Pickled Eggs

 413.  My Polish is showing again!  And it always seems to around Easter.  

One of my favorite items to enjoy with Easter Dinner is pickled eggs in beet brine.  While living on the East Coast it was always easy to find a jar in any market.  However, West Coast is proving to be very different and less cultured when it comes to international foods available.  

So how hard could it be to pickle my own eggs.  I decided to try!

I purchased small whole canned beets and boiled 6 eggs.  Or you can peel, slice and boil fresh beets and reserve the liquid.

First place the eggs in a large canning jar and the beets in a smaller canning jar.  Then make brine by pouring the beet juice into a small pot adding

 1 cup of white vinegar

 1/4 cup sugar,

 1 cup of water.  

Then place 1/4 teaspoon of ground mace

 2 teaspoons of pickling spices 

 4 whole cloves 

into a cheese cloth bouquet tied with cooking string and dropped into the liquid. Bring to a boil.

The magic happens once you pour the hot liquid over the eggs and beets.

It was necessary to add more juice from another can of beets.  Then, refrigerate for up to 1 week gently turning the jar from side to side daily to distribute the brine evenly.

I will not go back to a purchased product again.  And the compliments were very positive!

To serve, we placed them on a crudités platter.   And you can find my Crudités recipe Here.

"I love fresh beets!  It's not all about the fried chicken and biscuits."

~ Paula Deen

Sushi Bowl

412.  My daughter shared a wonderful twist on sushi.  She took a variety of the components, that can be endless, and created a "Sushi Bowl".  Yes! And the experience was all there, crunchy, spicy, soft, pickled, brain-freezing, delightful, fishy, salty, peanuty.  If you devour sushi, you know all the feels and flavors. 

 Sometimes, when I am at a sushi bar, the special rolls can be so large, I cannot fit them in my mouth in one bite.  It can be a very embarrassing moment when the item you are placing in your mouth is considerably larger than your actual mouth as you carefully hold this delicacy with two thin pieces of bamboo.  And to deconstruct a roll is so wrong!  You must taste the whole piece to experience the flavor bomb the sushi chef has constructed.   So, having all the flavors I love piled high to take smaller bites of enjoyment.  It was a delight!

Take a brief moment and search "Sushi Bowl" image in your browser and you will be surprised how many

 exist.  Here is my recipe:

This meal was so spectacular and gave me all the feels of sushi.  If you are adventurous and want to take a shot at creating your own sushi bowl, I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

I also had made my own pickled ginger.  It was either sold out or not available in the markets visited.

Here is my recipe for pickled ginger: Pickled Ginger Recipe

I am excited for you to try this recipe.  It will make you happy, I promise!

"Sushi is something very exclusive.  It is not like a McDonald's, a hot dog or a french fry,  It is very high-class cooking in Japan."

~ Nobu Matsuhisa

Pickled Ginger

411.  If you have eaten Sushi you know how important and amazing the pickled ginger is to your experience.  Recently, I was wanting to make sushi bowls at home, which are basically deconstructed sushi in a bowl over rice.  My search for jarred pickled ginger was fruitless.  It was either sold-out or not available.  So my thought process was to make my own.  I mean, how hard could this be?

I purchased fresh ginger root and found several simple recipes that were very similar.  

Pickled Ginger

fresh ginger root

optional: hot red pepper scored with long cuts, do not remove stem or seeds

1/2 cup rice vinegar

star anise

2 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup water

Peel and slice the ginger root very thin with a mandolin.  Place red pepper (I used red pepper flakes), and ginger in a heat proof glass jar and drop the star anise on top of the ginger.  In a small saucepan place vinegar, water and sugar.  Bring to a boil.  Place a metal spoon in the jar and pour the hot liquid over the ingredients filling the jar. Place the lid on and refrigerate for 24 hours.  Will keep for 3 weeks.

Peeling Ginger 

So my process started with the ginger and this is the easiest way to remove the skin.  A peeler can cut away the yummy ginger but the spoon only scrapes over and away from the ginger flesh.

Making Pickled Ginger 

Now, this is very easy and so practical and the flavor was fresh and complimented our sushi bowls perfectly.

You may have been eating sushi for some time? Well, what you might not know about sushi etiquette could just surprise you. Like many things Japanese, it is all in the details. A Japanese sushi chef gave these tips.  We all have been doing several things wrong for years! So here is a quick cheatsheet on the Dos and Don’ts of proper sushi etiquette.

Dos
- Actually, it is traditional to eat sushi with the hands, not with chopsticks (with the exception of sashimi and some rolls). But it’s OK if you prefer to use chopsticks. Either are fine.
- Turn the sushi roll over and dip the fish (not the rice) into the soy sauce.
- Put the whole portion into your mouth, fish side down toward the tongue.
- Use the fatter back end of the chopsticks when taking food from a shared plate.
- When not using your chopsticks, they should be rested across your plate or on the chopstick rest, parallel to the sushi bar.
- Signal you are finished by resting your chopsticks across your sushi saucer.

Don’ts
- Never rub your chopsticks together after snapping them apart! Apparently this is the height of rudeness.
- Never mix wasabi in with the soy sauce. Sushi should be prepared with the proper amount of wasabi directly on this fish. If, however, you would like more, simply apply it directly to the fish.
- Never rest your chopsticks with just the tips on your plate. And never, ever leave your chopsticks sitting in a bowl with the ends jutting out.
- Do not put the ginger on your sushi and eat it together. Ginger is meant to be consumed between bites to cleanse the palate.
- If eating in a sushi bar, never hand money to the chef. It is considered to be the height of rude.

So never unknowingly offend your sushi chef or fellow diners again. Become a sushi sensai with these sushi etiquette tips.

Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes

410.  On St. Patrick's Day we, like most Americans, love to have the traditional Corned Beef, Cabbage and Potatoes.  In Ireland, this meal is not a tradition but was created by American chefs to celebrate this day.  That is the nuance with traditions, they don't have to be declared by anyone, only your family and what you decide to eat or celebrate on a particular day.

My recipe included a corned beef in package, whole head of green cabbage, 10 whole carrots peeled and chopped, onion quartered and about 10 small potatoes with skin on.

I always follow the package directions for the corned beef, because it is full proof.  Once the meat is tender, I add the vegetables.  Salt and pepper are neither here nor there based on your choice.  

Irish Butter and soda bread on the side is enjoyed as well.

Create traditions in your home and family by making any day a "Special Day".  It doesn't have to be a birthday or national holiday. 

"Dia duit" 

- translated,"May God be with you"

~Irish greeting