbled
3 oz of solid, water packed feta, cut in small cubes
1/3-1/2 cup sherry vinegar or seasoned rice vinegar (rice is sweeter)
Zest of one lemon

Mix all together, add freshly ground pepper, drizzle with more olive oil if needed. Add salt to taste.

Makes a large salad that keeps well.

Baklava

BAKLAVA-(about 30 squares or diamonds)

3C. Chopped, toasted nuts, (pecans, pistachios, or walnuts, or almonds)
Make sure they are chopped fine or coarsely grind. Set aside
Stir together in a small bowl:
1/2 c. sugar
1 T. grated lemon zest
1 t. ground cinnamon

Melt: 1 C unsalted butter

You need to preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter a 13X9 in baking dish
Unfold and stack on counter (make sure you have room to work here) one pound of phyllo dough at room temp. Cover with a damp cloth or plastic wrap

Start with 2 phyllo sheets, brush with butter and add 2 more phyllo sheets to a total of six or eight sheets. Next sprinkle half the nuts and half the sugar. Cover with 2 sheets of phyllo and butter and repeat until there are 6 sheets left. Cover with the remaining nuts and sugar mixture, and repeat the layering 2 sheets with butter until finished, reserving some butter for the top sheet. Cut into diamonds, or squares about 1 1/2 X 1 1/2 inches. for serving in baking cups. Bake 30 minutes, and reduce the oven temp to 300 degrees and continue to bake until it is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

While baking, combine in saucepan

1 1/2 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. water
1/3 C honey
1 T. Lemon zest and the zest of one full orange

Bring mixture to a gentle boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and reduce to a simmer for 15 min.
When baklava is done, pour the syrup all over the baklava and let cool completely before serving. Best is used within a couple of days. Phew!

Modified from Joy of Cooking Cookbook, by Rombauer, Rombauer Becker, and Becker

Armenian Gata

10 cps (2 and 1/2 lbs) all purpose white flour
1/2 cp sugar
1 T salt
2 pkg yeast ( I use rapid rise)
1/2 cp lukewarm water
1 tsp sugar
5 eggs, beaten with a fork
1 and 1/2 cp butter (2 and 1/2 sticks)
2 cp milk, scalded

Melt butter in milk and cool to lukewarm. Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl ( I put it in a bread kneading machine bowl). Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water and add sugar and let rise. Add yeast, eggs and cooled milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until it holds together. It will be a sticky dough. Let rise for 1 to 2 hours in a warm place. Roll out small sections of the dough at a time and cut with about a 6 inch round glass or cookie cutter. Fill with small amount of either meat or cheese filling. Fold over and seal. Coat with beaten egg yolk and top with poppy seed for the meat ones and sesame seed for cheese (or vice versa). Bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 min.

Meat Filling:
1 lb ground beef
1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
2 T. olive oil
6 oz chopped pine nuts (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp paprika (Hungarian sweet is good to use)
1 T. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg (I use whole nutmegs and grate them, a fresher taste)
1 tsp curry
salt to taste

Saute onions with olive oil until onions are clear. Add ground beef and cook with fork until color just turns. Remove from heat and add seasonings. Salt to taste. Add pine nuts. Fill bread with about a 1-2 tsp of the meat mixture per bread circle.

Cheese Filling:
3/4 lb american brick cheese, grated
1/4 cp olive oil
3/4 chopped fresh parsley, Italian
pine nuts, optional
Mix together and put 1 -2 tsp in the bread circles.

Sweet filling - if desired as a variation:
2 T. cinnamon
1/3 cp sugar
2 tsp grated orange peel
1/4 tsp nutmeg.
About a tsp in each bread circle, etc.